phones

Helio Ocean may be days away

I don't know about you, but I'm more excited about the Helio Ocean than Apple's iPhone. Call me a heretic if you must, but I like a phone that has a QWERTY keyboard and 3G support but doesn't cost an arm and a leg. So, I was stoked to see a rumor that the Ocean will be launched as early as May 21.

The Boy Genius Report said the Ocean will be in "general release on May 21" and "limited/internal/partner release is five to eight (days?) prior." I called Helio, … Read more

Motorola's board vote could take weeks to verify

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn may have to wait several days or even weeks to find out if he has won a seat on Motorola's board of directors.

Shareholders will vote on the new board of directors at the annual shareholder meeting Monday evening, but Paul Alfieri, a spokesman for the company, said Monday that the final vote may not be official for several days or weeks until an independent election inspector can verify the vote.

Icahn initiated a proxy fight to win one of Motorola's 13 board seats earlier this year. Icahn has said he believes that Motorola, … Read more

Phone in your purse? No problem

I've missed plenty of calls when my cell phone has been in my pocket, so I can imagine that people who carry a phone in a purse or bag have the same problem. But with the Phoneflasher line of charms, missing calls can be a thing of the past.

Simply clip the trinket onto your purse and whenever you receive a call or text message, the charm wirelessly picks up the signal and flashes. The Web site offers no specifics on how this works, so you'll have to take the company's word for it.

You can choose … Read more

iPhone may not be here, but cases are

Well, it's about time. It's been nearly five months since Emperor Jobs anointed the iPhone, and only now are we seeing its first cases.

After all, it took only about 5 minutes for a Bluetooth headset to come out. Such is the perverse order of events in the world of high tech, where accessories can often precede the star attraction. But we digress.

EBcases has released two new lines, the eNovo iPhone Clip and the eCopilot, according to Textually.org and iPhoneFreak. The Copilot is offered only in "Rouge," but the eNovo case comes in a … Read more

Vertu takes luxury phones on a picnic

Those who are familiar with Vertu may associate it with Ferraris and $310,000 serpent handsets. But the luxury phone maker has a casual side too, and it's ready to celebrate summertime with strawberries and cream. The "Strawberry" and "Cream" phones are accented with perforated leather made to feel like the surface of the seasonal fruit, in respective pink and cream hues. Sybarites did not disclose a price for these special editions of the "Ascent" line, but we'll keep an eye out at the kiosks of our local mall. It may take … Read more

Lights, cameras, cell phones!

What do a creepy old lady and a six-foot lobster have in common? Both were subjects of prize-winning films at the second annual Cellflix Film Festival at Ithaca College, a nationwide competition of 30-second films shot with cell phones.

Zack Wilson won the $5,000 grand prize for his piece, "Assisted Living," about a wise old lady whose sense of humor shows a young nurse the importance of enjoying life. Wilson reportedly spent about 90 minutes shooting and 10 hours editing.

The video is sweet and funny, but I don't think it should have won the grand … Read more

Video phone sticks its neck out on HSN

Providing that you're not still calling home to ask for money, mom might actually appreciate a video phone for Mother's Day even if you're sporting the same mullet from college. And if she doesn't, you'll at least have a neat conversation piece in the "Ojo Shadow Video Phone" from WorldGate.

The device, which looks like a gangling-adolescent version of some long-necked laptops we've seen lately, is making its U.S. debut on the Home Shopping Network (don't laugh). Engadget points out that the $500 price for a pair might be a … Read more

Phone speaker counters Ugly Betty image

Despite what we've seen on the market lately, there's no rule that says portable speakers must look like electronic mutations. In fact, as mobile phone makers get more comfortable with their musical side, they're beginning to create better speaker concepts all the time.

From an aesthetic perspective, Veritronix has come up with an eye-catcher that seems ideal if you don't need a phone with surround sound and don't want an attachment that's reminiscent of The Fly. And beyond its good looks, we appreciate that the VX-818--which measures a svelt half-inch thick--works wirelessly and … Read more

Phone turns your desk into a toy box

As fond as we are of the "Happy Kid" look, we woudn't recommend overdoing it by also getting Axive's "Q Internet Phone." Your kids will think Daddy's desk is a mini-playground and destroy everything on it accordingly.

That aside, we do appreciate the fact that gadget makers are getting more creative with the design of everyday desktop accessories like this, even one that includes a VoIP speakerphone, microphone, stereo speakers and Webcam as this device does, according to Everthing USB. If you're looking for a real combo gadget, though, you might consider … Read more

Intel CEO sees new markets for growth

Intel's president and chief executive officer Paul Otellini sees cell phones, consumer electronics and emerging markets as the next big engines of growth for Intel.

Speaking at a conference in New York City Thursday, he told financial analysts that he sees three $10 billion chunks of business that Intel could address in the next several years.

The first major opportunity will come from a proliferation of Internet-enabled consumer electronic devices. By 2011, the entire consumer electronics market will be worth $60 billion, he said. Otellini believes that about $10 billion of that market will require technology to connect those … Read more