12:31 AM by faie in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

I remember getting hoaxes via e-mail about mobile phone viruses a few years back. Well, here comes the real thing:

According to Reuters, a group of underground virus writers has showed off what is believed to be the world's first worm, named Cabir, that can spread on advanced mobile phones. However, security software companies say the virus had no malicious code attached. This is the first version of a network worm which propagates via mobile phones. The worm is designed to work in smartphones running on Symbian and Series 60 software, Symantec said on its Web site. Nokia, however, was not immediately available to comment.

The worm is not regarded as dangerous because even if it spreads it carries no code that destroys files or executes other damaging operations, the security software firms said. The virus attempts to jump from phone to phone by using the handset's wireless short-range Bluetooth connection. It scans the environment for other Bluetooth-enabled devices. Once it has found one, it sends itself disguised as a security file. The file must be accepted by the mobile phone owner and then installed before it can propagate.

A spokesman at London-based technology firm Symbian said that, unlike personal computers, it was not possible to penetrate the software of its smartphones without approval. "But we can never say it's not going to be possible. Smartphones have been designed... as open, programmable networked devices," he said, adding that users should be careful before accepting to install new software.

In view of this development, could the existence of a malicious, handphone crippling worm be too far behind??

02:17 PM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Announcements

It is with great delight that I announce our three new editors who, I am absolutely positive, will help us to shape the future of our growing community!

faie from Malaysia,

zire71man from Astoria, US, and

BobR.

Please give those three a heartly welcome!

11:49 AM by Zire in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Hey All,

For all you PPC people...

From the pdamill's site:

FLUX CHALLENGE
Alpha Demo v0.3
Flux Challenge is our upcoming 3D racing game. This unique racer revolves around a world of magnetic-levitation tunnels. While originally designed for mass transportation, it soon spawned many underground ship-racing circuits and eventually became one of the largest international championship sports. Take control of one of these magilev ships, and become the international champion!

You can download the alpha here.

11:03 AM by brahamt in Archive | Portable Audio/Video

Check out an announcement for the integration between two of my favorite products; the Apple iPod and BMW.

Unfortunately, the article does not specifically state my Beemer (a 5 series), but something interesting nonetheless. With Alpine announcing an iPod adapter, you might start to see the iPod replace CD changers and those custom MP3 player solutions.

iPod/BMW

10:19 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

At its annual "Nokia Connection" conference in Singapore, Nokia showcased a live end-to-end mobile phone (also referred to as "media device") 7700 TV broadcast over a handheld Digital Video broadcast which would be introduced at the pilot level in 2005.

The Nokia 7700 media device enables users to view web pages with a full Internet browser over high-speed mobile networks on a 65,000 color touch screen optimized for viewing Internet content. Additional features include music and video playback and streaming, an integrated VGA camera, FM radio, multimedia messaging support, as well as a full complement of personal information management features.

One step further away from the PDA?

10:06 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Philips has has announced a new 802.11b low-power WiFi LAN and Bluetooth semiconductor "system-in-a-package" (SiP) solution specifically designed to operate at the same time in small form-factor systems such as smart phones, PDAs and other portable devices. "This means a consumer can use a mobile phone equipped with a Bluetooth wireless headset to make a call while using the same phone to simultaneously check information on the Internet via a WLAN network - without experiencing interference", according to Philips.

Philips' new chips will be sampling in July 2004 and will be available in production quantities in Q4 2004.

09:35 AM by Colin Dunstan in Miscellaneous | Lounge

The Yankee Group has an interesting 33-pages report predicting what will influence consumer, business and enterprise adoption of new technologies and services in 2004. One major coverage includes Wireless/Mobile. The report is (still) available for free after a quick and painless registration.

Summery of some interesting prediction and forecasts:
- In the US, subscribers are expected to grow by 7.2 percent from approximately 152 million at the end of 2003 to 163 million by the end of 2004

- At least 6% of the U.S. population will have hung up their landlines for good. Wireless minutes of use (MoU) will continue to grow from 550 monthly in 3Q 03 to 650 or more by year-end, as mobile substitutes for the fixed network

- Penetration of wireless and mobile services will grow to 27.4 percent of the world's population by 2007

- Price competition will continue in the U.S. wireless market, culminating in more widely available, virtually unlimited voice plans by the end of 2004

- Microsoft will gain share in the wireless handset OS market, leaving Symbian and Linux to make critical business decisions

- Nokia’s global handset market share will remain stable in 2004, but the dynamics of its primacy will change.

07:04 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

PDA Buyer's Guide reviews the Sony VAIO U50/U70, the hybrid PC/PDA that has beaten both the FlipStart and OQO to market.

They like the fact that it has a touch screen that works with any PDA stylus, is incredibly small and portable yet runs Windows XP, has VGA, USB 2.0, Firewire ports, wired Ethernet (802.11g), a Memory Stick slot, and a CF slot.

They don't like the price. $2199 (U50) and $2699 (U70).

Only one question: Why should it be necessary or any beneficial for a small device such as the U50/U70 to run Windows XP? Long-boot times are not very convenient for an "on-the-go" device like this one...