TAG Heuer Meridiist: Because you're the man
Mobile PhonesAt a time when people danced to Duran Duran and yuppies piddled away cash on debauched nights out, there was one piece of kit that defined you as the man -- an enormous, expensive watch. If you owned a Rolex, it meant you'd made it -- you were conspicuously richer than the Casio-wearing peasant moonwalking next to you.
These days, we're slightly more subtle with our displays of wealth, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Watches might have been declassed from grade-A gadget snobbery, but in their place are high-end mobile phones -- and we're not talking Nokia N95s, we're talking about phones that cost thousands of pounds. Enter the TAG Heuer Meridiist. Continue reading...
USB dongle: Red-hot 3G deal of the day
Mobile PhonesDuring the Spanish Inquisition's hilarious reign of terror, if you'd whipped out a laptop and started browsing the Internet in a field, you'd definitely get hanged for witchcraft. Centuries later and the idea of accessing the Web on a laptop from a field, quarry, swamp or indeed anywhere outdoors is still peculiar, but in a tantalising and not a blasphemous way -- and with a dongle it's not that expensive either.
All you have to do is connect a 3G USB modem (they look disturbingly like tampon applicators, but there you go) to your laptop, and hey presto you're online. Indistinguishable from magic, this sufficiently advanced technology uses the same networks your mobile phone does, allowing you to access the Net at high speeds -- up to 2Mbps -- anywhere there's network coverage.
The high-street retailers claim 3G USB dongles are flying off the shelves, but before you join the wireless masses, make sure to shop around. At the moment all the major networks have some kind of data dongle offering, but pricing differs greatly from one network to another. Continue reading...
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iPhone price cut: Pundits scream '3G iPhone!'
Mobile PhonesThere's nothing like a price cut announcement to set us tech journalists off like pro-Tibet protesters chasing a flaming baton. Yesterday O2 quietly announced it's going to reduce the price of the 8GB iPhone by a whopping 100 until 1 June -- but before you could say the words, "that's not a bad deal," tech sites everywhere were posting that this is a sign of the 3G iPhone's imminent arrival.
It's easy to see why we've all got so hot under the collar, though -- this price cut's end date perfectly coincides with the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. The conference usually delivers some new Apple goodies and it's not insane to think one of them could be the 3G iPhone. But before we break open our piggy banks and start counting out all the pennies, let's look at what we already know.
This morning we had a chat with the peeps at O2, who insisted the price cut is simply an exercise in selling more iPhones and not a way of clearing out stock before the 3G model turns up. Continue reading...
The iPhone's so good, I don't mind the price drop
As CNET.co.uk's resident Mac fanboy, I've had an itch in my wallet for a while now, and last payday I gave in. The iPhone hasn't changed the world to quite the extent the geeksteria seemed to presage, but it's been irresistibly drawing me in, like a tractor beam from a fully operational battle station, since the rumours began what seems like an eternity ago. Continue reading...
HTC Diamond or Dream? The rumour mill starts turning
Recently an invitation to an HTC event was sent out with the tagline, "Witness the next wave of HTC innovation." Many tech journalists, including myself, hastily came to the conclusion that it could very well be the launch of the HTC Android phone -- codenamed the HTC Dream. Continue reading...
Hands-on with the LG KF510: Adding a little sparkle to your life
Mobile PhonesOur relationship with this phone has been more on-again- off-again than the baggage at Terminal 5. When we first heard about the LG KF510, we were very excited indeed -- it is very shiny -- but then after getting a close-up look at it, at the Mobile World Congress, we hastily revised our expectations downwards. Now, weeks later, we've spent some quality time with it and you know what? We actually like it -- again. Similar to LG's Chocolate phone, the KF510 features a touch-sensitive navigation pad, but this one comes with a little extra sparkle.
Whenever you press the touch-sensitive pad you'll see a very cool mini light display on the pad, depending on your input -- if you swipe down, it has a simple Space Invaders-esque animation of a down arrow. But it's not all about the flash. Continue reading...
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Staying online wherever you go is cheaper than ever
When I was growing up I dreamt of a time when I could stay connected to the Internet at high speeds, all the time. Years later and the option to live in a constantly 'online' world is finally becoming an affordable possibility. Continue reading...
