Cell Phone Services

This isn't the first time we have seen a cellphone charger that is powered by kinetic energy, but the difference is that M2E is working on a charger that can produce 300 to 700% more juice than current technologies. They hope this will translate into a full-on replacement for cellphone batteries somewhere down the line. According to earth2tech, M2E's short term goal is to develop a charger that will produce an hour of talk time for around six hours of normal movement. Currently, M2E is in talks with major accessories manufacturers about bringing a device to market as early as 2009. [earth2tech via Inhabitat]

After a Foxconn factory worker had adorable snapshots of her discovered in a brand new iPhone and posted all over the internet, many worried that she would be fired—or you know, worse. A Foxconn rep told a Chinese newspaper that "she is definitely not fired," and that the pictures were test photos "accidentally" left on the iPhone. He didn't comment on the number of lashings she received. I'm glad that all worked out, I wouldn't want Adam's conscience burdened by the fact he ruined some girl's life while he's vacationing on the Cape. [Macrumors]

We've seen the BlackBerry Bold and iPhone head-to-head before, as well as the Bold's greatly improved browsing powers over past BlackBerrys, but not side-by-side in a web browser race. It actually gets pretty ugly, uglier than we thought it would. Update: So it looks like in Mobile Computer's test the Bold was either dropping off of Wi-Fi or wasn't on it at all. Update 2: Mobile Computer's editor got back to us to explain the test.

He says that both were connected to the same Wi-Fi network, but the possibility didn't occur to him that he might have to manually configure the web browser to use the already established Wi-Fi connection, which is a poor design choice, if true. He also says he didn't disable cellular data to be absolutely sure, because turning that off apparently also turns off Wi-Fi.

In his later test of the two phones, iPhone's EDGE to Bold's 3G, the iPhone still comes out on top, "albeit by a reduced margin," which definitely points to some rendering slowness on the Bold's part. He's going to re-run the Wi-Fi tests to be absolutely sure they were performed correctly. Takeaway: The Bold does render pages more slowly than the iPhone, but it's not draggy enough to go get a snack while you're waiting or anything.

With both running on Wi-Fi and a cleared cache, in a test using Slashdot, the iPhone is actually able to open an entirely new page before the Bold finishes with the first one. The Bold renders everything correctly, it just takes a looooong time to do it. The Bold's got some fairly heavy duty hardware though, so an update from RIM could always give the browser a jolt. [Mobile Computer Mag via jkOntheRun]

Users of the HTC Tilt can now update the system software to Windows Mobile version 6.1. The update enables some new features, including Video Share and threaded SMS. The update is free.

Nortel has successfully handed off a call made using its Long Term Evolution technology at speeds near 100 kilometers per hour. The test was conducted using prototype network gear from Nortel and prototype handset gear from LG. During the ...
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Verizon Wireless has made the UTStarcom Blitz available for sale via its web site. This messaging-focused device has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 1.3 megapixel camera with dedicated camera key and self portrait mirror. It has a 2.5mm headset ...
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Nokia confirmed a report that two new N Series devices will be hitting the market soon. The N85 and N79 both have 5 megapixel cameras, GPS, Wi-Fi and 3G support. N85: This slider is similar to the N81. It has ...
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A fairly quiet announcement, LG's Invision is the third phone to support AT&T's mobile TV service. It's got the same fat candybar form factor as the Access, but it's smaller, so presumably less awkward. Otherwise it's a basic multimedia phone for $99, if you were looking to get your mobile TV on for cheap. [AT&T]

That Windows Mobile 6.1 update we showed you last week when it was supposed to be out is now officially out (according to HTC). Grab it now. [HTC]

New features:

Windows Mobile 6.1
HTC Home Screen
Video Share Calling
Threaded SMS
MS Voice Command
OneNote Mobile
Remote Desktop Monitor
Enroll Domain
Managed Programs
PTT Button now available
for reassignment under
Start>Settings>Buttons.

A company called M2E Power is developing technology that will harness the kinetic movement of the human body to charge electronic devices, including cellular phones. The charging station would be a small device worn on the body. Whenever the ...
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