Motorola Startac Lives Again, Revived as New Model

If you owned a cell phone in the late 90s, there's a very good chance that somewhere along the line, you were sporting the Motorola Startac.

It was the best selling handset in its era, and Moto is hoping to recapture that nostalgic audience with this revitalization. Go a little retro and take a look at the all-new Motorola Startac III MS900. It may look nostalgic, but it's got all the latest features (except for an external display and camera).In terms of goodness, you'll be treated to a 2-inch QVGA screen, MP3 player, 128MB internal memory, and GPS navigation. There's also mobile banking, e-book reading, a "biorhythm" function, and a built-in dictionary. Thankfully, Motorola has snubbed that fat ugly antenna of old for the Startac III MS900. No word on pricing, but unfortunately this modern blast from the past is available in Korea only.

Nokia's N-Gage Returning to Mobile Gaming

While the adoption of mobile devices has been a bit of a feather in the cap for companies such as Nokia, getting people to purchase multifunction devices has not been as easy. Probably the most popular Nokia miss in recent memory is the N-Gage and N-Gage 2 devices, which tried to combine telephony and gaming in one handset.
Even though its first attempts were a failure in the marketplace, Nokia has clearly learned some lessons and is set to release the N-Gage again, this time as a software platform that works with upcoming smartphones.
About the New N-Gage Gaming Platform
Rather than a device that takes hard to access memory cards as cartridges, Nokia is positioning N-Gage as a software service that will make it simple to find and download games for their mobile devices. A recent Nokia press release points to a pilot program beginning in February 2007 and running into mid-2007 that will test the experience and viability of the new N-gage platform.
The pilot program is being carried out in cooperation with the Finnish communications firm Elisa, which specializes in voice and data services, connections to the Internet, and network operator services. Elisa currently has an existing mobile gaming platform and plans to integrate it with Nokia's N-Gage gaming platform.
The two companies aim to work together to bring improved game quality, better performance, and an intuitive way to get games as compared to the current means people find and download games for mobile devices.

Qualcomm-Nokia Patent Trial Delayed

By W. David Gardner

The judge gave no reason for placing the trial on hold, but the delay gave rise to hopes that Qualcomm and Nokia are trying to reach a settlement on their licensing agreements.

For the second time in recent days, a trial scheduled to begin March 5 involving Qualcomm intellectual property has been delayed. The most recent incident came Tuesday when a U.S. International Trade Commission judge delayed a case involving a patent dispute between Qualcomm and Nokia.
The judge, Robert J. Barton Jr., gave no reason for placing the trial on hold, but the delay gave rise in legal circles to hopes that Qualcomm and Nokia are trying to reach a settlement on their licensing agreements.
Qualcomm has a large wireless patent portfolio, and several firms prominent in wireless technology have complained that Qualcomm's IP restrictions are overly severe. Qualcomm and Nokia have been suing each other for several months over intellectual property matters.
Just last week, Qualcomm and Broadcom agreed to settle some patent claims in another case that had been scheduled to go to trial March 5.

Nokia, Telenor Pakistan sign network expansion deal

Nokia and Telenor Pakistan have extended their existing frame agreement on GSM radio network equipment and services until 2009. Over the three year period, Nokia will deliver base stations and continue to plan, build and manage the radio network in close association with Telenor Pakistan. The cooperation aims at increasing Telenor Pakistan's network coverage and capacity in most of Punjab, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan administered Kashmir and northern regions of Pakistan, including the capital city of Islamabad. Under the agreement, Nokia provides Telenor Pakistan with its radio and transmission network, including microwave radios. A range of services will support the radio network roll-out and operation, including turnkey maintenance services, hardware support services, and services for the deployment of the GSM network, including network planning, site acquisition, civil works and telecom implementation. Nokia also provides competence development services to Telenor Pakistan. The network is to be supported by the multivendor, multitechnology Nokia Netact network and service management system. The deliveries have started.

