Guest writer Attila brings us a review of another 'handy' utility. This time, keeping out unwanted calls, it's Handy Blacklist. Summary: works as advertised but could do with even more flexibility.
The GSM Association is reporting on their own initiative to allow mobiles to be used for payment systems in retail outlets - effectivly having them act as debit cards through your mobile bill. A number of operators are on board, as well as network operators, but I can;t help feeling that this is a solution in need of a problem.
Rafe'll be along shortly with his own official coverage no doubt, but in the meantime you could do worse than browse through Mobile Review's two photo-filled pages covering the main keynotes and exhibition hall. Memo to self: sell family and get to the Summit 2008...
Robin Good has posted his Beginners Guide To Twitter , the SMS based IM service from America. If you're still wondering what the buzz is all about and want to be involved, it's a good place to start... and then you can join AAS on Twitter as well!
Nokia music phones sound as good as a CD, says the Advertising Standards Agency (and which is reported by The Register). Responding to a complaint "that the AAC lossy compression used by Nokia is not CD quality." It all hinged on the ISO survey "Report on the MPEG-2 AAC Stereo Verification Tests, [which] found listeners largely unable to distinguish between the two, [so] 128Kbps AAC could be said to be of CD quality." Which will be music to the ears of the PR departments, but be ready for the audiophiles to recoil in horror.
Nokia has announced that the RAZR-like N76 is now shipping.... and those in a selected group of European countries also get vouchers for free Travis music tracks to download, courtesy of a link up with Sony. Press release follows...
Immpressive numbers from Nokia at the S60 summit, with the psychological target of 100 million S60 powered handsets been passed. It's relativly easy to sell a couple of hundred thousand handsets around the world, but as the numbers increase, the potential of the product must be realised. S60 clearly has that in the marketplace, and I suspect that the second 100 million will not take as long to reach as the first.
The Register reports that LG has "rolled out" their new S60 3rd Edition model the KS10 (previously known as Joy). However, the article goes on to state that "LG didn't say when the KS10 will hit the shops". El Reg also reports that the KS10 comes preloaded with various Google bits and bobs including Google Maps, Gmail and Blogger applications.
Samsung have announced a lightweight (92g) S60 powered slider phone. Following on from Nokia's 6120 Classic, the SGH-i400 is another entrant into the mid-range devices - with a 2 megapixel camera, and no 3g, it knows the market that it is aimed at. It's scheduled for a Q3 2007 debut in Russia, with the rest of Europe to follow.
Attila reviews Handy Converter, perhaps the perfect currency conversion utility for smartphones. He was looking at the S60 3rd Edition version, but it's also available for Series 60 and all UIQ platforms...
The last few weeks have seen rumours and reportsaplenty (backed up by insider info) on the gradual transition of the UK and European networks to cheaper or flat rate ('unlimited') mobile data. This will all have a big impact on how people use smartphones. Watch this space.
Never mind the quality, feel the width.... With both Nokia E90 and HTC Advantage in for review, it was time to pitch them directly against each other. Which flagship pulls off the 'laptop replacement' claim best? Which one's most usable as a mobile office while on the road?