N-Gage platform launched: All your phones are belong to us
Mobile PhonesToday Nokia officially launched the N-Gage platform, an Xbox Live Arcade-style system that lets you download games and interact with other players, all via a compatible Nokia phone. At the moment you can download it for the Nokia N81, N81 8GB, N82, N95 and N95 8GB, by visiting n-gage.com on your desktop or mobile browser.
We installed the N-Gage platform on a Nokia N95 this morning and have been playing around with it for a few hours. From our very early impressions, the platform itself is easy to use and looks good too. The current games catalogue is limited to a handful of pretty uninspiring titles -- World Series of Poker, anyone? -- but Nokia promises more will be added soon, including ports of FIFA 08, Tetris and The Sims 2: Pets. Continue reading...
Windows Mobile 6.1 and Opera Mini 4.1 unveiled
Mobile PhonesBrowsing the Internet on your phone used to be awful -- not only was it slow, but once you loaded a mobile Web page, it usually looked rubbish and was impossible to navigate. Thanks to the Great Wonder of Progress, things have dramatically changed -- many mobile browsers, such as the iPhone's, let you browse full Web pages as you would on your computer.
Progress, as you may have heard, doesn't stand still and yesterday Microsoft announced Windows 6.1. Released later this year, the new OS will feature -- as well as a few aesthetic changes -- a new version of Internet Explorer Mobile (pictured), which aims to deliver a full Web experience, similar to the hallowed iPhone. You'll be able to see a full overview of a Web site, for example, and zoom in on the bits you want to see properly. Continue reading...
Sony BMG and 3 launch free mobile music videos
MP3 PlayersFor those of you with handsets on the 3 phone network right now, you're about to get ad-supported music videos for free. The operator has teamed up with Sony BMG to provide on-demand access to music videos "from top Sony BMG artists".
From today, the service, powered by Rhythm NewMedia, treats you to 20-second (!) pre-roll advertisements before each video, though you'll be exempt from any network data charges.
Over the last couple of years companies have managed to successfully monetise music videos -- primarily served as forms of promotion for single sales in the past -- directly with music fans. It's quite interesting to see that as people have become used to paying for this promotional material, an alternative, ad-supported business model can exist, whereby users effectively sit through advertising in order to watch another advertisement, albeit a very entertaining one. But are mobiles ready for pre-roll video ads? Continue reading...
Exclusive: Hands-on video with the 3G iPhone
Mobile PhonesIn easily the largest scoop CNET.co.uk has ever had, two days ago our mobile phone editor Andrew Lim was invited to Taiwan, along with a select group of other journalists from around the world, for a sneak preview of the 3G iPhone. There were extensive embargoes and NDAs in place, but Lim will stop at nothing to bring you the hottest phone stories. Using his Nokia N95 -- and ninja-like PR-evasion skills -- Andrew managed to get a boxed 3G iPhone away from his minders and uploaded this exclusive video, shot by his trusty sidekick. Continue reading...
You get what you wait for
You know that feeling you get when you leave your phone at home? That sense of loss and then panic as you start to realise that no one can contact you and you can't call anyone. Of course, after a few sweaty moments you think, well, it's not the end of the world, I mean, my parents lived without mobile phones and they survived somehow. Continue reading...
MWg Atom V: MWg's answer to the HTC Touch Cruise
Mobile PhonesOnly a few days ago we got our hands on the MWg Atom Life and now we've been lucky enough to get our hands on the next one up in the range, the MWg Atom V. Packed with similar features to the HTC Touch Cruise, the Atom V is aimed at people who want a Windows Mobile smart phone with GPS.
Similar to the MWg Atom Life, we found the Atom V more plasticky than we prefer. The glossy front section is a fingerprint magnet and tarnishes an otherwise well-built phone. It's thin, not too heavy or too light, and its navigation keys are easy to use.
Compared to the Cruise, it boasts a very similar line-up of connectivity options, including GPS, Wi-Fi and HSDPA. There's only a 2-megapixel camera instead of the Cruise's 3 megapixels, however, and 64MB of RAM instead of 128MB. That said, the Atom V didn't feel slow when we were using it -- it opened apps quickly enough. Continue reading...
