Monday, April 30, 2007

Sony Ericsson K800i Hooks Up With Ferrari


Some people are fans of subdued elegance, and as such, they select cell phones that are silver and black only. Those are not the people that Sony Ericsson is targeting with the Ferrari Edition K800i. The original phone was released about a year ago, and as such, the specs aren't nearly as impressive as they were back then. But that glossy red casing, man alive, that'll certainly grab some attention.


To recap, the Sony Ericsson K800i boasts an auto-focusing 3.2-megapixel camera, tri-band GSM, high-speed UMTS, and an integrated multimedia player. You could have been a little expressive with the chocolate version of this phone, but that was nowhere near as bold as this Italianized stallion.

You've got to wonder, though, whether this is an official release from Sony Ericsson or just some el cheapo casing made by a Ferrari fanboy.

Samsung Unveils the Symbian OS Smartphone SGH-i400


Samsung Electronics showcased its latest Symbian OS smartphone SGH-i400 at S60 summit in Madrid, Spain.

The Samsung i400 is perfect for users who want to have all of the advanced features of a smartphone in a slim and stylish design. The new smartphone i400 is based on Symbian OS and S60 which offer extensive language supports, enhanced download applications and multitasking features.

With Symbian S60, the Samsung i400 allows its users to install programs on their mobile phones just like PCs. The stylish slider phone supports full web browsing and Bluetooth connectivity for active business users. To enhance its multimedia features, the Samsung i400 also includes 2 Megapixel camera, music key and stereo dual speaker. Moreover, the i400 has a 2.3” wide display for the convenient use of business and multimedia functions.

S.P. Yoon, Vice President of Samsung’s Telecommunications Network Business said, “We are happy to introduce our new Symbian based smartphone SGH-i400 which follows the earlier release of SGH-i520, the first Symbian OS smartphone. We can provide a convenient mobile phone experience for our users by adopting Symbian S60.” He added, “Samsung is excited to present new smartphones to our customers around the world, and we will continue to reveal new models to fit our customers’ needs.”

The i400 will be launched in Russia from July 2007 and to be expanded in other European countries shortly.

SGH-i400 Specification

Standard GPRS/EDGE Tri-Band (900/1800/1900)

Camera 2MP Camera
Display 2.3” QVGA TFT (262K Colors)

Features Bluetooth 2.0 (A2DP),
USB 2.0Full Web Browsing /Web2.0Music Key /
Dual SpeakermicroSD (-4GB)
Size 101x50x15.8 mm
Weight 92g

What's In Nokia's Future? Exec Talks Symbian, GPS, WiMax and More


Mobile freaks know that Nokia is a funny company, at the same time the biggest brand in handsets worldwide, and a niche player in the American cellphone market. This week, I sat down with Bill Plummer, Nokia's North America VP of sales and channel management for Multimedia to discuss matters Nokia faces in the immediate future: WiMax handsets (by 2008?), GPS in every phone, American HSDPA compatibility, chunky designs, the slender N76 multimedia handset (shown above), QWERTY keyboards and more.


Read on for my questions and Plummer's italicized answers—some of them direct, and some of them a little more, shall we say, courteously evasive. (Hey, he's a nice guy, but he's also a sales VP. That's why they pay him the big bucks.)


Will there really be GPS in all Nokia phones?

"You will see GPS in a broader range of devices in the future, with N Series out in front. We will also deliver a range of handsets with a range of functionality to meet a range of consumer lifestyle demands. Consumers that aren't as interested in GPS, because they are cost-conscious or primarily focused on voice, will still have non-GPS options." So, like, more GPS but no commitment to full deployment across the board.


Why doesn't GPS navigation come free with N95?

"Turn-by-turn navigation is a service offering that does indeed require a fee. It is software we developed after our acquisition of gate5; it's a service you purchase from Nokia. Anything beyond that, the GPS functionality and the downloadable maps from Tele Atlas, that's all free. What's great is that you can get the maps for what you need. A map of your home, or any additional maps you need. You don't necessarily need the map to Crete."Assuming you have a big enough memory card—the N76 supports MicroSD cards up to 4GB—you probably can get the whole world database in there.


How are N95 sales doing?

"We are very pleased."

We knew they wouldn't actually answer that one.


Since there are Nokia music download stores in the UK and Australia, part of Nokia's Music Recommender service, when will we see a Nokia music store in the US?"We will be rolling out broader music services, including ways for the consumer to stream and acquire music in other markets, but I can't to speak to the timetable."Pretty sure that means that US is on the list, but it could take years.


Are there plans to use an OS other than Symbian?

