Smartphones

Mio announced 2 new TV PNDs, GPS Phones and 2 Litepad Series Netbooks at this year's Computex.

First, the winner of "Best Choice Award of Computex 2009," the Explora K75. This device is a PND and Smartphone combined, with an ultra-slim body, 3.5-inch touch screen and Mio Spirit mobile edition GPS. It will also operate on Windows Mobile 6.1 OS.

Next, the Mio Moov V500 and V700 range of PNDs. These will feature a built-in TV, making Mio the first major GPS company to launch a comprehensive line of digital TV PNDs. The Moov V Series is designed to be the ultimate in-mobile entertainment and navigation on the road.Read more

Pharos just announced the availability of the Traveler 137, a Windows phone that works on both the T-Mobile and AT&T wireless networks.

What makes this phone even more unique is its hybrid GPS navigation software that gives you voice-prompted navigation even without a connection to a carrier's network. The Traveler 137 is sold unlocked, so you can use local GSM SIM cards worldwide and avoid international roaming charges.

The Traveler 137 is now available from Amazon.com, Dell.com, eXpansys.com, and Newegg.com for $599.95. If you want to save some bucks, you can get a $250 discount on the phone if you sign up on a new two-year contract with T-Mobile – but this has to be done through Pharos to get the discount. Read more

Are you wanting to get your hands on the new Palm Pre, but don't want to go through the hassle of mailing in the form for your $100 rebate? Then head on over to your local Best Buy. They announced earlier this week that they will offer an instant $100 rebate on the Palm Pre (in stores on June 6th).

The Palm Pre, available only on Sprint, runs on the Palm webOS Operating System and features a 3.1-inch touch screen, QWERTY keyboard, built-in GPS, 3.0 megapixel camera, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, 7GB of internal storage and more…

It will be available at Best Buy on June 6th for $199.99 (after $100 instant rebate and new 2-year agreement). I have heard that Radio Shack will also be offering the instant rebate. The Pre will be available at other retailers on the same date, but you'll have to mail the rebate form in and wait (and wait…and wait….) to get your money back.

Glympse just announced yesterday that their new Glympse service is available in public Beta. What is Glympse? It is a service for your smartphone that lets you share your real-time location with others in your address book via a link to a map marking your exact location.

Running late to a meeting? Stuck in Traffic? No need to make phone calls or send texts to let everyone know, just send them the link (or as the company says, "glympse" them). The map will mark your exact location and he recipient can then follow you in real time (if on a computer…mobile users will need to refresh). It will then give them the estimated time of your arrival if the destination has been sent. You can choose who can see where you are (after all, you don't want your entire address book knowing, do you?) and for how long (from minutes to hours). Recipients don't need to download Glympse to view the information, however, the company says that they will "have a more dynamic experience" if they do.

Right now the service is only available on T-Mobile G1 phones, but they plan to make it available on other smartphones, including the iPhone, Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices in the near future.

For more information, visit www.glympse.com.

Sprint has finally announced the Palm Pre for a June 6th release. It will cost you $200 after signing a two-year contract and cashing in a $100 rebate. The Palm Pre will run on Sprint's 3G network and will feature Palm Synergy.

Palm Synergy features:

• Linked contacts – a single view that links your contacts from a variety of sources, so accessing them is easier than ever.
• Layered calendars – Your calendars can be seen on their own or layered together in a single view, combining work, family, friends, sports teams, or other interests.
• Combined messaging – Synergy lets you see all your conversations with the same person in a chat-style view, even if it started in IM and you want to reply with text messaging. You can also see who's active in a buddy list right from contacts or e-mail, and start a new conversation with just one touch.

The Palm Pre will be available for purchase at Sprint, Best Buy, Radio Shack and Wal-mart. Currently, the Palm Pre is slated for a U.S. release only. There is no word, yet, on an international release.

For the full press release, check out – http://teknogazm.blogspot.com/2009/05/palm-pre-coming-june-6th-for-200.html

When I say thin – I mean it is the thinnest QWERTY smartphone on the market today. AT&T has this one exclusively for the U.S. market, and the 3G connectivity allows for more function than you could imagine for services like Kyte. The built-in music player and 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera make this device fun and functional. The WiFi allows for Web surfing and UMA calls.

You can find this phone at AT&T with a retail price of $99 (2-year contract and mail-in rebate price). To find out more information please visit the manufacturer's site, www.nokia.com or AT&T, www.att.com/nokiaE71x. You can also read the press release here.