Filed under: Software, Nokia

It’s that magical time of the season again where Nokia’s mass-market platform, Series 40, gets a little spec bump to keep up with the Joneses. The latest cut is 6th Edition (which follows 5th Edition, in case there was any doubt there) which will get its official world debut on the Supernova 7510 fashion phone in the fourth quarter of this year. What magical gifts can users expect? Most importantly, Flash Lite 3 comes in the box, which means support for video; plenty of other Series 40 phones have shipped with Flash support, but version 3 is fresh. It’ll also support a significantly enhanced browser, UI transitions (think S60 3.2), and support for Windows Media Audio 10 and Windows Media Video 9, among other things. Yeah, at the end of the day it’s still a dumbphone, but it looks like Nokia’s doing everything it can to blur the lines. [Warning: PDF link]

[Via IntoMobile]

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Gaming

While those of us ’round these parts have pretty much given up on the idea of a DVD-playing Wii a long time ago, folks in Japan have had some cause for hope based on promises from the company that such a system was, in fact, headed for the country sooner or later. It seems like they’re now about to enter the acceptance phase as well, however, as Nintendo has just announced yet another delay to the system with no word about an eventual release date. According to IGN, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata would only go so far as to say that due continuing worldwide supply constraints on the current Wii, “the priority is on the current model.” One thing getting a boost in availability, however, is the Nintendo DS 1Seg TV tuner, which Nintendo says will get a retail release next month after previously only being available online.

[Via Joystiq]

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation

We feel for all of you in California who are dealing with the new hands-free legislation that came down upon you today like an edict from your overlords. If you’re one of the unlucky few who get nailed by the 5-0 for talking on your cellphone while driving, though, there’s some silver in those dark clouds. Headsets.com is giving away the Plantronics Discovery 925 bluetooth earpiece — worth $150 clams — in exchange for proof that you were pulled over. Now, don’t go talking on your cellphone in the hope of getting one of these, though — that $20 fine could get you a decent headset today anyway.

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Original post by Joshua Fruhlinger

Filed under: Handsets, Motorola, GSM, EDGE, UMTS

This new Motorola in the FCC’s filings looks like no model we’re familiar with, and from what we can see, that’s a very good thing. The candybar was only tested for GSM / EDGE 1900 and Bluetooth, an indication that it’s destined for some non-US market — though the manual makes mention of 3G capability and we see a front-facing cam here as well, so whatever market does get it will have access to some speedy data and video calling. We only hope this little gem is nothing more than a low-end model designed to bring WCDMA to the masses (or possibly a one-off custom designed to a carrier’s exact specifications), because if it’s even remotely indicative of the design direction Moto’s looking to go in the post-breakup era, we can get that fork ready. You know, the one we’ll use to stick in Motorola… when it’s done. Ah, never mind.

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation

We feel for all of you in California who are dealing with the new hands-free legislation that came down upon you today like an edict from your overlords. If you’re one of the unlucky few who get nailed by the 5-0 for talking on your cellphone while driving, though, there’s some silver in those dark clouds. Headsets.com is giving away the Plantronics Discovery 925 bluetooth earpiece — worth $150 clams — in exchange for proof that you were pulled over. Now, don’t go talking on your cellphone in the hope of getting one of these, though — that $20 fine could get you a decent headset today anyway.

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Original post by Joshua Fruhlinger

Filed under: Messaging, T-Mobile

Just a little over a year after going to 15 cents per message, T-Mobile’s at it again, bumping the rate to 20 cents for those who go over their monthly allotment. For anyone with an unlimited messaging plan, it’s obviously not an issue — but many folks aren’t, so this could end up stinging the pocketbook just a bit when it goes in effect come August 29. For what it’s worth, T-Mob just seems to be responding to the 20 cent trend that’s going on in the industry right now — but it still hurts something fierce, and it’s a pretty solid reminder that even casual texters are better off on a legit messaging plan these days.

[Thanks, Ryan J. and Mike]

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Gaming

While the original Rock Band is still going strong, Harmonix is already looking towards the next bit of kit that it hopes will be cluttering your place, with it now getting official with Rock Band 2 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Time time around, it seems the Xbox 360 will be getting a jump on things with a launch in September, with the PS3 version set to follow “later in the year.” Both of those will, naturally, be coming with all new instruments, including the tasty Fender Stratocaster pictured above, but you will be able to use your current gear if you want to spare the extra clutter and save a few bucks. What’s more, you’ll also be able to carry over all your current downloaded content and, as IGN reports, you’ll even be able to download and play new tracks on Rock Band 1 once Rock Band 2 is out. Of course, Harmonix is saving most of the details for E3 next month, but you can find a few more tidbits in IGN’s interview with Harmonix’s Dan Teasdale available at the read link below.

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

As you’re no doubt all too well aware, there’s certainly no shortage of netbook options out there these days, but the number of convertible netbooks is considerably more limited — a situation that little known Aware Electronics now looks set to somewhat rectify. It’s apparently now set to jump into the game with this 7-inch number, which packs an Aday5G 800MHz X86 processor (all bets are off on that one), 4GB of NAND Flash, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth (with optional 3G and GPS), an integrated webcam, dual USB ports, an SD card slot, and the LINOS Linux distribution for an OS. Nothing particularly standout there, but Aware is promising that this one’ll sell for $300 when it launches in two months, which certainly evens things out — assuming that you can actually get one for that price.

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Original post by Donald Melanson