T-Mobile, Nokia Launch New Music-Themed Cell Phone, Yo

By Eric Zeman

Last night at the midtown Manhattan club Arena, T-Mobile hosted members of the tech press, socialites and other sparkling members of NYC's digerati to an ear-shattering launch party for its newest handset. The Teddybears and Twista were in da house. Oh, and so was the Nokia 5300.
In order to fulfill my news-providing obligation, I can tell you that the 5300 is a nifty little slider phone that has a mediocre 1.3 megapixel camera, but some really good music features. It has a large-ish screen and does a good job of organizing your tunes and making it easy to listen to them while you are on the go. The messaging features are very typical and, when the mood strikes you, it also lets you make phone calls. It's available today for $99 with a 2-year commitment.
Now back to the party.
Arena is a Rome-themed former church about half a block from Bryant Park. T-Mobile actually made us journalists line-up and wait outside like we were itching to get into some super trendy nightspot that we normally don't have a chance in hell of getting in to. (Wait a minute, I suppose that's what we were actually doing...) Eventually they let us in and it was quickly apparent that the tech press were the least of the attendees. I have to be honest here and say that I know literally nothing about R&B and hip hop, but it was obvious that a sizable portion of the large crowd at Arena last night was excited about something other than T-Mobile's newest handset.
There were a handful of women dressed in faux-Roman garb, complete with Centurion-like helmets, walking around with the 5300 and providing demonstrations and letting the crowd get some hands-on time with the phone. Not that you could hear anything over the music. Most people were shouting at one another to be heard.
The night started off with some loud DJ tunes. Swedish alt rockers The Teddybears, complete with...wait for it...bear heads on their noggins kicked off the live music. After about 45 minutes, they retired and Twista eventually came on stage, to the delight of the crowd. Most of the techies I knew at the party were out of there long before Twista came on, as were many of the Nokia staffers at the event. One Nokia spokesperson admitted, "This is T-Mobile's party, we're just here to have fun."
I guess a little fun isn't a bad thing.

Microsoft Provides Free Windows Mobile 6 Upgrades to Licensees

By James Alan Miller

In the past, upgrading the operating system for a Microsoft-based mobile device has proved to be the exception rather than the rule. Redmond appears ready to do its share to change all that with Windows Mobile 6, by giving free licenses to hardware partners who wish to provide platform upgrades for their devices, according to the Download Squad.
By doing this Microsoft gives the vendors an incentive to provide Windows Mobile 6 upgrades for their Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PCs, Pocket PC Phones and Smartphones. Not only does it save these device makers money, this savings could be passed onto the end-user.
While these upgrades might not be free—it still takes a lot of time, energy and money to customize a platform to a device—they could cost a lot less than in the past. Or, perhaps, vendors could charge full price and make a killing.
So what companies are planning to issue Windows Mobile 6 upgrades?
At this point we know HTC plans to release one for the T-Mobile Dash. It has also been said that Palm will offer an upgrade for the Treo 750 at some point, and it is almost certain that many other vendors will provide Windows Mobile 6 updates for their more recent Pocket PCs and Smartphones. As for the many legacy standard Pocket PCs out there, our feeling is that only the most recent may, and that's a big may, get one.

Goldman Sachs on the iPhone

A handset branding survey was completed shortly before the announcement of the iPhone. Goldman Sachs seems to think that based off of this that Apple is really going to shake things up.

The big points that were raised by this survey are as follows:
First, half of the people that expressed interest in purchasing a phone from Apple don’t own an iPod. That says a lot for how the average person views their brand.

Second, nearly ¾ of the people interviewed in the US said that they would be interested in a phone from Apple.

Also, the US ranked Apple as the 4th most desired brand for a mobile phone.

Finally, In the US 15% of those surveyed stated that they would switch providers in order to obtain a mobile phone from Apple. However, in the UK, 30% said that they would switch to get one.

There are a lot of facts and figures in there to go through. The one thing that you have to keep in mind is that the survey was completed before Apple announced the iPhone. The fact that this many people expressed a desire to have a phone from Apple says a lot about their brand. I couldn’t imagine how the survey would go if it were conducted now.

If you believe that Goldman is one to follow, you may want to watch Apple’s stocks carefully over the next few months and buy when they’re low. He’s sure that once the iPhone hits the market, the stocks will soar.

The Sony Ericsson W880i Mobile Phone in a Silver and Black Colour is Now on Sale Online in the UK

The Sony Ericsson W880i mobile phone is a sleek and slim, exquisitely designed Walkman music phone. Its astonishing good looks are complemented by all the latest features.

http://www.mobilephones24.co.uk has confirmed that the new edition of Sony Ericsson, the 3G Sony Ericsson W880i mobile phone, is now on sale through their web site. The phone is available in both a silver and black colour.

