Winter's Arriving

At the Nokia World show in London, Nokia has revealed its "Nokia kinetic device" with a flexible display. Gripped and twisted with two hands, the device can flip, scroll, and zoom into the displayed images. While it was a real computing device (w/real OLED) but the product is not yet made available for production. Tapani Jokinen, Nokia's design team leader, iterated his enthusiasm for the development and potentials of this technology. It can be accessed "blindly" - for instance, accessing e-mails with one hand in the pocket or interacting with the phone even while wearing gloves (somewhat impossible for a multi-touch screen).

Whether this technology will really take flight in the next couple of years, we will only remain silent observers, but it is remarkably true that Nokia is investing serious money in R&D with the failed attempt to surf the smartphone wave (they have recently released a Windows OS smartphone though). We can only let time do the healing for Nokia as we wait for the next innovative generation of verysmartphones.

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Ice Cream Truckin'

As many of you might be aware, Google's I/O 2011 keynote is happening this week at different venues, and like any other expos, Google's releasing and announcing some very exciting news. The one that really caught my focus is this - "One OS that runs everywhere." With the presence of Honeycomb and Gingerbread both actively robot-dancing on the market, Google intends to meld the two into one Ice Cream Sandwich!! For starters, I love how the concept of naming these OS and updates after food-related commodities - sort of reiterates the Android robot's alikeness with us homosapien users. Either way, this universal OS will offer smoother transitioning and connectivity between our smartphones and tablets. May the world rejoice in Q4 of this year, and as for now, we can only rely on our freezers for such a sweet supply.

Next Is Us

Hope you found someway to entertain your dear ol' mum over the weekend, because Google certainly hasn't taken its rebirth of their Nexus S 4G with much seriousness. It looks the same, and heck, it even works the same. The only differences are that it's 3/10 of a millimeter thicker and that it has a WiMAX Radio available. This latest Gingerbread smartphone will now be powered by the Sprint network, as opposed to its T-Mobile counterparts, and though I may have shed a negative light on Google's lack of enthusiasm but I wouldn't say that Samsung is also free of blame. Still, this 4" curved Super AMOLED screen, 1GHz Hummingbird chipset, NFC capabilities, and GTalk video chat functionalities will all be in the grasp of your palm soon! If you're new to Google phones, this device should be a nifty little ice-breaker; otherwise, head to a local dealer because not even the guru can talk you out of this one.

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Another Record Set

We now know just how fast the Guinness World Record Committee operates. The LG Optimus 2X was first made available to South Koreans in mid-January and now they have received official recognition for being the first smartphone that has dual-core processor under the hood. But some users may argue that this rush across the finish-line is not only a result of impatience but also a lack of attention to the phone's UI. On the other hand T-Mobile G2X that came out a couple of months after took care of the users' concerns. So yes, LG did claim another badge or Record, but less haste and more integration may seem like the wise approach in the future. Though companies tend to act like they know what customers are thinking; consumers, on the other hand, aren't total meatheads either. Much kudos to LG for pushing the limits and boundaries of our ever-so-useful smartphone hardware but we are rather more excited about what the future may hold.

Bending Our Imagination

Sincerest apologies, it's been a month since the last post, but we are back online to bring you updates on E.Tel services, as well as the latest tech-peeks!

Just a quick update to fill in the gap, in case you've been left out the loop. HTC Sensation 4G is official and is believed to be released in the next couple of months riding on T-Mobile's AWS waves, but it's already up for pre-order in the UK. The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 are out. Apple's iPad continues to reign in not only the private sector but now it seems as if they're taking over universities too. Meanwhile, NEC nutjob-scholars busied themselves by stuffing 370 lasers into 165km of fiber to achieve 101.7 Tbps speeds (like Sean Hollister said, if only "one end leads to our house"). Acer's Iconia tablets are also up for pre-order now and Sony tablets have been officially announced to hit stores soon. Let's pause here for a bit and observe a moment of silence - for all 77 million PSN accounts that have been compromised. May it be credit card details or platinum trophy collections, may the database rest in peace.

Back to the subject at hand. Researchers from Queen's University in Ontario, Canada have taken flexible smartphones in the most literal sense and manufactured an elastic phone. This PaperPhone that they have created actually operates on a bend-based UI, which is to say that every contortion has a function or navigation purpose. Despite its early stage in development, the lightweightedness of this device is certainly worth it to keep our eyes pealed. Check out the following demos for yourself: [Video 1] & [Video 2]. Stay tuned for further enchantment.

