Dell is finally in the mobile phone arena with this little smart phone called as the Mini3. The device has a 3.5” screen size and runs on Android OS. According to Dell it is “the world’s smallest Dell”. The phone is going to be released in China through China Mobile and in Brazil through Claro. Other regions will also have it from various telcos.

The smart phone sports a 3 MP camera which might look a little out of place since most modern phones nowadays have a 5 MP cam attached to their faces. A tiny stylus comes bundled with the phone for people with thick finger tips. The Chinese version they say will not have 3G or even WiFi. There is no 3.5 mm jack instead the mini USB has a mini USB to 3.5 mm connector for the job.

The screen res is 360 x 640. Mini3 has Bluetooth, mini USB and microSD slot. There is no QWERTY keyboard instead the device has an onscreen keyboard besides the usual handwriting recognition ability. The phone is sleek and impressive looks. More pictures can be viewed at the 163  Chinese website.

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The race to make and release the ultimate eReader is on and spring Design has unveiled plans to market one by the year’s end. This device will run the world’s most anticipated OS, you guessed it right the Android. It has two screens a 6” Electronic Paper Display (EPD) and a 3.5” LCD. The device will have Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity for downloading those megabytes of books out there. Users will be able to make use of both screens at one time, browse the web via the LCD and read later on the EPD.

Memory extension takes place via an SD card, a headphone and a speaker is also provided. Besides all this it has a browser having bookmarking, security and history features and smart phone capabilities. So is this a tablet with smart phone features built in to it? What could be more awesome than this?

Details regarding partner operators are not known as yet, but with EVDO and HSPA the choice will be wide and not restricted to a select few. However, Spring Design has hinted on shipping devices to a select few strategic partners, now who might that be?

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AD105 was the year paper was invented by the Chinese. AD 2009 and beyond it is on its way out, thanks to e-Readers which plan on its ouster. One of the best of its kind is the Amazon Kindle which is now shipping internationally. This device will work in about 100 countries around 19th October 2009. The company has also slashed its price by $30 in the US from $259 to $229 only to increase sales ahead of the holidays. However, elsewhere it is going to cost around $279. Amazon took a head start in this sphere and is now perhaps the leader.

The only downside is that e-books form other vendors do not work with it, you have to buy books from Amazon to read them on the Kindle. The Kindle by the way does not support WLAN and works via 3G technology. This means countries that are devoid of 3G networks will not be able to have this facility. The decision by Amazon is good news for travelers who previously could not access Amazon while being outside the US. The device measures 7.5″ x 5.3″ x 0.7″ in size and weighs just 10.3 ounces (Kindle I and II have slight variations).

Users can shop for books with this device from Amazon.com, it has a search facility for finding words or phrases in the vast library, a keyboard to type in the required information, a built-in dictionary, bookmarks, variable text size viewing and a good battery life. Best of all there are around 350,000 titles to choose from including books, newspapers, magazines etc.

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Apple has been notoriously rebuffing VOIP applications from its app store but no explanation was available. But now it seems it wasn’t Apple which was refusing VOIP applications instead AT&T did not allow VOIP traffic through its network. Finally AT&T is saying that it will allow VOIP traffic through its 3G network, means go ahead for Skype and Google voice and many more VoIP applications.

This is because FCC  has scrutinized how Apple and AT&T handle VoIP apps for the iPhone , specifically, Apple’s continued rejection of Google’s Google Voice app. In short FCC is pushing for "net neutrality," which prevents carriers from blocking Internet communications, even on wireless networks and AT&T had to yield to mounting pressure.

At the moment this might sound a good news, but the load of new VOIP traffic might strain even less stable AT&T network which is causing many dropped calls and less stable VOIP calls, but our fingers are crossed and we are hopeful that now Google Voice and Skype will prevail on iPhone and users will be able to expand their communication horizons.

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Samsung was declared the biggest phone provider in the US during the second quarter of 2009 by Strategy Analytics. Rightly so, with a jaw dropping phone coming out every fortnight I wouldn’t be surprised if they told me it wasn’t only the second quarter rather an all year phenomenon. Now there is news in the air that Samsung Behold II is going to run Android in its chest and will be provided exclusively by T-Mobile. The Behold II is a 3G phone with a 3.2” AMOLED screen. It will provide access to Google assisted applications like Google Maps, Gmail, Google Search, Google Talk and even Youtube besides the plethora of games and applications available from Android. The gizmo is poised to have a 5 MP camera which will work as a camcorder as well. Off course the phone also has Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz interface installed over the Android base. Other features include LED flash with the camera, Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi and support for 16 GB of memory extension via microSD card. No mention of price or probable date of release, but it is expected before the end of current year.

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Pick out any Smartphone in the market today and it is sure to have a GPS built in to it. The availability of advanced applications make it even easier to navigate and get directions. But  when Garmin teams up with Asustek to add mobile phone functionality to a GPS cum navigation device the result is nüvifone G60. This is a navigator with added functionality of a mobile phone which features voice and data both. This is 3G phone, with a 3 MP camera, Bluetooth, Garmin GPS, preloaded maps for navigation, web browser, SMS and E-mail, Wi-Fi, geo-tagging, MS Word/Excel?PowerPoint viewer, calendar, alarm clock, to do scheduler, 5,000 strong contact list  to name a few. The device is 4.4 x 2.3 x 0.5 inches in dimensions. It has 4 GB internal memory and is expandable to 16 GB using a microSD card. An mp3 player is included and the maximum talk time is up to 4 hours whereas the stand by time is 250 hours. It is very much a touch screen phone which allows one to use it as a mobile phone and a GPS at the same time. Besides all this it has some very advanced features like connecting with friends, checking flight status, avoiding traffic jams, and navigating form SMS. In simple terms if you need to find the location of a friend simply track his/her SMS. Similarly, he/she may also track you. There goes your privacy! More information can be found here. The big question is should one buy a Smartphone which has a GPS as an added feature running as an application or should one go for a GPS that has mobile phone facility? Confused? So am I

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The latest Smartphone by Motorola; MOTOCLIQ is Android based, and is laden with applications that match the likings of Samsung Star, Tocco,  or even the Nokia’s N97. The device is expected to hit the markets later this year. It features Android based technology called as the MOTOBLUR. It is a 3G phone with 3.1” screen, a 5 MP camera, 2 GB memory expandable up to 32 GB, Wi-Fi, flip out Qwerty keyboard, Video capture at an amazing 24 fps. The screen will be adorned with widgets that integrate with Face-Book, Twitter, Gmail, Yahoo and MySpace etc. Over the air synchronization and backups ensure that all data and contacts etc are held in one place. The device will be  available initially on Telefonica, America Movil, and Orange networks. Motorola is calling it “the first phone with social skills”.

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