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New Nokia Phone

John writes: "infoSync has posted the official information about the two new Nokia phones which is going to be unveiled today. Quote: 'The Nokia 7650 will be the world's first 2.5G Symbian OS mobile phone with advanced messaging and imaging capabilities ...' It looks like ICQ on the mobile phone is closer than ever!" Includes a built-in camera and various comments about this not coming to North America anytime soon.

248 comments

  1. Very slick by blumpy · · Score: 1

    This looks very slick, however it isn't available for 1900mhz (north american gsm) yet. For some darn reason they always do that, North American GSM seems to be low priority for GSM phone builders.

    1. Re:Very slick by ahde · · Score: 2

      there is no per minute charge for local calls in america

    2. Re:Very slick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They are an european company. Understandable why they focus on european GSM first, I think.

      Marv

    3. Re:Very slick by easter1916 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Simple answer - number of subscribers to the different standards. "Regular" GSM is used throughout Europe, the Middle East, the Orient, etc. North American GSM has a tiny installed base. Standardize with the rest of us and you can use these goodies too.

    4. Re:Very slick by easter1916 · · Score: 1

      And your point is?

    5. Re:Very slick by forgoil · · Score: 2

      The deals on phones are not as good in the states, and Nokia/Ericsson makes money on selling the phones, not on few phones with expensive deals. Or rather they do, but that is when they sell basestations etc, which I imagine they don't sell much of in North America.

      GSM is completely superior to CDMA and I would hope people will start buying more GSM1900 phones, then Nokia/Ericsson will sell their newest phones in North America as well. There isn't much of a problem to get it working with 1900 anyways.

    6. Re:Very slick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      I'm not sure. Maybe he means "there are no per minute charges mainly because the North American mobile infastructure sucks"?

      Trust me, I work in the mobile telecoms sector, and the US infastructure sucks. South Africa has a better GSM network than any state in the US could hope to have.

    7. Re:Very slick by RedX · · Score: 5, Informative
      For some darn reason they always do that, North American GSM seems to be low priority for GSM phone builders.

      Perhaps because the marketshare for GSM in the US is so far very low? Because CDMA and TDMA carriers currently offer vastly larger coverage areas than their GSM rivals, and there are plenty of CDMA and TDMA handsets that also offer analog roaming, GSM service is limited to pretty much only people that will be staying in and traveling between large metro areas. This will hopefully start to change once AT&T gets further along with their national GSM roll-out this should start to change. Of course, we start to get into a chicken vs. egg argument when you consider that more people (definitely me) would jump on the GSM bandwagon if some of these sweet Nokia handsets were available in the US.

    8. Re:Very slick by kuyttendaele · · Score: 1

      Rest of the World vs USA : 1-0

    9. Re:Very slick by muffen · · Score: 1

      North American GSM seems to be low priority for GSM phone builders.

      That is because "North American GSM" doesn't follow the standard. GSM is supposed to be running on 900/1800MHz. However, for some reason, the US doesn't like it when they don't get standards set the way the want them.
      Sometimes the rest of the worlds ends up suffering because of this... however... this time it is the US who has to suffer. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the US, it just annoys me that I have to swap my nokia 8210 to a big thing that I can hardly carry just so that I have a phone while I'm in the US.

      Since the really big mobile producers are based in Scandinavia/Europe (Ericsson = Sweden, Nokia = Finland) and some in Japan (Toshiba, Sony etc etc), it is obvious that they will build mobile phones that can be used in their own countries. Also, by doing this, roughly 3 Billion (yes, I made this number up myself ;))people "extra" can use them too... wow, aren't standards great?


      As long as the US doesn't use the standard frequencies for broadcasting, you will never get any GSM phone at launch!

    10. Re:Very slick by fredrik70 · · Score: 1

      you haven't been to UK then! ;-)
      Mind you I think the 'official' standard is the metric system now in the UK.

      --
      if (!signature) { throw std::runtime_error("No sig!"); }
    11. Re:Very slick by easter1916 · · Score: 1

      Yes, but to listen to a large segment of the UK political class, the UK is not "in" Europe. Remember the classic headline from a UK broadsheet, "Storms in English Channel, Europe Cut Off"?

    12. Re:Very slick by fredrik70 · · Score: 1

      true, but then again. Sweden, NOrway and Finland (not sure about them actually) don't really believe they're part of europe either an dthey use the metric sys. Mind you, we do love following standards and regulations... think we're (sweden) one of the few countries who follow the european standard for dates (yyyymmdd), noone else in europe really does that to my knowledge..

      --
      if (!signature) { throw std::runtime_error("No sig!"); }
    13. Re:Very slick by SETY · · Score: 1

      It would seem that Rogers in Canada (partly owned by ATT) will have GPRS GMS rolled out completely everywhere analog is by the end of next year and now or (in the next few weeks ) have most of the Canadian population covered.So there is a market right now; basically.
      As an aside: This is a crazy fast roll-out, considering they have TDMA most places.
      http://www.shoprogers.com/images/coverage_gsm_on t. gif

    14. Re:Very slick by easter1916 · · Score: 1

      That's odd... where else would they (you) be? Sweden seems (to me, at least) to a model of "Europeaness". The same attitude has crept into parts of Irish society (where I'm originally from) and I find it strange (because I just don't understand it). Would you please explain? Is it denial of geography, denial of identity, a strong streak of independent thinking or something else?

    15. Re:Very slick by ahde · · Score: 2

      the US infrastucture does suck, but I'd like to see you drive 1000 miles in any direction from whereever you are outside the US and still have service. And that's on your "rest of the world" compatible network.

      That ties the score.

      And "there are no per minute charges because american customers will not allow it." I won't say never, but the reason that the service will not be offered in the US is because it doesn't pay. The phone companies have no incentive to offer extra services for a losing proposition. Every time you ICQ from Sweden or South Africa, the phone company makes money -- you pay less because you're not using as much bandwidth. In America, you pay a flat fee for X minutes.

    16. Re:Very slick by Dagonkin · · Score: 1

      IIRC the problem with useing the 1800 band is that US military coms already uses it - so it moved up a bit.
      That could be completely wrong but I'm sure I heard it from somewhere and it sounds like a nice explanation to me.

    17. Re:Very slick by 10Ghz · · Score: 2, Informative

      "the US infrastucture does suck, but I'd like to see you drive 1000 miles in any direction from whereever you are outside the US and still have service. And that's on your "rest of the world" compatible network."

      Europe. I could travel from Helsinki to Madrid and my cell-phone would still work. Distance: about 3000 kilometers.

      --
      Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
    18. Re:Very slick by lanttis · · Score: 1

      That could not have been said better. Why cannot the North Americans for once use the same standards as the rest of the world, and not always try to be better than the rest?

    19. Re:Very slick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course we in Finland believe to be part of Europe. We're just way up north, that's all.

    20. Re:Very slick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Frequency used by GSM the world over is already in use for other communications.

      To standardize the US, you would have to move everything using those frequencies to a different set(changing equipment, programs, and the already entrenched user base).

      THAT's not cheap, nor logical.

    21. Re:Very slick by windi · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Maybe because the US so damn huge that it would be unfeasable to set up a complete GSM network. Europe has a much higher population density, which is why GSM is more feasable there.

      Somehow I couldn't imagine GSM masts all through North Dakota and Montana.

    22. Re:Very slick by stranger+here+myself · · Score: 1

      Actually some manufacturers (Motorola, Ericsson) are making their high-end GSM phone tri-band (900/1800/1900), so there is no technical reason why these cannot appear in the States at the same time as in Europe/rest-of-world. I guess the Motos probably do (if not earlier), while the Erics seem to take a little longer to get to the States (how much is manufacturer and how much is networks though?).

      Nokia, however, seem to regard this as not worth the effort (they explicitly said last year that tri-band was not a priority for them). Odd, since it would mean you could get your new handsets into all GSM markets at once, and must save development costs over making 2 versions. OTOH, Nokia seem to have been rather complacent recently, and for me at least the new phones don't change that (I suspect the phone which started this thread will be very much a niche product, though they may prove me wrong).

    23. Re:Very slick by fredrik70 · · Score: 1

      Think it whas to do that we're on a half island rather on the actual continent. I believe the younger crowd very much wants to belong to europe though, but the older still seems to be a bit stuck in the "we - swedes, they - europeans".
      We always been a bit different when it ocmes to drinking laws, how much to get through the custom, etc. (hint: less than rest of europe)Moved to UK 4years ago and I got pretty much the same feeling here among people.

      --
      if (!signature) { throw std::runtime_error("No sig!"); }
  2. Geez by WD_40 · · Score: 1

    I remember when my 5120 was the hot shit, now they're giving them away.

    --

    "With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine." -- RFC 1925

  3. ICQphone .. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ICQ on the Matrix phone?
    Woo! .. Long live the AOL/Time Warner Empire

    1. Re:ICQphone .. by Computer+suck! · · Score: 0

      Could do quite easly, writing a WAP and/or SMS - ICQ gateway should be pritty ez.

    2. Re:ICQphone .. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is that WAP with a capital CR and a silent W ?

  4. Oh, you said "Symbian"! by Deagol · · Score: 5, Funny
    As I skimmed the headline, I first thought it said "sybian". My next thought was, " Great -- I'll by my wife one of these."

    Next, I re-read and thought it said "simian", and I thought, "whoah -- a phone for my spider monkey!"

    Damn, what a boring phone...

    1. Re:Oh, you said "Symbian"! by kilgore_47 · · Score: 2, Informative

      It looks like ICQ on the mobile phone is closer than ever!

      I don't know about ICQ, but AIM is already available on some sprint phones. It already works in North America, too!

      --
      ___
      The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason. --Ben Franklin
    2. Re:Oh, you said "Symbian"! by ijx · · Score: 1

      I always found AIM on my Sprint phone to be a pain... You must first connect to the "Wireless Web," then navigate over to the AIM service, then login, then type your message, and finally await a response.

      All the while, you're paying per-minute charges...

      And you can't recieve messages unless you're connected to the infamous "Wireless Web."

      IMNSHO, SMS really trumps Sprint's shoddy AIM implementation. I'll be switching to a GSM phone w/ SMS functionality sometime this week to take advantage of this...

    3. Re:Oh, you said "Symbian"! by nazgul · · Score: 1

      AIM is also been accessible on the Voicestream GSM network, via SMS.

    4. Re:Oh, you said "Symbian"! by mgaiman · · Score: 1

      you can already use ICQ with your phone if you're cingular or voicestream. Check out me43

      Also, voicestream offers AIM for their phones.

