Mobile Digest

t+ diabetes system - control diabetes with your mobile phone

When you thing of the extra functionality a mobile phone offers, it's usually in the area of entertainment. But a new diabetes management for mobile phones could change that.

Around three million people in the UK suffer with diabetes and need to maintain healthy blood glucose levels, limiting the onset of long-term, debilitating complications, including heart disease, kidney failure, coma, amputations, blindness and impotence. t+ medical has pioneered a way to help people take control of long term conditions by turning a mobile phone into a personal healthcare management system.

The t+ diabetes system gives people instant personal feedback, helping them to spot day-to-day fluctuations that can have a devastating long term impact. The data is also transmitted to a website for detailed analysis and remote monitoring by a nominated healthcare professional and the t+ Specialist Nurse.

"Essentially it’s a self-management tool, but because we can see patient readings on a secure website, we can advise on changes in insulin dosage without having to ask patients to come into the surgery," explains Dr Jeremy Wheeler, GP. "Especially when you’re newly diagnosed with diabetes, it’s very reassuring to know that your GP or practice nurse is monitoring your progress. Being able to check patients’ readings remotely and give them a call with advice is a big plus."

t+ diabetes system

Criminals eye up mobile phone banking

New research from The Tower Group suggests that criminal gangs are now looking to target mobile phone banking services, the goal being to infect or compromise a mobile device in order to steal money from legitimate users.

Targets would most likely be smartphones or wireless PDAs that act as replacements for credit or debit cards. Bob Egan, Chief Analyst at Tower Group, said that over 200 mobile viruses had already been identified and that number is doubling every six months.

"The success of mobile banking and payments, as well as the concept of the mobile wallet, will be measured against the industry's ability to effectively contain the malware problems to a level that is at least on par with that of the existing internet channel. Now is the time for IT managers and line of business heads within institutions to take action to protect both their companies and customers from mobile malware," he said.

Related stories: xVista develops UK's first portable iris scanner | Alliance & Leicester to introduce mobile phone banking next year

GpsGate.com mapping portal lets you share your location from Windows laptop/Pocket PC

Franson Technology has launched GpsGate.com, a GPS mapping portal that allows anyone with a Windows laptop or Windows-based Pocket PC device to share their location with anyone they have approved to 'spot' them online.

It's aimed at friends or colleagues who want to 'synchronise their lives for work or fun'. No longer will you have to rely on old-fashioned methods of coordinating your mates - "Meet at the Grey Horse at 7.30" - for now you can simply log in to GpsGate.com and see your friends' positions on a map, or a satellite image provided by a Google Earth plugin.

The GpsGate software costs US$29.95, with free access to the GpsGate website. Of course, your device needs to be GPS-ready, or have access to a GPS unit. GPSGate allows you to use Garmin USB GPS receivers with standard GPS applications.

In the future the company plans to add business tools to GpsGate.com, such as the ability to track delivery vans.

GpsGate.com

Related stories: Solar Powered Bluetooth GPS | CES 2007: JVC HDD in-car GPS unit and DVD player | CES 2007: LG gets into GPS navigation market

BluOnyx Mobile Content Server - Wi-Fi storage for your mobile phone or media player

Agere Systems has introduced the BluOnyx Mobile Content Server, a storage solution for your mobile phone or media player when card capacity just isn't enough.

The BluOnyx is the size of a credit card and thinner than a Blackberry. It can transfer or stream music, video, pictures, business files to or from mobile phones, digital cameras, digital camcorders, PCs or to and from any site on the internet (such as YouTube or MySpace), accessing the web via Wi-Fi connection.

It has its own rechargeable battery, which lasts up to 12 hours and is available with strage levels from 1GB to 40GB. There's no screen - all control is via your mobile phone, PC or screen. Any media file can be hosted, even DRM files, as long as the playback device has the decoding capability. And as it's Wi-Fi-enabled, the BluOnyx offers net access for mobiles and PDAs that aren't broadband-enabled.

The retail price of the BluOnyx is expected to range from £50 to £130 depending on memory capacity. 

Find out more

More for your mobile

Use a hand-held mobile in the car - get points on your licence

It's been an offence for around three years to use a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving in the UK, but the threat of a fine doesn't seem to have put people off. However, the threat of three points on your driving licence might make a difference.

New penalties for using a mobile in the car will come into force from February 27th. As well as the points, fines will be doubled to £60. According to Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander: "It's quite simple - it's impossible to do two things at once and do them well."

New laws against using mobile phones in cars came into force in 2003. Research shows that 92 per cent of people support the law - but 21 per cent of those surveyed have admitted to breaking it. Home Office figures for 2004 show that nearly 74,000 fixed-penalty notices were issued in England and Wales for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving. However, a Liberal Democrat study last year suggested this meant only 1.1 per cent of those who admitted to the offence were being caught.

Via BBC

Hands-free in the car:
Pioneer DEH-P75BT Bluetooth car stereo system
Parrot's car stereo with Bluetooth

Skullcandy Link Hydration Pack with speakers

Possibly not the ideal accessory every day, but if you happen to be heading off for some winter sports or even a bit of adventure back home, you might like to take your technology with you, using the Skullcandy Link Hydration Pack with speakers.

