Mobile Stew

It's almost here.  The Nokia N80 will be available from Vodafone UK on April 20th.  I can't wait to get this phone as I'm certain I will be able to find a way to make VoIP calls using the Wi-Fi.  I also think it will be my last phone upgrade for a while as the phone's form factor is just right to fit in my pocket, without it being so small that I keep dropping the phone or sacrifice screen size for browsing.

One of my mate's is going for the N91 instead which previously was the phone I was waiting for, so I'll be able to do a comparison of the two when they come out.

This week, Sony Ericsson has signed a deal with Google, which enablesSony Ericsson to integrate Google's Blogger.com and Google Web Searchfeatures on all of its future mobile phones.

This meansblogger.com account holder with the new Sony Ericsson phone can writeand post content to his blog on the move using the bundles software. Soyou can post content to your blog even on a vacation, travel or awayfrom a computer. This is the first any mobile handsent manfacturerporviding this kind of features related to blogging. This shows howpopular is blogging in the present internet era and it looks likesurely this is going to be a hit feature.

READ MORE HERE

Fantastic.  I've been hanging onto my Nokia 6680 for quite a long time, firstly waiting for the Nokia N91 to upgrade to and then the Nokia N80.  Well Vodafone have just emailed me to say that the N80 will be available in the UK in April.

Did anyone ever pick up a N90 or a N91?  I think there must have been problems with these phones, or the networks showed little interest as these never phones never made it to the UK, with the second generation of N-Series phones launching before the first.

Previously the only way to access Gmail on your phone was if you had a POP3 client on your phone, and by following these instructions.  Although this method allows you to access your emails, it doesn't allow you to utilise the full tagging and search capabilities of Gmail and it also doesn't sync with your web-based account so emails will stay unread even if you read them on your phone.

There is now a simpler way to access Gmail on your phone which doesn't seem to be promoted anywhere yet by Google, which provides all of the useful features we've come to love from Google as well as some new ones.

Nokia have stated that they plan to launch phones with built-in SIP clients in the first half of 2006.  This would allow mobile users to make VoIP calls, potentially for free, depending on which VoIP service is used.  Unfortunately for all of you Skype users, Skype uses a proprietary protocol, so you won't be able to access your account.

In a move I think to appease the mobile networks, Nokia also said that users won't be able to roam between a mobile network and a WLAN/VoIP network i.e. you won't be able to switch between both types of networks and charging models whilst in-call.

Next year is going to be a huge year for gadget shopping with devices emerging with more features and storage, broadband speeds of 8Mb and above becoming the norm, HDTV broadcasts increasing and better VoIP offerings.

What toys and gadgets devices are you planning on adding to your collection in 2006?  A PS3 will surely be top of many people's lists, or even a Xbox360 if you weren't one of the lucky few like me.  What about a new monster HDTV or a new home WiFi network? A DVR? A Digital Camera? A Home Cinema System?

I think the Top 10 Must-Have Gadgets for 2006 will be:

I've just read AllAboutSymbian's review of the new Nokia N80 and if I wasn't sure whether or not to get one before, I am now.  The report couldn't be more glowing:

In November 2002, The Economist featured the Nokia 7650 onits cover, saying it heralded 'Computing's new shape'. Three years on,the N80 is the natural successor to the 7650, both in terms ofsignificance and iconic design. The 7650 signaled the coming of thesmartphone, I think the N80 heralds fulfillment of the early promise;to borrow a phrase, the 7650 was the beginning, the N80 is the end ofthe beginning.

This will be the ULTIMATE smartphone next year.  If you are planning an upgrade in the next couple of months like me I would hold out ...