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Tablet Tease

Evidently Sir Howard Stringer doesn't believe that silence is golden. According to Bloomberg and editor Gearoid Reidy who uncovered this breaking news, Sony plans to release their first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet as early as this fall. The report also claims that they will launch the device for retail in the US first, but this lines up coherently with the alleged September release of their PlayStation certified Tegra2 "S1" tablet, which features a 9.4" display as well as the unique "wrap" design previously revealed back in February. Stringer and associates refuse to comment further on the design and specs of either tablets. Regardless, to all the Sony enthusiasts out there, the wait is nearly over. With that said, I can't agree with Thomas Ricker more - "Come on Howie, quit the teasing and just come out with it you saucy Welsh minx."

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Slip Peek

In a recent interview with Wall Street Journal, Sir Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony, accidentally let slip about the much-rumored iPhone 5. Although Steve Job did not release any updates regarding news of a new generation of iPhone but Stringer obviously feels assured enough to plant the rumor. Stinger shared with the publisher that 15 of the Sony's factories in Japan were damaged, and inadvertently mentioned that a camera sensor made in one plant for Apple would be delayed. No official statement has come out from either party but it is safe to assume through Sony chief's undertones that they are building a 8MP image sensor for Apple's iPhone 5. Here's what the Wall Street Journal had wrote:

"Early on, he raised the irony of Sony supplying camera components for Apple devices. It 'always puzzles me,' he said. 'Why would I make Apple the best camera?' It is unclear what devices he was talking about as Sony isn't known to supply key camera componenets, known as image sensors, to Apple; A Sony spokeswoman declined to comment and an Apple spokesperson couldn't be reached for comment."

So what do you think? Was it mere accident that Stringer decided to let this vital information slip, or did Sony not want to be held responsible for the delay of iPhone 5 announcements?

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Take Off

HTC's 7-inch Flyer has just released a new demo introduction that details the various apps this one piece aluminum + silicon has to offer. It has 1.5GHz processing power and boasts a 1024 x 600 display for a device that weighs less than a paperback book. Flyer seems custom-made, whether the user predominately uses this tablet for business or education purposes - note-taking, annotations, voice recording, playback all come with a swift touch. HTC's new Scribe technology further advances these features for a smoother transition and interface. Flyer's entertainment capabilities are also astounding, from on-demand movies to OnLive cloud gaming, all without sacrificing speed and enjoyment. Many might wonder how this tablet will hold up to its Android competitors seeing how it is not operating under Android 3.0 Honeycomb system but the unique qualities that HTC parades in this new advertisement does seem to retain a certain niche value. What do you think? Is HTC Flyer a worthy adversary for the newly-inducted iPad2? Check out the video below and be the judge.

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No Cost

As smartphones continue to privatize public spaces, we can move beyond plans and enjoy communications with nearly no cost (or at least well within your mobile plan limits).

Free voice-calling apps: Viber, Tango, Skype($).

Free text apps: Whatsapp, PingChat, BBM, GChat, Yahoo! or MSN Messenger($).

($) = Internet data plan needed.

E.Tel's rate is averaged at 8.8¢/30 secs (+19¢ flagfall) for calls [with even cheaper options for calls to other E.Tel users] and worldwide SMS is 18¢ each. These big-saving prices are already lower than local providers such as Optus or Telstra but who doesn't like free services? In considering your next plan, after you've gotten your desired phone unlocked from the previous contract, E.Tel's mobile plans are definitely worth a look. With low prices as such, it will be as if all your feverish finger-dancing comes at no cost... well, nearly. More updates will come as the hottest phones become available on the market but it's never too late to be prepared for your next mobile plan!

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Cloudy Freedom

Smartphones really are smart. (that didn't sound all that smart) The abundance of apps available either for iPhone or on the Android market has made our mobile phones as invincible as can be. The standard and quality of gaming are spearing and interfaces are allowing devices to run faster and longer. Not only do we make calls now, we shop, order food, choose restaurants, find directions, check scores, read the news, and lock our cars, but now, we can also unlock our hotel suites and pay bills as a terminal!

Right now, Ian Robertson's app allows you to gain free entry into anyone's property that's secured with cardkey control systems. A simple press of a button allows users to get past any PIN and sends commands over the Internet to unlock ALL the doors connected by the IP-based system.

On top of that, Nexus S has an embedded NFC module that allows users to pay for purchases through MasterCard PayPass or Visa Blink. Both of which acts like a credit card pass.