Skullcandy Link Hydration Pack is a backpack with a difference. Yes, it can hold everything you need in the great outdoors, including the biggest coat you can carry, but it also features a battery-powered amplifier, firing sound out of the 60mm speakers embedded in the straps. The speakers are weather-impervious, carbon-fibre woven custom jobs designed to be used in rain, snow or shine.

Add to that a mobile microphone embedded in the strap, which allows you to make calls handsfree. And in the mid-strap, there's also a soft-touch panel for controlling power, volume and your mobile phone. Secure pockets will hold your phone and music player in place.

Available now in a choice of colours, you can pick one up for £106.99

Find out more at iWorld

Top 10 mobile phones of 2007 we can't wait for

Everyone's been talking about it the last few weeks - the blogs haven't buzzed this much since the Lonelygirl15 scandal; the chippies are wrapping pieces of cod in newspapers' sycophantic gushings about it, heck, even your own Aunt has asked you how integrated the OS X will be in it. Yep, we're talking 'bout the iPhone. However, in the shadow of Steve Jobs's phallic phone, many worthy mobiles have been cast aside - until now. Take a look under the jump for Tech Digest's list of the Top 10 Mobile Phones Of 2007 We Can't Wait For. And, err, admittedly the iPhone is on the list, not just to sate the Apple fans' thirst for More, More, More Pictures of The Great Shiny Object, but because it's actually a pretty great phone once you ignore all the buzz. Read on, fellow mobile geeks!

1.) LG Shine. A favourite amongst us Tech Digestians, and not for the obvious reasons, this Black Label mobile (our beloved Chocolate is also part of this range) features a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, MP3 playback, 1GB of onboard storage space, and is also able to set user-recorded video as the phone's wallpaper. Pure bliss on a stick. Available in the UK 7th February, expect our full review shortly.

2.) Sidekick 3. Already available in the States, this baby was set to descend on Blighty back in December, but has been pushed back to late January. Featuring all the goodies we're used to in Paris and Nicole's phone du jour, it's got email, a 1.3 megapixel camera, MP3 player, miniSD slot, and T Mobile's Web'n Walk feature. Available late January 2007 in the UK, expect our full review shortly.

3.) Nokia N93i. The hugely-antipicated update to the N93, it possesses MPEG-4 VGA video capture at up to 30 frames per second, a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 3x optical zoom, 1 GB miniSD card (hurrah!), Wi-Fi, and an MP3 player. Thankfully, it's been on a diet, and is much slimmer than its predecessor. Available in 2007's first quarter.

4.) Apple iPhone. You knew it was going to be included in the top 5, but are you surprised it's not at number 1? As you no doubt know, it will have a 3.5 inch diagonal touch screen, 2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, and run Apple's Mac OS X system. There'll be two versions available, a 4GB, and 8GB, handy for all those tunes you're likely to store. Available in UK Winter 2007, if that.

 

5.) LG enV. Another phone which has been available in the US since November, we're including this on our list due to its smartphone capabilities - it's got a full qwerty keyboard, 2 megapixel camera, integrated GPS, wireless synchronisation for emailing purposes, and of course, Bluetooth. Check out our video of it at CES. No word on UK availability, but we guess around Spring 2007.

6.) LG KE850 Prada. The recently announced mobile from LG, made in conjunction with the fashion house Prada, will pip the iPhone to the post to being the world's first completely touch screen mobile. It's got a 3 inch display, with a 2 megapixel camera, LED flash, Bluetooth, and a player supporting MPEG 4. Due February 2007 in the UK.

7.) Sony Ericsson SO903iTV Bravia. Based on Bravia technology (you remember those telly ads with the bouncing balls, right?) the SO903iTV boasts a 3 inch screen, with a slide function for horizontal viewing. It's got a 2 megapixel camera, and microSD card slot for storing those all-important pics of your friend downing three Sambuca shots in a row. Available in Japan in June, let's hope it launches here sometime this year.

8.) Samsung Ultra Edition 12.9. Formerly known as the D900, this new model is only 12.9 mm thin, with a 3 megapixel camera, 2.1 inch screen, quad-band, and not only that, claims it's the world's slimmest slider phone with a 3 megapixel camera. Due out sometime late 2007.

9.) Google's Switch. Ok, so it hasn't been announced yet, but with shady photos cropping up all over blogs, and stories about it being made by Samsung, yet branded as Google, we will hold our breath for a 2007 launch UK-side. It's rumoured to have GPS with Google Maps based navigation features, a contact application using Gmail, Google Talk, and traditional messaging, and absolutely no internal memory, as everything will be served up over the network. No word on availability, as it's still just a rumour, d'oh!

10.) Samsung SCH-W559. It's the first touchscreen mobile to use Immersion's VibeTonz, a technology which provides tactile feedback for touchscreen interactions. This is good news, as there isn't a traditional keypad on the mobile, it's an LCD display, and with the VibeTonz feature, it ensures your touches will feel real, like actual keys. Not only that, it's got handwriting recognition, Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel camera, and audio and video playback. No word on availability, but it's sure to launch in 2007.

Mobile phones to be banned from British Open golf tournament

Following complaints from players during the 2006 British Open in Hoylake, organisers of this year's event at Carnoustie will be banned from taking their mobile phones on to the course.

Director of Championships for the Royal & Ancient organisers said, "We have so far resisted the call to ban mobile phones on the grounds that it may be an inconvenience to the public. However, after receiving complaints referring to the numbers that were in use as play was proceeding, we feel there is no other reasonable option than a complete ban."

