Samsung releases SGH-t729 aka the Blast
Added on 2007-08-08 08:42:00
by Randall Bennett
 SureType keyboards seem to be the trend among smartphone users looking to keep the typing speed up, but maintain a svelte size. T-Mobile, the first carrier to feature the keyboard tech in the BlackBerry Pearl, adds another Sammy SureType to the fold in the Blast. Other than the keys, the phone rocks a seemingly versatile email client (pop3, imap4, AOL, Yahoo and Gmail), A2DP, microSD, and a 1.3 megapixel camera, but notably missing from the specs is push email. Without push email, nor mention of any operating system in the press release, we doubt the phone will be a proper smartphone, but more of a messaging phone ala Samsung's u740, LG's enV or T-Mobile's SideKick. The phone hits store shelves any day now for $99 with a new contract.
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Losless Bluetooth audio by 2008?
Added on 2007-08-01 14:14:00
by Randall Bennett
 While the concept is elitist for sure, the notion of "lossless" tunes without wires is an impossibility for now, since no one wants to carry around some sort of goofy looking RF transmitter, and Bluetooth's dominant stereo profile, A2DP, compresses the audio using lossy compression to ditch some of the file heft. Next year, Seattle-based OINA (Open Interface North America) says their Bluetooth codec should start showing up in Bluetooth 2.0 devices some time next year, allowing for audiophile quality transmission of music without costing too much in excess bandwidth, a precious Bluetooth commodity.
We're all for better standards, but to be honest, A2DP works pretty well for us right now. Since we're already listening to lossy-compression in MPEG4 or MP3 files, adding a loss-less compression when sending to the headphones doesn't seem like as big of a deal. We don't envision putting some lossless OGG or Apple Lossless codec tunes on our mobile phones anytime soon, but when the iPod or lossless portable music player of choice starts supporting Bluetooth, we might be a tad more interested.
[Via CrunchGear]
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