Mobile Digest

World Cup on your PC and phone - was it any good?

Technology made the World Cup was the first major sports tournament we didn't need to dash home for. From mobile TV to the BBC's broadband coverage - we had the means to keep up-to-date with the matches wherever we were.

But did the technology live up to the hype? According to a report at The Register, "self-appointed mobile TV referee David Frodsham" of Argogroup wasn't convinced. He used his Monitor Master system to compare clips from T-Mobile, 3 and the BBC over ADSL, scoring the quality of images received.

Who came out on top? Read the full story over on The Register.

Review: Sagem my700x

Sagem mobile phone handsets don't tend to be found alongside the likes of the Motorola Razr, the LG Chocolate or the Sony Ericsson W800i, but Sagem's latest release, the my700x, is making a good start towards changing all that. The guys over GadgetCentre have been trying out this latest flagship model and found that beneath the distinctive exterior, which comes in different styles for men and women, there's a solid feature set including an MP3 player making use of a removable MiniSD card slot. Menu navigation, call quality and overall design come out pretty favourably too. Tennis fans should also keep an eye out for the limited edition Roland Garros version as well. Read the full review here.

LG adds coloured versions to its Chocolate Phone range

I'm guessing you've heard more than enough about LG's stylish Chocolate Phone (also known as the KG 800) - but if you're still in the dark about the fashionista's favourite, check out our review.  But before you rush down to the shops to buy one, you may like to know that LG is introducing 'premium' Chocolate Phones before the end of the year - in white and pink.

We have managed to get hold of pictures of the new phone (see the pink one also after the turn), but the exact specifications of the new phones still aren't clear. The company does, however, mention "unique design variations" and "enhanced technical specifications". They also say the new models will get a UK launch across Q3 and Q4 of 2006 - which could mean anytime from August, with the idea of making a number of Christmas lists.

There's no doubting the success of the initial black model - with more than one million units globally in just eight weeks since early May, so it's odds-on that brightly coloured models will fly off the shelves to those who want to stay one step ahead of the crowd.

As soon as we get the new spec and full release details, we'll let you know.

LG website www.lge.com

Samsung's SGH-i320 "BlackBerry-beater" heads to Europe

Samsung has announced it is to bring the BlackBerry-like SGH-i320 Windows Mobile 5.0-based phone to Europe later this month.

Weighing in at 95g and measuring 11.1 x 5.9 x 1.2cm, the tri-band phone with EDGE support features a 2.2-inch, 240 x 320, 65,536-colour display, a QWERTY keyboard, a 1.3mp camera and Bluetooth. It supports Windows Mobile 5.0's push email, along with all the expected phone, media playback and recording facilities, along with a speakerphone. There's 120MB of memory on board, with a MicroSD slot for more.

As yet, prices and networks haven't been announced.

Samsung website

Via The Register

More smartphones:
O2 brings BlackBerry 7130 to the UK
First Windows 3G phones launched by HTC

Review: Vodafone/Sony Ericsson V630i

There's a lot going on with the V630i. The new multimedia phone from Sony Ericsson packs so much in, you're bound to be shocked when you hear it ring, reminding you of the reason phones were invented.

It's a feature-packed 3G phone, available exclusively through Vodafone. And this is no random partnership - the V630i has been kitted out with a menu that makes the most of what Vodafone Live! (its 3G service) has to offer. For instance, Mobile TV, launched last year, is now available through the main Entertainment menu on the phone, rather than through the browser.

Radio DJ is also available through the main menu. Announced in January this year, this is a Pandora-esque music service intelligent enough to learn your music tastes as you rate the tracks it selects for you.  There are also additional services available, such as pre-defined compilations (Johnny Cash, Where's Summer?), and a 'Wishlist' of tracks you intend to buy, very much like a shopping cart. In practice, the phone I tested got a bit bogged down loading 'My Channels' (Indie/Rock/Powerful/All decades, since you ask) so whether it can truly distinguish between The Pussycat Dolls and Cat Stevens remains to be seen.

The speaker on the phone is adequate, if you want to annoy those around you, but the phone is bundled with headphones, indicating that Sony Ericsson expect this phone to be used as a personal MP3 player.

So, to the blogging. When you take a photo (with the 2.0 megapixel camera) it gives you the option of blogging it on Blogger.com. It takes about 5 minutes to initially set up the account (or link it to one you already have with Blogger) after which you're free to document a blow-by-blow account of your life. Fantastically easy, but sporadic in practice. I managed to submit one post (here), before it decided I was too boring to bother with. However, I am sadly in a 3G black hole, so I'm going to assume that it works perfectly for those with adequate coverage.

Other functions indicate that this is a phone for those who travel, particularly those who travel light. On switching it on, you're immediately given the option of 'Normal' mode or 'In-flight' mode, enabling you to write emails, but without actually being able to make or receive calls. Think of all the plane crashes that will now be prevented. Or perhaps just the disapproving flight attendants who will no longer be disapproving.

