Nokia N900 Maemo

via Gizmodo by John Herrman

There's been a lot of talk about the N900 Maemo "tablet", especially about how it looks suspiciously like a phone. And even if Nokia (inexplicably) plays it down in their now-official announcement, that's exactly what it is: an amazing-looking handset.

Beyond that Maemo Linux OS we've been begging Nokia to bring to phones for the better part of a year, the N900 is, as Nokia handsets tend to be nowadays, a healthy piece of hardware. It's got a 3.5-inch resistive WVGA screen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, an ARM Cortex 8 processor, and 256MB of RAM, and is crammed with 32GB of internal memory with a MicroSD slot for expansion, GPS, an FM transmitter, a 5-megapixel camera, a 3.5mm jack and a gajillion-band cellular radio, including, crucially, support for T-Mobile's 1700MHz slice of the spectrum.

Since Maemo is based on Debian Linux, the app selection should be interesting. Stock, the N900 will ship with Firefox (Fennec, I assume) and Flash support and a panel-based multitasking system, as well as tight VoIP integration and near-total video and audio codec support.

Maemo is fresh in a phone context, but it looks fantastic here�I see bits of Pre, pieces of Android and a whole lot of Nokia freshness. More than anything, I really just want to touch this thing. Try getting that excited about an N97, sometime. The N900 will launch "select markets"�all of which sadly seem to trade in Euros�for �500, or about $700.

IBM SNAzzy Knows Your Circle of Friends Better Than You Do

via Gizmodo by Jack Loftus on 8/2/09

That heavy breathing you hear on the phone sometimes? It's IBM.

Specifically, it's the IBM Social Network Analysis for Telecom Business Intelligence data mining tool, or SNAzzy for short, and it knows all about who called who and for how long on the network of "one of the largest mobile operators in the world."

The purpose of this snazzy snooping, as explained by Big Blue researchers, is to spot "churners" on a cell network who might influence their circle of friends with "profit-threatening behavior." The reasoning goes that when one person ditches a cell network for greener pastures, they can inspire their friends to do the same. Enter SNAzzy, which can apparently recognize this behavior, alert the carrier, and allow them to swoop in with retention materials and keep their remaining customers happy. It does this by mapping out call behavior, time, and a bunch of other heavy metrics that seem to be copy/pasted right out of the NSA.

Better still (I say sarcastically), IBM is already eying larger deployments beyond telecoms into areas like social networks. Personally, I can't wait to see what my Facebook picture stalking looks like when presented to me in graph form.

New LG Chocolate Shown on Video

via Gizmodo by John Herrman on 7/13/09

Well, there goes the rest of LG's annoyingly gradual tease campaign: the next generation LG Chocolate BL40, with a 4-inch, 800x344 (21:9!), multitouch screen has been revealed in full in a leaked promotional video.

On top of the display, we can see a few more of the rumored specs confirmed: LG's in-house Active Flash UI, Wi-Fi, 7.2mbps HSDPA, a-gps, and a 5mp camera with flash all make appearances, and we get a healthy look at the phone's software, glimpsing the onscreen keyboard, browser, Google Maps app, card-based contact system, scheduler and email app.

In terms of usability, the ultrawide screen is the obvious wildcard, but the OS will be a equally�if not more�important factor. In combination with the promise of a multitouch glass capacitive touchscreen, the simulated screen images in the video inspire confidence, exhibiting smoothness, thoughful navigation and an eye-and-finger-friendly UI in most places, although without a proper smartphone OS, the Chocolate will still be a dumbphone at heart.

As for when we'll actually find out if this thing has the wherewithal to match up with its ostentatious wackiness, all we get is a vague "coming soon," which according to previous reports, means August�though it's not clear if that's the official unveiling�which is pretty much ruined now�or the date of actual availability.

Samsung Louvre Might Become Omnia Pro At Launch

via Gizmodo by Jack Loftus on 6/14/09

BGR is reporting today that the well-known AMOLED-equipped Samsung Omnia Promight be linked to the recently unearthed "Louvre B7610." By the way, "linked" in this case means "the exact same thing."

