THE SONY ERICSSON W710i WALKMAN MOBILE PHONE

By The Technews Lab Rats

One of the ways to keep ourselves fit and healthy is to do early morning jogging around the subdivision or village where you live. Another is taking a quiet stroll around nature’s places like the reserved parks. And lastly, going to your favorite gym hangout and take time working out on the treadmill.

As the consumers become more and more active living a healthy lifestyle, it’s now going to the trend of being "sport-centric". That is why Sony Ericsson, a global provider of mobile multimedia devices, has introduced a newcomer in their successful Walkman phone line of products. This is the Sony Ericsson W710i mobile phone.

When it came over to the Technews Lab for review, we got the impression that the W710i is a sport-centric device that packs music capabilities and motion sensor in a clamshell shaped casing. Although it’s similar to the W300i, there are big differences between the two, in terms of functionality and features.

The W710i has a dimension of 88 x 48 x 24.5 millimeters and weighs about 101 grams. This quadband (GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900) phone has a primary 262K TFT colored screen with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels, and second external orange on black monochrome STN display with a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels.

The clamshell form factor of the W710i has a physical structure made up of thick layers of plastic with rubberized framings, a strengthened loop-antenna’s fastening, and a unique loudspeaker’s grill that prevents water from sipping inside. We had, in several occasions, slight hammerings or accidental falls, but the W710i withstood it quite well.

With well demarcated medium-sized numeric keypads, all buttons are lit in dim orange that are well visible even in a dark room. The Walkman button has its own fast access button on the keypad, while the metal-made four-way navigation button with "OK" key is on the top of the numeric keypads.

On the right side of the W710i, it has an Infrared port and a key lock switch, while the bottom part has a standard Fast Port connector, for charging and headset connection. At the front of the phone is the 2 MegaPixel CMOS camera, encircled with a metallic ring. The W710i’s camera doesn’t have auto-focus capability.

The camera shoots photos in three sizes (2MP, 1MP, and 640 x 480 VGA) and has a PhotoDJ application. Although the W710i doesn’t have an integrated flash, it has other options including a 5X zoom, two quality settings, white balance, brightness adjustments, color effects, night mode, 12 fun frames, and four shutter sounds (no silent mode). It also has a self-timer, a multi-shot mode, and panoramic shots option.

The W710i’s camcorder takes clips with sound and offers sets of editing options like the camera. Video clips lasts at more than a minute (for MMS) or depending on the available memory. Picture (JPEG format) and video (3GP format) quality were good, with acceptable colors and little blurriness. It has a VideoDJ that allows the user to merge together video clips to makes a smooth video sequence which can be enhanced with sound. And by the way, the W710i is also an MPEG4 player.

Being a sport-centric mobile phone, the W710i has an integrated fitness feature with pedometer and motion sensor. It allows the user to calculate number of steps, distance traveled, and calories burned. A user has to put first his/her basic personal data that includes age, sex, weight, and height which is essential to evaluate amount of calories spent.

When the W710i is in open mode, it doesn’t carry out any calculations. But as you fold it, th
e handset begins fulfilling its pedometer function. All your steps are constantly counted during a light day, while the screen displays corresponding numbers. At the struck of midnight, this data is automatically reset, so that counting starts over again.

Aside from the fitness feature, the W710i has a radio tuner wherein a user can tune into their preferred 20 radio stations with the use of the built in FM radio. It also comes with a MusicDJ feature which provides the user with all the instrumental sounds & rhythms for the user to create their own ringing tone. Moreso, you can select ringing tones in either polyphonic, MP3 or ACC format.

For data transfer capabilities, the W710i has GPRS Class 10, EDGE Class 10, Bluetooth 2.0, and USB 2.0. Browsing features for the W710i include WAP 2.0/HTML and RSS reader. The phone has two built-in Java games namely Alpha Wing2 (space arcade) and WTA Tour (tennis game).
Although the phone has only a 10MB internal memory, it has a bundled 512MB Memory Stick Micro (M2) when you buy the package. The W710i is powered by a Lithium Ion 900 mAh battery that has a charging time of less than 2 hours, standby time of 7 days, and talktime of 4 to 5 hours.

Indeed, the Sony Ericsson W710i is a stylish, sports-centric, and versatile clamshell mobile phone. It has an attractive, user-friendly design and good call quality, and a solid addition to Sony Ericsson’s Walkman phone series. And by the way, it comes in non-changeable cover colors, Performance Graphite and Hatha Violet, which shows that the Sony Ericsson W710i is recommended for fitness enthusiasts and music lovers.

Nokia N800 Internet Tablet review

It's a fun product, but can you justify it?

By David Haskin, Computerworld


List price:£309.95 inc VAT
Pros: Beautiful screen; well-designed input options; good media playback
Cons: No synching; limited VoIP
Buying advice: Although it's great to use, the Nokia N800 is difficult to cost-justify. There are too many things missing for it to replace existing devices, and its £300 price makes it a serious rather than frivolous purchase.

Nokia's N800 Internet Tablet is one of those devices that's fascinating and unique enough to make a mobile geek's heart go pitter-patter with excitement, but may not fit the needs of a lot of people.

More powerful and refined than its predecessor, Nokia's 770 Internet Tablet, the N800 is a reasonably small device that's finely tuned to give users access to the Web, POP3 and IMAP e-mail, RSS feeds and, to a limited extent, instant messaging and voice over IP. It also plays audio and video, and performs a handful of other tricks for tech-savvy mobile users.

However, while the N800 is a significant improvement over its predecessor and it performs many of its tasks quite well, it is as much defined by what it doesn't do as what it does. On the whole, most gadget lovers would do better with a more flexible, less expensive smart phone.

T-Mobile USA hits 25 million

T-Mobile USA has passed the 25 million subscriber milestone, adding 901,000 net new customers in the fourth quarter of last year, including 783,000 net new post-paid users. Contract customers account for almost 85% of all T-Mobile subscribers. Customer churn fell from 3% in the third quarter to 2.9% in the most recent period, while post-paid churn dropped from 2.3% to 2.1%. The firm is the fourth largest cellco in the US, behind AT&T/Cingular, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel.

Nokia Intellisync Wireless E-mail for Sony Ericsson M600 and P990

Nokia has extended hands with Sony Ericsson, bringing Nokia Intellisync Wireless E-mail to two additional Sony Ericsson devices, the M600 and P990. Nokia Intellisync Wireless E-mail allows mobile professionals real-time e-mail, calendar and contacts experience on their mobile devices, Nokia said in a statement.

According to Nokia, Nokia Intellisync Wireless E-mail provides wireless communications capabilities for any device built on any platform. In addition, Nokia now enables operators and enterprises to deliver a wireless communications services including wireless e-mail, synchronisation for calendars, contacts, files, data and applications, and highly secure device management software for Sony Ericsson users.

The Sony Ericsson P990 smartphone is a Wi-Fi enabled UMTS device that boasts a 2.0 megapixel camera with autofocus and a full QWERTY keyboard beneath the flip-down alpha-numeric keypad for fast text input. The M600 is also a 3G phone, based again on the Symbian operating system, and optimised for wireless e-mail with a dual function keyboard and large 2.6" colour touchscreen, the company said.

