News
Apple Announces 4G iPod Nano
Apple today introduced its new fourth generation iPod Nano. This incarnation is the thinnest yet and a bit taller than its predecessors. It has a curved aluminum and glass enclosure and comes in nine colors including silver, purple, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, (PRODUCT) RED and black. It also sports a two inch display, larger than the former Nanos.

Aside from changes on the outside, the 4G Nano has undergone some interface changes as well. It incorporates Genius technology which, with just a single click, will create playlists of songs from your library that go together. Like the iPod Touch and iPhone, the Nano also features landscape view for
Laser Relinquishes Reins to Blue Track
Microsoft today unveiled its new Explorer and Explorer Mini Mouse, both of which employ Blue Track technology, thereby ending the reign of the laser mice. Blue Track technology will allow owners to use their mice on a variety of surfaces that laser mice can't handle. According to Mark DePue, platforms engineering manager at Microsoft and co-inventor of BlueTrack Technology, "Research shows that people aren’t sitting at a desk all day, but they’ve gone mobile. In fact, 72 percent of PCs sold are notebook PCs, and consumers need a mouse that can go with them anywhere." Blue Track is the solution.

The first optical mouse debuted in 1999, rendering the trackball mice obsolete. It was able to perform on a variety of surfaces that trackballs simply couldn't handle. In 2005 the laser mouse replaced the optical mouse and was even more versatile. Now the Blue Track mouse will replace the laser mouse. Microsoft's proprietary tracking technology uses a large, blue beam and specular optics architecture
Sony Ericsson Unveils the G705 Slider
Sony Ericsson today revealed their newest phone, the G705. Featuring a 2.4" screen and 3G connectivity, the G705 offers the ideal internet experience. It has an illuminated zoom button and you can enter landscape view simply by tilting the phone. According to Catherine Cherry, Global product marketing manager at Sony Ericsson, “This life-enhancing phone has everything you need to keep track of your daily activities and is perfect for keeping in touch with friends. It also allows you to stay fully up-to-date thanks to the full HTML browser, email support, and desktop RSS feeds - all delivered at turbo 3G speeds.”

Other features of the G705 include a 3.2 megapixel camera wtih video capabilities. The phone also features built in GPS combined with Google Maps and Wayfinder navigation. The G705 features a built
Sprint Offers MOTORAZR VE20
Beginning today Sprint will be offering Motorola's new MOTORAZR VE20 clamshell phone. The phone runs on Sprint's Mobile Broadband Network and comes with a plethora of entertainment applications including Sprint TV, Radio and Music Store. It also comes with NFL Live Mobile which gives you

access to audio broadcasts of all regular season games. It will also have audio/video streams of eight games beginning this November plus a live stream of the NFL Network, which is good news for fantasy football players. The VE20 also has Sprint Picture MailSM and Video mail. It has a 2.0 megapixel
Samsung Greenwashes us with E200 Eco
The latest company to jump on the corn bandwagon, Samsung will unveil its new E200 Eco mobile phone today in Beijing. The phone's entire case will be made entirely from bioplastics - plastics derived from renewable sources such as vegetable oils and starches. Samsung will be using corn starch. This may or may not be a step in the right direction as the biodegradability of bioplastics can vary greatly and corn derived products have not yet been proven to be more eco-friendly (In fact, some argue that they hurt the environment because forests are being cut down to plant corn, which is now a lucrative business).

Along with the W510 and F268, the E200 is the third eco-friendly phone released by Samsung this year. The phones' chargers no longer use an environmentally harmful flame retardant, which is a good thing (as long as there is an eco-friendly retardant in its place). Samsung is also using production
Sony Ericsson Announces T700
Sony Ericsson today announced the launch of its new T700 phone. It is a continuation of the T610 line and is very slim at just 10mm thick. It is equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera, self-portrait mirror and has a 2 inch TFT display. The T700 has stereo speakers and comes with a color matched headset. It also comes with a 512MB memory card that is expandable. The camera can record video and has up to 3X digital zoom. It is also capable of video calling (depending on your operator of course). The T700 allows for high speed sharing, either through your operator network or via Bluetooth.

According to Sven Totté, Head of Marketing for the design category at Sony Ericsson, the phone is "sleek and shiny, the slim elegance of the T700 gives users a premium experience at a mid-range
AT&T Threatens Customers Over P2P Usage
In a public letter to the FCC today, AT&T senior vice president in charge of federal regulation issues, Robert Quinn Jr., warned that AT&T customers caught using peer-to-peer (P2P) software such as applications using BitTorrent protocol, on their mobile phones could have their contracts terminated.

Specifically the note said that "AT&T does not use network management tools to block the use of P2P applications by its mobile wireless broadband customers. However, AT&T’s terms of service for mobile wireless broadband customers prohibit all uses that may cause extreme network capacity issues,
NTT DoCoMo Develops "Intelligent" Battery
On Tuesday, NTT DoCoMo along with Mitsumi Electric Co Ltd unveiled their new "intelligent" battery pack at the Wireless Japan 2008 conference, which is being held from the 22nd to the 24th. The battery pack's existing protection circuit module was modified with an 8 bit microprocessor that will detect battery deterioration, measure remaining battery level and manage other information such as current, voltage and temperature. This information is stored in the battery itself and accessed later, even if the battery is used in a different phone. The battery can also notify users of the time and date of previous charges, when it needs to be charged again, and whether or not it should be replaced or taken to professionals to for assessment.

The innovation was developed in response to explosions and fire accidents involving Li-ion batteries over the past several years. According to Kazuhiko Takeno, director in charge of technology promotion,
Sony Ericsson Unveils W902 and W595 Walkman Phones
Sony Ericsson today announced two new additions to its Walkman line of phones: the W902 and the W595. The W902 is a bar style phone while the W595 is a slider. Both feature large scratch resistant 2.2" QVGA displays. The W902 and W595 were designed so the user wouldn't have to choose between multi-media capabilities and imaging functionality. According to Ben Padley, Head of the Music Category at Sony Ericsson, "We all want more from our mobile phones than ever before... If you love music but don’t want to compromise on imaging and video, we have used our expertise as music phone specialists to give users a truly multimedia experience with this latest phone. The W902 is one of our most high-performing phones yet and perfect for those who want it all.”

The W902 has improved bass quality in addition to the superior sound quality offered by the W980, which was rated "best audio experience" earlier this month in a trial conducted by TESTfactory. The
Samsung Instinct Available Today for just $130
Yet another "iPhone killer" is now on the market. Samsung's Instinct may actually live up to that description. The Instinct was named "Best in Show" at this year's Emerging Technology Award competition at CTIA Wireless in addition to honored as the "Most Innovative Product at CTIA Wireless 2008" by the editors of LAPTOP and "Best Cell Phone" by CNET.

The Instinct is an EV-DO Rev A device that has a virtual QWERTY keyboard like the iPhone. It also features speech activation for calling, texting, picture messaging, traffic, movie, sports, news, weather and search. Like all new phones the Instinct has built in GPS and comes with Live Search and Sprint Navigation, which provides audio and visual turn-by-turn driving directions and one-click traffic