... in some parts of the world. Availability of the N80 seems to be rather low, but it's pricing is not too surprising. If you have no idea what the N80 is - read this, or just take it from us that it's a good phone.

Whether it's a good buy is not so clear-cut; In a comparison with the recently released Nokia 6280, you're basically paying more for:

• Symbian compatibility (which may grow to be more important, but because Symbian 3rd edition phones are incompatible with older phones (6680/N70) is not an issue now)
• Wifi (killer feature; unless you can get a unlimited 3G data plan which would be even better)
• +1MP camera ( particularly because of the addition of macro functionality)
• marginally better screen resolution (alrightttt. but the 6280 screen is quite gorgeous anyhow)
• seriously superior browser (check out this excellent preview by Eugenia Loli-Queru at OS news)

So - if you're going to be using those features, bite. Otherwise.. perhaps not? Take special care to take note of the offers available for the Nokia 6280 - we've seen some rather attractive deals. Also remember that the S40 V3 UI is pretty good stuff.

We're not recommending the N71 because we don't like clamshells. :)

... and Interdigital wins.

Nokia's press release on the issue is rather gung-ho, and quotes a Nokia Vice-President saying that "This case demonstrates that legal disputes are sometimes necessary in order to lower unrealistic demands," but we're not so sure why this is the case.

It might be that InterDigital was asking for much more previously, but the payment of USD 253 million (due today) is almost exactly what two separate tribunals awarded to Interdigital. As previously stated, this is not altogether surprising, as even at that stage two independent third parties had decided in favour of InterDigital.

What's worrying is the bland assertion in Interdigital's press release that "Nokia's sales of 3G products after April 26, 2006 will be unlicensed."

To what extent, and of what nature these licences are is not known (at least to me), but given that 3G is apparently the future, if critical patents are involved this simply bodes well for InterDigital investors.

Nokia's share price seems unaffected; on the NYSE the stock is up 0.31%.

Handset maker Nokia said on Monday that six of its new smart phones missed their planned first-quarter shipping deadlines due to software problems with the devices.

The company's premium music phone, the N91, will start shipping this week, Nokia Multimedia division spokesman Kari Tuutti said, adding that the N71 and N80 phones will start deliveries in the next two weeks or so.

Finally! The Nokia 3250 was released a couple of weeks ago, making it clear that Symbian 9 itself is not fundementally flawed, but the delays to the more substantive phones are unfortunate. This is particularly true for the Nokia N91. Pity.

[source: ZDnet]

Remember the Nokia HS-20 headset we liked? The reason was that it incorporated a remote control with a microphone and a 3.5mm adaptor into a phone's headset, which allows the use of any headphones, as well as working as a phone headset.

Tekkeon has created something which blows the HS-20 right out of the water.

Think of a headset which has HS-20 functionality - while connected to your mp3 player! That's essentially what myTalker does. To quote from the product literature: "myTalker™, the Bluetooth™ gateway from Tekkeon, turns your iPod or MP3 player into a Bluetooth headset. This tiny accessory uses your own music headphones for your calls, so there’s no need to miss a call, or frantically juggle your headphones and mobile phone. You answer and make calls with a single touch of the gateway. And you have one-touch access to advanced calling features like last number redial, voice dialing, and call waiting."

Unfortunately, you still need to charge it daily (it has a built-in Li-ion battery with a manufacturer-claimed 5-8 hour talktime and 120 hours standby) and the only control you have over the mp3 player is with regard to volume changes.

On the bright side, if you frequently expect to receive calls while listening to music, this makes it oh-so-simple. Of course, if you decide that you want an N91 instead, you get control of the player as well. Choices, choices...

[via Slashphone]

Before the colour iPods, the more expensive iPods used to ship with a wired remote controller. For some reason Apple phased this out when the colour 4G ipods started to ship, but now iPod remotes are back, as the iPod Radio Remote.

They're better than before though - the old style remotes were basically six buttons - the new style has only five; but is shaped like the ipod wheel. (Pretty! see left) Of course, the big thing about it is that it will enable radio. This is a boon for those who want an iPod, and also a radio (obivously). I've never quite understood why this would be, but I suppose there's no accounting for tastes... The remote also requires a software update to work - this might mean that the radio "program" is in the update, and so perhaps a hack to enable radio without the remote is possible.

Ooh - iPod with Radio! (Now all we need is recording...)

Radio Data System (RDS) is supported, but there is no screen. It's also unclear if radio "stations" can be saved... Pity it's only in white - were I to buy an iPod now the black (nano) would be a serious contender. If you're a fan of iPod headphones, it also comes with a pair of those. It's not clear if the remote will work with older ipods - it connects via the dock connector, so it is a possibility...

[Apple Product Page]

[via Ubergizmo]

It would be nice if Symbian S60 was like Windows, and all you needed to do to take a screenshot was to press the dedicated print screen button.

It's not, however, so you need an application to take screenshots. The de-facto choice was FExplorer, (our review here) which was likely to be on your phone anyhow.

A problem is that the hotkeys might not work, and so now there's another option, Best Screen Snap. This gives you a plethora of options.

The final question, of course, is why you would even need to take a screenshot. Well - you probably don't have to - but we do!

[Product Page]

[via All About Symbian, which also has information about new, free, Nokia 9300, 9500 apps]

Cell broadcasting is a standard part of every GSM and CDMA digital phone network that can transmit uniform text warnings either to all users or to defined regions. It is different from SMS in that the broadcast relays the message indiscriminately to every phone in a cell tower's receiving area, typically a 3.2-kilometer radius, without having to know individual phone numbers. A cell broadcast usually causes phones to ring before a 162-character message scrolls across phone displays. Callers must have their phones switched on and have activated the function to receive the messages.

The International Herald Tribune is reporting that efforts worldwide are meeting resistance from large cellphone operators who assume that the technology has low commercial potential. At first glance this seems shortsighted and selfish, because a warning system may facilitate emergency broadcasts during disasters (natural or otherwise), hence saving lives, but we suggest that this might actually be a good thing. The article goes on to blithely state: "Once the public routinely looks for emergency broadcasts on their cellphones, some cell users may also opt to receive commercial services paid for by advertisers... One possible service could advise shoppers entering a large store like a Wal-Mart, for example, which items are on sale and where they can be found in the store."

Bluetooth and WAP push-based location-aware advertising is bad enough, thank you very much.

Or perhaps this is an acceptable risk, given the supposedly low cost of implementation (in some areas a digital decoder which costs $15,000 is all that is required) - but consider - if you're continually bombarded by broadcast messages, asking you to opt-in, aren't you likely to turn the functionality off altogether? In which case the entire idea is a washout.

Update: Engadget has a video review. They like it a little more than the E1.

The new Motorola ROKR is out - but even though it sports a prettier design and a better screen, it lacks iTunes. Perhaps the 50 song limit got to Moto? Users may still upload their own MP3 files, but we don't quite know what the player is like.

We can't see this as anything but a letdown - without the iTunes edge, it's unclear how Motorola intends to take the music phone lead, particularly since Sony Ericsson has just released a new version of the w800i - the SE w810: Now with quadband GSM support (850/900/1800/1900 = Yay! for the US)and an improved look, and the same excellent 2 megapixel camera.

[via Ubergizmo]