The best mobile apps: Because your phone is worth it
Mobile PhonesInstead of crying over not being able to afford an iPhone, you need to sort your old phone out with some rejuvenating apps and services. We've compiled a list of some of our favourites -- give them a go and see which ones have you caressing your phone like when you popped it out of its box for the first time. Continue reading...
Motorola Rokr E8 vs Sony Ericsson W890i: Music, mano a mano
Mobile PhonesTwo music phones are set to battle it out this year, one from an established music phone maker, the other from an old-school player that's finding its legs in a brave new world. We're talking about the Sony Ericsson W890i and Motorola Rokr E8, of course, both aimed at music lovers but with very different features on offer.
We're putting both of them under the Crave microscope to see which one rocks our world harder. Click through the next few pages to find out how they compare and which one is right for you. The Sony Ericsson W890i is available now for free on a monthly contract and the Motorola Rokr E8 will hopefully be out in May. Continue reading...
MWg Atom Life: A less expensive HTC P3600
Mobile PhonesEaster's gone, Spring is twanging, and we're all skint -- still paying off Christmas and saving up for our summer hols. But fear not -- if you're looking to buy a smart phone with all the trimmings this season, there's a phone available at the moment that's so cheap we had to check it over and over again to make sure we weren't seeing things. Wave hello to the 200 MWg Atom Life.
Similar to the HTC P3600, the Atom Life offers a large touchscreen, Wi-Fi, HSDPA (3.5G) and a 2-megapixel camera -- but in contrast to the P3600, it also packs an FM radio, a faster processor, 1GB of flash memory and it runs on Windows Mobile 6.
Admittedly, the casing is a little plasticky and it supports miniSD instead of microSD or full SD cards, but these are minor issues given how cheap it is. Continue reading...
Super phones: Nokia N96 vs Samsung G810 vs Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 vs LG KF700
Mobile PhonesThere was a time when the best thing your phone could do was send black and white pictures ingeniously created by arranging letters and punctuation marks in a text message to look like a cat's face or -- better still -- a stick man holding, er, a stick.
Times have changed and phones have bounded forward. They're so advanced today they laugh in the face of stick men and crush them to death with their multitude of multimedia weaponry -- it's hardly a fair fight. Continue reading...
Photos: Unboxing the Nokia 8800 Arte and Sapphire Arte
Mobile PhonesEvery now and then a phone comes along that breaks the mould, a phone that makes you think, "I bet you that costs a bundle" -- and right now that phone is the Nokia 8800 Arte.
Available to buy in black or sapphire-encrusted brown versions, this is a phone designed for people who want something different and are prepared to pay for it. 'It' mainly being a honking great box.
As long as your bank account permits it, you can pick up a SIM-free Nokia 8800 Arte for 600 to 700, or for less on a monthly contract from several major networks, including Orange and O2 (via Carphone Warehouse). Continue reading...
Crave Live: Modu phone hands-on video 
Remember the Modu phone? It allowed you to pop it in and out of different 'jackets', each of which had different features, so you could effectively turn it into a multitude of devices. Confused? That's perfectly understandable, which is why we've got a video so you can see what on Earth we're talking about. Continue reading...
Sony Ericsson W890i: Hands-on with the lean Walkman phone
Mobile PhonesWhen we first got our hands on the Sony Ericsson W880i, we thought, "Great phone, shame about the keypad" -- which is why we're delighted to see its successor, the Sony Ericsson W890i Walkman phone. Wave goodbye to your metacarpal worries, Walkman fans!
Similarly thin, the W890i is still a pocket-friendly little handset, and yet it somehow squeezes in a larger keypad -- and its fair share of features. There's a 3.2-megapixel camera, HSDPA (3.5G) for fast access to the Internet and, of course, the Walkman player.
You can listen to music by simply pressing the dedicated Walkman key. Connect a pair of headphones via the provided 3.5mm wired adaptor, or wirelessly using a pair of Stereo Bluetooth headphones. There's an FM radio too. Continue reading...
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