Eye on rival YouTube, Atom overhauls video site

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Online video and game company Atom Entertainment Inc. on Thursday unveiled a new service to let people upload their own videos and footage taken on mobile phones.

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Privately held Atom, formed 5 years ago by the merger of Atom Films and Shockwave.com, hopes the new features on its AddictingClips Web site will draw more users and close the gap with YouTube, a popular site for sharing homemade video clips.

Atom Chief Executive Mika Salmi said YouTube probably receives more than 10 times the number of unique visitors than his site does, but added: "With all these new features we think it's a bit of a horse race."

Salmi said he expected the Atom site's traffic to grow fairly quickly. "Our goal would be to get to the size of YouTube," Salmi told Reuters, "but realistically, we think that in the next three to four months, we're going to be nipping at their heels."

Atom would highlight the best videos on AtomFilms, its Web site for showing independent short films, Salmi said. The new features add to the semiprofessional films and short films currently shown on the site.

That would help draw advertisers, many of whom have been reluctant to sponsor video Web sites because of the racy or mature content that often appears on them, Salmi said.

"We have AtomFilms, so we immediately have a place where we can elevate the best stuff," Salmi said. "We have carved out a kind of advertising-safe area."

Atom's video service also competes with an offering from Web search leader Google Inc., which aims to let video producers sell their clips online.

Nokia more upbeat on global mobile phone market

HELSINKI (AFP) - Nokia, the world's biggest manufacturer of mobile phones, predicted global mobile market growth of 15 percent this year, a much more upbeat forecast than its previous 10 percent estimate.

In a surprise announcement, company chief executive Jorma Ollila told a shareholders meeting that subscriber growth, especially in emerging markets, had prompted the improved assessment.

"Nokia estimates that in the year 2006, the mobile device market volume will increase globally 15 percent or more from our estimate of 795 million units in 2005," he said.

Nokia held a global market share of 34.2 percent at the end of January, according to consultants Strategy Analytics, while Motorola had 18.3 percent, Samsung 11.1 percent, and LG and Sony Ericsson 6.6 percent each.

Ollila also said that the number of mobile phone subscribers was expected to go past the three billion mark in 2008 compared with an estimated two billion now.

Nokia expected 80 percent of the next billion subscribers to come from the emerging markets, he said.

"Nokia is clearly very confident, leading us to believe that the risk of poor first-quarter results has diminished significantly," Richard Windsor, an analyst at Nomura Securities, told AFP's financial newswire, AFX News.

Nokia shares rose some five percent on the Helsinki bourse, and the upbeat forecast also boosted telecommunications sector equities worldwide, including Motorola in the US and STMicroelectronics in France.

Meanwhile, about 100 workers from Perlos and Foxconn, two companies that provide components to Nokia, demonstrated outside the shareholders' meeting against plans to relocate research activities, production and assembly to China and India.

Protestors said it was the first such demonstration in Nokia's history, and reflected concern that several hundred jobs would be lost at the two sub-contractors.

Blue-chip stocks fall as inflation worry rises

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue-chip stocks ended lower on Thursday, after economic data on prices and spending sparked new inflation concerns and pushed Treasury yields to their highest level in nearly two years.

Home builders, financial services companies and other interest-rate-sensitive stocks fell on fears that earnings will suffer as the cost of borrowing money increases.

Shares of Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C - news) and Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC - news), the two largest U.S. banks, were two of the biggest decliners in the S&P 500.

"Today's a function of what's happening in bond yields," said Sam Rahman, portfolio manager at Baring Asset Management Inc. He noted that bond yields rose after the morning's government data, which included an index tracking personal spending that "looked inflationary. It's having a broad dampening effect on all stock groups, but retail, financials, utilities are especially pressured."

The Nasdaq eked out a slim gain as fund managers sought to add technology shares to their portfolios before the quarter ends.

The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI - news) slid 65 points, or 0.58 percent, to end at 11,150.70. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (^SPX - news) declined 2.64 points, or 0.20 percent, to 1,300.25. The Nasdaq Composite Index (^IXIC - news) gained 3.04 points, or 0.13 percent, to close at 2,340.82.

The Nasdaq's small gain "might be window dressing in favor of techs and unloading of blue chips at this time," said Peter Cardillo, chief strategist at SW Bach & Co.

The stock of manufacturer 3M Co. (NYSE:MMM - news) gave back all gains from the previous day's session when it had risen on a brokerage upgrade. It was one of the Dow's biggest decliners and closed at $76.52, down 1.3 percent, or $1.04, on the New York Stock Exchange.

A jump in U.S. oil futures prices also weighed on stocks.

U.S. crude oil for May delivery gained 70 cents, or 1.1 percent, to settle at $67.15 a barrel as Iran, a major oil exporter, said it would not comply with the U.N. Security Council's request that it stop its uranium enrichment programs.

BAD DAY FOR BANK STOCKS

Citigroup shares fell 0.7 percent, or 35 cents, to $47.28, while Bank of America's stock declined 0.8 percent, or 36 cents, to $45.61 on the New York Stock Exchange. Citigroup also weighed on the Dow. The Philadelphia KBW index of bank shares (^BKX - news) fell 0.6 percent.

Beazer Homes USA Inc. (NYSE:BZH - news) was down 2 percent, or $1.32, at $65.84, while shares of Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE:HOV - news) fell 2.3 percent, or $1.04, to $44.05. The Dow Jones home builders index (^DJUSHB - news) was down 1.4 percent.

Before the market opened, the Commerce Department released data on fourth-quarter Gross Domestic Product that showed a core inflation measure -- the price index for personal spending excluding food and energy -- was revised higher.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note was down 14/32, with the yield at 4.86 percent, after earlier hitting 4.888 percent -- its highest level since June 2004, when the Fed began raising rates from historic lows.

Gold, often used by investors as a hedge against inflation, climbed to a 25-year high in New York. COMEX gold for June delivery hit $592 an ounce -- the highest futures price since January 1981 -- in Thursday morning trading. Late in the session, June gold was up $13.20 at $591.80 an ounce.

SYMANTEC SURGES, GOOGLE DROPS

Software makers buoyed the Nasdaq, with Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq:SYMC - news) shares up 6.6 percent, or $1.05, at $17.05 and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) up 0.8 percent, or 21 cents, at $27.23. Shares of video game maker Electronics Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS - news) rose 3 percent, or $1.59, to $54.19.

But Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG - news) was the biggest drag on the Nasdaq after the Web search company said it would sell more shares worth $2 billion. Google shares fell 1.7 percent, or $6.54, to close at $388.44.

Trading was active on the NYSE, with about 1.61 billion shares changing hands, matching last year's daily average, while on Nasdaq, about 2.21 billion shares traded, above last year's daily average of 1.80 billion.

Declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones by a ratio of almost 4 to 3 on the NYSE while on the Nasdaq, gainers and losers were nearly evenly matched.

Samsung T-809 Cell Phone User Review

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The use of mobile phones over a long period of time can raise the risk of brain tumors, according to a Swedish study released on Friday, contradicting the conclusions of other researchers.

Last year, the Dutch Health Council, in an overview of research from around the world, found no evidence that radiation from mobile phones and TV towers was harmful. A four-year British survey in January also showed no link between regular, long-term use of cell phones and the most common type of tumor.

But researchers at the Swedish National Institute for Working Life looked at mobile phone use of 2,200 cancer patients and an equal number of healthy control cases.

Of the cancer patients, aged between 20 and 80, 905 had a malignant brain tumor and about a tenth of them were also heavy users of mobile phones.

"Of these 905 cases, 85 were so-called high users of mobile phones, that is they began early to use mobile and/or wireless telephones and used them a lot," said the authors of the study in a statement issued by the Institute.

Published in the International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, the study defines heavy use as 2,000 plus hours, which "corresponds to 10 years' use in the work place for one hour per day."

Early use was defined as having begun to use a mobile phone before the age of 20.

There was also shown to be a marked increase in the risk of tumor on the side of the head where the telephone was generally used, said the study, which took into account factors such as smoking habits, working history and exposure to other agents.

Kjell Mild, who led the study, said the figures meant that heavy users of mobile phones had a 240 percent increased risk of a malignant tumor on the side of the head the phone is used.

