This is the ground floor of one of the electronics malls in Shenzhen’s famed Huaqiangbei district. Huaqiangbei is a stretch of large malls and shops in the Southern Chinese province, and due to its proximity to some of the manufacturing superfactories in the city, it has a cluster of malls that specializes in carrying tech goods. These electronics malls generally start out with booths on the… → Read More
For the first time in the history of comScore’s MobiLens U.S. mobile market share report, Apple has come in second overall among handset OEMs. Apple grew its U.S. market share by 1.5 percentage points from 16.3 to 17.8 percent in the three month period ending October 2012, according to the report. During the same period, Samsung also saw its share grow, but only by 0.7 percentage points, from 25.6… → Read More
Peer into the drawers of the average gadget addict and you’re sure to find a tangled mess of unused chargers gathering dust. Mobile phones are a prime offender in creating redundant gadget junk, with new models released every few months to drive upgrades. Indeed, U.K. carrier O2 calculates there are now more than 100 million unused phone chargers languishing in Brits’ drawers — which is why it… → Read More
Today, GoodGuide (a TechCrunch50 alumni company) added mobile phone rankings to their comprehensive database that ranks the environmental and social performance of products, and the companies that make them.
In its new mobile phone category, the San Francisco startup ranked 576 different handsets and chargers from 16 top mobile phone makers in the U.S. market. GoodGuide assessed everything from… → Read More
First it was the Kyocera Echo. Now this? Just when you thought someone couldn’t make a bad idea any worse, Fujitsu shows this off. Fujitsu is working on getting this device to the market in the next few months, though no specific time frame was given.
Video after the break. → Read More
When Microsoft partnered with Nokia, many thought the Symbian operating system died that day. But, it’s not entirely dead yet. Qt, the cross-application framework used by Nokia’s Symbian operating system developers, is said to continue going forward with the release of SDK 1.1 due out soon. Nokia’s CTO, Rich Green, said that, “We are still very much big fans [of Qt].” And that, “We will… → Read More
A group of researchers in France just recommended that we all limit our exposure to wireless devices, including mobile phones, Wi-Fi, and microwaves, because we really don’t understand how prolonged exposure to them can affect us. That’s particularly true with mobile phones, since they’ve really only been around for, what, 10 years? (Obviously there were available for longer than that, but Joe… → Read More
Big surprise: people aren’t buying mobile phones the way they used to. Vodaphone saw an 18% drop in handset sales. According to Vittorio Colao, Vodaphone head honcho, “people, instead of staying on the same package and getting a better phone, are deciding to go for a cheaper package and not changing their phone.” The horror! → Read More
Sprint Nextel Corp. wants to regain the 3 million customers it has lost this year (probably due to the iPhone) with the help of a new Android phone. It is ready to release a phone based on Google’s operating system within a year, and is hoping that a high-profile handset might help get back those lost customers. It might be too little, too late, but we’ll soon find out. Sprint is the… → Read More
Google’s Open Handset Alliance, the ever-growing group of companies willing to work with or produce Android phones, has just swelled its ranks with 14 major companies. Sony Ericsson, Asustek, Atheros, ARM, Toshiba and more have all agreed to get busy with Google’s open mobile OS. That’s good news for everybody, really. Now don’t go expecting a flood of Android phones in the… → Read More
That’s a bit of a grotesque-sounding headline, isn’t it? But it’s true. This handset is one of those designed for older people with limited manual dexterity and no experience with mobile phone technology. It’s got a simple layout and basic high-contrast screen, easy-to-set quickdial buttons, and no features to speak of other than text messaging and an FM radio (oldsters… → Read More
I’m tempted to take this study with a grain of salt, since they’re drawing far-reaching results from a simple poll, when there are actual market indicators they could have used (at greater cost and trouble) that would have given a more comprehensive picture of the industry. Still, for what it’s worth, the research they did indicates that a third of mobile phone users played games… → Read More
I’ve been putting this one off for a while, but it’s time you youngsters learned about this lovely little device. It’s the latest in Nokia’s E series of smartphones, and as you will learn by clicking above and/or below, it’s a bit of a conundrum. By the way, that part of the video review is supposed to be boring. → Read More
Here are the some official-looking demo vids for the T-Mobile G1. Looks pretty great to me, although our reservations have been stated. One thing Android is not going to disappoint on is an easy, intuitive interface. I like the accelerometer-enabled street view. Another, longer vid after the bump. → Read More
Can’t decide between a touchscreen phone and one with real buttons? Why settle for one when you can have both? Get dirty with a Touch Dual by just typing nonsense into a comment box. How much do we love you? Delivering a revolutionary touch experience that will change the way you use your phone, the HTC Touch Dual™ combines an intuitive touch screen and slide-out keypad within a stunning… → Read More
