Cellphones

Not that Nokia’s current Communicator is in need of a major refacing or anything, but we’re always up for some innovation. A recent patent application from the outfit showcases a completely bizarre four-way folding Communicator, chock full of hinges, keys and pixels. In fact, the verbiage spells out a future device consisting of “at least four device parts,” leaving open the option for a handset that miraculously unfolds to completely envelope you in a glass case of emotion. Hit the read link for the full dream spilled out in entirely too much detail.

[Via Cellpassion]

Ha, you or someone you love just paid full retail for an iPhone 3G a few days ago, didn’t you? We’ve always heard that the best deals come after Christmas, but people just never learn. All smack talk aside, those who didn’t get a new cellie under the tree, but did acquire a Benjamin or so courtesy of cash-stuffed holiday cards, can certainly score a big deal today. AT&T is now offering the 8GB iPhone 3G in refurbished form for just $99 with a two-year agreement, while the 16GB refurb is $199 on contract in either black or white. Call us crazy, but we don’t foresee these hanging around in stock for too awfully long.

[Thanks, Brenson]

An Apple patent unearthed by Mac Rumors named Swipe Gestures for Touch Screen Keyboards suggests a future direction the company might be taking which would substantially change interaction with devices like the iPhone. According to the document, the new system would allow for simple finger gestures like swipes to the left or right to control basic functions of text editing. Some movements outlined in the application include a left swipe for deletion of characters, right swipes for a space, and a swipe down in place of the return key. Of course, these types of gestures are nothing new (and frankly, nothing patentable we suspect), as applications on the company’s own devices — namely the jailbreak-only MobileTerminal — feature almost this exact implementation of gesture control, and Microsoft has had a similar (albeit stylus-based) concept in WinMo for years. Still, adding in this functionality to the software’s existing tools would likely improve navigation and input, and opens the door for solutions to the lingering (and annoying) copy / paste problems Apple seems to have.

[Via Mac Rumors]

Personally, we wouldn’t want to be within 15 feet of a Centro being mercilessly overclocked to a mind-numbing 936MHz, but we reckon that’s where our fearless readers come into play. We’re told that this sucker reached prompt criticality and melted into the Earth’s crust shortly after this screen shot was taken, and you know what? We can’t say we blame it.

[Thanks, Jason]

This year, all I really wanted for the holidays was the perfect smartphone. Not too much to ask for, right? You’d think, but all I ended up with was constant swapping between 3 (or more) devices, hoping to find some balance of features that worked for me. Instead of one “go to” phone, I juggled the iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1, and BlackBerry Bold for the last few months, desperately wishing I could merge them into one perfect device. I shall now break down my hopes for the upcoming year, with a prayer in my little old heart that manufacturers are listening.

1: Give me the iPhone’s ecosystem, processing power, and polish without the draconian approval process and limits on what developers can do.

It’s pretty clear that right now Apple’s take on app distribution is the way to go, and it’s also pretty clear that the iPhone has enough juice to carry out just about any task with reasonable speed (3D gaming included). Unfortunately, the limits on what you can do within the developer agreement, and the hidden, shifting rules on what flies and what doesn’t in the App Store make the whole process disheartening. The G1 (with its Android Market) has this almost right — but it’s going to take some time (and end users) to get really refined apps out the door.

2: Give me the Bold’s keyboard and speed.

Look, not only is this phone one of the more enjoyable devices I’ve ever had the pleasure of typing on — it’s insanely fast. The Bold is probably the fastest, most responsive phone I’ve ever used… and I’ve used a lot. Sometimes waiting for the iPhone or G1 to switch between apps can seem like an eternity, and don’t even get me started on finding a phone number or email address. The Bold truly excels at speeding up workflow — so manufacturers, take note. And the keyboard? Heaven on Earth. No, really. The iPhone’s virtual keyboard is useable (with some serious practice), and the G1 works just fine (save for that annoying “chin,” and the fact that you have to flip out the screen whenever you want to type) but I’ll take the physical, portrait-oriented QWERTY of the Bold any day.

3: Give me the G1’s open source roots and (most importantly) Gmail integration.

Sorry guys, but I’m far too hooked on Google’s kooky email ideas at this point to tolerate anything less than its full feature set on a mobile device. The Gmail Java app for phones almost hits the right note in its newest iteration, but it’s still lacking proper label management and push notification. The G1 is the only device that actually uses Gmail the way Google intended it. Couple that with the super-fast push service, and it’s a regular love-fest. Lately, I can’t stand to look at email on the iPhone — so I carry the G1 just for that. Also, unlike the iPhone, I can actually use different browsers on this if I want, and developers can actually make apps the way they want.

4: Get syncing right once and for all.

