News Archive - Dec, 2002

Updated the firmware revision lists - 5:24pm 28-Dec-2002

Have updated the page with updated P800 firmware info.

3G Mobile does the P800 review - 5:04pm 28-Dec-2002

The version of the tested P800 was restricted to disclose due to the request by the owner. However, the owner said it was the final retail version. So it is believed that it is the first version for the retail P800. Also, the trial report focus on the following areas: the overall , stability, users interface, performance of the digital camera, and other functions. Since the tester does not have the data SIM card, the tester does not test the internet related features and ability to open MS Word and Excel documents.

Read the complete story here.

Dogs used to advertise cell phones - 5:02pm 28-Dec-2002

SonyEricsson's UK advertising agency has recruited hundreds of dogs to advertise its new T300 cell phone. The marketing campaign involves dogs wearing specially-made jackets that carry pictures of the handsets, and have already been seen in parts of London.

Read the complete story here.

First Sony Ericsson P800 application - 5:00pm 28-Dec-2002

Epocware has launched the first 3rd party software application for Sony Ericsson's new, UIQ-based P800; a port of its Handy Safe application for the Series 60-based Nokia 7650.

The application utilizes 448-bit data encryption based on the well-known Blowfish algorithm to keep information secure, while information stored in the program can also be synchronized with the Handy Safe Desktop PC companion. As an added bonus, the synchronization also works as a backup mechanism, allowing users to restore information to a device should data on it have been damaged or lost.

Epocware is also planning to port its Handy Day, Handy Clock, Handy Expense and other applications in its Handy series for the Nokia 7650 to Sony Ericsson P800. EPOCWARE/Paragon Software (SHDD) also plans to port its popular multilingual software dictionaries to Sony Ericsson P800.

Read the complete story here.

I did something naughty today! - 2:48pm 16-Dec-2002

I was in the bank today and was waiting for my number to be called as there was many people in the bank. Out of boredom, I did a Bluetooth discovery to see if there was any other Bluetooth device around. A name appeared on my screen "Nokia 7650" which obviously means some poor Nokia users has his Bluetooth switched on.

I looked around and didn't see anybody around me using that brick... I mean Nokia 7650. I then proceeded to create a new contact in my phone which had all it's fields empty except for the first name which I gladly filled with "Buy Ericsson!" and made my R520 send that business card to the Nokia 7650 and a guy a few feet away from me suddenly had his 7650 making obscene noises in the bank. He took out his 7650 and started looking at his phone (and looking lost at the same time).

I couldn't contain myself and left the bank. Thought I'd share this story with all.

Maybe we should do this more often in public. ;-)

iMobile does the T100 review - 12:08pm 16-Dec-2002

It may seem that all Sony Ericsson phones are going tri-band. But at the end of the day, the perception on low-end users is that they probably won't travel the world with a T100! Both the standard GSM900 and GSM1800 frequencies are supported, which is used throughout GSM-enabled Asia-Pacific and European countries. For people in the US, you may be interested to know that a GSM 850/1900 version based on the T100 will be released in early 2003 - dedicated to the North American GSM market.

Read the complete story here.

What governments are doing to control SMS spam - 12:06pm 16-Dec-2002

One of the main impetuses that prompt governments to take immediate action is the potential risk to the development of the information and communications technology (ICT) industry. Loss of consumer trust and the sending out of unsolicited messages wirelessly, even if advertisements, could disrupt the development of the industry and repel subscribers from other future mobile telephony services.

Read the complete story here.

It's official, P800 delayed again (except for three countries) - 2:46pm 12-Dec-2002

After hearing a few rumours here and there that the P800 will not be making it for the Christmas season except for a selected few countries, it's now official!

You can read the complete story from Reuters and from Yahoo here and here.

Updated the WAP pages with new backgrounds - 11:51am 11-Dec-2002

Decided to add a few more colored background pictures into the WAP site. Have fun!

                             

Updated the WAP pages with new backgrounds - 12:33am 11-Dec-2002

Decided to add a few more tribal art pictures into the WAP site. Have fun!

                     

Nobody is interested... - 12:15am 11-Dec-2002

Nobody is interested in submitting the favourite background pictures, so I guess my request for them was a waste of my time. ;-(

Updated the WAP pages with new backgrounds - 11:59am 9-Dec-2002

I have updated the WAP pages with some pics I have around my desktop. You can save the pictures from here or go visit my WAP pages to download them straight into your phone.