    5. Re:Oh, you said "Symbian"! by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 1

      Just as a note, once your logged in, you can navigate over to 'Exit', and disconnect from the wireless web. When you recieve a message, it will send your phone the URL to the conversation. IIRC, the message sent to the phone is 'You have a message from AIM, View Now?', which will connect you to the conversation URL.

      The pain is logging OFF means you have to go back, login AGAIN, then logout..

      --
      -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
    6. Re:Oh, you said "Symbian"! by Psychotext · · Score: 1

      Heheh... I wonder how many people here will get the reference to the sybian. Or should that be the S.O.M.

      Hehe, I had a hard time with some dilbert esque users today (600mb Powerpoint files, 400mb spreadsheets) and I thought I wasn't gonna smile once. You changed that. :-)

      --
      People that believe in their opinions don't post AC.
    7. Re:Oh, you said "Symbian"! by raynet · · Score: 1

      AIM is available for Symbian OS so it should work on 7650.

      --
      - Raynet --> .
    8. Re:Oh, you said "Symbian"! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      hmm, you must be mistaken..

      Cell phones don't work in North America.

    9. Re:Oh, you said "Symbian"! by davidmb · · Score: 0

      I think I'll stick to SMS. Send a message, receive a message.

      It helps when you live in a country where everyone has SMS-enabled phones though.

    10. Re:Oh, you said "Symbian"! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hmm, you must be mistaken..
      Cell phones don't work in North America.


      I suspect you're trying to be funny, but the jokes on you because the nokia phone this article was about DOESNT work in North America!

  5. ICQ -- not new by TheTomcat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is not meant as a troll, but:
    I've been able to ICQ to/from my GSM handset (as SMS) for ~1 year now.

    More info here.

    Apparently, one of our local CDMA carriers (Tellus) is offering AIM on their phones, as well..

  6. Re:Ugh. by Thomas+Charron · · Score: 2

    Shesh.. 'News for Nerds'.. Or do you forget. 8-) It's a darned cool looking phone, so hence, gets 'space'.

    --
    -- I'm the root of all that's evil, but you can call me cookie..
  7. Drat, no 1900MHz support by infiniti99 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    One of the nice things about the GSM network is that the phone is separated from the account. Thus it doesn't matter if the phone is sold here as long as it works here. You could just order it from overseas and assimilate it with your SIM chip. The Nokia 7650 phone seems to be tightly packed with just about everything else, too bad they missed 1900MHz support. That foils everything.

    Btw, I have a theory about the existence of the Nokia 8890. Nokia realized their non-USA customers probably wanted to travel to the USA, not that they wanted to deliver the USA a cool phone. That's probably the only reason we have it.

    Anxiously awaiting the 9290.

    1. Re:Drat, no 1900MHz support by Cyclone66 · · Score: 1

      Unfortunatly if you buy the phone from your service provider it's often locked to that service provider. At least that's the case with Fido in Canada. (An actual GSM network)

    2. Re:Drat, no 1900MHz support by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The phone is locked only if the price is subsidized. Your provider certainly doesn't want to pay for phone used in competitors' network.

      OTOH, if you want to be really nasty, you can unlock the phone (or find someone to unlock it for you).

    3. Re:Drat, no 1900MHz support by rasjani · · Score: 3, Informative

      I havent yet read any specs yet so i cannot really speculate about this topic BUT. If the main market for this phone is Europe, 1900MHz aint what people want. Hell, i havent even heard of that kind of frequency.

      Afaik, only 900MHz and 1800MHz are used in europe. 900MHz which works pretty much everywhere and dualband 1800MHz in bigger cities & suburbians (and with w/ lesser money ofcourse)

      And to the other reply in this thread, no, phones arent tied to certain operators (atleast, not in Finland). I do know thought that this is widely used marketing scheme in other countries (and imho, it sucks big time. There's no real deal why certain phone should be tied to certain operator)

      --
      yush
    4. Re:Drat, no 1900MHz support by gid-foo · · Score: 2, Informative

      1900 mhz is the US PCS range. You guys are 900 and 1800, we're 800 and 1900. What the original guy was saying is that he would like to get one of these phones in the U.S. but can't because the freqs. are all wrong. Damn those global conspiracies.

    5. Re:Drat, no 1900MHz support by dodomeister · · Score: 1

      simlocks are everywhere; but in the EU, it's mostly the subsidized phones coming with no monthly plans attached.

    6. Re:Drat, no 1900MHz support by The+Grinner · · Score: 1

      You know, the Sony-Ericsson T68 is also a pretty neet little color thing. It also has the advantage of being a 3-band GSM phone. Color display, BlueTooth and all sorts of other neet stuff. Almost got one on my last trip to Europe (ended up getting a T39m though due to $ reasons. As cool as it was I couldn't quite convince myself to pay the extra $ for a color display).

    7. Re:Drat, no 1900MHz support by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Nokia realized their non-USA customers probably wanted to travel to the USA

      That could very well be true. It is certainly the only reason I would ever require my phone to have a 1900MHz support.

      Although these days I don't need it even for that. Travelling to the US is just not very good idea. Not until you guys become more adept in foreign policy anyway.

    8. Re:Drat, no 1900MHz support by metalLeg · · Score: 1

      I've got one and it really is by far the best phone I've had.
      Ericsson have come a long way in the last year.

  8. Re:Ugh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When American Standard releases a new toilet, are we gonna hear about it here first?

    Yes, followed by a lengthy flamewar over "American Standard vs. Kohler"!

  9. Im on mobile phones. by lonely · · Score: 1


    Well if you are looking for IM on phones, then there is nothing like using Yahoo IM over WAP.

    Coupled with my free WAP tarrif... gives me somebody to talk to when I am taking the bus into work.....

  10. Sigh... by Asahi+Super+Dry · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I know there are restrictions on cell phone design here in the US (eg sparser grid-->more powerful transmitter needed-->bulky phones), but I still get jealous when I see the new European and Japanese phones that are coming out. And for god's sake why doesn't anyone use text messaging here? Once you get some practice typing on the keypad it's not as big a hassle as you might think, and quite convenient.

    1. Re:Sigh... by The+Variable+Man · · Score: 1

      Especially with T9...

    2. Re:Sigh... by Computer+suck! · · Score: 0

      it it makes you feel better, we Europens get jealous with the Japanese phones...

    3. Re:Sigh... by biostatman · · Score: 1

      You might want to check out
      samsung's palm phone. Yeah, grafitti entry sucks, but having a true pda (not like the handspring one) act as a phone is awesome, and its available in the US now (for those interested). I saw one the other day at Circuit City and it is quite compact - much smaller and thinner than those Kyocera bricks.

      --
      For the love of $DEITY, loose != not win!!!!!
    4. Re:Sigh... by reo_kingu · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Here in Japan you can get a super-light tiny little phone with a 200 hour battery life and a digital camera built in for free with your subscription. And I get an extra 50% off of that because I'm a student.
      I love it here.
      Did I mention that even the middle school students in Japan have cell phones?

    5. Re:Sigh... by fredrik70 · · Score: 1

      >Did I mention that even the middle school students in Japan have cell phones?

      so? maybe you should go to scandinavia if you want to see mobile phone penetration.. ;-)
      FInland have had more mobiles than landline phones for quite some time now...

      --
      if (!signature) { throw std::runtime_error("No sig!"); }
    6. Re:Sigh... by mr3038 · · Score: 1
      Finland have had more mobiles than landline phones for quite some time now...

      ...and this has more to do with irrational high costs for landline than advantages of mobile tech. Yeah, mobile phones has been supported by government by not allowing bundling contracts with phones and receiving call or SMS is always free so people usually answer to their phones. Phones are more expensive but rates should go down because changing operator is easier. Unfortunately this doesn't really work because people keep using the same operator to keep their phone number. It's like using email address tied to your ISP - you really cannot discontinue contract if you want to keep your address working. I don't even own landline because mobile phone costs less. I have LAN connection to Internet though. By the way, if you couldn't figure it out I live in Finland.

      --
      _________________________
      Spelling and grammar mistakes left as an exercise for the reader.
    7. Re:Sigh... by Max+von+H. · · Score: 2

      Unfortunately this doesn't really work because people keep using the same operator to keep their phone number. It's like using email address tied to your ISP - you really cannot discontinue contract if you want to keep your address working.

      This should change in Finland soon, from what I know. Here in Switzerland we've been able to change mobile operators and keep the same number for a year.

      Also, landlines cost a fortune in Finland (I've lived there). Opening the line alone costs a lot (the former monopoly still owns the last mile), and if you're unlucky they'll make you pay for the wiring. No wonder people prefer mobile phones! And you guys must have the cheapest rates in Europe, according to my experience.

      Mostly, Finland's topography (it's *really* flat) makes it easier and cheaper to implement a wireless network than landlines. Here in Switzerland the networks have cost a fortune due to 70% of the country being mountains. I bet we need 3 times the amount of antennas to cover our small territory than the Finns with a country 10 times bigger.

      /max

      --
      -- It's always darker before it goes pitch black.
    8. Re:Sigh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      ..and this has more to do with irrational high costs for landline than advantages of mobile tech

      Ermm.. the landline call still costs a lot less in Finland than a cell phone call.

  11. Re:Ugh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then we could officially change the site slogan to News for Turds. Stuff that Splatters.

  12. Arghhhhh! by uslinux.net · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Does everything in the world need to be "internet accessible" or "web-enabled"?!?!?

    How long before phones start getting hacked or spread MS LookOut worms? How long before phone spamming becomes the norm?

    *Sigh* I want the web for convenience. I want to web to make my life easier. I don't need the "cool" factor of every internet-capable device. I don't need my refrigerator ordering food for me, and I certainly don't need IRC on my phone. Frankly, I find it easier to CALL someone rather than attempt to type on a frickin' phone (or follow an IRC session with 50 people on one of those little phone LCDs). But I digress...

    Am I the *only* person who feels this way?

    1. Re:Arghhhhh! by yatest5 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I heard a rumour that you don't actually *have* to buy these new internet devices - there's a recent law passed that means you can just spend your own money on what you want.

      Surely your refrigerator ordering food for you does make your life easier - not that geeks need food - *real* geeks live off of nicotine and caffeine ;-)!!

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    2. Re:Arghhhhh! by GauteL · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Not at all... but why are you complaining like this? This isn't even insightful, it is just a typical ranting.

      You can actually buy a completely different phone if you want to, you know that right?

      People have different usage-patterns, and thus there are lots and lots of different phones on the market. If you feel you belong to a group that are not covered, I suggest you write a letter to the phone-makers and argue why you think it would be benificial to both you and them to create "your dream phone".

    3. Re:Arghhhhh! by voop · · Score: 3, Informative

      How long before phones start getting hacked or spread MS LookOut worms? How long before phone spamming becomes the norm?