The Sony Ericsson W880i mobile phone is a sleek and slim, exquisitely designed Walkman music phone. Its astonishing good looks are complemented by all the latest features such as a 2-megapixel camera, video recorder/player and Music Walkman Player 2.0. Store up to 1,000 songs, with the FREE 1 GB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™). This candy-bar style handset also comes with a large 1.8" TFT colour display and a simple easy-to-use menu navigation.

The W880i is a mobile phone, digital camera, video recorder, music walkman, all packed into a device, which is a mere 9.4mm thin, one of the thinnest on the market.

In addition, the W880i has a wide range of internet options. There's web access, an RSS reader, email and photo blogging.

The full features and specification of Sony Ericsson W88i can be viewed in the Sony Ericsson section of http://www.mobilephones24.co.uk

By Emma C Jones

Beceem Communications Collaborates With Samsung Electronics for Mobile WiMAX Technology

Beceem Communications (www.beceem.com), a leading provider of chipsets for Mobile WiMAX technology, today announced that Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leading provider of mobile phones and telecom systems, selected Beceem as one of its major Mobile WiMAX chipset vendors. Beceem expects that the company's chipset would be in various Samsung WiMAX-enabled devices.

"Samsung's selection of our chipset is a result of our close collaboration with Samsung's Mobile WiMAX development team. This collaboration has resulted in our Mobile WiMAX product leadership and has facilitated Samsung's product development, market trials and deployments," said Shahin Hedayat, CEO & Co-founder of Beceem.

"Beceem's chipset availability has contributed to the acceleration of WiMAX commercialization," said HunBae Kim, Senior Vice President of R&D Team at Samsung's Telecommunications Network Business.

Beceem Communications Mobile WiMAX solution includes the baseband processor, RF and modem software. Beceem's RF products include receive diversity to enable the highest WiMAX performance available.

Qualcomm vs Nokia case paused

The Qualcomm vs Nokia proceedings have been halted until further notice after the Administrative Law Judge overseeing the investigation ordered a stay of the proceedings until further notice.

Previously the trial had been planned to begin on March 5th 2007.

Qualcomm filed the complaint against Nokia with the ITC in June last year requesting investigation into the alleged infringement by Nokia's GSM products of six Qualcomm patents.

Nokia is disputing the allegations and believes that Qualcomm has a weak case and that the fact Qualcomm has removed three of the original six patents from the suit reflects a weakness in Qualcomm’s case.

Apple Bluetooth Headset Coming Soon

There's no doubt in my mind that Apple has a Bluetooth headset in the works (we even showed it to you back during the iPhone launch), but rumor has it that the headset is ready to make its grand entrance, especially now that it's being mentioned (briefly) on Apple's website. Will it be as fancy as the LG Prada headset? From the looks of the pic, it looks pretty bare bones to me (which I personally favor over looking like a cyborg). Only time (and pricing) will tell who will have the official headset for the rich and the famous. – Louis Ramirez

Apple Mentions Compact Bluetooth Headset [MacNN]

Sony Ericsson Unveils New Mobile Phones

The new edition of Sony Ericsson, the 3G Sony Ericsson W880i mobile phone, is now on sale. The phone is available in both a silver and black colour.

The Sony Ericsson W880i mobile phone is a designed Walkman music phone. It has a 2-megapixel camera, video recorder/player and Music Walkman Player 2.0. Store up to 1,000 songs, with the FREE 1 GB Memory Stick Micro (M2). This candy-bar style handset also comes with a large 1.8" TFT colour display and menu navigation, the company said.

The W880i is a mobile phone, digital camera, video recorder, music walkman, all packed into a device, which is a mere 9.4mm thin, one of the thinnest on the market, the company added.

In addition, the W880i has a wide range of Internet options. There's web access, an RSS reader, e-mail and photo blogging, the company said.

Cingular and Motorola Offer Gold RAZR

By Eric Zeman

While the new gold color sure is purty and would tempt Bond villain Auric Goldfinger himself (and probably Lindsay Lohan), Motorola and its carrier partners should be working on new, innovative handsets and stop with the endless parade of facelifts to a has-been device.