Becoming an iPhone Believer

by Arik Hesseldahl

So what if iPhone isn't your idea of the perfect cell phone? Early iterations of the iPod weren't ideal music players either—and look what they've become

I used to be an iPhone skeptic. Then I cleaned out my bedroom closet. Let me explain. In the two hours or so I spent sorting the detritus of the last six years of my life, I came across my first iPod, the first-generation, Mac-only version that Apple (AAPL) unveiled in late 2001 to a world that initially didn't seem to understand the significance of what was coming. It was then that I was reminded of the introduction of a good but imperfect product that would be tinkered with and improved on by the Apple machine, all the while ushering in nothing less than a revolution in consumer electronics. History may soon repeat itself.

Mobile 64-bit chips arrive on AMD's embedded roadmap

AMD has added two mobile processors to its AMD64 Longevity Program for embedded products. The news means that AMD's dual-core Turion 64 X2 Model TL-52 and single-core Mobile AMD Sempron 3500+ will be available for at least five years, targeting thin client and single-board computers, among other embedded applications.

AMD says parts sold under its AMD64 Longevity Program are "identical in form, fit and function" to their counterparts for the mobile PC market.

However, the chips have lengthy design and qualification cycles, in addition to longer life spans in the marketplace, the company says.

Apple Address Book gets Nokia support

Nova Media has released an update to its Address Book plug-ins software that enables Apple’s Address Book app to send SMS text messages and dial various Nokia phone models. Address Book plug-ins cost €6.50 (US$8.47).

The new version of Nova Media’s plug-ins support Nokia Series 40, 60 and 80 phone models.
The previous release focused on Sony Ericsson phones only.

The plug-ins also make it possible to display information about incoming calls on your monitor -- you can log the call, reply by SMS, send it to voice mail or answer.

System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.3.9 or later. :

Engin and Nokia Team Up For VoIP

VoIP has taken another step into the mobile market with the announcement that VoIP technology provider Engin is teaming up with Nokia for its new Nseries WLAN mobile phone.
Both companies have been working together to give Nokia’s N80 mobile phone the capability to make VoIP calls when at home or within reach of a wireless hotspot.

The phone will make use of Engin’s VoIP service and attract call charges of 10 cents for an untimed local call, and 20 cents for an untimed international call.
"People are increasingly using Internet Telephony to dramatically reduce the cost of their home phone,” says Ilkka Tales, CEO of Engin. “Already more than one in four people are regularly using their mobile devices to access the Internet which shows that the mass market is recognising the value of convergent devices.

"With the proliferation of WiFi hot spots in the home, office and public areas, people have increasing access to use the Nokia N80 to make calls." added Tales.

Sony Ericsson launches SO903iTV Bravia TV phone

We mentioned last week about the lack of excitement (and sales) for Virgin's Lobster mobile TV handset. Well, here's how it should be done - the Sony Ericsson SO903iTV Bravia TV phone.
In a very bold shade of red, the SO903iTV features a display based on Bravia technology. The screen is 3-inch, with a slide function for horizontal viewing. It also features time-shift video recording, a 2 megapixel camera and microSD card slot for storing your data.

It's scheduled for a June launch, but here's the bad news - so far it is Japan only, via DoCoMo. But if it goes down well over there, who knows?
Sony Ericsson website

Sharp W51SH Cellphone: 3-Inch Screen for TV Viewing

Sharp's W51SH cellphone is set to make its debut in Japan in the next few days. Sure, it looks exactly like the LG VX9400 we saw at CES, but Sharp's baby has a 3-inch Aquos screen. As we all know, Aquos just isn't a hollow marketing term designed to trick consumers into thinking they're buying Grade A merchandise. No, sir: Aquos means you're getting enhanced picture quality and an ambient lighting sensor. Other gems include on-the-go TV, built-in GPS, HSDPA and a microSD slot. I don't know, but it seems a little "meh" compared to certain other recently announces cellphones. – Nicholas Deleon

Peiker BlueTouchMusic: Music from Cellphone to Car via Bluetooth

You might have completely up-to-date, 2007-era gear everywhere else, but what if your car is still stuck in 1995? That's where you can hook up the Peiker BlueTouchMusic system, linking your cellphone to your car's music system via Bluetooth. It lets you wirelessly play back tunes from your cell phone with A2DP Bluetooth streaming, do some hands-free calling, check out your caller ID on its screen, and you can even talk to this thing because it has voice recognition.

Connect your iPod via a cable and it'll show you iPod menus and give you voice control over all your music. If you don't have an iPod, there's a 3.5 mm stereo jack to plug in any MP3 player. Neat stuff, and a great way to avoid those awful FM-based iPod-to-car-radio links. No pricing or availability yet. – Charlie White

Cingular Launches High-Speed 3G Network in Rhode Island

Residents and visitors to the greater Providence area no longer need to rely on wired connections for broadband access to information, as Cingular transforms the heart of the Ocean State into a wireless speedway.

"We're giving customers the ability to securely access information and applications at broadband speeds in the office, on the road or at home. With our 3G service, almost any spot in northern Rhode Island is a hot spot," said Steve Krom, vice president and general manager for Cingular in New England.

Cingular's 3G coverage area in the state spans from Pawtucket to North Smithfield in the north and from Barrington, Warwick and East Coventry in the south. It also covers all of Routes 295, 10 and 146.

Specific towns of coverage include North Smithfield, Woonsocket, Cumberland, Smithfield, Lincoln, Central Falls, Pawtucket, Gloucester, Scituate, Johnston, North Providence, Providence, East Providence, Cranston, Warwick, Barrington, Coventry, and West Warwick.

Cingular 3G not only offers advanced wireless services, such as viewing video clips through CingularVideo, it also enhances existing services by making them run faster. Customers can now download a game or ringtone or access mobile email quicker than ever. Business users will also appreciate Cingular's LaptopConnect, which allows the company's customers to use their laptops to access the Internet or email, download large files and attachments, or run business applications at average data speeds between 400-700 bps (kilobits per second) on the downlink, with bursts to more than a megabit per second.

Cingular's 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. HSDPA is the high-speed evolution of GSM/EDGE (Global System for Mobile Communication/Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution), which shares a common core network. GSM is the world's most popular wireless technology, which is used by more than one billion people in 210 countries.

Samsung Launches Mobile Phone That Uses Immersion’s VibeTonz(r) System to Supply Tactile Feedback for Touchscreen Presses

China Unicom Introduces New Samsung SCH-W559, the First Phone to Use VibeTonz Tactile Feedback in Touchscreen Operation

Immersion Corporation (Nasdaq:IMMR), a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology, announced today the new Samsung SCH-W559, the first touchscreen-based mobile phone in the world to use Immersion 's VibeTonz^® System to provide tactile feedback (http://www.immersion.com/industrial/touchscreen/) for touchscreen interactions.