Security checks will be carried out on spectators upon entry. Presumably the public aren't trusted to keep their mobile phones switched off, so they have to be banned completely.

Related stories: Solar-powered golf bag | USB golf simulator | Wi-Fi hits the golf course

Thief returns stolen mobile phone and belongings after receiving 21 text messages from owner

In China, a young thief returned the belongings of a Chinese teacher he had stolen from after she sent him 21 text messages asking for the items to be returned.

Pan Aiying, a Chinese teacher at Wutou Middle School in Qihe county, had a bag containing her mobile phone, bank cards, and 4,900 yuan (about £350), snatched by a motorcycle rider.

She tried to call her stolen phone, but was disconnected. Before calling the police, she sent a text message to the phone: "Hey buddy. I'm Pan Aiying, a teacher from Wutou Middle School. You must be going through a difficult time. If so, I will not blame you"

And a second: "Keep the 4,900 yuan if you really need it, but please return the other things to me. You are still young. To error is human. Correcting your mistake is more important than anything,"

Another 19 messages were sent, all without reply. She gave up, planning to call the police the next morning. However, on her way out the next day, she found a parcel containing her bag, phone, cards, and money, all intact.

"Dear Pan: I'm sorry. I made a mistake. Please forgive me. You are so tolerant even though I stole from you. I'll correct my ways and be an upright person,"

A rare and touching story.

(Via News.cn)

Samsung's super-slim Ultra Edition 6.9, 9.9 and 12.9 mobiles

Exactly how thin are mobile phones going to go? It's like watching all those Hollywood starlets waste away – at some point, the public will put their foot down and say 'ENOUGH!'. But not yet. Witness Samsung's new Ultra Edition 6.9, which is a 6.9mm-thick candybar handset.

It's a 2.5G phone with a two-megapixel camera, 1.9-inch screen, Bluetooth, 80MB of internal memory and music/video playing capabilities. It's teeny-tiny! Although heaven help you if you stick it in your back pocket then forget to take it out before sitting down. The 6.9 is joined by two other new Ultra Edition handsets: the 9.9 and 12.9.

The UE 9.9 is a clamshell phone, which has near enough the same features as the 6.9, except with a MicroSD memory card slot, and a flash for the camera. It also boasts a TV-out port, making it ideal for showing your home-shot clips on bigger screens. And yes, it is 9.9mm thick. Finally, the UE 12.9 (you can figure its thickness out for yourself, surely) is quad-band (the other two are tri-band), and has a three-megapixel camera, a 2.1-inch screen, Bluetooth including A2DP stereo audio support, and touts itself as the world's slimmest slider phone with a three-megapixel cam. Which frankly is a bit cheeky as claims go. All three handsets should be out later this year, and eagle-eyed readers may have spotted that they're renamed versions of the X820, D830 and D900 Samsung phones. (via Engadget)

Second Life gets its first virtual mobile operator

Vodafone is planning to launch itself as a mobile operator in the game Second Life alongside its Vodafone Island area within the popular virtual world. Second Life users will be able to use branded handsets to call each other within the world, as well as send text messages.

There's no news on how much it'll cost to use the virtual mobiles (who knows, perhaps they'll be free...), but it's the first time a big mobile operator has announced plans to extend into a virtual world in this way.

(via Techscape)

Sony Ericsson launches SO903iTV Bravia TV phone

We mentioned last week about the lack of excitement (and sales) for Virgin's Lobster mobile TV handset. Well, here's how it should be done - the Sony Ericsson SO903iTV Bravia TV phone.

In a very bold shade of red, the SO903iTV features a display based on Bravia technology. The screen is 3-inch, with a slide function for horizontal viewing. It also features time-shift video recording, a 2 megapixel camera and microSD card slot for storing your data.

It's scheduled for a June launch, but here's the bad news - so far it is Japan only, via DoCoMo. But if it goes down well over there, who knows?

Sony Ericsson website

Via Cnet Asia

Mobile game of the week: Tomb Raider Legend 3D

Okay, so you can turn Lara Croft into a 2D platform game, but it doesn't really do justice to, well, the reason millions of sweaty-joysticked men fell for her in the first place. Yes, gamers, I'M TALKING ABOUT BREASTS. Well, and free-roaming action adventures in three dimensions, obviously.

Anyway, Eidos' mobile division clearly know this, which is why they've released Tomb Raider: Legend. It only works on the swankiest handsets, but you get proper 3D visuals throughout, with a mix of platform-swinging gun-shooting gland-wiggling action.

It's getting a good critical reaction, and is now available to buy for just over £7 from Eidos' own website, as well as a mobile operator portal near you. On your phone, I mean.

Microsoft's CEO laughs at the iPhone, makes bold Zune claims

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's erratic CEO, laughed at Apple's iPhone during a recent TV interview with CNBC, mainly because of the price. He then claimed that the Zune claimed 20-25% of the high end music player market.

He wasn't exactly convincing, though:

""I don't know, but I think most estimates would say we took about 20-25 per cent of the high end of the market. We weren't down at some of the lower price points, but for devices $249 and over we took, you know, let's say about 20 per cent of the market."

Tell it like it is, Steve. Or like you think it possibly might be.

It's an interesting figure, given other reports that suggest otherwise.

