BlackBerry users rejoice! Tabbed browsing is probably coming with the next major OS release. We say probably ’cause it’s currently included in the beta release, but that doesn’t for sure mean it will make the cut. Anyway, we would love to see tabbed browsing or something that will efficiently allow us to run multiple browser windows. The current build requires users to bring up a menu and select a different tab, but there isn’t any reason why a keyboard shortcut wouldn’t be included in the final release – at least we hope there is a shortcut. But honestly, we’ll take the long way if that means we can have tabs.

New evidence has turned up recently that supports the notion that Apple will add camera functionality to the iPod touch in the near future, possibly even the iPod nano. Given the sources of the evidence, though—which include some Chinese case designs and a rumor from TechCrunch—it still remains merely plausible conjecture.

MacRumors has dug up several references to case designs for both an iPod touch and iPod nano that have cutouts where a camera lens could be expected. Case designs helped to out the iPhone 3G and the fourth-gen iPod nano before official announcements from Apple, but the mere existence of a case design hasn’t made the oft-rumored “iPhone nano” magically appear. We think this evidence alone isn’t convincing.

Independently, TechCrunch is reporting on a source in Asia that said that Apple has placed a huge order for camera modules—an order so huge that it can’t be just for producing new iPhones. In fact, the order is so huge that it might lend credence to rumors that Apple will also add a camera to the iPod nano. “Everything but the Shuffle may have a camera in it soon,” this unnamed source told TechCrunch.

Taken together with previous rumors, it certainly makes the idea seem plausible. Even the camera module’s low cost—rumored to be about $10—makes it seem like adding a camera to iPods is a foregone conclusion. But the module’s price alone doesn’t account for all the necessary changes needed to add support for a camera. The iPod nano, in particular, would need additional retooling for the case and extra software to handle its operation.

The iPod touch seems the most logical place to add camera functionality. Software support already exists in iPhone OS 3.0, and a new iPod touch will most certainly be based on the new iPhone 3GS hardware. However, there’s still nearly a $400 difference in price between a 16GB iPhone 3GS and a 16GB iPod touch—I sincerely doubt that a camera, GPS chip, and cell radio can account for all the difference in price. Adding a camera or other hardware could result in a significant price increase.

You can count us among the hopeful that Apple will add a camera to the iPod touch—it would certainly add more unity to Apple’s mobile platform. You can also count us among the ambivalent about adding a camera to the iPod nano—it just seems to add needless complexity to the svelte device. But count us out of the group of folks that are convinced that all this camera talk is a sure thing.

Last month, after the new iPod Shuffle came out, I wrote a column about how Apple might be considering a shift to a voice interface for iPods and iPhones. Well, now Ars Technica is reporting that there’s “evidence of new voice control features coming to iPhone OS 3.0,” which will be released sometime this summer.

Ars’ sources are of the anonymous variety, but they claim these new voice features are code-named “Jibbler” and will not only provide voice synthesis, but voice recognition.

Ars says that Jibbler appears be an enhancement to the iPhone’s Finder-like SpringBoard application, which serves as a launcher and will support the newly announced 3.0 Spotlight search.

The article states:

“Jibbler may be controlled via the iPhone headset–button squeezes could be used to record short voice segments from the user, which Jibbler will then interpret. Voice synthesis can then be used to give the user a response, similar to the latest generation iPod shuffle, which can ‘read’ playlists and track names–the difference being that the iPhone hardware itself could handle real-time voice synthesis.”

None of this seems all that surprising to me, as Apple just doesn’t do things in a vacuum–it tends to carry over and enhance features from one product to another. So, taking the next step beyond the new Shuffle’s voice feedback feature–and moving to real voice control–seems logical. Of course, most iPhone owners would be happy if Apple just finally introduced a voice-dial option.

Anybody looking forward to these types of potential new voice features? Would a voice-controlled interface be a game-changer–or would it be annoying to hear people giving commands to their iPhones?

Originally Posted @ cnet

High Tech Computer (HTC), the largest maker of handsets that run Microsoft Windows Mobile software, unveiled updates to two of its most popular smartphones ever on Monday, the HTC Touch Diamond2 and HTC Touch Pro2 handsets.

Processor
Qualcomm® MSM7200A™, 528 MHz

Operating System
Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional

Memory
ROM: 512 MB
RAM: 288 MB

Dimensions
116 X 59.2 X 17.25 mm (4.57 X 2.33 X 0.68 inches)

Weight
175 grams (6.17 ounces) with battery

Display
3.6-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 480 X 800 WVGA resolution
Adjustable tilt screen

Network
HSDPA/WCDMA:

• Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz

• Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

• Europe/Asia: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

  (Band frequency, HSUPA availability, and data speed are operator dependent.)

