It might be specifically designed for kids and the elderly, but the clean design and oversized keypad of the iNO CP09 mobile phone makes me want one for those times when I need to stay in touch, but don’t want a lot of bells and whistles. In addition to the easy to read buttons, the CP09 features a basic, though detailed, monochrome LCD display with an orange backlight, as well as an FM radio with a standard headphone jack on the bottom of the phone. And in the event of an emergency, there’s a dedicated ‘SOS’ button on the back which sounds an alarm and contacts a pre-programmed phone number when pressed.

[ iNO CP09 ] VIA [ Newlaunches ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Google is one of those companies that seems to always be working on something awesome. I’m a huge fan of Google Voice, as it really simplifies my life. Well if you’re one of the lucky people that have gotten into the beta, they have added yet a new feature. You can now have Google handle the voicemails from your personal cell phone number.

Despite the fact that I have a Google Voice number, people still call my actual cell phone number. This means that I have two different places to check my voicemail. Now Google can actually take control of your voicemail, and adding all of the same great features that you get on your Google Voice account. Things like custom greetings based on who’s calling and transcribed voicemails make it worth while. Now if I could just get a real Google Voice app on the iPhone (I’m looking at you Apple) it would be perfect.

[ Google Voice ]

Article courtesy of John Beck, from The Processor.

Have you ever wished your phone was a little more environmentally friendly? I haven’t because I’m a thoughtless oaf, but for tech-savvy eco warriors who have, Samsung has launched the Blue Earth handset.

The touch screen eco-phone is made from material extracted from water bottles, and is free from nastiness like bromine-based flame retardants, PVC and phthalate esters. It also sports a built in solar panel to take advantage of what Samsung helpfully points out, is one of the most eco-friendly energy sources.

The Blue Earth ships with a “unique user interface designed to draw attention to preserving our fragile environment.” Less impressive than it sounds, this basically amounts to the option of switching to energy efficient settings for screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth at the touch of a button. For the environmentally conscious app-addict, there’s even a built in pedometer, which allows users to smugly calculate the number of trees they’ve saved from an untimely death by walking instead of driving.

The green theme extends to the packaging, which is easy to recycle and printed with tasty soy ink. It is also adorned with what Samsung describes as “a simple DIY idea” and I’d describe as “clutching at straws” – reusing the box as a photo frame or a pencil holder.

Of course all this of this is for naught if the phone is horrible to use, something which no one seems to be in a position to confirm or deny at the moment. Specs look fairly average (3 inch capacitive screen, up to 16GB of external memory, 3.2 Megapixel camera), and given that its eco-friendly credentials will likely add a premium, it may struggle to find customers away from dedicated environmentalists.

The Blue Earth is set to launch in Sweden this month followed by rollout across other European and Asian countries.

[ Press Release ]

Today Kempler & Strauss launched their W PhoneWatch which they claim is the world’s smallest full-function quad-band GSM cellphone watch, and given how small the market is at the moment, it’s not that difficult a claim to make. The W PhoneWatch features a 1.5-inch touchscreen interface that can be operated with your fingers, eliminating the need for a stylus, as well as an impressive set of features for a watch-sized phone including a digital camera (640×480 stills or 128×104 videos) and a microSD card slot.

The W PhoneWatch also has Bluetooth of course, allowing it to connect to existing BT devices, or to the included Kempler & Strauss Communicator headset. As for battery life, the watch and headset are rated for up to 150 minutes of talk time, 150 minutes of MP3 playback and up to 100 hours of standby. And it’s got a price tag of just $199, which appears to be unsubsidized.

[ PR - Kempler & Strauss Launches World's Smallest Full-Function GSM Quad-Band Cell Phone Watch ] VIA [ Gearlog ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Way back in January we told you that AT&T was rolling out a 3G femtocell for their customers. Of course it’s now September and we’ve hardly heard another word about it. I’ve been anxiously awaiting its release, as I get almost no signal in my house. I’d like to ditch my home phone, but with the unreliable service, I can’t justify it. Thankfully, it seems as though the mobile giant is finally rolling out these devices.

