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3G VAIO Mobile Phones? 36

Posted by Hemos from the fun-with-new-stuff dept.
chinoodle writes "It seems Sony want to combine technologies from Texas Instruments and Symbian, and merge in their memory sticks to create 3G phones with broadband data and music capabilites. The Symbian press release is here and the TI blurb is here. Sony has licensed TI's low power DSP, and Symbians operating system - should be some tasty product.. "
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3G VAIO Mobile Phones? More

3G VAIO Mobile Phones?

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  • This is perfect! (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I have always thought that mono was far superior to the stereo image. I mean how cool would it be to pay 5 cents/minute to listen to music in one ear?!?

  • Thanks but no thanks. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Sony should stick to what they do best, and leave the mobile telecommunications market to the big boys. Sure, Sony make nice games consoles and car stereos, but in the mobile phone market image is everything.

    There's no way I'd ever touch a Sony branded mobile. For sheer style and elegance, Nokia cannot be beaten - phones just don't come any more stylish than the Nokia handsets in The Matrix. Sony's marketing machine may try to convince us otherwise, but the mobile phone cognosenti will choose Nokia, Motorola or Ericsson every time. Besides, Sony will shoot themselves in the foot by building their characteristic unreliability into these phones whilst charging an extortionate price. Nokia have nothing to fear.

  • There's a story [theregister.co.uk] over at The Register about a memory stick by another company that you can attach to via USB. Current models range from 16MB to 128, with 1 Gig expected sometime in 2001.
  • AAAaaaahhhhh YyyyeeeesssSSS!!!! The Sybian indeed.
    It's got a form fitting rotary dial that vibrates while it goes round and round.

    About the same price as a memory stick, but way, WAY less embarrassing to admit owning.

  • "The phone in Matrix..."???

    There IS no phone.
  • "especially if they come out with This in the States *drools*"

    It ain't that great. I played around with one of these at Sony Plaza in Tokyo a week or two ago.

    Sony has a real problem with their proprietary hardware. The interfaces are slick, but non-standard. (No keyboard shortcuts, to say the least...)
    Before you decide to buy something like this, go see if you can find any drivers for the hardware on their website.
    Don't get me wrong, Sony does a fantastic job with most of what they do, as long as you only do what they anticipate. I love my Vaio picturebook, but the little camera is so proprietary that I can't use anything but their buggy software to take pictures with it.
    Whatever - you can't have everything...
    Jim in Tokyo
  • Sony also announced they are combining cell technology and a Sybian to make a phone that screws you over.
    --
    Have Exchange users? Want to run Linux? Can't afford OpenMail?

  • EPOC (Score:1)

    by jrs ( 27486 )
    IIRC, Symbians OS is EPOC, which Psion uses, so there is alredy a lot of software.
  • Both phones are GSM phones, and are available for sale in Europe. The phone in Matrix is even an outdated model (Nokia 8110, I believe).
    --

    BluetoothCentral.com [bluetoothcentral.com]
    A site for everything Bluetooth. Coming soon.
  • "I'm waiting for a Mobile Communications Device (MCD?) that combines the functionality of a cell phone, two way pager/email, minidisc/mp3 player, web browser, palm VII..."

    Well, the only 2 gadgets I carry around are my phone and my Cassiopeia E-105. My Cassiopeia *is* my MP3 player, my web browser, my two way pager/email, and my PalmVII.

    Now that Casio and Siemens are making a wireless version of the Cassiopeia...

    -
    Ekapshi.
  • People just don't get it. When ANY device becomes a commodity item PRICE is the determining factor for the mass market. Sure, design and fashion will account for some sales to a niche market, but the mass market is where the money is.

    I'm not saying this Sony device will fly, but to hit a mass market (which is what Sony is aiming at) it'll be some combo of features and low price that will win the most $, not trendy design (which is instantly dated no matter how cool it is today).

    On an unrelated note...