"Certainly if you look at the N800 and N770 Internet tablets, they are Linux powered devices. But from the standpoint of multimedia business, we are still very committed to Symbian and Series 60 OS on Symbian. Unlike other mobile OS's, Symbian was designed with mobile-device characteristics in mind, such as the display and the processor, from the outset. It is optimized for the mobile computing experience."Plummer did at least support the argument with some sweet Symbian(-compatible) apps such as ComVu PocketCaster.


Why are Nokia phones still so large?

"Our answer to that is the N76. There's no 5 megapixel camera. It's for the technology stylists, people in the high-end tech community who also want to demonstrate their flair."It's the age-old tradeoff between size and capability. Nokia did ship the N76 this week globally. There's no US arrival date yet, nor is there a price. However, we are told it will cost "under $500."


Why no QWERTY keyboard on the N Series?

"The Bluetooth keyboard is one answer to that. When I am mobile, my replies are Yes, No, Maybe. When I stop being nomadic, I whip out my Bluetooth keypad and write real emails. In the future we're bringing a range of devices with different form factors and different functionalities."OK, so I'm reading that as a QWERTY play coming sometime soon.


When will Nokia phones be compatible with the US version of HSDPA?

"On a global basis, N Series are multiradio GSM and 3G radios, as well as wireless LAN and GPS—they are very sophisticated devices. In US bands, these run on EDGE. The change to that will be the Nokia N75, which will work on US UMTS networks. I also have to add: Watch this space."Nudge nudge, wink wink.


Will carriers pick up the N series?

"There's a constant ongoing dialog with the carriers—a Nokia-wide dialog, but also one with the Multimedia business as well. We are working with them to help them building their understanding of the emerging mobile multimedia space, and sharing the experiences we're gathering by being first to market. Carriers are strategic partners—we're going to collaborate to address their needs and their consumer's needs as they perceive them."Plummer also added that Nokia had divided its handset business into two separate teams. There is the "mobile phones" division, which more directly addresses the hardware needs of the carriers, and Plummer's Multimedia group, which is more focused on building new products and bringing them to early adopters, and less focused on designing something that is necessarily a perfect fit in a carrier lineup.


How is the WiMax rollout going?

"Beginning of this year, Nokia was announced as a strategic partner with Sprint in WiMax network. We will be bringing devices in 2008 and beyond that will take advantage of that network. It's an exciting way for Sprint to be approaching the marketplace. It's an open Internet model, they build it to spec and people who have a relationship with Sprint will be able to attach a device to that network. It's akin to the fixed Internet model today. It will have a good impact on overall marketplace, allowing consumers better access to the networks, whether fixed or wireless."We, too, like the idea of a high-bandwidth "open Internet model," but can we trust Sprint, or any carrier for that matter, to pull it off without some kind of walled-garden architecture? We'll see about that.


Plummer concluded with what he thought was the real mission of his Multimedia division, to bring the Web 2.0 experience into the real world. Why glue yourself to your computer for the latest social networks and Web apps? Eventually, we will be able to manage all of this wherever we happen to be, with GPS and 3G networks to facilitate transactions and interactions.


I have to apologize to the Glaswegians and general fans of weepy music out there: we didn't get a chance to talk about the just-announced N76 partnership with Travis. Frankly, the only Travis who entertains us is the Gizmodo associate editor, not so much the "thought-provoking and inspirational band". – Wilson Rothman

Nokia 95 Named Best Phone for Mobile Gambling

CNET recently named its editors’ choices for Top Mobile Phones. Although the CNET editors’ top-ranked Sony Ericsson K800i and K750i and the new Motorola Razr V3im are definite contenders, the mobile gambling crew at Slotland.com/mobile pick the Nokia 95 as the number one choice right now for people that like to play real-money casino games on their mobile phone.
“Phones come with various assortments of bells and whistles these days,” said John Lancelet, Mobile Services Manager at Slotland.com, one of the first online casinos to offer
real-money slot machines on mobile phones. “If you like to play slots or video poker on your phone you may be more interested in the size of the screen than whether or not it has GPS or even a camera.”
In addition to a big colourful screen, mobile casino gamblers also need their phone to have reliable internet access and be fully Java capable.


CNET’s Top Ten Mobile Phones: Sony Ericsson K800i, Sony Ericsson K750i, Nokia N95, Samsung i320, Orange SPV C550, Nokia 6300, Nokia E61, Nokia E65, Nokia N93, Motorola Razr V3im, Nokia N73, Samsung i300, Nokia N90, Nokia 9500 Communicator and Sony Ericsson V800.

“They might be good phones for some people,” said Lancelet, “But for the mobile games player I’d eliminate the ones with smaller screens. And we have to cross off phones without excellent internet access.”

