Mobile Phones Blog

Today sees Nokia launch the N85 in the UK – the latest addition to the N-Series and one that follows on from the N81, a spirited attempt to revive Nokia’s N-Gage mobile gaming platform.

The N85 combines design elements from the N96, in that it features the same reflective black plastic curves and the dual-slider format, and the same gaming-on-the-go functionality of the N81. The N85 however benefits from the four media keys which slide out from the top-end of the handset; these double as four action buttons for games, as opposed to the two on the N81; we can see a version of Guitar Hero working quite well on the N85.

The directional menu key adopts the mantle of the D-pad, which, combined with the four buttons mounted at the opposite end of the handset, makes the N85 resemble a miniature Atari Lynx handheld console, which may appeal to the retro sensibilities of hardcore gamers and eighties nostalgists.

Whilst mobile gaming is the main thrust of the N85, Nokia haven’t neglected other multimedia features; a 5 Megapixel camera (now the de rigueur camera resolution for N-Series phones, it seems) comes included, bolstered by a dual LED flash and autofocus.

The music player supports all of the main file formats (MP3, WMA and all the AAC extensions) and comes with a 3.5mm jack plug socket, allowing you to use your own headphones, although Bluetooth stereo support is also available. For a more in-depth hands-on look at the Nokia N85 and it’s various features, head on over to the Dial-a-Phone site.

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High-end audio manufacturers Bang & Olufsen, who teamed up with Samsung to make the celebrated Serenata handset (and the not-so-celebrated Serene) and contribute audio components to the U600 and F400 handsets have bowed out of the mobile sector.

The Danish audio kings have ended their relationship with the Korean electronics powerhouse, meaning that no more Samsung phones or DVD players will come equipped with B&O-branded components.

Bang & Olufsen big wig Karl Kristian Hvidt Nielsen said that the decision was purely a financial one, based on the dastardly credit crunch meaning that folks no longer had as much cash to throw around for their infamously expensive equipment as they did before.

The news comes as Motorola unveiled their über-pricey AURA fashion phone, a handset which boasts an attention to detail of which the boys at B&O would be proud of. But as the world tightens its collective purse string, perhaps launching a rather expensive item isn’t such as good idea right now, especially when you plan to give thousands of your own workers the boot…

The recently announced Nintendo DSi comes with a lot of spec and features that don’t sound at all out of place on any of the just released smartphones; 3.25″ touchscreen, Wi-Fi support, built in web browser, music player, camera, and the ability to download games; it’s only the lack of any calling or texting features which stop it from being sold on contract in the local Carphone Warehouse or something.

The new handset, which goes on sale in its native Japan on the 1^st of November (followed by an early 2009 worldwide release), follows on from the DS Lite, and incorporates two VGA cameras, which will be integral to some game titles, and can be used to take pics of mates’ faces and the like.

As the pictures here show, the DSi also comes with a microSD card slot, yet another feature synonymous with mobile phones. Naturally, the entire internet has been busy pondering about when or even if Nintendo will (hopefully) follow this leap forward with a DS phone.

It would make sense, seeing as the iPhone can handle titles such as Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Sony (apparently) will be releasing a PSP Phone, Nokia are still surging ahead with their N-Gage series, and, well, who knows what might crop up on the G1 and future Android handsets?

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As we mentioned earlier, there’s going to be something of a change around happening here at Mobile Phones – as of today, the blog as we know it will continue to post stories about new and available handsets (such as the BlackBerry Bold) and some of the more vaguely amusing stories from the mobile market and the interweb (such as the Molson Coors/iBeer lawsuit).

The old-school ‘Deal of the Day’ format is set to be dug out of its box and dusted off (just in time for Hallowe’en, coincidentally) and will be making a reappearance on the Mobile Phones Blog very soon.

The more newsy-type stories, such as the recent piece on passports and Firefox on mobiles, are now taking pride of place over on our News section – be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed so that you can check up on new stories soon as they’re published.

There will also be some interesting new features and articles appearing on the blog in the very near future, so keep your eye lookers peeled, and watch this space…

To say that Motorola’s fortune of late has been somewhat chequered would be as big an understatement as saying that the iPhone has done kind of alright; however, the announcement of the new AURA luxury handset from Motorola looks set to change this. Dubbed “The Return of Artistry”, by the Big M, the AURA is a very finely crafted luxury handset, rocking a never-seen-before design, which, according to the press release “breaks convention and re-establishes artistry in mobile device design and manufacturing”.

The AURA certainly has something of an art deco feel about it, with its chemically etched contour lines and unique circular display screen – the first to ever be used on a mobile – which kicks out images in 16 million colours.

Consisting of more than 700 individual components, the AURA is forged from some seriously high-grade materials, which not only contribute to the overall aesthetic of the handset, but also confer a level of durability – just as well, as the AURA is a rotate-open handset, which swings around the circular screen, revealing the numeric keypad and standard mobile phone menu and command keys, all done over in shiny, anodized aluminium.

