Aside from introducing new phones at this year’s CES, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has also unveiled a project of their R&D arm – Nokia Locate Sensor. The tiny device is designed to help people keep track of their things, ensuring we never lose anything again.

It’s quite easy to use the Nokia Locate Sensor. Simply attach a physical wireless location tag (pictured above) to items like keys or wallet, and when you don’t know where you’ve put any of them, start the accompanying app which will show you their location. Speaking of the application, it allows you to track up to 100 items, which is more than enough.

As for the rest of the specs, the Sensor doesn’t relies on GSP, meaning it will work even indoors. Rather, it sends out a simple wireless signal that is easily traceable by the phone within a distance of up to 100 metres, and thanks to which [simple wireless signal] its standard battery can work for up to 18 month. If you need to track larger items, a bigger battery can be used, which would ensure the device could run even longer.

In a nutshell – it’s a great idea, and I guess we’ll see it officially released during this year, once both hardware and software are ready for the prime time.

[Via: AllAboutSymbian, ElectricPig]

In a rather high-brow CES interview talking about a future where the TV becomes the focal point of all family activity and every single wall is a display, ASUSTek’s CEO Jonney Shih let slip of what he called an EE Phone, which would potential control all of these interfaces. When it comes to low-cost technology, it doesn’t get much cheaper than free, and that’s what Android is. It’s not like we haven’t heard of the possibility of such a handset coming out in March, or that ASUS has been giving Android some fresh looks. We really could use a few more Android manufacturers, that’s for sure.

[NYTimes via Giz]

The tri-flip iCEphone that made waves in the mobile world with its three-tiered fold-out design was hanging out on the Las Vegas Convention Center showfloor for all to see. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to hit up the iCEphone in our brief time at CES 2009 Las Vegas, but the good folks over at Ubergizmo were able to get their hands on the “in case of emergency” handset (”ICEphone,” get it?).

The iCEphone folds-out three times to unveil a touchscreen (paired to Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional), QWERTY keyboard, and navigational controls. When closed, the iCEphone takes on a sleek and unassuming profile, according to Ubergizmo. We still aren’t told what the iCEphone will cost or when, exactly, it will be made available.

iCEphone specs:

• GSM Quadband 850/900/1800/1900, GPRS/EDGE
• 7.2 Mbps HSDPA UMTS 2100 connectivity
• Freescale iMX31 532 Mhz CPU
• 3-inch 240×400 px 65K color transflective TFT touchscreen
• Windows Mobile 6.0 Pro OS
• 3.1 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash
• Built-in GPS
• Wi-Fi b/g

[Via: Ubergizmo]

Remember that ultra-cool Callpod’s accessory called Chargepod, which allowed (and still allows) users to charge up to 6 devices at the same time. Well, it has been updated and it’s better than ever!

The Chargepod V2 builds on top of the original device, but adds a 3-port USB hub as well as PC/Mac laptop charging to the mix — actually, I’m not sure how it can charge Macs as MagSafe is Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s proprietary thing.

Anyway, I see the problem – it’s the price. At the moment, Callpod is selling its cool multi-charging baby for whopping $200. That’s a lot for an accessory that doesn’t boast any precious metal on it, don’t you think?

[Via: Gizmodo]

Plantronics-owned Altec Lansing has recently introduced its first wearable stereo Bluetooth products – the Backbeat 906 and 903 Stereo Bluetooth headphones. The only difference between the two is in a stereo Bluetooth 2.0 adapter which is included with the BackBeat 906, only.

The new BackBeat products are designed for active lifestyles and somehow remind us on the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) S9 headphones, thanks to the behind-the-neck wearing style. In addition, they [BackBeat headphones] feature OpenMic technology, allowing the wearer to instantly hear their surroundings without removing the headphones.

The BackBeat headphones include Plantronics Dual-Mic AudioIQ technology to separate voice from noise for audio clarity during calls. Similar to its performance in Plantronics’ award-winning lineup of Bluetooth headsets, the inclusion of dual-microphones enables BackBeat to accurately isolate voice signals: one microphone captures voice as the second microphone identifies background noise and removes it. AudioIQ, Plantronics’ proprietary digital signal processing algorithm, intelligently senses the caller’s surroundings to further improve background noise and automatically adjusts the sound for the best possible two-way audio quality.

The headphones integrate Bluetooth v2.1 with EDR and support profiles including Hands-Free, Headset, A2DP and AVRC for wireless call and music control capability. Expected talk/music playback time is rated up to 7 hours, while standby time goes up to 8 days. Headset weight is approximately 34 grams.

Available late February 2009, the BackBeat 906 will retail for $129.95 (MSRP) and the BackBeat 903 (without adapter) for $99.95 (MSRP).

[Via: slashphone]

REDFLY Smartphone Dock

The folks behind the REDFLY Smartphone Terminals, Celio, used this year’s CES to unveil two new products – REDFLY PC Software and REDFLY Smartphone Dock.

The first of the two functions like a software version of today’s REDFLY Smartphone Terminal to give a Windows XP/Vista-powered laptop or netbook an expanded resolution (up to 1024×728 pixels), full-screen view of a smartphone for a virtual dual-boot experience. The REDFLY PC Software launch is planned for March 2009.

