Tuxtops

In 2006 Sony Ericsson is planning on extending its proposal even further. Considering that many companies have already launched their sliders, release of similar models by SE was only a matter of time. Thanks to big leap up of its production facilities and bigger investments into R&D sector, the company has managed to bring up more models to the market.

The Palm Treo 700p is the latest in a long line of popular PalmOS powered devices with QWERTY keyboards. While its shape is far different from the original Treo 270 phone that was introduced 4 years ago, it does not look all that much different from the Treo 600 and 650 models that made the name Treo such a hot word in business circles.

So now that the Motorola Q is finally making its way into the sweaty, outstretched palms of mobile professionals and Windows Mobile fanboys everywhere -- including our own -- we figured it was about time for a proper roundup of reviews and news. Reaction is generally positive, with everyone naturally loving the thickness of the device and A2DP support. Some folks are reporting that the Q gets a bit pokey at times, but it's nothing our Wizard-toting friends aren't already used to.

It's rare that a new product causes as much of a buzz as that surrounding Sony's take on the UMPC that was announced here in Tokyo on May 16. Looking at the VGN-UX50 handheld PC in the flesh, as we have been doing for the last week, makes it easy to understand at least a little of the hype.

Mobility-enhanced code release to drive open source collaboration, reduce browser fragmentation & deliver true web rendering on smartphone devices.

Here is a Russian review with lots of pictures of the new Nokia 5500 sport phone.

Check here for info and pics on KDDI's new phones. Japanese use more high-end phones than we westerners do, but they don't have as much design selection. Most of their phones are huge flip phones.

Both O2 and i-Mate have unveil their versions of the HTC Hermes design. O2 has more buttons on the front and a faster processor. Other than that, they are the same (except the small software differences and custom apps).

FSMLabs and Infineon Technologies claim to have achieved the world's first demonstration of a mobile phone based on a single processor core: a working phone prototype based on a single ARM9 core running FSMLabs's RTLinux real-time Linux OS, along with a functional 2G/3G (WCDMA/EDGE/GPRS/GSM) stack from Infineon's wholly-owned subsidiary, Comneon.

Geeks.com are known for their rich multimedia product line and so they sent us one of them for a quick introduction: the GeCube PMP-100.

General Features:

* Stylish design

* 3.6-inch crystal clear LCD display

* 20 GB of built-in storage

* Compact Flash Type I/II Reader Flash Interface

* MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, and XviD Video Support

* MP3, WMA, WAV Audio Support

* Image Support JPEG up to 12 MegaPixels

* Hi-Speed USB 2.0 PC Interface

* Composite Video and RCA Stereo AV Interface

* Handy remote control unit

Its Rechargeable Lithium Battery (3700mAhr) yielded up to 6 hours of videom, up to 3 hours of TV-out and up to 8 hours of MP3s (with LCD off). The device can playback MPEG-1 352 x 240, 30 fps, MPEG-4 720 x 480, 30 fps and XviD/DivX 720 x 480, 30 fps. During playback we had a few crashes, we must note. Sometimes, we had to reset the PMP through its small reset hole at the bottom.

The package Includes:

* GeCube Multimedia2GO 20GB 3.6'? LCD Portable Media Player

* A/V cable

* Power Adapter (100-240V ~ 50/60Hz)

* Remote control

* Carrying case

* Drivers CD

* USB cable

* Earbud style headphones.

What we liked from the device was its easy to use interface and its small size, as it's using a 1.8" hard drive instead of the other PMP's 2.5" drives. There is a "hold" button, a kickstand, a usb 2.0 jack, A/V out, a tv-out button, and 3 menu-related buttons. Quality of the LCD is so-so. You must keep the device to a specific angle to get the best color. The device can record voice via its embedded microphone but can't record video.

Have a look at Geeks.com's mp3 products and make yourself a beautiful multimedia gift to use this summer on your vacations!