After announcing the new Motorola SCPL line of mobile phones, Motorola also described its plans for the now-ageing, but still-popular, RAZR line. Chief amongst its announcements was a demonstration of DVB-H mobile TV running on a RAZR. However, this can be seen as the last hurrah for the phone that will surely go down in history as an icon of its time, as Motorola plan to position the SCPL platform as the high-end range of phones, with the RAZR being down-graded to Motorola's mid-range of phones.
Rumours of the Motorola SCPL, Motorola's RAZR-succesor, first surfaced back in May.
When first announced, Motorola chief Ron Garriques said the SCPL would have five features that would make the phone stand out from its competitors.
Well, now the first incarnation of the Motorola SCPL has been announced, and it's going to be called the MotoFone.
But before you gasp in amazement, let me just set this in context: the MotoFone was announced at the same time as the KRZR, the RIZR, and the new RAZRs, but because the MotoFone has such limited features, I actually saw it as just another low end phone, and therefore not worth writing about!
So...now we know it's the first SCPL incarnation, let's take a proper look at it.
Posted on Friday, July 28th, 2006 at 7:02 pm by Mike Evans
Filed under
BenQ Siemens,
Phones
This is more like it! BenQ-Siemens have announced the new BenQ-Siemens E91, a higher-range model than the E81 and E71 (oh, that's how BenQ-Siemens's numbering scheme works) also announced today. The E91 comes with a plethora of goodies, such as a 3.2 megapixel camera, 3G connectivity, two screens (the main one being a 2-inch QVGA screen with 16.7 million colours), MP3 player, FM radio, and, er, a designer shell!
The shell, which you can see in the picture above, is actually a smart idea, as it combines the phone's charger with a set of speakers, synchronizes your phone with your PC, and has a ring of lights for extra effects. Sort of like a mobile disco in a shell!
BenQ-Siemens are so proud of the E91, they wheeled out designer Karim Rashid for a quote, who happily said: "I need this little perfect utopic sacred object." Don't we all?!
More details and BenQ-Siemens E91 pics after the jump.
Posted on Friday, July 28th, 2006 at 6:21 pm by Mike Evans
Filed under
BenQ Siemens,
Phones
BenQ-Siemens have also released the new BenQ-Siemens E81. Like the E71 also released today, the E81 won't set the world on fire. It's a 3G phone with a 1.3 megapixel camera, MP3 player, and not an awful lot else!
Still, it is summer, releasing phones is hard work, and with Christmas still months away, I guess there's no point releasing your crown jewels just yet. At least, that's what I first thought upon seeing the E71 and the E81. But just wait till you see the BenQ-Siemens E91!
But first, more details and BenQ-Siemens E81 pics after the jump.
Posted on Friday, July 28th, 2006 at 6:13 pm by Mike Evans
Filed under
BenQ Siemens,
Phones
BenQ-Siemens have announced the new BenQ-Siemens E71 mobile phone.
The key feature of this phone is, apparently, it's non-stick coating. No fancy gadgets, super-megapixels or mobile TV for the E71 - just a non-stick coating that prevents fingerprints from sticking to it.
Er, wow.
You know a phone's aimed at the low-end market when 'non-stick' is its best feature!
More details and
BenQ-Siemens E71 pics after the jump.
Motorola have also announced the Motorola RIZR today.
After the RAZR, the KRZR, and now the RIZR, Motorola's gone mad with its mobile phone launches, and will soon be running out of letters to wrap around the original RAZR!
The RIZR is a step up from the KRZR, offering a 2 megapixel camera, quad-band, MP3 player and Bluetooth with A2DP-stereo compatibility, all in a slider form factor.
Still not exactly setting world alight though. Originally known as the Capri, the RIZR is set to replace the SLVR.
More details and
pictures of the Motorola RIZR after the jump.
Motorola have also announced the Motorola KRZR, a mobile phone that was originally thought to be the new RAZR, but which turns out to be a disappointingly low-spec'd phone.
Originally called the Canary, the KRZR comes in either GSM or CDMA variants, and offers a paltry 1.3 megapixel camera, MP3 player, MPEG 4 video, and er...that's it!
Given that this was originally thought to be the new RAZR, it's a relief that Motorola fooled us all by sneaking the RAZR maxx on us, as the KRZR definitely disappoints.
More details and
pictures of the Motorola KRZR after the jump.
Meet the new Motorola MOTORAZR maxx - a new variant of Motorola's legendary RAZR that's finally been endowed with some long-overdue features to bring the RAZR firmly into 2006 (well - maybe 2005, but at least they're trying!).
Top of the list is HSDPA, which enables data to be transferred at speeds of up to 3.6Mbps. The rest of the features are nothing special - MP3 player, 2 megapixel camera, 15fps video - but with HSDPA and the stunning looks of the RAZR now slightly enhanced, the MOTORAZR maxx offers enough to ensure Motorola can squeeze a few more years' of sales out their ageing warhorse.
More details and pictures of the Motorola RAZR maxx after the jump.
Ever wanted to control your car with your mobile phone? James Bond did it once, so why can't you?
That's obviously what Connect2Car thought when they dreamt up the SoftDash and MFC Multi-Function Controller (obviously more thought went into the concept than the name!).
This device lets you control car with your mobile phone or PDA through a bluetooth connection.
Madness? Oh yes! Read on to find out just what you can do with Connect2Car's oddest Bluetooth accessory in the world!
This has to be the mobile phone feature to end all features. A company called SpyPhone adapts mobile phones so that they can be used to eavesdrop on whoever has the device.
The idea is simple but cunning. The phone looks and acts like a normal GSM phone. When a special 'spygsm' number is called, however, the phone silently switches itself on and automatically answers, but without in any way revealing this to the user.
Anything the user then says is automatically picked up by the phone and transmitted to the eavesdropper, without the user being aware of a thing. The phone acts as if it's on standby, and will automatically drop the spy call if a real call is made to the handset at the same time. Terrifying!