"The way to get the risk down is to use handsfree," he told Reuters.

He said his study was the biggest yet to look at long-term users of the wireless phone, which has been around in Sweden in a portable form since 1984, longer than in many other countries.

Altec Lansing inMotion iM9 Portable Speakers

Altec Lansing added a new member to its inMotion family of portable audio products. The new Altec Lansing inMotion iM9 is a portable speaker set for iPod and other portable audio players. The design looks cool, with a hard shell and backpack-style carrying case - something required when you are on the move or out on a hike.

About the size of a lunchbox, the Altec Lansing inMotion iM9 is lightweight as well. A rear kick-stand ensures you can conveniently place it in your room. The iM9 boasts of dual 2-3/4" drivers and 1" tweeters and MaxxBass technology for boom sound. It fits and charges all dockable iPods as well.

Available now for US $199.95, the Altec Lansing inMotion iM9 weighs 4 pounds and can be ordered from Altec Lansing's website.

Altec Lansing inMotion iM9 Features:


Huge, crystal-clear sound with large speakers
AC or Battery-operated
Charges your iPod
MaxxBass Technology
Retractable Dock
Shock-resistant design
Video Output for iPod photo and new iPod video
Deluxe Backpack included

Samsung SCH-V850 Cell Phone - GPS Handset

Samsung Korea is in an over drive these days (Sorry for spouting clichés guys, but couldn’t resist!). Today they just showcased the Samsung SCH-V850, newest member to join its ever growing family. Some of our cynical readers out there may go, so what’s new? Well for starters, this little baby also moonlights as a GPS navigational device and features the NATE Drive navigation service. Nate Drive is a cutting edge service which provides users navigation information like driving routing guidance, via Global Positioning System.

The Samsung SCH-V850 apart from this cool feature has a 62k color 2" QVGA TFT display, 1.3MP camera, MP3 playback, video recording and playback, EVDO data transfer, and IrDA connectivity. The SCH-V850 will be priced around ₩500,000 KRW(~ $512 USD).

Nokia Concept Phone - Unleash The SuperHero Inside You

With this Nokia 4th Generation Mobile Concept Phone (Concept, being the key word), you can unleash the super hero (or heroine) inside you. Seriously guys, just look at it, I’m sure even Batman or Hulk would love to own this. Let me stop this super hero obsession before you think, I’ve lost it completely. Designed by Ricardo Figueiro, this phone sure has the cool factor and looks extremely chic. The designer basically strived for a phone which would access different functions via different accessories.

Xitel HiFi-Link for iPod Nano Player

Xitel Pty Ltd has just launched the HiFi-Link for iPod nano. I wonder if there will ever be a death of iPod accessories. (That would be the day!). Anyway the Hi-Fi Link would be appreciated by the Nano users for sure because it connects the Nano home stereo equipment in high fidelity via Hi-fi dock and design wise really compliments the Nano.

The HiFi-Link for iPod nano offers full recharging and remote control capabilities and the black dock and the slim remote would be appreciated by one and all. The audio cable to deliver flawless sound has gold plated connectors while extra care has been taken to make the dock durable. It looks like very audiophile dream product for thoughs who want the very best for their precious Nano. Xitel has also incorporated SRS TruBass(R) signal processing which enhances the lower frequencies of all music. It has used sophisticated psychoacoustics, to add depth and warmth to the music. The MSRP for the new HiFi-Link for iPod nano is $69.95 and is available in the USA starting mid-April 2006

Key Features of Xitel's new HiFi-Link for iPod nano

-- Connect: Use your HiFi-Link for iPod nano with a home stereo, boombox, or plug in a set of powered speakers to create a dedicated nano music center. Includes all necessary cables with gold-plated connectors.

-- Play: High-fidelity, variable line-level output provides superior sound quality. Unique design means your stereo receives an exceptionally pure and dynamic signal for crystal-clear performance.

-- Improve: Adjustable SRS TruBass creates rich, deep bass. Adds back the warmth and depth audio compression takes away.

-- Control: Powerful remote conveniently controls your nano over extended distances -- up to 50 feet away. Swap between tracks, playlists, pause, play, fast forward / rewind, change volume or turn your iPod on and off.

-- Charge: Power and automatically charge your iPod. Listen at home knowing your nano will be ready to go when you are.

-- Enjoy: HiFi-Link for iPod nano incorporates the latest technology to enhance your iPod's performance. Its contoured design supports, guides and protects your iPod nano and dock connector.

In the Package

HiFi-Link for iPod nano dock
remote control
remote batteries
power adapter
shielded audio cable
user manual

Xitel HiFi-Link for iPod Nano Player

Xitel Pty Ltd has just launched the HiFi-Link for iPod nano. I wonder if there will ever be a death of iPod accessories. (That would be the day!). Anyway the Hi-Fi Link would be appreciated by the Nano users for sure because it connects the Nano home stereo equipment in high fidelity via Hi-fi dock and design wise really compliments the Nano.

The HiFi-Link for iPod nano offers full recharging and remote control capabilities and the black dock and the slim remote would be appreciated by one and all. The audio cable to deliver flawless sound has gold plated connectors while extra care has been taken to make the dock durable. It looks like very audiophile dream product for thoughs who want the very best for their precious Nano. Xitel has also incorporated SRS TruBass(R) signal processing which enhances the lower frequencies of all music. It has used sophisticated psychoacoustics, to add depth and warmth to the music. The MSRP for the new HiFi-Link for iPod nano is $69.95 and is available in the USA starting mid-April 2006

Key Features of Xitel's new HiFi-Link for iPod nano

-- Connect: Use your HiFi-Link for iPod nano with a home stereo, boombox, or plug in a set of powered speakers to create a dedicated nano music center. Includes all necessary cables with gold-plated connectors.

-- Play: High-fidelity, variable line-level output provides superior sound quality. Unique design means your stereo receives an exceptionally pure and dynamic signal for crystal-clear performance.

-- Improve: Adjustable SRS TruBass creates rich, deep bass. Adds back the warmth and depth audio compression takes away.

-- Control: Powerful remote conveniently controls your nano over extended distances -- up to 50 feet away. Swap between tracks, playlists, pause, play, fast forward / rewind, change volume or turn your iPod on and off.

-- Charge: Power and automatically charge your iPod. Listen at home knowing your nano will be ready to go when you are.

-- Enjoy: HiFi-Link for iPod nano incorporates the latest technology to enhance your iPod's performance. Its contoured design supports, guides and protects your iPod nano and dock connector.

In the Package

HiFi-Link for iPod nano dock
remote control
remote batteries
power adapter
shielded audio cable
user manual

Nokia more upbeat on global mobile phone market

HELSINKI (AFP) - Nokia, the world's biggest manufacturer of mobile phones, predicted global mobile market growth of 15 percent this year, a much more upbeat forecast than its previous 10 percent estimate.

In a surprise announcement, company chief executive Jorma Ollila told a shareholders meeting that subscriber growth, especially in emerging markets, had prompted the improved assessment.

"Nokia estimates that in the year 2006, the mobile device market volume will increase globally 15 percent or more from our estimate of 795 million units in 2005," he said.

Nokia held a global market share of 34.2 percent at the end of January, according to consultants Strategy Analytics, while Motorola had 18.3 percent, Samsung 11.1 percent, and LG and Sony Ericsson 6.6 percent each.

Ollila also said that the number of mobile phone subscribers was expected to go past the three billion mark in 2008 compared with an estimated two billion now.

Nokia expected 80 percent of the next billion subscribers to come from the emerging markets, he said.

"Nokia is clearly very confident, leading us to believe that the risk of poor first-quarter results has diminished significantly," Richard Windsor, an analyst at Nomura Securities, told AFP's financial newswire, AFX News.

Nokia shares rose some five percent on the Helsinki bourse, and the upbeat forecast also boosted telecommunications sector equities worldwide, including Motorola in the US and STMicroelectronics in France.

Meanwhile, about 100 workers from Perlos and Foxconn, two companies that provide components to Nokia, demonstrated outside the shareholders' meeting against plans to relocate research activities, production and assembly to China and India.

Protestors said it was the first such demonstration in Nokia's history, and reflected concern that several hundred jobs would be lost at the two sub-contractors.