At this point, the MOTORAZR has been offered in every color of the rainbow. Originally silver, then black, then pink, blue and some other weird pastels, and most recently red and now gold. Enough already. Time to move on and design something new!

Granted, the elite members of society need their mobile phones to be as shiny and unique as possible (think Paris Hilton's diamond-encrusted T-Mobile Sidekick), but a gold RAZR is no longer going to do the trick. Why? Because it's an old, old, old phone. The original RAZR was released in late 2004. True, it has had some nice evolutionary updates, but nothing too radical. You'll be hard pressed to find another handset on the market today that was originally released over 2 years ago. And there's a reason for that.

Technology changes and constantly improves. Mobile operators want the newest, latest and greatest devices available on their networks to excite new customers. While the RAZR has demonstrated amazing staying power, it is no longer the market animal it was. Motorola even released the supposed successor to the RAZR, its KRZR (pronounced krazer) handsets last summer. The phones, however, failed to really take off like the RAZR.

Motorola dazzled us with the original RAZR and some successive releases like the Q, so we know it can design knock-out phones. My question is, when will it stop milking past successes and create the next revolution in handset design?

Apple, Samsung, Sandisk Sued Over Patent

By: Priyanka Pradhan

Texas -based company, MP3 Technologies has reportedly sued bigwigs Apple, Sandisk and Samsung on grounds of patent infringement.

The suit, filed on Feb 16, in Marshall, Texas alleges that the three companies have infringed on US patent 7,065,417, which was awarded in June 2006 to multimedia chip-maker SigmaTel and covers 'an MPEG portable sound reproducing system and a method for reproducing sound data compressed using the MPEG method'.

SigmaTel said that it had sold the patent to a Dallas-based patent licensing agency because it believed the agency would be better able to take advantage of its potential value.

Meanwhile, SigmaTel had retained international rights to the patent and has insulated its customers from any legal action associated with the patent.

Now MP3 Technologies claims to have purchased the patent from SigmaTel through the Dallas licensing agency.In its lawsuit, Texas MP3 Technologies said it is the 'assignee of all rights' of the patent and holds 'all rights of recovery.' The company is now asking for a jury trial.

Nokia set to test next N-Gage

Nokia keeps pursuing the mobile gaming marketlo
submitted by palmso

The N-Gage Nokia gaming platform never really took off, as foreshadowed on launch day in 2003 (check out the Chief Geek's coverage). Nokia tried again with the Nokia N-Gage QD (see our coverage, but again it just didn't really take off.

In 2005, Nokia apparently admitted the N-Gage was a failure, but it must be someone's pet project because we just received a press release stating that a Finnish company named Elisa will be carrying out intensive tests and evaluations in a live network environment for the next generation N-Gage mobile gaming device.

The project is scheduled to run from February until mid-2007.Can this next N-Gage device succeed in today's market, or should we just let this dog lie?

Worldmax Picks Motorola For Mobile WiMAX

Motorola has announced that it has been selected by Worldmax to install a pilot 802.16e WiMAX network in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Motorola's WiMAX solution will help Worldmax as it aims to realise its vision of broadband 'on the go' Jeanine van der Vlist, CEO Worldmax comments: "Personal broadband is the next step in satisfying the dependency and demand for broadband internet access - it will enable our customers to access broadband services on the go. We have chosen a mobile WiMAX solution from Motorola in order to validate its technical and operational performance ahead of a wider roll-out and service launch."

For the test network, Motorola is providing Worldmax with WiMAX equipment such as WiMAX Access Points (the WAP 400 series) and PC cards. The deployment is planned for Q1 2007 and will allow Motorola and Worldmax to assess full mobility services and the performance and commercial effectiveness of the solution.

"WiMAX will enable freedom in the way we communicate," said Jose Figueroa, corporate vice president, Motorola Networks & Enterprise. "As operators like Worldmax begin to pioneer new WiMAX-based services, consumers and businesses alike will experience boundary-less broadband communications - no longer tied to a home office, desk or hotspot." "Motorola was early to recognise the potential of an 802.16e-based WiMAX solution with mobility built-in from the start, and is committed to developing industry-leading technology and services," added Figueroa.

