Solar-powered cellphones are still rare these days. But, that may soon change, if Sharp has anything to say about it. Sharp has announced that their thinnest mobile phone solar panel is now available to cellphone manufacturers around the world to use in future hardware. The LR0GC02 Solar Panel module comes in at just 0.8mm thick, helping it secure the title of “World’s thinnest solar panel.”
Sharp hopes to make solar-powered cellphones more convenient by slimming down the solar panel itself. But, all that thinness comes at a price, the LR0GC02 Solar Panel is only capable of outputting some 300 mW of power. That’s not nearly enough to power a smartphone on its own, but it could be used to keep a traditional Li-ion battery topped-off when in sunlight.
If you’re still trying to imagine what a 0.8mm thick panel looks like, try imagining a 100µm thick piece of dust and then shave off 20µm. Better now? Good.
Japanese carrier Softbank (OTCPK: SFTBF) is showing off a lot of new phones at their summer show, but the most eye-catching so far is the Sharp Aquos Shot 933SH featuring a beeft 10 megapixel camera with LED flash and smile detection. It’s not quite 12 megapixels, but damn is it close. Besides, most folks would be willing to drop 2 megapixels in favour of being able to crank their ISO up to 12800. Prying ourselves away from the camera bit, the 933SH also has a 3.3″ touch LCD screen, 16 GB of internal memory, and if that fills up too quickly with the GARGANTUAN pictures you’ll be taking, microSDHC support is also available. It’s times like this that the language barrier doesn’t seem that big of a hurdle for moving to Japan. Really, honest. Just gimmie the phone.
The Sidekick LX (2009) is T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s first HipTop offering to boast full 3G data connectivity. With a 3.2-megapixel camera (with video recording), all sorts of video support, high-res 3.2-inch display and GPS hardware in tow, the Sidekick LX is just about the highest-tech Sidekick to ever hit market. And, it looks like some lucky T-Mobile customers are getting their Sidekick LX-fix a bit early. T-Mobile’s official Sidekick LX launch isn’t kicking-off until May 13th, but these latest unboxing pics prove that some units have already shipped out.
This latest unboxing follows what may have been the worst handset unboxing video that we’d ever laid eyes on. Unfortunately, there’s no video this time around, but if that means less creepy-girl-with-creepy-eyes staring us down, we’re totally fine with that.
HipTop3 has a full unboxing gallery for you to drool over. Why don’t you go check them out?
Sometimes you just need a good laugh. If now is one of those times, go ahead and take a gander at the video below. What you’ll see is likely one of the worst handset unboxing videos of all time - in other words, worst…video…EVAR!
The cellphone unboxing ritual is a sacred thing. Mobile enthusiasts can live vicariously through the eyes of those lucky enough to put hands on just-released hardware. Unfortunately, when the unboxing ritual falls into the hands of a couple PR reps trying to hype the new device, we’re left feeling violated and a little confused.
T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) may not have let loose the details (or at least not the nitty gritty details) of their T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009, or rather the Sidekick LX, but that doesn’t mean we don’t already have the juicy down-low on the upcoming HipTop’s video capabilities. Thanks to a little tech-sleuthing by MobileCrunch, we now know that the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009 (we refuse to refer to it as the redundantly confusing Sidekick LX) will feature full video capabilities and a high-resolution display.
The Sidekick LX 2009 will apparently be capable of recording video in either 320×240 or 176×144 resolution, using the MP4 format. A 1GB microSD memory card should hold anywhere between 15.5 and 17 hours of video recordings. But, perhaps more importantly, the Sidekick LX 2009 will apparently do video playback with ease. We’re expecting the new Sidekick LX 2009 to improve on the original Sidekick LX’s video-playback by adding support for H.263, H.264, 3GPP and MPEG-4 video playback! Needless to say, the upcoming Sidekick LX 2009, which will be unveiled tomorrow in NYC, will be the media-powerhouse of the Sidekick lineup.
Japan’s KDDI is getting on the eco-bandwagon by introducing a solar-powered, waterproof handset manufactured by Sharp. With only 10 minutes in the sun, you can squeeze out one minute of talk time and two hours of standby. KDDI beats Samsung’s Blue Earth to the market, but not ZTE’s Coral. Still, it’s a slick-looking handset, and combined with waterproofing, it’s potentially a great choice for the outdoorsy types, although some extra ruggedization would make it even more ideal for self-sufficiency. Expect more eco-friendly phones from KDDI’s Green Road Project lineup this summer.
There’s nothing better than finding a leaked internal document that confirms previous rumors. The latest rumor to get the confirmation-hammer dropped on its head is the speculation that T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) is preparing a 3G-capable Sidekick for 2009. An internal T-Mobile memo has been sent out to T-Mobile employees, notifying them to start preparing for the Sidekick LX 2009. The memo confirms what we’ve been waiting for - a new media-friendly Sidekick with full 3G support on T-Mobile AWS 3G network!