The SCH-W559 uses a large 260,000-color QVGA LCD touchscreen display to replace the traditional mechanical keypad as the primary input mechanism. Users receive confirming tactile cues when they press graphical onscreen controls, and they can customize the response by selecting one of five feedback profiles for these cues.

Immersion's VibeTonz System allows touchscreen-displayed buttons to feel more like mechanical keys. VibeTonz tactile feedback can also help improve usability in situations where controls are obscured by fingers or washed out by glare.

"We believe that market conditions are almost ripe for an explosion in touchscreen phones, and that by 2012 as many as 40% of mobile phones could be using some form of touch sensitive technology, " said Stuart Robinson, director of the Handset Component Technologies service at global research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics. "The integration of any technology that improves ease of use will be important for market adoption, and Immersion 's VibeTonz technology certainly fits that description."

The new phone is being sold by China Unicom, the third largest mobile operator in the world with 135 million subscribers. Designed to roam globally by working on both CDMA and GSM networks, the SCH-W559 includes handwriting recognition, Bluetooth technology, 1.3 megapixel camera, and audio and video playback functions. VibeTonz capabilities in the phone also provide full-fidelity vibration tracks synchronized with eight preloaded ringtones. Vibe-enhanced ringtones enable personalization and add an element of fun to phone use and can help identify callers in noisy environments.

"Implementing keypad functions in a touchscreen has allowed Samsung to give its customers a first-class multimedia and messaging experience in a remarkably light and slim handset, " said Hunbae Kim, Samsung vice president. "As the first to integrate VibeTonz technology for touchscreens, we're giving users the reassuring sense of interacting with a real keypad, supplying gentle touch feedback that unmistakably confirms each of their actions. As far as advanced mobile interfaces go, it offers the best of both worlds. "

"Our VibeTonz System can provide mobile device manufacturers with an inexpensive enhancement to touchscreen operation," explains Immersion CEO Vic Viegas. "It also provides a platform for a wide range of additional features that can add fun, engagement, and improved usability to mobile devices."

Since the first VibeTonz-enhanced phone was introduced in April 2005, VibeTonz applications for mobile devices have multiplied. VibeTonz tactile feedback for mobile device touchscreens, announced in June 2006, is only the latest application. Mobile games are more fun and exciting with touch feedback similar to that found in console games. Tactile cues for user interface features, like call dropped, key press, and ringing and busy signals can make phone operation easier and more intuitive. VibeTonz effects accompanying ringtones or music are like turning up the subwoofers. And VibeTonz alerts that can vary from a reverberating gong effect to a subtle tapping can be more discernible and memorable. An enabling platform, the VibeTonz System opens possibilities for a fuller, more multisensory user experience -- for example, for a loved one 's message to arrive feeling like a beating heart or for a movie trailer to draw you into the exciting motorcycle chase by letting you feel engine acceleration.

Mobile phone coverage switched off in Moscow metro

Mobile phone coverage has been switched off in the Moscow metro at the Federal Security Service (FSB)'s order following a terrorist threat warning, a Moscow law enforcement source told Interfax on Thursday.

The source said the measure has been taken repeatedly and proven to be efficient in obstructing communication between possible terrorists.

In particular, mobile coverage was earlier switched off in the area of an antiterrorist raid during the Moscow theater hostage crisis in 2002 and following a bombing in the metro near Avtozadovskaya station, he said.

Nokia World: Fancy a 100GB mobile phone with a built-in projector?

What will mobile phones be like in 2010? Ask Tero Ojanperä, Nokia's chief technology officer, who did the final keynote speech at the Nokia World conference today. And he's not short of ideas:

1. "A navigation device in 2010 will be similar to the N95, but it will deduce information from your calendar, then input the navigation and take you to the place you need to go."

2. "If you're a journalist, you'll be documenting an event like this with your 10-megapixel camera, and you will be taking videos with your HDTV-quality video camera that's embedded in your mobile device."

3. "Say you're starving for your Latte. Your devices finds the various coffee machines for you, sends the parameters of your Latte over the Internet, so that when you walk to that machine, your Latte has been brewed."

But the most interesting idea he floated during his speech was of phones with 100GB of internal memory, containing every single item of media you own - music, films, photos, documents and so on.

Will anyone answer call for shows on phone?

Analysts say small-screen viewing isn't likely to catch on till it gets faster and less expensive.

By Sarah Jane Tribble

What if the entertainment industry spent big bucks to create television shows, movies and games for mobile phones -- and nobody watched?

That's a big worry for companies -- from MTV to CBS -- trying to captivate audiences on the small screen

Consumers aren't watching shows on their phones, and analysts doubt they will anytime soon. Even the introduction of Apple's iPhone may not be enough to capture mass audiences, analysts said.

Count Carlo Troglio of San Carlos as a skeptic. Troglio, who attended the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week, said he doubted he would ever download a song, TV show or movie to his mobile phone.

After all, it can take up to five minutes to download a three-minute song, and video is even worse. The novelty quickly wears off.

"It's great for them to say all this stuff, but I don't think it's that practical," Troglio said.

Surveys suggest he's not alone. Nearly 80 percent of Americans have cell phones, but research firm NPD Group reports that less than 1 percent of them watch video clips regularly, averaging 10 minutes or less a week.

"A lot of fellow consumers are confirming right now that there isn't a lot of demand for this," said Neil Strother, research director for mobile devices for NPD.

Most consumers face barriers when trying to watch a program, download music, share pictures or use any of the other multimedia features cell phone companies are advertising. Perhaps the biggest pitfall is cost. Basic data packages needed to use the features cost about $20 a month.

It also can be hard to figure out how to download a song or TV program. And once a consumer does know how to work the phone, it can take a long time to download.

The newest, most expensive phones in the United States, which include the latest Motorola RAZRs and LGs, can do over-the-air downloads in about 30 seconds, thanks to frequently updated wireless technology.

But most consumers own phones that take up to five minutes, said Kevin Burden, senior manager of mobile devices at research firm Telephia.

Global Payments Europe launches PoS mobile phone top-up service

Global Payments (Nyse: GPN), a world leader in payment processing services, today announced its Prague-based, wholly-owned subsidiary, Global Payments Europe, s.r.o., in cooperation with the Czech Republic retail chain Globus CR, k.s., has launched GP mobile, a mobile phone card re-loading service via POS terminals.

This re- loading service for prepaid cards will be available to mobile telephone consumers through Globus hypermarkets.

This new service will allow customers at the 11 Globus hypermarkets, with 550 check-out counters, to quickly and easily re-load their phones provided through mobile service operators Telefonica O2 Czech Republic, T-Mobile Czech Republic and Vodafone Czech Republic. Currently, there are more than 7.2 million prepaid mobile phones in use in the Czech Republic and consumers often use online methods such as ATMs and GSM banking terminals to re-load phones. GP mobile provides an additional outlet for consumers who wish to re-load their phones.

"Regarding our cooperation with Global Payments Europe on this project," said Petr Vyhnalek, CEO of Globus, "We are very fortunate to have a partner such as Global Payments to introduce a new service that is highly attractive, effective and convenient for our customers."