If you fancy watching it, it's miraculously found its way onto YouTube:

NAMM 2007: ChordGenie intelligent chord finder for guitarists

Inigma Media has released their ChordGenie guitar chord finder that works with any Java-enabled mobile phone.

It features over 15,000 chords, and offers a much faster way to finding chords than using a book. Chords can be found in standard or alternate tuning, in any position on the fret board. The display shows each chord and its fingering. Slash and power chords are also included. It can be customised for both left and right-handed players, and for the guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, and tenor guitar.

The software also includes a metronome, pitch pipe tuner, and a songbook feature allowing users to bookmark chords.

The Chord Builder function allows users to build up their own chords, and can act as a great educational tool.

It costs just £4.99 and can be downloaded over the air or to a PC. A trial version is available at chordgenie.com.

(Via Modern Guitars Magazine)

Review: Orange Bluetooth Loudspeaker System

The propaganda

While I was cleaning out the attic the other day I found a neat little stereo. It has all the usual play/pause, volumes controls and stuff, but the weird part is that it only takes these funny looking shiny circular thingies – there wasn’t an iPod connector in sight. That’s just weird.

But you know, plugging your player into a stereo is soooo last year – Bluetooth is what 2007 is all about. In fact, Orange revealed it special Bluetooth Stereo Loudspeaker System back in October, but it should come its own this year as more and more handsets start to offer the latest stereo Bluetooth standard, called A2DP, which has been designed specifically to stream high quality audio wirelessly.

The speakers fit together as a single unit, or you can separate each speaker from the main unit, with a little under 1m worth of speaker cable to play with on each. The controls are pretty basic and consist of a single volume dial, which acts as the power switch as well, and the essential Bluetooth button. There is also a 3.5mm line in.

The good

Acoustic Energy is the company which actually makes Orange’s speaker set. It has a good reputation for making decent speakers and that really shows here. The sound has a pleasingly warm feel to it with a good balance of bass power and definition. You can really pick out a lot of the subtleties in what you’re listening to and you can crank the volume up to full and never experience any kind of distortion.

Pairing with a Bluetooth handset is very straight forward as you would expect – you just hold the Bluetooth button for a few seconds to start the pairing process. Testament to the simplicity of the design is the fact that all of the instructions are on one side of an A4 sized instruction leaflet.

The bad

The flipside to that very basic design is that the looks are a bit unexciting and it lacks any kind of playback controls. In its defence, the AVRCP standard necessary for remote control of playback functions isn’t particularly widespread yet, but you will need to bear in mind that you’ll have to turn to your phone handset (or whatever you’re using) to control the tracks. But that’s not a particular hardship and the range is pretty good.

I’m also not much of a fan of how it looks when the speakers are separated from the main unit. What you can’t tell from the picture is that there are two hooks pointing out of each side to keep the speakers firmly attached. It ends up looking like someone has driven four giant nails into the central section, which is a bit naff. And there doesn’t seem to be any way to remove them, other than perhaps going at them with a pair of pliers – something I wasn’t willing to try.

Geek Sheet

Dimensions: 373 x 133 x 156mm approx.

A2DP Bluetooth

3.5mm line in

Detachable speakers

Overview

If you have been using the A2DP Bluetooth standard to listen to music through compatible headphones, Orange’s speakers might well prove a very neat way of upgrading your sound to something more powerful. While they fall slightly short in the style and functionality departments, there is little to fault in the sound quality. The price tag of £90 isn’t too bad either and given that there aren’t currently all that many alternatives to them, it seems all the more worthwhile.

Related stories: Jabra BT8010 Bluetooth headset - and headphones | Review: Parrot Wireless Speakers| Is the end nigh for DAB? | More Mobile Phones...

Related sites: Orange

Tag Heuer preparing to launch mobile watch?

Cards on the table: does anyone seriously want a watch they can make calls on? Really? It's one of those gadgets that sounds way cool in theory, but falls down when you realise how much of a twonk you'll look using it on the train.

Still, Tag Heuer might sway your opinion. Some photos have leaked out which appear to show a new watch from the company that can make calls and play MP3s, alongside its regular timekeeping duties. Presumably, this involves wireless connection to a Bluetooth headset, which would solve the embarrassment problem (well, partly). It's claimed that Paris design firm ModeLabs is working with Tag Heuer on the device.

(via Mad4MobilePhones)

Virgin's mobile TV service fails to excite public

The device got a favourable review by us, but the public, it seems, is giving Virgin's mobile TV service the thumbs-down.

According to a report in The Guardian, Virgin Mobile has sold "considerably less" than 10,000 of its mobile-TV-enabled Lobster handsets, despite a strong advertising campaign featuring Pamela Anderson and a price point now below £100. And that's probably down to looks.

In a month that's seen the unveiling of the iPhone and LG's Prada handset, Virgin's Lobster looks very much of a past era. And when it comes to mobiles, looks really do matter. Better-looking handsets are promised for this year - we'll probably have a better idea then of how much the public really wants TV on the go.

Virgin Mobile

Via The Register

First info on Virgin Media's quad-play services

So, everyone knows that NTL and Virgin have got together for a joint quad-play venture, called Virgin Media, which'll supply home-owners with TV, broadband, home phone AND mobile. And we know it's all systems go this year for the new brand. But how will it work?

If you want an early glimpse, check out Virgin Media's Know First website, which has a few details, along with the first screenshot of the new service's digital TV electronic programme guide (pictured).

