BenQ T80 mobile to start field trial next month
109173
Next month, residents of a Farglory Land Development housing project in Taiwan will be invited to&#160;test a new mobile phone&#160;from BenQ, the T80, that uses NFC (near field communications) technology to access home security systems and pay for items including subway rides.Farglory has teamed up with the island&#39;s largest telecommunications provider, Chunghwa Telecom, on the trial, which starts early next month, a BenQ representative said. The T80 is one of BenQ&#39;s latest smartphones. It runs on Microsoft&#39;s Windows Mobile 6.0 OS and allows NFC from either the SIM card (subscriber identity module) or from a microSD card.The handset also works with Chunghwa Telecom&#39;s Combi SIM card, an e-wallet with enough memory to keep record of transactions as well as other service applications. The Farglory project will allow residents of certain apartment complexes to access home security systems in order to turn alarms on or off and receive status updates.The telecom provider plans to add functions continuously to the handsets as time goes on. BenQ&#39;s T80 handset can also be used as a remote control for home entertainment centers as long as a user&#39;s equipment supports DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) technology.The T80 boasts a 2.2-inch screen, a 3.0-megapixel camera and can time automatic wallpaper changes, in addition to smartphone computing functions similar to a PDA (personal digital assistant). The handset&#39;s appearance next month in Taiwan will be the first time it has been marketed anywhere in the world, according to BenQ.BenQ will release another NFC-enabled handset in June in tandem with Taiwan Mobile, another service provider on the island. The T60 is only 8.9-millimeters thick yet carries a 2.2-inch screen and a 2.0-megapixel camera and an audio player.BenQ declined to discuss further details of the Taiwan Mobile agreement.&#160;
132108
Non-memory sale to go ahead next month
742536
BenQ has unveiled the user interface for an upcoming Linux-based 'mobile Internet device.'
621539
(InfoWorld) - Even if you bought a TV in the last several months you may already feel like it's out of date. Your shiny new flat-screen arrives, you hook it up to the antenna and the first thing you see is a commercial for a bigger, better model. It might even have a cheaper price. It's the way things seem to work these days in the world of TVs. Things aren't likely to change any time soon. The latest buzz is around "100Hz" or "120Hz" technology, which relates to how often the image on the screen is refreshed or redrawn. The technology is already appearing in TVs, and if you haven't seen promotional stickers for it yet you probably will soon. Most TV sets today refresh the picture either 50 times per second (50Hz) or 60 times per second (60Hz) depending where in the world you live (different regions use different color formatting.) That rate is fine for most images, but when it comes to fast moving shows like sports events the images can appear blurry on an LCD (liquid crystal display) TV. Doubling the rate at which images are displayed, to 100 or 120 frames per second, makes for a better, more high-definition picture. The need to improve LCD TVs has been especially acute because their chief competitor, PDP (plasma display panel) TVs, don't have the same blurring problem. Compounding the issue is that screen sizes are getting bigger, so any imperfections are more noticeable, said Mina Naito, a spokeswoman for Sony. PDP makers have trumpeted their advantage for some time, but things may be about to change. Compared to previous LCD panels, the new 100Hz and 120Hz models are "a big improvement," said Hisakazu Torii, a TV industry analyst with DisplaySearch in Tokyo. Prototype panels with the faster refresh rate began appearing last year. At the FPD International 2006 show in Yokohama in October, Samsung ElectronicsÂ demonstrated images and text scrolling across just such a panel, and they appeared to move more smoothly than on existing LCD TVs. Then at theÂ Consumer Electronics ShowÂ in Las Vegas in January, Sony announced a 120Hz model with the Samsung screen for the U.S. market. The 70-inch LCD TV is launched this month and carries the hefty price of $33,000. Samsung plans a 70-inch set, also based on the Samsung panel, which will go on sale in the first half of this year. Competitors including Victor Co. of Japan (JVC) and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. (Panasonic) are also promoting 120Hz sets in Japan. The latest company to join the party isÂ Sharp, which last week said it would put five sets in its Aquos range on sale in Japan from March. The price runs from Â¥500,000 for a 42-inch model to Â¥1 million for a 65-inch model.
655277
Korean semiconductor company Mtekvision's MV8722 chip has received DivX certification, meaning future handsets, possibly from Samsung and LG, will offer native DivX support.
240827
By Takuya Karube, Kyodo News International, Tokyo  Feb. 19--TOKYO -- Emobile Ltd. announced Monday it will launch what it  says are the world's first fixed-rate broadband wireless services next month  in Japan with a keyboard-equipped handset.
393343
By Edited by STEVE HAWKES  BRITAIN'S biggest mobile phone firm plans to launch a high-speed internet service for the home.   Vodafone Broadband will be available before the end of the year.
684435
BenQ plans to offer a 65-inch LCD TV in the second half of this year as it moves to expand the size of its LCD TV products, a manager in its digital media group said Friday.
218884
InfoWorld - Taiwan&#39;s BenQ Corp. launched as a new corporate entity on Sept. 1, with plans to focus on digital projectors, computer monitors and other electronics, while its former main business, mobile phones, takes a back seat.
185781
S750 slider phone boasts 320 x 240 LCD, 1.3Mp digicam
513147
The Samsung GX-20, aimed at the top end of the amateur market, is expected to be launched in March.
214801
Palm is seeking Treo smartphone users to help test out a new product that is designed for busy professionals that are constantly on the go and are looking for the best in communications tools. The company won't provide many details, but testers will need to be available for the next 3 to 4 weeks.
7444
Next month, residents of a Farglory Land Development housing project in Taiwan will be invited to test a new mobile phone from BenQ, the T80, that uses NFC (near field communications) technology to access home security systems and pay for items including subway rides.
578281
Wireless chip maker Qualcomm Inc.  said on Wednesday new chipsets, designed to comply with a court's patent infringement ruling, were now available and expected to be in handsets before the end of March.
494187
Motorola Inc. will be conducting a field trial of mobile phones enabled with MasterCard PayPass, a new &quot;contactless&quot; payment option that will allow users to use their phones to make payments.
283903
SOME INDUSTRY OBSERVERS had predicted that BenQ had shot itself in the foot by promoting its own branded mobile handsets at the recent European footie (soccer) fest in Portugal.
758028
Texas Instruments Inc. said Thursday that it has begun work on a chip that would allow users to receive digital television broadcasts on mobile phones in time for the technology&#39;s rollout in 2007.