Global Payments Europe developed the concept of re-loading mobile phones through various channels in the late 1990s. According to Petr Sedlacek, CEO of Global Payments Europe, "We introduced the concept of re-loading prepaid phones through ATMs and mobile telephones starting in 2001. Now, thanks to a close alliance with Globus CR, and in cooperation with Telefonica O2 Czech Republic, T-Mobile, and Vodafone, we are pleased to continue this tradition by introducing an even more convenient method of service - POS terminals."

Mobile phone retail sales down 14% in Russia

Retail sales of mobile phones in Russia in 2006 fell 14% to 29.27 million units, the Euroset group of companies, the largest mobile phone seller in Russia, said in a report.

In monetary terms, sales were down 3% to $5.65 billion, the company said.

The average retail price for a mobile phone sold in Russia in 2006 was $193, which is almost 18% higher than in 2005. Phones costing $130-$199 accounted for 20.7% of sales, $200-$229 - 19%, $100-$129 - 18.7% , $70-$99 - 13.2%, $300-$399 - 9.5%, under $69 - 11.3%, and over $400 - 7.3%.

NEC HSDPA Cell Phone

Japan's NTT DoCoMo mobile communications company has just launched its HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) network that provides downloads of up to 1.8 mbps (megabits per second) and uploads of 384 kbps. To coincide with the start of this service, NEC has released its chunky-looking N902iX cell phone. The handset also supports the DCMX service, which means it can be used to make credit payments in some shops. The device is available now and costs around $168, although the price depends on carrier incentives and discounts. It won't work outside of Japan.

Samsung Yepp T9 Music Player

The latest addition to Samsung Electronics's Yepp T9 line of digital music players is a model with 8GB of memory. That's double the capacity of the previous top-of-the-line version. Like the earlier models, it has a 1.8-inch LCD, is 11 millimeters thick, and has a Bluetooth wireless link to headphones. It costs $408 in South Korea. There's no word on when it will be available internationally, but since lower capacity models are already out, such a rollout shouldn't be far off.

Samsung TPEG Cell Phone

Samsung Electronics has developed a cell phone capable of receiving real-time traffic information using a new system called TPEG. The SPH-B5800 phone can receive and decode the information broadcast using the Transport Protocol Experts Group format, which was developed in Europe in the late 1990s and is already in use in South Korea. The phone updates travel information every 5 minutes and can also display TV broadcasts from stations using the country's Satellite DMB system. It went on sale in South Korea in December for around $600 and includes a 2-megapixel camera, a 330,000-word dictionary, and a 2-inch color TFT (thin-film transistor) LCD screen. It measures 96 millimeters by 46 mm by 16 mm and weighs 96 grams. There are no current plans to offer it overseas.

Police seek data from cell phones in Talley death

Calls may hold clues in Talley death
By MICHAEL A. BELL

Investigators are executing search warrants on three cell phones obtained during their investigation into the death of Tiffany Talley, the Gulfport High scholar athlete slain Dec. 27, authorities said.

Harrison County Sheriff's Capt. Ron Pullen would not disclose who owned the cell phones, only that deputies were looking at incoming and outgoing calls, along with voice messages.

Talley's boyfriend, Johnathan Barfield, is charged with manslaughter in her shooting death; he remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail. Talley, a 17-year-old captain of the girls' basketball team, was found shot to death in Barfield's FEMA trailer on Canal Road.

According to an affidavit, Barfield doesn't remember if he accidentally shot her or if the gun fell to the floor and discharged.

Talley's father, Kelvin, is certain it was premeditated murder.

"She called him and let him know that she was coming to give him something back to let him know that she was breaking up with him permanently," he said. "He shot my daughter in the face from two-and-a-half feet away."

Kelvin Talley said authorities were looking into what time Tiffany Talley called Barfield and then what time Barfield called his father after he shother. According to the affidavit, Barfield called his father before he called EMS.

"I laid my daughter to rest," Kelvin Talley, a Tennessee resident, said. "What I need is to have him laid to rest in an electric chair or a needle, whatever they use in Mississippi." The state's mode of execution is lethal injection.

Barfield and Tiffany Talley met at a Catholic school a few years ago, Kelvin Talley said. Barfield dropped out, but the two continued to see each other, despite her parents' objections. "When he dropped out, it was a situation when we didn't want her to be around him," Kelvin Talley said. "I've seen good people be drawn to bad people."

The two dated for almost a year, he said. The father had no indication the relationship was abusive, as Tiffany Talley's friends and teammates have told the Sun Herald. They not only recall her with knots on her back and bruises on her arms, but say she worried if she ended the relationship with Barfield, he would kill her.

Principal Michael Lindsey would not comment on whether Tiffany Talley had visited with any counselors about an abusive relationship. Each case is kept confidential. Speaking only in general terms, he said if school counselors or social workers learn a student is being abused, they treat the reports seriously and notify the Department of Human Services or police.

The school is planning to establish a scholarship in Tiffany Talley's name.

She was to attend the University of Southern Mississippi in the fall, where she had qualified for both an athletic and academic scholarship, her father said. "She had the world in front of her."

Cell Phones + Food = Distracted Drivers

by Julie Rose

State lawmakers are looking to crack down on what they call an epidemic of distracted driving on Utah roads. KCPW's Julie Rose has details:
Since freeway drivers are already going 70 or faster on the Wasatch Front, one state lawmaker wants to make the speed legal. State Senator Scott Jenkins believes it will make roads safer, since slower drivers would be forced to move to the left, rather than cruising in left lanes while moving slower than traffic.

Jenkins also wants to crack down on people who eat or talk on their cell phones while driving. His measure - which was approved by a senate committee yesterday - would make distracted driving a secondary offense for which you could only be cited if an officer pulled you over for something else. The Utah Highway Patrol supports the distracted driving law, but is not in favor of increasing the speed limit - for fear accidents will be more severe.

Tokyo Edge: The Buzz on Cell Phones

TV and data services for mobile phones are picking up steam.

Martyn Williams, IDG News Service

With the New Year comes a lot of buzz from the phone industry. Regular cell phones are getting smaller, smarter, and lighter, and a host of new network services, like higher-speed data transmission, are making them more useful. There's also a new breed of handsets packing digital TV reception--examples are in this month's roundup of hot gadgets. Looking ahead to the rest of the year, we're sure to see, as well, phones with advanced features like VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephony.

Like 2006, the coming year will also be marked by fierce competition among vendors. In some cases that means the products you want will be cheaper, while in other cases, price will remain unchanged but the number of features will increase. Those trends have been happening for the last few years, and to the dismay of gadget makers, they look set to continue as vendors battle to become king of the digital age.

Cell phone fires called extremely rare

Cause most likely to be an overheated aftermarket battery
Carl T. Hall, Chronicle Science Writer

Those portable electronic devices in our pockets and purses can do a lot more than make phone calls these days. They can browse the Internet. They can send and receive e-mail. They can play songs and music.

And they can spontaneously combust.

