GSM Association sets 2012 target date for universal cellphone charger

Well, this is certainly interesting. Just a couple of days after a top European Union commissioner mused about the need for a universal cellphone charger, the GSM Association has now come out and announced that it and 17 of its partner companies are indeed working on such a solution, and that they plan to have a common format in place by 2012. That rather ambitious date will be a bit easier to meet considering the group's choice of connector, micro-USB, which has already gained quite a bit of acceptance as a common format. The use of micro-USB apparently won't be firm requirement by 2012, however, with the GSMA simply saying that the "majority" of new phones sold by then will support what they're describing as the universal charging solution (or UCS), which itself will have to meet a number of strict requirements in order to be broadly compatible. Of course, while everyone including the likes of Nokia, Motorola, LG, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson have signed on with the GSMA, there are a few big names absent, not the least of which, unsurprisingly, is Apple, so there's certainly still quite a ways to go before we have a truly universal standard.



[ Via: BBC News ]

• samsung : at least three Android phones and a LiMo handset in 2009

Alcatel assembling a Lego (or Lego-esque) phone?

Can you guess what Alcatel's trying to do with this one? Yeah, Lego's products are some of the most recognizable in the world -- and while we can't tell if there's any official Lego brand tie-in here, we certainly wouldn't be surprised if there was in light of Lego's recent foray into the bleeding-edge frontier of consumer electronics. What we're looking at seems to be a render of a device Alcatel hopes to introduce in 2009, borrowing heavily from Denmark's favorite export to provide snap-on faceplates sure to bring a smile to any 6-year-old's face. We don't have any information beyond the screen cap, but there's no compelling reason to believe it's not real -- other than the fact that Legos don't make for the best phone ergonomics, we suppose. Theme devices like this tend to be more Modelabs' territory, but that's not to say Alcatel isn't perfectly capable of pulling this off, either. Next up: a Duplo-based DynaTAC, perhaps?


[ Via: Engadgetmobile ]

• O2 Germany to launch up to eight Android phones this year ?

Acer smartphone available for preorder

The Acer DX900 is now available for preorder on Clove's Web site.(Credit: Clove Technology) Acer isn't yet an official entrant into the smartphone market and already it's having the same problems keeping secrets as established players Apple and Palm. On Wednesday, a smartphone called the Acer DX900 popped up for preorder on the Web site of Clove Technology, a retailer based in the U.K. It appears to be the same device as the E-Ten Glofiish DX900--same features, same look, just a different brand name--which makes sense since Acer bought E-Ten last year. It's being offered for the equivalent of $570 (unlocked, we presume). Acer plans a high-profile introduction of several handsets at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in less than two weeks. Specs-wise, the DX900 is a fairly run-of-the-mill smartphone, which leaves room for something far more impressive to be revealed on February 16. Earlier Wednesday, the Boy Genius Report blog posted what it claims to be a leaked photo of another Acer smartphone with a swivel keyboard.


[ Via: cnet.com ]

• Motorola Renew now available from T-Mobile

Google Latitude: Friend Finding Maps on Smartphones and PCs [Google]

Google's released Latitude, a Maps tool that allows for automatic tracking of friends in real time, using a laptop, Symbian 60, Blackberry, WinMo and soon, iphone or Android. Laptops and cellphones (when not using GPS) can locate to a fair level of accuracy using geotagged Wi-Fi and cellular tower points in a database that Google's collected on its own, perhaps while doing Streetview photography. Or you can set your location manually. Google told me that there's no set standard for how often the map updates your location. Rather, they have an algorithm that depends on how often the device has moved, historically, and how much battery your device has left. You can also sign out of the service entirely, and set per user preferences on whether or not certain friends can see your location at all, or if only on city-levels of accuracy. Google says its been useful for family members to find out if they're stuck in traffic, or on their way home. I tested the service with some people I know, but its been hard to say if its useful for a guy who has loved ones in generally predictable places. I generally know where my friends are, more or less, or can find out by texting them. I'd probably use this service more often while skiing or picking up friends at the airport, but not day to day. I mean, sure, I can turn off my privacy, but wouldn't people used to seeing your location at all times be suspicious if you suddenly turned off permissions when you want privacy? Then again, maybe it would be nice to know when my father is playing golf in HK (all the time) or when Lisa is eating at her favorite place in Tokyo for Ramen, or where my brother is on tour with his band. That would be interesting, I suppose. But most of the time, most of us are in front of our computers. Until we're not. And that's where the phone clients come in. Most phones will be able to keep the map location updated in the background. Except the iPhone. What the iPhone users can do, as a work around, is to lock the phone with the Google app running. That'll keep the phone updating until batteries die. The Blackberry, WinMo and Symbian phones and laptops/Desktops can use Latitude now by downloading the most recent version of Google Maps or hitting Http://google.com/latitude. The iPhone gets it with an updated version of the increasingly powerful Google app, soon, as does the Android powered G1.




[ Via: Gizmodo, The Gadget Blog ]

• Windows Mobile 7 will arrive in 2010

Pantech's blow-controlled Sky Wind not for the faint of breath

Using our powers of huffing and puffing is nothing new when it comes to device interaction -- even our Wii remote has doubled as an ocarina at some point -- but Pantech's looking to take it a step further with the Korea-bound IM-S410K Sky Wind. Powered by Fantalog Interactive's Emotion Engine software, the device recognizes short and long blows via the microphone and uses it for switching wallpapers, adjusting screen brightness, and -- in a less gimmicky use -- snapping photos with a blast of air while stabilizing the phone with both hands. It also sports movement detection with the camera and relative motion control via accelerometer. Pantech's got a three-year exclusivity agreement on the engine, so expect to see wind recognition touted in more than a few upcoming phones.


[ Via: Engadget ]