9/26 Mobile Magazine

Algae to Power Future Batteries September 25, 2009 at 5:47 pm University of Uppsala engineers in Sweden have developed a unique battery that uses a particularily invasive species of algae. Wrapped in a piece of shiny aluminum, the thin-paper battery cell looks like a wrapped package of tea. “These algae has a special cellulose structure characterised by a very large surface area,” says Gustav Nyström, a doctoral student in nanotechnology and the first author of the article. “By coating this structure with a thin layer of conducting polymer, we have succeeded in producing a battery that weighs almost nothing and that has set new charge-time and capacity records for polymer-cellulose-based batteries.” The bright green yarn-like substance called Cladophoroa, is a specific type of algae found in wood, rocks, fresh and salt water ecosystems. The cellulose found in this algae has a unique nanostructure which is entire different from that of terrestrial plants. It has ben shown in pharmaceutical preperations to function as a thickening agent and binder for the food industry. Energy-storage as a possibility was imagined due to its large surface area. “We have long hoped to find some sort of constructive use for the material from algae blooms and have now been shown this to be possible,” says Maria Strømme, Professor in Nanotechnology and leader of the research group. “The battery research has a genuinely interdisciplinary character and was initiated in collaboration with chemist professor Leif Nyholm. Cellulose pharmaceutics experts, battery chemists and nanotechnologists have all played essential roles in developing the new material.” Via: Mario Mansour Extensive Preview of Motorola Cliq Android Phone September 25, 2009 at 4:29 pm We all know that Motorola is nowhere near the dominating force in the cell phone industry as it has been in the past. There are so many other competitors these days, so it’s harder than ever for Moto to rise back to the top. The Motorola CLIQ is supposed to be one of the biggest new offerings in quite some time, but how does it stand up to scrutiny? The Boy Genius Report was lucky enough to get a review unit, even if it may not be the final production version. While it’s not nearly as groundbreaking as the RAZR was in its day, the CLIQ is said to be a “decent phone with a great concept.” Unfortunately, the execution of this concept isn’t as good as it could have been. Rather than appealing to business users and high-end consumers who are eyeing devices like the HTC Hero, the Motorola CLIQ could be more suitable to a “young teen market” that may have otherwise chosen something like the LG Voyager or T-Mobile Sidekick. That left-aligned d-pad could be great for gaming. Going through the hands-on preview by BGR, we learn that this phone is kind of clunky and annoyingly slow at times, but the “connected lifestyle” concept is certainly attractive. It may not be a huge boon for Moto, but the Cliq could represent a quantum leap in the right direction for the StarTAC-maker. Source: BGR Hands-On Video: Nokia E72 Optical Navikey September 25, 2009 at 4:21 pm Ever since I upgraded to my current Nokia E71 smartphone, I’ve been quite happy. It’s a great tool for GPS navigation, email, Facebook, and so on. The app offerings aren’t quite as robust as Android or iPhone, but they’re there too. However, I’ve found myself lusting after the upcoming Nokia E72 more and more lately. The successor to the E71 is on its way and while the majority of its functionality and appearance remain the same, there is one very important change. I like the new camera, but it’s all about swapping out the standard five-way navigator for the new optical navikey. This is similar to what we are seeing with the new trackpads on certain BlackBerry devices. The user interface has also been updated, making things work a little more quickly while retaining a certain level of professional appeal. The fade effects look good, but it’s the optikey that’s the real game changer. It’s supposed to provide similar functionality as a touchscreen without a touchscreen. Watch the video below to see the new Nokia E72 in action. I think it makes the E71 better in just about every way. Source: E71F Classy Goes Clamshell with Vertu Constellation Ayxta September 25, 2009 at 4:08 pm Some economists are saying that the financial world is on the upswing and we are officially out of the recession. That may or may not be true, but there are still quite a few people who are hurting in this economic climate. The new Vertu Constellation Ayxta clearly is not for those people. As with all other Vertu phones, you’re not paying for additional functions or features; you’re paying for class and prestige. Unlike most other Vertu phones, however, the Constellation Ayxta is not a candybar. Instead, it takes on the familiar clamshell “flip phone” form factor, but that doesn’t mean that Vertu has cheaped out on the niceties. It’s just as “bling” as any other Vertu made by Nokia. On the spec sheet, you find a 3 megapixel camera, microSd expansion slot, microUSB port, Zero 7 pre-installed ringtones, and the well-known Vertu concierge service. Depending on your preferred level of eye candy, you can expect to pay between 4,900 and 6,500 Euro. That’s between $7,193 and $9,543 US dollars based on today’s exchange rate. That new iPhone doesn’t sound all that expensive anymore, now does it… Source: Intomobile No UMD Transfers for Sony PSP Go at Launch September 25, 2009 at 3:57 pm The Sony PSP Go represented quite the exciting device for Sony, because it breathed all sorts of new life into the PSP format. The thing is that this sliding portable gaming machine does not have the UMD slot that the regular PSP has, so all the games have to come by way of a digital download onto the internal memory. What were we supposed to do with our existing UMD collection? Sony said that it was going to address this concern by offering some sort of trade-in or transfer program so that our PSP UMD-based games could then be transferred over to the PSP Go in the form of a digital download. It seemed that everyone was going to be happy and we would be able to enjoy our “legacy” games alongside our new PSP Go Mini games. Well, things didn’t quite go according to plan. With the launch of the PSP Go right around the corner, Sony has now said that the UMD transfer program is not quite ready to go. They cite “legal and technical issues” over the matter, so you won’t be able to take your old UMD games and play them on your new PSP Go. Does this mean that the trade-in program is nixed for good? Not exactly. Sony says that it will continue to work on these issues and hopefully the UMD transfer thing will come back on track sooner rather than later. It just won’t be there in time for the device launch. Source: Crunchgear