The Samsung i320 has excellent internet capabilities and its nice wide screen makes it a good choice for mobile gamblers. It’s a Windows Mobile smart phone though – probably more most players really need. The Nokia 6300 has a 320x240-pixel (QVGA) colour screen that displays up to 16 million colours, but its camera isn’t very good. A camera may not be a mobile gambler’s priority, but since there are other big screen internet capable phones in the same price range with better cameras, the 6300 didn’t make the cut at Slotland. The latest Motorola Razr is an iconic phone that really started the trend toward much larger screens. There are many more phones available now though, and the Motorola Razr V3im doesn’t compare, feature to feature, with many of them. The iPhone isn’t even on the list yet, but with a huge 3.5 inch screen it certainly meets the mobile gambler’s first criteria. Unfortunately, since it runs on a Mac operating system it may not be compatible with all games.

“The Nokia 95 has a huge screen and amazing connectivity,” said Lancelet. “So, for now anyway, it’s our unanimous choice for the best phone for mobile gambling!”

Since launching their first mobile phone slot machine in the fall of 2005, Slotland.com/mobile has brought many more of its online favourites to the mobile platform and now offers five unique slot machine and video poker games for mobile phones and PDAs.
-- ENDS --


For further information on Slotland.com’s online casino games (www.Slotland.com)) and mobile casino games (www.Slotland.com/mobile), or its choice for the “Best Mobile Gambling Phone”, please contact:
Larry Colcy
Lyceum Media
(604) 685-6240
Slotland@LyceumMedia.com
About Slotland.com


Established in 1998, Slotland.com is renowned for its fairness, security and sincerity. Slotland.com’s progressive jackpot is currently won on average every six weeks and usually stands at over $100,000, making it one of the most frequently won jackpots on the Internet. In 2005, the pioneering entertainment company introduced its first slot machine for the mobile phone/PDA platform. Since 2004, the company has proudly supported a Canadian curling team and sponsored amateur bowling tournaments across western Canada and recently built a school that will give new hope to a small village in Africa. Slotland.com was recently voted “Most Unique Slot Site” and “Best Progressive Jackpot Site” by Strictly Slots Magazine readers, named “Best Web TV” in a Gambling Online Magazine poll, and selected as a finalist in the inaugural ME Awards “Best Mobile Gambling Company” category.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Use Your Mobile Phone To Control Electrical Devices In Your House

You don't need to be home to control the electrical devices in your house?not if you have the right Web interface from NTT-Neomeit.

The software set enables you to control, using your mobile phone, just about anything you have plugged in at home. Press a certain number of buttons on the phone (assuming it's Web-enabled) and you can send a message to your home wireless router, which transfers the instructions to the various gadgets that you want to turn on and off just to amaze your friends. Among the uses will be setting up the TV recorder to cover your lapses in memory.

The first glimpses of this will be next month, when it goes beta. Expect to see a full version under way this fall, with a monthly cost of US$4. Remember, though, it's NTT, so it's Japan. Some Western customers can do some of this now, especially modifying their satellite TV recording schedules. Full electrical functionality would be new, though.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Sony Ericsson Unveils the Premium K810 Cyber-shot

Cameras, from the low-cost VGA to the now-standard 1.3 megapixel models, seemed almost a second thought in the new handsets featured at this year’s CTIA Wireless conference...taking a back seat to advanced GPS features and iphone-inspired touch screens. The big news in mobile photography was mostly about in-camera editing software that allows you to crop and remove red-eye from shots before beaming them directly to your blog or to a friend.

Still, one premium cameraphone stood out: Sony Ericsson’s K810 Cyber-shot, a 3.2 megapixel candybar that has so many point-and-shoot features, it’s virtually indistinguishable from a camera on its backside. The black and silver handset, expected out later this year, will likely sell for over $500, and for highbrow reasons: it sports a Xenon flash with red-eye reduction, a self-timer, photoediting software, Picture blogging features, and autofocus. It’s shiny, diamondy circular number buttons are swanky too.



Those buttons have a dual purpose. Number 7, for example, is a shortcut for a timer when the phone is in camera mode. Another button activates “macro.” Sony Ericsson dubuted other more affordable Cyber-shot phones, like the $299 K550 2-megapixel unit, but the K810 was such a progressive product for them, they actually created a tripod accessory for it, the tiny IPK 100, which they say will cost well under $50.



Look for a full report of the camera phone market in the May issue of Picture Business.

Sony Ericsson to Make Future Mobiles Like the PSP?

