Wireless provider Mobistar recently announced the results of their survey which sought out cell phone usage by gender. If stereotypes are to be believed, then the results are hardly shocking.
The survey found that women spend more time on the phone, and send more text messages than men. However, the study also found that women are less keen on smartphones. → Read More
On Monday, we’ve just shown you some leaked pictures, but we can now confirm the world’s thinnest smartphone, NEC Casio Mobile’s MEDIAS N-04C, is real. And provider NTT Docomo, Japan’s biggest mobile carrier, doesn’t want to lose time in bringing it to market: it will hit stores over here as early as March 15. → Read More
NEC is apparently to unveil the “world’s thinnest smartphone” (7.7mm) on Thursday, if a “leak” covered on a Japanese blog today is to be believed. That leak, reported today by Akihabara News, is actually a few days old (see this Japanese blog post, for example). → Read More
Hitachi subsidiary Hitachi Displays yesterday announced [JP] that it has developed a new LCD display for smartphones whose quality reaches the “limit of what is discernible to the human eye”. And a look at the spec sheet reveals that big H is indeed prepping quite a display. → Read More
Japan has always been the land of mobile. As such, it’s no big surprise that the country’s biggest social network, Mixi (JP, 23 million members), sees 25 of its 29 billion monthly page views coming from cell phones. And according to Mixi, it’s now the first social network that lets users share information with friends through NFC technology on Android handsets. → Read More
Japan’s three big mobile carriers are offering more than 100 handsets per year, and some of them are quite unique. The latest limited edition is the Sharp SH-09C [JP], a handset developed in cooperation with French luxury crystal glass maker Baccarat and distributed by mobile carrier NTT Docomo. → Read More
Way back in October 2008, we reported about a cell phone that featured a built-in mini projector. The cell phone was showcased by Japan’s biggest mobile carrier, NTT Docomo, as a prototype. But today, the same carrier announced [JP] that such a spectacular handset will finally go on sale in Japan this Friday. → Read More
What you’re looking at above is a screenshot from a Best Buy inventory. Pretty amazing, eh? But why am I showing it to you? There seems to be nothing juicy about it. Y’see, it’s not all that it appears to be, my friend…
Pulling off some serous sleuthing, Android Central forum member, paulmike3, noticed that the number seen up the top left of the image (highlighted as number 3) is actually the very same barcode number that appeared on a (since pulled) YouTube video showing an HTC Thunderbolt unboxing.
So, like a double rainbow, I hear you asking “What does this mean!?” → Read More
Last week we told you that T-mobile had announced their 4G variant of the near-ubiquitous Galaxy S. Well, for anyone that’s itching for this high-speed variant, I’m happy to tell you that today, T-mobile’s info page for the handset has gone live. There isn’t any new info given, but there is an option to sign up for notifications about the device. For those that can’t remember, the Galaxy S 4G will run Froyo (Android 2.2), and sport the same 4″ 800×480 Super-AMOLED display that we all know and love, but will be compatible with T-mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network, supporting download speeds of up to 21mbps. If you’re keen to sign up for more info, you can see the page for yourself here. [via Cell Phone Signal] → Read More
A sure sign that things a changin’ over at RIM HQ, the keyboard-less Curve Touch — codenamed “Malibu” — has today leaked out into the wilds of the web, courtesy of CrackBerry.com.
This comes just a week after we spied a keyboard totin’ next-gen Curve, known internally as the “Sedona”, so those die-hard keyboard fans need not fret: mid-range Blackberry lovers will have a choice of hard and soft keyboards.
Any leak worth its salt also provides some specs, and this one — while only focussing on the CDMA version — is as artery hardening as you could hope for. → Read More
We’ve not heard a peep from the HTC Merge (formally Lexicon) in some time now, and it was notably absent from CES this year, causing a few people to think that it might have been axed.
However, a new image of the device infers that maybe the device isn’t destined to fade away, but, rather, make an appaerance on regional carrier Alltell. → Read More
A report from Digitimes today has stated that Sony Ericsson have Windows Phone 7 devices “in the pipeline.”
Sony Ericsson have previously said that Windows Phone 7 has “remained on their roadmap”, but, to date, we’ve seen nothing of any WinPho devices from ol’ ess eee.
However, with Sony Ericsson’s market share continuing to decrease, it seems that they may now be taking WP7 a little more seriously. → Read More
Sony Ericsson’s Symbian-powered Vivaz looks to be getting an update, with a leak outlining an Android-powered successor.
Mobile Review have a very detailed overview of the phone — also known as the MT15i or Halon — including more pics than you can shake a megapixel at. The skinny of it all, though, is the juicy, juicy specs, which I’ve compiled for you after the break. → Read More
There’s nothing quite like an Android update to make your day just that much better, so you T-mobile Vibrant (aka Samsung Galaxy S) owners out there are set for a great weekend, as today — January 21 — marks the day that Froyo begins to make its way onto Vibrant handsets. → Read More
Disney may have pulled the plug on their cell phone business in the US in 2007, but in Japan (where the company’s characters have a huge fan base), its MVNO is apparently doing pretty well. And now it comes to light [JP] that next month, Disney enthusiasts living in that country will be able to lay their hands on a special Android phone. → Read More
Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo just started selling the N-03C [JP], a new cell phone that’s both shock- and waterproof. The device meets the drop-test standard “MIL-STD-810G Method 516.6-Shock” established by the U.S. Department of Defense. → Read More
Good news: the state of California can now seize and search your cellphone without a warrant. The new regime will only affect people who have already been arrested, so it’s not as if police officers will be able to search your cellphone at routine traffic stops. But still: yeah, it’s sorta lame. In 2011, even more of your rights will be chipped away. → Read More
Apple has a history of trouble with the government in Japan, and over the the last days, more bad news reached the company (which is highly successful in Japan). This time it’s not about iPods causing fire but about the iPhone. The Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications criticized Apple Japan and its exclusive provider in the country, SoftBank Mobile, for offering insufficient content control for minors. → Read More
AT&T have now dropped the price of two of their Windows Phone 7 handsets — the LG Quantum, and the Samsung Focus — by $100, taking them down to $99.99. To further sweeten the deal, they have also thrown in free activation and overnight shipping. Keen to get your WinPho7 on? You can grab the deals here. Not interested in either of those phones? The HTC Surround is also available with free activation and overnight shipping, but will set you back $199.99 [via Mobile Burn] → Read More
As we reported multiple times over the past months, the iPhone is a hit in Japan. When compared to other Japanese phones, however, it lacks a few key features such as digital TV tuners or an e-wallet function. Provider SoftBank introduced a hardware solution for the former problem in 2008, and now there’s one for the latter, too. → Read More