Just think about the potentials of these technological advances. Not to sound cliche, but with great power comes great responsibility. How would hackers and unethical users take advantage of such systems? Will our homes no longer be safe? Would our credit cards get maxed out if we lose our phones? The advantages of these application certainly do make our lives more convenient but the threats that come with it is just as alarming. In the not-too-distant world where phone apps dictate our transactions and interactions, history would say that we would have more regulations and limitations but if we can truly cherish the spur of development, then maybe, just maybe, we could all enjoy the pleasurable freedom that ensues convenience.

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Hippos Arrived

For serious gamers everywhere, Square Enix is proud to present the launch of its new Hippos Lab game development studio. This sector of the company, though not entirely a stranger to smartphone apps, will primarily focus on creating high quality original content. The studio has been running since March 7th, but there is still no news on when their first game will be released. Coming from the producers of classic games like Final Fantasy, we expect nothing less from this prestigious company. Stay tuned for more news from the Hungry Hungry Hippos.

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3D Follow-up

How many of us were skeptical when 3D movies first hit the theaters? Cameron's Avatar certainly had us by the hook; though plot-wise, many claim that it was merely an extraterrestrial interpretation of Disney's Pocahontas. In terms of technological advancement though, this meant another stage in broadcast evolution: from silent films to black-and-white features and now from color television to 3D displays. But we were again dissuaded when 3D televisions first hit stores - the idea of having to wear glasses, even at home, seemed inconvenient and somewhat sappy. The skepticism augmented as more and more movies became available "3D" without much compelling three-dimensional effects to show for. Our interface platform has also changed as Nintendo 3DS rolled out and now smartphones are 3D as well, all without having to wear glasses. But in exchange for sans-glasses comforts the full visual experience is sacrificed - when you view the screen from the side, the 3D projection is lost. With all that said, I still have to bring out our newest HTC addition, for it might well be the successor.

HTC EVO 3D. At first glance it looks and feels just like the original EVO 4G, which came out exactly an year ago, but with it is truly amazing how HTC has managed to pack all this heat into a new generation while still weighing the same in just a short year. With all the craze around tablet nowadays, how long would it also take, for instance, to have a 3D iPad? Tesla has also recently announced that the days of batteries are numbered - ultracapacitors will take over soon enough. But then again, what would that equate for the sales and consumption of electronic devices? On one hand, we can have a 3D tablet run on for days and a full recharge would only take minutes, but on the other hand, we would not be tossing out our MP3 players in the bin nearly as fast. Sales down, R&D budget down, slower innovation output? I suppose we can only plan for the worst and hope for the best.

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Incredible Machine

Before we tackle the real subject at hand, just a few tangent updates from the industry.

So if you haven't heard already, AT&T has proposed to merge with T-Mobile and not to anyone's surprise, Sprint has issued a statement of veto to the FCC. Stay tuned in the days to come because this merger just might be the next biggest event of 2011, at least in the United States, potentially changing the face of telecommunications forever.

In retaliation it seems, Sprint has teamed up with Google Voice! This special feature allows you to use your Sprint number with Google Voice and if you like your GV number better, this feature is permitted to work vice-versa as well. Rise of Google Voice~

Finally, HTC Incredible S has been released!! After reading the review, I can only shake my head and admit that the brief reign of EVO4G has come to a screeching halt. This device belittles Desire and DesireHD and its extended battery life is about to bring more joy to users all over. From display to OS, and from camera to sound, this smartphone is the epitome of HTC's brilliant ingenuity. On a side note, apparently the chip combo inside the Incredible S "is the same as that contained within Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play, foretelling perhaps of a PlayStation certified future for this handset." How crazy is that. For the full review of this phone please visit Engadget.

*This just in from CTIA, HTC EVO3D specs have been leaked!!

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Magical Mornings

Bang & Olufsen has recently released BeoTime, a flute-like alarm clock that is said to make your mornings more delightful and your nights more relaxing. "Inspired by the conflict between night and day in Mozart's The Magic Flute," BeoTime allows users to control not only the alarm time and sounds but it also acts as an universal timer for all surrounding devices. That way, you can fall asleep listening to your favorite record or watching your recorded television programme without having to worry about not switching them off. The flute is installed with a "humble chime" sound but Bang & Olufsen has also claimed that you can include additional sounds, such as television channel, radio station, or a song track. This elegantly composed device does provide a luxurious sense of accomplishment when you have to wake up in cloudy and chilly mornings but unless minimalism is your thing, perhaps this flute-alarm might just hog up your entire nightstand. What ever the reason might be, this alarm is highly sought after. But in all honesty, this smartflute is certainly worthy of nomination as a fantastical and intelligent decor.