         

Ten years of SMS messages - 11:26am 9-Dec-2002

Though most users are convinced that SMS messaging is a relatively recent invention, the service of short text messages has already had its tenth birthday. In the United Kingdom this week they are celebrating the tenth birthday of the first English SMS. "MERRY CHRISTMAS" was the contents of the message sent on the 3 December by engineer Neil Papworth to his colleagues at Vodafone. At that moment few could have imagined how much this technology would revolutionise the communications sector, as well as our own language.

Read the complete story here.

Report: Java games to be worth over USD 3 billion - 11:22am 9-Dec-2002

Downloadable games will replace ringtones as the service that drives Western Europe's growth in mobile content and entertainment service revenue over the next three years, according to a new report released this week by Analysys. The report concludes that among mobile content and entertainment services, mobile games offer the greatest prospects in the short term. Analysys forecasts a more than tenfold increase in mobile service revenue from games, from US$245 million in 2002 to over US$3 billion in 2005.

Read the complete story here.

Symbian to make Psion's OPL dev language open source - 11:13am 9-Dec-2002

And now, OPL is going Open Source - apparently on the say-so of Symbian. News of the move was broken on by All About Symbian by Ewan Spence of freEPOC.org, who says All About Symbian is going to be involved in the planning of turning OPL into an Open Source project. Symbian apparently intends to get OPL running on Series 60 and UIQ platforms, which at least in theory means that people who've developed for Psions in the past will be able to resume hostilities on Sony-Ericsson, Nokia and Nokia's friends' phones.

Read the complete story here.

Java Community to push for Mobile Phone only specifications - 11:11am 9-Dec-2002

Java Community Process (JCP) members are pushing Java Specification Request (JSR) 185, which rounds up a number of existing Java APIs and technologies in an architecture designed only for cell phones. A test kit is also planned to ensure compatibility of vendors' implementations.

Read the complete story here.

Ericsson: WCDMA test calls made in the USA - 11:08am 9-Dec-2002

Ericsson and AT&T Wireless have completed the first WCDMA/UMTS call in a live network environment in the USA. With initial packet data speeds up to 384 kbps, the call demonstrated true 3G capabilities. The joint effort is part of a trial of the first 1900MHz WCDMA system in the Americas, which will have more than 100 cell sites in the Dallas area by the end of the year. Ericsson is providing the complete WCDMA network -- the core network, the radio access network and mobile terminals. The small-sized Sony Ericsson test units used are based on technology developed by Ericsson Mobile Platforms.

Read the complete story here.

Updated the website pages - 4:35pm 5-Dec-2002

Updated the Macintosh and Firmware Revision pages.

Esato.com needs our help - 12:05pm 5-Dec-2002

IMPORTANT!

Esato.com is one of the biggest independent S/// support sites. It has been there to help users with their problems and share with the rest of us fun and interesting things hidden in our phones (hidden games, message, etc.).

However, this FREE site due to it's huge success is now killing it's owners. The cost of running and maintaining the website is just too expensive and without sufficient funds, the owner is forced to close down his website.

If you do not know about Esato.com, please give them a visit and see for yourself what you have been missing. For those who wish to contribute, visit the site and go to the "Make a Donation" link.

You can read laffen's (the webmaster) appeal for help here.

Sun announces MIDP 2.0 - 6:07pm 4-Dec-2002

Sun Microsystems has announced the completion of the Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP 2.0) standard and the availability of the final specification and beta version of the J2ME Wireless Toolkit 2.0. Developed by more than 50 wireless industry leaders worldwide MIDP 2.0 supports new and enhanced gaming, graphics, video, audio, security, and many other features for mobile devices such as cell phones and personal digital assistants.

Read the complete story here.

My background picure - 12:14pm 2-Dec-2002

Background picture week. Though I'd do something fun this week by asking you guys to send me you current background picture between now till 6-Dec-2002. I will collect them all and publist them the week after that. I am not putting any limitation of what you can send but reserve the right not to publish the picture if I deem it unfit for general viewing. If you would like to participate, please e-mail me the picture, your name, e-mail address (must be valid) and what phone model you are using.

EITO: Govt 3G greed hurts us all - 12:09pm 2-Dec-2002

The British and German governments have manufactured a high-tech recession by their greed in taking too much out of the 3G/UMTS mobile phone auctions, according to researchers at EITO, the European Information Technology Observatory.

Read the complete story here.

Survey: Interoperability issues dog Bluetooth - 12:04pm 2-Dec-2002

Bluetooth continues to be dogged by interoperability problems and remains vulnerable to the threats of competing technologies.

Read the complete story here.