Penny Mobiles – Mobile phone news, reviews & information
Penny Mobiles brings you up to date information on mobile phones, including how to get the latest handsets for cheaper. A penny for your thoughts on mobile technology.
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Yes, you heard that right; Research in Motion will now add emphasis to media playback.
The phone manufacturer has established the BlackBerry brand as a very no-nonsense smart phone that allowed users to type and chat with ease thanks to the impressive physical keyboards that are used on the smart phones. However, the number of users who are keen on having a QWERTY keyboard is lessening as more and more people are typing less and are generally getting used to onscreen virtual keyboards.
While writing long emails are still best on a BlackBerry, updating a Facebook status or sending a tweet only takes a few characters. This is why RIM has decided to take a new approach with the OS –by showing the world that the BlackBerry can do more than just type.
So what is exactly new with the BlackBerry OS 6? The media playback controls and layout. As one would expect, BlackBerry smart phones are able to play music and video files, they always have been able to. However, there has been little emphasis on this feature as not a lot of people who love media would take smart phone with a smaller screen. The BB has always been the device of choice for heavy typists and professionals.
The upgrades have been divided into three main categories: music, videos and images. Each menu will show BlackBerry’s specialized controls for each media format.
The screen is still small (it is a hardware thing after all) but the controls have been completely revamped. Touch controls are now a major focus of the handset as it uses swipe, pinch and other gestures that make navigation and viewing a whole lot easier for users. The OS also incorporates full data access on media content, which means that users will get to see assigned album art to specific files.
Research in Motion, the company behind the BlackBerry smart phone just announced that they have entered the beta testing stage for the BlackBerry Protect service.
For those unfamiliar with the new product from RIM, it is an online based security system that users will have in order to gain remote access to their BlackBerry smart phones. Of course, each handset will have to be tied up to a specific account online (though no word has been given as to how the process actually works) and using that specific user account, a BlackBerry handset owner will be able to access several commands and functions for their mobile phones.
The most basic function is the lock down. This will lock up the handset in question until the owner allows it to be unlocked. This helps protect the device from being accessed by other people in the vicinity (should there ever be a need to ever leave the phone in such a situation) or when it is believed that it might have been taken purposely.
Of course, to fully secure data, there is also the memory wipe function. This will completely wipe out everything on the handset and should only be done when retrieval is no longer an option. This helps keep any private and professional data secure and away from the hands of malicious individuals.
The BlackBerry Protect service also offers less severe commands as well. Take the GPS function for example, which would help any user identify which friends house the handset has been left behind in. If a user has misplaced the phone at home or in the office, BB Protect will allow them to have the phone ring or alarm loudly in order to be found.
Of course, a system such as this will certainly be targeted by unscrupulous individuals –which is why RIM s currently putting BlackBerry Protect under a very strict testing period.
New devices are always being reported on the news and with mobile phones; leaks are a very common occurrence. But there are occasions when some bits of rumors and leaks are simply too good to ignore and let pass. Here are a couple of such devices.
The first is the BlackBerry 9670 or the BlackBerry Clamshell. Seriously, we think that the Clamshell nickname has to go. But aside from that, this handset is pretty much good enough as it is. Of course, RIM has yet to give out an official spec list so no one really knows how big the screen is or that the CPU speed is like. But that aside, we already know that this smart phone will be packing the BlackBerry OS 6 and of course, a clamshell form factor.
The portrait keyboard translates well to this form, but some user might feel that the overall design is too feminine, even when the device is all black. It is mostly because the shape, but overall, the design is not bad. The slight elevated ridge below the keyboard might seem like it will get in the way of typing, but with no actual device to test, it is hard to determine if that will really be an issue.
Another impressive phone that we simply cannot get off our minds is the Sony Ericsson Android mini-tablet/phone/netbook. Now that might seem like a mouthful, but the new smart phone sports a big 5.5 inch touch screen, a slide out QWERTY keyboard and a hinge that lets you set it up as a small netbook.
So far, there no other specifications reported about this handset aside from the size of the touch screen display and the fact that it will be an Android OS. But even with just that, this smart phone just made it to the top of our wish lists.
The Blackberry Pearl 9100 has yet to be launched but already there has been a lot of buzz surrounding its eventual release. Many people either in the industry or who follow it, are excited to see how the company follows up with its previous BlackBerry Pearl products. RIM (Research In Motion), the manufacturer and designer of the product line, has recently launched the Bold 9700 and the Storm 2 and seems to be continuously rolling them out. With new products must come some obvious differences, upgrades or downgrades, right? Otherwise why bother? Lets’ take a look at some of the rumored features of the 9100:
By all reported accounts, the Pearl 9100 will have 3G capabilities, a camera with LED flash and an optical trackpad. It won’t use the trackball found in other phones made by RIM. Another rumored upgrade is the phone’s SureType design. The Pearl 9100 came with a QWERTY keyboard. There is some talk that the mobile phone’s battery will be different as well. Hopefully, it will give the phone more juice, enabling it to last longer so that it doesn’t require re-charging as often. Most people dread phones which quickly die out. Not that this has been an issue for the Blackberry series, just a general observation.