File this under "Rumor" for now, but the folks at Clipset are reporting that Sony is looking for some cellphone gaming action via their Sony Ericsson line of mobiles.
Like the high-end Cybershot and Walkman phones, Sony Ericsson's new "gaming" phones would pack a lot of media muscle and have an interface like the
PSP's. The idea sounds feasible, but considering Nokia's success (or lack thereof) with the N-Gage and Sony's own success with the PSP, we're not quite sold on this just yet. – Louis Ramirez

Source: Gizmodo

Mobily, Ericsson and Sony Ericsson organize 'Jeddah Forum for 3.5 Services'

As part of their efforts to raise awareness on 3.5G services, Mobily, Ericsson and Sony Ericsson organized 'Jeddah Forum for 3.5G Technology and Beyond', which was held on 2nd April under the patronage of Prince Meshaal Bin Majid, Governor of Jeddah, and the presence of the Mayor of Jeddah and Mobily's CEO.

The forum which lasted for one day, aimed at promoting awareness on 3G services, shed light on new services and presented the future value added services of generations to come. A number of Mobily and Ericsson experts spoke about 3.5G services during the forum, which was attended by mobile and IT specialists and the media.

During Jeddah Forum, Mr. Khalid Alkaf, CEO of Mobily spoke about his company's achievements on 3.5 services, referring to the rapid growth of Mobily in acquiring more subscribers to the services of 3G which exceeded half million subscribers in less than eight months ranking Mobily as number one 3G operator in the Kingdom, and number two in the Middle East.

In his presentation, Mr. Kasuis Meddeler, VP Marketing and Strategies of Ericsson in the Middle East touched on the premium services of 3G and 3.5G, and elaborating on the future of the mobile broadband worldwide. Demos of 3.5 services like HSDPA, video telephony, video streaming were showcased.

It is worthy to mention here that Ericsson has been deploying the 3G network of Mobily in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia, which include Jeddah, Makkah, and Madinah, in addition to major contracts signed between the two companies in deploying the GSM network in the Central Province. Mobily has been active in running programs to the public designed to promote awareness of various services like 3G, blackberry, etc, and participating in all the major telecom and IT exhibitions.

Motorola launches RADIOMOTO W209

MOTOROLA Inc, a global leader in wireless communications, today announced its stylish new mass-market handset, the RADIOMOTO W209, bringing uncompromised style, innovation and a rich mobile experience to the next billion handset users.

Motorola’s RADIOMOTO W209 includes a specially designed feature set that has been adapted to the unique needs of emerging markets, along with high-end functionality that has become increasingly important to a new breed of mobile consumers.

The new RADIOMOTO W209 features a stereo 1FM radio with speakerphone and includes a stereo headset in-box. The RADIOMOTO W209 also incorporates Hindi read and write capability and offers generous 2storage capacity that can hold up to 500 phone numbers and 750 SMS messages. The handset boasts a large 128 x 128 65K TFT colour display and menu colour personalisation, as well as increased battery life allowing up to 3469 minutes of talk time and 3307 hours of standby time.

RADIOMOTO W209 comes in a sleek candy bar form factor and includes several useful features including calendar, currency converter, alarm clock, auto keypad lock, stop watch and polyphonic ringtones. The handset also includes ‘lantern’ functionality to illuminate dark environments.

“Motorola is continuing to deliver on must-have design and must-do experiences across all technologies and price tiers.” said Malcolm Dawe, Vice President & General Manager, Motorola India Mobile Devices. “Our new RADIOMOTO W209 broadens the field to suit every individual and provides an even greater first experience for the next billion handset users.”


Sourced From: Perfect Relations Limited

Nokia Pays Qualcomm $20M for Licenses

Finnish telecommunications equipment maker Nokia Corp. Thursday said it will pay $20 million to chipset maker Qualcomm Inc. to cover patent licenses in the second-quarter of 2007.

The companies have been embroiled in a series of lawsuits against each other concerning intellectual property rights and patent infringements, but Nokia says Thursday's payment is unrelated to those disputes. It says it's willing to pay fees for this new license, which relates to the European Telecommunication Standardization Institute.

"As we continue to negotiate the new cross-license agreement, Nokia views this payment as fair and reasonable compensation for the use of relevant Qualcomm essential patents in Nokia UMTS handsets during the second quarter of 2007," said Nokia Chief Financial Officer Rick Simonson.

Qualcomm said it filed an arbitration claim Thursday that would require Nokia to continue paying the same royalty rates as a 2001 licensing agreement if the two sides fail to renew the pact before it expires next week, April 9.

Lou Lupin, Qualcomm's general counsel, declined to say how much money it gets from Nokia but said $20 million is "a fraction."