Bluetooth to include UWB

The Bluetooth SIG announced major changes in Bluetooth that should help bring the personal area networking wireless standard into more high bandwidth applications. A future version of Bluetooth will use ultra-wideband (UWB) technology and will be able to transmit at up to 100 megabits per second at a range of 10 feet. Despite the transition to a high-speed technology, Bluetooth SIG remains committed to powering ultra low-power devices such as wireless keyboards and mice.

It is critical that the UWB technology be compatible with Bluetooth radios and maintain the core attributes of Bluetooth wireless technology - low power, low cost, ad-hoc networking, built-in security features, and ability to integrate into mobile devices. Backwards compatibility with the over 500 million Bluetooth devices currently on the market is also an important consideration.
The first chips ready for device prototyping are expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2007.

Visiongain: Apple iPhone likely to launch with Helio

Pam Duffey, telecoms analyst at Visiongain, believes that Apple will design and brand its own mobile phone and that this handset will launch with upstart MVNO Helio. Helio is the partnership between Earthlink and SK Telecom that aims to bring high-tech Korean phone technology and services to US consumers.

"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.
Helio announced its first two phones last month, both are quite similar in terms of features. The carrier expects to begin service this Spring

Sprint eyes mobile music subscriptions

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to boost its mobile music business this year with a new subscription scheme for downloading songs onto cellphones, and expand its partnership with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., a top executive said on Tuesday.

As the price of making cellular calls declines, U.S. wireless carriers are adding music and video download services, aiming to boost revenue by convincing customers to use their cellphones for more than just talking.

Sprint, the No. 3 U.S. wireless service, was the first U.S. operator to start a wireless song download service in October. Advanced services such as music, text messaging, games and video represent about 10 percent of Sprint's revenue.

Larger rival Verizon Wireless, a venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group Plc, followed suit with a competing service in January.

Sprint is now looking for new ways to increase demand. For example, heavier users may prefer to pay a monthly subscription rather than a one-time fee of $2.50 to download each song from a virtual store under its current service.

"We think it would open up more demand," Sprint Chief Operating Officer Len Lauer said in an interview on the sidelines of the World Congress of Sports conference.

He said the company was still working out details such as how much a subscription would cost.

Sprint already offers a subscription service that allows users to get about 20 radio channels from Sirius on their cellphones. It is also looking to give customers the option of buying songs that they hear on the satellite radio channels later this year, Lauer said.

"We'd like to have the capability later this year that the customer listens to a song and says, 'I want to buy that song,"' he told the audience during his keynote speech at the conference.

Sprint said in February that it sold a million songs in the first three months or so of setting up its mobile music store.

In comparison Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes store, which along with the iPod portable music player helped popularize digital music, sold 1 million songs in its first week. It charges 99 cents a song.

N-Gage Makes Comeback in Nokia Smartphones

Any one who thought that the Nokia N-Gage always got a raw deal from Nokia may just now have a reason to smile. While the N-Gage managed to generate a loyal fan base it just wasn’t enough to sustain it. And even though the future of gaming phones is uncertain thanks to the advent of PSP and other Portable Devices, all is not lost yet.

It seems like that the N-Gage gaming platform will be raised from the dead (I know, I am being a tad dramatic) and will make it's appearance in all the future Nokia smartphones. The N-Gage software will be pre-loaded into the smart phones and will let customers buy and download games or play games from MMC cards. Nokia also promises the games to be highly interactive and exciting which would involve multiplayer facilities.

Though all this sounds good in paper, Industry experts claim that this may not take off because of the logistics involved and the stiff competition Nokia would face from Nintendo DS Lite, PSP and the Portable XBOX. All we can say is that only time will tell and the battle lines have been drawn. We predicted this way back at CES 2006, I guess dreams do come true after all.

Another PSP IN The Works?

Its rumor time again, and this time we have the scoop on Sony. It seems that Sony is gearing up for a new handheld which in all probability maybe a new PSP. So how does one come to this conclusion?
Well Graphics card manufacturer NVIDIA has confirmed that they have signed a new contract with Sony but did not come forward with more details. NVIDIA’s Mary Burnett told Reuters, “We have a contract to do engineering work for them. I don’t think I should discuss what that product is.”

Keep watching this space for more updates. It looks like action of plenty is heating up in the portable gaming device arena, a Ngage comeback and now this.

Photos of Nokia N93, specs of N73 leak

Mobile phone enthusiast site NewMobile has posted photos of two unannounced Nokia devices, the N93 and N73. The article notes that the introduction for these handsets and possibly more N Series phones should come soon.

Nokia N73

Update to the N70, it adds a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus (up from 2 megapixels), Bluetooth 2.0, stereo speakers and updated design. 3G UMTS radio is still included and it should run S60 3rd edition.

Nokia N93

Update to the N90, Nokia's flagship camera phone. The camera module has been updated to 3.2 megapixels with autofocus and a 3x optical zoom. Other features include WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, QVGA screen and S60 3rd edition. The Nokia N93 is shown at right.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE:S - news) said it plans on Monday to kick off a local directory cellphone service with information such

Many of you, must have been aware of a mp3 player called the iRiver E10, which though has been approved by the Korean Radio Research Labotary, has always remained firmly in the background. However, a reporter from Digital Expert managed to get his hands on some exclusive images of the iRiver E10 during an official interview.

So these images maybe that of the iRiver E10, though nothing has been confirmed. The player will be available in two colors, black and white with an infrared interface. Most likely there would be a D-Navi system and it will support Macromedia Flash Lite. Also it will play audio formats like MP3/WMA/OGG/ASF. Keep checking the space for regular updates.

Sprint to offer local information search on phones

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE:S - news) said it plans on Monday to kick off a local directory cellphone service with information such as driving directions and movie times as it aims to boost revenue by having customers use their phones for more than just talking.

ADVERTISEMENT

The $2.99 a month service, called "Find It," combines location aware phones and directory information from InfoSpace Inc. (Nasdaq:INSP - news) that lets users search out locations without having to enter a postal code or even know where they are.

U.S. operators are required by law to put positioning technology in their cellphones that allows safety workers such as police to pinpoint a mobile caller's location in an emergency.

They have long talked about using this technology to offer commercial services, although, like many data services such as cellphone Web surfing, such services have been slow to emerge in the mainstream.

But the service from the No. 3 U.S. mobile provider may be the first with potential to create mass appeal as it is easy to use and was designed to work on 70 percent of the service provider's roughly 48 million subscribers' phones from the most expensive to the cheapest, according to analysts.

"For most mainstream consumers I don't think they've had the option to have an application like this before," said M:Metrics analyst Mark Donovan, who believes consumers are more likely to use their cellphone to find information when they are not obliged to type in location details.

Existing services, including a local search service from the most popular Web search engine Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG - news), are more awkward to use on cellphones than the InfoSpace offering which was designed specifically for phones, the analyst said.

"What's very elegant about what they've done is they've made it possible for me to search a wide range of information using just my thumb and a single button on the phone," said Donovan, noting that if for example the user searches for a movie, details of nearby restaurants and ATMs are also shown.

Initially Sprint and InfoSpace do not plan to charge businesses for being listed in the directory but such services are eventually expected to create advertising revenue.

InfoSpace Chief Executive Jim Voelker said the company could charge merchants for example if they are put in a prominent place in the list or if they want to display coupons for free coffee or ads indicating current sale products.

"I think that stuff will develop over the next few years," Voelker said in a recent interview.

Kelsey Group analyst Neal Polachek estimates that the advertising market around such services could worth $561 million a year by 2010 but he said it "could be significantly

more than that," if services like InfoSpaces gain popularity.

Voelker said the agreement with Sprint was not exclusive and that InfoSpace is talking to several other mobile service providers about providing the directory product.

BlackBerry 7130e Phone Now On Alltel

Alltel, a leading American wireless service provider has teamed up with RIM or Research In Motion to bring the BlackBerry 7130e mobile to Alltel’s high-speed Axcess Broadband network. The Axcess EVDO network has lightening speeds (up to 2.5 Mbps) and users would be able to enjoy high internet access. This would take Alltel’s mobile business to the next level in the States and most likely make the BlackBerry 7130e a runaway hit.