Luis Picaso, 59, of Vallejo was in critical condition Tuesday at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento after a cell phone caught fire in his pants pocket late Saturday night while he was asleep. The accident set Picaso's fast-burning nylon clothing ablaze and left him with second- and third-degree burns over at least half his body, authorities said.

Bill Tweedy, spokesman for the Vallejo Fire Department, called it a freak accident.

That judgment drew little argument from cell phone safety experts, who noted that only about 100 cell phones have caught fire, based on one government report covering 2002 to 2004, and there are now more than 200 million phones in use.

A fire from a cell phone is very rare, and the industry has adopted manufacturing standards aimed at reducing the risk even more, said Joe Farren, spokesman for the CTIA-The Wireless Association, a trade group of cell phone providers and manufacturers.

No fatalities seem to have been reported. Fiery cell phones seem to be less of a risk than, say, being struck by lightning, which kills about 75 people and injures 300 each year in the United States.

Officials haven't released details or brand names in the case of the Vallejo tragedy. That makes it difficult to assess whether anyone else might be at special risk. Even if it is a one-of-a-kind type incident, the Vallejo incident underscored the inherent danger of any portable power source, including the ubiquitous lithium-ion battery packs in cell phones and other pocket-size consumer products.

"You have to pack more and more energy into a small package, and when you're doing that you're really creating a little bomb, especially when the battery is fully charged," said Carl Hilliard, president of the Wireless Consumers Alliance, a nonprofit organization that has tallied several incidents involving people injured by "exploding cell phones." Cell phone manufacturers and engineers have other words for it, such as "venting with flame" or "thermal runaway" events. Whatever the euphemism, a suddenly malfunctioning battery can generate a lot of heat in very little time.

There have been media reports of cell phones catching fire in someone's pocket, in a person's hands, and, in at least one case in December 2003, during a phone call. In that instance, a man's ear was singed as he talked with his girlfriend.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced at least three product recalls, including a voluntary recall in January 2004 of batteries used in Kyocera Wireless Corp. cell phones. The agency cited four reports of battery failure and one minor burn injury. Nokia, another manufacturer, has issued warnings about counterfeit batteries that have the potential to explode.

The Wireless Consumers Alliance used to keep a tally of such incidents on its Web site, http://www.wirelessconsumers.org/, but has since gone on to other hazards, such as overly aggressive cell phone marketing and deceptive advertising.

For consumers, the biggest danger occurs from overcharging when using poor-quality counterfeit batteries.

Protection circuits are built into rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to prevent excessive charge voltages during use. Recharging devices also are designed to cut off when safety limits are reached.

These safety features rarely fail, but cheap aftermarket batteries and some portable car chargers may lack adequate safeguards, Hilliard said. He pointed out that damage may occur when a phone or battery is dropped.

"The public should be warned to handle these instruments with care," he said. "They're not like your car keys. You can't just toss them in the corner."

Lithium offers advantages to battery-makers because of its high-energy density and low weight, but the metal proved unstable during recharging. That led to the current popularity of lithium-ion batteries, which feature lithium in a nonmetallic form.

They are undeniably safe, but they are still portable power plants that convert chemical energy into electrical current.

The membranes used to separate internal battery components are getting thinner and thinner to improve performance and reduce size. That puts a premium on quality manufacturing methods, said Isidor Buchmann, chief executive of Cadex Electronics Inc., a Vancouver, British Columbia, company that makes battery testers and other devices.

"The energy density has doubled, by making the separation membranes thinner," he said. "So now they are very, very thin, so they can be rolled up very small."

Japan Nov domestic cellphone shipments up 11.2 pct year-on-year

Domestic shipments of cellphones in November were 11.2 pct higher than a year earlier at 4.61 mln phones, rising for the second straight month, data from the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) show.

In October, the cellphone carriers here -- NTT DoCoMo Inc (other-otc: NTDMF.PK - news - people ), KDDI Corp and Softbank Mobile -- began allowing subscribers to switch carriers without changing their phone numbers, causing a spike in demand for new cellphones.

Excluding personal handyphone system (PHS) phones, shipments were 14.4 pct higher in November than a year before at 4.52 mln, rising for second straight month.

Shipments of PHS phones were 54.6 pct lower at 89,000, falling for the third straight month.

Cingular will switch moniker to AT&T

Cingular is now AT&T.

Monday, AT&T, which recently gained full ownership of Cingular through its acquisition of BellSouth Corp., began a rebranding campaign for the wireless company.

El Paso's three Cingular stores won't change names immediately, and the AT&T and Cingular logos will be featured together in an ad campaign.

The name change won't affect customer services or the 40 employees who work at the El Paso Cingular stores, said Frank Merriman, a Cingular spokesman in Dallas.

The El Paso stores are at Cielo Vista Mall, Interstate 10 and Hawkins; Las Palmas Marketplace, George Dieter and I-10; and 655 Sunland Park Drive.

Vic Kolenc

Samsung and LPL more conservative about spending in 2007

Carrie Yu,

Both Samsung Electronics and LG.Philips LCD recently announced a significant reduction in capital expenditure (capex) for 2007.

Samsung has cut its LCD capex by more than 40% to around US$1.5 billion while LG.Philips LCD has reduced its capex by nearly 70% to about US$1 billion, less than half of that of Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO).

The moves indicate the makers are now more conservative about the capacity expansion of their next-generation LCD plants.

Sources said the changes will help the makers in dealing with industry cycle changes in the future.

During a recent investors conference, Samsung said it is unlikely that an excessive panel price decline will take place in 2007, as various makers are delaying their capacity expansions.The impact of a slow season in the first quarter will not be as significant as it used to be since the makers are more disciplined in capacity utilization and expansion, Samsung pointed out.

Major global TFT LCD makers: Capex plans in 2006 and 2007 (US$b)
Company	2006	2007	Y/Y
AUO*	3.51	2.74	(21.9%)
CMO	3.05	2.44	(20.0%)
Samsung**	2.71	1.51	(44.3%)
LPL	3.25	1.07	(67.1%)

*AUO capex includes those from Quanta Display (QDI), which was merged into AUO in October 2006
**Samsung's capex here only includes LCD capex
Source: Companies, compiled by DigiTimes, January 2007

Sony Ericsson makes record Q4 profit

Sony Ericsson, the world's fourth-largest mobile phone maker, said on Wednesday it had made a forecast-beating record pretax profit in the fourth quarter and raised its forecast for 2006 total industry handset sales.

Owned by Sweden's Ericsson (ERICb.ST: Quote, Profile, Research) and Japan's Sony Corp. (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research), the group reported pretax profit of 502 million euros, compared with the average forecast in a Reuters poll of 428 million euros after 206 million in the same period of 2005.

"Sony Ericsson increased market share during the quarter due to the continued success of products such as the K800/K790 Cyber-shot phone and Walkman phone line-up," it said in a statement.

It raised its estimate for industry handset sales to 980 million units for 2006 from a previous forecast of 950 million.

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.