      Actually, this is happening allready. In France, Bouyges Telecom (a large tele operator) were frequently spamming my mobile with adds from different companies (e.g. Pizza Hut). It turned out to be an "opt-out" thing that they do to all new customers. After calling their customer service (and waiting a periode of 3 weeks "for technical reasons" - yeah, right!) the spamming stopped.

      What, in reality, was more annoying was that they also spammed my voice mail in the same way: the phone would indicate a message, I'd dial (and pay the per minute charge) to listen, only to find that it was yet another piece of spam ("This week at Pizza Hut, you can get...."). Again, it was possible to "opt out".

      It's worth noticing, that this was not on some "you get it cheap if you accept spam" subscription, but rather on their "pro" subscription....

      --
      -- "Life is a bitch - and she hates me..."
    4. Re:Arghhhhh! by Malc · · Score: 2

      I don't want the web on my mobile phone... but I do want it to be of use with a modem for my laptop.

    5. Re:Arghhhhh! by baddestasset · · Score: 1

      I'm surprised you guys don't have the 92xx yet. Its been out here for a loong time now.

      Watch out though they are much more cool than they are terribly useful. Thery are too big and heavy and i get conscious that i'm carrying around (another?) 600+ quid (that's a thousand bucks to those who can't count :-) device in my pocket to bump into table corners with.

      It sometimes annoys me i spent all this money on one, but to be at the bar with a pint when i get a support call or my whinging boss telling me that something has stopped running or needs to be brought up, and just simply open the phone, telnet in on a qwerty keyboard, run a quick nohup job, shut the phone.. "yeah, it's fixed now", RULES.

    6. Re:Arghhhhh! by yatest5 · · Score: 2, Funny

      but to be at the bar with a pint when i get a support call or my whinging boss telling me that something has stopped running or needs to be brought up, and just simply open the phone, telnet in on a qwerty keyboard, run a quick nohup job, shut the phone.. "yeah, it's fixed now", RULES.

      nah, saying 'I only have a Motorola Timeport, so I'm staying here and getting drunk - suck my cheesy boner' RULES...

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    7. Re:Arghhhhh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      try to look at the bigger picture here:

      I don't need my refrigerator ordering food for me


      how about for someone that lives alone and is seriously disabled. having the fridge send out orders for your new milk when your old milk goes bad would be pretty nice.

      I find it easier to CALL someone rather than attempt to type on a frickin' phone


      tell that to my deaf neighbor. the cell phone revolution hasn't helped her very much. maybe within 10 years, we'll have phones that display the text of the conversation on the screen.

      gadgets like these usually have a "trickle down" effect, where the 1st generation is meant for one market, but finds a niche in other areas after a period of time
    8. Re:Arghhhhh! by Computer+suck! · · Score: 0

      there are opt-in ones in the uk, try MrAddGood.co.uk

    9. Re:Arghhhhh! by yatest5 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, on a (slightly) more serious note - Nokia advertise the 9210 with 'you can be at work before you're there' - personally, that's the last thing I want!!

      However, they also advertise it with suits on half-pipes, so there you go...

      --
      • Mod parent up! [a] by Anonymous Coward (Score:5) Thurs, June 31, @13:37
    10. Re:Arghhhhh! by cpt+kangarooski · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      If you've got old milk goin' bad, you sure as hell don't need more milk -- you're clearly not drinking it.

      There are definately some nice things about that kind of automation, I agree. But my needs are pretty different than what some damn marketers think they are. My need for an advertising-free life, for example, seems to escape them time and again. (i.e. no ads, for anything, ever, for any reason, no exceptions. It just doesn't sink in with so many people, can't imagine why.)

      --
      -- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
    11. Re:Arghhhhh! by baddestasset · · Score: 1

      For real. I hate all that. The last place I wanna be when I'm not at work is at work.

      I've talked about this with some of the product guys at companies such as Nokia and Ericsson and the like, and the problem is that the only people (of any significant number) that can afford to buy these phones is businesses who will give them to their reps, so they need to push them to the people who buy them, not the people who use them.

      I involved in mobile gaming and entertainment and this really pisses us off. These guys want your content but are almost scared to have it as they may not be seen to have a "serious" enough product.

      One of the bug hardware guys was thinking about putting out a "business" version of their new whizzy phone so that companies would be happy to buy them and then flood the market with details on how to flash it back to the "fun" version. The point being that the device had been bought so now they can sell content to the big reps who want games to play when they are sat on trains and planes for hours at a time.

      Fantastico. Made Me Laugh.

    12. Re:Arghhhhh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      k point taken, well considering this is a sort of Linux/open source type of website, I think you'll find it hard to escape the Linux/open source zealots.

      Why don't you try looking at ARSE Technica instead?

    13. Re:Arghhhhh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have no idea what ARSE Technica is! I like slashdot, it's just I don't like the people who come here ;-).

      I just take a couple of pills now, instead of having a go at sad linux-loving lusers. Consequently I have a big number next to my posts, and this makes me a cooler person, and makes me a winner with the ladies.

    14. Re:Arghhhhh! by Lord+Ender · · Score: 1

      Nicotine or caffine? I find this to be horribly offensive. I mean seriously. If you work as a programmer you have to have at least a certain level of intelligence. And no intelligent person would intentionally suck hot ash or smoke down his own throat. The exception to this, of course, is in people who weren't watched well when they were children (and as children, we are all stupid) and became addicted before they became intelligent programming adults. Stereotyping professionals as smokers (especially my profession) is just plain insulting.

      --
      A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
    15. Re:Arghhhhh! by Snocone · · Score: 2

      And no intelligent person would intentionally suck hot ash or smoke down his own throat.

      Perhaps not, but the super-intelligent do.

      Einstein being a case in point...

    16. Re:Arghhhhh! by Mudge+Pinkerton-Bott · · Score: 1

      ...How long before phone spamming becomes the norm? Here in Australia. phone spamming is fairly common - notable culprits are Optus and Telstra messaging according to cell location. BTW, if you've got an Ericsson T20s, you can get a dinky little qwerty keyboard to plug into the bottom of it if you're so inclined (GSM only, I'm afraid...)

  13. Free-sklyarov-uk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    dudes how is it that i have to read uk news to find breaking news in the Audio areas?

    anyway what was this topic about?

    http://uk.eurorights.org/lists/ukcdr/2001-Novemb er /001068.html

  14. So whats this mean? nokia communicators in usa? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In the usa we cannot purchase Nokia communicators.

    Not sure why, they keep saying its some air wave issue, however i know its possible to make Nokia communicators work on Old analog cell systems.

    So given that, why the delay in shipping?

  15. That is the one by jester-tx · · Score: 1

    I didn't see when if and it would be available in the US. It certainly seems like the integration of services I've really been holding out for in a device. Now if they could only shrink it down to wristwatch size....

    --
    -= jester =-
  16. ICQ on mobile by jawtheshark · · Score: 2, Informative

    Considering how *unreliable* ICQ has become, I frankly doubt that this would have any use. Honestly since some time it has become impossible to communicate with people running newer versions of ICQ (still using 99b-Rev A here, or LICQ).
    Besides, I know it's possible to do ICQ on handhelds for a long time. I have a Psion and there is an ICQ client available. It is paying so I never bothered. (Use google to find it) I've used Opera on my Psion for the sake of it and that works great, if this is some kind of integrated Phone/Psion I could get interesed (including speadsheet, Contacts, Word, Jotter,...) I always have looked down on Palm owners, because the Psion in it's many incarnations is really superior IMHO. Too bad Psion stopped making hardware.
    As for Nokia hardware, I alway found them "feeling" cheap, more like toys...Give me a good Siemens anyday.

    --
    Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
    1. Re:ICQ on mobile by Computer+suck! · · Score: 2, Informative

      I'm morning the demise of Psion hardware too. I think we should set up a support group...

      The Nokia 91XX and 7650 are EPOC^W Symbian based devices[1], so is there nearst your going to get to a Psion for a while... :(

      Also Ericsson have a device based on Symbain, the Ericsson R380e.

      [1] I'm sure you know this, but I bet there are plent of people on this forum that don't, EPOC is the OS that powers the Psion based device. EPOC has now been renamed to Symbian, targeted at phones and no longer a part of Psion (thou. Psion are it's begest share holders, others inc. Nokia, Ericsson, Intel, Kenwood, Motorola, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sony and Siemens[2].

      [2] I think, you can check it on there web site.

      http://www.symbian.com
      http://www.psion.com
      http://www.sonyericssonmobile.com/

    2. Re:ICQ on mobile by Anders+H�ckersten · · Score: 1

      So what you're saying is that the ICQ network has become unreliable when you're running a version that is two years old, and when you're running a non-official version?

      Sorry but ICQ is still (and will probably always be) beta software, which means standards can (and will) change. Nowadays newer clients only use TCP to communicate (or only UDP, can't remember which), whereas older clients supported both. They've switched to TCP to make the clients safer, thus breaking backwards compatibility.

  17. Ohhhhh, taste the irony! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    The phrase "American Standard" used in a discussion aboout GSM Mobile Phones! Aha!

  18. Includes a built-in camera? by iBod · · Score: 5, Funny
    How the hell am I supposed to lie to my wife about my whereabouts now?

    It was bad enough having to do 'busy office', 'stuck in traffic' and 'on the train' sound effects - and now this!

    1. Re:Includes a built-in camera? by Thornae · · Score: 2
      How the hell am I supposed to lie to my wife about my whereabouts now?

      It was bad enough having to do 'busy office', 'stuck in traffic' and 'on the train' sound effects - and now this!



      Easy: sure, it's got MMS (like SMS, only with an M!) - but you can save the requisite bits of multimedia, and use them to strengthen your excuse. Even better, with WAP, you can download them as needed! Just imagine it - an online, WAP- (and other buzzword)-enabled database of excuses for spouses on the road... You could even bookmark your favourites: "Sorry, honey I'm <bip beep bip> stuck in traffic - see?"

      ...gee, I'm glad my s.o. doesn't read slashdot. (=

      --
      |>
      Here be Dragons
    2. Re:Includes a built-in camera? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Easy. It can only transmit still images, not video. You keep a store of photos of 'innocent locations'. You can then email your wife a photo of your 'current location', claiming it's fresh. Remember to delete that photo, or you'll get found out.

    3. Re:Includes a built-in camera? by iBod · · Score: 1
      Yeah, that would be handy, but I fear modile phone technology is bound to thwart all errant spouses in the end.

      The next thing you know, phones will come with built-in GPS and will report your exact position to your significant other in real-time.

