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Microsoft to offer iPOD + Cell Phone Combo
 Microsoft and Apple are headed for yet another collision course. Microsoft is increasingly dominant in smartphones and PDAs with their Windows Mobile platform. They are now keen on taking that expertise and moving into Apple's domain.
Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, has confirmed that they are working on an iPod competitor. They are going to take it a step further and combine the iPod clone with a phone. Apple, of course, has long been rumored to be working on an iPod phone of their own. "In five years are people really going to carry two devices? One device that is their communication device, one device that is music? There's going to be a lot of opportunities to get back in that game. We want to be in that game. Expect to see announcements from us in that area in the next 12 months", said Ballmer. Apple is reportedly close to the release of their own phone, which means Microsoft could be behind by the time they enter the market. On the other hand, Apple will prove and develop the market for Microsoft. People will be used to the combined devices and accepting of them by the time Microsoft enters.
Motorola's RAZR Top Selling Phone In Europe
Motorola's RAZR ultra-thin handset doubled its market share in Europe during the first quarter of 2006, which supports an overall uptake in multimedia and 3G devices, according to the latest figures coming out of Telephia. RAZR purchases accounted for a 6.2-percent share of the mobile phone market in Europe, up from 3.1 percent in the third quarter of 2005, Telephia reports. The handset made its strongest showings in the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain, posting a market share between 7.5 percent and 9 percent. The RAZR also recorded a 6.1 share of the U.S. mobile handset market. |
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Apple iPhone Launch is Imminent
Visiongain believes that the next product to be released by Apple is the much-rumoured "iPhone". The Apple-branded mobile phone is likely to debut this spring with the launch of Helio.
"The odds are extremely good that Apple will launch an iPhone this spring in tandem with Helio's launch in the US," says Pam Duffey, telecoms analyst at visiongain.
"There exists a relationship between Apple and Helio management that goes back to the ROKR iTunes phone, and Helio has declared a target audience identical to iPod's existing market. Helio's top rank executives have also publicly voiced frustration with mainstream carriers and appear to be on a crusade to radically shake-up the industry," adds Duffey. EarthLink and SK Telecom have partnered to form Helio, a US mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), at an estimated cost of $440 million. Recently, Helio Chief Financial Officer Todd Tappin said Helio plans to sign about three million customers and generate more than $2 billion in revenue by 2009.
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Samsung e635 Phone (T-Mobile) Review
Samsung e635 Phone Description
With the stylish Samsung e635 you get a high-resolution camera with 4x digital zoom and a large, bright color display in a sleek, sliding form factor. Add that to instant messaging capabilities, a speakerphone and support for wireless internet connectivity, and you've got a great mobile companion.
Design
As mentioned, the e635 features a unique slider design that reveals the phone's dial pad only when you need it. On the front of the device you'll find a large and vibrant 128 x 160 color display with 65,000 colors. An internal antenna design means there's nothing to snag or break off. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad, while handy side keys control call volume and other functions. There's also a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets. The e635's VGA (640 x 480) camera unit is housed in the back of the device. An LED flash and "vanity" mirror are also provided here. |
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Vodafone to Launch BlackBerry 8707v with 3G
A new BlackBerry device with 3G support will be launched on Vodafone in the UK - the 8707v model, which is based on the 8700 and is the same in features, size and shape, only has UMTS support added. The BlackBerry device has full QWERTY keyboard, Intel PXA901 processor at 312MHz and 64 MB RAM. Bluetooth and USB connectivity are also present. 8707v is supplied with the same 65K colors 320 x 240 pixels resolution display as the 8700 model. The new quad-band BlackBerry model will weigh about 140 g and keeps the same size as the 8700 model, 110 x 69.5 x 19.5 mm. This will be the first 3G BlackBerry for Europe as there is one 3G device in the US, the EV-DO 7130e, which is similar in features but has different keyboard. The 8707v model is especially produced by RIM for Vodafone and probably there will be other new models for other carriers and networks. |
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Nokia 3250 and Sony Ericsson W810 Released
Two rival phones have hit the market almost at the same time. Sony Ericsson W810 and Nokia 3250 are considered to fight for the same market share.