Device Control
TouchFLO™ 3D
Zoom bar

Keyboard
Slide-out 5-row QWERTY keyboar

GPS
Internal GPS antenna

Connectivity
Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0, audio jack, and TV Out* in one)

Camera
Main camera: 3.2 megapixel color camera with auto focus
Second camera: VGA CMOS color camera

Audio supported formats
AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI, M4A

Video supported formats
WMV, ASF, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, M4V, AVI

Battery
Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
Capacity: 1500 mAh
Talk time:

• Up to 270 minutes for WCDMA

• Up to 419 minutes for GSM

Standby time:

• Up to 454 hours for WCDMA

• Up to 348 hours for GSM

Video call time: Up to 150 minutes
(The above are subject to network and phone usage.)

Expansion Slot
microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)

AC Adapter
Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
DC output: 5V and 1A

Special Features
FM Radio, G-Sensor

The Google-backed Open Handset Alliance adds Vodafone and Sony Ericsson, along with 12 others to boost the Google Android mobile and wireless and operating system. The move points to the momentum Android is gaining with both the T-Mobile G1, and promises of future phones in 2009 from Sprint, Motorola and others.

The Open Handset Alliance, a group committed to creating and promoting smart phones and devices based on Google’s open source Android mobile operating system, now  has 47 members with the addition of 14 new member companies Dec. 9.

Vodafone and Sony Ericsson lead the roster of new members, joined by AKM Semiconductor, ARM, ASUSTek Computer, Atheros Communications, Borqs, Ericsson, Garmin International, Huawei Technologies, Omron Software Co., Softbank Mobile Corporation, Teleca AB and Toshiba.

OHA said in a statement new members will make Android devices, contribute significant code to the Android Open Source Project, or support the Android ecosystem with products and services that will accelerate the availability of Android-based devices.

This isn’t any different than when the OHA launched in November 2007 to support Android, which has so far made its way onto one official vendor smart phone, the T-Mobile G1. Google’s Android group unveiled a SIM-unlocked gadget last week. 

As AllThingsDigital’s John Paczkowski noted, that’s 47 phone makers and carriers, chip makers and other various and sundry technology companies for one official device.

No matter, analysts say. The new OHA members, led by telco carrier luminaries Vodafone and Sony Ericsson, show potential. Greg Sterling, of Sterling Market Intelligence, told eWEEK the added OHA support is about “momentum and anticipated phones.”

Sterling pointed to the coming Kogan Agora and Agora Pro Android smart phones, which Kogan Technologies will unleash in January. Motorola has also made a big commitment to the Android platform and AT&T previously said that they’d have an Android phone out in 2009, he said.

Bloomberg and GigaOm said Sprint, having seen the progress of T-Mobile’s G1, will work with chip companies and handset makers to develop a Sprint device based on Android for 2009.

Sprint has 50.5 million customers, making it the biggest U.S. carrier to adopt Android even as market leaders Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless decline to support Google.

Ovum Research’s Adam Leach said the move signals greater confidence in the OHA and the Android platform within the mobile industry.
Noting that applications created for Apple’s iPhone are beginning to drive revenues for mobile network operators and developers, Leach said strong sales of the G1 indicate Google and the OHA have a growing developer community for Android.

New OHA members will only fuel this growth, leading to a greater number of Android devices in the market next year, Leach wrote in a Dec. 10 research note. Leach is so bullish that he believes Google could eventually challenge Nokia and its Symbian Foundation.

“Google and its OHA partners have the opportunity to build critical a mass of supporting handsets during 2009,” Leach said. “This will be the real litmus test for Google. If it achieves this momentum in the handset market in 2009, then it has the potential to challenge Nokia and the Symbian Foundation for dominance in the handset software market.”

