This is what your next generation cellphone charging/syncing cable is going to look like. At CES 2010, the USB Implementers Forum announced that the first products to use their new USB 3.0 SuperSpeed spec are now available. Transfer rates on these bad boys are ten times what you’re used to (400 MB/s versus the traditional 40 MB/s). While most of the first USB SuperSpeed products are geared for the real data hogs of the technology world, like hard drives, laptops, and motherboards, silicon manufacturers (who cell phone makers go to for parts) are also getting their mitts on the new standard. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is apparently very enthusiastic about the new format, and may be the first to properly implement USB 3.0. One of the beauties of including a USB 3.0 female port is that it will be backwards compatible with with older microUSB male plugs, and should be able to honour existing manufacturer standardization agreements.

Sure, the data speed increase is the big thing, but battery charging will be sped up as well – USB 3.0 works on 900 mAh, as opposed to 500 mAh in USB 2.0. Similar efficiencies have been made in the other direction as well, to ensure that less power is used with anything but a charger. So when will we actually see the new USB standard in mobiles? It’s mostly up to the cell phone manufacturers. A large bottleneck will be microSD card capacity, since only those phones with a lot of memory will really push for the necessity of SuperSpeed USB, and based on my meeting with the SD Association, it doesn’t sound like the micro format will be getting XC (32 GB – 2 TB) any time soon. In any case, the higher-end smartphones have generous on-board storage, and will probably be the first candidates to enjoy SuperSpeed. If you’re in the industry, you can find out more about USB 3.0 over here.

You might have heard about the Vphone at CES, the first Android handset by new manufacturer Saygus. The main thing it’s bringing to the party is two-way video calling by way of a forward-facing VGA video camera (the first Android device with such a thing), and a specialized protocol that can supposedly produce calls at four times the usual resolution while using half of the bandwidth. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) seems like a pretty done deal, Saygus is just waiting on getting verified in the labs before showing the video calling in action, and we should have an official announcement in the next couple of weeks. If you hadn’t had a chance to check out the specs, they’re pretty impressive: Android 1.6, upgradeable to 2.0, 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, miniUSB port, 3.5mm audio, 806 Mhz processor (they upgraded from 625 Mhz), 3.5” WVGA touchscreen, and four hours of video talk time.

After spending 12 years on getting video calling just right, the Saygus CEO, Chad Sayers, is about as passionate about this project as you’d expect. He’s got high hopes not only about making video calling viable in North America and Europe, but also its application for the deaf when used in conjunction with remote interpreters. Saygus is keen to license their video calling technology; apparently there are already four to six devices in the pipe that will be using Saygus tech. The compression is good news for everyone in that it actually makes video calling over the traditional 2 or 3G data connection viable, as opposed to relying on purpose-built infrastructure that can be pricey for carriers to set up and end-subscribers to use. Chad actually mentioned at one point in Korea, video calling cost $11/minute. I can’t imagine carriers bemoaning loss of revenues on video calling plans, since hardly anyone uses it anyway. They might as well cash in on higher data plans, although that hinges a lot on consumers actually being interested in the proposition.

As nice as the Vphone is, there are a few caveats. First, there isn’t much in the way of calling interoperability. Saygus would love to have some kind of deal with Skype, or MSN, or whoever else for video calling to instant messaging clients, but it hasn’t happened yet. The Vphone has got SIP support (which offers reduced quality calls with existing video phones) and they’re working on XDM, but right now the best-case scenario is calling Vphone to Vphone, which is a very specific use case. I asked about them making, say, an app on the Android market to at least allow calling on the same platform, but they said the hit on battery life with a software solution was too rough (1 hour of video talk time versus 4 natively).

The second caveat has to do with Verizon. One of the cool features of the Vphone is that it can act as a Wi-Fi hotspot, sharing an internet connection with up to 8 devices, and you can even tack on one by USB, and another (or more) by Bluetooth. Cool, right? Well you know how Verizon doesn’t allow simultaneous data and voice? That basically kicks the internet sharing right in the crotch – every time you get a call, the internet connection would get shut down (though return once the call was over). Bit of a bummer, but that just means other carriers will be able to make better use this device.

Can’t wait to get a Vphone? It’ll be out by the end of Q1 on a CDMA carrier (again, likely Verizon), and on a GSM carrier by the end of Q2, with an estimated unsubsidized cost of $450. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing if the video calling is actually as good as they say it is.

Ford is working on a new user interface that will include the standard sync features in a considerably prettier package. In current generation sync systems, a lot of navigation is done with two-way buttons on the steering wheel, a few knobs and a modest LED display. MyFord Touch will up the ante considerably with five-way button navigation on the wheel, a full touch display, and the usual voice commands. This ties in a little bit with Ford’s announcement about developer APIs, in that mobile apps will be able to access the rich new UI, but will be limited to a set of templates rather than given free rein of the display. Aside from that, there are some great interfaces for recieving text messages, making/recieving calls, and managing media through the touch console. From a safety perspective, I’m a little concerned that this system is just subbing out fiddling with a handheld doodad to a built-in doodad which could be just as distracting, but Ford reassured me that they’re working closely with legislators to make sure everything they’re doing will abide by quickly spreading handsfree laws. The phone functions of MyFord Touch weren’t quite ready for demonstration, but these concept screenshots give us a good idea of what to expect.

