Nokia today announced the feature packed mobile Nokia 6730 classic, which begins shipping in June and will be available exclusively across Vodafone's global footprint. Mobile internet, Vodafone Music Client and personal and business email access along with mobile navigation capabilities are all included in the Nokia 6730 classic. The device utilises S60 software which means customers can easily download their choice of additional applications from the web.
With the Nokia 6730 classic, getting lost and being out of touch with your friends could be a thing of the past thanks to the mobile navigation capabilities on the handset. The services offer accurate turn by turn instructions helping both drivers and pedestrians to find their way. It also provides access to comprehensive point of interest databases and both white and yellow pages information making it easy for the user to find their destination, whether that is an address, a company or even a person.
"'Feature packed' describes Nokia 6730 classic really well. With its iconic design - available in sleek black or white - the device is a perfect upgrade for Nokia 6500c or 6300 users or anyone seeking an elegant device, optimized for mobile internet and navigation. What's more, this mobile comes with industry-leading power-saving features and accessories" says Gustavo Eichelmann, Head of Vodafone Global Account Team, Nokia. | 
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Vodafone and HTC Corporation today announced the HTC Magic smartphone, Vodafone’s first Android-powered mobile, which will be available in the spring.
The stylish new handset is exclusive to Vodafone in the UK, Spain, Germany and France (SFR) and available on a non-exclusive basis in Italy. Customers can ensure that they are the first to receive information about the HTC Magic’s availability, pricing and pre-ordering by registering their interest via their local Vodafone website from today.
The introduction of the HTC Magic is the result of a successful relationship between Vodafone and HTC, and Vodafone’s joining, late last year, of the Open Handset Alliance.
A tablet-style device, with a sleek design and unprecedented compactness for a smartphone featuring the Android platform, the HTC Magic enables a superior mobile internet experience, providing broad flexibility for personalisation via the application-rich Android Market.
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Verizon Wireless, Vodafone Group and Research In Motion today announced that the BlackBerry Storm will be available later this fall, exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers in the U.S. and Vodafone customers in Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand.
Designed to satisfy the needs of both consumers and business customers, the BlackBerry Storm smartphone combines the powerful communications features, global connectivity and personal productivity advantages of the BlackBerry platform with a revolutionary touch-screen technology that dramatically enhances the touch interface and enables easy and precise typing. The world's first “clickable” touch-screen responds much like a physical keyboard and also supports single-touch, multi-touch and gestures for intuitive and efficient application navigation.
In the U.S., Verizon Wireless customers will benefit from the nation’s most reliable wireless voice network and the pervasiveness of Verizon Wireless’ reliable high-speed 3G Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) network for rich Internet browsing and multimedia applications.
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Vodafone and MySpace today announced the launch of an online global interactive platform, "Vodafone Music Reporter", which will expand Vodafone's music activity and continue to deliver a unique music experience to Vodafone customers.
The "Vodafone Music Reporter" interactive profile, hosted on MySpace, builds on the successful collaboration of both companies which began in 2007 with the launch of MySpace on Vodafone mobile internet. Vodafone will use the profile to share its existing music initiatives, including summer festivals such as Music Unlimited Cologne in Germany and Vodafone TBAs in the UK. | |
| Vodafone today announced it has signed an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten of its markets around the globe. Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network. | |
China Mobile Limited, SOFTBANK and Vodafone have agreed to establish a Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) to promote the development of new mobile technologies, applications and services. The three companies expect the initiative will help to accelerate the commercial deployment of mobile internet services.
The three companies will use the JIL as a platform to develop mobile services and drive innovation and synergy in the industry to the benefit of their combined global customer base. The JIL will launch projects based on emerging technologies and market demand.
The JIL will focus on the rapidly growing areas of mobile internet services, such as mobile widgets*. Initially, the JIL plans to develop a platform for mobile widgets to encourage the development of innovative new services that can leverage mobile operators' unique capabilities. The JIL also welcomes the co-operation of vendors and developers in the creation of new applications and services.
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Visto, the leading provider of secure and easy-to-use mobile email, today announced that Vodafone Germany has selected Visto Mobile to power its new mobile email offering; Vodafone E-MailConnect. Based on Visto Mobile, this new service brings easy-to-use mobile email to Vodafone's consumer, prosumer and small business markets throughout Germany.