    4. Re:Includes a built-in camera? by Tardigrade · · Score: 1

      *Accidentally* leave your cell phone at the office. Call your wife from a pay phone, or someone else's phone (choose these people wisely or at random, esp. if your wife has caller id)

      The added bonus to this is that you gain an extra excuse of "going back" to the office to pick your phone up.

  19. video fone by perdida · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I don't think we want to make video fones cheap and plentiful in the world.

    The U.S. bombed Al-Jazeera in Kabul so the uninformed masses wouldn't get upset when the Northern Alliance, which is nasty but doesn't harbor terrorists at least, sacked Kabul, murdered, raped and pillaged.

    Al-Jazeera used mobile videophones to broadcast anyway, removing the utility of our $2 million bomb.

    At least their phones cost thousands of dollars.

    Cheap, easily obtained, anonymous videophones by Nokia would remove any governmental ability to block out journalistic broadcast from an area for national security purposes.

    We should regulate, register or restrict video telephony to address the government's need to do this.

    1. Re:video fone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, let big brother have all control. In fact let the government do all of our thinking and put warningsigns on everything dangerouos.

      WARNING: Do NOT put your head in fire.

    2. Re:video fone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Look at this , fucking Jose Pineda is complaining about work conditions and infested apartament in US !!!
      Don't like it ? Get the fuck out of here.
      Go back to your ruined country and enjoy yout latin lifestyle.
      What a fuck is wrong with you people ? You don't like gringos yet you flock like bitches trying to enter this country.
      Stick to your own shit or embrace our ways, you can't have it both ways.

    3. Re:video fone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What happened to 'freedom of speech'? Throwing bombs at some innocent civils isn't really acceptable, right? And doesn't everyone have the right to defend themselves?

  20. one more step towards total integration by ariehk · · Score: 3, Interesting

    In the last 2-3 years or so, all our lines are becoming blurred, and it't useful just to stop and look at how much has changed so quickly.

    Just 7 years ago very few people had a moblie phone, they were huge bricks with a battery life of 20 minutes. The digital camera was unheard of, the internet was just entering the mainstream (everyone said it would never catch on), and nobody had a CD writer.

    Now we all have our digicam-watches, TiVos, DVD/TV/sound system players/recorders, Internet fridges (order food online as you use it), and miblie phones that can do pretty much enything you want except act as a sextoy [watch this space!].

    The boundries between different technologies are becoming nonexistent. Different technologies are more cross-compatible. We are rapidly acheiving a situation where everything can talk to everything else.

    As this trend increases, the total personal device (phone/pc/watch/camera/whatever) will evolve. It will do everything, go everywhere with you. It will interact with all the other devices in your life, making things easier and more personal. The electronic walls will change shade as you go into a public buliding, billboards will only advertise things you want. It'll be a better world.

    These phones are a step in that direction. Which is, IMHO, very cool.

    --
    These people look deep within my soul and assign me a number based on the order in which I joined. -- Homer Simpson
    1. Re:one more step towards total integration by King+Of+Chat · · Score: 2

      ...pretty much enything you want except act as a sextoy

      Too late

      --
      This sig made only from recycled ASCII
    2. Re:one more step towards total integration by Jus'n · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Just 7 years ago very few people had a moblie phone, they were huge bricks with a battery life of 20 minutes.
      Err.. I think you mean 17 years ago. I actually still have my Dad's first cell-phone. A car-mounted behemoth about the size of a metal Aladdin lunchbox (the kind with the thermos inside). You could open up the trunk and disconnect it from the car and haul it around with you if you wanted, but the built-in antenna wasn't so good. Back when Cellular One was the only carrier around, and there was no such thing as "free minutes".
      Now we all have our digicam-watches, TiVos, DVD/TV/sound system players/recorders, Internet fridges (order food online as you use it), and miblie
      [sic] phones that can do pretty much enything you want except act as a sextoy [watch this space!].Err... I don't know anyone with a TiVo, DVD/TV/sound system player/recorder, or internet fridge. Where do you live, Dot-Com-Boom-Fantasyland?
      As this trend increases, the total personal device (phone/pc/watch/camera/whatever) will evolve. It will do everything, go everywhere with you. It will interact with all the other devices in your life, making things easier and more personal. The electronic walls will change shade as you go into a public buliding, billboards will only advertise things you want. It'll be a better world
      So, to you, a world where your every taste, preference, and spending habit, not to mention exact location, is recorded, tracked, and sold to every street-corner spammer is a "better world"? Okay, we'll give you the benefit of the doubt, and assume you're not a wanted felon, you're not into any "subversive" pastimes, and you'll never do anything the PTB will consider dangerous to the public morality. You're a good little subject, but such invasion of privacy can still be extremely inconvenient or dangerous. Imagine walking to a lunch interview with your prospective new employer when the side of the restaurant lights up with an ad for your favorite head shop. Imagine what your mom would think when you're [insert non-offensive holiday here] shopping with her and an ad pops up with your name on it, touting your favorite foot-fetish porn rag. You're out with your buds getting sauced, and your secret Pokemon or Britney Spears addiction is blasted across the billboards. You're angling for a raise, but your boss reconsiders when he sees not a budget motel ad on your office wall, but directed advertising telling you that Pergo now makes laminate flooring for your 100m yacht (hers is only 75m). Do you think the advertisers would let you "turn off" such a service?

      No, I'd rather not live in such a world, thank you.
      --
      "It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong." --Voltaire
    3. Re:one more step towards total integration by Lysander+Luddite · · Score: 2

      "As this trend increases, the total personal device (phone/pc/watch/camera/whatever) will evolve. It will do everything, go everywhere with you. It will interact with all the other devices in your life, making things easier and more personal. The electronic walls will change shade as you go into a public buliding, billboards will only advertise things you want. It'll be a better world."

      Darn it, I want a *life* not a *lifestyle*. Why do the proponents of these gadgets say it will make my life easier? All it does is invade my personal space even more. Personalized ads don't help me, I want an ad-free space for crying out loud.

      Now if I had a portable Library of Congress with all of its contents freely available (no advetising please) and I could carry it around in a legal size container, then I'd be happy.

      To make this topical, I still won't willingly buy a portable phone. Having people SMS me doesn't seem a benefit that would change my mind.

    4. Re:one more step towards total integration by tyse · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I find having a mobile phone one of the greatest benefits of technology ever. SMS is part of the story, but being able to contact anyone, and be contacted by anyone, wherever you are, is for me a hugely liberating experience. I can still maintain friendships and relationships without having to worry about "coming back home" all the time. And I can do things without having to worry about being caught in a tight spot, with no way to reach people to get help.

      When I went travelling in Europe earlier this year, the mobile phone was the number one item to bring. As long as I had a credit card and my phone, nothing was a problem.

      If I got lost, no problem, called my hotel or a friend, asked them to help. If I had to meet people, no problem, get their number, call them when I arrive.

      My mother loved it because she could call me any time, day or night, anywhere I was. I never had to tell anyone where I was going or what I was doing or how to contact me. I just gave them one number and said to call if they wanted me.

      I have been travelling in the USA many times too, and it is always a problem that mobiles are less common and accepted there (and that mine doesn't work there). You have to ask people to meet you in the hotel lobby and get them to call you in your room. You have to wait for hours for people who are running late because they cannot contact you if you are not both near a land-line. Often arrangements fall through because you cannot call people. Even if people have phones they rarely turn them on. Generally this meant that when I was in America I would do less things, and I would visit less people. I also spent a great deal of my time organizing things with people, or waiting for people to arrive.

      I didn't take my phone to India, and regretted it just for the convenience of being able to use a phone without looking for coins. Being able to call ahead to hotels while in a taxi or on a train station would have been very useful. Next time I will bring it, I was quite amazed at how good the coverage seemed to be in India, and it is still improving.

      I also find it useful at home, when not travelling, to be able to take calls from people to arrange Friday and Saturday nights in a completely spontaneous manner. Due to the noise of most night-spots, SMS is a great way to tell people where you are, ask them quick questions, etc. And if you meet someone interesting, put their number into your phone right there and then.
      (I do the same with notes -- names of interesting places to go or eat).

  21. Re:Ugh. by WinstonSmith · · Score: 5, Funny

    When American Standard releases a new toilet, are we gonna hear about it here first?

    Probably not. I submitted this way back in April, but it was rejected.

  22. Nokia and Symbian by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative
  23. ICQ? by saintlupus · · Score: 5, Funny

    It looks like ICQ on the mobile phone is closer than ever!

    Great! Now I can use my mobile phone to get in touch with people!

    Uh...

    --saint

    1. Re:ICQ? by SCHecklerX · · Score: 2
      Great! Now I can use my mobile phone to get in touch with people!

      Uh...

      You beat me to it :) Really. If I even *had* a mobile phone (I don't) and really wanted to get in touch with somebody, I'd, uh, call them?

      I see cute little games on all of these things these days. Make them networkable games, and that *might* be a very cool addition. Wireless chess with the person I went to a movie with while waiting for the show to start would be pretty spiffy. Checking my home mail account would be ok too...but only if there is an open standard to do this. My vision is I'd probably just use a wireless pager and have my server forward just the headers to me.

      So far, I still have no compelling reason to even own any of these devices, so it's a moot point for me for now anyway. Any time I'd really need one (calling 911 b/c I busted my damned leg out on the trail somewhere), cell phones don't work in that area anyway.

    2. Re:ICQ? by btellier · · Score: 1

      I know this is supposed to be a +1, Funny but this is probably the same thing that people said about AIM on the computer. "Why not just pick up the phone and call?". The answer, as with most things that are popular amongst college students, is that it's cheaper (or free) to message someone than it is to call.

    3. Re:ICQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it isn't always cheaper. Many providers charge per message. And with the amounts of minutes providers are throwing about these days, it would probably cost less to just call...

    4. Re:ICQ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      (calling 911 b/c I busted my damned leg out on the trail somewhere), cell phones don't work in that area anyway.

      That's because you live in a backwards country.

    5. Re:ICQ? by tyse · · Score: 1

      Oh, the old "why don't I just call people".
      As silly as saying "why do I have to learn to read and write, I can just talk to people, right?".

      Have you ever tried to call someone from a crowded pub, club, concert or festival?

      I have been able to find my friends while out numerous times thanks to messaging, which would have been impossible with voice communication simply due to the volume of noise at these events.

      I've been to raves where practically everyone attending (about 15,000 people) SMSed each other a complete timetable of the different DJs on that night in different areas.

      It's also difficult to just call someone when you are supposed to be quiet, or when they are not answering their phone. Not to mention you can send textual information (addresses, numbers, URLs, whatever) with messaging that is far easier to use.