The new Sidekick LX 2009 will apparently keep with T-Mobile’s redundantly confusing naming convention. The most recent Sidekick 2008 had been confusingly launched as the “Sidekick,” and so T-Mobile will be releasing this 3G-capable Sidekick LX 2009 as the “Sidekick LX.” Why T-Mobile wouldn’t want to differentiate the new Sidekick LX from previous generations isn’t clear, but it’s sure to make for some muddled Google (NSDQ: GOOG) searches.
The T-Mobile Sidekick LX (2009) sports a 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS (Live Search), larger display, QWERTY keyboard and integrated support for YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Suffice it to say that the new generation of HipTop-wielding hipsters (sorry, couldn’t resist) will be surfing around all kinds of social networks and consuming all kinds of media. And, all over a 3G data connection, no less!
T-Mobile is expected to make an official announcement on April 17, so sit tight. We’ll know more tomorrow.
T-Mobile memo:
Get Ready for the New Sidekick LX
T-Mobile is preparing to launch the thinnest Sidekick ever, with blazing fast 3G connectivity for customers to connect with friends quickly and easily. The new Sidekick LX will come equipped with GPS enabled Live Search, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and free bundled social networking applications including Facebook, My Space, and Twitter. Customers will also be able to watch and download You Tube videos directly from the device. The new Sidekick LX comes equipped with the features that customers love including a full QWERTY keyboard and an enhanced swivel screen that is larger and sharper than any other Sidekick.
Additional information regarding launch dates, pricing and availablility will be available on the Retail Communication Home Page on April 17.
Action Steps
Check the Retail Communication Home Page on April 17 for additional information regarding the Sidekick LX launch
T-Mobile’s got something brewing in their test kitchens. The No. 4 US wireless carrier has scheduled some sort of press event for April 21 in New York City. With all sorts of possible product launches looming on T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s horizon, we can’t wait to see what T-Mobile has in store for us on April 21.
The good money’s on the new Android OS-powered HTC Magic launching in a couple weeks, possibly alongside the Cupcake development update for Android (the update that should bring an on-screen keyboard to the T-Mobile G1). The HTC Magic has already been green-lighted by the FCC for duty on T-Mobile’s network, and there’s some talk about the Magic being named the “G3,” which bodes well for a near-term launch. But, you’re guess is as good as ours.
There’s also the possibility that T-Mobile is preparing to launch the just-spotted 3G Sidekick in the US. The upcoming Sidekick will finally bring HipTop fans into the 3G-age with support for 3G connectivity on T-Mobile’s still-developing 3G network.
And, as far as the remotest of chances go, we may see HTC’s Touch Pro2 or Touch Diamond2 getting some press-time on April 21. We wouldn’t hold our breath for this one, though…
What do you think? Magic? Cupcake? Sidekick 3G? One of the new Touch handsets from HTC? Sound off in the poll below!
Fans of the HipTop will be happy to hear that Sharp has just passed a new Sidekick through the FCC’s labs. Known internally as the Sharp PV300 (which falls in line nicely with the PV-XXX designation assigned to Sidekicks), the FCC has apparently blessed this new Sidekick handset for the US. The Sharp PV300 has been confirmed to support T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s 3G network on the 1700Mhz AWS frequency band, making a new 3G-capable T-Mobile Sidekick likely for release sometime this year.
Details are slim at the moment. Stay tuned for more on T-Mobile’s upcoming 3G Sidekick!
Holy crap. Who does that? Seriously! Twenty-two handsets in one batch? That’s just crazy-talk. Well, it’s not really one batch - these phones will be released between now and March in Japan through NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM), but that is still one helluva release schedule. Here’s the whole lineup, broken into subcategories, with release dates.
Style series
F-02A: December 2008
N-02A: November to December 2008
N-03A: November 2008
P-02A: January to March 2009
P-03A: December 2008 to January 2009
SH-02A: December 2008 to January 2009
Prime series
F-01A: November 19, 2008 (fixed)
F-03A: January to March 2009
L-01A: November to December 2008
N-01A: November 2008
P-01A: November 2008
SH-01A: November 2008
SH-03A: December 2008
Smart series
F-04A: February to March 2009
N-04A: January to March 2009
P-04A: February to March 2009
P-05A: February to March 2009
Pro series
HT-01A: November to December 2008
HT-02A: December 2008 to January 2009
SH-04A: February to March 2009
BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM)® Bold™: February to March 2009
Given they’re mostly plain flips with the odd slider thrown in for flavour, the Pro series is looking especially nice with the HTC Touch Diamond, Touch Pro, BlackBerry Bold, Nokia E71 and Touch Pro knock-off from Sharp.On the whole, it’s a pretty crazy lineup, and must be some kind of record, somewhere.
T-Mobile (
There’s nothing better than finding a leaked internal document that 
T-Mobile’s got something brewing in their test kitchens. The No. 4 US wireless carrier has scheduled some sort of press event for April 21 in New York City. With all sorts of possible product launches looming on T-Mobile (
