Nokia has recently announced the acquisition of the context-aware social-activity service Plazes. Under the agreement, the Finnish giant will acquire all assets of the privately-owned start-up company of 13 people with its principal operations in Berlin.

By acquiring Plazes, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) will be able to extend its context-based service offering with social presence and time-based activity planning features. Plazes adds the elements of “place” and “time” to social networking through features that allow people to alert friends of their activity and location; review their own and others’ past activities; share their experiences and make plans with friends, who are then able to respond with comments and suggestions as well as their own location information.

The deal is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in Q3 2008. After it’s completed, Plazes will become part of Nokia’s Services & Software unit and will most likely find its way place in Ovi.

Here’s an interesting product for those that like multi-purpose gadgets. BluePOINTER is reportedly the first 3-in-1 Bluetooth headset with laser pointer and LED flashlight.

You could ask why would put a laser pointer and LED flashlight on a Bluetooth headset, but then again, if you actually need any of those – why not have them on an existing device to save some space in the ever smaller pockets. After all, it’s all about the convergence these days.

Specs wise, the BluetPOINTER is a Bluetooth 2.0+EDR enabled headset which sports 130 mAh li-polymer battery that should provide enough power for up to 6 hours of talk and 120 hours of standby time, or up to 3 hours of laster pointer and 1 hour of LED flashlight operating time. It measures 61×17.5×14 mm, weighs 13 grams, and is readily available for $90 at Brando. No word about any noise cancellation technology being used, though.

Samsung certainly made the i900 Omnia with iPhone in mind. The way the device feels and looks, makes everyone think about Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s handset — or at least that’s my take.

Today we bring you couple of images comparing the two devices. With a 5 megapixel camera and that uber-cool TouchWiz user interface, Samsung may be onto something. Plus, the DivX certification doesn’t hurt as well… Keep reading for more images after the jump.

Read the full article »

The France Telecom-TeliaSonera saga continues as the two parties met for talks late on Sunday, after France Telecom indicated it would sweeten its bid.

According to The Wall Street Journal’s sources the discussions could “lead to an agreement or fall apart at any moment.” France Telecom has set an informal deadline for today (Monday) to reach a deal with the Scandinavian telecoms group or walk away, the paper said.

French Le Figaro confirmed the deadline, saying the situation would “take a decisive turn” on Monday or Tuesday.

Now, after the Swedish military okayed the deal, it’s all about the money. We’ll probably have more to report later in the day or tomorrow. Stay tuned…

[Via: Reuters]

Meet the Pantech IM-R300, a new slider that is about to start selling in Korea via SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM). The device measures 51×102x13.9 mm and has a 2.6-inch WQVGA (240×400 pixels) touchscreen. The large resolution of the screen makes the phone quite interesting and will certainly make the web browsing experience more enjoyable. The same goes for mobile TV, as it’s also equipped with a T-DMB receiver, allowing its owners to get some TV entertainment while on the go.

Other specs include HSDPA support, 2 megapixel camera, 260MB of internal memory, e-wallet functionality and more. We’re not sure whether Pantech plans to export this baby, but I’m certain there’s a market for touchscreen-equipped feature phones outside of Korea, too. One more image follows after the jump…

Read the full article »

As of 6pm PST today, my iPhone will be turning exactly 1 year old. Well, actually, seeing as how it took me a good 20 minutes to get inside the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) store last year, my iPhone’s 12-month birthday will fall on approximately 6:20pm PST.

So, just how has the iPhone lived up to expectations? And, how has the iPhone failed to deliver as a mobile phone? Read on to find out.

Usability and user experience
The one aspect of the iPhone’s appeal that is undisputed is its incredible UI and un-matched user experience. From the way the iPhone flicks through menus to the way I can interact with different applications and webpages, courtesy of multi-touch, the iPhone lacks a competent competitor.

Anyone even vaguely familiar with the mobile space will already know that the iPhone has redefined the way smartphone users should expect to interact with their handsets. Which inevitably means that we’ll be seeing more and more touchscreen offerings from other manufacturers. How long it will take them to refine their respective UIs to Mac OS standards has yet to be seen.