  24. wtf? article submission rejected and bad info by ardiri · · Score: 1

    2001-11-19 14:42:03 Nokia: the killer phone! (articles,news) (rejected)

    i posted this article just as the infosync.no webmaster told me about the story - only to have it rejected (still pissed about my anti-quake comment)? :P however, that aside.. this is about ONE phone.. not TWO.. the 7650 is being announced yes, but, its just so natural for nokia to release a USA varient to, but, this was not announced on infosync's website. i dunno, reject a valid article and then reword it incorrectly. my submission was written and then verified via the infosync.no author (i dont like posting lies).

    so much for kharma ;)

  25. ya but. by jon_c · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What's the point? Trying to type an email on my nokia is impossible, unless these people come up with a better way to input text it really doesn't make since on a cellphone.

    Currently the system is to type each letter by pressing cycling through the number keys, i.e. press '1' for 'A', 'B', 'C' etc.. Nokia does feature a auto-complete feature which might be handy, but I haven't had the motivation to make any use out of it.

    -Jon

    --
    this is my sig.
    1. Re:ya but. by jandrese · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Hmm, you both complained about the tediousness of entering text on your phone and your lack of motivation to use the autocomplete in the same sentence. Isn't the autocomplete supposed to make the text entry on the phone less tedious? What am I missing here?

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    2. Re:ya but. by stu72 · · Score: 1

      Newsflash: this is not going to be solved anytime soon by anything other than a full keyboard, and nobody wants that on their phone.

      The "auto-complete" is called predictive text and it works very well. It almost always gets the right word, and fixing its mistakes (1 in 20 perhaps) just requires you to press * to cycle through the options.

      It works so good, I wonder why we bother with laptop keyboards/pen interfaces etc etc.

    3. Re:ya but. by Computer+suck! · · Score: 0

      You want a full keyboard, try
      Ericsson R380e or the
      Nokia 9110.

      Hey mr presto, full keyboards.

      Also, you could use a SMS pack (comes with Psion devices) for you PDA.

      Or Ericsson sell a keyboard that plugs into your phone.

    4. Re:ya but. by flux · · Score: 1
      Check out this phone from Nokia. It has a full keyboard and is small, too :-).

      This might not have been what people have expected, though.. And it misses some other expected features too.

    5. Re:ya but. by Hater's+Leaving,+The · · Score: 1

      Firstly all phones for the last 2 years have had predictive entry (not auto-complete). However, even that's not too brilliant.

      Which is why the Nokia 9210 is the world's highest selling PDA currently. For text, the dear old keyboard is hard to beat.

      THL

      --
      Keeping /. cynic density high since the fscking Kwhores/trolls arrived.
    6. Re:ya but. by Felinoid · · Score: 2

      Annother option...
      I have a Handspring Visor...
      A cell phone module has been available for it for quite some time now. [Your free module is in the mail.. please wait for the end of the world for it to arive] Between activation, Anthrax and Hanspring running out of units I may never see it..

      ICQ, IRC, and Yahoo messanger are already installed on my PDA.
      (I have a dial up modem for it)

      If I get a keyboard it plugs into the other end (I don't have one yet as the existing system words fine for me) so I can have a keyboard and a cell phone on the same unit.

      Handspring and a number of other companys are offering PalmOs cell phones.. The Handspring version has a keyboard built in. I suspect the others do as well.
      Those units should also run ICQ.

      I've seen one of the older cell phones using Geos as it's base operating system and those had built in keyboards.
      I'm guessing the cycling issue has to do with more basic Nokia phones considering existing Geos, and PalmOs phones have keyboards it seems likely most "powerful enough to run something we could call an operating system" cell phones would have a keyboard of some sort.

      --
      I don't actually exist.
    7. Re:ya but. by Syberghost · · Score: 1

      Trying to type an email on my nokia is impossible, unless these people come up with a better way to input text it really doesn't make since on a cellphone.

      I do it every day. With my thumb. Without looking. In traffic.

      It just takes more practice and less whining.

    8. Re:ya but. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      MIGHT BE HANDY?!

      Jesus man, start using it. NOW.

  26. Java and next gen by MosesJones · · Score: 3, Interesting


    The 9210 communicator, runs the Symbian OS, Java and is generally absolutely brilliant. The only issue with it is size, which this phone addresses.

    These next generation mobile devices are based around common standards and architectures, SymbianOS , Java & GSM. No Redmond anywhere to be found. Symbian is a solid proper RTOS unlike the PalmOS or WinCE. Consumer devices need to be reliable, robust and pre-emptible.

    --
    An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
    1. Re:Java and next gen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      SymbianOS is not an RTOS, sorry. Nor is it especially solid. Download the SDKs and find out on your own...

    2. Re:Java and next gen by Troed · · Score: 2
      I've been developing on Epoc (the Symbian OS) since -98 (that's late compared to some, but earlier than most) .. now, tell me what's not "solid"?

    3. Re:Java and next gen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      Yeah! ... and now ssh.com has released their
      first version of the ssh package for Symbian OS'es:)))

      http://www.net-security.org/text/press/100619206 2, 3789,.shtml

  27. Neat! And now the FCC can regulate the Net! by ballpeen · · Score: 2
    Hmmm, ICQ PLUS video imaging...? Sounds kind of like "some sort of new-fangled video Instant Messaging product that it calls an Advanced IM-based High-Speed Service, or 'AIHS'", don't it?

    THAT came from Michael Powell, son of Colin, then a commissioner (now the Bush-appointed Chairman) of the FCC, not recused from the AOLTW merger vote even though dad was on the AOL board with $13million in stock options. It's from Powell Jr's pre-release statement after the merger went through. AIHS? Read on...

    "Despite the Majority's analysis [of AOL's IM] that purports to show a competitive problem in need of a remedy, the Majority (perhaps to its credit) does not mandate interoperability for current iterations of IM. ... When a regulatory agency has to make up its own acronym to describe a product or service it intends to regulate, one should be concerned. ("Behold the Wizard of AIHS.")

    "The concern is the implication for Internet regulation. This Order makes clear that the FCC has jurisdiction to regulate virtually every Internet product, or service that facilitates communications under Title I of the Communications Act. But, imposing IM conditions under that authority ignores the fact that the Commission, for decades now, has expressly declined to regulate similar computer, data processing and information services for the very reason that such interference would undermine the energy and drive toward innovation that characterizes these highly competitive markets. Based on the letter of the statute, this may be correct and FCC involvement in Internet communications services may be inevitable. Yet, the implications of that step are not fully considered here and that is why I am most hesitant (indeed unwilling) to make such a substantial leap in the context of an adjudicatory proceeding, without greater notice and a fuller and broader opportunity to comment that would result from an inquiry or rulemaking proceeding."

    So AOL's IM near monopoly was left intact through the merger, to protect the open innovation of the Net, UNTIL a new-fangled video Instant Messaging product arrived. Then, perhaps, it would be time to get with the Net regulations... Goodie!

    (See Michael's scrapbook photos, read his statements: click The Chairman.}

  28. Re:wtf? [offtopic] by ardiri · · Score: 1

    guess John posted it before me and mis-read the article :) oh well.. until next time *g* it happens :) maybe CmdrTaco should have verified the info by actually reading the article :)

  29. You can write your own programmes by streetmentioner · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I think the most important thing is that you can write your own programmes (in C++ or Java) for it. You can download the SDK from www.nokia.com.

    (Bias: I work for Symbian)

    1. Re:You can write your own programmes by slander · · Score: 1

      Of more interest, especially given This recent slashdot article about ARMlinux, is the effort to port linux to many Symbian devices. Looking at the mail archives, running linux on some of these weird little devices is closer than ever. Is this phone of a similar architecture to the Mako etc?

  30. Wow that's beautiful by 2ms · · Score: 1

    How come whenever the Finns make something, it is always the best? Why do the rest of us even bother? I just realized that all my furniture is from there. The best phones are from there. All the best ships in the world are from there. The best architecture is from there. The best OS is from there. According to Porsche, the best car manufacturing is from there. The best snow tires are from there (forgot their name, but they're definately the best). The best gloves are from there (Sinisalo). The best snowboarders are from there. The best race car drivers (especially if you focus on rally) are from there. The best monitoring speakers are from there (Genelec). etc. Don't they have the lowest population density in the world too?

    1. Re:Wow that's beautiful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The best race car drivers (especially if you focus on rally) are from there.

      Not Formula 1 though, which is of course, what really counts ;)

      Sadly that honour would have to go to Germany currently. Oh how I pine for the days of a good F1 driver from the UK...go Button!

    2. Re:Wow that's beautiful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nokia also make tyres. They used to make boots too.

      I'm curious about Finnish furniture. I hope you don't mean IKEA, as it is Swedish.

    3. Re:Wow that's beautiful by 10Ghz · · Score: 1

      "Nokia also make tyres."

      Negative. I believe that the original poster was referring to Nokian Renkaat. The make the best winter tyres there is. It used to be part of Nokia, but it was spun off several years ago. Nokia does still own part of that company though.

      As for boots. They were spun off even earlier

      --
      Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
    4. Re:Wow that's beautiful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot to mention the best gasmask in the world, Scott health and safety M95.
      http://www.scottsafety.com

    5. Re:Wow that's beautiful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nokian winter tyres are only second to the Swedish Gislaved tyres, but who cares - why don't we get linux for wheels - no crashes, just oupses!

    6. Re:Wow that's beautiful by 10Ghz · · Score: 1

      Nah, Nokian are better, Gislaved being second.

      --
      Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
  31. ICQ .. and so what ? by dda · · Score: 1

    Can anybody tell me what ICQ will provide that a GSM hasn't already ? SMS should ne enough for the majority, and Nokia has already a chat system, as on the 3310 model.
    I don't see the point of having ICQ on it. ( to draw nice lines and curves ?? :))
    I have to admit I haven't tried theit chat service ( which depends of the provider I suppose ), but I don't see why they need ICQ, if it's not for a marketing reason.

    1. Re:ICQ .. and so what ? by CaptnMArk · · Score: 1

      ICQ... they should add IRC to really melt down the networks

  32. Great...GPRS rules! by bamberg29 · · Score: 1

    I've been using GPRS (2.5 G) with my Motorola Timeport 260 for almost a year now here in Germany. I must say that it has really developed itself to something great. My WAP goes faster, I only pay for what I send/receive, and I can use IRDA to link with my Palm to check e-mail wirelessly, surf the net (using Palm web browsers...to an extent), and of course message.

    Now this new Nokia really makes this whole process much easier, because using IRDA becomes a pain especially when your on the go and it is hard to keep Palm and phone pointing at each other.

  33. AOL IM on Mobile by Anenga · · Score: 0, Troll

    It looks like ICQ on the mobile phone is closer than ever! I saw a commercial about AOL IM being able to be used over a mobile. But it's only for Verison or something. I'd rather have AOL IM over ICQ any day.

