You can go to a mobile store and ask to try out a new handset but it’s very problematic – the store staff are busy, there are too many customers, you don’t have the time to play around with the phone as you’d like…
What if you could try out all the phone’s features on your PC without leaving the house? How cool would that be?
Well, Tryphone’s launched a new website letting you test-drive a handset.
Unlike a lot of emulators and demo phones on websites, which are quite limited in terms of what you can try out, Typhone promises to let you do anything and everything on your desired handset.
It works a treat and is a great idea I’m sure will eventually be picked up by operators and retailers for their websites.
There is one catch though – it’s a US site and at the moment on the iPhone, Samsung Juke, LG Muziq and BlackBerry Pearl are online. However there is a ‘Suggestions’ link for you to ask very nicely for your desired handset to be uploaded.
You can check it out for yourself here.
Everyone seems to be coming out with their own ‘iPhone killer’, whether it’s Sony Ericsson’s W960i or Nokia’s N82, and now even RIM’s developing its own BlackBerry version.
A US analyst, Carmi Levy at AR Communications, said RIM’s next range - the 9000-series - is ‘the future of the BlackBerry franchise’.
According to Levy, RIM’s preparing a 9000-series operating system and device platform, with the express aim of taking on Apple by targeting consumers normally attracted to the Pearl and Curve devices.
“The 9000 is supposed to be a touch-screen device, very similar in form factor to the iPhone,” Levy says.
The new-look BlackBerry devices won’t have QWERTY keyboards but instead will have a full-screen touch screen, better multimedia capabilities and the ubiquitous push-email.
The 9000-series devices are expected to appear early next year, a bit of a delay from the original target of late this year.
Mind you, RIM’s already pretty much sewn up the enterprise device market, and the Pearl and Curve have successfully bridged the consumer-business gap, so who would be against RIM making an impact, no matter when its 9000-series devices will eventually appear? Not us that’s for sure.
[Via Unstrung]
Otter Products has released two semi-rugged protective cases for the BlackBerry Pearl and BlackBerry Curve smartphones.
The $49.95 cases (the OtterBox 1934 for the Pearl and OtterBox 1935 for the Curve), offer complete usability of the BlackBerry devices and camera, while protecting them from bumps, scratches and drops.
The cases have a protective membrane over the keyboard and screen to protect against scratches and dust, while there’s a silicone skin surrounding the device to absorb bumps and shocks.
The microphone and speakers are left uncovered for better sound quality and you can still sync and charge your device with the jack accessible through the case. For the truly hip, the cases also have swivel belt-clips for easy carrying, and better yet they come in two colours - black or yellow/black.
One thing to bear in mind though is that the cases aren’t waterproof, so don’t think you’ll suddenly be able to wave your BlackBerry around in the rain.
RIM’s new BlackBerry Pearl, long expected for many months, has suddenly appeared in the UK.
The original Pearl was a huge hit for BlackBerry and was at the time arguably the most consumer-friendly device from RIM. Now the Pearl 8120 has gone on sale with O2 in the UK.
So what’s different? Well, it’s blue for a start, but aside from a lick of paint the new Pearl has wi-fi, a hi-res screen that adjusts brightness depending on the environment, it has a two-megapixel camera, media player and the expected email features. However, there’s no GPS, which was expected.
It’s available on an O2 contract now and the price will depend on how much your contract is per month.