The Blackberry 7130e is considered by many the perfect Business Phone and users can opt for the unlimited data service for $44.99 per month. It is available in Alltel retail stores for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement. The BlackBerry 7130e is an extremely featured rich phone and has essential business applications like wireless e-mail, text messaging, organizer, Web and corporate data.

The BlackBerry 7130e comes with a high –resolution LCD and features the SureType keyboard technology from RIM and has a 64MB of flash memory. The BlackBerry Internet Service lets one access to 10 different email accounts and the Blackberry Enterprise Server software tightly integrates with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise and works with existing enterprise systems for unlimited and smooth wireless access.

BlackBerry 7130e Features:

* Phone
* Email
* SMS
* MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)
* Wireless Data Access
* Address book
* Internet Browser
* Calendar
* Memo Pad
* Tasks

# Access up to 10 supported business and/or personal email accounts
# SureType™, the new keyboard technology from Research In Motion
# MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) allows you to combine text and images in a single message.*
# Bluetooth hands-free headset and car kit support
# Large, bright, high resolution color LCD screen optimized for both indoor and outdoor use
# EvDO* Support enables the BlackBerry 7130e tethered modem capability, which lets you use the device as a wireless modem for your laptop or PC.
# Polyphonic ring tones to give your handset a distinctive personality.
# Integrated attachment viewing for popular file formats
# Exceptional battery performance
# 64 MB of memory
# Dedicated send and end keys
# 800/1900 MHz cdmaOne™, CDMA2000® 1X and Ev-DO network support for nationwide roaming.
# Rating for hearing aids: M3

The Elegant And Sleek Mago Smart Phone

Wow is the word that comes to mind, when you look at the Mago Smart phone (okay I know I have a limited vocabulary). But seriously the Mago Phone designed by the Renowned Evgueni Maslov and engineered by Tancher is sheer eye candy even to those who are technically challenged. This phone is a class apart when it comes to the design and I can spend eons gushing about it. But let’s get to business now. It has an exclusive special scratch resistant coating and hi-tech aerospace technologies for all the components which is well appreciated.

The 15mm thick Mago Smart Phone apart from being a looker appears as a performer too. Targeted at the premium market segment, this phone is not for mere mortals, as I bet it will carry a heavy price tag.
It boasts of features like 4-band 850/900/1800/1900MHz. Class 2 Bluetooth ver.1.2 , Wi-Fi 802.11b ,Embedded antennas, Windows Mobile 2005 OS,240x320 2.8'' LTPS transflective TFT LCD, 262,000 colors Touch screen , ARM920 Intel xScale PXA27X 624MHz CPU, 128MB SDRAM and an USB 2.0 interface.There is also a vibrato motor and a keypad which has a backlight display. No word on pricing or availability yet but it sure will generate a lot of buzz once it hits the market.

Parrot CK3100 Hands-Free Bluetooth Car Kit For Treo 650 & 700w

We have the perfect accessory for the Treo 650 and 700w users, which lets one access the phone functionality even without touching it. The Parrot CK3100 Advanced hands-free Bluetooth Car Kit is just what the doctor ordered as it allows hands free comfort and safety while driving and lets you take all those important calls.

The Parrot CK3100 works seamlessly with the Treo 650 and 700 without using any cables thanks to Bluetooth connectivity. It has a voice recoginisition system and a bright clear mountable display to view data like address book, whose calling etc. Then there is the exclusive digital signal processor technology for crystal clear audio performance which also mutes the radio while using the car speakers. Some other features include Superior user interface with LCD display, featuring Caller ID, phonebook synchronization, last calls received, and last calls dialed. Also more importantly the vehicle doesn’t need to be Bluetooth enabled to enjoy the CK3100 kit which frees you from the shackles of headsets, cradles, wires, etc.

Nokia BH-900 Bluetooth Headset Approved for USA Markets

The Nokia BH-900 Bluetooth headset is bang on target, and will be released in Q2 of 2006, thanks to it's approval by the almighty (we mean the FCC, of course). A little birdie told us that this is a powerful Bluetooth headset with noise reduction and echo cancellation features.

Expect around 8 hours of talktime (pretty good!) and 180 hours of standby. Oh, and if your phone supports PTT (Push-to-Talk), you can access this feature from the headset as well. Check out the Nokia BH-900 Bluetooth headset. I like this one.

Price range is around US$100. Details from Nokia as usual.

EU Leaders Call for Lower Roaming Charges

BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Union leaders called Friday for mobile phone companies to reduce or eliminate fees for travelers who want to ring home from abroad, saying some of the so-called roaming charges are excessive.

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said he has persuaded two Irish mobile phone companies to stop charging customers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after border residents complained they had to pay up when their phone signal picked up a foreign network even though they hadn't left home.

He said the rest of Europe should follow Ireland's example.

"Roaming charges are not necessary," Ahern told reporters. "They are excessively costly."

The European Commission warned it would put forward a law before the summer to force phone companies to charge the same fee for using national and international networks.

Last year, the commission created a Web site to name and shame the companies who charge travelers huge fees to use a mobile phone outside of their country. For several weeks, this site attracted more visitors than any other part of the commission's vast set of Internet pages.

The site showed Maltese customers are charged $15.15 for a four-minute phone call home from Latvia, while Finns pay just 24 cents extra to call from neighboring Sweden.

The Web site was supposed to help consumers find the best deal by showing them costs charged in September 2005 by their home phone company and the network of the country they are visiting.

But the information was incomplete because many companies did not post the fees online despite a promise from national phone associations that they would do so.

EU antitrust regulators started investigating "excessive" roaming prices in 2000, leading to charges that German and British phone companies were abusing their monopoly power. The cases are still ongoing.

KTFT-EV-K100, 7.9mm thin candybar handset

While it's not headed stateside, the KTFT EV-K100 is still worth a look for its extremely thin figure--just 7.9mm thick. It almost makes the Motorola RAZR V3 (14mm) clunky. To put the numbers in perspective, 7.9mm is almost exactly 1mm thicker than the iPod nano.

The South Korean handset manages to pack in a decent feature set for its size:

-1.3 megapixel camera
-MP3 player
-1.8" screen
-165MB memory
-Weight of just 60g

LG just announced a planned acquisition KTFT, so it's possible the engineering behind this handset will be able to have an effect on some more mainstream phones.

Is The Apple iPod Phone On Its Way?

There is no denying that the iPod is the youth icon of our generation and if you don’t believe us then just have a look at all the frenzy it creates. Be ready for more media frenzy as the iPod phone may be on its way very soon. A source analyst in the reputable JP Morgan says that the company is working on an “iPod with phone functions” which should hit the stands by the end of the year.
This is very big news and the analyst in question, Hong Kong-based Johnny Chan says that the Taiwanese company Hon Hai will likely get this coveted contract. For the uninitiated it was Hon Hai which also made the iPod Nano. However to some this doesn’t come as a big surprise as Apple has been slowly venturing in to the Mobile Business through its collaboration with Motorola. Though nothing has been confirmed some concept images have appeared in the Pentagram for Business 2.0 magazine.
Keep checking out this space for more developing details.

Nyko Charger Grip For PSP

Nyko Technologies has come up with a novel accessory for the PSP which would definately make life easier for the hard core gamer. The new Nyko Charger Grip includes a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery which extendes the standard play time to a further 5 hours. The Grip Charger has been designed in keeping mind the convenience of the user as it emulates the PS2 Controller. Thus Nyko wants to enhance the over all gaming experience and the ergonomic design provides relief to the gamer.

The Charger Grip is solid and durable and can be attached to the PSP via a clip on design. The PSP recognizes the Grip as an external battery source and allows it to transfer power which is used before the PSP battery. The Charger Grip is compatible with the standard PSP AC adapter and is currently available for $29.99.


The Charger Grip for PSP features:

· Ergonomic grip design reduces strain on hands, emulates PS2's popular controller style

· Built-in lithium-ion battery adds an addition five hours to the PSP's battery, allowing players to enjoy games for longer periods of time without having to recharge the PSP

· Simple clip-on design allows for easy attachment and removal - lightweight device is collapsible making it portable and easy to transport like the PSP

Belkin TunePower: Extra Juice for iPod Video

How many times have you exhausted your beloved video iPod's battery and could do almost anything for a few extra hours of playing time? Well, ok, you don't need to do anything ghastly.

