Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Cellular / WiFi hopping handsets aren’t an entirely new concept, but Nortel and Qualcomm look to be giving the desirable technology a boost today, with them announcing that they’ve succesfully tested a handset that makes use of Nortel’s Voice Call Continuity network-based system and Qualcomm’s corresponding IMS/VCC-based chipset. That combo, the companies say, allows for seamless switching of voice calls between CDMA cellular networks and plain-old WiFi networks which should, in turn, save you some money on service charges. What’s more, the pair says their solution will allow companies to offer dual-mode mobile phones that are VCC-ready upon purchase, with no further software downloads or service configuration necessary. It also seems like that prospect may not be all that far off, as Nortel says it expects its network solution to be available in the first quarter of next year, while Qualcomm says its VCC-ready devices will be rolling out sometime in mid-2008.

[Via Phone Scoop]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

Apple’s already drawn a bit of unintended attention for the iPhone’s Visual Voicemail feature, and it now looks like its facing a bit more heat on the matter, with Klausner Technologies now suing both it and AT&T for alleged patent infringement. Specifically, Klasuner is claiming that the Apple and AT&T violated two of its patents by “allowing users to selectively retrieve voice messages via the iPhone’s inbox display” and, according to Apple Insider, its seeking damages and future royalties estimated at some $360 million. But that’s not all, Klausner also apparently filed similar claims today against Comcast, Cablevision, and eBay (Skype, specifically), with damages and future royalties in those cases clocking in to the tune of $300 million. What’s more, all this apparently follows two other lawsuits over the very same patents, which Klausner’s attorney says they’ve litigated successfully. As is often the case, however, it’s now up to the federal court in the Eastern District of Texas to sort things out.

[Thanks, Mark]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Features

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment.

Last week”s Switched On discussed some of the similarities and differences between Amazon’s Kindle and the Sony Reader. Where the Kindle really sets itself apart, though, is more in the buying of books than reading them..

The sleek Sony reader costs $100 less than the Kindle and relies on PC software for book purchases.The model for the Sony Connect integrated software and bookstore was the pairing of the iPod and iTunes, a system that has worked so well for Apple’s digital music players that the Cupertino-based company made it the basis for all media downloads with an inherently connected device, the iPhone. But just as Apple brought the sensibility of desktop software to cell phones, Amazon has brought its legacy of convenient online retail experience to bear on its reader.

As with its Web-based store, Amazon has stressed the value of a broad selection of content. This is critical in a device that features access to books (or commercial video), since consumers don’t have easy and legal access to this content the way they did with CDs for the iPod. The Kindle store has about 90 percent of the New York Times’ top 100 bestsellers, and over 90,000 titles in all. This dwarfs the selection available in Sony Connect bookstore. And the purchase process is as smooth as a paperback book cover. Amazon has been such an innovator in online commerce that Apple licensed its patent for one-click purchases on its Web-based store and in the iTunes store.

Continue reading Switched On: Rainforest fire (Part 2)

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Household

This yeast-and-sugar powered generator invented by Dr. Cedrick Ngalande of Malawi can supposedly power cellphones, OLPCs, and medical devices for up to eight hours, but apart from a few vague guesses involving CO2, oscillating motion, and a couple Sharper Image desk toys we’ve got lying around, we’re utterly at a loss to explain how it works. Ideas, leave ’em in comments!

[Via Afrigadget]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Alright, so we’re not exactly sure what went down at the Fortune Forum — that swanky dinner in London last night where a radical, climate-changing “new science” was supposed to be unveiled — but we do know that the event came and went with nary a mention of the supposed “super material.” Apparently the only major news is that Al Gore was there, and he gave a speech praising UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown for his work on global warming, which sounds about par for the course. No word on whether or not anyone tracked down British Inventors’ Society founder Kane Kramer to ask him about his claims, but we’ll keep a sharp eye and let you know if we hear anything.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!