Virgin Mobile is launching a new cell phone service that will allow its users to earn free airtime by opting in to advertising.

Verizon Wireless has launched the LG VX8300, showcased eariler this year at 2006 CTIA. This cell phone replaces the popular VX8100. Most features stay the same, but the VX8300 does sport a few new features, such as the new stereo Bluetooth support.

Music lovers can use the VX8300 music-on-demand capability to download songs they want to play on the VX8300's integrated MP3 player. Like the LX550, the VX8300 offers music through dual stereo speakers or on a Bluetooth enabled stereo headset. For imaging, the VX8300 also features a 1.3-megapixel camera/video recorder.

Its EV-DO and mobile Web capability go hand in hand to make the phone a high-speed portal to the Internet. The VX8300's advanced voice recognition combines with other features like Simultaneous GPS to provide end users with new and interesting capabilities.

Chocolate Phone - LG's ultra-thin, lightweight phone, the Chocolate Phone gives users a stylish handheld, while including the functionality including touch pad buttons, MP3 music player with stereo sound and multitasking capability.

• Digital Dual-Band
• Up to 4.5 hours continuous digital talk time.
• 4.4" x 2.3" x 0.9"
• 6.4 oz

Wireless High–Speed Data Capable
Where coverage is available, experience broadband–like download speeds using EV-DO technology. The average download speeds range from 400 to 700 Kbps with peak rates up to 2 Mbps.

According to J.D. Powers, SANYO ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction with wireless cell phones, performing significantly above the industry average in four of five factors—physical design, operation, features and battery function. Following SANYO in rankings above the industry average are LG, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, respectively.  Nokia and Kyocera were at the bottom of the list.

Additionally, overall satisfaction among wireless mobile phone owners has increased 4 percent when compared to 2005, marking the second time customer satisfaction has increased significantly in the past three times the study has been conducted.

The study also finds several key wireless handset usage patterns:

• The average reported handset purchase price in 2006 is $86—a decrease from $99 in 2004.
• The average replacement cycle for a typical handset is 17.6 months—a slight decrease from 18 months in 2005.

Las Vegas Sands Corp. today announced a long-term agreement with Cantor Gaming, an affiliate of the global financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald, to provide mobile gaming services to The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the currently under-construction Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino.

The agreement provides that Cantor will be the exclusive provider of mobile gaming services to Las Vegas Sands properties in Nevada and in other jurisdictions where permitted by law.

Las Vegas Sands becomes the first Nevada casino operator to announce the use of mobile gaming technology. Last week, Cantor became the first company licensed by the Nevada Gaming Commission as a manufacturer, distributor and operator of a mobile gaming system.

Cantor was instrumental in the Nevada legislature's adoption of Assembly Bill 471, which was signed into law by Gov. Kenny Guinn in June 2005. The bill permits wireless gaming on hand-held, mobile devices in public areas of a resort casino, such as restaurants, nightclubs and pool side. The devices will offer a full suite of casino-style games, including blackjack, roulette, video poker and slots.

Today Sprint and LG Electronics introduced FUSIC, a mobile phone with music and entertainment services delivered at broadband-like speeds via the Sprint Power Vision(SM) Network.

The phone looks, feels, and plays like a portable music player with instant access to the Sprint Music Store for downloading full songs over-the-air, an FM transmitter for playing music through a radio or car stereo, Bluetooth Stereo support, and four changeable faceplates in blue, green, pink and black for personalization of the phone. FUSIC is exclusive to Sprint and will be available May 28th in Sprint Stores.

FUSIC also features a 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder, and with Sprint PCS Picture Mail (www.sprint.com/picturemail ), customers can capture, share, print, preserve, create and display their camera phone pictures - such as using them to create unique gifts like mugs, postage stamps, and greeting cards.

The phone also supports Themes, a way for customers to personalize menus, shortcuts and screen savers on the phone.

Verizon Wireless today announced that the highly anticipated Motorola Q will be available online starting May 31 and in stores on June 5.

Motorola also announced today, that GoodLink™ wireless messaging is available immediately on the Motorola Q. GoodLink running on the Motorola Q combines an uncompromising phone experience with a stylishly thin form factor and assuredly secure solution for enterprise mobility.