Just spring in the moolah for Belkin's new TunePower for iPod video and watch movies/TV shows until your eyes water (or six hours, whichever is earlier).

TunePower is an add-on battery pack compatible with Apple's latest offering. The design is well thought-out, with enough protection to prevent dust or impact from damaging the connector. Additionally, you get two sleeves - so you can fit in the 30GB version or the 60GB version.

What's more, Belkin also provides an AC adapter with the package, which allows for simultaneous charging and playback. There's a low-power indicator on the TunePower, so you can at least be warned before your iPod croaks.

Ideal for long flights and hikes, the Belkin TunePower for iPod video is priced at US $79.99 and will be available late March. Access Belkin's website for the scoop.

Samsung SCH-A870 Coming To USA

Doing our usual rounds sniffing around the FCC, we found that Samsung's SCH-A870 has been gracefully acknowledged by the FCC. With this approval, the Samsung SCH-A870 looks set for a US release soon through Verizon.

Featuring Verizon's VCAST Music, consumers can browse and download songs over-the-air and play them on the Samsung SCH-A870's media player. A 2-megapixel cam with flash is provided for the usual fun with photos and videos. One of the USPs of this phone is the EV-DO network support for high-speed Internet access.

Bluetooth provision makes it possible to use compatible handsfree kit. A microSD slot is provided to expand on the memory. While pricing info has not yet been released, details may soon be available on Verizon's website.

LG KG-800 Chocolate Phone to hit European Markets Soon

LG's Chocolate phone, the LG KG-800 will be available in Europe during the first week of May. After a successful launch in Korea last November, the phone, which boasts of a hidden LCD screen and touch-pad control, will finally satisfy the European markets.

Not just in design, the Chocolate phone has some advanced tech features as well - making it appealing to a wide range of consumers. If you recall, the phone also won the European iF Design Award as well as the red dot Design Award.

Utilizing Li-ion batteries, the sleek little phone weighs just around 81 grams and featuers a 240x320 pixel resolution TFT display at 262k colors. Bluetooth is available as well, along with a 1.3MP camera.

LG Elec hopes to win GSM market with "choc" phone

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - LG Electronics (066570.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it will start shipping its "Chocolate" mobile phone in Europe by early May, in an attempt to break through in the GSM markets where it lags far behind its direct rivals.

LG has already sold 300,000 of the chocolate-coloured slider models with touch-sensitive keypad controls in its South Korean home market since the launch in November.

LG is the fourth biggest handset maker worldwide, mainly as a result of its strong position in CDMA phones popular in the Americas. But in the market for GSM mobile phones which are used by two out of every three mobile subscribers, LG is only half the size of global No. 5 Sony Ericsson (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research)(ERICb.ST: Quote, Profile, Research).

LG wants to expand retail sales in GSM markets to get a better understanding of consumers wishes. Currently it sells almost all mobile phones through mobile operators and focuses on technologically advanced models rather than design phones.

"The model caters to the replacement market where fashion is as much a factor in purchasing decision as function, but it remains to be seen whether European users will adopt it with the vigor that Korean consumers have embraced it," said Ben Wood at research group Gartner.

Sources close to the South Korean firm said LG wants to launch the model quickly before competitors copy the design.

LG Cyon - Environmentally Friendly Phone

Worried about toxic wastes in your cell phones, and wondering what to do about the burgeoning problems plaguing the environment? Invest in a phone that's environment-friendly, that's what. LG Korea unveiled its mass-market RoHS-compliant cell phone, called LG Cyon.

Harmful components like lead and mercury have apparenty been eliminated (although our Korean isn't up to the mark), just in time for July, when the European Union's directives on hazardous wastes come into effect.

RoHS, or Restriction of Hazardous Substances, regulates the usage of such toxic material in manufacturing processes with a view to limit damage to our environment and it's great to see LG's commitment in this regard. LG's website.

Phlash Photography For Mobile Phones

With Phlash we know that camera photography is very much here to stay (much to the disdain of pro photographers) as it today launched world's first universal camera phone flash. Which as you may have guessed by now, it offers powerful lightening capabilities for brighter images thus taking mobile photography to the next level. Phlash would be 12 times brighten than a normal in built camera flash and measures over just an inch.

It looks like a silver button which can be attached on either the back of the phone or hung via a phone strap. To use it one must simply presses it simultaneously with the "capture" button on the camera phone and thus a patent-pending light gets emitted .It is specifically designed for close up and night photography.
Phlash is now available for $29.99 at http://www.phonephlash.com

Hutchison 3G to gain Microsoft MSN access

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Port to telecom conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa said on Monday its third-generation telecoms service clients would be able to access Microsoft's instant messenger, MSN, and Hotmail through their handsets.

The agreement between Hutchison's 3 Group and Microsoft Corp. would initially cover over 5 million customers of Hutchison's 3G networks in the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Australia and Hong Kong.

Hutchison said in a statement that it planned to expand the service to other 3 markets.

The agreement enables 3 Group to offer access to MSN Hotmail and MSN Messenger from a browser or by a downloaded and pre-installed software client.

The access would allow Hutchison customers to use their existing MSN username and password on their 3 mobile, it added.

(US$1=HK$7.8=8.06 yuan)

E-Ten shows off Pathfinder - GPS, DMB, PMP

Currently on display at CeBIT is E-Ten's newest portable media player cum GPS device. The Pathfinder, they're calling it, runs on Windows CE 5.0 and is also a DMB television and DAB radio. But before you get too giddy don't forget that DMB isn't available anywhere outside Korea as of the moment.

It features a 3.5-inch, 320 x 240 LCD touch screen, a 400MHz Samsung 2440 processor, 64MB on board RAM, 128MB via the miniSD expansion slot, and support for Bluetooth 2.0. The GPS unit runs on a SIRFstar III GPS-Chipset.

Fox launches Sports Mobile Pro Service

Ever asked the question, "What was the score from last night's game?" but couldn't seem to find someone who knew the answer?

Well FOX and Blu Mobile have recently launched FOX Sports Mobile Pro touted to be the most comprehensive year-round sports source for the mobile phone. The service promised to provide up to date and in depth coverage of all major college and professional sports.

Subscribers will get the latest scores, audio highlights, color photos among a host of other features including live play-by-play commentary of sporting events and one-click access to favorite teams and sections.

FOX Sports Mobile Pro is now available to customers on major wireless carriers throughout North America. For more information visit their website here.

Movie theaters may ask to jam cell phones

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Movie theater owners faced with falling attendance are considering asking federal authorities for permission to jam cell phone reception in an attempt to stop annoying conversations during films, the head of the industry's trade group said on Tuesday.

Industry leaders at the ShoWest conference for theater owners want to find ways to win back crowds.

"I don't know what's going on with consumers that they have to talk on phones in the middle of theaters," John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners, told the ShoWest conference in Las Vegas.

Theaters are trying a number of ways to silence cell phones, from sweeps by ushers to funny fake movie trailers urging viewers to shut off phones.

Fithian said owners were considering other steps if that does not work.

"We will actually petition the Federal Communications (Commission) to remove the block" on jamming cell phones, he said.

That may be difficult, since federal law and FCC rules prohibit the use of cell phone jammers.

The industry is broadly trying to increase interest in the movies.

Motion Picture Association of America Chief Executive Dan Glickman told ShoWest that the industry is researching why and when people go to the movies and might consider an advertising campaign to encourage people to go out to the movies, just as the milk industry has succeeded with its Got Milk? campaign.

Samsung Demos New Tech For Wireless Connectivity

SEOUL, South Korea — Samsung Electronics said it has demonstrated new wireless technologies for mobile phone connectivity, including ad hoc routing and ultrawideband (UWB). The techologies will support wireless connections among phones and between phones and set-top boxes.

Samsung said Wednesday (March 15) it demonstrated mobile phones using the wireless technologies at the CeBIT show in Hanover, Germany.