The swing mechanism features highly robust hardened steel gears which are protected with a tungsten carbide coating, apparently the same level of protection afforded to the gears of high-performance racing cars.

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If you fancy buying a phone in the future, you may have to cough up passport details or provide some other form of legitimate ID in order to complete the transaction, under new government plans to build (yet another) national database.

Securocrats want to keep a close eye on all of the estimated 72 million mobile phone users in the UK, ostensibly to help crack terrorist cells and criminal gangs. The bill is thought to specifically target those who purchase PAYG handsets, which are favoured by those in the criminal world, due to the fact that a cash purchase leaves no paper trail.

However, PAYG phones are also popular with thousands of law-abiding citizens, who use top-up mobiles as secondary back-up phones in the case of the battery on their main phone dying, to keep in contact with children, or for several other, totally legitimate activities which constitute a threat to no one.

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The KC910, more commonly known as the Renoir, is LG’s heavyweight entry into the 8 Megapixel cameraphone smackdown, and looks set to be a serious contender for the top spot ‘neath the old Christmas tree this year.

The Renoir follows in the wake of the Viewty, one of LG’s most successful touchscreen ventures so far, and as such bears a striking resemblance to its predecessor in terms of both functionality and appearance. The Renoir rolls with the same look as the Viewty, with the front of the phone being dominated by a large 3″-plus touch sensitive display, and the rear taking on the appearance of a high-end digital camera.

As we know, the Renoir matches both the Sony Ericsson C905 and the Samsung Pixon in terms of Megapixel count, and like the Pixon, it also comes with a large touchscreen UI. We reckon that the Renoir has the edge over the rest when it comes to imaging – as well as a powerful camera, it comes with a Schneider-Kreuznach lens, Xenon flash and autofocus, as well as the ability to adjust the focus manually should you wish. Blink detection and face tracking also come included, making quality picture taking on the Renoir an effortless affair.

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Not since the days of Netscape versus Internet Explorer have we seen a genuine battle for power in the browser market. But on the mobile phone the market is still wide open, and no vendor has yet delivered a really killer product. The latest to try to ensure Microsoft does not rule the mobile browser is the open source Mozilla Foundation, which has released its mobile product, Fennec, to developers.

Perhaps tellingly, the product has been spotted first on Nokia’s N810 Internet Tablet, a mobile device without a cellular connection (just Wi-Fi).

This highlights that it is still a challenge to get a browser fully functioning on a traditional 3G cellphone, so a Linux/WLan product is a good first platform.

However, Mozilla – whose PC-based Firefox browser is the first since Netscape to provide a real challenge to Internet Explorer – will soon take the battle to Microsoft, with a Windows Mobile version of Fennec promised by year end.

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T-Mobile has confirmed that it will launch its G1 smartphone, based on the Android platform, on the 30th of October, a day earlier than expected and only a week after the device’s US debut.

The G1 will be available free to UK customers who sign up for T-Mobile’s ‘Combi’ and ‘Flext’ price plans, provided they commit to spending £40 a month a more for a year. Combi 35 offers 800 minutes and unlimited texts while Flext 40 gives up to 1,250 minutes or up to 2,500 texts or any mix of the two. The tariffs will also include unlimited internet browsing.

The operator, which has faced fears of running out of stock because of the level of pre-registration in the US, says that over 25,000 UK consumers have pre-registered interest in the G1 since it was unveiled in New York last month.

Not all reviewers are positive though. Common gripes include an “awkward” keyboard and short battery life; and lack of support for business applications such as virtual private networks and for corporate mobile email servers like Microsoft Exchange or BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

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Executives at American beer monolith Molson Coors will be no doubt drowning their sorrows as they prepare to face down a massive $12.5 million lawsuit for their alleged copying of a $3 novelty iBeer drinking app that allows iPhone users to turn their touchscreen into a virtual pint complete with a percolating golden bubbles and a foamy white head, which can be ‘drunk’ by tilting the handset.

The app was developed by Steve Sheraton of Hottrix, a small company that makes novelty apps for mobiles who hit Coors, (owners of erstwhile Premier League and Reading/Leeds Festival sponsors Carling) with the pricey suit, claiming that the lager giant had damaged their business by launching a free ‘iPint’ app.

The iPint looks remarkably similar to the Hottrix app, save for the fact that it’s got a dirty great Carling logo slapped across it. And, unlike an iBeer which would set you back the equivalent of £1.50, Coors were until recently giving away iPints for free.

When the free iPint appeared in the App Store, it quickly climbed into the top 10 most downloaded free applications, essentially hurting the sales of iBeers, are therefore damaging Hottrix’s business. Apple pulled the iPint from the App Store in the US, but the Coors application was still available for downloading elsewhere in the world, and so Hottrix sued.

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