866 Cellphones
Just another Cellphones News weblog
Solo Releases Samsung M320
Author: +866.com28 Feb
Solo looks like it wants to be on the map again, and it has just released the Samsung M320. The device is going for free if you agree to a 3-year contract. You can also pick up the phone for $70 with a 1-year contract, or $89 with a prepaid. The Samsung M320 has a VGA camera, 1.9-inch screen, and Bluetooth.
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NAM HTC Touch Cruise with Footprints passes the FCC
Author: +866.com15 Feb
A North American version of the brand new HTC Touch Cruise (also known as HTC Touch Cruise with Footprints or HTC Touch Cruise 09) was recently approved by the FCC, meaning that we might see it soon on sale in the US.
The NAM Touch Cruise comes with quad-band GSM connectivity (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz) and dual-band HSDPA connectivity (850 / 1900 MHz). This makes it suitable for a release via AT&T – but, of course, it doesn’t mean the carrier will actually want to bring the handset into its family of products.
According to its user manual, the Touch Cruise is sold together with a 1GB microSD card that includes “map content for bundled GPS software”, which is, obviously, a good thing.
As for the rest of Cruise’s specs and features, you can view them here.
The smartphone’s European version (with 900 / 2100 HSDPA) will be available for purchase starting this spring, at a price that was not announced yet.
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Nokia Maps 3.0 Beta – major update released
Author: +866.com10 Feb
Nokia Maps 3.0 Beta, first outed at the beginning of December 2008, has just received an important update.
And although this doesn’t change the number version (it’s still 3.0 Beta), it brings many improvements, as well as synchronization with Ovi Maps.
The list of the devices supporting Nokia Maps is now larger than ever, including both S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 smartphones (like E71, E66, 6110 Navigator, N82, N95 and N95 8GB) and S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 ones (i.e. N96, N79, N78, N85, 6650, 6210 Navigator and 6220 Classic).
So, the novelties brought by the update are as follows:
- The start-up sequence shows your current position (as soon as it’s found). In case your current position is not found, you will be taken to the last known position in just seconds
- Map rotation – allowing you to view 3D landmarks from any direction
- 2D/3D mode now works with all maps modes (Map, Satellite or Terrain)
- When using 3D view mode, the view can be tilted by pressing the 2 and 8 keys
- My Places has a “Point me to” option for saved places and landmark – it shows the directions to that place/landmark
- The History list has been moved higher in menu
- My Favourites menu is “cleaned up”
- Many bug fixes
For downloading the latest Nokia Maps software, just hit this link.
Via Nokia Beta Labs
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webOS Alarm Gets You To Work On Time
Author: +866.com20 Jan
It looks like there are quite a few cool features in Palm’s new webOS. One of the cooler features that have surfaced is the ability to provide you with alerts if you overslept and are late for a meeting. The device will also go through your calendar and provide a map to your destination, making it easier for you to make up for lost time. It can even send out an email to the people you are supposed to be meeting up with. Does Palm’s new device seem like a proper personal assistant now?
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Apple plans to integrate iPhone Mapping and Calendar apps
Author: +866.com13 Jan
We told you that Apple is pretty serious about the mobile navigation feature on it’s iPhone.
They have already patented most of the mapping and navigation features used currently on their handsets Mapping app.
Well, that patent app was more or less about the past. But as we all know Steve Jobs likes to look into the future, not the past. So do we.
And we recently got a glimpse what a future iPhone firmware upgrades might bring to your navigation app – a tight integration with your calendar app and address book.
At least that’s what Apple describes in a patent application named “Integrated calendar and map applications in a mobile device“.
The way it works is pretty obvious.
You enter your scheduling data – meetings, appointments, etc; to your calendar app. If the person’s name you are meeting with is in your address book, software automatically pre-fills you calendar entry from there. If physical address information is available, it then automatically associates this data with the location on the map.
Of course, you can enter the location info manually as well. E.g. when you are meeting someone for lunch in a cafe. You fill in cafe name and then the iPhone finds it’s location on the map and let’s you associate it with the meeting info.
But that’s only a beginning.
With all the data on your device and already cross referenced, many new capabilities to make your life easier open up.
If you have several meetings in different places scheduled throughout the day, your iPhone can map out the best route to each meeting. Using routing and traffic info it can even advice on how much time you will need to get there.
Your iPhone can also monitor your location, and ping you that you have to leave for the next meeting now, if you don’t want to be late. Or, if you are stuck in traffic and gonna be late anyway, it will prompt you to send a pre-selected message with a single touch.
For years I’ve been reading about how the new mobile devices will start acting like smart personal assistants for us. You know – buying tickets and groceries, scheduling meetings, suggesting the nearest public loo when I’m in a pinch… But years go by and they never seem to get there.
Well, when implemented, this integration between Mapping and Calendar apps might make the iPhone the first mobile device that actually can act smart on itself and make my life easier at least in some cases.
If you’d like to read full patent app, you can download it here (*.pdf, 2.3 MB).
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iPhone XRoad G-Map
Author: +866.com1 Jan
Most of us are quite fond of Google Maps, but there can be no denying that quite a few people are rather frustrated with it, especially if they’re used to dedicated GPS devices. Fortunately for iPhone users, there is a new app called G-Map in the AppStore which will give you an application that won’t require an Internet connection to direct you around. The download is a big one though, a whopping 932MB, but it has a lot of maps, and covers most of western America. Featuring POI (point-of-interst) editing, memo capabilities, location searching and more for just $19.99, it doesn’t sound like too bad a purchase.