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Recharge 3.0

FastMac's U-Socket have started to appear in stores since January but due to their self-claimed testing procedures, this product has been low in supply and variably delayed. The complete unit is actually a bit bigger than our average power outlet so installation of this requires a 16-cubic-inch electrical box for accommodation. The two USB 3.0 ports have 12W of total charging power, rated at 2.4A, which means that it will charge a single device, such as your iPad in no time. But this timely speed slows as you try to recharge from both ports at the same time. Still, regular devices such as your smartphones should charge fine, even if both ports are being used simultaneously. FastMac has advertised this new socket to be able to save you up to $25/year in energy costs but how can we verify at such an early stage. The downside is that it is obvious that you will try to replace an old socket with this one but in doing so, unless you had tremendous foresight, you will find that usually our current outlets aren't exactly in the most ideal or convenient locations for recharging devices. Now, they do offer various face-plates for the socket so you can make it blend in even if you have a certain decora for your wall. But priced at $22.95, this is probably the most expensive outlet socket you'll find and installing it just might not be as painless as you had thought when you clicked that pre-order button. In any case, if your house is currently under renovation, perhaps this could serve as a vanguard-ish yet pricey proposition.

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Zoom Zoom

Does this look familiar? That's right! iPhone speed-junkies have had the privilege to feed their inner fiends by equipping Cobra's iRadar system since last October and now with the Android market on the rise, compatibility was bound to happen. Next month, Cobra will release this smartphone-integrated radar and laser detection app. The nifty feature about this system is that it will also inform drivers of photo enforcement zones and road hazards through their integrated GPS functionality. Cobra also plan on developing this system so that crowdsourcing between drivers will become a much beneficial reality as we can all log and share speed traps throughout the city. Although this function will not be available until later this year but this Android app will be in April. Again though, the price is a bit alarming, starting at $129.99, just like its iPhone-version cousin but just think about how much you could save in return if you no longer had to pay for those speeding tickets. Stay tuned and start saving on some purchasing money as this system hits the market next month.

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Building A Pyramid

Back in February, HTC announced the Incredible S but just today renderings of HTC Pyramid has surfaced on China's xda.cn site. It belittles the Incredible S with dual-core processor 1.2GHz with 768MB of RAM. Although the site indicated that this new phone will operate on Android 3.0 but seeing how 3.0 is still for tablets only, this is highly improbable. But other claims seem valid based on specs alone: 4.3-inch 960 x 540 display, 8MP primary & 1.3MP front cameras. Now, it is rumored that this phone with be teamed up with the T-Mobile network; however, next week at CTIA they'll probably have their hands full with Sprint so it's hard to say what will happen. We'll keep you posted.

HTC isn't stopping there though. Also from the Chinese site, it appears as if they are pressing forward with their Windows Phone line with the production of HTC Ignite and HTC Prime. For more pictures and specification refer to the source link below. With the new additions in HTC's line-up, the battle for the market has escalated even more. HTC, Apple, Blackberry, Samsung - who do you think will survive as the champion in this free-for-all deathmatch?

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April Madness

Before we get into the madness. I would like to propose a moment of silence for all the victims and survivors who have had to endure the terrifying and devastating 8.9 earthquake in Japan, so if you would please join me in commemorating.

Now, if you have extra cash lying around the house, here are two options for you: a gaming smartphone that makes Nokia's N-Gage look outlandish, or a dual-screen smartphone that looks like the mini version of Toshiba's Libretto. How about we start with the cheaper one? Kyocera has announced that they will be launching their Echo clamshell with Sprint network on April 17th, for the price of $199.99 with contract. The phone does indeed offer a 5MP camera with 720p video capture and at the same time running on Android 2.2 but the pair of 3.5-inch WVGA displays mean that it's basically $100 per screen. There is a tremendous 1GB of in-storage, and microSD expandable to 32GB, to make it one of a kind on the market right now. In regards to performance though, it doesn't have our accustomed dual-core processor, so we will only have to trust that Kyocera has already taken it into consideration. On the other hand, we have our Sony Ericsson Xperia Play that will be sold in Spain on April 1st (let's hope Sony isn't playing up the April Fool's joke). Sony Ericsson's Spanish outposts have announced that it will be roughly $907 after conversion, off-contract and unlocked. Vodafone will be offering a 15-days exclusive on a white model of the device so if $900 hasn't made you sweat yet, this could be the one. As far as how retail will work in the US or in Asia/Pacific markets, we will only have to wait. Again, if the weak dollar is not a concern, be sure to hop in line when these phones hit stores.