There will be three TV packages to choose from. Medium Virgin TV will have over 39 channels, including E4, CBeebies and Bravo. Large Virgin TV will offer over 83 channels, including all those in the Medium package plus others like Discovery, Cartoon Network and Eurosport. Finally, XLarge Virgin TV will have over 129 channels, including Disney, National Geographic and MTV. All the packages will come with a variety of on-demand options too.

Meanwhile, Virgin Broadband will also come in Medium (2Mb), Large (4Mb) and XLarge (8Mb) options, while home telephony follows the same pattern: Medium gives you unlimited UK landline weekend calls, Large has unlimited UK landline evenings and weekend calls, and XLarge offers completely unlimited UK landline calls at any time.

Mobile? It's staying as Pay Monthly or Pay As You Go. Other news: current NTL users can opt to change their email addresses to @virginmedia.com if they want, and new-look Virgin Media bills will be sent out in the coming months. Oh, and the site has a competition to win tickets to the Virgin Media launch party and swigg champers with Richard Branson.

Virgin Media Know First website

Hitachi W51H hi-res mobile phone

Hitachi don't sell their mobile phones here in the UK, but their latest model, the W51H, makes me wish they did. It's just been announced in Japan, and is a clamshell phone with a monster 2.9-inch display with 480x800-pixel resolution. That's dribbleworthy in itself.

The phone also has a fingerprint-scanner to stop people nicking your sensitive data (i.e. saucy text messages), a two-megapixel camera with LED flash, 30MB of internal memory, and voice-activated GPS that lets you speak your destination, with the software then figuring out how to get you there.

It's only available on Japanese operator KDDI at the moment, and given Hitachi's regional focus when it comes to phones, don't hold your breath for a UK release.

(via Newlaunches)

Can Google's Switch mobile compete with Apple's iPhone?

A slightly fatuous question perhaps, given that Google Switch is still a rumour, albeit one with a freshly-minted set of allegedly-leaked photos. According to Engadget, Switch will be a touch-screen device made by Samsung, but branded as Google.

It'll have built-in GPS, allowing Google Maps based navigation features, with a contact application that's a cross between Gmail, Google Talk and more traditional text messaging. Oh, and there won't be any internal memory: everything will be served up over the network. Hopefully that'll be 3G then, unlike the iPhone...

Whether this is it or not, there's little doubt that a Google-branded mobile phone will appear at some point. The company has ramped up its mobile activities in the last year, albeit focusing on signing deals with operators like 3, Vodafone and T-Mobile.

Now that the iPhone has crossed the line from myth to real product, perhaps we can spend the next 18 months dreaming up cool ideas for the GooglePhone. Like built-in WiMAX, to make use of all those city-wide networks that (we're told) will spring up in the next few years.

Or a direct interface to Google-owned YouTube, letting you watch vids but also upload the ones you've shot using the phone. It would have a camera, right? Or a dynamic version of Google Earth that lets you swoop over the Himalayas and send text messages to the Yetis. Okay, maybe that last one's a bit ambitious. But I can dream... For now, feast your eyes on the screenshots via the link below.

(via Engadget)

Apple's decision to 'lock down' iPhone to developers a wise security move

A researcher at Symantec has said that Apple's decision (based on what Steve Jobs said) to 'lock down' the forthcoming iPhone is a smart move and will help to keep them secure.

"If the iPhone remains a closed device, with not even Java applications or widgets let alone native code, the risk of infection becomes orders of magnitude lower," said Eric Chien on the company's Security Response Weblog.

Steve Jobs had previously told reporters, "These are devices that need to work. And you can't do that if you load any software on them. It doesn't mean we have to write it all, but it means it has to be more of a controlled environment."

Chien expects that malicious software will find its way on to the iPhone, but not in such vast amounts as on other mobile devices. Limiting access to the operating system gives hackers less opportunity to find vulnerabilities.

Security or not, however, this decision is sure to disappoint many OS X fans who were hoping to port over some of their desktop applications to their shiny new iPhone.

Disgusting fact: Average mobile phone contains more bacteria than toilet seat

I suppose it depends on how clean you keep your toilet seat, but new research shows that the average mobile phone contains more bacteria than the trusty throne.

Dial-a-Phone conducted this vital research, taking swabs from everyday objects and testing them for bacteria.

Seems that the ubiquitous mobile has more bacteria on it that the average door handle, keyboard, shoe sole, or toilet seat.

Of course, the phone also ends up touching more parts of the human body than those other objects.

"The phones contained more skin bacteria than the any other object; this could be due to the fact that this type of bacteria increases in high temperatures and our phones are perfect for breeding these germs as they're kept warm and cozy in our pockets, handbags and brief cases. These bacteria are toxic to humans, and can cause infections if they have the opportunity to enter the body," commented Joanne Verran, Professor of Microbiology at Manchester Metropolitan University.

There's a simple solution, though. Clean your phone thoroughly with an antibacterial wipe more than once a year. Easy!

Related stories: Clean your screen with Alpine Innovations Mini Spudz | Lockup Cup stops people from sharing your coffee | Getting dirty at the office: Content of your PC keyboard could make you ill

LG's KE850 Prada phone gets official unveiling - and imminent European launch

Can't wait for the iPhone to arrive? Well, you can get your hands on another very fashionable handset much sooner when the LG KE850 Prada phone arrives in Europe next month.