Apple enters mobile business with iPhone, changes name

By Miebi Senge

STEVE Jobs, the Chief Executive of Apple Computers is never shy of inventions and last Tuesday at the Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco, United States he introduced what is being generally described as a revolution in the smart phone business sector of the mobile technology market.

Job who had earlier stunned his guests with surprise change of company name from Apple Computers to simply, Apple Inc. said the world would henceforth look at smart phones with a different views following Apple's introduction of its mobile phone device called iPhone.
"After today, I don't think anyone is going to look at these phones in the same way," Jobs said on a live webcast.

iPhone is a three in one technological creation that allows you to make calls, surf the internet — sends and receive e-mails, and also plays music and video download. It was described in the official apple webpage as "a revolutionary new mobile phone that allows you to make a call by simply pointing your finger at a name or number in your address book, a favorites list, or a call log. It also automatically syncs all your contacts from a PC, Mac, or Internet service. And it lets you select and listen to voicemail messages in whatever order you want — just like email."

With an estimate over 6 billion global smart phones sales figures annually, (most of it in North America) Jobs told the Macworld Conference audience that Apple only seeks one per cent of that total figure. Whereas Apple are new to phone business, it is reckoned that the iPhone as a device would easily catch up in the market. It combines existing iPOD technology with other existing products to truly make it unique.

Jobs stated that Apple was already looking in the direction of Hollywood studios where Paramount Pictures have agreed to add its films to the iTunes Store and that the firm had developed a device called Apple TV that streams video files from iTunes to a television set wirelessly.

"iPhone combines three products — a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching — into one small and lightweight handheld device. iPhone also introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting you control everything with just your fingers. So it ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, completely redefining what you can do on a mobile phone," explained Jobs.
The iPhone simply redefines style in mobile technology in several ways other than its tri-functionality.

"iPhone features the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse. It's an entirely new interface based on a large multi-touch display and innovative new software that lets you control everything using only your fingers. So you can glide through albums with Cover Flow, flip through photos and email them with a touch, or zoom in and out on a section of a web page — all by simply using iPhone's multi-touch display.

"iPhone's full QWERTY soft keyboard lets you easily send and receive SMS messages in multiple sessions. And the keyboard is predictive, so it prevents and corrects mistakes, making it easier and more efficient to use than the small plastic keyboards on many smartphones."

The iPhone would not be available in U.S market before June, and for Nigeria and rest of Africa it is certainly isn't going to be available before 2008 when Apple plans to make it available outside the United States and European markets. For a asking price of 499 dollars (about N63,872) for a unit of the four gigabyte model and 599 dollars (about N76,672) for the eight gigabyte model, the iPhone berths in the high end of the phone market, but would be a handy tool in 2007 and beyond.

The iPhone is also not expected so soon to push Apple into contention for the phone technology market with established names like Nokia, Motorola or Samsung. Jobs prediction of 10 million sales figure by 2008 is just a modest admission of the herculean tasking of getting a firm grip on its foray into the telecom industry.

Multi-fineline Electronix in supply agreement with Motorola

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc. (MFLX) said Tuesday that it entered into a two-year supply pact with Motorola Inc. (MOT).

The Anaheim, Calif., maker of flexible printed circuits said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it will supply products to Motorola and any of Motorola's third-party providers.

The agreement will renew for successive one-year periods after Oct. 1, 2008, unless canceled.

-Contact: 201-938-5400

Cell phones make it easier to pinpoint pals

Users are now able to combine GPS technology with social networking
The Wall Street Journal

John Peattie was worried some of his friends would be late for a 7:30 p.m. movie so he turned to his cell phone to track their whereabouts.

With one click, the 22-year-old chemical engineer pulled up an electronic map of the San Francisco area with his friends' locations pinpointed. From the map, he could tell some were as much as 45 minutes away. "We basically knew they weren't going to make it," he said.

The new buddy-tracking tool is from Loopt Inc. and is available from wireless operator Boost Mobile, owned by Sprint Nextel.

Loopt is one of a host of companies putting a fresh spin on social-networking services by adding in a new element: phones equipped with Global Positioning System receivers.

Loopt alone has about 100,000 users since it kicked off last fall.

Many young people are obsessed with two things: social networking and their cell phones.

Now, GPS technology is adding a new dimension to wireless social-networking services, letting cell phone users find each others' locations — just as GPS-equipped phones are becoming more prevalent, partly in response to federal rules that require carriers to make it easier for emergency officials to locate cell phone users.

GPS-equipped services like Loopt that help users find their friends' mobile phones generally work anywhere in the United States and can zoom in to show a city or zoom out to show the country. For now, the appeal of the services seems largely limited to urban areas or college campuses — places where users are more likely to meet up with friends on the fly.

Confusion clouds Vodacom, Motorola promotion

DAILY NEWS Reporter

CONFUSION yesterday dominated the draw in which Vodacom Tanzania Limited and Motorola were picking winners of a promotion jointly organised by the two firms for its recent subscribers in the country.

Three subscribers whose numbers were picked in the computerised draw were not reachable, while the two others who were reached by phone and eventually declared winners said they were using handsets manufactured by Motorola's competitor - Nokia.

Vodacom in collaboration with Motorola launched the promotion on December 1, last year.
To enter the promotion, one had to be a Vodacom subscriber and purchase either of the two Motorola handsets - C168 for 90,000/- or C139 for 55,000/-. The promotion closed on Monday.

Juma Issa (21), who was reached on number 0754-261530, was informed of being a lucky subscriber and entitled to a brand new Suzuki Maruti worth 15,000 US dollars (about 19.5m/-).

But when asked by a Vodacom official what type of handset he was holding, he proudly said it was a Nokia.
"I am on Nokia. It is Nokia Mzee," Issa who had earlier identified himself a farmer living in Gairo said to the vivid disappointment of two representatives of Motorola who attended the draw at the Dar es Salaam International Conference Centre (DICC).

Jaffari Suleiman (32), was also reached to be informed that he was a lucky subscriber, but he insisted that he had a Nokia handset.

He, however, explained that he had earlier lost a handset, but went to a Vodacom customer care centre, where he asked to retain the subscription number.

Vodacom Marketing Manager Ephraim Mafuru told journalists that the prizes were scheduled to be presented to the winners in Dar es Salaam on January 31.

"To claim the prize, the winner must produce the newly purchased Motorola handset and relevant identification documents. The one who claims to have lost the phone must show evidence that he indeed bought the phone," he added.

Tracking the iPhone's DNA: Who's its Touchscreen's Daddy?

myiPhone.com and macrumors are thinking the same thing: Maybe the iPhone's touch tech is licensed from Synaptics, and therefore the same tech demoed in the Onyx concept phone and the touchscreen-tastic LG KE850 above. Family? Maybe. Extensive videos attemping to prove so are worth watching over at myiPhone.com, and I think Macrumors.com has a point when they say that the competition is probably eager to get their hands on the Synaptics tech to help em compete with the Jesus Phone.

