We haven't heard a peep about this from anywhere else, but the
inimitable Michael Arrington at TechCrunch says Dell's
gearing up to launch that
long-rumored smartphone
in China "within days." Don't get too excited, though: even
Mike says the evidence is "thin," and we doubt anything Dell
eventually brings out in China will have much bearing on the rest
of the world, since the Chinese government requires quite a bit of
product customization for the domestic market. Still, we'll see
what happens -- and if dell manages to produce something
a little more interesting than its previous efforts.
Android and Google may seem inseparable to some, but Vodafone is apparently suggesting that some of its future Android-based phones could possibly pack a little less Google and a little more Vodafone. While the carrier unsurprisingly isn't offering much in the way of specifics just yet, it did tell TechRadar that future Android phones could ditch some of the familiar Google services in favor of a more "basic package" that would let Vodafone (or other carriers following the same route) offer their own client software instead -- a winning idea if there ever was one. And it seems that there will indeed be more Android phones in the offing from Vodafone sooner rather than later, with Vodafone's Rachel William's telling TechRadar that the carrier is "looking at other Android devices," and that "by joining the Open Handset Alliance it shows our commitment."
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 
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, 
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.
Looks like Palm wants to play ball at Mobile World Congress in February, seeing how they've got a mysteriously password-protected site going called palmmwc2009.com -- a domain name that leaves 