As for the other product, REDFLY Smartphone Dock, it’s a table-top adapter with VGA, mouse, and keyboard ports for smartphone applications. In other words, it allows you to connect a Windows Mobile-powered device and from there other peripherals, and use a smartphone like it’s a computer, which is extremely cool.

Celio designed the REDFLY Smartphone Dock with projectors, office kiosks, and commercial applications in mind. Availability and pricing of the device is still unknown — it will be announced in the future.

Motorola’s presence at CES 2009 Las Vegas was a given. CES is the biggest consumer electronics tradeshow in the US and there’s no way Motorola (NYSE: MOT) could miss out. It’s a shame we can’t say the same for Motorola’s attendance at CTIA Wireless 2009. Motorola’s booth at CES 2009 turned out to be something of a last-stand for Motorola’s 2009 convention-going year.

Nevertheless, Motorola was proudly showing off their Motorola AURA on the Las Vegas Convention Center showfloor. The high-end materials and watch-like precision build give the AURA a air of luxury and refinement that we’re pleasantly surprised to see from Motorola. More on our hands-on Motorola AURA experience here.

As for the rest of the booth, Motorola highlighted their CrystalTalk sound-enhancing technology as well as their support of 4G Mobile Broadband products. With their upcoming product lineup expected to be decreased to about a dozen phones, we can see at least half of all new Motorola handsets sporting CrystalTalk.

Enjoy your Motorola booth tour!

CES was full of celebrities (I hear Randy Couture was around), but they all had a little something to say about the products coming out, including Stevie Wonder, who was pleading for more blind-friendly gadgets.

“If you can take those few steps further, you can give us the excitement, the pleasure and the freedom of being a part of it,” said the famed musician.

Traditional keyed handsets have made a few advancements in accessibility, such as spoken menu trees, and more recent accessories such as tactile skins even help touchscreen devices, but there’s still a ways to go before most cell phones are fully practical for the blind, and that will require greater consciousness from manufacturers. A big chunk of CES was dedicated to eco friendliness, but this article suggests that accessibility will be the next big movement to sweep the mobile world. For the sake of the frustrated visually impaired and the manufacturers who stand to gain from tapping into a neglected market, I hope so.

[via Reuters]

Image from HowStuffWorks.com

The US is set to see mobile TV become reality in late 2009. The Open Mobile Video Coalition has announced that they’re on track to go live with free mobile DTV broadcast in Fall 2009. The over-the-air broadcast would be made available for viewing to anyone with a compatible mobile DTV receiver – a stark departure from wireless carriers’ practice of offering subscription-based mobile TV streams over their wireless network.

Broadcasters have committed to launching mobile DTV broadcasts with 63 TV stations across 22 US cities. The station breakdown will consist of “14 NBC affiliates, nine ABC affiliates, nine CBS affiliates, five FOX affiliates, nine ION Television affiliates, four CW affiliates and four MyNetworkTV affiliates, along with nine additional PBS stations that are in discussions with the OMVC to join the 2009 launch.” It’s safe to say that the mobile TV broadcast initiative will offer something for just about every demographic.

Other parts of the world have been enjoying terrestrial mobile TV broadcasts for some time now, but the mobile TV push has largely failed to catch on with any real significance. It remains to be seen whether or not free broadcasts will help drive mobile TV uptake in the US. With the economy in the toilet and consumers looking to save a buck whenever they can, the prospect of free mobile TV might be enough to coax users to try it out – after they buy the compatible hardware, that is…

Full press release after the break.

Read the full article »

CES is always good for putting eyes and hands on new products, regardless of how little mobile-related material there happens to be in any given year (ahem, 2009). One of the highlights of this year’s CES was Novatel’s showcase during the ShowStoppers press event at the Wynn Las Vegas. The highlight of this year’s Novatel presence at the show was their upcoming Novatel MiFi Portable Hotspot.

If the name doesn’t give it away, the MiFi is basically a wireless router with an integrated 3G cellular modem. The kicker is that the Novatel MiFi is about the size of a credit card (and almost as thin) and runs on its own Li-ion power supply. The MiFi is supposed to be good for 5 hours, but we’d imagine that the battery life would suffer a bit with five people connected to the MiFi (the maximum allowed) at the same time.

With both GSM and CDMA frequency support, the MiFi portable hotspot can pull down high-speed wireless data on both HSDPA and EVDO Rev. A networks. When on a GSM network, all you need to do is pop in your GSM SIM card and away you go. It’s little more complicated for CDMA networks in the US, but no doubt worth the extra steps.

The Novatel MiFi ups the ante even further with its “intelligent” operating system. Based on a Linux kernel, the MiFi runs a low-level OS that handles the download and execution of location-based applications. That’s right, the MiFi sports an operating system, backed by 2GB of storage (for the CDMA variant, the GSM version will also have a microSD card slot for expandable storage), that is capable of downloading and running applications designed for the MiFi. Simply connect the MiFi to your computer, via USB, and log into the MiFi’s URL. From there, you can download applications directly to the MiFi – things like GPS applications, proximity-based social networks, etc. And, since the applications live natively on the MiFi, any computer connected to the MiFi can run the location-based apps without having to download the application to the computer. If that doesn’t make you want to buy a MiFi, we’re not sure what will.

The Novatel MiFi will be available through select carriers in the US in the first half of 2009 (1H 2009). Pricing will depend on carrier subsidies, but we’re expecting to see the MiFi coming in around $75 to $150 on contract.