Here’s where the Bold takes a few hits. Sure, I can sync my contacts and calendars from Gmail, but good luck getting it from my laptop directly. No, for that an elaborate scheme is required involving third-party apps and a voodoo incantation I picked up in Haiti, and it doesn’t always work. Ditto for pictures and music on the G1. There needs to be centralized, OTA syncing for devices, and it needs to happen yesterday. I’ll give the iPhone this — I can’t even remember the last time I had to sync it physically. Once Apple got those MobileMe kinks worked out… it really does kinda work.

5: Make sure it has some screen real estate, and lose the resistive touch.

The iPhone and G1 sort of get this. But next year, these things better come to the table with Touch HD resolution. Sure, we’ve got decent browsers and video playback — but don’t make us squint anymore. This is why I jettisoned my Treo 750. And resistive touchscreens? Let’s all just slide the styli back into their slots, and move towards a brighter, more capacitive future. Trust me, it is better.

So I know what you’re thinking. Open source heart, some graphics horsepower, a nice landscape screen, but a portrait QWERTY keyboard… someone’s going to come along with this thing, right?

Well, let’s hope not, because I know you can do better. So listen giant cellphone conglomerates: 2009 will be our year — let’s make it happen… together.

And commenters, I’d love to know what you wanted (but didn’t get) in a phone this year. Sound off below!

It looks like Vertu isn’t resting on its laurels — a mere two years after snatching the “world’s ugliest phone title” with its Signature Cobra, the company’s back with the Signature Dragon. What can we say about this one? Not much, seeing as how the thing isn’t even listed on the company’s website. Even so, since the Cobra retailed for over a quarter of a million bucks we’re guessing this new handset ain’t gonna be cheap. Feel free to sneak a peek at the thing in the Vertu store in Las Vegas’s Wynn Hotel when you hit the town for CES. As an aside, when researching this post we came across an erotic French novel titled Dragon de Vertu which is on sale for about $30. Even if you don’t read French, we still think it’d be a better use of your hard earned cash — and if you do read French, please underline the good parts before you pass it on to us.

Read: Vertu to display its luxury handset ‘Vertu Signature Dragon’
Read: Dragon de Vertu by Francis Tigrone

Gee, willickers. More App Store madness. In case you needed even more evidence that the whole approval process in Cupertino was in complete disarray, David Carnoy’s “contemporary medical thriller” has been rejected from Apple’s App Store twice now. The first time it was returned to sender due to a few bugs in the coding; the second time, it was rejected due to the inclusion of “obscene content.” Despite all of this, certain apps like iFart and Pull My Finger are allowed to remain, though it stands to reason that those programs are just as “obscene” as a few dirty words and sexual innuendos. Alexandru Brie, a developer and one of the first publishers of e-books to the App Store, feels that “each of Apple’s reviewers can interpret the obscene, pornographic or defamatory content clause in a different way.” Clearly, he’s right.

No, we’re not talking about Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Phone Edition or iPhone firmware 2.0, we’re talking moderately more diabolical stuff here: explosions, international intrigue, fancy casinos where everyone wears suits and plays baccarat, the whole nine yards. Echelon Conspiracy is a movie about… well, who cares, really? Point is, there’s an all-knowing phone that tells you what to do and brings you both great fortune and great tragedy, making for a modern King Midas tale that has Critic’s Choice Award nomination written all over it. The flick probably would’ve made more sense back when phones actually looked evil, but yeah, sure, we’ll add it to our Netflix queue in a few years — somewhere between Death Race and The Transporter 3. Catch the spellbinding trailer after the break.

[Thanks, A. Razaq]

Did we just blow your mind with this all-black T-Mobile Dash? Besides sporting a new look, this furtively shot handset seems to confirm details we received from a tipster over the weekend. According to the source, the new phones have been seen in a few T-Mob stores across the country, and they’re sporting Windows 6.1 and a camera upgrade of some sort. We’re light on details, like whether or not this bad boy is 3G, but then again there’s no telling whether or not any of this is even for reals. But that is a picture, isn’t it? We’ll just have to wait and see.

[Thanks, Scott K]

The only information we had on LG’s heretofore elusive KB770 was a not-at-all detailed FCC report. Now, however, we’re getting our first good glimpse courtesy of a thorough review and hands-on extravaganza originating in the Czech Republic. LG has clearly designed this one with mobile TV and multimedia in mind, and that huge retractable antenna should make for easy reception for those in DVB-T territories. The overall design isn’t a great departure from other like-minded handsets (read: the Vu), though critics did find the UI impressively simple to navigate and use. Sadly, the actual quality of the mobile TV — which, again, is the main selling point here — left a bit to be desired. All in all, the KB770 just didn’t seem to execute as well as it should given the 8,900CZK ($471) price tag, but if you’re still interested in seeing what it looks like from every angle imaginable (yes, even that one), the read link should be the next place your browser points to.

[Thanks, Daniel]