Let me respond by saying the Hard Button Will Never Die!–Brian Lam

Onyx Concept Phone gives birth to twins: iPhone and LG KE850 [ myiphone.com]

iPhone Papercraft Unboxed

Pete and Leander over at Cult of Mac found this papercraft iPhone unboxing, complete with instruction manual, Amazon box, and size comparison. –Brian Lam

iPhone Unboxed[via Cult of Mac]

F1 Sportscar-looking 'Ultra Edition McLaren cell phone' from Samsung unveils!

By Joonyoung Ryu(ZDNet Korea)

The design of the new 'Ultra Edition HSDPA McLaren handset (Manufactured by Samsung)' mirrors the image of World famous McLaren race car, making the news.

Vodafone, the Europe's leading mobile telecommunications group introduces exclusive special edition consumer handset to support the official launch of the new Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team, giving Samsung Electronics a perfect chance to showcase its Ultra Edition HSDPA phone to the F1 (Formula 1) fans all over the world.

Samsung Ultra Edition McLaren Handset resembles image of 'McLaren-Mercedes F1' race car.(credit : Samsung)

"The world renowned auto racing event Formula 1 Grand Prix compares to Olympics and World Cup Soccer and brings in over 40 million viewers in over 150 countries all over the world each year" and
"Samsung's HSDPA phone picked by Vodafone for its sponsorship of McLaren Mercedes will draw much interests from the worldwide F1 avid fans." said, Samsung.

Samsung also added "Our handset being offered as one of the McLaren phones just reaffirms our stature of being recognized as world class product."

Silver and white gold chrome trims, red signifying McLaren. It has 'Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' logo throughout, phone menu resembles shape of tire.(credit:Samsung)

The McLaren phones comes customized in colors of the McLaren, a chrome silver cover with highlights in the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team red color. The phone resembles 'McLaren Mercedes F1' racing car.

It also has exclusive inscriptions of 'Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' on the whole surface, menu screen is designed like tire wheel to give sense of a racing car.

The handset includes video clips and images of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 racing car as well as a sleek menu design, special ring tones of running engine. The 3G HSDPA enables fast download speeds of Mobile TV, music and Video files, a part of Vodafone live! consumer services.

It also features 3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth and host of other functions.


McLaren is the name of world's biggest auto racing event 'Formula 1 Grand Prix' race team and its own designed race car. McLaren, the winner of F1 Grand Prix, 148 times, F1 World Championship 11 times, and other prestigious races under its belt. McLaren with Mercedes unveiled its new F1 car, the MP4-22. [Source: Samsung Electronics]

Samsung SGH-F500

A picture is worth a 1000 words and a video is often worth more. You want to watch this video of a SLICK NEW SAMSUNG device, the SGH-F500.

This Samung phone features a 2.4-inch TFT display, 2.0-megapixel camera, 400MB of built-in memory, microSD card slot, Bluetooth w/A2DP, a media player, and USB connectivity.

via TechEBlog

The Top iPhone Articles from the A-Team of Tech Reporting

Look, real reporting!

David Pogue's triplet of iPhone coverage comes in the form of his own hands on , an FAQ, and a video of the phone in his paws. From what I know, he's the only gadget journo that was allowed to film/photograph during his meeting. And it's funny. So this is the vid to watch. (And if you haven't seen it, here's our own, blog-exclusive, hands on.)

Walt Mossberg shows us why he's the highest paid tech journo ever, refusing to get sucked into the vortex of iPhone love: "I attended the iPhone launch event, and was able to use one for a little while. That's too brief an encounter to allow me to write a proper review." He did give a short preview, mentioning the same positives and potential problems the rest of us who touched it had. This is astounding, considering that this was all written in the context of a Samsung Blackjack review. By the way, I met Walt and Katie over the week, and to his credit, he didn't throttle me. A very forgiving man, considering I've photoshopped him onto more than one thonged body, when inspiration called. Cheers.

Of course, when it comes to things Apple, Levy, Author of The Perfect Thing, is the wild man on the scene.

Steven Levy's piece, called Apple Computer is Dead; Long Live Apple is not only headlined wrong, but is remarkable simply for the reason why most of his work is remarkable: Steve Jobs Talks to him. I cannot write more until Two bad jokes are made. This makes Levy a modern Moses, and when Levy calls the iPhone the Holy Trinity ("an iPod, a phone and internet communicator"), I just die thinking of how many times I can use that when speaking in reverence of the Jesus Phone. Anyhow, here's the meat: Levy reveals Steve's thinking on why Cingular ("We decided what the phone is"), why OS X on iPhone won't be open ("Cingular doesn't want to see their West Coast network go down because some application messed up."), and that real iChat isn't available, and neither is the ability to turn mp3s into ringtones, but that they are both possible. The ringtone issue sexy as hell in a legit device such as this, but fundamentally fucked unless Cingular decides to choose being cool over being rich.

Peter Lewis's piece at Fortune is called "How Apple kept its iPhone secrets ". Those who follow Apple's product releases shouldn't be surprised. We all know that the Jobs and Co. have no problem keeping the loose lips from flapping. What's cool is hearing how Yahoo!, Google, Cingular employees were thrown off the track with spy-tastic techniques like 100% software development prototypes (not all that rare), and counterintelligence methods like decoy hardware models.

What other mainstream media iPhone articles have you enjoyed?–Brian Lam and Pchop by Adam Frucci-modo

All Things iPhone [Gizmodo]

Phone Grope and Gallery: Samsung Ultra Music SGH-F300

We told you about the Ultra Music back in December. Well at CES, we got personally acquainted with it when I mentioned the word "iPhone" to a Samsung rep, who swiftly brought us to the phone to check it out. iPhone it ain't, but sweeter than Chocolate it is. And then there's the second screen.

The 9.4 mm-thick candybar's double LCD design is pretty revolutionary: There's one on the "phone" side, and a larger one on the "music" side, which supports MP3, WMA and AAC. You switch between the two screens with a button on the side of the phone. (On the other side is the SIM card slot, which is behind a rubber top just like the microSD one, so it can be swapped out fairly effortlessly.)

What's nice is that music is easily accessible: just pop in a microSD card (or use the 400 MB of internal memory), navigate to the music icon (the multimedia menu reminds me of a PSP, so it only takes a second) and hit play. Displaying the album art is a nice touch, making it feel more like a real music player. The entry pad on the multimedia side is very much like the Chocolate's, with no tactile feedback, but it felt fairly responsive. It also, as you can see, gets smudgy after only a second of manipulation, but cleans up with a quick swipe of your sleeve.

On the phone side, conversely, you do get tactile feedback. This side also features my biggest gripe with the phone — the screen on it is abysmally tiny, and it's annoying. While, for instance, you can switch to the larger screen to read text messages, you enter contacts and dial using the smaller one. However, it's not an insurmountable obstacle in cozying up to the phone, as the menus were well laid out and looked great on the both of the screens, which are sharper and more contrasty than the photos indicate.

