Handhelds
GPS handheld The first personal digital assistant to include integrated GPS (global positioning system) technology will be in UK stores within six weeks. The £500 Garmin iQue 3600 is a conventional handheld that runs Palm's operating system. It can display map information on its 54x81mm screen and includes automatic route calculation and turn-by-turn voice guidance. Its traditional PDA-type features include organising software, an integrated MP3 player, voice recording facilities and an SD card expansion slot. It has 32MB of storage, runs off a 200MHz ARM processor and is powered by rechargeable batteries.
www.garmin.com
Wi-Fi cards
Owners of PDAs such as Hewlett-Packard's iPaq h2210, O2's XDA and Palm's Tungsten T2 who want to add Wi-Fi functionality to their handhelds have not got long to wait. SanDisk has announced the imminent arrival of a tiny SD card featuring Wi-Fi facilities that fits into the SDIO card slot of many existing PDAs. Due first is a version that uses Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system, which will retail for around $129 (no UK launch or price details yet), while a Palm SD Wi-Fi card and its accompanying drivers will follow in November. SanDisk is also lining up cards that combine Wi-Fi functionality with additional flash storage. These are due to go on sale by the end of the year.
<A HREF="http://www.sandisk.com"
Moving sounds
Mini MP3
Creative Labs has unveiled the latest version of its MuVo tiny key chain-style MP3 player. The new model, the Nomad MuVo NX, features its predecessor's integrated USB socket for direct connection to PCs, yet Creative has added a blue backlit LED display, a built-in microphone for voice recording and armband and belt clip attachments. The player is accompanied by a snap-on MuVo memory battery cartridge. Due on sale next month for £120, the model can store up to four hours of MP3 tunes on its 128MB memory. Creative could soon have serious competition in the tiny MP3 player stakes from Korean companies Eratech and Station Z. They have combined to develop a player they claim is no bigger than a very large coin. Just 10mm thick and 42mm in diameter, the EMP-Z will come with a headphone attachment that includes a remote control and a USB connector. It goes into full production next month, with a European launch on the cards for the end of the year.
http://uk.europe.creative.com
<A HREF="http://www.eratech.co.kr"
Digital photos
Print options Camera specialists Jessops this month launches 90 digital photo kiosks around the UK. Customers will be able to download their pictures at high-street stores from their camera's memory card and select the size, quantity and finish of the prints. The large bandwidth required to process high-quality pictures in such volumes will be provided by telecoms company Thus, originally a spin-off from Scottish Power and now owner of the Demon internet brand. Prices are from 15p per print for next-day service based on 6in x4in for 40 or more prints.
www.jessops.com
www.thus.co.uk
Mobile phones
BT on the move
British Telecom this week announced its plans for a cheaper alternative to standard mobile phone calls. Its dual-band Wi-Fi and GSM handsets will allow calls made near wireless hotspots to be routed via the phone's Bluetooth to fixed lines. The first to try out the Sony Ericsson Bluephone will be BT staff and some business customers and it should be available in shops next year. As well as being able to make calls over BT's fixed network, the handset will also make web browsing and data services much faster. BT also this week announced its Mobile Home Plan together with T-Mobile. The service will be targeted at families and should be available this autumn. BT sold its mobile phone division in 2001 and the announcements mark its return to the mass handset market.
Samsung calling
Samsung's V200 camera phone could be the model that starts to give the South Korean company the profile here that it enjoys in Asia. Weighing only 96g (compared with 107g for Vodafone Live's Sharp GX 10), the V200 crams in everything you want in a mobile (except Bluetooth short range wireless links) into a very compact clamshell.
It may not win any design prizes for its protruding aerial and thumb-controlled dial to change the camera angle but that doesn't affect its functionality. The 180-degree rotating lens is perfect for those wanting to take self-portraits, though the thumb wheel on my model was stiff.
The clamshell design means space for the key pads is more than adequate, and the one-press buttons for the camera and (quite speedy) web access were very practical. It has GPRS, plus embedded luxuries such as multimedia messaging, triband reception, infra-red and USB connectivity not to mention polyphonic ringtones by the bucketful.
Samsung is so impressed with this phone that according to the Wall Street Journal, it has banned staff and visitors from using it in parts of its factories for fear of industrial espionage. The Sony Ericsson T610 (reviewed last week) beats it on weight, looks and Bluetooth, but the V200 is a formidable and competitive phone in the exploding camera phone sector. Get it from Carphone Warehouse now at £279.99 (pay-as-you-go) or upwards of nothing on monthly contract.
Stat of the week Media switching
Research from UCLA's centre for communication policy has found that experienced web users watch less TV. Although experienced users spend an hour less each week reading newspapers than non-users, they spend 48 minutes reading newspapers online.
