Today Helio announced that its subscribers will be able to pay their bills via Obopay. Targeted mostly for pay-as-you-go users, Obopay is the latest in MasterCard’s way of having you spend money on their terms. It works sort-of like a prepaid credit card that you can use to top up minutes, buy crappy wallpapers, and such. But it’s also so much more! Helio says that if you have a phone with… → Read More
Keep your eye out in the future for the Samsung SCH-W531. Aside from looking like it could blend in with a couple of Sub-Zero fridges, this phone has some decent features you might not catch on other Samsung models. It features dual-mode GSM and CDMA, a camera and video capture, Bluetooth, the ability to act as a mass USB storage device, and an HTML capable web browser. It can even handle MS… → Read More
Ouch! I almost burned my hand typing up this post. You see, the KRZR is so hot, that Motorola just had to introduce a new color that could capture the heat. So behold the creatively titled KRZR Fire. This guy comes with a delicious red paint job that reminds me of a fire engine mixed with some holiday cheer. Not only is it bright red on the outside, but also the color drips into the cracks on the… → Read More
GSM is used by most of the world as a standard for cellular communications. Sprint and Verizon have traditionally poo-pooed the idea of being compatible. After all, the phones are locked to the provider’s network, so who cares? Sprint does, it seems. It’s prepping Samsung’s W531. It’s a CDMA phone with a GSM SIM slot, a dual-class badboy, like a half-mage/half-paladin. → Read More
Hmm, looks like the JAQ4 from I-Mate borrowed a few design tips from Samsung when creating this beast. IN addition to the smooth, metallic looks and a QWERTY keypad, the JAQ4 runs Windows Mobile 5.0, has a 2.8-inch touchscreen, WiFi, Bluetooth, miniSD, and GPS all built-in. As lovely as this masterpiece of a phone is, there’s no word yet on when it will be available or how much it will cost. → Read More
I’ll hand it to Sony-Ericsson: They make some great looking phones and the Z310 is definitely one of them. Equipped with a mirror-finish on the front of the phone, this clamshell comes in black, bronze or pink. An integrated icon display appears on the front of the phone and is similar to that of Sony’s 8GB MP3 Walkman. Tech specs on the Z310 are pretty sweet. Be prepared for EDGE… → Read More
A week or so ago, we told you about that Nokia 6086 cellphone with UMA and quad-band GSM. Originally, it was slated for a European release in early 2007. Now the 6086 has been approved by the FCC and will be heading stateside relatively soon. Apparently, T-Mobile will be getting the phone first and will offer it for around $200 sometime in 2007. Also, though the phone has UMA and the ability to… → Read More
The race is on for telecom companies to catch up to the cable companies. With Comcast already offering Broadband Internet, Digital Cable, and Digital Voice service for only $33 a piece all on one bill, companies like Verizon need to start raising the stakes if they want to stay afloat. Now Comcast is offering a cellphone service to their customers in limited areas. If you live in Boston, MA or… → Read More
Remember back in the late 1980s, early 1990s when some company developed those rulers that would snap around your wrist? Well NEC apparently was a huge fan and this new concept cellphone they’ve developed is no exception. Dubbed the “tag”, these cellphones are made up of a shape-memorizing rubber that can be twisted and controlled to your liking. The picture shows three different colors that… → Read More
Those of you who use a GSM-based provider in the best goddamned country in the world (hint: U.S.A.) should rejoice, as Congress has ruled that it’s OK to get your cellphone unlocked so you can use it with a competing provider. Those of you with T-Mobile are probably yawning and going “Yeah yeah…T-Mobile has been letting us unlock our phones once every 90 days dude.” That’s fine and… → Read More
Out of nowhere comes this company Gresso who is already aiming to dive into the luxury mobile phone market that is mostly dominated by companies like Vertu. So how can this thing possibly take on a $10,000+ brand like Vertu? Well first off, the damn thing is made of gold and 200-year old African blackwood. That’s going to already jack up the price. Secondly, each phone is unique because last… → Read More
If you’re one of the awesome Sprint/Nextel users out there, boy do we have a treat in store for you. The ic502 from Motorola has been released for Sprint and is the first phone for the network that supports both iDEN (Nextel) and CDMA (Sprint) frequencies. This means you can use it with Sprint, Nextel, or Verizon (if you really want it that badly). It’s kind of a lame phone though, as the… → Read More
The linux cellphone is creeping ever closer. FIC is planning on building a touchscreen GSM cellie with an “iPod-quality” MP3 player and files sharing. It will use all open source software and FIC will offer a full SDK for hackers and pros alike. Looks a bit vapory to me, but we shan’t judge a book by its cover, right? That’s a pretty ambitious list, and it raises some… → Read More
I have to admit, I never thought of cell phones being a problem in hospitals. It makes sense, though. There’s a good bit of expensive, electronic equipment all over the place and phones just love to get in there and mess with all that. This is, of course, why they’re not allowed on airplanes. Recently, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency put the clamp down on cell… → Read More
FotoNation has created a face tracking system for cellphones that keeps your mug in the frame with a minimum of fuss. It works with Symbian Series 60 and Windows Mobile 5.0, meaning that the software fits onto most smaller platforms. It aids in focus, exposure, and color balance and can also crop out faces in scenes automatically. It’s not out in the wild yet, but it’s available for… → Read More
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