And what a beast it is too. Rumours have been flying around and now we have not only pictures but specifications about this baby, now called the Sony Ericsson C905. Why am I excited about this? Well have a look at what you can expect from it…

- 8 megapixel camera
- Autofocus
- Face detection
- Image stabilization
- Xenon flash
- Photo flash (for video)
- Smart Contrast
- GPS
- Accelerometer
- TV-Out
- 2.4-inch QVGA TFT display
- Wi-Fi (supports DLNA)
- Comes with 2GB Memory Stick Micro M2
- 104 x 49 x 18 (or 19.5) millimetres
- Weighs 136 grams

Quite impressive indeed as this is perfect for those wanting to use their mobile as a possible replacement for their digital camera. With GPS support you can GeoTag your photographs to send to friends or upload to the internet to let everyone know where it is and the accelerometer will allow natural and easy switching between portrait and landscape modes like other digital cameras. With the TV-Out you can connect it to the TV to view images, video and more for everyone to see on the big screen.

Check out the official promotion video below and another one showing photographs close up.

After reading a very interesting article by GSMArena about the leaked documents of Windows Mobile 7, I decided to write up my own thoughts about the new operating system. For those who are not aware of Windows Mobile, it is an operating system that resides on mobile devices like Symbian or Linux for example. Recently announced Google will be releasing their own open source system called Android too, to combat such systems used in mobile devices and the thwart ideas of the “GPhone” (however that can still happen).

Apple has created quite the stir with the iPhone and it has made everyone else shut up and listen. Its not the complete device still as it has missing features, is overpriced and is not the holy grail that people think it is. However no-one can deny that is does pretty much carry the Apple seal of pure quality when it comes to the user interface.

No mobile phone or device before it has had a user friendly interface as it, with beautifully crafted icons, clever use of gestures and touch control making the use of a complex device seem like childs play. It pretty much has made the same mark on the industry as Nintendo has with the Nintendo Wii and DS, using touch screen and gestures (via motion sensors) as the main control scheme. Now that the dust has settled, Microsoft will be replying back with their answer.

Windows mobile 7 will rely heavily on gestures be it via touch or motion it seems from the leaked documents, much like the iPhone. It also seems to borrow a lot from Sony Ericsson with their “Shake” technology for changing tracks. The interesting bit here is that Microsoft seems to have planned to use the camera to detect movement rather than accelerometers. This means that a camera would have to be constantly on which could easily drain the battery and possible use of such gestures when you want to take a photo - Not to mention how it will detect movement in the dark.

Lets break things down to see what Microsoft would like our mobiles to be powered with in the future though. (Read more…)

What Google Maps looks like on a Nokia N95

Google has released their superb Google Maps for the mobile phone and the great thing is, any Java capable phone can run it! However for Symbian powered mobiles we get a few more extras too, especially with integrated GPS support now added. I will be giving the NokiaN95 version a spin for the purposes of this review.

To obtain the mobile version (for nearly any handset) simply point your mobile to http://www.google.com/gmm. Be aware though that you will incur Data Service charges and it is not advised to use this service without an unlimited data plan or WiFi enabled nearby. While the Map View is pretty basic and detailed enough to get by, Satellite View (which I will discuss later) will consume bandwidth as will searches. Once installed simply run it and agree to the terms laid out.

If you have GPS integrated or indeed paired via Bluetooth then you can press the “0” key right away to be taken to “My Location”. Once there is a Satellite Lock, Google Maps will instantly scroll to your current location, which is pretty handy.

(Read more…)

Thanks to the recent promotion by Handango called “Free App Friday” I got my hands on a very nice alternative to the built in calendar program on the Nokia N95 called Handy Calendar. I’ve been looking for a replacement for the default one on the mobile as while it was functional, I couldn’t help but wanting a bit more from it.
Employing several views such as Month, Week, Day, and Tasks it allows you to easily view your schedule at a glance with varying levels of detail.

For example on Month and Week all your event and birthday icons are on display to help remind you of your busy lifestyle. A neat touch is the “Busy Bar” which estimates how busy your workload is for the day as a visual reminder to stick to your tasks.

In the Day View a detailed report of your tasks are shown along with a time scale at the top to again help you with your timekeeping. Task View is just that, listing all the tasks created thus far with filters, so you can sort them out by Due Date, Subject or Priority.

(Read more…)

LG Shine – Can Lightning strike twice?

Update: Support Forum now here!

LG Mobile has had great success with the LG Chocolate mobile phone, attracting many fans due to its sleek design and functionality. Now with the LG Shine debuting on Feb 7th 2007 in the UK they hope that they can achieve the same if not more success as the Chocolate, especially as it is the second in the line of LG’s Black Label series.

Thanks to a very positive contribution to modern news casting by LG Mobile, they have selected bloggers to preview the mobile phone ahead of its official release. We at eMagi are thankful and pleased to Gaylene Ravenscroft for allowing us to be contributing in such a movement and applaud LG Mobile’s efforts in embracing new trends instead of fighting against them.

The first thing you will notice about the packaging is that they have taken note of the fashion and fragrance industry. The Chocolate was presented attractively and the same applies for the Shine – Gone are the days where a simple box will suffice. Please note that the packaging is still in pre-production and so there could be changes.

Sporting clean lines and textures it draws your attention to the product, using quality cardboard with a reflective silver embellished finish. Upon opening the box I was expecting a magnetic flap akin to a decent fragrance box and was pleased to find exactly that. With the lid drawn the mobile phone is found on the right in full view with the cables and contents hidden by a thin piece of cardboard. Inside you will find the LG Shine, UK mains charger, 3.7v battery (800mAh), a USB cable, hands free kit with remote and headphones. No manual was within the package or CD as everything is still in the pre-release phase.

Update: A forum thread is now dedicated to the LG Shine here for further discussion!

(Read more…)