    Now if you're a content producer as well as gadget provider you have additional incentive to integrate products. Will it work? We'll need to wait and see.
  • I'm waiting for a Mobile Communications Device (MCD?) that combines the functionality of a cell phone, two way pager/email, minidisc/mp3 player, web browser, palm VII. The only issue with a device like that would be the size, and unless you'd have some head mounted display, I don't see how you would be able to have a web browser that would also make a decent phone, unless it filpped open like the Nokia 9xxx(?) does. As far as memory sticks go, they seem like a bad idea, we should stick to standards like CompactFlash or MiniDisc for storing our music, where there are many brands of players (yeah, i know sony licensed MS to some other companies so don't flame) available as well as CompactFlash adapters which work in every laptop regardless of operating system. Also, Sony is heavilly backing SDMI which is a Bad Thing, but it won't stop me from buying sony, especially if they come out with This [sony.co.jp] in the States *drools*
  • Your phone list. Your address book. Your appointments. Your WAP bookmarks. Your private keys. Your WAP Push channel setup. Your WAP downloads. Your music. Your background image. Your pictures that you took with the 3G Phone camera. The pictures that were sent to you. Your outgoing message.

    Tons of stuff that you'll want to somehow get on and off your 3G phone, to swap or archive. You can hope and wait for Bluetooth, or you can also have a slot that creates a new memory location when the old is full.

  • Why?

    Isn't it obvious?

    You've got a choice of carrying round a cell phone, the pda of your choice, and whatever music source you're into today (MP3, minidisc, cd player...)

    Or, you carry round one box that plays your music, looks after your addresses and you can use it as a phone. As for the people who think you'll look stupid bopping away with a phone to your ear... have you ever heard of headphone sockets? Don't you think they might just put one in this little baby?

    Of course the downside is that you don't get to individually choose your pda/phone/music boxes, but that's the price you pay. If you still want to go around with three boxes, noone's gonna stop you.

  • I'm using one of motorola's new timeports with web access, and the limiting factor in functionality is not bandwidth. I'd like to use the phone for really only two things- scheduling flights and checking status, and doing email. Flights are pretty easy, but actually responding to an email can be a nightmare. Rather than concentrate on these extra features, I would love to see a reasonably compact phone with a full keyboard. RIM can do it on a pager sized device- why can't I have a startac with equivalent usability?
  • 3G Networks in Japan likely - the American networks arent so well off. The FCC hosed up the American Wireless Network Landscape by issuing all different kinds of licenses to all different kinds of carriers and now we have all different kinds of networks. Japan will see this thing before us. Guaranteed.
  • interesting...

    Jaeger
    http://334.se2600.org
    http://jump.to/jaeger
  • Same here. I just wonder how long it'll take to be 'converted' for the UK and european bands (we use a different GSM frequency than the US).

    I also wonder which mobile phone companies will support the technology (remembering that they'll be paying big time for the bandwidth - one to and from the phone and then to and from the main telecoms network). Cost is also important.

    I await with baited breath, but this is something I hope will take off.


    Richy C. [beebware.com]
    --
  • Hmmm, I can take my _entire_ mp3 catalog and download it to my memory stick walkman (not all at once obviously) no matter how I acquired the mp3, or what rights I have to it. Why should I care what format it's stored in once it's on the memory stick?

    In addition, I have a secure, accountable way to purchase music in digital format (quite cheaply) that guards against theft. Sounds good to me, what exactly is your beef?
  • Maybe the memory stick, along with playing music, will let your friends download your speed dial settings, or let you load games like Nokia phones.

    Or maybe it's just a gimmick to get people to buy memory stick devices. Either way, Sony's really overdoing this.

    "Assume the worst about people, and you'll generally be correct"

  • Is slashdot located in Acton? That's cool. Im in Boston and I got friends in Acton.Red Flag Linux, DeCSS, dewrapster, crack [eyep.net].
  • phones with broadband and music capabilities? am i missing something here?

    15th post!hhah

    "spare the lachrymosity when the fulminations have inveighed"
  • Well I think it is just stupid to be a business man carrying a cel- excuse me mp3 player/phone.
    Also, I didn't say that someone wold be putting their phone up to their ear. You would have a head set on... that is unless you are stupid. Any way you would be shaking your head around and it would look like you're listening to music. Then people will see that you have your head set connected to a Cell PHONE. Then people would think that you are talking on the phone and then get confused. Thus they would shake their head in confusion and think you are a complete IDIOT! Also it will probably look like a Cell Phone. That would aid the fact that people would think you are an IDIOT.
    I can understand how handy these gadgets would be, but most of the cell phone market is Business Men, and let me ask this, Why would your average business men and woemen need this. I can tell you right now that if a manager walked in to his/her office, his/her boss would not be to happy to see that they are listening to songs on their cell phone at work.