After so many years with them glued to our ears, being stuck without your cell phone sucks. Pay phones are getting harder to find (plus, you’ll catch the herp), and pre-paid cell phones require a night of charging before they’re ready to go. Looking out for forgetful travelers and those of us who just lose crap a lot, Orange France and Bic have partnered to create the Bic phone, a… → Read More
I don’t know whether this phone from Casio is pronounced “Jee-zee wun” or “Gazone,” but either way I kind of like the idea of a basic, super-rugged phone. My Samsung Trace has been through a lot and keeps ticking, but I’ve seen a few Oceans go down in my time, to say nothing of sat-on iPhones and such. The Boulder’s feature set is pretty limited, with… → Read More
A very thorough study (of 21 people) in Sweden found that people who use their cell phones excessively can be prone to sleep problems, fatigue, and stress, which can lead to depression and concentration issues. Hey, there’s a cat near me! I hate cats. I hate me! Where was I? Oh yeah, so Sweden. What’s up with Sweden? It’s like, we get it! You have great healthcare! Oh no, wait… → Read More
The last few days, the internet has been ablaze with rumors about the Zune phone — actually, perhaps “ablaze” isn’t the right term. Perhaps “slightly hot to the touch” is more appropriate. I guess someone just had an unconfirmed rumor, and then some people talked about it. Well, this news should add fuel to the fire! Or, I suppose, maybe a fire will start. → Read More
Japanese sex offender busted by Japanese police and passengers in Tokyo (from Flickr) A number of blogs (this one, for example) picked up a posting of a Japanese journalist who reported that Apple added a specific function to the Japanese version of the iPhone: a shutter sound for the camera that is also active in silent mode. Shutter sounds in Japanese mobile phones (mostly a loud click or short… → Read More
At Germany’s new grocery story of the future (already in use by residents of the present) shoppers can use mobile phones to check out while they shop. The store has created free software for your phone that allows you to use your camera to capture barcodes as you shop. Once finished, just press a button and all your purchases come up as a single bar code. Slide your phone under the barcode… → Read More
NTT DoCoMo, a Japanese wireless carrier, is working on what they call the “cell phone of the future“. So far they have one prototype that looks like a freaky pair of headphones with wires and doo-dads popping out everywhere. Inside it’s packed full of sensors and chips (the ones you can’t eat) that track the electrical current produced by brain when the wearer moves their… → Read More
Japan’s second biggest mobile phone carrier KDDI au yesterday followed DoCoMo and Softbank with their presentation of 12 new cell phones to be released this summer. The first models will be sold at the end of June. Here is the complete line-up: W62H from Hitachi (equipped with a 2.8 inch OLED display featuring 480×240 resolution) → Read More
There’s been waffling about the date Android handsets will become available. I’ve heard February, March (clearly wrong), Summer, late Summer, “second half of 2008″ and “late 2008.” Well, not surprisingly, it looks like the latest estimate is the most accurate. Google has decreed: “We’re still on track to announce Android-powered phones this year. → Read More
NVIDIA’s on a roll with their graphics hardware and motherboards, why shouldn’t they find success in the mobile and PMP market? They have the technology. Graphics-intensive applications like 720p video recording and playback are a breeze when you design the whole package from tip to tail with your own technology instead of piecemealing it from various parts. It looks like it’s an… → Read More
Yesterday Japanese accessory maker I-O Data presented a cute little keyboard which can be connected to cell phones for easy typing. The CPKB-BT is equipped with Bluetooth 2.0 and is targeted at hardcore-users of mobile blogs and email. The wireless keyboard is just 151.5×92.1×14mm and weighs only 170g. It is powered by a pair of AA batteries, lasting a total of 2-3 months if the keyboard is used… → Read More
NTT DoCoMo today announced two new cell phone series (906i and 706i), which will be launched in Japan over the next months. The company will offer a total of 19 handsets coming in 64 different body colors. The 11 models of the 706i series feature extra-slim bodies. The P706iμ, for example, is just 9.8 mm thick (iPhone: 11.6 mm), making it the slimmest handset compatible to One-Seg-TV on the… → Read More
I had the opportunity to test Sharp’s newest mobile phone today (sold by Japanese telecom giant Softbank). The Nippon-only 922SH features an Aquos/ASV display, a One-Seg Digital TV tuner, a 2.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and a QWERTY key board. I was blown away by the quality of the screen (3.5 inch, 480×584 resolution, contrast ratio 2,000:1!). It’s great to watch One-Seg or play… → Read More
We’ve had a bit of talk lately about picoprojecters, the tiny, low-powered projectors that will someday be fitted into portable electronics. Samsung’s taking a lead in this field, claiming that it will debut phones this year with the tiny projectors included, courtesy of 3M. No word if we’re getting these or if it’s another “Asia has better stuff than us” thing… → Read More
That svelte mobile phone in your pocket has ancestors that go back 100 years today, when a man named Nathan Stubblefield invented the movable telephone. It had a huge transmitter and needed power, but the idea he came up with echoes in all portable phones today. It was only recently that Stubblefield was recognized as the inventor, so we tip our hats to the man belatedly for helping start… → Read More
Seattle, WA
San Diego, CA
Menlo Park, CA
San Francisco, CA
Berlin, Germany
Boston, MA
