Sprint’s Palm Treo 700wx with GPS - Vodafone/Cingular Treo 750 on the way?

Sprint are expected to release the new Palm Treo 700wx next week with a host of great new features included double the RAM from the 700w and built-in GPS. sprintusers.com has what looks to be an official specs sheet. This new PDA will operate on the Sprint EV-DO Mobile Broadband network and have access to Sprints Power Vision network services.

The 700wx is expected to be released to business customers from 27 August with an offering at retail sales outlets from 3 September.

Treo 750…

In other Treo news, the Treo 750 is expected to be released in just two weeks time 12 September for the European market on Vodafone’s 3G network. As expected, the 750 will run Windows Mobile 5.0. While no official details have been released, it is hoped that the 750 will be an antenna-less design and have built-in wifi - something that has been lacking from all Treo handsets to date.

Reuters reports:

Palm is to launch the new handset to Vodafone customers in a number of European countries including the U.K., Germany, Spain, Italy and Netherlands as it attempts to win back the confidence of a market it once dominated with its Palm Pilot device.

PDAStreet is speculating that shortly after it’s release, Cingular users should expect a US version…

Phone Friday! News & reviews on some phones

HTC release the Excalibur, better than the Q?

The Excalibur is HTC’s version of the Q, but appears to blow the Q out of the water. This thin smart phone comes with Windows Mobile and a full QWERTY keybaord. It also will have Mi-FI and Bluetooth, and like the Q it will have a method for one handed navigation. The Excalibur will have a touch sensitive scroll pad including home and back keys as well.
The Excalibur is rumored to launch with Sprint in the US by the end of the year, but no word on an exact date or price.

[Thanks for Geek.com for the pictures, and check out HTC’s website for more of their sleek phones.]

LG releases some white chocolate

Although this may not be the Chocolate, the LF1300 certianly has some flavor. The LF1300 comes with a 2-inch QVGA display, 1.3 megapixel camer, SD expansion, Bluetooth, and of course, an MP3 Player.

This slider measures 98 x 48 x 16.9mm and will be available through CYON. The LF1300 is said to be released only in Korea, and no word on pricing as of now.

[Picture and story from I4U.com]

Milk chocolate from Sony Ericsson?

Well this also isn’t the Chocolate, but Sony Ericsson has released a milk chocolate colored phone, calling it the K800i. It comes with a brilliant 3.2 megapixel camera, UMTS high-speed data, and and MP3/MPEG4 player.

The K800i will be released in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

[Picture from Gizmodo.com]

Sprint to announce building of a WiMax network

Sprint is scheduled to announce later today that it is choosing the WiMax technology to build a brand new wireless internet network. Although this will not be available until 2008, this is definitely something to look forward to. Sprint will be working with Motorola and Samsung using Intel chips to make headsets that are compatible. The service is said to be available nationwide (in the United States), and could even replace cable and DSL.

[To read more, check out dailywireless.org]

Yet more iPhone speculation - could THIS be the one?

The web is abuzz once again with yet more dubious, ‘top-secret’ images of the much anticipated Apple cell phone. Just take a look at Flickr. More pictures of a new supposed, handset dubbed ‘iChat Mobile’ have surfaced along with a scratchy video on YouTube of someone supposedly wielding one.

These new images feature a phone sporting iPod shuffle like controls along with a keypad that would presumably have a similar feel to the click controls of a traditional iPod.

The thing that seems to have most people puzzled is the appearance of what looks to be an iSight camera on the rear in combination with the name iChat. The camera could either be a traditional camera, as we’ve come to expect in most handsets, OR maybe this is for a Wifi/VoIP/Skype like application (akin to iChat proper) offering video conferencing facilities and not a cell phone at all….but, then shouldn’t the camera be on the front so you can see the other caller while they see you?

While, I like really like the look of this thing, to me the corners look far too sharp to be slipped in and out of a pocket and the handset looks to be the size of a very large remote control. Apple’s specialty is designing functional, stylish and practical technology and this to me doesn’t fit the mould and the whole package just doesn’t add up.

As convincing as this unit looks, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that this is not THE cell phone we have all been expecting. We’re itching to see what Apple really has in store for us though. Roll on WWDC…

More deals for T-Mobile = more Wi-Fi locations for customers

T-Mobile anounced that they have reached deals with three internet access companies to provide more locations to it’s customers nationwide.

The deal with IBahn, major provider for hotels, could reach more than 100,000 rooms in 525 hotels. This includes access to a few American airports such as O’Hare in Chicago and three well travelled airports in New York. As stated, this deal affects more than America and will contries that will have T-Mobile wi-fi access could include France, Philippines, Portugal, and Switzerland.
The other two companies are Concourse Communications Group LLC and Opti-Fi Networks LLC which plan to provide access in 39 other United States airports.

[Full story at PhoneNewz.com]

Struggling for cell signal, do what this guy did

Graeme over at Earth: Mostly Harmless devised an ingenious way of extending cell phone coverage to the darkest corners of his home…MacGyver style. That’s right, from a few bits and pieces retrieved from some Wi-fi equipment, some wire, a few clips and some mesh a signal boosting antenna was born, extending the reach of T-Mobile’s cell signal to the areas that were once in shadow.

Where there’s a will there’s a way…Nice work.

[Read more]

Cell phone calls via VoIP and Wi-fi

Matt Richtel of The New York Times reports on the progress that US based cell phone service providers are making in accepting that VoIP services like Skype and others aren’t suddenly going to disappear. With the increasingly widespread penetration of Wi-Fi hotspots and Wi-Fi use in homes and offices all across the country, VoIP will remain a rival service for the forseeable future. Many of the big names are getting in early and embracing the technology rather than resisting any longer. Similarly, non cell-phone service providers like Skype, Fon and Earthlink are all after a piece of the action.

[Read More]