  34. Cool... but how about.. by SGDarkKnight · · Score: 1

    The phone looks great, and the features sound impressive. I know I love my 8810 phone, but this 7650 looks like its going to smack everything down. The only thing I'm concerned about is the data transfer for the Video Phone. If its going to be a smooth transfer or if its going to be "the good 'ol slide show presentation" full of lag. Also, if its going to be a sperate service that you will need to suscribe to much like text messaging or email. All the extra features in the phones are really nice, but can easily cost a lot if you want all the "new toys" to work.

    --

    ...A no smoking section in a restaurant is like having a no peeing section in a swimming pool...
    1. Re:Cool... but how about.. by 10Ghz · · Score: 1

      "the only thing I'm concerned about is the data transfer for the Video Phone. If its going to be a smooth transfer or if its going to be "the good 'ol slide show presentation" full of lag"

      I belive you are mistaken. That camera is NOT a video-camera! It does not take real-time full-motion video. It takes individual pictures like a "normal" digital camera.

      --
      Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
  35. Even cooler fone from Nokia for SMS by rainTown · · Score: 3, Informative

    Nokia came out with an even cooler phone for SMS a few weeks ago, the 5510. It has a full char set keyboard... and an MP3 player... no dig cam though... info here: http://www.nokia.com/phones/5510/index.html

    1. Re:Even cooler fone from Nokia for SMS by czardonic · · Score: 1

      That's the dorkiest looking phone I have ever seen. Try the 9210 for a phone with a full keyboard. At least you don't look like you are talking into a Sega Game Gear when using it as a phone.

      --
      Takahashi Rumiko made beats! DON, taku, DON, taku. . .
  36. ICQ on mobile phones? by bribecka · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wow, I really can't wait to have the newest beta of ICQ on my phone? Maybe they should wait until there is actually an official version...in say, 5-10 years?

    --

    Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?

  37. You obviously haven't heard... by iBod · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    ...their music!

    1. Re:You obviously haven't heard... by pp · · Score: 1

      Dude, Sibelius r00lz! (and we have a some other good music too, some of it has even been succesfully exported)

      About the snow tires, they're probably made by "Nokian tyres" (used to be the same company,
      separate now. They're not allowed to use "Nokia" by itself in their name nowadays). The history of Nokia is actually quite interesting, they were a rubber factory, which made cables, which had a small electronics department, which... sort of became pretty big :)

    2. Re:You obviously haven't heard... by iBod · · Score: 1
      Yeah I know. It was supposed to be a joke.

      What humorless jerk modded it 'off topic' (probably a Finn) ?

  38. The point is... by barnaclebarnes · · Score: 2, Informative

    That over 1 billion text messages were sent in the UK alone last month. txt'ing is _the_ way to communicate for todays youth culture. Even us oldies in their late 20's send text messages on a regular basis. Looking through my phone I sent 12 messages this weekend. Organising places to meet people, drunken banter from the pub, etc. It is great, no need to talk to the person and it is normally cheaper than calling during peak times.

    Also Bt Cellnet here in the UK has just signed a deal with msn (and soon yahoo!) where there will be seemless IM between phones and msn/yahoo, including full presence detection. (With the current ICQ setup you have to send the message to the phone, not just the persons icq account).

    PS: When will the US just actually understand the importance of text messaging in todays youth culture?????

    --
    [Please type your sig here.]
  39. Cell phones are annoying enough by vulgrin · · Score: 1

    If I had ICQ on my cell phone, I'd just have to smash it. They are annoying and intrusive enough as it is. Might as well just chain me to my desk at work.

    --
    I sig, therefore I am.
  40. Re:Ugh. by varaani · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    When American Standard releases a new toilet, are we gonna hear about it here first?

    If it has an integrated web camera, then yes.
    *ducks*

  41. Freudian slip? by czardonic · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    there will be seemless IM between phones and msn/yahoo

    Seemless?

    Perhaps you meant 'seamless'.

    --
    Takahashi Rumiko made beats! DON, taku, DON, taku. . .
  42. It would work in the U.S. by alsta · · Score: 1

    This phone is a TriBand phone, which means it operates on GSM900, GSM1800 and GSM1900. I have a TriBand Motorola and it works like a charm. One would have to get a subscription with a GSM provider in the U.S but that's not a big issue.

    I see the big issue being the expensiveness of GSM in the U.S for being one reason why the phones don't see marketing time here before anywhere else. In several European countries you can buy a pre-paid SIM card, which you can refill every so often - as needed. You don't pay for incoming calls, so they last for a long time. VoiceStream in the U.S has pre-paid cards as well, however the minutes you buy are very expensive and they EXPIRE after two months as if your money isn't good anymore.

    If GSM phones are supposed to go mainstream, something like this needs to happen. The main problem is that the public has the idea that a cell phone costs at least $49/mo with 400 minutes. It doesn't have to.

    But anyway, yes you can buy one in Europe and have it shipped here and it would work. It does have GSM1900 support.

    --
    Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think. -Ayn Rand
    1. Re:It would work in the U.S. by alsta · · Score: 2

      So once again I make the mistake of reading things with a tired mind. Been up all night. It says that it DOESN'T have GSM1900 support. I am sorry for any confusion I may have caused.

      --
      Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think. -Ayn Rand
    2. Re:It would work in the U.S. by Colol · · Score: 1

      VoiceStream prepaid is rather pricey, yes, but their month-to-month plans are actually quite reasonable, and get pretty damn good coverage (ran off to Colorado this summer, went all over about half the state, and never had a no-service or low-service area).

      In VoiceStream's defense, they're only following suit in their prepaid plans -- Tracfone costs an arm and a leg and expires after 60 days, and has been rather popular; other cellular providers have been known to do essentially the same thing. Why lose all that money when you can rip folks off like the rest of the prepaid crowd?

      I am mildly ticked at VStream about their new voicemail system, though. They ought to add at least another 15 minutes of voicemail pickup every month for all the extraneous crap we have to listen to for every message now (though some of it can be changed in the preferences, it's still annoying). And their handset pricing sucks. And the fact you have to cancel your account to buy a new phone [through them], which defeats the purpose of having a SIM in the first place.

  43. Telepong by alecbrown · · Score: 1

    That's just fine, I submited a link to the same site about the new Linux Telepong phone which is far more revolutionary, and my story got rejected.

    1. Re:Telepong by mgaiman · · Score: 1

      hey and I'm a tweener...yay, they are going to market it to ME!!!!

  44. This tech is rediculous by piecewise · · Score: 2, Troll

    All of this cell phone text messaging technology is aburdly stupid. It's useless, in my opinion.

    Instead of wasting time on this useless capability, we should really be investing in new voice recognition technologies.

    What a crazy idea!
    I say "Remember to pick up kids" into my cell.
    On the screen, a note is saved reading "Remember to pick up kids"

    Just like when I speak to my Power Mac: "Empty trash" -- WHOA, my trash is emptied! I know it's complex technology, but believe me, headway can be made I am sure.

    Only THEN will I buy these phones.

    --
    The next comment I write will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
    1. Re:This tech is rediculous by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are talking to your computer ?
      I knew Apple folks were fucked up but obviously things are far worse than I thought.

    2. Re:This tech is rediculous by /dev/niall · · Score: 2
      All of this cell phone text messaging technology is aburdly stupid. It's useless, in my opinion.


      My god! Has someone told the millions of European and Japanese messaging users how much time they're wasting yet!?

      --
      --
    3. Re:This tech is rediculous by StrawberryFrog · · Score: 2
      All of this cell phone text messaging technology is aburdly stupid. It's useless, in my opinion.

      Opinions are good things, until there is reality and experience, which is a better guide than opinion. After which time, opinion is worthless.

      SMS has proved to be a killer app. Like it or hate it (and I reluctantly grew to like it despite the shortcomings of the interface), it is here, it is popular (the US just hasn't caught up with the rest of us yet), and you are wrong.

      --

      My Karma: ran over your Dogma
      StrawberryFrog

    4. Re:This tech is rediculous by mr3038 · · Score: 1
      cell phone text messaging technology is aburdly stupid... we should really be investing in new voice recognition technologies... Only THEN will I buy these phones

      Well, if you had option between a device with keyboard and 200h battery time and a device with voice recognition, 100h battery time and thrice the price would you buy the latter? Also current voice recognition tech has hit rate of roughly 90% on PC systems - I don't even want to know how much errors there would be with mobile hardware.

      Perhaps after a couple of years but not yet. A small dictionary for clever keyboard input like T9 works much better with current crop of hardware.

      --
      _________________________
      Spelling and grammar mistakes left as an exercise for the reader.
    5. Re:This tech is rediculous by Scoria · · Score: 1

      Many phones now support voice recognition dialing (press the send button and speak the name), but certainly not to the extent that you desire.

      And you have to train the phone for each name.

      --
      Do you like German cars?
    6. Re:This tech is rediculous by Espen+Skoglund · · Score: 1

      I somehow doubt that some of the messages people send to each other is suitable for saying out load on, say, a bus. Texting is a somewhat more "private" way of communicating than speaking out loud to the phone. And then there is the problem of sending messages when you're in a really loud place like a club (of course, you might argue that people should stop texting while being at there).

    7. Re:This tech is rediculous by VA+Software · · Score: 1


      The 2 technologies aren't mutually exclusive.

      It is possible for phones to have SMS at the same time that people are researching and developing better voice recognition.

      And I think you'll find the majority of Europe and Asia would disagree with your "useless capability" opinion.

      And, finally, voice recognition isn't a replacement for SMS anyway. How does the phone reminding you to pick up the kids replace sending a text message to the kids reminding them to do their homework?

      --

      ---
      http://slashdot.org/moderation.shtml
    8. Re:This tech is rediculous by tyse · · Score: 1

      If you don't text while at a club, how do you ask your friends what they want to drink when you are at the bar?

      (don't laugh, this really happens, and it's not as crazy as it sounds, particularly when you consider nightclub drink prices and queues).

  45. Nokia URL by jonte · · Score: 0, Redundant
    http://www.nokia.com/phones/7650/index.html

    Probably quite official also. :-)

  46. ICQ by MSG · · Score: 2

    It looks like ICQ on the mobile phone is closer than ever!

    Great, now I can lose important messages where ever I am!

    Thanks, but I'll wait for a Java capable phone that'll run a Jabber IM client.

    1. Re:ICQ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is this a troll? First of all the phone has a MIDP and there already is a MIDP Jabber-client. And second of all, I have heard that few lads are developing a one for the Symbian EPOC. Why do you even bother to answer when you dont even know what you are talking about. This site sucks!

