Analysts dubbed dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi handsets as the “breakout market segment” in 2007. The devices are seen to grab 20 percent of the total chipset market in two years. Wi-Fi for voice, according to In-Stat analyst Gemma Tedesco, is also gaining momentum this year as a result of T-Mobile’s deployment of fixed-mobile convergence in the U.S.… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Handhelds
Panasonic Intros $400 Wi-Fi Skype Phone
Panasonic has unveiled its new Wi-Fi Skype phone, which it plans to sell for $399.95. The KX-WP1050 Panasonic Wi-Fi Phone kit features a cordless handset with a 1.8-inch LCD display for viewing Skype contact lists, call histories, and address books, a wireless base station with 256-bit AES encryption (WPA) to ensure security of calls, and… Continue Reading
Music And Video Players Add Wi-Fi Access
Although having Wi-Fi features, sales of Microsoft’s Zune have not taken off. Part of the reason is the lack of networking capabilities like an online store that can be accessed sans a PC, wireless syncing and Internet radio. Sandisk’s 4GB Sansa Connect device provides an alternative to Zune. The $250 gadget uses Zing to allow… Continue Reading
Skype Phone Arrives With No String Attached
RTX has unveiled its new cordless Skype handset. Dualphone 3088 removes the need for users to turn on their PCs to enable Skype connection since the base station connects to a broadband router/modem via an Ethernet cable, rather than to a USB link at the back of a PC. When switched on, Dualphone 3088 initially… Continue Reading
Boingo Launches Worldwide Wi-Fi Service For Mobile Phones And Devices
Boingo Wireless has launched its new global Wi-Fi service for mobile phones and devices. Boingo Mobile, which the company offers for a monthly flat rate of $7.95, allows users to get high-speed Internet connection in airports, hotels, restaurants and convention centers across the globe. The service can run with Windows Mobile 5.0-based Smartphones or Pocket… Continue Reading
Wedding The Cell Phone To Wi-Fi
T-Mobile is offering a new service that will allow users to make calls with mobile phones using cellular and Wi-Fi network connections. HotSpot@Home clients pay at least $60 per month and a further $5 for each additional phone. Enrollment to the service is only allowed in corporate outlets in the Seattle-Tacoma region though subscribers can… Continue Reading
Netgear Debuts Long-awaited Wi-Fi Phone
Netgear is bringing its WiFi phone, which can make calls using Skype, to Singapore. The company is selling the handset for S$349 (US$2226) and has preloaded it with Skype software. To make calls through SPH101, the user must be within the coverage of a 802.11b or a 802.11g wireless system and must hold a proper… Continue Reading
The Air Is Free, And Sometimes So Are The Phone Calls That Borrow It
Some consumers are now having a taste of mobile phones that can make calls over the Internet. Companies like Vonage, Skype and T-Mobile are either promoting or selling these devices, which tap WiFi access points, particularly those installed in coffee shops, parks, businesses and homes, to enable calls. Some home network users do not welcome… Continue Reading
Samsung Unveils Multifeatured PDA With WiMax
Samsung is coming out with an all-in-one handheld, a fusion of PC, cell phone, camera, and portable music player. SPH-P9000 houses a folding qwerty keyboard and has built-in WiMax as well as high-speed CDMA EV-DO and Bluetooth capabilities. The PDA, which Samsung first put on display at the Mobile WiMax Summit 2006, is preloaded with… Continue Reading
Samsung’s Next-Gen Wireless Vision
Samsung Electronics will begin shipping a new device that is packed with a broad range of mobile services by March next year. This new portable gadget called Deluxe MITs (or mobile intelligent terminal by Samsung) is a phone, miniature PC, TV, MP3 player, digital camera, camcorder, and personal media player (PMP) rolled into one. According… Continue Reading
Wyse Ships Thin Clients With Embedded Wi-Fi
Wyse Technology Inc. has started shipping its V-Class systems of thin-client computers embedded with 802.11b and 802.11g wireless capabilities. According to David Angwin, a Wyse senior marketing manager in the U.K., WiFi-embedded computers are particularly useful in environments such as airports and schools where Ethernet may not always be available. Although the current setup does… Continue Reading
CSR Design For £11 Wi-Fi Phones
Wireless chipmaker CSR has developed a VoIP phone that may be sold for under $20 or just a tenth of the average cost of current models. The company plans to license UniVox to handset manufacturers and sees the release of the product by the second half of next year. The phone uses CSR’s UniFi tri-band… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi Mobiles Offer Free Calls – All Over The World
Mobiboo and Belkin are now offering handsets that can perform VoIP calls using connection to wireless networks, i.e., The Cloud for Mobiboo and Skype for the latter. Calls from a Mobiboo handset — either the £99 Mobiboo F1000 unit or the £179 Mobiboo F3000 model — to other Mobiboo users are free, those to UK… Continue Reading
WiFi Phones Arrive, But Still Expensive
Panasonic is now offering Skype-supported phones. The handset uses public hotspots as well as home and office WiFi to run Skype voicemail and call forwarding. The firm plans to also develop VoIP handsets for Vonage. Meanwhile, Cisco’s consumer unit Linksys has shipped WIP330 to Europe. The VoIP phone operates on SIP 2 protocol and is… Continue Reading
The Ins And Outs Of Using A Wi-Fi Smart Phone
Technology has now made gaps in cell phone coverage a thing of the past, that is if there is a Wi-Fi Hotspot nearby. Smart phones, complete with Wi-Fi capabilities are hitting the market, albeit slowly, and allow you to make VoIP phone calls, check email, read the latest news and other activities via the internet.… Continue Reading