Nokia N97

(Credit: Mark Licea/CNET)

I got a chance to look at Nokia's latest smartphone, the N97, on Thursday at the company's annual Capital Markets Day here. While Nokia's marketing team wouldn'...

Originally posted at News - Wireless

Bluetooth 2.2 to debut next year.

(Credit: Bluetooth)

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) recently announced that it will release a new version of Bluetooth in mid-2009. Bluetooth 2.2 promises to be much faster than previous versions, allowing transfer rates at higher speeds.

According to the SIG, the ...

The Instinct adds a handy new feature.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)

When we reviewed Sprint's Samsung Instinct earlier this year, there were several things we liked about the device. Naturally, we had a few complaints as well, not the least of which was the lack of corporate calendar ...

The Agora phone is set to launch Down Under on January 29

(Credit: Kogan Technologies)

The first mobile phone running Google's Android operating system will hit Australia next month, with a company called Kogan Technologies announcing the imminent release of an Android-based handset it calls the "Agora."

The phone, ...

Originally posted at News - Wireless

Pick your C905 carefully.

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

Q: I currently have an iPhone 3G but I'm considering purchasing the Sony Ericsson C905. This would be my first time using an unlocked phone and I'm a bit skeptical that it will work. What steps do I need to take in order to make the switch go as smoothly as possible? And will I be able to use AT&T's 3G network?
- Nacor

A: Buying an unlocked phone needn't be complicated as long as you consider a couple of points. Most importantly, the phone will need to support the GSM bands used in the United States. Since the C905 is a quad-band GSM phone, you'll be able to make calls here without any problem. Just pop in your AT&T SIM card and you can start dialing. Yet, the 3G compatibility is another story. Sony Ericsson makes two versions of the C905, each with support for different 3G bands. The C905i will support only European 3G bands, while the C905a will work with AT&T's 3G network. So when buying your phone, you'll need to make sure you have the correct model.

Once you get the phone, you'll also need to program it with the correct multimedia settings to send picture messages and browse the Internet. The settings are unique to every phone and carrier but you should be able to download them from the support section on Sony Ericsson's Web site.

Q: I'm new here in the United States, and I would like to know if I can use a prepaid SIM from Verizon Wireless. Is that possible?
- Chaya

A: Verizon Wireless is a CDMA carrier, which means that its phones don't use SIM cards. Verizon does offer prepaid phones, but you'll need to purchase a phone from the carrier if you want to use the service. And in any case, Verizon does its best to downplay its prepaid service.

Originally posted at Dialed In Podcast

A variety of off-grid devices use the wind, the sun, or fuel cells to power up small electronics. But what if you could charge your cell phone just by talking into it, eliminating the need for batteries or cords?

What if power cords and batteries were a thing of the past?

(Credit: CBS Interactive)

What would make this possible is piezoelectricity, in which a mechanical force is converted to electricity. Some cigarette and barbeque grill lighters are an example. When a button is punched, pressure on a crystal within produces voltage, creating a spark.

In principle, the pressure to power a device could come from sound vibrations.

Crafting such piezoelectric electronics would require sensors with a specific size of crystal or ceramic material. Engineers say they have taken an early step by identifying a sweet spot at which a crystal could produce energy.

The capability of barium titanate crystals to harvest power doubles when they're about 23 nanometers in size, according to an analysis led by engineer Tahir Cagin at Texas A&M University. A human hair, for contrast, is about 100,000 nanometers wide.

However, it could be years or decades before scientists and entrepreneurs apply the findings to consumer products, he said.

"There are limitations to how much power you can generate at a given size," said Cagin, adding that an iPod or cell phone may require nano-sensors at a scale and composition different from what his research suggested.

Originally posted at Green Tech

When Apple finally announced the App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch, the door was opened to many possibilities. With its huge library of applications, the one thing that seemed to be missing was a World War II shooter. I'm sure many keen minds tried to bring a real game experience to this portable device, but a good control scheme is essential for a real gaming feel. Because of its lack of buttons, this posed a problem until now. On December 2, Gameloft's Brothers in Arms: Hour of Heroes landed in Apple's App Store.

This is the first WWII shooter to debut in the App Store; it also captures all the action from the Brother in Arms franchise and brings it to your iPhone.

• 13 missions in across 3 historical campaigns: Normandy, Ardennes & Tunisia
• Impressive 3D graphics and crisp clear audio
• The capability to command Jeeps and Sherman tanks to help advance the Allied forces across the battlefield
• A wide range of weapons at your side (bazooka, sniper rifle, machine guns, and so on)
• Use of the iPhone's accelerometer controls to launch grenades and the touch screen to aim at and shoot enemies

This game (check out the video below) will definitely make your morning commute seem a lot quicker.

(Credit: Magneat)

The Magneat headphone organizer provides a solution to the most annoying accessory attached to your music player: the headphone cord.

The industry is a few years away from offering high-quality, inexpensive Bluetooth earbuds, so for the time being we're left untangling and tripping over long wires. As ...

T-Mobile G1

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

Android Guys has a story today from a T-Mobile G1 owner who got charged for $102.85 in roaming charges--even after he turned off data roaming on his phone. The story goes that he was visiting the U.K., and knowing that he would ...

LG Vu in wine

(Credit: LG by way of Boy Genius Report)

Remember the LG Vu? Yeah, that's one of the first phones to offer AT&T's live Mobile TV service. We haven't heard a lot about it since its debut oh-so-many months ago, but apparently AT&...