To date, Motorola has announced four WiMAX contract wins and is participating in 23 WiMAX trials globally. Motorola's WiMAX solutions are designed to support fixed, portable, nomadic and mobile applications. The WiMAX access points, customer premises equipment, PC cards and mobile WiMAX chipsets under development for use in Motorola's devices are part of the MOTOwi4(TM) portfolio of solutions that complement and complete wireless broadband networks.

Motorola and I-Play Announce Game Developer Challenge

Written by Justin Davis

Motorola and I-Play announced today the MOTODEV Game Developer Challenge, which will award two winning independent developers the opportunity to have their game published by I-Play.

Open only to registered MOTODEV (Motorola's global developer and ISV program) developers, the competition kicks off today, with a submission deadline of August 10, 2007. A panel of judges representing Motorola, I-play, and "other contest marketing allies" will evaluate entries based on "uniqueness, fun factor, design, operation and innovation in visual arts and audio." Winners will be announced in the fall of 2007.

There are two contest categories: Best Java Software Game (submitted for play on Motorola's KRZR, and Best Windows Mobile Game (submitted for play on Motorola's MOTO Q).

"Aligned with the principles of our MOTODEV developer network, the MOTODEV Game Developer Challenge is all about enabling breakthrough innovation and creating the best consumer experiences," Christy Wyatt, vice president, ecosystem and market development, Motorola said in a statement. "We're pleased that with I-play and our partners, we can enable developers to really push the envelope in bringing exciting new entertainment offerings to the mobile user."

Submission process details and complete contest rules are available online:
http://developer.motorola.com/gamechallenge

Samsung’s D900 Wins 2007 Global Mobile Award for Best GSM Mobile

Samsung has won the GSM Association’s Global Mobile Award for Best GSM Mobile Handset with its Ultra Edition 12.9 (SGH-D900). According to the company, Samsung’s Ultra Edition.

The 13mm slide-up is the thinnest slider ever designed. It also comes with a 3.13 megapixel camera, starting the 3 megapixel camera phone trend for the European mobile market this year. The D900 also includes business features such as document viewer, TV-output function, and also supports Bluetooth stereo headset (A2DP) function to enhance users’ multimedia experience.

The D900 also boasts a large, vivid 262K colour screens, ideal for watching streaming videos or viewing the phone’s photo book. In addition to an external microSDTM slot allows for additional storage, the company said.Rob Conway, CEO of the GSM Association, said: “Achieving success in the global mobile industry requires a combination of innovationand confidence—but the key ingredient is a knowledge of what the market needs to move forward the new mobile era".

Nokia 3110 Classic Phone

With the Nokia 3110 Classic, consumers can listen to their favorite music at any time thanks to flight mode. A convenient USB port and Bluetooth support also makes it quick and easy to transfer songs, images or calendar events directly from a PC to the phone.

A range of enhancements also gives users the choice of customizing the 3110.

With its bright 2.2-inch color display, consumers can easily view and control call functions while the separate input device provides controls over volume adjustment and accepting or ending calls.

Nokia-Intel scrap plan

Mobile telecommunications giant Nokia and partner Intel have scrapped a joint plan to develop an HSDPA module for notebook computers.

'We have, together with Intel, cancelled the HSDPA module co-operation in the form we formerly announced,' said Nokia spokeswoman Eija-Riitta Huovinen.

The Finnish-based firm had announced last September it was working with Intel on the HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) module, which would help notebook computer users find the best wireless connections.

'We are still looking at the HSDPA module case from a technological point of view, but no decisions have been made on commercialising it,' she said.

'We both saw that there was not an adequate business case,' she said, referring to the potential return on investment.

Unleash the ‘movie maker in you’ with New Nokia N93i

Nokia Nseries – the premium multimedia sub-brand of Nokia launched the Nokia N93i, an all-in-one compact and stylish digital camcorder cum multimedia device to unleash the ‘movie maker’ in consumers. With the new Nokia N93i, consumers will have a superior mobile multimedia experience by capturing their personal experiences, convert those into personalized short films and share them with the world.

Optimized for mobile filmmaking, the Nokia N93i comes bundled with advanced features such as a 3.2 megapixel (2048 x 1536 pixels) camera with Carl Zeiss optics, 3x optical zoom, auto focus and close-up mode. With the ability to capture high resolution photographs and shoot DVD quality video, the Nokia N93i is an ideal choice to create video content and shoot DVD-like quality videos in MPEG-4 VGA at up to 30 frames per second, stereo audio recording and digital stabilization.