As stated above, not much detail is currently available concerning the Blackberry Pearl 9100 because the phone has not yet been released. More will be likely forthcoming as the manufacturer decides to make it available to the public. This might not be too long from now. Until that time, us techies will simply have to scrounge around for information and then report what we can find. From what we have gathered, it looks like the Pearl 9100 will be a good addition to the RIM mobile phone family.
RIM is set to release their latest phone and their first phone for the mid – range market, the Blackberry Curve 8520. The phone is also known as the Blackberry Curve 8520 Wi-Fi phone and will be made available for purchase on Vodafone UK on 18 month or 24 month contracts for free. A Blackberry phone is a phone which every businessperson aspires to have, and this phone comes with a 2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, some top – class mailing features, 256 MB of internal memory, GPRS and web browsing, making it a very good all-round device.
The Blackberry Curve 8520 is a great mix of very impressive features as well as a good design. The phone makes use of a touch sensitive optical trackball. The Blackberry Curve 8520 is a very media friendly phone, which is a change from Blackberry’s business – oriented phones, meaning that Blackberry is possibly targeting the younger segment of the market. On the top of the phone is the 3.5 mm headset jack in addition to the dedicated music keys. It is, however, sad to note that the phone does not have 3G, though there are rumours which say that the life of the battery of the phone has been enhanced as the 3G feature is not present.
The Blackberry App World is a unique application portal made available to all Blackberry users, including users of the Blackberry Curve 8520. The phone has a good battery life and is able of supporting talk time of upto 4.5 hours and standby time of upto 17 days. The microSD memory card slot is also present on the phone so that you can beef up the memory capacity of the phone to a maximum of 16 GB.
It is not surprising, therefore, when RIM announced that the quadband 8520 was being marketed as a ‘priceless business phone at a very affordable price’ by RIM.
Blackberry Curve 8520 Links:
Out of the hundreds of smart phones launched into the market this year, the Blackberry Curve 8520 definitely stands out. With the key aim of attracting business users, the Curve 8520 more than just does this job. You get all the top class features that you would expect in a phone of its class.
One of the main advantages of the Blackberry Curve 8520 is the fact that it is slimmer when compared to other Blackberry devices. The thickness of 13.9 mm ensures that you can slip the phone into even the smallest pocket without any problem. The weights of 106 g might make the phone a little too heavy for some people, but anyone used to standard Blackberry devices should not have a problem with it. The screen of the phone is really good as it allows up to 65000 colors to be displayed at a 320 x 240 pixel resolution. The size of this screen is good enough for you to use it to display all your favorite media and is a feast for the eyes by any standard. The Blackberry Curve 8520 has a full QWERTY keyboard which lies below the screen making it easy for anyone to type out messages even if you are stuck with large thumbs!
The dedicated music keys on the body of the phone make it easy for you to access the media player when you want to listen to music. Storing a large music library is not a problem as you can expand the internal memory of the phone up to 16 GB using the microSD memory card slot. Connectivity options such as class 10 GPRS, class 10 EDGE, HSCSD and Wi-Fi complete the image of the phone as a social networking utility as well.
Blackberry Curve 8520 Links:
The Blackberry 9300 Gemini is a phone that is perfect for an individual who is constantly on the move as a result of business purposes. The Blackberry 9300 Gemini is one that will surely leave you mesmerized. It is a sleek and stylish phone which will deem you the envy wherever you go. Apart from its appearance, the phone also has a number of great specifications. Some of them are listed below:
- High resolution screen
- 3G connectivity
- GPS enabled
- Tri band HSDPA/UMTS
- Quad band EDGE/GSM/GPRS
The Blackberry 9300 Gemini also has other features that are sure to impress. The phone has Wifi connectivity and therefore you can stay connected at all times. This feature can become quite handy as business individuals who are constantly on the move can connect to the web at any given time and search for information. They can also send and receive e-mails from anywhere. Also keep in mind that this specification is liable to change when considering the phone usage and network.
Another feature that the 9300 Gemini has is its 3.2 megapixel camera. With this fully equipped piece of technology you can capture pictures with ease. You will no longer have to miss those priceless moments with family and friends when you are accompanied by the Blackberry 9300 Gemini.
The phone also has some basic features common to every phone, nevertheless its inclusion in all phones can be a great example of how important they are to their users. The Blackberry Gemini has a calculator, TO-DO list, calendar, notes and an alarm clock. Check out the official Blackberry site for more information on the 9300’s release date.
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