Like the iPhone (but beating it to market), the KE850, sized at just 98.8 × 54 × 12mm, is a touchscreen-only mobile phone, in this case using a 3-inch display with 240x400 resolution. The display is a minimalist white on black - no iPhone-style coloured icons here.

In terms of specifications, the KE850 is tri-band, EDGE compatible and features a 2 megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens and LED flash, Bluetooth 2.0, an MPEG4 video player and an audio player with MP3/ACC/ACC+/WMA/RA support. There's also a document viewer supporting Microsoft's PPT, DOC, XLS formats, plus PDF and TXT. Memory is via SD card - none built-in I'm afraid.

According to LG, the phone will hit mobile stores and Prada shops in Europe from the end of February. The price quoted is 600 Euros - but we'll probably have a better idea of that and which networks are opting for the handset as that Euro launch date approaches.

LG website

Via Engadget

Samsung SCH-W559 gets tactile control with VibeTonz technology

Not yet available in the UK, Samsung's SCH-W559 features Immersion's VibeTonz technology, which provides "tactile control" for the touchscreen handset.

The SCH-W559 is the first touchscreen-based handset to use the technology. It uses a large 260,000-color QVGA LCD touchscreen display to replace the traditional keypad (not unlike the recently-announced iPhone), with users confirming tactile cues when they press graphical onscreen controls, which can be customised by selecting one of five feedback profiles for these cues.

It allows touchscreen-displayed buttons to feel more like mechanical keys, with the tactile feedback boosting usability in situations where controls are obscured or washed out by glare. The new phone is being sold by China Unicom currently and also includes handwriting recognition, Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel camera, and audio and video playback.

We'll let you know if it is heading to the UK.

VibeTonz website

Apple aiming for 10 million iPhone sales in 2008

So, Apple announced its 'fiscal first quarter' results yesterday for the last three months of 2006. The key news was that the company shifted over 21 million iPods, which is 50% up on the same period in 2005. In the US, this made up 72% of the digital music player market, while Apple reckons it now accounts for more than 85% of the legal music downloads.

However, the company also talked iPhone, saying it wants to sell 10 million of the handsets during 2008, and said that the reason the iPhone isn't 3G is because 2.5G networks are more widespread in the US than 3G. On behalf of all Europeans who are keen to get an iPhone, cheers for that Apple.

However, the company did say it will "be where the technology is over time", which cynics may suggest means a revamped 3G version a few months after millions of people have splashed out on the first-generation version.

Oh, and Apple had stern words for Cisco, which is taking it to court over the iPhone trademark. "We think the Cisco trademark is silly. We believe Cisco's US trademark registration is tenuous at best." Oof!

Other stats from the results and subsequent conference call: Apple sold over 1.6 million Macs in the last three months of 2006, thanks to strong sales of laptops, particularly the MacBook Pro. Apparently Apple was pleasantly surprised by the 1.6 million figure, which was way above its own expectations.

Finally, Apple described its upcoming Apple TV product as the DVD player of the 21st century, and said there are now over 4 million songs, 350 TV shows and 250 films on the iTunes Store. That's in the US, obviously. No news on when they'll finally roll out the telly and movies here in Europe.

(via AppleInsider)

Nokia introduces USB chargers for its mobile phones

Nokia has come up with a solution to allow you to charge your Nokia mobile phone from the USB port on your laptop or PC. The Nokia CA-100 is compatible with the 2.0mm charger connector, whilst the CA-70 works with 3.5mm connectors.

In fairness, it's not particularly revolutionary. I've been able to charge my iPod and my Palm PDA via USB for ages. One thing that does interest me, though, is whether a mobile phone can be fully charged in this way, as I know some devices can't be completely charged unless connected to a mains adapter.

Here's the product page for the CA-100 though there's no word on pricing.

Brit Awards 2007 gets set for live text voting

Well, it was only a matter of time, I suppose. This year's Brit Awards will be the first to feature live text voting on the night itself. Sadly, this doesn't mean you can text abuse from your sofa to get Oasis hustled off-stage early during their show-closing hits medley. Although it's a thought.

Instead, viewers of the live TV broadcast will be able to vote during the show for the Best British Single. There is a webpage telling you how it'll work, but at the time of writing, it's just throwing up a friendly Apache Tomcat HTTP Status 404 message on my computer (Mac/Firefox), which doesn't bode well.

Nevertheless, the Brits promise to be one of the most high-profile SMS-voting events yet. Although the danger of relying on keen texters is that Crazy Frog will hop away with the prize...

GMEA: it's a mobile phone with a sliding-puzzle keypad

God bless designers. If they weren't coming up with crazy concepts for new gadgets, the world would be a much less fun place.

Meet GMEA, which its creator describes as "the first ever real game phone". Does that mean 3D graphics, an attached DualShock joypad, and a slot for Nintendo DS cartridges? Sadly not.

Instead, it's got a keypad that mimics a sliding puzzle! Bear with me on this, it's genius. Really. You can move them around to arrange them however you like, although the right positions are marked underneath, so you can get them back into place if necessary.

It's the brainchild of Russian designer Dima Komissarov: click on the link below to see a moving demo, then ring up Nokia and DEMAND they incorporate this into their next handset. Or not, as you prefer.