Ford’s sync automotive connectivity system is getting even snazzier at CES this year, thanks to a project they’re working on with select application partners. Essentially Ford has provided hooks that mobile app developers include in their software that allows the in-car sync system to recognize and relay commands to your phone when paired via Bluetooth or USB. Stitcher, Pandora and OpenBeak have been able to get involved, leveraging the built-in Nuance voice recognition, text-to-voice notifications, and in-car button controls to do stuff like give thumbs-up to tracks, change radio stations, or send tweets by voice. When the SDK gets released (no date set), mobile app developers won’t have to do much to plug in to the sync system – apparently Pandora only took 10 days to get everything working. Overall this is good news, but if you’re waiting for Ford to offer some kind of remote car-starting capabilities that we’re seeing with Chevrolet and Viper, this relatively open development system may pose too much of a security risk for Ford to prudently give sync that amount of car control. You can head over here for a closer look at sync.

Viper had announced that they would be showing off their remote car-starting application for BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) at CES, so we thought we would check it out. As you can see, it lets you start up a car, sound the alarm, lock and unlock the doors, or pop the trunk, whereever it may be. They’re also leveraging push so that you get instantly alerted if your car’s security has been compromised. Although SmartStart is currently only available in the U.S., a deal with Rogers (NYSE: RCI) will bring the service to Canada soon and I also hear they’re working on some stuff with GPS, so keep an eye on these guys if you don’t plan on buying a Volt any time soon. The app will be free when it comes out in the next two to four weeks, but the catch is you have to get a car kit that will cost between $300 and $500, depending on whether or not you already have Viper service. Hit up Viper to learn more about their existing iPhone app.

We had heard the Chevrolet Volt would have a mobile application to keep tabs on charging status, and here at CES, it was their prize announcement. The OnStar mobile app will offer an impressive amount of remote control, including starting the car, beginning and scheduling charging, sounding the panic alarm, and accessing mileage stats. Dummy versions of the app are currently available to play around with, but the working final product won’t be available until late 2010. The device selection is a little slim (demoed at the show was only the iPhone, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) droid and BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Storm), but odds are good that we’ll see greater compatibility down the line.

[via OnStar]

Yet another player is entering the growingly-crowded mobile music market: Thumbplay. Traditionally, Thumbplay has stuck with ringtones from licensed artists, but they’re moving into full MP3 downloads. Essentially, the app for BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) will sync up with your browser-based Thumbplay account to track favourites, playlists, and purchases, and allow you to either stream tunes over Wi-Fi or 3G, with the additional option to store locally for offline use. Throw in a dash of iTunes playlist syncing, and Bob’s your uncle. The app itself acts as the media player, so you might have some trouble with native shortcuts, but other than that, it looks like this mobile music store is about as good as any other, especially with all of their established licensing relationships. $9.99/month will get you all-you-can-eat access once the beta’s over, or you can opt for nabbing tracks at around $0.99 a pop. Ask real nice-like for an invite to the closed beta here, or hold out for the Android or iPhone version. Oh, and U.S. only, of course.

LG’s presence at CES was largely overshadowed by their TV announcements, but there were a few bones thrown to us mobile fans. First up is the Lotus Elite (top), available in red and black, which builds on the original Lotus in a couple of ways. The external  screen is now touch-sensitive. It’s still only a 2 megapixel camera and QVGA display, but it’s neat the way that the camera built into the hinge allows you to take forward-facing pictures when open, and outward-facing ones when closed. The customizable touch-sensitive external display and signature square style was nothing to sneeze at either. I was pleasantly surprised how smart this thing was for a dumbphone – the home screen had quick access to a browser, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, and various Yahoo! services. You’ll be able to nab the red version on January 10 from Sprint (NYSE: S) for $99.99 on contract, with the black version arriving in February.  Greg wins the bonus round for speculating that the next Lotus would be coming out at CES.

Next up is Rumor Touch, upgrading from the Rumor 2 with (you guessed it) a touch display. The overall layout makes it feel a hell of a lot sleeker than its predecessor, which felt a lot more blocky and feature-phoney. The 3″ WQVGA display and 2 megapixel camera make the Rumor Touch a marked improvement over the original, though maybe not much of one. It’ll be out sometime in the first quarter – sign up for updates here.

Back in October zagg announced a new project called zaggbox, which would store recorded video, pictures, and music on its 1 terabyte hard drive, and allow you to access the media on your home entertainment system as well as on your mobile device. As impressive as that is for a company that started off selling stickers high-grade protective polysomethingerother skins for cell phones, it’s only the beginning – full home automation through zaggbox is in the works, which will let you lock doors, control and view security cameras, and adjust the thermostat from your smartphone. Recording media for later consumption is huge, and with the Xbox 360 connectivity, you’ve got an easy way to create and share gameplay videos. The price point will sit somewhere between $600 – $900, and the mobile app will be in the neighbourhood of $20, which might sound like a pricey proposition overall, but at least they’re only charging a subscription fee if you want all of your media backed up in a cloud storage service. I can only imagine what Sling and Unify4Life think about zagg now…

BBDC was unexpectedly busy – hear how the devs feel about it all!

If you haven’t been following, the 2009 BlackBerry Developer Conference was the source of a lot of big announcements, like OpenGL support enabling some rich 3D graphics, an Adobe partnership that cements Flash on BlackBerry, and a long-overdue LinkedIn app. This episode of The Signal focuses a lot on themes, as we have the fine folks from BlackBerry Theme Park and themes4bb giving us our take on the new Theme Builder Studio. The winner of the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) (NSDQ: RIMM) Partner’s Fund challenge, James Shannon from DevelopIQ, gives us some feedback from the app developer side, and how all of the various announcements impact the 7digital music store. No conference is complete without hooking up with some fellow bloggers – Ronen Halevy from BerryReview and Kevin Michaluk from CrackBerry weigh in on the show overall, and what RIM’s future with developers is looking like.

At points it’s a little technical, but if you’re into BlackBerry, development, or user interface stuff, this is the podcast for you. Hit the jump!

Sorry about the audio quality,  it was tricky finding a quiet spot to record.

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