7YK Blog

So let’s take a look at the Nokia 1650 mobile phone, priced at £44.00 it is in competition with the likes of the Fly SLT100, available from Virgin Mobile PAYG. One of the great advantages the Nokia 1650 has is that it is a SIM free mobile phone so the user can shop around for a good cheap SIM only tariff that really suits their own personal needs.

The Nokia 1650 does have a slight plasticky feel to it but still looks kind of cool in the silver, black and cream livery, and Nokia Online store also has the Nokia 1650 available in red and silver option if you want your handset to stand out a little.

Size and weight wise the Nokia 1650 doesn’t differ much to say the Nokia 1200, so measures 104mm x 44mm x 18mm thick, and has a weight of 80g which is quite close to the Nokia 1200’s 102mm x 44mm x 17.5 thick and weight of 77g making both Nokia handsets lightweight and highly portable in the pocket.

So what really differentiates the Nokia 1650 from the Nokia 1200 however is their usability, with the Nokia 1650 being somewhat more improved in all three aspects namely screen quality, software and data entry. While the Nokia 1200 had a rubberised number pad, navigation key and shortcut buttons, the Nokia 1650 has the same but this time round the navigation key is a physical button.

The build of the Nokia 1650 is of better quality, and its rubber moulding around the number keys has a raised lower edge so fining them and hitting the correct button is somewhat easier. The same can be said of the call and end buttons, and only the two soft menu keys are actually completely flat. If these is to be one gripe about the Nokia 1650 is has to be the lack of a press-to-select feature on its navigation pad, which means unfortunately the user has to use a soft key to choose and select an item.

The Nokia 1650’s screen measures 35 x 28mm with 128 x 160 pixels, which isn’t cutting edge but an improvement on the mono screen Nokia 1200 and well is fine for the basics. And with the lack of a web browser the user shouldn’t be tempted to over stretch the screens capabilities, so may be useful for the older users amongst us. One snag is for SMS you have to scroll if the message is longer than 20 words.

The Nokia 1650 interface is Series 30 operating system, a long way behind the curve in capabilities but options in a vertical scrolling menu can show you 3 choices simultaneously, while the right soft key can be configured to a range of menu choices that the user uses most often.

The Nokia 1650 can be used for hands-free calling but unfortunately not for listening to your own music as it lacks a music player, but there is an FM radio while Nokia suggest the battery is good for 8 hours of talk-time and420 hours of standby time, depending on how long you use that radio for that is. So the Nokia could be one of those mobile phones that don’t need charging every day, although the tendency with long battery life is to forget to charge it at all.

It probably won’t come as a surprise that the Nokia 1650 lacks an expansion slot, and the internal 8MB memory is all you get, and well to be honest for a mobile phone that has no camera or media player 8MB should be ample. Bluetooth is another thing that is missing, along with no real calendar, but there is a reminders application which allows the user to record stuff they need reminding of and attach them to a date and time.

Another lack here is PC sync which is somewhat understandable considering the Nokia 1650’s limited functionality. What you do get is a speaking clock in which a human voice announces the time until you turn it off which is good for an alarm, and the FM radio can also be used in the alarm function. Well that’s about it for the Nokia 1650, plenty of lacking features, but is by the way dual-band. Finally the Nokia 1650 is your basic handset with minimal extras and a SIM free option that makes is a viable alternative handset.

Source – trustedreviews

Approximately one month ago Opera Software launched Opera Mini 4.1 in beta, well now the officially official final version is available, and packs all the same features as the earlier beta version but in a more stable package.

Some of the features with Opera Mini 4.1 are it faster than the previous Opera Mini 4.0, users can now save webpage’s for later off-line viewing, URL completions support makes address input a snap, images, ringtones and other content can now be downloaded without exiting Opera Mini, fast access to the word or phrase the user wants in web pages.

So there you go, it’s available right now, fancy it? Then download it here

Source – operamini via intomobile

Yes they keep on coming, yet another rumour. A report from LeMatin.ch states Apple is bringing their Apple iPhone to Switzerland via Swisscom sometime this summer, and along with said rumour is speculation that the Swiss next-gen Apple iPhone will be carrying not only 3G UMTS/HSDPA data connectivity, but also has video conferencing, Mobile TV, and GPS!!

As we all know Apple has been shoving out the iPhone across the globe and been pushing and striving to make deals happen. This in mind it’s no real surprise Switzerland would sooner or later be gaining the Apple iPhone. What’s more we have heard previous rumours the next-gen iPhone will sport true GPS receiver along with video conferencing due to its front facing camera; however the main news here is the mention of some type of Mobile TV standard on the Apple 3G iPhone.

Although I suspect Mobile TV won’t make deals or the lack of break deals with Apple 3G iPhone hopefuls, but it would be a little bonus. However if the Apple 3G iPhone launches minus GPS most will be stunned while the lack of Mobile TV won’t really make the difference to most.

Source – macrumors

Swedish designer and manufacturer of portable media accessories, Jays is clearly hoping that the rumour of the next generation Apple iPhone will sport a normal headphone jack isn’t true as Jays has manufactured its earphone range compatible with the Apple iPhone thanks to the launch of its new stereo music adapter.

The m-JAYS iPhone is a stereo handset/music adapter which has been fully adapted for use with the Apple iPhone’s recessed 3.5mm earphone jack and can be used with any earphones including the ranges of Jays earphones, and features a call answering button along with finely tuned microphone that give superior clarity of speech.

