Mintpass, a division of Reigncom (iRiver), has slated the Minpass PMP + PDA for release outside Korea this April. If this is the first time you’ve heard of the Mintpass, it’s a WiFi-enabled PMP with PDA function. Besides supporting a host of video and music files, the mintpass is also a scheduler, portable instant messaging device and a digital camera. Last time we heard it is a Windows CE with 400MHz of processing power and 128 of RAM. Storage is only 4GB. The user-interface supports stylus input and is actually quite sleek. For a little over $150, it’s a very handy portable device, though the 2.8-inch screen may be small for some folks.

See the video:

[via engadget]

Sony has decided to end the Go! Messenger service for the PlayStation Portable. After going live almost a year ago, the instant messaging and video calling service for PSP, thanks to Sony’s collaboration with BT, will cease. The Go! Messenger feature for PSP represents a communication advancement in all portable devices.

The reason is obvious: very few takers. “Although Go! Messenger brought innovative communications features to the PSP community, the service has not developed the base of users that we were hoping for,” said a spokesperson for Sony.It’s too bad that PSP users would rather go for a lilac color PSP than a portable gaming device with video conferencing, VoIP chat and instant messaging.

[source via engadget]

Macworld 2009 doesn’t have much for the PMP world. One of the few interesting announcements came from British Truphone for an app that integrated Skype calling, instant messaging and Twitter to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The Truphone app is now at the APP Store for free and on January 12 the Skype, IM and Twitter services will become available. IM that will be supported by the app includes Yahoo! and MSN Messenger and Google Talk.

[via unwiredreview]

Don’t know how a WinMo 6.0 iPhone clone can be “110% iPhone.” But the writeup in my mailbox says the phone is so “robust,” the tag is justified. Very well. Specs include a 3.2-inch multi-touch screen, WiFi connectivity, 1.3 MP camera (with video recording) and pocket PC functionality (i.e. edit Office files). This is also a music and video player, TV player and the MiPhone M99i supports all sorts of instant messaging. Price is $299.99 but no word on onboard memory though there is TF card support. All that’s left to say is, HiPhone and Sciphone are toast.

[product]

Zen X-Fi offers multiple features that go beyond even what iPod Touch has to offer. Frst and foremost, for video lovers, no more waiting to decode your videos in iPod’s native file but instead, you’ll have the following files supported: WMV MPEG4-SP, Divx 4/5, Xvid, and MJPEG (audio: MP3, WMA, AAC (unprotected), WAV, and Audible). Secondly, almost just as significant is the WiFi that allows instant messaging and content streaming. We still have very little info on Creative’s new Centrale, which enables you to create your own wireless home server for music sharing. Of course, you may have doubts about the X-Fi technology Creative is boasting on this PMP, but you cannot deny that the bundled premium quality ep-830 earphones is significantly better than what Apple bundles with your iPods.

No official price yet. Officially, the Zen X-Fi battery lets you play music for 36 hours though video playback is only 5 hours. So far, this is a most desirable PMP.

[via epizenter]

Go!Messenger for the PlayStation Portable is slated to launch this Friday. This gives you some pretty nifty communications options via a WiFi HotSpot, which besides instant messaging and voice calls includes video calling using Go!Cam. Ian Pulford of BT Retail says since the new call-out may be coming soon, which means calling on the PSP will not be limited to other PSP users with a Go!Messenger subscription. Go!Messenger is for registered users only. It is not compatible with other instant messaging software like MSN, Skype and AOL.

[via tech.co.uk]

For the first time ever, we have an N-series model that will be released in Europe and North America at the same time. The candybar Nokia N78 is designed for music, navigation and most notably, photography. It’s got a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and integrated A-GPS, allowing you to Geo-tag your photos. It also has an FM transmitter, Bluetooth, WiFi, and and a card slot that can support up to 8GB microSD cards. Expect the Nokia N78 to start hitting the shelves next quarter for €350 or $507. Full specs after the jump.

[via engadget and gsmarena]

GENERAL
2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network: HSDPA 850 / 2100
Announced: 2008, February
Status: Coming soon

SIZE
Dimensions: 113 x 49 x 15.1 mm, 76.5 cc
Weight: 101.8 g

DISPLAY
Type: TFT, 16M colors
Size: 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches

RINGTONES
Type: Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Customization: Download
Vibration: Yes
Stereo speakers

MEMORY
Phonebook: Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
Call records: Detailed, max 30 days
Card slot: microSD (TransFlash), hotswap
70 MB internal memory

DATA
GPRS: Class 11, 118.4 kbits
HSCSD: Yes
EDGE: Class 32, 296 / 177.6 kbits
3G: HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology
Bluetooth: Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Infrared port: No
USB: Yes, v2.0 microUSB

FEATURES
OS: Symbian OS, S60 rel. 3.2
Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Browser: WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds
Games: Yes + Java downloadable
Colors: Black
Camera:
- 3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels, autofocus, Carl Zeiss optics, video(VGA 15fps), flash; secondary CIF videocall camera
- Java MIDP 2.0
- MP3/M4A/AAC/eAAC+/WMA player
- Stereo FM radio
- FM transmitter
- 3.5 mm audio output jack
- Push to Talk
- Voice command/dial
- PIM including calendar, to-do list and printing
- Document viewer
- T9
- Photo/video editor
- Integrated handsfree

BATTERY
Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh (BL-6F)
Stand-by: Up to 320 h
Talk time: Up to 4 h 20 min

Personal navigation device maker Garmin will be releasing a PND phone that could very well be an iPhone killer if the price is right. The Nuviphone (or nuviphone) boasts a 3.5-inch touchscreen and noteworthy features like 3.5G HSDPA connectivity, GPS and built-in video camera that looks as iPhone-killing as any we’ve seen from other touch screen phones. Garmin will be using its own OS with a web browser included. The user interface makes it very easy to access its main features with three big buttons - “Phone,” “Search,” and “Navigation” - right at home page. Besides calling and text, you can email and use instant messaging software. It also supports MP3 and MPEG4/AAC for your multimedia needs. That’s all the information from Garmin for now. Even without Wi-Fi and the choice of a proprietary OS instead of the more popular mobile phone OSes like Symbian and Windows Mobile, Garmin’s reputation in navigation should be enough to make the nuviphone a hot topic. Release date is Q3 of this year.

[garmin via gmp3]

Great news for the world of portable media players. Sony’s Mylo is now official. This leaked info we got from QJ a couple of weeks back was right on target. Sony’s QWERTY PMP connects to the Net via WiFi, supports Skype instant messaging and - we assume - VOIP and plays YouTube via Flash Lite 3. Full specs follow after the break. Engadget’s hands-on at CES suggests that Sony didn’t do a good enough job on the touch screen user interface.

[via engadget]

• 800 x 480 3.5-inch touchscreen
• 1GB internal storage
• mini-USB
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• 802.11b/g
• Audio: WMA / PlaysForSure DRM, MP3, AAC, ATRAC
• Video: MPEG-4 codec support
• Flash Lite 3 (supports YouTube)
• Netfront-based browser, AIM / Gtalk / Yahoo IM support
• Skype support, podcast and RSS aggregator (!), and an
• Widget panel for Google, YouTube, Facebook and other web 2.0 sites
• Attachable face plates ($20) and cradle ($30) options
• Free Wayport WiFi access at McDonald’s until December 31, 2010