mobile

If it talks like a duck, it might be this voice changer

Given how awful cell phone reception is in our area, it's doubtful that anyone would need a voice changer when conversations often sound like they're under water as it is. But outfits like Spyville never saw a situation that couldn't be subjected to some form of amateur espionage.

That must be why they thought up the Cell Phone Voice Changer, which is pretty much self-explanatory. We do admit that the choice of disguises did catch us off guard: "a duck, child, old man, or a robot," as related by OhGizmo.

What's most amusing about … Read more

Windows 7, Windows Mobile on PDC docket

CARLSBAD, Calif.--Tuesday's quick Windows 7 demo at the D6 conference here was nice, although developers who really want to get a feel for the new operating system will probably need to wait until October.

Windows 7 and its multitouch interface will be a key topic at the Professional Developers Conference, which is set for October in Los Angeles. The PDC hasn't been held since 2005 when Vista was still in development. Microsoft also plans use the conference to show where it's headed in mobile, which probably means a look at Windows Mobile 7, although the company … Read more

Microsoft exec predicts big growth for Windows Mobile

Microsoft sees big growth for its Windows Mobile operating system.

A Microsoft executive in Asia told Reuters on Tuesday that sales will increase at least 50 percent over the next year as demand for smartphones picks up.

Eddie Wu, the software company's managing director of OEM embedded devices in Asia, said the company expects to sell 20 million "units" of its software in the 2007-2008 fiscal year, which ends in June, according to the article. And the company expects to grow at least 50 percent annually over the next two years, he added. Microsoft sold more than … Read more

Whrrl parent company nets $15 million in funding

Location-based social networking might be a clogged market, but it's still hot: Pelago, the parent company of mobile service Whrrl, is set to announce that the company has pulled in a $15 million Series B financing round. It'll be used for "strategic technology investments," as well as partnerships, which are crucial for mobile services that have to deal with cell carriers. Whrrl also hopes to expand across North America and into overseas markets.

The new cash comes from lead investor Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile Venture Fund, with contributions from Reliance Technology Ventures and DAG Ventures. Previous … Read more

HTC Touch Dual in Best Buy stores this weekend

While you're out buying goods for your Memorial Day barbecue, why not swing by Best Buy and pick up a HTC Touch Dual? Yes, the Touch Dual will be available in stores and online starting this weekend for a nice chunk of change--$549 to be exact. First announced at CTIA 2008, the Touch Dual alleviates some of the text entry pains of the original HTC Touch by providing a slide-out SureType-like keypad. It will also be the first Windows Mobile 6.1 device available in the United States, and also features support for U.S. 3G bands (HSDPA … Read more

Congratulations on your breakup, Time Warner Cable

Breaking up is hard to do. But in the case of Time Warner, it's simply the right thing to do.

News of the company splitting comes as no surprise. The cable piece of the business has been operating as a separate company for a while now. And investors have been clamoring for the company to make it official. Time Warner corporate announced plans for the split a month ago.

But now the full details of the split have been revealed. And the blogosphere is full of commentary on what a great deal it is for Time Warner corporate, namely … Read more

Dialed In 32: An iPhone Wish List

We give our wish list of what we want out of the upcoming iPhone, plus chat about the FCC maybe ending early termination fees, new phones from T-Mobile and Sprint, a possible Treo comeback, and much more. Listen now: Download today's podcast NewsFCC may limit early termination fees http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9949465-1.htmlPalm Treo 800w/850 rumors http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9946211-1.html http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9949410-1.htmlT-Mobile Debuts new music phone http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9949156-1.htmlVirgin Mobile offers first Samsung phone http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9947411-1.htmlT-Mobile Sidekick Slide Scarlet http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9946039-1.html… Read more

Pics of Palm Treo 850 surface: Not too shabby

Just recently, we reported on some rumors about a Palm Treo 800, a CDMA smartphone with Windows Mobile 6.1, EV-DO Rev. A, and GPS. While the feature list was pretty impressive, the picture of the reported device didn't excite us very much. In fact, it was downright dullsville and forgettable. However, today, the Boy Genius Report has some images of another new Treo, the Palm Treo 850, and this time, it's got our attention.

If the pictures are to be believed, the device looks incredibly slick and slim, and there's even a comparison shot of the … Read more

To beat Microsoft, use the Web. To beat Google, use the mobile Web (?)

I think ReadWriteWeb is onto something: Josh Catone is suggesting that the mobile Web may be the key to beating Google for the next generation of the Web. Just as Google is upending Microsoft's desktop dominance by making the desktop operating system irrelevant, so, too, could Google's desktop-based advertising be made irrelevant by moving the Web experience to mobile devices:

...[T]he mobile web is likely going to be a significant part of our future, which is good news for advertisers because there's one other thing we've been learning about the mobile web: people using the … Read more

Nokia looks beyond Symbian to Linux

With a 47.9 percent stake in Symbian, the leading mobile platform that it co-founded in 1998 and which today powers some 206 million mobile phones, Nokia has long championed it at the expense of rival platforms such as Linux.

No longer.

The mobile-phone maker is increasingly selecting Linux for Internet-enabled mobile devices, with its CFO declaring of Linux, "It's going to be terribly important."… Read more