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Helio debuts Samsung's Fin

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:59:57 -0400

Mobile virtual network operator Helio introduced the Samsung-produced Fin, purportedly the thinnest handset currently available in the U.S. The phone arrives preloaded with Helio 3G content and services including MySpace, GPS-enabled Google Maps, YouTube and Flickr as well as a messaging suite combining IM, texting, MMS and e-mail. The Fin also represents the debut of Garmin Mobile for GPS-enabled voice-guided navigation.

Just over 11mm deep, the Fin also boasts a 3 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, night mode and built-in Photo Studio, a 2.3 inch QVGA display, 100MB available internal memory expandable via microSD to 4GB, an HTML browser, GPS capabilities for integration with Helio's GPS services like Buddy Beacon and Google Maps for mobile, stereo Bluetooth and support for an array of audio and video formats including MP3 and AAC audio, and MPEG-4 and H.264 video. At present, Helio is selling the Fin for $175, in tandem with several $50 off promotions.

For more on Helio's Fin:
-read this release

Related articles:
Helio launches Drift with LBS
Samsung Blackjack wins big
Samsung SGH-X820 "world's thinnest phone"

Editor's Corner

Eli Dickinson — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:01:39 -0500

Mobile Widgets
The allure of widgets is obvious: porting, compatibility testing and code signing are major headaches for developers just trying to create a simple application or piece of content. A well-designed widget architecture promises to take that all away.

I've touched on mobile widget platforms from Bling on Mojax when I wrote about mobile AJAX a few weeks ago, but since then Opera Software has announced Opera 9 Mobile, which will feature a mobile version of Opera Widgets. This is a pretty big deal as Opera already has a large library of desktop widgets and a sizable user base. (The other big new feature announced in Opera 9 Mobile is "intelligent zoom," which sounds a bit like the "pinch zoom" feature in the upcoming iPhone.)

And Opera isn't the only big name trying to get in on the action. Yahoo is trying to leverage its desktop Widget Engine (and the 1,500 existing desktop widgets available for download) with the latest version of Yahoo Go for Mobile. Go for Mobile 2.0 is a downloadable app that includes widgets for weather, breaking news, search and pictures through Flickr.

Another new entrant to the mobile widget arena is Canoo's UltraLightClient (ULC). ULC is best known as a Java-based platform for creating "rich Internet applications." The company just announced ULC Mobile, a J2ME version that can leverage ULC's existing codebase. There is one catch: while many products let developers create widgets for free in order to promote the platform, ULC Mobile has to charge for it. The client is free, but a developer license costs about $5,000.

Next Week: I'll be reporting live from the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. -Eli

QUICKLINKS: Rumor: Infospace may sell games division; Flickr launches new mobile site; Much more...

Mon, 27 Nov 2006 19:01:35 -0500

Rumor: Infospace may sell games division. Blog

Flickr launches new mobile site. Website

Google says carriers want to block its maps. FierceWireless

Samsung develops super-slim LCD screen. Article

Hack your Samsung Blackjack for increased battery life. Blog

Ten reasons every programmer should learn C. Blog (via ceo)

Rumor: T-Mobile is testing MediaFLO technology.

QUICKLINKS: Mobile software more important than hardware; NTT DoCoMo demos fuel cell for phones; Much more...

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 20:01:35 -0400

Trend: mobile software innovation trumps hardware innovation. Article

NTT DoCoMo demos mobile fuel cell. Article

D-Link's new WiFi/GSM handset. Article

Opinion: Is Mobile IM really IM? Blog

Report: shortcodes in ads work. Release

Which Java certification should I get? Blog

The top cameraphones, as extracted from Flickr image data. Blog

Nokia launches N72, N73 and N93

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 20:01:36 -0400

Nokia has launched three new high-end N-series phones:

The N72 is your basic Nokia EDGE smartphone with a 2-MP camera, MP3 player and FM radio. It comes in pink or black. Release | Photos
The N73 is a new camera-centric smartphone with a 3.2-MP Carl Zeiss camera. It also support direct uploads to Flickr, thanks to a new Nokia partnership with Yahoo. Release | Photos
Like the N73, the N93 is a 3.2-MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics, but the N93 is focused on digital video. It offers video stabilization features and a 3x optical zoom. The form factor is similar to that of the N90. Release | Photos

QUICKLINKS: Will mobile TV eventually be free?; MySpace.com to launch MVNO; Much more...;

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 19:00:50 -0500

Will mobile TV eventually be free? Blog

Mozilla releases new version of Minimo. Article

MySpace to launch MVNO. Keep an eye on this one. Article

Operators look toward universal IM? Blog

Russ Beattie: Things I didn't see at 3GSM. Blog

SIM cards add data storage, DRM. Release

Web 2.0 mobile mashups. Blog

Nokia and Sanyo will merge CDMA divisions. Release

Steve Ballmer: $100 smartphones in one to two years. Article

Capcom reveals mobile division. Article

Mobileglu embraces Web 2.0 with RSS reader, Flickr access and more. Site

JavaOne: Pictures from the show floor

Mon, 04 Jul 2005 20:01:36 -0400

Michael Yuan has a nice collection of pictures from the JavaOne show floor on his blog, and there are many more available on Flickr. Blog | Flickr images