GMEA concept mobile

Anycom FIPO turns audio iPod docks into Bluetooth receivers

You couldn't fling a cat at last week's CES show without hitting 17 home entertainment devices with iPod docks. Not that I tried, mind. They wouldn't give my cat a show badge. Anyway, buying a spiffing new hi-fi with an iPod dock isn't much use if you don't have an iPod.

Except Anycom has unveiled a nifty new widget called FIPO, which plugs into any connector designed for an iPod, and functions as a Bluetooth receiver, receiving audio from any Bluetooth device – mobile phones, laptops, MP3 players or whatever. And there'll be an increasing number of Bluetooth MP3 players in the months ahead, I promise you.

FIPO will cost $99 in the US, with mass production beginning in February – Europe included. It certainly sounds neat, although the cynic in me wonders a.) how many people really want to stream tunes from their mobile phone to their hi-fi anyway, and b.) how many MP3-player owners would opt for FIPO, rather than a much cheaper cable to connect their player to the Line-In jack on their hi-fi.

Anycom FIPO website

Samsung SCH-W559 touchscreen mobile phone first to offer tactile feedback

Immersion Corporation have announced that the Samsung SCH-W559 is the first touchscreen mobile phone to use their VibeTonz technology to provide tactile feedback to the user.

The phone, which uses a large 260,000 colour QVGA LCD touchscreen display to replace the mechanical keypad (sound familiar?), will actually receive tactile cues when they press graphical onscreen controls. The response can be customised to one of five feedback profiles.

The VibeTonz system allows the buttons displayed on screen to feel more like real mechanical ones, and can also improve usability when controls are obscured by fingers, or are hard to see due to glare. It can also be used to make the phone more personal, for example, for a loved one's message to arrive feeling like a beating heart, or for a movie trailer to draw you into the exciting motorcycle chase by letting you feel engine acceleration.

It works by exerting precise, high-speed control over the vibration actuator with unprecendented subtlety and dynamics.

"Our VibeTonz System can provide mobile device manufacturers with an inexpensive enhancement to touchscreen operation," explains Immersion CEO Vic Viegas. "It also provides a platform for a wide range of additional features that can add fun, engagement, and improved usability to mobile devices."

The phone itself looks destined for the Chinese market, at least initially, but this sounds like a great technology that could well find its way into other mobile devices.

Samsung

Bling up your mobile at the Carphone Warehouse

If you don't fancy shelling out for something like Motorola's D&G-branded RAZR or one of the millionaire-friendly Vertu handsets, how about adding some bling on a budget - by leaving your handset at the Carphone Warehouse.

Carphone Warehouse in the UK are now offering the Bling My Thing service, which seems to be a high street version of the German web service. If you want to add that showbiz glitz to your handset, just drop it off, borrow a loan phone for a few days, then go back and pick up your new blingtastic phone, coated in Swarovski crystals.

You can choose from a range of standard designs or of you're feeling creative, do one of your own. Prices start at £100.

Carphone Warehouse website

Via Stuff

Qstik EVOQ Bluetooth DSP headset – wireless mobile calls, VoIP and music streaming

Qstik has launched what it claims is "the world’s most advanced Digital Signal Processor (DSP) Bluetooth headset" with the EVOQ.

Using technology originally developed for the telecoms industry and the military, the circular EVOQ unit features bi-directional noise cancellation, echo cancellation, auto-volume control and speech enhancement for mobile calling. And for music streaming, it has a dedicated ear-bud headset for true stereo, along with Bluetooth Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) and Audio Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) support. There's also an A2DP-compliant USB dongle available.

And there's wireless VoIP access, courtesy of the Bluetooth dongle, which allows you to switch between calls and music easily.

The Qstik EVOQ DSP Bluetooth headset is available now for £59.99, with the Bluetooth USB dongle available for an additional £17.99.

Find out more

DoCoMo to bring touchscreen clamshell phone to market

Japan's DoCoMo has unveiled a clamshell mobile phone featuring two touch-sensitive screens and able to be controlled with either a stylus or finger.

Characters are input by writing on the screen, or a virtual keypad can be called up to dial a number.

DoCoMo said that users would be able to send handwritten notes and pictures to other phones.

The D800iDS, manufactured by Mitsubishi, features similarities with the Nintendo DS game console, though the operator said that the DS stood for "direct and smooth".

Touch screen phones, smartphones and PDAs weren't new when Apple announced their iPhone, and you can bet this phone, due on sale in Japan in February, certainly won't be the last.

One thing the iPhone doesn't feature is aroma, unlike Sony Ericcson's SO703i which comes with scented sheets designed to relax users during phone calls.

Related stories: Apple iPhone: The full specifications | Play iTunes songs on your Nintendo Wii | Nintendo DS sets sights on VoIP

3 cuts back roaming charges

Good news if you are with 3 and you plan on calling from abroad - the company has announced its customers will no longer pay to receive calls, and will be able to use their bundled minutes, text, and data, when roaming onto a 3 network abroad, including all the services in its X-Series package.

The deal applies to both pay as you go and contract customers travelling to Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Italy, Hong Kong, Australia, and (if you don't live here) the UK. Once the bundled minutes have been used up, messaging services (SMS and MMS) are charged the same rate as in the UK, while voice calls will be 20 pence a minute. International calls will be charged as though the customer is in the UK.