AT&T’s new 3G Micrcell is officially available to the general public, but only in Charlotte, NC. For those in the area, they can purchase the device for $150. There is no monthly fee, however, you will still use your minutes while making calls if you don’t already have landline or DSL service with AT&T. If you have neither and want unlimited calls, you can pay $20 a month (and get a $100 rebate on the hardware).

I’d like to say something about why you shouldn’t need one of these, but in all honesty, there are some places where it’s just not possible to get signal. I live in a rather large town, and I have full 3G signal everywhere except in the small valley where I live. Short of putting in a new tower in the valley itself (which wouldn’t affect enough people to justify the cost) I’ll never get better reception. I’d be ecstatic to get one of these and drop my monthly home phone bill. If you’re listening AT&T, lets go ahead and start rolling these out in Indiana ASAP.

[ AT&T ] VIA [ Crave ]

By Chris Scott Barr

It’s hard to say who is the best wireless provider here in the US. I’ve used a few, and my vote would be for Sprint. Sure, I use AT&T right now, but that’s because I love my iPhone too much, and even unlocked it wouldn’t work on Sprint’s network. When I did have a Sprint phone, the service was great and the data was always fast. Now it seems that there is another reason for them to be considered the best.

If you want unlimited calling to any mobile phone (regardless of carrier), unlimited texting and unlimited data, you can now get it for just $70. You’ll also get 450 anytime minutes to call landline phones, or to use when roaming. That’s one hell of a deal. I pay almost $100 a month for my iPhone plan, and I don’t get unlimited mobile calls or unlimited texts. Here’s to hoping AT&T gets around to lowering their prices to stay competitive!

[ Sprint ] VIA [ UberGizmo ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Google Voice is probably the coolest service you can get for your phone. Of course the hard part is still getting an invitation. Well for those of you already in, here’s another new feature that you might be excited about. You now have the option to forward text messages to an email address.

This feature is similar to what they already offer for voicemails. Only they (obviously) don’t have to mess with transcribing the message. You’ll also be able to respond to such text messages from your email. Since you can also choose to not have your SMS messages sent to your phone, you could avoid text messaging fees by simply using this new feature. Granted, that would be an annoying way to do things, but it is possible. Google Voice just keeps getting more awesome with each passing month. Now where are those invites that everyone is waiting for?

[ GoogleVoice ] VIA [ TechCrunch ]

By David Ponce

It’s no secret Apple fetches some healthy margins for its products. How healthy, exactly? Check out the above graphic, showing Apple averages 40%, with RIM far behind in second place at 20.7%. Of course, they don’t have the highest revenues since margins aren’t everything, Nokia still sells a lot of phones ($17billion in the first half of the year) but with an 11.3% margin they still managed a lower operating profit than Apple.

[ Ismashphone ] VIA [ BoingBoing Gadgets ]

These mini Street Fighter joystick cellphone straps are really pushing the boundaries of what you can hang off your phone. One one hand they’re monstrous, and pretty much negate the years of technological research and development that have gone into shrinking cellphones, but on the other hand, by pushing the right combination of buttons, you can trigger an authentic Street Fighter voice clip! “Hadouken!”

The joysticks straps appear to be available in Ken, Ryu, Dhalsim and Chun Li versions, and before you get all excited about importing them, just keep in mind they’re each limited to 1,000 pieces (~$13 each) and will probably sell out well before they reach North America.

[ Street Fighter Cellphone Straps ] VIA [ Joystick ]

LG’s GD910 is probably the first real watch phone to be released by one of the major electronics manufacturers, and while it was shown off at CES earlier this year with news that it would be available later in the year, representatives for the company were mum when it came to pricing info. But finally the mystery of what this marvel of miniaturization will cost was revealed by Orange yesterday with the announcement that the GD910 would be available as of August 6 in France starting at €899 or about $1,270 US dollars with a 12 or 24 month contract.

It’s kind of hard to justify the price when you can get a far more capable iPhone for as low as $99 these days, but on the other hand this is the first true watch phone that doesn’t look like you’ve got some electronic monstrosity strapped to your wrist.

[ Orange - The first 3G watchphone available in France exclusively with Orange ] VIA [ Crave ]