    ------------------
    hehe, heres a pole.. what to do to spammers.
    S-stupid
    P-people's
    A-annoying
  • Apparently you have never had to travel much with a pda, cell phone AND a portable MP3 player. I have-It sucks. I can't wait for the day that I have one little device that can handle all of that. Be even better if this little critter were net connected so it could stream all my tracks from my My.MP3.com [mp3.com] account. Say goodbye to my backpack full o' cds!
  • The only problem is that this is the likely the new release (R6) of EPOC, termed QUARTZ. The shell looks like it's a lot different, so, unfortunately, the programs I have on my Series 5 will likely not run on this device. Too bad really, since I'm waiting on the Ericsonn QUARTZ phones before I get a cell phone.
  • The idea of listening to mp3s on mobile phones sounds good to me. Obviously, people wouldn't hold their phones to their ears constantly, they'd use earphones, like a hands-free kit.

    However, I've seen reports about radiation from the phone being transmitted through the hands-free kit. Like most people, I use my mobile phone anyway, however I wouldn't want to use it to listen to music for hours on end with the threat of my brain getting crispy. -TheCrunch

  • Besides MemoryStick, don't forget MiniDiscs.

    : I cannot for the life of me understand why Slashdot keeps hyping these products, when Sony has shown very clearly that they are never going to make a music player that has even heard of

    Three words: CmdrTaco, Vaio, Aibo :-)

  • Custom hold music? </joke>

    ---
  • I use a Palm III for my organizing data, and have been considering getting a cellular phone for some time. The Qualcomm PDQ was just too big to combine useful PDA and cell-phone features, so it looks like we'll have to get to some sort of middle ground.

    MP3 playback is nice, as long as Sony doesn't instead go to the ATRAXX playback that caused consumers and reviewers to largely pan their Vaio Music Clip device. Who wants to pay $3 per SONG to listen to music that can only be loaded three times?
  • Umm .. Psion, Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola _and_ Matsushita (who owns the Panasonic brand among others)

  • And I'm sure as hell not going to pay 3G for a cell phone, even if I can hear digital music over it!
    ---
  • Alright, all of these features are really nice and all but, WHY?
    Who needs BroadBand and MP3 players in a Cell Phone.
    I can see it now a bunch of people walkning around with a cell phone up to their ear listening to Rob Zombie or something. You have to admit that you would look like an idiot shaking your head back and fourth with a cell phone...
    We won't be able to call them cell phones any more eather. We would have to call them something like hand-held computers or something like that.
    SprintPCS' Wireless Web was nice, but has this gone to far?


    ------------------
    hehe, heres a pole.. what to do to spammers.
    S-stupid
    P-people's
    A-annoying

  • Are we forgetting what a telephone is? (Score:3)

    by SiW ( 10570 ) on Wednesday April 26, 2000 @12:17PM (#1108869) Homepage

    Um.. I like gadgets as much as the next guy, but come on! After years of making cell phones smaller, neater, less visible, now we'll be striving to get the one with the most RAM? The fastest processor?

    I really can't remember the last time I wanted to listen to an MP3 on my phone.

  • Bookie (Score:3)

    by m0nkeyb0y ( 80581 ) on Wednesday April 26, 2000 @12:40PM (#1108870)
    I'm taking bets on how long it'll take to port napster to a mobile phone. I just have to call Vegas for the odds first.

  • No it won't... (Score:4)

    by Hobbex ( 41473 ) on Wednesday April 26, 2000 @12:16PM (#1108871)
    No, this will not be a tasty product. This will be the same integrity infringing, laugh in the face of the freedom, SDMI POS that the existing Sony memorystick music players are. It will be tasty if you love having your prorietary products spoonfed into you, served with a scrumptious load of warnings and legal threats should dream of trying to make it do what you want it to do - rather then what Sony wants it do to in order to make the most out of you as a consumer.

    I cannot for the life of me understand why Slashdot keeps hyping these products, when Sony has shown very clearly that they are never going to make a music player that has even heard of the idea that it should be open to the user. I would think that of all places, a site born out of the free software movement would not support machines designed based on the principle that they should control the user to largest extent possible.

    Sigh...


    -
    We cannot reason ourselves out of our basic irrationality. All we can do is learn the art of being irrational in a reasonable way.

  • Yippie! (Score:5)

    by Sick Boy ( 5293 ) on Wednesday April 26, 2000 @12:13PM (#1108872) Homepage
    This means I can finally pay cell phone charges to listen to radio quality music over the cell phone, instead of that free radio signal that I listen to over the radio.

    Hey... wait a minute...
    --

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