The BlackBerry Storm, Verizon (VZ) and RIM’s (RIMM) answer to Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone, opens like a Broadway show on Friday. So naturally, Thursday’s papers and blogs are full of reviews. A sampling of the big ones:

• Walt Mossberg. The Wall Street Journal. BlackBerry’s Storm Presses Into the Touch-Phone Fray: Mixed positive. He likes the high-res camera (which does video), the replaceable battery, the push e-mail, the ability to cut-and-paste, the corporate security features and Verizon’s 3G network — an improvement over AT&T’s (T). He misses Wi-Fi, however, and he’s not particularly fond of the so-called SurePress touchscreen. “The feature does provide a more reassuring confirmation that a key has been struck or an icon has been clicked than the mere visual feedback one receives from the iPhone. But neither I, nor any of the several BlackBerry addicts I asked to try it out, considered typing on the Storm’s keyboard to be very similar to using the keyboard of a traditional full-sized BlackBerry.” (link)

• Joshua Topolsky. Engadget. BlackBerry Storm review: “The selling points are easy: the phone is gorgeous to look at and hold, it’s designed and backed by RIM (now almost a household name thanks to their prevalence in the business and entertainment markets), and it’s packed with features that, at first glance, make it seem not only as good as the iPhone, but better. The only hitch in this plan is a major one: it’s not as easy, enjoyable, or consistent to use as the iPhone, and the one place where everyone is sure they have an upper hand — that wow-inducing clickable screen — just isn’t all that great.” (link)

• Daniel Dumas. Wired.com. RIM’s First Touchscreen Device Almost Eclipses the iPhone: “WIRED Click screen is a revelation for touch compatible devices. Converts iTunes to BlackBerry media without breaking a sweat. Included GSM card means the Storm is a true globetrotter – it can work in virtually any foreign port. Photos, video, and text pop like Ice Cube’s AK (on a bad day). Posh fit and finish look rich enough to buy YOU dinner. — TIRED OS lag on a piece of hardware this gorgeous is unacceptable. Scrolling through menus is jagged, slow, and pokey. Accelerometer sometimes takes a good 5-10 seconds to orient itself. Lack of Wi-Fi is lame. Verizon’s totalitarian control over the Storm’s OS is even lamer.” (link)

• Yardena Arar. PC World. BlackBerry’s Storm: Awkward and Disappointing: “The decision by Research in Motion to differentiate the Storm by giving its capacitive touch screen a mechanical component (the entire screen functions as a button for confirming selections or initiating actions) turns out to be more confusing than helpful. Ultimately, the Storm’s touch interface feels like a failed experiment. — It’s too bad, because the Storm has some nice features and makes a great first impression.” (link)

• The Boy Genius. The Boy Genius Report. Verizon BlackBerry Storm review: “The good thing is that this is, afterall, a BlackBerry, and once you get past accepting that there will be some hiccups, it’s really not all that bad. It’s a great phone, a very good device for email, a really good media player, and a decent web browsing machine. You’ll just have to decide what your priorities are in a mobile device and see if the Storms meets that.” (link)

Have you weathered the Storm? Tell us what you liked — or didn’t like — in the comments below.

AT&T Mobility chief Ralph de la Vega confirmed on Thursday that iPhone 3G users will be able to use their phones as wireless modems at some point next year.

De la Vega made the comments during a conversation with TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington at the Web 2.0 Summit on Thursday. “Tethering” an iPhone to a laptop, and using the iPhone’s mobile data connection to get online, is a service that iPhone users have wanted for some time but that AT&T was reluctant to provide, perhaps because it feared that a huge influx of traffic could overwhelm its network.

It’s not clear when AT&T will roll out the tethering service; some point in 2009 appears to be the only stated time frame.

Last month, Steve Jobs supposedly sent an e-mail to a Gizmodo reader saying Apple and AT&T were working on a tethering plan for the iPhone. But for a brief period this year, a company called NullRiver software sold an application called NetShare that let iPhone users tether their laptops to their phones. Apple pulled the application from the App Store, despite the fact that other carriers selling the iPhone around the world permit tethering and the developer’s claim that NetShare did not violate any terms and conditions of the developer program.

Will NetShare be allowed back on the App Store, if tethering is declared legal? Or is Apple planning to develop that software itself, after rejecting the developer’s application, as it appears to be doing with a podcast download feature that looks to be coming to the iPhone 2.2 software? We’ll have to wait and see.

Motorola used to be one of the biggest companies in the mobile phone

  market thanks to its Razr handset. When the popularity of the Razr waned so did Motorola’s market share. Today Motorola is one of the firms fighting for the dollars of mobile phone shoppers everywhere.

Motorola and T-Mobile have announced a new handset called the Motozine ZN5. The ZN5 is most notable for its camera featuring Kodak technology. The camera is a 5MP unit with auto-focus and is optimized for low light conditions. It also features a built-in Xenon flash. Several capture and edit modes are offered including panorama, grayscale, sepia, negative and more.

The handset has a 2.4-inch LCD with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution and has 350MB of onboard memory. Memory can be increased to 4GB with a memory card. The handset works on the T-Mobile GSM 850/900/1800/1900 and EDGE networks. The handset is available today for $99 after rebates and discounts.