      Unknown Coward.

  47. Can you say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    ..viruses?

  48. Low Priority for SOME phone builders, not all... by Orne · · Score: 1

    Funny, on Wednesday of last week I submitted a story to SlashDot (which was denied) about how VoiceStream announced (press release) that they've just completed their nationwide upgrade to GSM/GPRS. But I guess since they're not AT&T, noone noticed.

    VoiceStream's new iStream network can run at speeds up to 56 kilobits per second and averages up to 40 kilobits per second, comparable to what customers experience from a home dial-up connection, compared to 9.6 kbps limits on most other wireless networks.

    VoiceStream's iStream data network is based on GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) technology - an extension of VoiceStream's GSM based wireless network. VoiceStream operates the largest GSM network in the United States, serving over 6,000 cities, and is the first carrier to offer customers access to its high-speed data services while traveling anywhere on its network nationwide.

  49. ICQ on a mobile phone????? by RatFink100 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It looks like ICQ on the mobile phone is closer than ever!

    Why would anyone want this? Why would I ICQ when I can talk to someone?

  50. US Youth does do txt'ing - its called AOL IM by kerskine · · Score: 1

    Since I have teenaged kids, I can speak with some authority on txt'ing in the US. Kids have been doing it for a while - only they do it on the home PC and not through a phone. Computer usage in US homes is over 50%, while its under 25% in Europe last time I checked. Mobile phones are still viewed by US consumers as being a business tool rather than a personal item.

    --
    ****

    "I'd never want to join a club that would have me as a member" - G. Marx
    1. Re:US Youth does do txt'ing - its called AOL IM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      right, HOME computers

      once they get the phone, and realize they can send messages to their friends from wherever they happen to be (in a car, mall, school) they won't ever touch the computer again.

      Right now they're using computers because that's the best thing they can get their hands on. Once they can become mobile, they will.

  51. "Official" Information? by Hater's+Leaving,+The · · Score: 1

    What's wrong with Nokia being the source of the "official" information?

    http://www.nokia.com/phones/7650/index.html

    >>

    It's nice, for sure, but I've got one of those "what is the problem to which this is a solution?" feelings...

    THL

    --
    Keeping /. cynic density high since the fscking Kwhores/trolls arrived.
  52. Heh heh... by DarkZero · · Score: 1, Troll
    The United States: Woefully behind in virtually every aspect of technology, until you get to "Military".

    I wish the IRS would just lighten up and let us mail our tax dollars to our OWN crapper instead of theirs. It'd make things much simpler.

  53. "Official" Information (repost) by Hater's+Leaving,+The · · Score: 1

    (Repost - Since when can't I stick less-than characters in plain text?)

    What's wrong with Nokia being the source of the "official" information?

    http://www.nokia.com/phones/7650/index.html

    :::
    The Nokia 7650 at a Glance:

    Availability: Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific
    Weight: 154 g
    Dimensions: 114 x 56 x 26 mm
    Talktime: 2 - 4 h
    Standby time: 90 - 230 h

    Key features: Integrated digital camera, picture
    taking and sending, MMS (Multimedia Messaging
    Service), photo album for storing pictures, GPRS,
    an advanced user interface, joystick navigation
    and a color display

    Operating frequency: EGSM900/1800 in
    Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific

    Imaging resolution: (VGA, 640x480 pixels)
    Graphical color display (176x208 pixels,
    35x41mm)
    [SNIP]
    :::

    It's nice, for sure, but I've got one of those "what is the problem to which this is a solution?" feelings...

    Oh, and I forgot to say "Erk - moving parts!". I don't want moving parts, as mechanical things fail. Heving said that, Nokia want you to buy a new phone every two years or more frequently anyway.

    THL

    --
    Keeping /. cynic density high since the fscking Kwhores/trolls arrived.
  54. get a Ericsson T68 instead.. by Mindjiver · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    of this crap..=)

    --
    I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
  55. Didn't you read.. by sockettrousers · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This phone supports MID-P

    I guess it'd be pretty easy to port a native Jabber client to symbian OS too...

    that said, I don't really see the benefit in IM on a GSM phone - how does it differ from SMS exactly?

  56. Why all the stupid features ? by El+Prebso · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I had a huge problem finding the phone I wanted, still haven't found it. I only need to be able to call someone, no sms, no games, no camera, no internet, just the phone (and the phone book, thats a useful feature). Why can't I get a phone without all that crap? It would be small and cheaper. The most lame of all these features is the games, that is just stupid. IT A PHONE, no a freaking gameboy. And sms ? I don't get it, why don't you call the person ?

    I don't like phones.

    --
    I didn't say it was your fault. I said I was going to blame it on you.
    1. Re:Why all the stupid features ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a huge problem finding word processing machine which I can only use to create text documents. I only need to be able to write some text, no email, no camera, no internet. just word processing (with bold and italic text, thats a useful feature.) Why can't I get a computer without all that crap. It would be smaller and cheaper. The most lame of all these features is the games, that is just stupid. It is a PC, not a freaking NES. And EMAIL? I don't get it, why don't you just send telefax.

      I hate computers

    2. Re:Why all the stupid features ? by 10Ghz · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "And sms ? I don't get it, why don't you call the person?"

      Because sometimes SMS is better. Sometimes you can't call someone. Sending a SMS is discreet and quiet.

      Sometimes you have to send someone a small piece of information (address, shopping-list etc.). It's easy to send SMS, than to call. And the person receiving the info doesn't need pen&paper because the info is stored on the phone.

      Why do people use pagers? SMS does everything a pager does and more.

      --
      Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
    3. Re:Why all the stupid features ? by scorcherer · · Score: 1

      I'm sure you love using Windows instead of a real OS, because, hey, computers are made for web browsing, email and wordprocessing. Who on earth would want the stupid features of Linux or something. But hey, there are GAMES for Windows so you're screwed, man.

      --

      --
      The Cap is nigh. Time to get a fresh new account.

    4. Re:Why all the stupid features ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Plus it's easier to ask a girl out via SMS than face to face :P

    5. Re:Why all the stupid features ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why do people use pagers? SMS does everything a pager does and more.

      Because SMS coverage isn't universal.

      I have both a tri-band phone (TDMA 800 MHz, analog 800 MHz, TDMA 1900 MHz) and a Skytel two-way pager. I travel a great deal on business, mostly to large metropolitan areas.

      SMS coverage is not as wide as my Skytel pager, at least with my provider (Cingular). And, I can't send a message to an RFC-822 email address (although that may be a network problem, too.).

  57. ICQ network by jawtheshark · · Score: 1
    Well, I upgraded yesterday to 2000b (not 2001b, I was on #ICQHelp and they said it was utter crap) and it has the same issues and the ads don't make it prettier. Besides: protocol's shouldn't change! I don't complain I can't do SMS and all the new fancy stuff: I'm more than happy with basic messenging....stuff that was supported since pre-98a! Honestly: I do not upgrade software when it "Works For Me". The beta-argument is complete idiocy: they haven't change it in 2 years and now suddenly it is obsoleted? Sure, and I am Madonna!

    Do you realise how heavy the new crapware is they release? Do I have to buy a new computer just to be able to do what I did more than 2 years ago with perfectly working software. I cannot buy a top notch PC for everyone in my family, so my sis has to do with a P166 and guess who uses ICQ most? Yes, my sis....
    How can reverting to TCP-only (it probably is TCP only, because UDP is connectionless and doesn't ensure that packets arrive at destination) when the older version support BOTH? If the older versions support both they should be able to communicate with the newer ones reverting to TCP... Besides, there has always been "server over server" and now even that doesn't work. Sorry, I don't grasp your logic: if it wasn't for your low ID I'd suspect you for posting this as pure and utter flamebait.

    --
    Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
  58. Correction by jawtheshark · · Score: 1

    s/"server over server"/"send over server"/g

    --
    Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
  59. Matrix-inspired design? by artemis67 · · Score: 2

    Looking at this photo of the new phone, it seems like they took the basic form straight out of The Matrix... the back of the phone looks like it pops down for off-hook mode.

    -----

    1. Re:Matrix-inspired design? by dangermouse · · Score: 2

      The Matrix used an actual Nokia phone.

    2. Re:Matrix-inspired design? by Alfthemack · · Score: 1

      Umm... No, The Matrix phone is the 7100 series... (Who modded you up?) See http://www.nokiausa.com/beauty/1,2498,68,FF.html Blech to both phones... I'm happy with my stylish, but pricey 8890... It works in the US *AND* Europe...

      --
      --Al
    3. Re:Matrix-inspired design? by harakh · · Score: 1

      Its a few months since I saw The Matrix last time but Im pretty sure it wasnt a 7110 phone but a modified 8110. Modified because it had a spring that opened it up - but otherwise an 8110. Sorry for pointing out small errors :)

    4. Re:Matrix-inspired design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's four days since I last saw The Matrix and I can tell you with 100% certainty that it was the 7110. http://www.nokia.com/phones/7110/index.html Try the QT-VR thing.

    5. Re:Matrix-inspired design? by 10Ghz · · Score: 1

      Sorry to rain on your parade, but the phone in Matrix was definitely a 8110 (or it's american cousin) which had a snap-out cover like the 7110 has. It was not a standard 8110 but a modified one. After the Matrix, Nokia Introduced 7110 which did have a snap-out cover as standard.

      --
      Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
    6. Re:Matrix-inspired design? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sorry. Definately an 8110.
      I have the Matrix and I still have an old 8110.
      http://www.nokia.com/phones/8110/index.html

  60. Now we can use ICQ? by TheRealDamion · · Score: 2, Informative

    Over 4 years ago Nokia released the 9000 phone with a telnet client. At 9600 baud (which is pretty good) you could sit on a shell account using whatever UNIX clients you wanted to. IRC or a free ICQ client. You could also get VNC for it. so you had 640x200 res 8grayscale connection to any graphical unix client. Since then the 9110 provided 14,400 connectivity, 16greyscale and MUCH smaller size (roughly normal phone size and weight). Then earlier this year Nokia released the 9210 which has a 12bit colour 640x200 display (note that VGA is only 640x480 and that's pretty good). Battery life like 6 hours talk time and 80hours standby. EPOC6 (god knows what the reviewer of the linked article is on about boasting about first use of EPOC?) and 8meg SDRAM.
    Yes Nokia arsed up by making it have Word Compatibility instead of a telnet client, but in the last few months a company has written a good ssh client making this (at last) almost as good as the 9110 and basically THE device for admins to use in a pub in a country village. In the UK we have almost 100% coverage all over the place, be it in the middle of fields and lakes or right in the middle of a City. ICQ? That's **cked up too. It's just a combination of about 5 other 20year old standards, like mixing talk, finger, ping, email, wall/write together.. all things that already existed. Why do I feel like nothing is progressing?

