Fancy mobile broadband speeds of up to 84Mbps? In Sweden and Denmark, it's becoming a reality.
T&A: Just when you thought 21Mbps mobile broadband speeds are fast enough, think again.
According to this news release, by the first quarter of 2010, Danish and Swedish mobile users can subscribe to an 84Mbps service from operator 3, thanks to a 900MHz 3G network from Ericsson.
The service operates in Denmark and four major cities in Sweden, and it’s been reported to be the world’s first 84Mbps HSPA network.
Jason Marges, Associate Editor, HWM Philippines
Jason Marges (HWM Philippines): This development is certainly an exciting prospect. However, locally, particularly here in the Philippines, it may still take a good while before we can realistically expect anything approaching this number.
Local telecom service providers may not have the incentive to push for such sophisticated technological infrastructure at the moment, since the local user base is not as sophisticated and demanding of mobile broadband services. In fact, there remains a good chunk of the market that has yet to own a 3G-capable device. (more…)
CORP TALK: As the rumor mill over Apple’s impending January 27, 2010 launch event in San Francisco heats up, speculative news are afoot that the company is not only talking to book and news publishers like Harper Collins and New York Times to have their content in the tablet device, but may also be discussing possible distribution plans with telecom operators, particularly in the UK.
The device is rumored to be 10-inch wide, has no keyboard but has short-range Wi-Fi and possibly mobile connectivity to phone networks. Journalists and bloggers have been speculating on its name, ranging from iSlate to iPad.
There are also speculations that the price of the device may be between US$800-1000, but if talks with telecom operators come through, expect these devices to be subsidized further.
Till January 27, the world waits with bated breath.
The Amazon Kindle DX will cost US$489 and ships direct to you.
Here's a screenshot summarizing what overseas purchasers must know prior to pre-ordering their Kindle DX devices.
CORP TALK: Once limited only to the US market, the Amazon Kindle DX e-book reader is now available online and can be shipped to more than 100 countries, including HWM countries Philippines and Thailand (strangely enough, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have been left out, but not Hong Kong and Vietnam).
Similarly, the original 6″ display Kindle is also available for shipping to these countries (at US$259).
The Kindle DX wireless reading device costs US$489 and has a 9.7″ display screen (2.5 times larger than the original Kindle).
Amazon.com will take pre-orders from Wednesday (6 January 2010) and shipping to the 100+ countries starts January 19. There are currently 300,000 electronic books available for the Kindle device.
The Nexus One has a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash.
CORP TALK: The internet is abuzz with the much hyped Nexus One Android-based phone from Internet search giant Google. Word from the Telegraph is that the launch will be in California later today.
TechTree India even has a list of specifications. Of course, Engadget has a video review and photos of the Nexus One already. The phone itself is built by HTC and runs on Google’s Android 2.1 operating system.
It has a 1GHz SnapDragon processor, a 3.7-inch 480 x 800 display and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. Here’s a list of the hardware features of the Nexus One:
Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus with flash and geo tagging Onboard memory: 512MB Flash, 512MB RAM Expandable memory: 4GB removable SD Card (expandable to 32GB) Noise Suppression: Dynamic noise suppression from Audience, Inc. Ports: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with four contacts for inline voice and remote control Battery: Removable 1400 mAh Personalized laser engraving: Up to 50 characters on the back of the phone Trackball: Tri-color notification LED, alerts when new emails, chats, text messages arrive
Here’s a video of the phone after launch just earlier today:
UPDATE 06/01/10: Apparently, the Google Nexus One smartphone will indeed be available to users in Hong Kong and Singapore at US$577.31 and this includes Google shipping the phone unlocked (with power adapter) to you via DHL. Here’s a screenshot of the shipping terms once you reach the checkout page.
Paolo Manzano, Managing Editor, HWM Philippines
Paolo (HWM Philippines): Despite all the hype that the Nexus One is indeed the Google Phone, it will remain as one handset amongst many other handsets in the crowd.
This means that it will still need to compete with the rest, finding its relevance amongst a user group that will embrace it just like the iPhone was whole-heartedly embraced.
Of course, it has several advantages: one, it is conceptualized by Google, with all the sweets they have to offer, including seamless integration of Google Apps, the best support for Android Market, and perhaps extensive compatibility with future Android updates.
Another point to watch here is the fact that Google is now treading on its partners’ territory by producing their very own branded handsets, something that Microsoft has avoided at all costs in order to keep their WinMo partners happy.
Perhaps the market will go for the Droid or Hero or some other handset, but for any partner, is competition from Google on this front something that they want?
Probably not. It will be interesting to see how it turns out in the next few years and how it will shape the business of Android partners such as Motorola and HTC, and most especially Google.
HWM Indonesia
HWM Indonesia: Being Google, everything that comes out from the Google factories will be hot cakes.
Coupled with HTC’s manufacturing wits, the combination is lethal. Good hardware with global-reach software, what else would you ask? Well, lower pricing may be.
Since the HTC Dream’s launch, when I had expected Android-based phones to boom in two years, I now think it will probably be faster, pending internet infrastructure to be more established in certain countries (e.g. Indonesia).
The product is certainly worth the hype.
Smartphone communities welcome this change from the unreliability we’ve so far seen in other more established platforms.
CORP TALK: Nikkei Electronics has published a preview of Google’s Chrome operating system (OS), set for launch around the holiday season in end 2010. According to Google, the OS is made not to compete with Microsoft Windows on market share but to operate on netbooks and provide unrestricted Web access on the Cloud and a myriad of related applications.
Basically, with the browser acting as the interface, the OS sits atop a Linux kernel and has a reported boot time of just 10 seconds. The report indicated that five netbook manufacturers, including Acer, ASUS and HP, have already expressed interest to produce netbooks with Google Chrome OS.
CORP TALK: As the rumor mill over Apple’s impending January 27, 2010 
CORP TALK: Nikkei Electronics has published a 
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