phones

We're a little more than a month away from the Macworld Expo, and the expectations are starting to get a little clearer for arguably Apple's biggest show of the year.

CNBC reported Thursday that Apple plans at Macworld to introduce a 12-inch Mac laptop with flash memory in place of a hard drive. Apple followers have long anticipated such a product, and several other reports have come out this year predicting a similar type of announcement was nigh.

The ultraportable Mac is said to be 50 percent thinner and lighter than a current MacBook Pro, the largest notebook … Read more

When we saw a touch screen recently on an external hard drive, we knew there'd be no stopping the touch revolution. The latest category to succumb to the trend is the Bluetooth headset.

Developed for mobile phones and PDAs, the Genius BT-031 has a built-in touch-sensitive panel and slide control to adjust volume, according to Gizmag, as well as a wireless range of up to 30.

We appreciate the efforts of Genius, which is always trying something different, but we often find ourselves dubious about some of its achievements. (Witness the solar-powered keyboard, hybrid speaker-camera, and combo mouse VoIP phone.) … Read more

Sometimes it seems that ZDNet drives around in big vans, catches those prone to willful obtuseness with nets and takes them immediately to its headquarters where they're each given a blog.

This time ZDNet's David Berlind is hot on the trail of the hideous secret behind Apple's requirement that iPhones be purchased with a credit card.

And he's got a camera. The Macalope just bets Apple sales associates and holiday shoppers alike were just thrilled to see him coming.

"Oh, hell, Mabel, it's another one o' them ZDNet bloggers. Maybe we should head over … Read more

The "world's toughest phone" will take on Europe, starting with Stockholm.

The new military-spec, Bluetooth, and push-to-talk GSM Sonim XP1 is engineered for outdoor sports enthusiasts and those who work in harsh environments, certified to withstand shock, water, wind, dust, dirt, and extreme temperatures, the U.S.-based mobile Sonim Technologies announced. And not that you'll need it, but there's also a three-year, unconditional warranty (PDF).

Yeah, we've heard all this before--how tough could it be? Well, the company is so confident that it's invited bloggers and journalists across Europe to "torture-test&… Read more

More clues are emerging that T-Mobile's is getting ready to launch its 3G network. Today Nokia announced a new cell phone for the carrier, the Nokia 6263. The 6263 is the second 3G-capable (UMTS 850/2100) handset for T-Mobile (the 3G-capable Samsung SGH-T639 launched in October), which is the only major carrier not to operate a wireless broadband network. Though it has promised that it will launch 3G in the future, T-Mobile is still mum on exactly when that will happen. Some have speculated that it could happen as early as tomorrow, which leads to ask if the launch … Read more

Simplify Media--a free desktop application for Windows or Mac OS X that lets you stream your digital music or your friends' from iTunes or Winamp (Simplify Media covered previously)--today released a new version of its software that is developed to run on the Apple iPhone or iPod Touch.

Rather than function as a conventional iPhone app, (i.e. a Web app built for Safari), the new program is standalone software that requires a "jailbroken" iPhone to work.

The ability to listen to your entire music collection or your friends' anywhere your iPhone or iPod Touch has … Read more

For awhile there we thought the trend of portable cylindrical speakers, which seemed so hot at times this year, had been snuffed out by more beastly competitors. But apparently they're alive and well, as evidenced by this set--they've just been broken in two.

Depending on how much space you have, this compact set can either be kept intact in one piece or separated for wider stereo angles for any device with a 3.5mm jack. What we like most, however, is that it seems perfect for travel: The pieces have a scratch-resistant rubber (and dirt-hiding) black rubber shell, … Read more

We've never quite understood the concept of phone straps, much less some of the odd trinkets often attached to them. (Well, perhaps there are one or two exceptions.)

But the "Super Shinkansen Bullet Train" could change our minds about the whole trend. It must have something to do with our first ride on them, a childhood rail trip that was the closest we've ever gotten to one of those human centrifuge machines that makes your head feel like exploding.

We wouldn't advise spinning your phone around lariat-style to get that kind of rush. But, as … Read more

Today, Palm officially released its Windows Mobile 6 update for the Palm Treo 750, bringing such enhancements as HSDPA capabilities (w00t!), Microsoft Direct Push Technology for real-time synchronization with Outlook, and better Calendar management. It's available now as a free download from Palm's Web site, and once installed, you also get support for HTML e-mail and more security options (encryption of miniSD cards, remote data wipe)--all the benefits of Windows Mobile 6, which you can read about in our full review.

In addition to the update, Palm also announced it has begun selling unlocked versions of the … Read more