Powered by Verizon Wireless’s high-speed EVDO network, the Motorola Q and GoodLink enable mobile professionals to take care of business while on the go by staying connected to--and easily multitasking between--their email with attachments*, folders, calendar, contacts, global address look-up, notes, tasks and other critical business applications.

See Key Features from previous news article "Motorola Q Approved By FCC for Verizon" 

Xvista, a British company is the first company to develop eye-scanners to verify cell phone users via iris scanning.

In association with the University of Sussex, the development was has taken six years and $3.4 million to complete but xVista is confident that their new iris scanning technology will provide heightened security to sectors including mobile telephones, consumer electronics, banking and aviation.

xVista's technology discreetly and securely map the iris for individual characteristics, first registering the eye to a central database by creating a template. Then be checked against all further scans, the system can verify the user's identity.  

MTI MicroFuel Cells Inc. developer of the award-winning Mobion micro fuel cell technology for handheld electronic devices, today announced an exclusive alliance with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., to develop next-generation fuel cell prototypes for Samsung´s mobile phone business.

Mobion, MTI Micro´s patented direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology, has been chosen to power a series of prototypes designed for Samsung´s mobile phone and mobile phone accessories.

"MTI Micro's alliance with Samsung is a significant step towards direct methanol fuel cell commercialization. As today's consumer electronic devices are becoming increasingly power hungry and multi-functional, conventional rechargeable batteries are challenged to provide the required runtime consumers demand.

Nokia yesterday announced the latest addition to the Nokia Eseries family of business devices, the Nokia E50. With voice, email and data capabilities, the Nokia E50 offers enterprises a cost-efficient way to extend mobility to a broader range of employees, enabling them to access company telephony and business applications whenever required.  Just as importantly the globally-viable Nokia E50 device is easily and securely managed by a company’s IT department through Intellisync Device Management solution.

The Nokia E50 comes with a set of pre-installed business applications that help increase the productivity of mobile professionals. 

The Z710 also features the Access NetFront™ full HTML browser. It makes web access on the move as simple as on a PC and EDGE speed means pages download rapidly. It also has the latest Bluetooth™ 2.0 with HDR (high data rate) for fast data transfer with other Bluetooth devices, providing robust, quality connections for accessories such as wireless headsets and handsfree car kits. 

With a stylish, handy design M608c is a great combination of mobile phone and PDA based on new symbian OS 9.1 and UIQ 3.0andoffers users great customisation opportunities as well as the ability to buy personal productivity and other applications from the Sony Ericsson Application shop.

New push email applications, remote synchronisation and expandable memory give owners a phone and email connectivity in a device that easily fits in their pocket - at just 15mm thick, it is one of the slimmest devices of its kind available. The M608c is a 2.5G version of Sony Ericsson’s recently announced global products, the M600 UMTS handset.

Listening to music while exercising takes a new turn today as Sony Ericsson introduces the W710 Walkman® phone. Designed to support an active, sporty lifestyle, the W710 includes a motion sensor plus new fitness applications that measure your running speed, distance and time, or simply count your steps when walking.

Sporty good looks, a high performance Walkman® player and easy-to-use interface all combine to make the W710 the perfect sporting partner, whether you’re running for fun or keeping a check on how much you walk each day.

InvenSense Corp., a provider of motion sensing solutions for mobile applications, has rolled out what the company claims is the world’s smallest dual-axis gyroscope for use in addressing image quality problems in camera phones.

InvenSense (Santa Clara, Calif.) answers the camera phone industry need to accurately sense natural hand jitter. As a single-chip silicon device based on MEMS technology, InvenSense’s solution is said to be over five times smaller than competing devices that typically use an older piezo-type technology.

Proprietary wafer-level integration allows the gyroscope to meet the high-performance requirements for image stabilization applications while meeting the strict size and cost requirements of mobile handset manufacturers.

The company is ramping production of its dual-axis gyro products for the digital still camera market with volume shipments for autumn 2006 models, and is sampling image stabilization devices for camera module makers.