Otaku Gadgets

Here at Otaku Gadgets, we are pretty grateful about the new trend in cell phones. With the iPhone and Android fighting it out and the others squatting on the sidelines, you have to admit that this is an interesting time to be using and buying cell phones in. However, in the face of all that improvement in the mobile OS arena, Microsoft is still lagging behind. If Steve Ballmer can publicly wish that they could skip 6.5 and go straight on to Windows Mobile 7, I think I am justified in saying that we feel something similar.

But that is only a passing thought before we dive in to the madness of it all. BlackBerry is struggling to catch up it seems and Palm is probably resting after the Pre and App Catalogue updates. Get to the other side for this week’s round up.

BlackBerry Bold 9700 Coming to AT&T And T-Mobile

BlackBerry is bringing back the classic feel with the Bold 9700. It has the QWERTY keypad that BlackBerry addicts have come to rely on and love. The Bold has been a long time coming and it marks RIM’s attempt to profit from a ‘traditional’ BlackBerry Phone after the Storm failed to impress much.

This 3G and WiFi enabled GSM phone will reach US soils soon where it will be on offer from both AT&T and T-Mobile.

If you have used the Curve, think of this as the Curve with a couple of new features. [read]

Sony Ericsson Susan Leaks, Another Android Phone?

Another week, another fresh wave of leaked news and photos. This time it is a classic candybar-style phone from Sony Ericsson, code named Susan. Why they chose that name, I would not want to or try to guess. The intriguing part is the UI of the phone. It seems like it is running Android under that hood.

This was concluded from the way the icons are located at the bottom of the screen but the status icons above the text are in the wrong order. But then again, OEMs can easily tweak Android’s UI to their heart’s content. Thus, it remains a mystery till more information is had.

Looks like the rumor mill is running out of big things to come up with. This one’s actually a pretty boring phone when compared to the XPERIA X3, HTC Dragon or the Droid – all recently leaked Android phones. [read]

Phone Charging Fuel Cells For Real!

“Allow me to welcome you to the future. Would you like a fuel pack for your fuel-cell phone charger?”

You folks might remember that I had posted about fuel cells in my CEATEC round up some time back. Well, turns out that Toshiba has actually gone ahead and manufactured some of them. Only 3,000 of them in fact and they will be up for sale sometime soon. The device is called Dynario and they take methanol to charge your phone up. [read]

SIM-Free HTC HD2 On PreOrder on Amazon UK

The HTC HD2 is due to be released on November 20^th this year in the UK but Amazon UK already has it on pre-order. Pre-order customers are to get a free Bluetooth headset with the HD2, same for the Touch2 and the Tattoo.

The price tag for this sleek new WinMo phone is a hefty £560 (SIM-free) but it is worth it for the people who really don’t to be tied to a contract. It has the gorgeous sense UI from HTC that hides the clunky Windows Mobile 6.5 UI and replaces it with a smooth and attractive UI.

Verizon + CDMA iPhone + 4G LTE Rumor

Like I reported this Monday, Verizon is apparently both attacking the iPhone and testing out the next generation (CDMA apaprently) of the device on it the 4G LTE network. Things are obviously quite hush-hush but do take this with a nice and big pinch of salt. It is still unverified. [read]

Google Coming Up With Its Own Android Phone?

There is word from a blogger that Google is going to come up with their own line of branded phones running the Android OS. With most major phone makers and others like Dell and Acer already walking the Android way, Google has a pretty big roster right now. Apprently they are going to have over 50 Android phones pretty soon (so said folks at Google), which is much larger than what they have now.

So why does Google want their own phones? Maybe they couldn’t resist the urge to show the world exactly how good an Android phone can be and decided to take matters in their own hands. Eric Schmidt probably took a leaf out of Steve Jobs’ journal and is now busy overlooking the device.

Apprently, there is a Chrome OS netbook in the works too. [read]

The Droid Onslaught Continues, It’s “Fast, Scary Fast”

More Droid marketing material is on display at BGR and this time they are taking the Terminator/generic man vs. machine armageddon movie approach. The droid is being portrayed as this red glowing eye and they manage to make it sound quite threatening and powerful. I wonder if they are thinking of frightening us into buying one? Well, I won’t put anything past those crazy ad agencies. Sometimes they are brilliant but plenty of times they are just plain weird! [read]

The HiPhone F320: Just For Laughs

You know those knock offs of famous phones that you get to see when a phone is in high demand. Remember all the iPhone knock offs? Well, this time such a company has gone too far and made something that looks like they got one of those round dial-bearing phones to mate with an iPod Nano and produce this aberration. Have a few laughs. [read]

Motorola Calgary Is the Uglier Droid

Motorola has gone ahead and made the ugly version of the Droid. So they put all the good ideas into Droid and all the rejects in to Calgary. It’s this clunky and tire looking device that Verizon is getting and is also an Android phone. At what point Motorola thought it a good idea I don’t know. May be Verizon wanted a cheaper Droid and Motorola let them have it. [read]

Acer’s neoTouch Reviewed And Hated

Remember the Acer neoTouch? Well, it looks like Acer’s n00b status in the phone market is showing all the ugly signs on its non-Android neoTouch phone. For a company that has no consumer software experience, making a great smartphone is pretty hard work. They should’ve just stuck to making Android phones. Phone Arena has reviewed the set what they have written is not pretty.

Bottomline – do yourself a favor and stay away from this phone. Period. [read]

Video Of Rejected Windows Marketplace Apps Mocks iPhone Apps

Microsoft used to make fun of Apple at the fact that Mac OS X hardly has the number of applications that Windows has. Now that Apple has 75,000 plus apps in their App store and Microsoft has about a 100 in their Windows Mobile Marketplace, the tables have turned decisively.

But that didn’t stop them from making a video that mocks Apple for, get this, having so many apps! They are basically saying that they allow only the serious ones. Yeah right Microsoft. [read]