The Nokia N93i comes with a 1 GB

Sony Ericsson announced that its K800 Cyber-shot camera phone has been awarded Best 3GSM Handset at the GSM Association's Global Mobile Awards 2007

Launched last year, the K800 is the first Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot camera phone, a brand that created a new lifestyle of mobile communication by combining a performance 3.2 Megapixel camera for quality image capture and a 3G mobile handset for fast and easy transfer and sharing of those images.

Anders Runevad, Corporate Executive Vice President and Head of Sales, Sony Ericsson said "Our Cyber-shot portfolio has made true mobile imaging a reality for millions of people and we are very proud that the industry has endorsed our achievements with such a prestigious accolade.

" Since Cyber-shot camera phones were introduced in 2006, more than 4.5 million handsets have been sold worldwide. The K800 was also put to use by the world's greatest secret agent in last year's James Bond movie, Casino Royale. The Cyber-shot camera phone range has now been extended to include the K810, K818, K550 and the K550im, the first Cyber-shot phone to support i-mode.

Samsung Mobile WiMAX Wave 2 Demonstrated

Samsung’s ‘Mobile WiMAX WAVE 2′ will be deployed by Sprint and other service providers in 2007

Samsung Electronics Co., LTD, a leading provider of telecommunications network, demonstrated its newest Mobile WiMAX technology, ‘Mobile WiMAX WAVE 2′ at 3GSM World Congress 2007, Barcelona, Spain.

‘Mobile WiMAX Wave 2′ which supports Multi Input Multi Output (MIMO) and Smart Antenna is a next generation mobile telecommunications technology created by the combination of Mobile WiMAX and 4G technology. It can realize 40 Mbps download and 12 Mbps upload transmission speeds in maximum.

The demonstration in Samsung booth, Samsung Electronics used ‘Mobile WiMAX Wave 2′ systems and terminals to successfully demonstrate high-speed transmission of data at 34 Mbps for downloading and 8 Mbps for uploading. At this download speed allows the users to download MP3 music files (3 MB) in 0.7 second and a movie (700 MB) in 2 minutes and 45seconds.

At 3GSM, Samsung will showcase Spatial Multiplexing (SM) function of MIMO technology through 4 Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) terminals. Operators can reduce CAPEX and OPEX, through the MIMO and Smart Antenna technology which increase the data through put and cell coverage compared to existing technology Single Input Single Output (SISO).

Moreover, ‘Mobile WiMAX Wave 2′ can upgrade current platform to MIMO and Smart Antenna technology with simple software upgrade.

In addition to the demonstration, Samsung also introduced its in-house-developed core chip for ‘Mobile WiMAX Wave 2′, attracting interest from the global telecommunications industry including mobile telecommunications operators. ‘Mobile WiMAX Wave 2′ is to be deployed by Sprint and other operators by late this year.

Geesung Choi, President and CEO of Samsung’s Telecommunications Network business said, “We will continue to develop innovative technologies such as Mobile WiMAX Wave 2 and will accelerate the commercialization of Mobile WiMAX in global market.”

Samsung Electronics is now pursuing Mobile WiMAX businesses with 35 operators in 23 countries globally. The company has already concluded commercialization contracts or is implementing pilot service with nine operators in seven countries including the US, Europe, and South America.

Nokia's Nifty Music Phone

I've spent the last few days testing out the Nokia 5300 XpressMusic Phone, and have come away very impressed by its music features. Like the Sony Ericsson W810, the Nokia 5300 does a great job of integrating top-notch music features into a capable handset.

The Nokia 5300 been available since late last year in an unlocked version, but this week T-Mobile announced that it will be offering the phone starting later this month. That will bring the price down significantly: an unlocked handset will cost you about $300, while T-Mobile is offering the phone for $99 with a two-year contract.

That's a reasonable price for a phone that can double as a digital audio player. The 5300 is a slider-style handset; when closed, it looks more like a music player than a cell phone. It features external music controls that sit to the left of the big 2-inch display. These keys let you scroll through your music collection or play and pause tracks. Volume keys sit on the right side of the handset.

