phones

Remember back in May when we teased you with some enticing photos of the yet-to-be-confirmed Nokia N81 and Nokia N82? Well, my friends, we tease you no more. The company today officially unveiled the Nokia N81 multimedia computer, with expected availability in Q4. It's likely that the N81 will ship in certain European and Asian markets first--possibly in October--but Nokia said there shouldn't be too much of lag between those launches and the U.S. release. Thank gawd.

There will be two versions of the Nokia N81: an 8GB model and one with a microSD expansion slot that … Read more

A new report surfaced Tuesday that Google's hell-bent on making its own mobile phone operating system, adding to the rumors that a prototype could be released soon.

Engadget is reporting that we could hear official news from Google about its plans for a handset-optimized operating system in September. The newest report falls into the more likely category--at least in my opinion--that Google would be working with existing phone companies on a device that uses a Google-developed operating system and suite of mobile applications, not building its own hardware.

The appeal for Google is simple: mobile phone growth is exploding, … Read more

We'll get straight to the point here. Nokia has an event scheduled for tomorrow in London, and several blog sites, including Gearfuse and Unwired View, are reporting that the Finnish cell phone manufacturer will unveil five new mobiles. Among the rumored models are the Nokia N81, an 8GB Nokia N95, and several XpressMusic phones. Got your attention, didn't we? Yeah, sleep on that, as we'll have to wait till tomorrow to see if this all true or just someone's horrible idea of a practical joke.

Well, the 17-year-old boy genius with a soldering iron and a lot of heart isn't in trouble yet, but it does appear that while doing it yourself isn't an issue, there is some question about whether or not informing others how to hack an iPhone to use with another service is exactly legal.

Personally, the horned one thinks a better use of the beloved DCMA would be saving the Internet from the scourge of Russian pirate music.

He doesn't know about you, but the thought of t.A.T.u.'s version of Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of Rum … Read more

What makes a cell phone more than a phone? What it can do. Software can elevate your plastic slider, candy bar, or PDA above its earthly mechanics and turn it into the kind of dream machine that entertains you and organizes your life.

Consider, for example, ListPro (for Pocket PC, Palm, and Smartphone), a handy organizer with a slew of built-in, customizable list templates for managing everything from your shopping to your calendar to the sudden surge of brilliance that will eventually lead to that multimillion-dollar idea. No really, it can do that.… Read more

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. For all of you who are dreaming sweet thoughts of the HTC Kaiser like I am, we're one step closer to seeing the vision come true. Today, the company announced the HTC TyTN II for Europe; hopefully signifying that the U.S. launch won't be too far behind.

Despite the different naming scheme, the TyTN II is the same smart phone as the Kaiser we've discussed before on Crave. The Windows Mobile 6 device features a 2.8-inch, QVGA touch screen that slides out and tilts up to give you a … Read more

The Macalope found himself scratching his furry head at this piece by Tom Krazit that makes the assumption that most users have to use two hands to use their iPhone.

While the horned one prefers to use two hooves, he often does make due with one quite well (he is, of course, an Artiodactylate). Sometimes when he's holding his iPhone in one hoof, it is a stretch to get his cursedly feeble third toe to the far corner of the screen, but it's still doable and he does it all the time. Frequently while strolling down the street … Read more

When Steve Jobs and company first envisaged the iPhone, a few things surely came to mind. First, Apple wanted a phone with an appealing design and advanced functionality. In essence, the company wanted a device that was nothing like its predecessors. And while it achieved this feat, Apple was still in need of a carrier. It went to Verizon and others, but it was AT&T that was able to offer it what it wanted: revenue sharing on activations and service plans. Basically, Apple was able to sell the device, make a profit and even capitalize on the iPhone'… Read more

Get ready for the onslaught of "iPhone killers".

This isn't necessarily a reflection of whether the iPhone really is a game-changer or an outstandingly good phone. (And I should say up front that in its current iteration I'm ambivalent about the iPhone, for my uses a BlackBerry is better.)

The iPhone killers are coming simply because the iPhone is a "hit" product, and these days the wireless industry is driven by "hits." The Motorola Razr was the first bonafide hit, achieving sales of 2 million units in the UK alone which had … Read more