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Solar Recharge

Remember those recharge pads that allow you to recharge multiple devices simply by placing them on the pad surface? Well as most consumers realized, what good was it if you had to purchase a different casing for every product that you wanted to recharge with this pad. It's just like telling you how easy shaving that fuzzy beard can be, but replacing these razors can come at a ridiculous expense as most of us know. Panasonic has introduced a piece of furniture that will in fact rid you of the hassle, allowing you to really recharge your devices without much extraneous costs (though the retail price of this table may be jaw-dropping by itself). All users have to do is use dedicated Qi batteries, which will fit on Panasonic mobile phones, and hopefully this Qi technology will be more broadly made available through various lines of products or else this piece of furniture will be just as useless as the aforementioned recharge pads. This table operates through solar panels which harvests energy to be later redistributed via wireless to devices on top of the table. The obvious downside is that this piece of furniture must be placed outdoors or at least next to windows that receive a decent amount of sunlight. The exact method of power storage for this table is not yet made known but we can expect to find this product early in 2012.

To The Clouds

Sony has officially released v3.60 of the PS3 firmware and the PlayStation Plus subscription available via PlayStation Network just became a service worth owning! Sony's make.believe cloud is now allowing subscribers to stash up to 150MB of PS3 game progress data. Though the amount doesn't seem that appealing but then again, save files usually don't take up that much space either. Basically with this new feature, players will be able to continue with their game progress on different PS3 consoles simply by logging into their personal accounts. (If this feature had been activated sooner, I wouldn't have had to play Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood twice just to snuff out my curiosity for the game-story endings! But with that said, the latter was a pretty decent game worthy of your time and consumption.)

This notion of "cloud" is very intriguing and potentially revolutionary. We can already cloud our music, videos, and now game data, so what if every sector of our daily routines can be processed as such? What if we could cloud our mobile phone credits, from one provider to the next? Would privacy and confidentiality be at risk in return? Would our lives be made easier?

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EVOtainment

As you may well realize by now, if you've read the previous post, that I'm indeed a proud owner of a smartphone operating under the Android system and more specifically I have the HTC EVO 4G. The only sad truth is its limitations of only being powered by the US Sprint network and it being a CDMA phone. I had hope for a GSM version of the phone to be released in Asia/Pacific regions but with the HTC HD series flooding the market, I doubt the EVO will make an appearance until actual and stable 4G coverage are provided in these countries. It is also becoming increasingly popular to root your EVO 4G for a faster ROM and for more unique customization abilities but this man, Jack Malone, took his EVO to a whole new level. As the crafter and founder of this so-called EVOtainment System, he has successfully created a gaming device that can hook up your EVO to Nintendo Wii components. If you're someone that has spare accessories laying around the house, maybe you could give this a try. All you need are Wii racing wheel, universal GPS mount, Wiimote, Classic Controller, 3M Dual Lock and some power tools for drilling. And voila! You have yourself a portable Nintendo64 sort-of-speak. With this system you can pretty much enjoy a lot of the classic and retro Nintendo (Mario) games. How about it? You think he might have went a bit far?

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The Droid Strikes Back

Back in October 2010, ComScore's report on smartphone market share among US subscribers revealed that Apple's iOS led the wave with 24.6%. But over the period of five months, the cuddly green bots have self-replicated like George Luca's battle droids before the Clone War. In January 2011, the Android platform has boosted up the list, claiming the No. 1 spot with 31.2%. This month, however, Apple is teaming up with Verizon and the new iPhone 5 is also nearing its launch. Will the bots survive this abrupt surge of collaboration and innovation? What exactly is it that attracts users to this playful yet powerful bot of a system? Steve Job has successfully revamped Apple as a company and as a brand in recent years and with the help of brand placements their products such as Macbook and iPhone are now viewed as fashionable accessories. The arrival of the Android system, though, meant that an age of technological realization has dawned. In other words, users are starting to become aware of the limitations iPhone as a smartphone possesses. Despite iPhone enthusiasts' proud claims of Apple having more applications available, the Android market is also spurring growth at exponential rates in recent months. Even though there are duplicates with the more popular apps found in both marketplace, it is safe to say that with such a competitive environment, the market can only be more beneficial and satisfying for users. What system do you use and what do you think about this maturity?

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Simple Is The New Smart

The E.Tel blog has officially arrived!!

iPhone 5 is almost in stores and e.tel's GoodDataCap offers $400 calls to anyone and 500MB of Internet data for a skull-cracking $19.95. Not only is this sizzling plan perfect for your new smartphone but the great coverage ensured and powered by Optus means you can now stay connected with your family and friends on-the-fly. So what are you waiting for? Pick up the phone or head over to your local store! You can even get a new SIM card in the mail if you don't want to leave the comfort of your home, just fill this out!! Stay tuned for more of the industry's latest trends and news.

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