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Archive for May, 2008

Here is the long awaited Sony Ericsson Paris demo video from m-one over at se-world.

Nokia announced on May 12th at the Where 2.0 Conference in Burlingame, California, that they had released their Nokia Maps 2.0 beta, with a raft of upgraded features and web linkage to its Ovi.com site.

Ovi is a Nokia Web portal for Internet services such as content sharing. Maps on Ovi will let people use and mark up maps on the Web and then upload their changes to a cell phone. This is all part of Nokia new gambit into the world of software development and its desire to extend its reach beyond its own hardware.

However, the interesting part is a not-as-yet-reported initiative by Nokia to make Nokia Maps truly mainstream by eliminating both the need for GPS and the need for the Mobile Network Operator.

How? Simple…by investing over the last few years in building up its own database of cell IDs matched to geo-cordinates, and then building functionality in Nokia Maps that allows for an estimate of the user’s location based only on cell ID.

Gone would be the days of waiting up to 5 minutes for GPS fixes, ‘indoor blackspots’ and battery drainage… Location Based Services would truly be able to achieve the ubiqitous status that both Navteq and Nokia are placing their strategic bets on.

The implications of this development are truly dramatic and it will not be long before the impact is noted by companies operating in this space…

Mobile-review have posted their review of the Sony Ericsson C702 Cyber-shot. Here is their final impression.

Impressions
Our C702 unit was loud enough to break our preconceptions about muffled sound of ruggedized handsets. The phone?s vibra alert turned out to be average strength-wise, though. The reception quality of the C702 was quite good ? we got strong signal levels in most places and didn?t notice any significant differences from other contemporary solutions.

The C702 is set to arrive this June at a price of 320 Euro. It has no standout features or treats barring the casing design; as for the camera, it?s actually nothing new, since the Sony Ericsson K770 packed in pretty much the same unit. The C702 is a fairly good choice if you are in the market for a handset that is a fraction more protected from dust and abuse than most other mass-market solutions. Also going for this phone is its lens cover and flashlight mode for the camera. But, the bottom line is this: the C702 has no bells and whistles as far as its camera department is concerned, it even can?t stand up to last year?s flagship, the Sony Ericsson K790/K800. It?s a well-rounded and versatile device aimed at a small-numbered audience bent on ruggedized phones. The C702 is robust enough to survive a few tumbles and resist water and mud, but of course it doesn?t have the level of protection to spend a minute in water and take no damage. On the other hand, Sony Ericsson isn?t charging the maximum for it, on the contrary, the C702 is relatively affordable for this device type, especially for want of real competition. While it boasts a nearly perfect build quality, its plastic quality and materials let it down. Some will come across the problem of worn-out keys, some won?t; the good news is that the manufacturer has promised to sort this out, but considering the shape of the C702?s buttons and their size, we have some doubts that Sony Ericsson will be able to improve their coating significantly. Also among the C702?s failings is its display that gets washed out in the sun.

On balance, the C702 has a likable design, mediocre specs and its price tag is 25 percent heftier than that of its non-ruggedized counterpart. All this indicates that Sony Ericsson is into niche-aimed solutions and puts a lot of effort into diving the market into narrow segments. As of today it has no rival out and about, so all fans of the late Siemens M-series can well thrown the C702 onto their short-lists, given its similar degree of protection, prowess in basic functions and some extra contemporary feats under the hood (camera, music, GPS).

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Mobile-review have posted a very interesting article about the Sony Ericsson Paris. Here are the final paragraphs from the article.

The Paris looks more like Sony Ericsson?s attempt to settle down in the segment of touchscreen devices before Motorola or Nokia make it there. In my opinion, this is a niche-aimed solution that is not like the G900 (which has all what it takes to turn into a widely adopted device). The Sony Ericsson Paris will be sort of a late call and too few will really crave for its QWERTY keyboard. It?s pretty difficult to find a scenario where its sales numbers will be stellar. UIQ-based devices will see an all-round new platform only towards the end of Q2 2009, when the maker will switch to new models with upgraded and enhanced specs, and as for today, Sony Ericsson is trying to get the maximum out of its old solutions and platforms. And the fact is, they have already approached the upper limit there, when it’s no longer possible to take their ideas in the top segment any further in view of insufficient computing power and performance.

More images of the Paris will be leaked very soon, but this time around, there will be more angles and better quality (which is crucial) ? we will update this article with them as soon as possible. Stay tuned for more!

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John Wang, Chief Marketing Officer at HTC is showing 4 unique innovations of the HTC Touch Diamond pdaphone.