Why the subterfuge? No idea, but what today's news does bring us are a slew of updated specs for the Omnia Pro/Louvre, due out sometime in September or October.

* 3.5-inch AMOLED resistive touchscreen display w/ WVGA resolution
* 800MHz processor
* 5.1 megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash
* Sliding QWERTY keypad
* 2 UIs (Pro & Media)
* TV-OUT
* 3.5mm headphone jack
* MicroUSB
* Divx/WMV/H.264 accelerations
* GPS/WIFI/HSDPA/HSUPA/Bluetooth
* FM Radio
* DNLA support
* 1GB internal memory with microSDHC up to 32GB
* 1500mAh battery

Louvre? Omnia Pro? Louvre Pro? Who knows. It's a slick phone with a robust set of features and a presumably sharp little touchscreen. We'll definitely know more toward the end of the summer.

Three New Semi-Smart LG Phones Coming to Verizon

via�Gizmodo�by Dan Nosowitz on 5/28/09

The�LG EnV3,�EnV Touch, and Glance are all set to debut for Verizon on June 5th, for all those middle of the road customers who want some features, but not too many. They look about much as good as every other nearly-smart phone.

The LG EnV3, followup to the�EnV2, packs the same QWERTY keyboard with a slightly larger internal screen and slightly better camera than its predecessor, and will retail for $129.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and with a 2-year contract.

The�EnV Touch�features an external, 3-inch haptic touchscreen to go along with its 3-inch internal screen. It also comes with a 3.2MP camera and,�like the EnV3, a full QWERTY keyboard. It'll sell for $149.99 after a $70 rebate, which sounds kind of steep to us, unless you're one of those tweens who's into that sexting fad I keep reading about in the papers.

And the final member of the new LG team, the�LG Glance, is the only non-QWERTY of the bunch, and to me, the most appealing; I don't really see the point of the expensive non-smartphones like the EnV3 and EnV Touch, but the Glance is a nice-looking, simple dumbphone. Of course, it doesn't have any remarkable features, just the standard 1.3MP camera, Bluetooth, and Verizon package (Navigator, Mobile Email, etc), but it does have a less garish design and looks slim on the pocket as well as the wallet�It'll retail for $49.99 after a $50 rebate. [Verizon]

Sony Black Tribute

via�Yanko Design�by Radhika Seth on 5/6/09

Concepts and Apple don�t go hand in hand, however that hasn�t deterred designers from conjuring up iterations to challenge the stalwart. The latest challenge is aimed at disturbing the iPhone mania on three simple grounds; an appealing fa�ade, discreet buttons and ample screen. The �Sony Black Tribute� that we see here, woos you with its ultra-wide screen and hot looks. Finished in aluminum with a satin touch; this phone scores well in the looks department. Unfortunately there are no tech-specs (apart from 3.2 mp cam) that we can boast about.

With challenging concept designs like the Intel�MID�(heavy-duty tech specs) and this Sony Black Tribute (gorgeous looks) popping up every now and then, there is every bit chance that we see Apple hitting us square in the face this summer, with a bombastic piece that is a mish-mash of such designs!

Designer:�Jaren Goh

KDDI (au) - Water-Resistant, Solar-Powered Handset

via�Gizmodo�by John Herrman on 4/20/09

Manufactured for KDDI (au) by Sharp,�this outdoorsy phone�should show up in Japan by June. Unlike the unrealistic claims made by other solar phone dabblers�like Samsung, KDDI's ambitions here are modest, but practical.

KDDI has taken a pragmatic approach to the solar phone, integrating a waterproof panel onto what sounds like a�very�low-draw device. They claim that 10 minutes of sun absorption should grant two hours of standby, or a minute or so of talk time�an extreme ratio that suggests that battery life�not a huge feature list�is the main priority here.

The solar panel alone is enough to charge the battery to a respectable 80%, but KDDI doesn't mention how long that might take. Price and global availability are TBD. [KDDI�via�Impress]