The UWB phones are being touted as allowing users to transfer large multimedia files such as movies and photos to another mobile phone without using GSM networks. Video clips can be quickly downloaded and be displayed on the phone. Users can also transfer video to a set top and display them on a TV.

The UWB technology also allows users to send DVD films to a set top equipped with an embedded miniPCI card, Samsung said. Samsung also demonstrated ad hoc network routing technology using mobile phones. The technology enables users to chat, share video files, music and play multiplayer-games without using a GSM network or access points like wireless hot spots.

Pantech Makes GSM Push

Pantech today announced several new high-end GSM phones at the CeBIT show in Germany. Among the most interesting:

G-3600V: Slim slider music phone with an iPod-like external "touch wheel sensor". Supports WMA, MP3, AAC, AAC+ and AMR music formats and sports a 1.3 megapixel camera.
G-6200: Clamshell phone with fingerprint scanner, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, music player, dual color displays, and speakerphone.

Motorola PEBL now comes in color

Most likely due to brisk sales of the Pink RAZR, Motorola has announced four new color schemes for the PEBL U6. The new PEBL will ship in green, pink, blue and orange. It's expected to launch in the first half of the year.

Motorola CEO says Razr technical glitch solved

BEIJING (Reuters) - Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT - news), the world's second-largest mobile phone maker, said on Wednesday it had solved a technical glitch in its hot-selling Razr cell phone that had stopped shipments for three to four days.

"We caught it and fixed it," Chief Executive Edward Zander told reporters. "There were three or four days where we stopped shipments and went in and fixed it."

The problem came from a second-source firm that had only recently started to supply Motorola with components for the ultra slim Razr, he said.

Zander said the problem was in phones shipped to just two carriers in the United States -- Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile USA -- and most of the problem phones had been caught in the inventory of those two firms.

"There will be no material impact. We will meet our demand from customers," he said.

Caris & Co. had downgraded Motorola Inc. to "average" from "above average" due to the technical problem.

The firm's fourth-quarter net earnings shot up 86 percent to $1.2 billion on the strength of demand for its mobile phones, such as the Razr.

Motorola controls about 19 percent of the worldwide handset market, but lags Finnish rival Nokia (NOK1V.HE) by a wide margin.

It's shares have fallen 5.58 percent this year to the $21.33 Tuesday close in the U.S., compared with the tech-heavy Nasdaq (^IXIC - news) index's 4.1 percent gain over the same period.

Zander said it was too early to say what the cost savings would be from the company's move in early March to combine its network equipment unit with its government and corporate units.

"We are hiring in other places in the company," he said. "It allows us to maybe redeploy some of our resources differently."

Verizon to get Casio G'zOne

After reports surfaced in the past 6 months that Casio has been trying to enter the U.S. market, confirmation has emerged courtesy of the FCC. Late last week, came the FCC approval of the Casio Hitachi NX9200, the U.S. version of the extreme Casio G'zOne phone. The phone borrows heavily from the Casio line of G-Shock watches, and as such is water and shock resistant. The FCC documents clearly show a Verizon Logo on this clamshell EV-DO, CDMA phone

Specs:

CDMA, EV-DO
1.3 megapixel camera
Music player
Digital compass
After merging operations in 2004, Casio and Hitachi make cell phones for most major Japanese carriers, the G'zOne was announced in Japan with KDDI in May 2005, and been a huge success since it's introduction.

New Samsung Goes Both Ways

Samsung has showed off another unique handset for the Korean market at CeBit. The SPH-B5200 is a slider model that slides both horizontally and vertically. When the keypad is slid out holding the phone horizontally, two D-Pads and other gaming buttons are revealed. When slid out vertically, a numeric keypad is revealed next to one of the D-Pads. The B5200 features a 3" wide-screed display, 2 Megapixel camera, Bluetooth, T-DMB mobile TV and accelerometers for gaming and navigation just by moving the phone around.

T-Mobile Germany is starting a pilot launch of T-One, a service similar to one due to arrive in the US this summer. Using phones such as the Nokia e60 and n80, subscribers will be able to use T-Mobile's GSM and UMTS networks as well as seamlessly switch to T-Com's Wi-Fi hotspots for both calls and data access. When the service launches T-Mobile will also offer compatible PC cards and laptops for data-only users, and are expected to launch additional handsets. T-One is not based on UMA as suspected, but rather on SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). T-Mobile US is expected to offer subscribers a compatible Wi-Fi access point so they can use compatible phones over Wi-Fi in their homes in addition to Starbucks and other T-Mobile hotspot locations.

Kids: high-tech's fussy new customers

HANOVER, Germany (AFP) - A television tucked in a cuddly toy, a mobile phone dressed up as a teddy bear and a nanny robot are among the new gadgets targeting an untapped high-tech market: kids.

IT and consumer electronics companies gathered at the giant CeBIT fair in the Hanover, northern Germany said that with the threat of saturation in the telephone and TV markets, they were looking to children to rev up the sector.

Taiwanese electronics maker Hannspree announced at the event that it would launch a television set in Europe next month targeted at children.

"The idea was to create an 'emotional' television so that the child truly has 'his' TV that does not look like the others," said Bruno Choquet, sales director of Hannspree France, said of the huggable TV, which has already been released in the United States and Asia.

The screen, the size of a small standard television, is implanted in the body of a plush giraffe, elephant or lion. A version aimed primarily at boys comes in plastic, in the form of a firetruck or a helicopter.

Twelve different models are on offer, priced at between 300 and 400 euros (360 and 480 dollars).

Hannspree, which also makes televisions for adults shaped like a basketball or a plant, forecasts sales of 500,000 units in Europe by the end of 2006, Choquet said.

Catering to children is a way of "creating a new market, even if it its still just a niche," he said.

"But it could take off -- children are more taken with technology than we are."

In terms of mobiles, no major manufacturer has dared to produce children's cell phones due to the still unclear effect of their radiation. The World Health Organization, however, has urged parents for caution's sake not to overexpose their children.

Nevertheless, a few companies are seeking a way forward with kids' phones, largely packaged as security or monitoring devices.

Taiwanese firm i-Care Telecom is offering a telephone in the form of a teddy bear for kids aged four to 10.

"The bear has four paws and each paw has a dial-speed number which has been registered by the parents, with drawings for the father, the mother, friends and the teacher," said marketing director June Yiching Yeh.

The company has voluntarily reduced the radiation of the handset, which also has two emergency buttons for children to call for help.

I-Care Telecom expects to see 100,000 phones sold in Europe this year.

The release of a simplified child's mobile known as BabyMo in France in January 2005, however, provoked protests by several child protection groups and led to the phone being pulled from the shelves.

Another attempt at appealing to parents, this time from the Japanese electronics group Nec, involves a babysitting robot called Papero Childcare.

About 40 centimeters (16 inches) tall, the multicolored electronic nanny that appears to smile and open its eyes wide in a friendly expression is programmed to watch over a group of children and play games with them.

"If the child is in the room and the mother is in the kitchen, she can call Papero with her mobile phone and talk directly to her child, through the robot which has a camera, and she can see the child's image," said Hiroto Ito, an NEC marketing executive.

Meanwhile firms such as Vtech of Hong Kong and Oregon Scientific have had some success marketing pint-sized educational computers.

Dropped Call at Motorola?

Anybody who's been impressed by the Razr's edge might find it a double-edged sword at the moment. Some bad news about Motorola's (NYSE: MOT - News) most popular product hit the wires last week. Might a technical glitch in a smattering of its popular Razr mobile phones give a lot of consumers -- and investors -- a reason to hang up on the handset provider?

Wireless carriers Cingular -- a joint venture between AT&T (NYSE: T - News) and BellSouth (NYSE: BLS - News) -- and Deutsche-Telekom's (NYSE: DT - News) T-Mobile both said they will suspend sales of Motorola's Razr phone because of a glitch that results in randomly dropped calls and unbidden shutdowns. (However, Verizon (NYSE: VZ - News) Wireless is still selling the Razr, since its network uses a different technology that is not affected.)

While Motorola has said that just a few of its Razr phones are impacted by the glitch, that doesn't change the halt that Cingular and T-Mobile have put on sales of the ultra-thin gadget. It's just a temporary suspension while the bad batches of the handsets are culled out of the supply, but of course investors should cringe at the idea of any lost sales.