  61. Symbian are not Finnish by sockettrousers · · Score: 1

    The best OS in the world comes from the UK.

    Or did you mean Linux?

  62. ...don�t !!! by login-error · · Score: 1

    As a GSM service technician I can only say DONT !!! NOKIA is real crap, and it doesnt get any better...

  63. Howabout by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    a phone that has clear sound and no dropouts?

  64. ICQ is already here... by Manuka · · Score: 2

    As long as you have a phone that runs PalmOS. Admittedly, GSM lends itself far better to this than CDMA.

    Of course, there's something ironic about using a phone to chat with someone via text. Someone suggested a videophone that translates sign language into Braille was somewhere along the same line of ironic stupidity.

  65. Ericsson T68 is here today... by torkar · · Score: 0


    It doesn't have a video camera, BUT it has trippel-band coverage which is better of course in the U.S.

    Nokia will release their phone in a couple of months...

  66. Re: Better mobile device than stuck with PC by Judge_Fire · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Messaging != Talking!

    Think about it. The people designing these phones a few years ago couldn't anticipate the SMS craze.

    But people actually want it so much they're ready to tap text messages on the hugely uncomfortable numeric keypad - not bleeding edge early adopters, but even grandmas and grandpas. It's a billion business here, and the threshold is soooo much lower than 1) get PC, 2) get ICQ, 3) sit around PC waiting for something to happen.

    So there must be something to it. Messaging is closer to email in form, than telephony.

    I believe the cultures of email and messaging will merge, become mobile and omnipresent, and just like cell phones, perfectly culturally acceptable to keep turned off when you prefer some privacy. (Busy, away, leave a message... same thing.)

    J

  67. I dunno about ICQ by vortigern00 · · Score: 1

    I dunno about ICQ on a mobile phone, but AIM on a mobile phone works right now. Check it out:

    http://www.aol.com/wireless/index.adp

  68. ummm... Japanese Cell Phones. by ainsoph · · Score: 2, Informative
    I was away in Asia for a year and during that time I got to see lots and lots of people using cell phones, all the time. In Thailand everyone had these cool slick phones, very small, text messaging, the works. Everyone uses them, and most people 150% more quiet than the American users of cell phones.

    My point is though, once we got to Japan on our trip, I became blown away by the phones there. I have never really wanted to get one, but after seeing those I thought, crap can't wait to go back to the states to get a cell phone!

    Once back, there were no cellphones that would even compare to what I saw there.

    Here is a few things:

    65k color screens in ultra thin phone.

    Downloadable Javabased Nintendo games. Download and play, whenever you want.

    People stand around in train stations doing email on their phones or surfing the web instead of telling everyone in the train about their sexual expliots of the last weekend.

    We were in Shinjuku on a side street and there was a film crew filming some celebs. People grabbed their cell phones and took digital pics of the goings on and emailed their friends right from the side street.

    Point is: Japanese cell phones are cool. I wish we had the services that they had.

    some links:

    http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20011116S0107

    http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9909/20/bandai.c ell.phone.idg/

    http://foma.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/terminals/inde x.html

    1. Re:ummm... Japanese Cell Phones. by DownUnderBlacky · · Score: 1

      diito..

      Everytime I go to japan, im amazed at how far the rest of the world in behind in the technology front of mobile phones... this type of thing has been out in japan for quite some time, plus they are more feature packed (email, voicemail (on the phone, not at the provider), imaging, java-based, large full-colour displays, etc)... they make our mobile technology (or nokia's, i should say) look like what we were using 7 years ago...

      and the best part? they are (on the whole) usually significantly cheaper, smaller, and run longer.

    2. Re:ummm... Japanese Cell Phones. by ainsoph · · Score: 1

      I completely agree. Hey.. Don't you want one?

  69. Sure. But will it... by sirgoran · · Score: 1

    credit me when I get a wrong number on my cell phone, or do I still have to argue with the phone company that I shouldn't be charged for the incoming wrong number to my phone?

    I'm all for the new whistles and bells that they've been sticking into the new phones, full color displays, better batterytime, etc. But I just wish that they'd spend just as much on improving the customer service.

    Goran

    --
    Carpe Scrotum - The only way to deal with your competition.
    1. Re:Sure. But will it... by haggar · · Score: 1

      Oh yes, you're from USA... did you know that in the rest of the world it's the caller who pays the charge?

      --
      Sigged!
    2. Re:Sure. But will it... by Colol · · Score: 1

      That's not true of all US cell providers. A few (VoiceStream, for example) give you at least a free minute of incoming calls. And given it usually takes me 16 second of airtime to say, "Hey, you have the wrong number" and press end, getting billed for wrong numbers is a joke. (Plenty of experience in this area, given the first 3 months I had my mobile, people kept calling wanting their cable TV hooked up...)

      That, and most of the CDMA and TDMA providers do offer the ability to switch your account to calling-party-pays. But that drastically tapers off the number of calling parties, so most people don't do it.

  70. Re:get a Ericsson T68 instead.. - has 1900 too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How the hell can nokia release a phone without 1900?

  71. I want slashdot on my mobile phone! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When will there be a slashdot for WAP? I want it and I want i now!

    1. Re:I want slashdot on my mobile phone! by Doug+Neal · · Score: 0

      There was one. Used to be able to get the stories just by visiting http://slashdot.org/ by WAP - but this little known service quietly disappeared without a trace after the move to Slash 2.0.

      When's it coming back?

  72. No, but I can say by sockettrousers · · Score: 1

    Java and code signing

  73. Ikea store swedish but furniture largely Finnish by 2ms · · Score: 1

    Of course Ikea (in case you couldn't tell by colors) is a Swedish company. However, they sell at least as much Finnish furniture as they sell Swedish furniture. Yes, they also sell a ton of Danish and Norwegian furniture.

  74. Re:Ugh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary Safety deser-- Ooh! PUPPIES!!"

    Wakko Warner should win some kind of .sig award for that one.

  75. Bluetooth, WAP & HSCSD by ukryule · · Score: 1
    Wow. The thing has so many features, that in the overview they can ignore completely all the 'yesterdays buzzwords':
    • Bluetooth
    • WAP
    • HSCSD (up to about 40k bandwidth)
    • Java
    • Snake!
    They're only mentioned deep in the spec.


    And of course, no mention of how much it'll cost or when it'll really become available ...

  76. Ericsson T68's muuuch better by DamnYankee · · Score: 1

    I think Nokia is just trying to steal the thunder from the debut of the Ericsson T68 phone.

    IMHO, this is the first phone Ericsson has ever made that gets almost everything right. The size is perfect, no antenna to poke me painfully in the gonads, no "cutesy" features like a silly keyboard cover that breaks off on six months.

    This phone is almost a perfect phone! It has US coverage (1900 MHz), bluetooth (I love my Palm BT dongle!), color screen (cool games), amazing standby time (750+ hours, wow), GPRS, syncable with my Palm desktop data, and more.

    The UI does need a bit of work below the first icon level, the color screen could be improved, and the menus are a bit confusing. Otherwise, a perfect phone!

    --

    Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
    William Shakespeare

    1. Re:Ericsson T68's muuuch better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Thunder? What fucking thunder?!

      Ericsson has lost it in the consumer space. 8% share, big fucking whoop.

      And its no wonder, have a look at their phones.. Jesus, did they hire the same guy who designed the boxy Volvo look to design their phones? Ugh, who'd want to carry ugly piece of shit like that with them anyway?

  77. Network politics... by joonasl · · Score: 1

    I don't want to drag this discussion into a political debate, but just as a note: Few years back an American company sued the Finnish government for protectionistic politics because they could not get a licence for building a TDMA (or CDMA or something, can't remember) network to Finland. The argument was basicly that free competition of different mobile phone standards would be in the best interest of the customers. Comparing the mobile phone penetration and the wide usage GSM phones have in Europe and Asia this argument seems dubious at best. My phone works here in Finland and Hong Kong and I don't have to think about it, the only place it would not work is the USA. It seems that a goverment enforced standard and free competition inside that standard is in the best interest of the consumers..

    --
    "There is a terrorist behind every bush"
  78. Symbian sucks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    It seems that this new phone has Symbian as does new 9210 Communicator which I have.

    I used to think, that old 9110 Communicator was slow and unreliable, but this new 9210 sucks even more.

    And software upgrades suck too, some bugs fixed, some added. You need to reboot the phone couple times per day to use it, if it doesn't do it by itself.

    I suspect, that they have used Java in wrong places (which would match all places) and other trend-technologies to kill usability and stability.

    And with this product announcement cycle, old phoes are thrown away before the bugs get fixed. (9110 is frozen even it has serious bugs and it's still sold)

    Where are all those Linux based PDAs, PCMCIA GPRS capable GSM cards and GPL'ed software!?!
    I wan't to run my Pine and Slrn in some stable platform. I wan't to write my on address book, calendar and others. I want email directly to a developer and discuss about the grave bugs and submit patches. That's future, that's what will survive. Was it small laptop or Yopy or some other device running Linux - I don't care.

    I'm sicken tired to this proprieatary 'Application error in address 0x8000000' shit. There must alternative choices left.

  79. Re:get a Ericsson T68 instead.. - has 1900 too by RuleBritannia · · Score: 1

    Uh... Because this is a phone for the European Market, and no european network is 1900Mhz.

    1900Mhz is just a Nobbled GSM standard to provide a barrier to entry to the US market for European phone manufacturers.

    So... In answer to your question. The answer is that Nokia can release a phone with 1900 because the US is not the centre of the world! (SHOCK!)

  80. Re:get a Ericsson T68 instead.. - has 1900 too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm an european, and would hardly consider bying a phone that doesn't have 1900.

  81. Hmmm.... by thorgil · · Score: 1

    Europe dense populated?

    well... not scandinavia...
    ...we use GSM 900/1800 anyway ... whats the problem?..

    ...of course the coverage is not 100 % as with the old NMT450 system but.......

    --
    Warning: This sig contains a small bug. ==> *
  82. Re:get a Ericsson T68 instead.. - has 1900 too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    yeah, you and five other people

    bleh

  83. Obvious enhancement overlooked by Zurgutt · · Score: 1
    Of every possible enhancement that cell phones have, why is the most obvious and useful one overlooked?

    Built in flashlight.

    I mean, everyone is carrying a cellphone nowdays and while very few of us need a webbrowser or PDA in it, almost everyone needs a flashlight sometimes!

    The batteries are already there, just add a white LED and I'd never again have to use dim illumination of the phone display to light my way in some unexpected dark place..

    I'd like a prototype from a first company to make one :-)