09:14 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

According to Reuters, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill on Wednesday that would outlaw "upskirt" photos and other forms of video voyeurism made possible by cell-phone cameras and other miniaturized technology.

The Inquirer goes even one step farther and predicts the end of the mobile phone business if the banning of cell phones continues. It concludes:

"Genuine fad for true sneak "intimate" photography of ordinary pictures is most unlikely to become widespread. The resulting images are unlikely to be even vaguely erotic, and boredom would set in quickly. But the law prohibiting such devices may rest on many statute books for many years, nonetheless."

07:45 PM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | iSilo/X

Roderick Pommier posted a nice review of iSilo for PPC at pocketnow.com. His conclusion: "Isilo is an indispensable part of my Pocket PC arsenal, if you frequently find interesting web content Isilo is a must buy. Isilo also gives you access to hundreds of documents already converted to Isilo."

Pros

• Handles website conversion very well
• New features are frequently added
• Excellent functionality as reader
• Highly configurable, many options available to customize your experience

Cons

• Not able to update content without desktop companion
• Feature set can be intimidating at first
• More options on for customizing screen regions, perhaps closing the document or go full screen

06:35 PM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

At PocketPC Addict, I stumbled over a comprehensive review of Netfront Access 3.1 for PPC. The author Brad Isaac comes to the - unsurprising - conclusion: "Netfront finally makes browsing with the Pocket PC easy and enjoyable...I recommend it if you are wanting to bring a taste of powerful desktop browsing to your Pocket PC."

11:59 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Portable Audio/Video

According to information leaked to AppleInsider, the next Apple iPod is due sometime this year with added video capabilities.

"When a user connects one end of the video-cable into the iPod's new dock connector and the other end into the TV, it will switch the iPod into video mode," the source said, which then allows the user to display video clips located in the iPod's 'movies' directory.

In other words, the iPod v4.0 is not a movie player by itself, but a remote harddrive with playback capabilities to an external video source.

10:58 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

I recommend you visit Brighthand who gives some details on the upcoming iPAQs for 2004. According to Brighthand, HP isn't planning to release any new handhelds for more than two months. And long-time iPAQ users will be disappointed to learn that the company is phasing out the use of expansion packs, which won't be necessary anymore with all the built-in functionality and the availability of CompactFlash or SDIO cards.

One new iPAQ on the list will be a new hx4700 model with 128MB of RAM, plus more than 20MB in a File Store. Another device, the hx2700, a replacement for the h5550, will include a fingerprint scanner, which could be useful for security protection in larger cooperations.

10:14 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

MaxiumPDA features a mini review on the new Dell Axim X3i (Dell's first PPC to include both Bluetooth and WiFi).

Technical details at a glance
- 64 MB RAM / 64 MB ROM
- Intel PXA 263 CPU running at 400 MHZ
- integrated Bluetooth
- integrated WLAN 802.11b
- Windows Mobile 2003 Software
- SDIO-Slot
- small and handy formfacot

Summery of the review: "The Dell Axim X3i is a great device at a moderate price. If you are a power user, don't forget to order the larger battery."

05:09 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Imagine a world where the news and information you want to see is available in non-traditional ways -- you can find the weather and the latest stock quotes from the ultimate handheld communication device -- the size of a pen.

Universal Display Corporation (NASDAQ:PANL, PHLX: PNL), who is a leading developer of organic light emitting devices (OLED), wants to make this possible. The company will present a collection of new design concepts for 'Portable Light' at Wired's NextFest in San Francisco, May 14th to 16th . This exhibit will show the work of students from Harvard University's Graduate School of Design who participated in the Soft Design Studio, taught by Professor Sheila Kennedy and sponsored by Universal Display.

The company is still losing money, but it could be one of the rising stars among small caps companies in near future.

04:53 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Portable Audio/Video

Some pooh-poohed the assorted colors of Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod mini as frivolous, but the digital music players are a smash hit and have become fashion accessories in and of themselves, says Duncan Martell from Reuters.

Too bad those sleek gadgets still take more than six weeks to be shipped (from the time the order was placed). And on EBay Inc., iPod minis -- sealed and in the box -- were listed for auction with multiple bids topping $300 (regular price is around $250).

Only time will tell if the iPod mini has indeed "resonated with the digerati", as industry analysts like to predict.