Even if it's a more temporary problem than some headlines seem to note, negative buzz about the phone could cause prospective customers to pause before snapping up a Razr. Warning headlines like PC World's "Whoa, Don't Buy That Sexy Razr Phone Just Yet" offer up a good example.

Last quarter, the Razr's edge was evident. Motorola's earnings illustrated plenty of positive impacts from the Razr, which Fool contributor Tom Taulli compared to Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL - News) iPod, calling it Motorola's own killer product. A good deal of Motorola's fourth-quarter growth was due to the Razr's popularity -- demand for the phones doubled to 13 million in the quarter. It's not hard to see that the Razr's name recognition and pop-culture appeal had archrival Nokia (NYSE: NOK - News) beat, for the time being anyway.

Motorola did say that it is working with wireless carriers in order to make sure that customers can easily exchange any defective Razrs, and a new, glitch-free supply of the phones should be available from Cingular and T-Mobile again by March 17 -- not such a long wait at all, really. As long as the glitches are brief and fixed quickly, the biggest concern is a potential blow to the prestige inherent in the Razr phone's name. That's what investors should be most concerned about at the moment.

Samsung Q1 Ultra Mobile PC

If 2005 was the year of digital media players, 2006 is looking like the year of UMPC or Ultra Mobile PC. After Microsoft and ASUS, it's now Samsung’s turn to showcase it's UMPC at CeBIT 2006 which features a touch screen and includes applications for a complete multimedia experience, wireless internet, digital broadband and Bluetooth connectivity. Thus with the Samsung Q1 you can always be connected via LAN or a GPRS card and access those important emails from anywhere in the world.

The Samsung Q1 Ultra Mobile PC is extremely chic and stylish and has an integrated 7 inch wide LCD display to watch movies and DMB clips. The AVS NOW software also lets one experience the joys of music, photographs ,video without even booting the sytem.Weighing just 779 grams and sporting a touch screen method input features Intel CPU and Windows XP Tablet OS. The Q1 is a perfect companion for the road too and includes a DMB and navigation system for those long road trips. No word on pricing or availability yet but it’s definitely a product to watch out For. www.samsung.com

Samsung Q1
• Origami / Ultra-mobile PC
• Mini-tablet with a 7 inch touch-screen LCD
• Windows XP Tablet Operating System
• Celeron M ULV processor
• 40 GB Hard Drive
• 512 MB RAM
• 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth 2.0
• 9 inches x 5.5 inches x 1 inch
• 1.7 pounds

Samsung D808 Anycall Handset - The world’s thinnest GSM slide-up camera phone

Samsung Electronics announced the compact slide-up SAMSUNG Anycall D808 handset. It is an excellent mobile phone having a combination of various features and it is proclaimed to be the world’s thinnest GSM slide-up camera phone. The slim and wide design of the Samsung D808 is eye-catching and bundled with many multimedia features, along with a bigger than normal 2.12 inch ultra-wide LCD display. The handset satisfies all the needs of performance with style for the customers who are aware of it.

The Samsung D808 is beautified with magnesium and chrome finish, includes large keypad and exclusive image functionalities. Measuring 97 x 52 x 14.9 mm and weighing 98g it supports GPRS and WAP data transfers. Moreover it has back-mounted 1.3 mega-pixel camera with 4x digital zoom and built-in self-portrait mirror. This feature allows taking very prominent and high quality pictures and video clips. Another extra offering is enhanced mosaic shot functionality, which can be used for expressing individuality with this unique shooting mode. Some of the other features in the Samsung D808 are audio that can access MP3, AAC, AAC+ and WMA formats, a speakerphone, it's a B/T stereo handset and has a remote control for musical entertainment. D808 has Bluetooth, USB and SyncML DS connectivity (used for media transfer) and handset is prepared for mobile printing, huge downloading capacity of 80MB user memory. A newly added feature of this mobile is animated dialing font and flash user interface for extra fun and a document viewer is also added which helps the user to view documents of various formats like WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT, TXT, PDF etc.

To gather more information regarding the D808 availability and sale kindly visit at www.samsung.com

Pantech G-3600V at CeBIT

One of the more unique cell phones being shown at CeBit 2006 in Hanover, Germany is the Pantech G-3600V. Pantech is touting this new cell phone with phrases such as a 'global GSM slider' and the ultimate ‘music phone’, and the phone does feature a very iPod'esque external touch wheel to control the music features on the phone.

As of this posting, details are scant but here is what we know,

Slim slider phone
Supports WMA, MP3, AAC, AAC+, and AMR formats
10-band graphic equalizer
1.3 mega pixel camera with a 4x zoom
Photo and video editing
Bluetooth
262k color screen
speakerphone

CeBIT: T-Mobile Blends Cellular, Wi-Fi Service

HANOVER, GERMANY-- T-Mobile International will start offering a converged Wi-Fi and cellular service this summer, using network equipment from Nortel Networks, Nortel announced at CeBIT.

T-Mobile customers will be able to use laptops and PDAs to use services such as video calling, video conferencing, and IM even as they move between Wi-Fi and cellular networks. Their connections won't be dropped as they move between the networks and the customer can use one phone number to be reached regardless of which network they are near, Nortel said.


Customers will be able to connect to any of the 6000 T-Mobile and T-Com hotspots in Germany, which cover train stations, cafes, and other locations. They won't, however, be able to use the service via other hotspots such as those in homes or offices, Azrak said.


The companies are demonstrating the capability, which will work over 3G, EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), and Wi-Fi, at CeBIT.


The service will be geared toward business customers who will be able to use the service to access enterprise applications, T-Mobile said.

Additional Options

In addition to PC cards and converged handsets, users will also be able to connect using laptops from Fujitsu-Siemens Computers that come with embedded Wi-Fi and the high-speed HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology, Azrak said. The laptops are expected to become commercially available in the second quarter.


Users will be able to choose from different pricing models including an existing tariff that costs $42 per month plus an additional $1.20 per day of actual use. The plan limits downloads to 5GB on the cellular network and 200 hours of use on the Wi-Fi network, Azrak said.


Operators and vendors have been discussing such converged services recently but few have been commercially launched yet. BT Group has a service in the U.K. that allows users to roam from a cellular network onto a Wi-Fi network but it's limited only to the user's home Wi-Fi network.


BT and others support a UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access), a technology geared toward enabling mobile operators to offer converged services. T-Mobile's system will be based on SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), an open standard that can also be used to deliver converged services.


T-Mobile operates hotspots around the globe so this service could combine T-Mobile's cellular and Wi-Fi networks. T-Mobile already offers customers the T-Mobile MDA Pro, a PDA that includes both Wi-Fi and cellular.


For more coverage from the world's largest technology show, go to our CeBIT News page.

Adobe aims to grow Flash, Reader on mobiles

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Design software maker Adobe Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:ADBE - news) expects to see increasing revenues from the sale of its flagship products for use on mobile phones, its president and chief operating officer said on Thursday.


"We expect mobile to increasingly contribute to the company," Shantanu Narayen told Reuters in an interview in Finland where he visited clients such as Nokia (NOK1V.HE).

Adobe, known for its Acrobat document sharing and, after its Macromedia acquisition last year, for Flash animation software, expects to increase penetration of its products in mobile phones through sales to handset makers and telecoms operators, he said.

"We certainly like to believe that as rich media is being consumed more on these devices ... that both Flash and Reader become essential part of these devices ... We are vigilant to make it happen," Narayen said.

Flash and Reader software are currently available mostly on top-end phones, but Narayen said the company was aiming also to have it in the cheaper products.

"As the number of devices and smarter devices increase, you see a lot of penetration ... but it's early in that space. There are a billion people in India and China who are never going to use PC to access the Internet. I think opportunity is huge," he said.

Adobe closed its $3.4 billion acquisition of Macromedia in December in a deal aimed at tightening its grip over how publishers, advertisers and ordinary Web users create and distribute electronic documents.

Narayen said the integration of the Macromedia business had started well, with both management and product integration.

"We have been able not just to present combined strategy but also to execute against that strategy. It's off to a great start," he said.

"The integration is not done ... but I'd like to believe that most of the heavy lifting is behind us."