The phone's music player is very user-friendly. You can quickly scroll through your music library, which is organized by artists, albums, genres, composers, or playlists. The phone ships with a USB cable for transferring tunes from your PC; it also includes Nokia's Music Manager software for organizing your music library. While the desktop software isn't as intuitive as the phone's on-board music player, it is still relatively easy to use. It scans your PC for audio files and lets you transfer the ones you'd like to your phone with one click. (The phone includes a 1GB microSD card for storing tunes.) You can also use the Music Manager app to delete songs from the phone and to create playlists, which you can't do on the phone itself.

Audio quality won't rival that of your iPod, but it's better than we've heard on most music phones, both via the included 2.5mm headphones and the external speaker. Songs occasionally sounded tinny when played over the speaker, but overall it's very good.

The phone also includes a 1.3-megapixel camera, built-in Bluetooth, and support for e-mail and IM. And, don't forget, the Nokia 5300 makes calls, too. If you're in the market for a new phone, this one is worth a look.

Nokia Bluetooth-enabled CK-15W puts your eyes on the dash

by Darren Murph

For those of you with Bluetooth head units that play nice with your mobile, viewing your contacts, incoming calls, signal strength, and other pertinent data right on the in-car display might be a luxury you take for granted, but for those without such niceties, Nokia is hoping its CK-15W will fit the bill. The dash-mountable 2.2-inch touchscreen display resembles a small navigation system in form, but its functionality is limited to bringing your mobile's display from the pits of your lap (or floorboard) to a safer, more convenient location. Aside from allowing users to scroll through contacts and make / receive calls, it also boasts customizable backgrounds and themes, and while the press release insinuates it'll only operate with BT-enabled Nokia handsets, we'd wager other brands might hook up too. Still, Nokia apparently feels this somewhat stifled functionality is worth a premium, as it'll demand €180 ($236) when it lands later this quarter.

Nokia Drops Pink Slips on 700 Employees

By Matti Huuhtanen

Nokia on Thursday announced another round of layoffs aimed at increasing the firm's efficiency and improving competitiveness. Up to 700 people worldwide -- including 340 workers in Finland -- will be redeployed within the firm or let go. The cuts will affect research and development, related sales and marketing, and internal IT operations.

Samsung U600 - World’s slimmest slider mobile phone.

One of the most exciting launches at the 3GSM World Congress was that of the Samsung U600, surely one of the big phones of 2007.

It’s one of four mobile phones released as part of Samsung’s new Ultra Edition II range, which will be Samsung’s flagship range in 2007.

The phones all come in a stylish graphite grey and feature a new battery enhancing technology called the Optimized Power Usage Solution.

The music playback facilities are improved as well thanks to a partnership with Bang & Olufsen.

The U600, referred to as the Ultra Edition 10.9, is undoubtedly the highlight of the range and looks set to be Samsung’s premium mass market offering in competition with Sony Ericsson’s update on the K800i, the K810i, and Nokia’s new N95.

It’s a stylish slider phone with a 3.2 megapixel camera, 2.2″ QVGA display, and a microSD memory card slot.

It’s also incredibly thin for a slider with a width of just 10.9mm, a trick repeated by the other models in the Ultra Line II range with the U300 becoming the world slimmest clamsell phone and the U100 the world’s slimmest phone! The other phone in the range is the U700 slider.

Run on Nokia's mapping and navigation application smart2go

Nokia announced that its smart2go mapping and navigation platform has been downloaded around 30.000 times during the first two days of being made available.

The application is a free download that enables people to use the most comprehensive map coverage offered on a mobile device. The downloadable application was held back three days so that Nokia could make sure that the first experience with the application, even in its beta form, was a positive experience. Now the beta application can be downloaded from two locations; www.smart2go.com and http://www.nokia.com/maps.

"We regret that we had to disappoint even one person, but holding back the beta application a few days let us make sure that most people received a very good first impression of the application itself," said Ralph Eric Kunz, vice-president, Nokia, Multimedia. "We were very thrilled to see the demand for the product over the weekend, and after seeing the number of downloads for just the PC map loader, decided that we needed to put more capacity when we launched the actual mobile application."

The application allows people to view where they are on a map, search for points-of-interests (POI) around them and create routes to get them there free of charge. Smart2go allows for mapping and routing in over 150 countries and with an additional purchase has support for full turn-by-turn satellite navigation in over 30 countries. Nokia is offering the smart2go application for free for select Nokia S60 and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices initially and has plans to roll out support for most of the major mobile OS platforms including Nokia S60, Series 40, PocketPC, Linux and other Windows Mobile devices - Nokia.