Jays, as a launch offer, are offering a special m-JAYS iPhone bundle at the price of £39.99, the m-JAYS iPhone bundle includes a set of stereo j-JAYS earphones and iPhone adapter, or the Jays iPhone adapter can also be purchased as a separate item for the price of £9.99

Source – Jays via Pocket-lint

Italian industrial designer Biodomotica has designed a hand phone concept for those people who only use their mobile device for talking, and manufacturers are looking interested. The concept of a hand phone specifically for speech isn’t exactly a unique idea but it could be quite useful.

Looking at this concept there is some small screen along with several buttons which may hint at possible texting, although it would be somewhat uneasy to accomplish. The other problem that immediately jumps to mind is getting used to having the device permanently on your hand, then this would probably result in the user using the mobile phone as it was originally intended as a means of speaking with someone.

Source – textually

If you are one of the many who use their Apple iPhone for internet access rather than using it as an actual mobile phone you may be interested to know that AT&T has just announced a new data only plan via AT&T Pay-As-You-GO prepaid wireless service.

The plan is $20.00 a month for unlimited data only which give Apple iPhone users the option to put their shiny multi-touch mobile phone to use for gaming, email, internet, and PDA functionality, everything for the net user except voice calls.

AT&T’s $20.00 a month plan breaks down like this: Activate your iPhone to work with the Pay-As-You-Go SIM card through iNdependence, purchase an AT&T pre-paid SIM card and load it with minutes, Call “611″ and register your new SIM card, and use the telephone-based system to buy the “Unlimited MediaNet” package for $19.95 (at the voice prompts, indicate that you want to “Buy Features” and then “Data Packages”)

However remember the unlimited data package is only good for one month and will need to up your prepay account every 30 days with another unlimited package. AT&T will charge $10.00 for every megabyte used should you go over the 30 day period, but maybe it’s worth the slight risk of forgetting to renew now and again for cheap unlimited data on the Apple iPhone. Or just simply keep your eye on the data package run out time and everything should run fine.

Source – TUAW

All mobile phone carriers require an unlimited plan of their own these days more so in the US, as it is great to offer customers the option on an unlimited wireless plan in the name of good honest competition.

And to this end, Sprint’s lower market brand Boost Mobile has announced their new PAYGO Chat Plan, which brings prepaid iDEN users an option of unlimited nights and weekends, unlimited mobile to mobile, ands unlimited texting for just a dollar a day. Although and unfortunately that $1.00 per day won’t grab you unlimited daytime minutes, while out of network calls will set Boost Mobile users back $0.10 per minute.

Source – engadgetmobile

With flexible displays of the future in mind E-Ink Technologies may be the company to usher in the age of low power static displays which can bend round corners and do the yard work. Yeah it probably won’t be able to pick up leaves; however E-Ink Corporation’s new Segmented Display Cell technology gives next generation displays that are based on E-Ink tech to bring flexible and low power consumption to paper thin packages.

The new high flexibility and readability design options from SDC E-Ink display’s “organic non-rectangular unique shapes, including holes, curves, and other non-standard designs” is greatly suitable for a range of bendable and strangely shaped displays.

This new tech has already been used to create a communicating key fob from Delphi, and not only allows for strangely unique shapes and slim key fobs, but will also prove excellent readability in sunlight which is one of the main draws of E-Ink tech. So what can be expected for the future of displays? Highly visible and paper thin electronic mobile devices which can be bent for fit virtually any shape.

Source – unwiredview

There’s no doubt Apple will be bringing 3G to the table, but how did they manage to get over the battery drainage issues which kept the present iPhone from supporting a 3G radio? Well what they did was to allow users to disable 3G data access when a faster speed is needed.

Presumably there will be some technical improvements to the internals which will get the Apple 3G iPhone much closer to Steve Job’s want of getting “battery lives for 3G get back up into the 5+ hour range.” Although I can’t see the 3G version surfing 3G waves and lasting for the 6 hours on the present generation iPhone.

Taking a look at the iPhone OS 2.0 beta 5 firmware it shows that the 3G iPhone offers the mobile phone user the option to switch off 3G connectivity to preserve battery life. So the user need only to switch on 3G when like surfing image laden websites, while disabling the 3G to force the Apple iPhone to become more power- conserving and use EDGE data connectivity for RSS reading, stocks, and email checking.

Source – chronicproductions

The appearance of “iPhone Black” on the AT&T model selector earlier today was apparently an oversight as an official statement from AT&T says…”The reference to ‘iPhone Black’ was simply a temporary placeholder used over the weekend for a scheduled catalogue update. It was meant to temporarily distinguish the various iPhone models-4GB, 8GB and 16GB-but was never reassigned. We’re changing the site now.”

So basically 3 models of Apple iPhone with just 2 placeholders, the iPhone and iPhone Black, makes perfect sense right? I mean like “black” is so much easier to remember than say 4, 8, or even 16GB, even though all signs recently point to the next generation Apple 3G iPhone having a glossy black casing.

Yep, seems the powers that be at AT&T thinks we are all lacking in the brain department, so I wonder if when they do announce the Apple 3G iPhone they’ll say… “Oh look, wonder if we should put the iPhone Black back in our placeholder!” Fabrication or fact? You decide.

Source – engadgetmobile