As one of the largest operators in Europe, serving more than 34 million mobile customers, Vodafone Germany is offering the Vodafone E-MailConnect service across the broadest range of business devices and consumer-oriented handsets. Vodafone Germany selected the Visto Mobile platform because it dramatically simplifies the mobile email experience for Vodafone Germany's customers. With Visto's award-winning Easy Setup feature, customers can mobilize their corporate and personal email within three clicks from a Visto Smart Icon installed on their handset and "Walk Out Working" (WOW). | 
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Nokia today announced the launch of the Nokia 6124 classic, exclusively available from Vodafone in Vodafone markets. The Nokia 6124 classic is a compact multimedia device offering Vodafone customers faster and easier access to all of Vodafone's high speed Internet and entertainment services.
Vodafone and Nokia will make it easier to access the Internet quickly at the click of a button on the Nokia 6124 classic. Customers will get the full suite of communications, content, Internet services and browsing, through seamlessly integrated Vodafone services on this Nokia device.
Available exclusively for Vodafone customers world-wide, the Nokia 6124 classic features superior data rates with 3G broadband offering downloads up to 10 times faster than 3G networks. A large 2.0" display with outstanding brightness and clarity adds more pleasure for internet browsing and video streaming.
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Vodafone is to trial HSPA+, an evolution of today’s radio access HSPA technology, to assess its potential to deliver even higher data rates through the upgrade of existing network equipment. Vodafone will work alongside Ericsson, Huawei and Qualcomm to trial Release 7 HSPA+ (also known as HSPA Evolution) which has the potential to handle data even more efficiently than today’s HSPA technology. The initiative will help to establish whether HSPA+ is capable of delivering data throughput rates of up to 28.8 Mbps compared to the 14.4 Mbps maximum offered by today’s HSPA networks. If successful, the technology has the potential to extend the life of today’s HSPA infrastructure still further. HSPA+ technology is designed to offer higher throughput than HSPA through its use of multiple antennae on both base stations and handsets (Multiple Input Multiple Output) as well as the deployment of a complex modulation technique called 64-QAM HSDPA. | 
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Facebook yesterday launched a platform for mobile operators to make its social networking application work better on portable devices. Last month it was rumored that Nokia and Facebook are working on a deal that would place Facebook on Nokia handsets.
However, Vodafone is the first operator to use the Facebook for Mobile Operators platform and has started services in the United Kingdom and Germany. Vodafone will later expand the program to Greece, Italy, Spain, Ireland, and Portugal.
The platform gives operators a set of technical specifications intended to resolve problems when using Facebook on a cell phone rather than a PC, such as smoothing out login problems and opening up other features. The platform also includes other specifications designed to stop abuse of Facebook, such as spamming. When someone sends their first MMS with a photo to their profile, the user is sent back a confirmation message with a code or a link.
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Vodafone and Nokia have agreed to launch an integrated suite of Vodafone services combined with Nokia Ovi Services on a range of Nokia handsets. These services will offer customers a greater choice of communications, Internet services, content and browsing through a range of premium handsets on high speed 3G and 3G broadband networks. Vodafone and Nokia also have agreed that a number of these handsets will be exclusive to Vodafone.
Customers will get faster and easier access to all of Vodafone's Internet and entertainment services as well as all of Ovi from Nokia services on a wide range of handsets. Vodafone customers will be able to access the widest and most attractive choice of Internet services.
Vodafone and Nokia will make it easier to access the Internet quickly at the click of a button. Customers will get the full suite of communications, content, Internet services and browsing, through seamlessly integrated Vodafone services on Nokia handsets.
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Palm Europe today announced the Palm Treo 500v smartphone which combines multiple forms of communication and multimedia capabilities with high speed 3G/UMTS mobile internet access, allowing users access to popular websites such as MySpace, YouTube and eBay whilst on the move. The new Palm Treo 500v smartphone will initially be available exclusively to Vodafone customers from October. The Palm Treo 500v smartphone runs on a Windows Mobile 6 standard platform and has a full keyboard, large screen, video streaming capability and a comprehensive multi-messaging functionality covering Instant Messaging, SMS, email and phone and personal information management software in a new design. The compact form factor is available in two colours: glacier white and charcoal grey. It will initially be available to Vodafone customers in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the UK and Vodacom customers in South Africa. | 
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Vodafone Group today announces its range of Christmas 2007 consumer handsets offering the widest choice of exclusive and Vodafone branded handsets ever. The line-up includes the latest premium models from leading handset suppliers, a range of open system devices enabling easy downloads and a compelling set of Vodafone branded handsets.