"The amount, as far as we can tell, was picked out of the air," Lupin told The Associated Press.

Qualcomm's claim before the American Arbitration Association also seeks that Nokia be prevented from filing patent claims against its rival over a mobile phone standard known as CDMA, or code division multiple access.

Nokia signaled that it would be aggressively contesting the old patent license agreements with Qualcomm that are set to expire next week.

Nokia and Qualcomm have been embroiled in a number of intellectual property and licensing disputes over the last year and the companies are currently at loggerheads on how much Nokia should pay Qualcomm for using its code division multiple access, or CDMA, intellectual property in North America.

Richard Windsor, an analyst at Japanese investment bank Nomura, said Nokia has pulled of a "strategic master stroke" by doing this.

Windsor said the deal signals how much Nokia is willing to pay Qualcomm for royalties and by doing so, Nokia significantly reduces the risk of being found guilty of "willful infringement" in any patent lawsuits that follow with the San Diego-based chipset maker.

Willful infringement is something Nokia cannot afford as punitive damages could cost it as much as three times the existing royalty rate in damages, he says.

"By reducing this risk Nokia will be able to fight harder and hold out longer against the legal blanket bombing that we think is being prepared by Qualcomm," said Windsor.

Windsor added that the move lengthens considerably the wait Qualcomm might have to endure before it gets paid the royalties that are due to it.


Nokia argues that Qualcomm's patent portfolio applies predominantly to the United States and says it believes the U.S. chipmaker has very few patents in other countries where Nokia operates.

"When Qualcomm's early patents become paid-up and royalty-free on April 9, Qualcomm's share of all patents relevant to Nokia UMTS handsets will significantly decrease," said Nokia's Simonson Thursday.

On Tuesday, Qualcomm filed two more patent-infringement lawsuits against Espoo, Finland-based Nokia, which follow a pre-emptive strike by Nokia two weeks earlier, when it filed lawsuits in Germany and the Netherlands.

The crux of the dispute is Nokia's contention that it's not fair for Qualcomm to keep charging Nokia the same royalty rate for WCDMA handsets, the most popular variety for third-generation cell phones, as Qualcomm did in the existing agreement.

© 2007 The Associated Press

Linux Heading to Mobile Phones

More than 127 million mobile phones will be enabled with commercial Linux OS by 2012, up from 8.1 million in 2007, according to the "Mobile Linux" report from ABI Research.

Shipments of devices using Linux as a real-time operating system (RTOS) replacement will pass 76 million units in 2012, up from nearly zero in 2007.

"Linux in the cellular phone is not a question of 'if,' but 'when,'" said Stuart Carlaw of ABI.
The main challenge Linux has faced in single-processor devices has been latency, but it is Mr. Carlaw's opinion that fixes are appearing.

"Innovative solutions such as PREEMPT_RT, the VirtualLogix virtual operating environment, and the use of RTOS executives over Linux kernels look set to deal with latency issues," said Mr. Carlaw. "However, the industry still needs to understand the total cost of ownership for Linux solutions, and it must create a common set of APIs [application programming interfaces] to enable economies of scale for third-party developers."

Nokia Siemens and Orange to provide Blyk mobile phone network

Nokia Siemens Networks to build and host core network, Orange to provide signal for advertising-funded virtual mobile operator launching in the UK later this year.

Nokia Siemens Networks has agreed a deal to host the full core network of innovative virtual mobile phone operator Blyk.
The company, formed from the merged networking businesses of Nokia and Siemens will supply, build and host Blyk's core network as it offers free, advertiser-funded mobile telephony service.
"In its first-ever full mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) hosting arrangement, Nokia Siemens Networks will be hosting the entire operation of Blyk's core network," the networks joint venture said in a statement. Nokia Siemens Networks has set its sights on growing its managed services and hosting operations, where it maintains and administers networks on behalf of other operators.
Blyk provides free calls and text messaging to 16-24 year-old subscribers funded by mobile advertisements delivered directly to their phones. Blyk will initially offer its mobile services in the UK, before expanding to other European countries. Blyk is scheduled to start operations in the UK in mid-2007 and will use the
Orange mobile phone network for its delivery infrastructure.
"Orange became the first operator to launch advertising on the mobile last year and feedback from our customers has been overwhelmingly positive. That makes Blyk's approach even more exciting and we shall be watching their progress with interest" said Keith Greenfield, director of wholesale for Orange UK.MVNO services are proving popular in the UK, with
Virgin Mobile, Tesco Mobile and Fresh Mobile already established. Asda is expected to enter the market this year while easyMobile, a joint venture between easyGroup and TDC failed last year.
No financial details relating to the Blyk deal have been announced.