The two devices are quite similar in functions, but they also have differences. To start, Nokia 3250 is a smartphone, based on Series 60 and runs on Symbian OS v9.1. The Sony Ericsson W810 is slightly smaller and weighs less. Both phones are equipped with 2 megapixel cameras, but the Sony Ericsson is expected to take better pictures, because of the auto-focus system. The Nokia 3250 has 10 MB internal memory and can be expanded with microSD cards up to 1 GB, as the Sony Ericsson W810 has 20 MB internal memory and with Memory Stick Duo Pro cards can get up to 2 GB. Nokia 3250 has Push-to-Talk support and standard 3.5 mm stereo earphones jack but has no Infrared connectivity like the Sony Ericsson model. Otherwise, both phones have 256K colors displays with similar resolutions, 176 x 220 for the W810 and 176 x 208 for the 3250. GPRS and EDGE support is present, Bluetooth connectivity too.
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Cingular launches the Nokia 9300 with BlackBerry Connect
Cingular has officially launched the Nokia 9300 Communicator for direct consumer sales. The carrier has been selling the phone to its business customers since November. Now you can combine the power of the Nokia Series 80 OS with BlackBerry Connect. Send and receive e-mail like a BlackBerry. Synchronize calendars, contacts and tasks with Nokia PC Suite Software. The Nokia 9300 has everything you need to stay organized and productive away from the office.
* BlackBerry e-mail
* Nokia Voice quality brand
* 5-way conference calling and speakerphone
* Keyboard—easy to type and send e-mail quickly
* Wide, high-res screen for Web experience
* Bluetooth for Bluetooth-compatible accessories
* 80MB of built-in memory, expandable to 2GB
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T-Mobile Sidekick II Phone (T-Mobile) Review
T-Mobile Sidekick II Phone (T-Mobile) Description It's here and it's better than ever. With a number of big improvements over the original Sidekick, the Sidekick II is a powerful mobile companion and tri-band world phone. Flip open the big color screen and shoot off unlimited e-mails on the better-than-ever QWERTY keyboard. Snap a photo with the new built-in camera and send it to your friends. Hop online and check your top Web picks. Or just pick up your Sidekick II and make a call.
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Sprint to offer local information search on phones
Sprint Nextel today launched a local cell phone directory service to find information such as nearby restaurants, driving directions, and movie times. The $2.99 a month service, called "Find It," combines GPS (Global Positioning System) and directory information from InfoSpace to let users search out locations without having to enter a postal code or even know where they are. Answering a growing demand for location-based information, industry analysts project the U.S. market size for mobile directory assistance at more than $3 billion in 2006.
Qualcomm to Launch MediaFlo (Cell Phone TV)
Putting broadcast TV on cell phones could make Qualcomm a media power. "The cell phone is the TV of the future," says, 43-year-old CEO of Qualcomm Inc., Paul E. Jacobs. He also stated, "And the future isn't that far off." As every tech company from Apple Computer Inc. to Google Inc. maneuvers to make money by showcasing video, Jacobs is in a race to make the cell phone your TV on the go. Later in the year, Qualcomm plans to offer the cell-phone industry's first broadcast TV service, Called MediaFLO. MediaFLO [ See pdf report of detailed diagram of FLO™ at work ] is expected to include 20 channels of near-TV-quality programs, 10 music channels, and the cell-phone equivalent of a TiVo in your palm, with the ability to store programming in the memory of your phone to be played back later. "It's the ultimate in giving consumers TV when and where [they] want it, and that has become crucial," says Joseph Rizzo, U.S. tech-sector chief at PricewaterhouseCoopers. | | |
Samsung E335 Phone (T-Mobile) Review
Samsung E335 Description
With support for multimedia messaging and mobile instant messaging, this sleek companion will keep you in touch with the latest cell phone technologies. It's also got a vibrant color screen and a VGA camera (with a flash!)--great for getting and sharing shots on the go.
The E335 sports a slim, sleek clamshell design with a large 128 x 160 color display with 65,000 colors. A supplementary 96 x 96 monochrome screen on the front of the cover keeps you up to speed on time, date, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. Up and down buttons for volume control are placed on the left side, and there's also a button for quick access to camera functions. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. There's also a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets, and the phone's charging and data ports are placed on the bottom of the unit. And because the E335's antenna is housed inside the phone, there's nothing to snag or break off. | |  |
Now Playing on Your Cell Phone
Discovery Channel's "I Shouldn't Be Alive" profiles people who have survived some pretty unusual (and life-threatening) ordeals, from shipwrecks to snowstorms. It's also relying on an unconventional way to hype the show: cell-phone marketing. On the eve of the second season's debut, Discovery Channel began offering prizes, free ringtones, and weekly trivia questions via short text messages (SMS) to subscribers of some of the country's biggest mobile-phone companies -- Cingular Wireless, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile. | |  |
PayPal to Offer Payment via Cell Phone
Online payment company PayPal said it was preparing to offer a service for consumers to make purchases or money transfers through text messages via cell phones. Known as PayPal Mobile, the service will be launched in the next couple of weeks in the United States, Canada and Britain. Over time, PayPal Mobile may extend to the more than 55 countries and regions where PayPal is registered to transfer funds online. Customers will be able to send payments over the phone via text message or by calling an automated customer service system and using voice commands. Offering options to transfer funds by phone to nearly anyone they choose, PayPal Mobile in effect turns a cell phone into electronic wallet.