So yes, it's got Push email. And another for the travelers is the ability to use it as a storage device - connecting it via USB to your PC you'll see it register as a drive, so you can simply drag and drop files. It's also got the ability to deliver RSS feeds direct to your phone. There is basically no escape from the world. Ever.

Which is kind of the problem - it does so much stuff, it's almost overwhelming. It's got all the business tools, as well as all the entertainment tools. And then it's got all the phone tools. And by the time you get to the end of it... well, you kind of crave the days when a phone made calls. However, in bitesize chunks, it's a wonder of modern technology.

The phone is available this month (July, duh) on Vodafone. Pricing will depend on your call plan, but expect to pay - it's a high-end phone. [Susi]

NTL completes Virgin Mobile deal

NTL has finally completed the takeover of Virgin Mobile after getting High Court approval. Virgin Mobile's shares have been delisted from the stock exchange, but the company will still exist as Virgin Mobile until 2007, according to NTL. After that time, the Virgin brand will be used to front a quadruple offering of broadband, TV, mobile, and fixed phone lines.

Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson is obviously pleased: "Today, we've created a unique organisation - a new, soon-to-be-branded Virgin company - which will offer the very finest in 'quadruple'. Through our new company, our aim is to offer consumers the very best, most sought-after choice available. You ain't, as the saying goes, seen nothing yet..."

The Virgin name offers NTL a "cool" brand to use when it competes with the other big quadruples players - Sky, Orange and BT, which are all intent on dominating the "one bill" market.

NTL website

Via The Register

More NTL:
NTL trials 100MB service
NTL's World Cup on demand

Watch an Austin Powers movie on your mobile with ROK

Remember ROK? We featured the company earlier this week  after it extended handset coverage of its mobile TV service for GPRS/EDGE mobiles. Well, apart from streaming TV, they've also been producing standalone full-screen TV shows and movies for phones  - the latest of which is the Austin Powers International Man of Mystery movie.

The titles are available on copy-protected memory cards, almost like DVDs for your phone - just insert the card to a suitable phone or PDA, and you can any of more than 100 titles, including BBC classic comedies such as Little Britain and The Office as well as SpongeBob Squarepants and South Park and other movies such as Shawshank Redemption.

More than 30 leading smartphones including Nokia's range of Symbian handsets as well as Microsoft handsets are compatible with ROK Player technology. You can check if yours is at the ROK Player website. Cards are priced at £18. The Austin Powers will initially be available to buy from ROK online, then available in high street phone shops .

ROK Player website

More ROK:
ROK extends mobile TV coverage to Microsoft handsets
ROK offers full-screen movies on Microsoft handsets

LG unveils HSDPA two-way slider phone

LG has unveiled a new HSDPA (or super 3G) handset in Korea, with the big selling point being the ability to make video calls in widescreen or indeed for video playback in landscape.

The phone, which is Cyon-branded, goes under the name of either the LG-SGH100 or the LG-KH1000, dependent on the specification. It's a slider, but not just a regular slider, it also slides sideways for the widescreen effect. The phone features a 2.2-inch, 240 x 320 (or 320 x 240 if you hold it the other way round) display capable of showing 262,144 colours. There's a 1.3mp camera, a VGA video call cam and 2GB of Flash and 1GB of SDRAM, or 512MB of Flash and 256MB of SDRAM, depending on your choice of model.

No news of a UK launch for this, but it's due on sale in Korea for the equivalent of £464.

LG website

Via The Register

More mobiles:
BenQ-Siemens EL71 ultra-slim slider phone
Samsung unveils black E900 slider phone with 2mp camera

BenQ-Siemens EL71 ultra-slim slider phone

Another day, another slider phone. But as they're the fashionista's phone of choice right now, that's no bad thing. The latest candidate for your cash is the BenQ-Siemens EL71, a very slim phone with a decent specification behind the looks.

BenQ-Siemens describe it as "the cutting edge of design" with its compact shape, brushed aluminium finish and stainless steel keypad. It's certainly an attractive handset, but it's also got some nice features. There's a 2-inch QVGA display (262,144 colours). a decent integrated 1.3mp digital camera with LED flash and a video function for shooting and replaying short movie sequences. There's also a music player on board, which plays MP3 and AAC+ music files and by using the Music Cable IHM-100 (available sepearately), the EL71 can be connected to any hi-fi system. Memory is a less-than-great 16MB internal memory, but this can be increased up to 1GB by microSD cards.

The BenQ-Siemens EL71 will be available in July in the UK in "Quartz Anthracite" and "Opal Black" from free on contract and from £250 sim-free.

BenQ-Siemens website

More mobiles:
Samsung unveils black E900 slider phone with 2mp camera
LG U300 3G handset exclusively available on 3

3 offers Yahoo! content on its 3G phones

3 has announced a deal with net giant Yahoo!, which will mean many of the Yahoo! services being available to 3's customers in the near future, including, for the first time, a full web search facility.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will work together to offer Yahoo! Search, Yahoo! Mobile Web, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Mail, and Yahoo! Go for Mobile on 3's networks around the world. Additional Yahoo! services will also become available to 3 subscribers in the future.

