If you’ve been convinced that no mobile browser would ever equal the quality of the web on your full-blown desktop OS, you may be disillusioned of that idea real soon. At DEMO 2008, a special event held ever year to promote the concepts and technologies the show promoters believe to be super hot, SkyFire announced its new mobile browser of the same name. The idea here is that SkyFire will offer exactly the same web on your mobile phone as you get on your desktop. Free. I have a few problems with that. First, how can anyone create a workable business model built around a free product which has no discernible source of revenue. Second, I can’t imagine how useful an unmodified web will benefit mobile users where small screens rule the roost.

The first round of private beta testing goes to Windows Mobile 5 and 6 devices which have full keyboards. They also state that Symbian devices will be supported soon. There’s a video presentation on YouTube and a complete explanation of the software at the site. Good luck, guys!

written by Tyler Regas

Zumobi, a startup operation who has developed a tiled interface supposed to improve information retrieval for Windows Mobile devices, has partnered with Microsoft. For Microsoft’s part, the Redmond giant will start including the Zumobi application in their operating system. For my part, I signed up for an account and installed the application on my Palm Treo 700wx, which runs Windows Mobile 5. I don’t know if its the Treo or the application, which is in beta at the moment, but I found it to be exceedingly slow. Oh, and its free.

written by Tyler Regas

Meizu, the big Chinese digital audio playah makah which has a propensity for copying Apple’s products, has entered into a patent process for their M8 “MiniOne” iPhone clone. If you simply ignore the fact that a) its not an iPhone, b) it runs Windows Mobile 6, and c) that it will never legally come to the States, the M8 looks pretty neat. It sports a smaller case than the iPhone, a 533MHz ARM11 CPU, 128MBs of RAM, 4/8/16GB of on-board storage, supports GSM/EDGE/WCDMA, has both a 3MP and .3MP camera (ala Nokia N95), and has a touchscreen with a resolution of 720×480. To see its size compared to the iPhone, check here. Note, however, that the dimensional specifications cannot be confirmed. Additionally, pricing and availability information are not available.

written by Tyler Regas

If you’ve been hankering for a SIM but don’t want a phone to go with it, you’re in luck. AT&T is now offering a phoneless SIM item for sale for US$10. They knock US$5 off of that, too. You tie it to a pre-paid plan or one of the usual plans with a 2 year contract, and off you go. In the compatible phone section they only specify GSM 800MHz and 900MHz capable handsets, that it not be stolen, and that it either be globally unlocked or an Cingular/AT&T phone, but they don’t explicitly exclude the iPhone.

written by Tyler Regas

At the MacWorld Expo today, iDictate spin-off QuickTate has announced a new speech-to-text service which will convert voicemail messages into text which are then delivered to their mobile phones or desktop computers. It can also translate into English or Spanish. The service is currently in beta, though they appear to be taking on testers who apply now.

written by Tyler Regas

Even though I didn’t get to attend CES this year, the fine folks over at Engadget did, which means you get the news: WiMax is confirmed for Sprint this year, and its coming to the Eee PC. The general idea is that WiMax, a long range wireless technology which “kinda” bridges the gap between mobile wireless and home wireless, is being rolled out by Sprint in the US this year. ASUS, wanting badly to be on the leading edge of something cool, announced that they would be WiMax-enabling a lot of their gear, including the hot little Eee PC. They also took the opportunity to unveil a new WiMax-ready UMPC which features built-in GPS, TV tuner, and two cameras. Neato!

written by Tyler Regas

HP, deeply invested in its iPAQ line-up, has announced a new navigation service for its various devices. The service will allow you to create trips with multiple stops over many days online, then pass that data to your device. The service also features an expansive Points Of Interest directory, which I would assume HP would update on a regular basis. From what I can tell, the service is free to iPAQ owners.

written by Tyler Regas \\ tags: CES, news, service

The Wall Street Journal is running a story that Google is in advanced talks with wireless carriers Sprint and Verizon to forge a deal to get its long rumored Google-powered phone software onto devices before the end of 2008. Google stock, already abnormally swollen from years of market strength, jumped over US$700 per share on the news and settled down to over US$600. Google would provider mobile makers the software to run on handsets which would then be sold to users of the lucky network provider. The Gphone is thought to be the one handset which could successfully battle Apple’s iPhone.

written by Tyler Regas