The European Commission is currently investigating roaming charges by mobile operators, so it's perhaps no surprise to see 3 acting to cut back charges. Here's hoping the rest feel compelled to follow suit and offer a full service for the same rate outside of the UK.

3 website

Via The Register

Vodafone launches three special edition McLaren Mercedes mobile handsets

To celebrate the new Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula One racing team, Vodafone have unveiled three new special edition mobile phone handsets.

The handsets are:

* The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 770SH from Sharp (top picture)
* The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes GX29 from Sharp (second picture)
* The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes SGH-Z720M from Samsung (no picture yet available)

The Sharp GX29 is a 2G clamshell phone with a VGA camera, games, and USB 1.1/Bluetooth 1.0.

The Sharp 770SH sounds fairly entry-level 3G, being a clamshell phone with a 1.3 megapixel camera, USB 1.1 and Bluetooth 1.0.

Finally, the Samsung SGH-Z720M is a 3G/HSDPA slider phone with a 3 megapixel camera with auto focus, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 2.0, and a stereo headset.

All give access to the Vodafone Live! portal, and have various music and games options.

UK pricing and availability to be confirmed

Vodafone

You've seen the Apple iPhone... now buy the T-shirt!

Okay, so us Brits can't get our clammy hands on an iPhone until the end of the year (if we're lucky), but we can kit ourselves out with some suitably iPhony merchandise. Bayraider's sniffed out two very-much unofficial iPhone t-shirt auctions on eBay.

One simply offers a choice of two iPhone images on a black or white background, while the other offers the more Americanised slogan of ''If I don't get my iPhone I'm gonna bust a freakin nut!!'. Quite.

(via Bayraider)

Research shows energy cost of mobile broadband solutions

It sounds obvious when you think about it: like everything else, running a mobile broadband service uses up energy.

Industry experts have warned that the energy required per subscriber will significantly increase with the widespread rollout and usage of mobile broadband. ABI Research have said that mobile operators will need to move away from traditional cellular-only technology and make greater use of WiMax and metro wi-fi solutions.

They reckon that energy costs are the third most significant operating expense for mobile operators.

Based purely on coverage, they also found that WiMax is twice as cost-effective as WCDMA, whilst metro wi-fi is fifty times more cost-effective.

Their study also forecasts the growth in total energy consumption arising from mobile broadband service delivery from 42.8 billion KWh in 2005 to 124.4 billion KWh in 2011, most of which will be attributable to the Asia Pacific region.

Read more about ethical consumerism at our sister blog Hippy Shopper

Get Bollywood on your mobile phone

Can you really do justice to epic Bollywood movies on a two-inch screen? Mobile industry bigwigs the GSM Association certainly think so, having launched a 'Mobile Bollywood Initiative', in partnership with mobile firms Roamware and Hungama Mobile.

The threesome plan to premiere three Bollywood short films at next month's 3GSM show in Barcelona, which have all been directed by Bollywood icon Sanjay Gupta. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be involved in a project that has a promise and potential to create a whole new distribution model for Bollywood cinematic entertainment," he says.

"Our project 'Dus Kahaniyah' has been made keeping the mobile and digital medium in mind and the fact that today the market for short films has been given a huge impetus as the quality of video experience on mobile has improved significantly."

Mobile Bollywood films could be enormous, given their popularity - an estimated global audience of over two billion viewers - and the large number of mobile users in India (140 million) and elsewhere in the world.

Apple gets tough over web sites offering 'iPhone skins' for other Microsoft/Palm-based smartphones

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" - but as we've seen all too often, that old adage doesn't wash with Apple and their bevy of lawyers.

Notwithstanding the fact that no-one has access to a retail iPhone yet (and won't for months), owners of lesser smartphones running inferior mobile operating systems (Windows Mobile and Palm OS) can apparently get their hands on iPhone skins to jazz up their displays with Apple icons.

None of these 'skins' offer any extra functionality - but they might just spread a bit of Apple magic amongst users of other devices.

Not if Apple have anything to do with it, though. Not only were the offending web sites targeted by lawyers, but so were - allegedly - journalists who reported the existence of these skins. That's why the attached photograph has been pixelated (I'm not implying it's criminal to own a Windows Mobile device, honest)

It's an interesting situation in which both the developer of these illicit skins, and Apple, get extra publicity. Unfortunately, it does tend to dull Apple's shine a little more.

(Via All Headline News)

T-Mobile moves to end “technobabble”

According to new research undertaken by T-Mobile and YouGov, over half of the UK's population is "frustrated, confused or bored by technology jargon".

It sounds like it's more confused than bored or frustrated, with a third of Britons unsure of VoIP and considerably more (77 per cent) baffled by HSDPA. In fact, 2 per cent of those surveyed thought it was connected to tax returns and 5 per cent having some strange notion that it is connected to their body’s mineral content.

After undertaking the survey, T-Mobile is now planning to tackle "technobabble". All of its shop staff are taking part in training to ensure they clearly demonstrate what customers can do with their gadgets, and talk in their language rather than in megabits and gigabytes, in an effort to "demystify" technology.

While all that's admirable, let's hope dumbing down doesn't mean treating us all like dummies.

T-Mobile website

Cellswapper: an answer to those lengthy mobile contracts?

Mobile contract lengths have been creeping from 12 to 18 months in the UK, while it's reported that to get an iPhone on US operator Cingular, you'll have to sign up to a TWO YEAR contract. Cripes. So what to do if you're stuck