In the UK Vodafone has also announced its range of handsets for Christmas as well as MusicStation, a new, unique and exclusive music service from Omnifone, the UK based mobile music company. This offers customers unlimited music downloads direct to the mobile from all the major record labels, as well as leading independents, on a raft of new handsets for Christmas. The service will work on Vodafone UK’s new handsets as well as current 2.5 and 3G mobiles.
The Group selection of handsets offers customers further choice of stylish, easy to use mobile phones which deliver best in class internet services as well as the best in music and entertainment at prices to suit everyone’s needs. | 
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| Vodafone and Research In Motion today introduced the new BlackBerry® Curve 8310 smartphone in Germany, with built-in GPS navigation and advanced multimedia functionality. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 features integrated GPS functionality that works with pre-installed Vodafone Navigator software so mobile users can easily know exactly where they're going. The software displays the user's precise location on a local map and also integrates directly with their address book. Thanks to Vodafone Navigator on the BlackBerry Curve 8310 smartphone, Vodafone customers can avoid traffic problems caused by bad weather, traffic jams or road closures as known problems are automatically taken into account when the route is planned. The Vodafone Navigator is an off-board navigation system, which downloads route planning information from an up-to-date central server. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 is an excellent choice for mobile users that want a feature-rich smartphone for use in both their work and personal lives. A built-in 2 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and LED flash delivers sharp images on the BlackBerry Curve 8310.
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 Europe's Mobile operator O2 has beaten rival Vodafone with winning the contract to sell Apple's iPhone. O2 should have the iPhone on sale in UK before Christmas. The iPhone just went on sale last week in the US with people forming long lines and waiting hours to be the first to own the handset.
It seems that T-Mobile may win the contract in Germany to sell the iPhone. So far Apple and AT&T have sold 700,000 iPhones in the US according to a report. Early reviews of the iPhone have been very positive. It's also been reported that hackers have successfully cracked the iPhone / iTunes activation tie in and are close to unlocking the unit. Unlocking the unit will then allow the iPhone to be used on other networks.
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 Vodafone is planning on launching Internet-calling for cell phones with Skype (owned by eBay inc.). Vodafone showoff the application (Code-named Starfish) in the future zone of its booth at technology trade show, CeBIT. It is unknown exactly when the new service will be launched.
According to Jan Holzberg, the manager for the product at Vodafone Group, "We have not yet decided if we will launch it, or the commercial terms and prices." Starfish allows a cellphone user to see a list of buddies from various chat and Internet calling groups, such as MSN, Yahoo, AOL and Skype, and send messages and make Internet calls.
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MySpace.com and Vodafone announced today an exclusive partnership to offer Vodafone customers a MySpace experience via their mobile phones. The deal marks the first extension MySpace.com into the Europe.
Launching first in the UK, the partnership will enable millions of Vodafone customers to access MySpace Mobile, allowing them to edit their own MySpace profiles, find and add friends, post photos and blogs and send and receive MySpace messages while on the move.
MySpace Mobile will be pre-loaded on future, selected Vodafone handsets to offer customers an 'out of the box' experience, and available for download from Vodafone live!.
MySpace Mobile on Vodafone provides the most compelling MySpace features and functionality, translated for a rich, easy-to-use experience on a mobile.
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Europe's biggest telecoms want to keep more of cell phone advertising in their pockets that hand it over to Google or Yahoo. Some of Europe's biggest telecoms groups will hold talks next week about creating a mobile phone search engine.
Vodafone, France Telecom, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, Hutchison Whampoa, Telecom Italia and American network Cingular will come together for talks at the industry's annual trade show in Barcelona, Spain, Britain's Sunday Telegraph reported. The operators believe that creating their own search engine could help them to "retain a greater share of advertising revenues", it added. "There is a big play in mobile search that we need to be part of, and we are exploring those options at a very high level," an unnamed British executive at one of the companies involved told the paper.
However, The implications for existing deals between the networks and the US search companies are not clear. Google has signed up Vodafone, Hutchison's 3 and T-Mobile, while Yahoo! has signed up Vodafone and 3. This will be interesting.
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The LiMo Foundation have been formed by Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics, and Vodafone have been established to develop a Linux-based open mobile communication device software platform. The LiMo Foundation will focus primarily on the joint development of a competitive Linux-based mobile platform, built around a common source code tree that can adapt to the evolving international market requirements. Members will work on the following:
- Establishment of safeguards to minimize fragmentation
- Collaboration on a mobile Linux developer ecosystem
- Co-operation with existing industry organizations
- Securing new members from across the industry: device manufacturers, operators, chip set manufacturers, independent software vendors, integrators and third party developers
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