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Morning Xtra: 'Transformers 2' Keyboard, 'Heroes' Mobile, QWERTY Qwaziness

by Tom Samiljan on April 2, 2009 at 12:14 PM




Okay, so it's not quite morning on the East Coast anymore, but we're on West Coast time in Las Vegas, so we'll still call this the 'Morning Xtra.' As we mentioned yesterday, this week we're at CTIA, a bi-annual wireless convention where many of the latest cell phones and mobile apps are unveiled and shown. Keep checking Switched for the skinny on what your new phone (or the services on your old phone) may look like. Also, check Engadget Mobile for up-to-date hands-on reviews and news from the show. Here are some of the latest stories in wireless this week, with more to follow in the coming days.

Ugh, Another Bluetooth Headset...But Wait, This One Is Super Sexy!
We didn't think we'd ever fall for another Bluetooth headset, until we saw the just-announced Jabra HALO. The super-slim stereo Bluetooth headset is comfortable on the ears, weighs only three ounces, and has nifty design elements like a touch-sensitive volume slide and a discreetly curvy look. Plus, the thing folds up into a tiny package for throwing into your bag, or even your pocket. It's nice to see Jabra go back to its Danish design roots and deliver this winner, which is out in May for $130.

World Goes QWERTY-Qwazy -- Plenty of New Phones With Real Keyboards for Touchscreen-Haters
Even though every phone manufacturer is throwing its hat into the ring with an iPhone-like touchscreen (usually with mixed results), there are plenty of new handset options with real QWERTY keyboards. At CTIA this week, we've seen two new phones from LG aimed at the teen texting set (the Xenon, $80, and the Neon, $30, both through AT&T), the Nokia N71 (a powerful, full-featured Symbian OS smartphone with plenty of apps, a steal for $100 through AT&T), the HTC Snap (a super thin and light Windows Mobile 6.2 smartphone with an "Inner Circle" button that lets you access e-mails and texts from a filtered list of friends and family), and the super-sexy Nokia E75 (which is available for pre-order on Nokia's site). We'll update you with more of our impressions on all these phones later this week, but we just thought you should know in case you're in the market for a new smartphone. (Our fave right now? The Nokia E71x -- a serious steal!).


And Plenty of New Touchscreen-Phones Still Trying to Capture iPhone Flava....
Among them is the new avant-garde-looking Motorola Evoke, which features a haptic touchscreen keyboard (gives you simulated vibrations every time you hit a key), excellent 'CrystalTalk' call quality, and built-in YouTube, Picasa, MySpace and USA Today widgets (among others). Alas, no Wi-Fi. And don't forget the Samsung Instinct S30, which actually has a decent touchscreen that we highlighted yesterday.

'Heroes' Creator to Make Original Content for Mobile Devices
The creator and executive producer of the NBC series announced he would make exclusive content to be sold on Nokia's Ovi store, which launches worldwide in May. The Ovi store will sell mobile specific content -- movies, ringtones, games, and more -- directly to Nokia devices. Kring said the content -- code-named TEVA -- would make use of the mobile platform and incorporate interactive and social networking elements.

LG to Offer Limited-Edition 'Transformers 2' Keyboard
Director Michael Bay will today unveil a limited-edition, attachable keyboard for the LG Versa that features a 'Transformers 2' theme. The device will only be available through contests and promotions that LG will sponsor. More details -- such as how the thing looks -- to come later his afternoon, when Bay officially announces the device.

BBC World News Launches on 1Cast Network (iPhone Video)
We're loving 1Cast, an iPhone and Android (Google Phone) app that lets you watch news clips from a variety of providers, including AFP, AP, CNBC, Reuters, Wall St Journal, and CBC (you can even set up your own 'channels' that show only clips based on keywords of your choice). Today, the service -- which lets you cache (save) video on your device to watch later, on a plane, for instance -- will announce a deal with BBC World News. You know, so you can get a different perspective on the news.

Click here for more of the latest wireless news from CTIA.

Highlights from CTIA 2009

Tags: ctia, ctia2009, morning xtra, morningextra, MorningXtra, top

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