Features
Furthermore, the iPhone’s weakness lies in its feature-set. With a disappointingly lacking Bluetooth stack that doesn’t serve up tunes over A2DP Bluetooth, recessed headphone jack, inability to record video out-of-the-box (but, there are third-party video recording options out there), and lack of MMS, the iPhone failed to deliver as a truly complete mobile phone. Oh, and there’s the sealed battery compartment – but a simple portable battery charger makes a secondary battery pointless (and every mobile enthusiast should have a portable battery charger, if you don’t, get one post haste).

Honestly, the only time I’ve missed not having MMS on the iPhone is when I tried to email a photo (a highly integrated and seamless process, by the way) to one of my friends that has yet to embrace the smartphone revolution. I was able to email it to his mobile phone email, so the photo was still delivered.

But, what I realized was that mobile email will eventually kill off MMS. If not already circling the drain, MMS and it’s pay-per-use model will succumb to email as the delivery method of choice for sending pictures to other mobile phones. If you don’t have a mobile email-capable handset, consider it for your next mobile phone – it’s worth it.

I haven’t missed video recording that much (aside from the random Bugatti Veyron or Cizeta-Moroder V16T that I wish I had recorded rolling through my neighborhood). And since I don’t go around recording video, the third-party video recording solution has proven more than adequate for my needs. Video recording power users will want to go another route – or just keep a video-recording power-phone in your other pocket.

The 2 megapixel camera is decent and gets the job done, but it’s not going to match up to the German optics and high-megapixel sensors in certain other handsets – if image quality is important, again, look elsewhere. And, the headphone jack and Bluetooth disappointments are so far barely acceptable, but I’ve learned to deal with it.

How do I deal with having inferior hardware features? It’s the Mac OS combined with a huge multi-touch display, people!

Durability
Apple is known for products with outstanding build- and materials-quality, so my iPhone’s robustness hasn’t surprised me one bit. I’ve dropped my iPhone countless times and haven’t noticed more than a bit of scuffing and slight denting on impacted corners. The screen is still immaculate.

Reliability
My iPhone has been rock solid in build and reliability since day one. I’ve had friends and family get hit with iPhone dead-screen issues, wobbly headphone jacks, bricked iPhones from botched jailbreak procedures (which is their fault, really). But, all those problems were promptly handled by an Apple store employee – by putting a new iPhone replacement in to their hands.

Aside from hardware problems, my iPhone hasn’t needed to be reset (or rebooted) much. I only reboot it occasionally to ensure speedy operation and zippy multi-tasking. If not for my obsessive need for top-notch performance, I figure I’d only need to reset the iPhone during a firmware update (which is likely what most people do).

Overall
So, has the iPhone met my needs as a wholly contained mobile platform? Almost. I keep a plethora of mobile phones strewn around my “personal space” (read: living room) for this reason. I keep Windows Mobile Standard and Professional handsets (more than I care to list here) around for when I want to try out the latest Windows Mobile offerings. For my Symbian and photo-taking needs, I have my Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N80 and Nokia E61. My Palm (NSDQ: PALM) OS needs are handled by a Palm Centro. I used to rationalize my fashion phones’ existence by telling myself that I’ll use them when I go out to clubs or bars, but the iPhone is far more eye-catching than a Motorola (NYSE: MOT) KRZR will ever be.

So, the phone I use almost exclusively is the iPhone. The iPhone’s UI has spoiled me to no end. With multi-touch and Mac OS, the iPhone has redefined what I expect out of a mobile phone. Performance and features used to be what I demanded from a handset, but the iPhone has shifted my perspective. With all high-end handsets soon to offer feature-sets that are on par with the competition, the UI is what will differentiate one handset from another – which I talk about here. That being said, I can’t comfortably use any other handset for prolonged periods without longing for my iPhone – which is why I always keep it in my other pocket.

So, happy birthday, iPhone. Here we come, iPhone 3G!

Verizon Wireless, lacking a focused strategy to battle Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s current iPhone and upcoming iPhone 3G, has been flooding their CDMA market with touchscreen handsets of all sorts for the better half of the past year. With a dizzying array of almost-there touchscreen handsets aimed at Verizon (NYSE: VZ) customers looking for a good iPhone-compromise on America’s “most reliable network,” Verizon has just shed some light on yet another touchscreen offering.

The Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Blaze, as it’s called, sports a haptic-feedback touchscreen in a form-factor that reminds us of Motorola’s MING lineup. A transparent plastic cover keeps the touchscreen protected, but also allows for the touchy-feely handset to be used with the flip-cover closed.

A custom Verizon OS powers the Motorola Blaze, making sure that the company’s woefully clunky software kills off any chance that the Blaze could actually be a hit. But, if things like a seriously squishy touchscreen and barely acceptable user interface aren’t deal-killers, Verizon customers might be impressed by the 2 megapixel camera, EVDO Rev. A, GPS, Bluetooth, and mobile TV features that lie beneath the full-body touchscreen.

As a potential iPhone 3G alternative, the Motorola Blaze looks to fall short of delivering the shelf-appeal required to battle Cupertino’s handset offering. But, don’t count the Motorola Blaze out just yet, July 11 is still a couple weeks off.

We’ll have to wait and see if Visual Voicemail makes the cut on the Motorola Blaze, but in the meantime, head over to Boy Genius Report to peruse their Motorola Blaze photo gallery. We promise, it’s almost worth the effort.

[Via: BGR]

By now it should be clear that iPhone 3G hopefuls in Canada are getting the short end of the data-plan-stick. Rogers (NYSE: RCI) (and their wholly-owned Fido network) announced not too long ago that they’ll be offering our friends to the North a chance to get their hands on an Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s next-generation iPhone, the iPhone 3G, come July 11. The catch – you’ll get reamed on Rogers’ and Fido’s data-plan pricing.

Rather than adopt the unlimited data plan pricing structure that many other iPhone carriers are offering with their iPhone 3G data plans, Rogers will be rolling out iPhone 3G calling plans with varying data usage limits. The cheapest plan nets Rogers customers a measly 400MB of bundled 3G data usage, while the highest-tier iPhone 3G calling plan has Rogers customers working with a 2GB data soft-cap.

Rogers defended their iPhone 3G pricing position by saying that the calling plans were tailored to fit different needs, striving to ensure that customers didn’t end up paying more for services they didn’t need or want. The carrier argued that an unlimited data offering would increase iPhone 3G calling plan prices needlessly, ultimately shorting the customer.

So, what options are left to disgruntled Canadians looking to get their hands on an iPhone 3G next month? Start a petition, of course. Rather then sit back and take what Rogers gives them, a group of enraged iPhone 3G hopefuls have formed RuinediPhone.com in hopes of gathering enough petition signatures to sway Rogers’ hand in iPhone 3G rate plan pricing.

So far, the website is boasting over 12,500 signatures and looks to be growing steadily. If you’re looking to pick up a next-generation iPhone 3G come July 11, but can’t stand the taste of Rogers’ greed, sign the petition and pass it on to your friends. The petition will be sent to Rogers on July 11, in hopes that the prospect of losing tens of thousands (if not more) iPhone 3G customers (which could ultimately lead to reduced iPhone 3G revenue) can help persuade Rogers to offer a more sizable data plan for the iPhone 3G.

Find the petition here. You don’t have to be a Canadian to show your disapproval of Rogers’ business practices. Give our Canadian friends some help and sign the petition, regardless of your address.

RuinediPhone.com 

Symbian wants to know what people in academia think about the direction the smartphone space is heading and where it will be in 2012-2015. If you’re a University Student you have until the end of September to submit an essay, 10 winners will be selected, each will get 1000 British Pounds (1991.50 US Dollars or 1263.48 Euros).

More details here, good luck!

[Via: David Wood]

This one goes out to all you cyclists out there.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could harness all that energy you’re putting in to pedaling yourself from point A to point B? While this new pedal-power harnessing technology won’t help you do more than yap on your handset just a bit longer, putting your bicycle’s pedals to better more use than ordinary transportation is a worthy feat indeed.

O2 (NYSE: TEF) is showcasing their new cellphone battery charger which takes your pedal-power and turn it in to electrical power. O2 plans to highlight the pedal-powered charger at the O2 Wireless Festival in London’s Hyde Park. Unfortunately, the demo is being shown on stationary bikes – which bodes well for applications for cardio machines in gyms around the world – but if successful, we could see the tech hit the street, literally.

[Via: SmartPlanet]