Nokia may slash upto 700 jobs

Nokia announced on Thursday that it intends to make reductions in its global workforce over the next few months. According to the company's press release, the reason for the workforce reduction is to "improve the focus and efficiency of some of its R&D and related sales and marketing activities and internal IT operations." Up to 700 employees across the globe will be laid off, and 340 of those getting the axe will be in Finland, Nokia's country of origin.Some of the positions Nokia's thinking about eliminating are 360 employees in Enterprise Solutions, 30 in Customer and Market Operations, 130 in I.T., and 140 within the Technology Platforms unit.

Nokia hopes to offer affected employees other positions within the company, and to introduce voluntary opportunities for reduction (which usually means early retirement, generous severance packages, etc.)Nokia has been dominant in the mobile phone market, but clearly the company is not happy with the status quo. This is a pretty aggressive move for a company that seems to be on top--perhaps, Nokia's execs felt that this is what needs to be done to ensure it remains in that position.

Read more from the Nokia press release.

iPhone will raise the bar for "cumbersome" mobile music, says Warner Music chairman

So much for the mobile industry's attempts to persuade everyone to download music to their phones. According to Warner Music Group chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr, it's not working very well.
"It's expensive, it's complicated and it's slow," he told a panel audience at 3GSM this week. "It's amazing we've generated as much revenue as we have given how cumbersome the experience can be." He also pointed out that even buying a ringtone from your operator can often require up to 20 key-presses. The solution? iPhone. Well, kind of.

"Before it's even hit the market it has raised the bar in terms of what users expect with a user interface and what music phones should do," he said. "Now it's up to other mobile phone makers to meet users' expectations. "For those who invent with a similarly inspiring vision, the opportunity is immense."

AMD Says Imageon Chips Raise Bar for Mobile Media

By Lindsay Martell

AMD's new Imageon 2298, 2294, and 2192 processors are designed to help mobile phone manufacturers bring advanced video and audio capabilities to their mobile handsets. According to AMD, the new Imageon chips allow for the kind of advanced capabilities you'd see on consumer electronics gadgets rather than typical mobile phones.

Long gone are the days when it was enough for a mobile phone to simply be a phone. Ever since the technology began to emerge to transform handsets into handheld media players, phone manufacturers have been producing these multimedia marvels in droves.

To help the device makers pack the latest innovations into their handsets, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), one of the world's largest chipmakers and chief rival of Intel, has developed a next-generation version of its Imageon processors for mobile devices.

AMD says the new processors offer super-fast speeds and can handle everything from high-resolution photos to cinematic-quality video and audio for mobile phones.

Bill Targets Teens With Cell Phones

Reported By: Denis O'Hayer

A bill to take cell phones out of the hands of new teen drivers passed its first test at the State Capitol Monday. A House subcommittee approved the measure, which bans all 16- and 17-year-old drivers from using any cell phones while at the wheel.

The ban even covers hands-free devices. "They text each other. They utilize their BlackBerrys in addition to their cell phones so this is just trying to get to the learning drivers," said Bob Dallas of the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.

The subcommittee only passed the ban after sponsors promised it would not be extended to adult drivers. Some lawmakers doubted that it would really get teens to hang up and pay attention to the road."It's gonna be difficult to enforce. Surely, driving and talking on the phone can be a distraction for all of us, teenagers as well as adults," said Rep. Butch Parrish, R-Swainsboro.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Len Walker, countered, "Studies have clearly indicated that cell phone usage is a major distraction, especially for inexperienced drivers, and so we felt that it was appropriate to take some steps to prohibit these cell phones.

"If a teen driver is caught with a cell phone in hand, the bill calls for a minimal violation of just one point on a driver's license. The bill now goes to the full Motor Vehicles Committee.

If it passes there, it moves on to the full House.

Nokia's new 3G cell phones

Nokia, among the largest companies touting their wares this week at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, unveiled several phones designed to access to the Internet. The E61i, shown here, is one of three new handsets in Nokia's E series designed primarily for business users. The slim E61i is positioned as a BlackBerry competitor.

At the moment, however, the new phones are scheduled for release only in Europe and Asia.

Credit: Nokia