Analysts and investors say the deal is a good fit, because Adobe's strength is in editing and distributing static content such as text, photos, or graphics, while Macromedia is a leader in animation tools for creating Web graphics and advertising.

Samsung Unveils 10-Megapixel Phone

SEOUL, South Korea — Samsung Electronics said it has developed the first 10-megapixel camera phone, that the company asserts could usher in a new round of mobile convergence.

Samsung said its SCH-B600 camera phone will be disclosed during the one-week CeBIT 2006 show in Hanover, Germany, which started Thursday (March 9).

The 10-megapixel camera features a 3x optical zoom, 5x digital zoom and a 1/2,000th of a second shutter speed. Samsung claims it is the first camera phone to adopt an auto-focus, fill-light function to deliver higher-resolution pictures.

The phone is equipped with a 2-inch, 16-million-pixel color TFT LCD, supports satellite digital multimedia broadcasting services and comes with a dual-face and dual-speaker system. It also includes TV-out and MP3 player functions.

Earlier this week, Samsung unveiled what it said is the first smart phone equipped with an 8-Gbyte hard disk drive. The SGH-i310 combines a phone, a digital camera and an MP3 player that can store about 2,000 songs.

Verizon Wireless Offers Pay-As-You-Go Service At Wal-Mart

Verizon Wireless on Thursday said it's now selling its pay-as-you-go mobile phone service at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s 2,300 locations nationwide.

The prepaid INpulse service costs $1 dollar a day, plus an additional 10 cents a minute for daytime calling to people who are not Verizon customers. There's no additional charge for night calling.

Prepaid services are useful primarily to people who don't use a mobile phone much, but would like to have one for emergencies, Consumer Reports said in a study released in January. Companies such as Cingular, T-Mobile, TracFone and Virgin sell the service for as little as $35, including the phone and a token number of minutes.

Airtime after that ranges from 10 cents to 50 cents a minute, the consumer magazine says.

Verizon Wireless, however, charges $1 a day whether the phone is used or not. In addition, there's an added 29 cents a minute for calls to Canada, Mexico or Guam; and $1.49 a minute to other international locations. Roaming charges are 69 cents a minute.

Verizon Wireless, based in Bedminster, N.J., is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone.

Intercasting Expands Rabble Social Networking To Cingular Wireless

Intercasting Corp. on Thursday said it has expanded its mobile social-networking service Rabble to Cingular Wireless phones.

Using a Java-enabled phone, Cingular subscribers will be able to share with other Rabble members text and photos, which are posted on a user-created "channel" that others on the network can access. In addition, the service lets subscribers post content to many popular online blogging services.

Rabble, which is also available through Verizon Wireless and MetroPCS, allows users to set rules governing who can access their content.

"Mobile phones do a lot more than just ring, and Cingular Wireless recognizes the evolution of mobile communication and consumers' desires to utilize their handsets to their fullest capacity as media devices," Shawn Conahan, founder and chief executive of San Diego-based Intercasting said in a statement.

Indeed, while that may be true for teens and young adults, the general population is less enamored with using their phones for more than voice.

In an October survey, fewer than 10 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers had used their phone's browser to get news and information, send a photo message or purchase a ring tone, according to EMarketer. Fewer than 5 percent had bought wallpaper or a screen saver or downloaded a game.

Cingular Wireless subscribers can find Rabble in the "Media Mall" that's accessible on their mobile phones. The service costs $2.99 a month.

Nokia wins HSDPA network deals from T-Mobile

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finnish mobile equipment maker Nokia (NOK1V.HE) said on Tuesday it had won HSDPA network software orders from Deutsche Telekom's (DTEGn.DE) T-Mobile unit for its German, Dutch and British networks.

High speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) is a software upgrade to current third generation (3G) mobile networks, offering clearly faster data connection speeds.

T-Mobile will open its commercial HSDPA service in Germany during the CeBIT trade fair this week, while similar networks are due to be opened in the Netherlands and Britain later this year, Nokia said in a statement.

TiVo to let users record TV shows via Verizon phones

NEW YORK (Reuters) - TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq:TIVO - news) and Verizon Wireless on Tuesday announced an agreement that will allow TiVo subscribers to remotely schedule television recording using a Verizon mobile phone.

The service, called TiVo Mobile, will debut later this year, and pricing will be announced at that time.

Terms of the deal with Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - news) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L) (NYSE:VOD - news), were not disclosed.

Alviso, California-based TiVo remains the best known brand among DVRs, which can pause live TV and skip commercials, but it faces increased competition from rival devices made by cable operators. To combat that challenge, TiVo has worked to add unique features such as the ability to move recorded shows to portable devices.

TiVo customers can already schedule shows via TiVo and Yahoo Web sites for free. Many mobile phones with a Web browser can go to those sites and set recordings while on the go.

Shares of TiVo climbed 4.6 to $5.88 in morning trade on Nasdaq.

Text messaging remains top service for mobile phone users

SINGAPORE (AFP) - Text messaging remains the most popular service for mobile phone users in the Asia Pacific despite offers for fancier applications such as email and gaming, an industry research group said.

International Data Corp (IDC) said its survey showed that less than 10 percent of mobile phone users are utilizing services other than the reliable short messaging system (SMS), or text messaging.

There had been hype that the humble SMS would be eclipsed by its more advanced cousins following the emergence of pricey third generation (3G) mobile phones and more advanced content applications.

But IDC said that the "latest findings reveal that, despite the proliferation of content-rich mobile data services, the adoption of advanced services such as mobile phone payment, online mobile gaming and mobile email have yet to reach noteworthy levels of usage."

IDC telecom analyst Karen Rondon added: "Improved adoption of different mobile data services will go hand in hand with the pervasiveness of mobile handsets capable of supporting such services as well as ease of use.

"The challenge therefore lies with service operators and mobile phone vendors to educate and accustom the market to the value proposition of such services and mobile devices that come with affordable price tags."

IDC's survey covered 4,056 urban Internet users in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.

Mobile phone penetration rates also rose sharply in 2005, IDC said, with the number of respondents who owned mobile phones reaching 90.2 percent, up from 80.2 percent in 2004.

"SMS (remained) as the most popular mobile data application, with 65 percent of the users sending text messages every day," IDC said.

Samsung Unveils 8-GB Mobile Phone

Samsung plans to introduce a smartphone with an 8-GB hard drive, rolling it out to European markets in the second half of 2006. Called the SGH-i310, the handset is similar in form to a previous Samsung phone, the i300, that came out last year.

Both models are focused on delivering music, with the i310 especially targeted at digital-music mavens. The new phone will include a music player, amplifier, and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. The phone also will sport a digital camera, printing capabilities, and a video-out connection.

As the fourth Samsung phone to include a hard disk, the i310 is an indication of a major new direction for the company, which is likely to keep increasing storage capacity to meet consumer need.

Samsung is expected to detail more features of the i310 at the upcoming CeBIT computer show in Hanover, Germany.

Store House

Phones with such high-end multimedia capabilities are more likely to appeal to consumers rather than enterprise users, said Yankee Group analyst John Jackson, who pointed out that corporate cell-phone use tends not to require much embedded memory.

But consumers are increasingly making use of their cell phones to play videos, listen to music, and swap photos. Mobile-phone makers like Samsung are eager to provide the kind of high-level functionality and memory that such activities require.

"These type of memory densities are quite simply going to be increasingly necessary to allow phones to perform as multimedia-centric devices," said Jackson. "You have to have these larger densities to accommodate mainstream usage patterns."

Forward Thinking

The development of an 8-GB phone is made possible in large part because the cost of memory has seen remarkable price declines recently, Jackson noted. Those cost drops likely will spur more innovation, but phone makers like Samsung still could face difficulties with pricing in different channels.

"Is the operator going to subsidize 8 GB of memory?" Jackson asked. "If not, the question becomes whether consumers would be willing to pay an extra $70 to $150 for that phone."

In general, the SGH-i310 sounds like a proof-of-concept phone, Jackson added, noting that such a phone is more likely to show the direction of the market rather than be a bestseller as soon as it starts shipping.

"Samsung has done this in the past," he said. "They create these devices to show that they're a technology leader and to put a stake in the ground for the future."