The UK's 3 customers will be the first to receive the content. The Yahoo! services will all be accessible to subscribers either via the internet browser on the handset or through client applications such as Yahoo! Ready or Yahoo! Go for Mobile on select devices. 3 UK previously allowed its customers to access only specially selected websites due to concerns over user experience, but the agreement with Yahoo! signals a new policy of full web access, enabled by Yahoo's website adaptation technologies.

3 website

More from 3:
MSN Messenger on your 3 mobile
World Cup highlights on your 3 phone

Samsung unveils black E900 slider phone with 2mp camera

Yet another slider phone to feast your eyes on - this time from Samsung, which has launched the E900, a hip looking mobile with a decent specification to match.

It's a slider phone with a black gloss finish and touch-sensitive keypad, so already the company is ticking the boxes for the fashion phone market. But it's more than a pretty face. There's a 2.05-inch 262K colour TFT display and 2mp camera with flash and video recording functionality on board - ideal for your night out clubbing. The E900's music player can playback MP3, AAC, ACC+, AAC+(e) and WMA files and features background play and track pausing as soon as you take a call. There's 80MB of storage on board, but this can be boosted via Micro SD card. There's also Bluetooth and USB connectivity, 

The Samsung E900 should be available at The Carphone Warehouse, The Link, Phones 4U, O2, Orange, Virgin and Vodafone stores. Price dependent on contract.

Samsung website

More mobiles:
LG U300 3G handset exclusively available on 3
Samsung's Ultra Edition - the world's slimmest mobile phones

ROK extends mobile TV coverage to Microsoft handsets

Remember ROK? They've been providing TV to GPRS/EDGE mobiles for months now. Probably the main thing that's held them back is the number of compatible phones with the service. Recently, this was improved when the service became available to a number of Sony phones, including the W800i, but now it's been boosted further with the news that 12 Microsoft compatible devices have been added to the list, bringing the total number of handsets up to 37. You can check the full handset list here.

What this means is that the chances of your handset being good to use the service have considerably increased, with the total far in excess of the five handsets that can view, for example, Orange 3G TV in the UK. If your phone is now compatible, you'll also need to be connected via O2 contract, Vodafone, T-Mobile or Orange. The service isn't available through 3 or Virgin.

ROK currently offers 13 channels to your mobile in its standard package, with "Premium" channels to follow soon. You can choose from Pop World, CNN, Cartoon Network, M-Music, ITN, National Geographic, Tidy TV, SNTV, XTreme TV, Movie Trailer TV, F3, Sci Fi or Snoot Toons for 99p per month, or pay a monthly fee of £9.99. But on top of that, you'll also have to pay your provider data charges too.

Find out more about the ROK

More mobile TV:
BBC and ITV to trial mobile TV
Virgin to launch live TV on your mobile

Google services now available to your mobile phone

Not content with dominating your PC, Google wants a bigger role on your mobile phone. The company has announced the availability of free mobile services, accessible through your phone's web browser.

From today, Google account holders can use their Gmail mail account, browse recent Google news stories and access their Google home page from a mobile phone. To access Gmail, go to the Gmail homepage through your phone's web browser and sign in to your Gmail account. Gmail will then optimise the interface for each phone. As well as browsing messages, you can also view attached photos and documents from your phone, and reply by call to people whose phone number is stored in their Gmail account. Gmail messages are automatically synchronised, regardless of whether Gmail is accessed from a mobile device or through the web.

Google News is also available on your mobile, with quick headline updates, the ability to search current news and browse the different new categories . To access Google News, visit google.com on your phone's web browser and click the link to Google News. There's also the option to browse through quick links, where content has been designed specifically for viewing on mobile devices.

You can also access a personalised Google homepage on your mobile and PDA, pulling in your selected news, business, weather and other feeds into one place. Information is optimised for smaller screens and slower bandwidth, presented in a format that reduces the need to click multiple links. If you've already set one up, just go to Google home via your phone brower and select the "Personalized Home" link. If you don't, you'll need to set one up via your PC.

More on Google for mobiles

More Google:
Google can sync your settings over multiple computers
Google's website creation tool

Skull Candy Proletariat NC 635 noise cancelling headphones

Want to cut out the outside world - except maybe your mobile phone? It might be worth giving the Skull Candy Proletariat NC 635 noise cancelling headphones a look, especially with a sub-£100 price tag.

These gold headphones cancel out background noise, so you can enjoy the music, rather than haveing to deal with a one-sided mobile phone conversation about the length of a train delay. However, you can still use your own mobile - the NC 635 headphones incorporate Skullcandy Link technology, which allows you to take mobile phone calls into the headphones.

The headphones fold up when not in use and run off 2 x AAA batteries. You can pick them up now, priced at £99.99.

Find out more

More headphones:
Aiwa UZ-PS128 recordable MP3 headphones
Saitek Audio bluetooth headphones