Verizon Wireless now offers The Sims Go Mobile
Electronics Arts (EA) said today it would begin offering The Sims 2 and The Sims 2 Connected Edition to Verizon Wireless customers through its Get It Now game subscription service. Players can use their cell phone to create Sims and the world around them, managing their life, motives, and moods. To satisfy the daily wants, needs, and demands, gamers need to grow career skills, buy special home furnishings, and developing relationships with neighbors. | |  |
Cingular Wireless Offers American Idol Ringtones
Cingular Wireless today announced it would begin offering ringtones of live performances from "American Idol" made within 24 hours of the show's broadcast. Cingular customers will be able to buy ringtones of finalists' performances for $2.49 each. Ringtones will also be made during subsequent "American Idol" performance shows this season. After selected performances from Tuesday's shows, Cingular customers will be able to buy ringtones for $2.49 each, the very next day. | |  |
KTFT Launches 7.9mm Thick Phone (To be Bought by LG)
Just Yesterday in Korea, KTFT launched the new KTF EV-K100 candybar handset - measuring a paper-thin 7.9mm in thickness. Prior to the EV-K100, the thinnest phones we had seen were some of the 8.8mm thick handsets from VK Mobile. While photos and specs of this South Korean market handset are a bit sparse, we can tell you that it supports EV-DO 3G data connections and, amazingly, still manages to cram a 1.3 megapixel digital camera into that thin profile design. About the only other specs we have from the device are that it has 165MB of internal storage memory, a 1.8" display, weighs about 60g (2.1oz), and that it will cost about US$310 in its native market of South Korea - the only place where it will be available. | |  |
AirPlay Network to introduce cell phone games tied to live TV
 Dialing into the fast-growing market for mobile games, a San Francisco-based startup is poised to unveil a new service on Monday that it hopes will make television viewers as hooked to their cell phones as they are to remote controls. AirPlay Network Inc. said it will introduce a lineup of cell phone games tied to live television broadcasts. While watching TV, subscribers could use their cell phones to compete against others in "real time" by predicting plays in sports, choosing winners on reality TV shows or picking answers on game shows.
The first product, "AirPlay Sports," is due for release in the fall to coincide with the start of the professional football season.
LG to Take Over Handset Maker KTFT
 LG Electronics, the world’s fourth largest handset maker, is going to take over KTF Technology (KTFT), a handset manufacturing subsidiary of KT group which sells mobile phones under the Ever brand in South Korea.
LG said on Thursday that it reached a general agreement with KTF to take over KTFT. ``Detailed conditions of the deal such as the acquisition price and the timeframe will be discussed in further negotiations,’’ LG spokesperson Cho Joong-Kwon said.
Motorola E815 EV-DO Phone (Verizon) Review
The V710 was a hit for Motorola and Verizon. Now comes its successor, the E815, with support for Verizon Wireless's groundbreaking V CAST service, which allows you to download or stream full-motion video and 3D games all on your handset. The E815 offers more internal memory (40 MB) to handle all the videos, photos, and other data you'll be enjoying with high-speed data service. All the great features of the V710 are here, too, including Bluetooth, a 1.2-megapixel camera, video messaging, TransFlash memory expansion, and more. It's a flagship phone for those who won't settle for less. Motorola E815 EV-DO Phone (Verizon Wireless) Description:
The V710 was a hit for Motorola and Verizon. Now comes its successor, the E815, with support for Verizon Wireless's groundbreaking V CAST service, which allows you to download or stream full-motion video and 3D games all on your handset. |
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Nokia and Baidu.com partner on Mobile Search in China
 Nokia said today it will collaborate with Chinese language internet search provider Baidu.com on Chinese-speaking markets, including mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
As a result of the collaboration, Nokia N70, Nokia N90, and other select Nokia S60 devices will be able to access Baidu wireless search services via the Nokia Mobile Search Application and a user friendly search icon on the screen interface. Four of Baidu's most popular services, including Web Search, News Search, Image Search and Baidu Post Bar, a popular Baidu online community invented by Baidu, are provided in the application. A free download of this pilot application will be available from today for select Nokia devices in mainland China from www.nokia.com/mobilesearch .
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