I think that the dual screen solution is an interesting way to combine a phone and a music player, as it feels like they soldered one to the back of the other. For the most part, it's well executed, though it has potential to be better. Overall, I like the phone quite a bit, and will be looking forward to its second quarter debut in the US. While the rep wouldn't name the carrier (or price tag), he did admit that it will be CDMA here, so you can follow that to its logical conclusion. – Matt Buchanan, Photos by Ben Longo

Mdog Fits eBay, Craigslist into Mobiles

By Susan Rush
NEWS@2 DIRECT

Mdog is working to extend its reach in the mobile space by making several popular Web destinations mobile-accessible. New entries include eBay, craigslist and MySpace.

The company has secured deals with eBay, craigslist, Wikipedia, Citysearch and MySpace, which will render the sites for viewing on mobile devices. Mdog considers the additions a bonus for the company as well as wireless users since the mobile offering will give them real-time access to content, including auctions and classifieds.

The mdog portal allows users to browse these sites, as well as post content, read and make bids, if appropriate.

In the early part of January, mdog launched its Mobile Blogging Portal, which enables bloggers to post and read blog entries, upload photos and respond to comments from any Web-enabled mobile device, such as a Blackberry or Treo smartphone. The portal service is designed to ensure major blog services, such as Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, Xanga, Blogs.com, AOL Blogs and Livejournal, are properly formatted for a Web-enabled mobile device.

Mdog.com touts its ability to work with all carrier networks and on all Web-enabled wireless devices, according to the company. The company does not charge a fee to use mdog services.

The company is gearing up to launch its Bingo! Mobile Search Engine. Bingo! will provide an intuitive mobile search for Web-enabled devices, according to the company.

Nokia Year 2015 Cellphone Design Contest Winner Video

To recap, Nokia held a contest where designers were to come up with a cellphone that would "hit" the market in 2015, making it a 4G or 5G cellphone. The winning design, by Daniel Meyer of the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, envisions a cellphone that doubles as a mouse (kind of like this) and, as seen in the video, easily transform into a "piece of furniture." It looks just like a docked iPod to me, but I don't have any fancy degrees in design or anything. – Nicholas Deleon

Video of Nokia's Super Sexy Concept Phone [Slashgear]

Zimbabwe mobile phone networks hike tariffs

HARARE - Zimbabwe's three mobile phone operators — Econet, Net*One and Telecel — have hiked their tariffs by between 35 percent and 75 percent effective January 23.

For the majority, who are pre-paid customers, it now costs $83 per minute for calls made between Econet (Buddie) users, up from $53.

Calls between Buddie and other networks are now pegged at $120 and $100 per minute for Telecel and Net*One (EasyCall) users respectively.

International calls in the group one category for Econet subscribers increased by 36 percent from $61 to $83 per minute. This category includes all regional calls.

Local SMS messages increased by 66 percent for Econet subscribers from $15 to $25.

International SMS increased from $31 to $48.

Charges for calls between EasyCall subscribers are now pegged at $90 per minute while EasyCall to Buddie and Telecel call charges increased to $112.

For EasyCall subscribers, SMS messages increased to $35 while cross network SMS messages increased to $47.

Call charges between Telecel subscribers increased to $81 per minute while those of Telecel to Buddie and EasyCall increased to $104,30 and $103,40 respectively. The rates apply during peak periods.

The last tariff adjustment was made in October last year.

However, mobile phone operators still contend that the approved tariffs are still low and threaten their viability.

The operators feel that the regulatory body, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) are protecting the consumers at the expense of the industry.

A well-placed source in the mobile telecommunications, who requested anonymity, said low tariffs in the sector are stifling the operators' potential to expand.

"The regulator (POTRAZ) should put the needs of both parties (operators and consumers) at par.

"Currently operators are looked at with suspicion to the extent that a lot is done for the protection of customers at the expense of the operators.

"A balance of the two should promote the growth of operators at the same time protecting the consumers," said the source.

He added that, due to the low tariffs, the operating environment had become very hostile to the extent that it is now threatening the survival of some operators. Following the latest increase of tariffs it is now more cheaper for the consumer to communicate with a person in regional countries like South Africa and Botswana than to communicate with a person within Zimbabwe.

Using the Telecel tariffs, for example, it costs $81 per minute for a call within Zimbabwe during the peak period while it costs $74 to make a regional call per minute.

However, the cost burden is carried by the operator who has to pay US$0,15 for every call that is made beyond Zimbabwe per minute.

Local mobile phone tariffs are pegged using the COSITU or cost based model, which uses the formal exchange rate of one US$1: Z$250. The players argue that this pricing model will only be efficient if they get the foreign currency on the formal market.

"As it stands at the moment most of us are getting the foreign currency at the parallel market rate, which is much higher than the formal rate and this puts pressure on the costs that we incur as players in the industry.

"As things stand at the moment Zimbabwe offers the cheapest rates worldwide and yet has the highest inflation rate at 1 281 percent," the source said.

- Daily Mirror

Serene: A Mobile Phone with a Calming Ringtone and More

Categories:

Bluetooth Technology, Cell Phones & Services, Emerging Tech

Tags:

CES, ring tones, weird

A product that I wish I would have had the chance to see while at CES 2007 comes from Bang & Olufsen, Inc.--a North American supplier of luxury home theaters and music systems. The launch of the luxury mobile phone Serene, the company's first, is due to its partnership with Samsung Electronics Mobile Business and the designer David Lewis.

Serene is definitely an unusual mobile phone. It automatically opens and closes. This is done by gently touching the phone to trigger the motor. And it even has its own 3 unique ring tones (wood, brass, steel), which are supposed to "calm and attract (not alarm) the user to an incoming call." Each tone can be set to 4 different speeds for a total of 12 different speeds. I wouldn't mind the calming ring tone feature, since I usually jump every time my phone rings.

The phone also features Bluetooth, thumb-operated wheel, 2.1-inch screen and when placed in its docking station or set to Table mode, the phone's display can turn 180 degrees. Oh, and did I mention Serene costs $1,275? More details after the jump.

Weighing 110 grams, the top part of the phone houses a circular keyboard and loudspeaker; the bottom part carries the screen and the microphone. And in the middle is the thumb-operated wheel. It comes with a table charger/docking station and is supposed to offer superior speech clarity and ambient noise reduction. You'll find an embedded VGA camera, SMS / EMS / MMS / WAP 2.0, and e-mail with Outlook. Serene is available in North America now at any Bang & Olufsen store, located in select cities such as Miami, New York, and Dallas.

Relax, it's your smell-phone

Correspondents in Tokyo

JAPAN'S top mobile operator NTT DoCoMo has unveiled a mobile phone with a Nintendo DS-like touch-screen and another model that gives off a relaxing scent.

DoCoMo's clamshell "D800iDS," made by Mitsubishi is equipped with screens on both upper and lower halves, rather than the typical design of one display and a number keypad.

Users input characters by writing on the touch screen with their fingers or a stylus. They can also call up an on-screen keypad to dial a number or type a message, or touch the buttons shown on the display to browse the menu screens.

Nintendo's DS similarly opens like a book and lets users control play with a stylus. The touch-screen is also one of the key features of Apple 's iPhone, an eagerly anticipated mobile device combined with the iPod digital music player that was unveiled this month.

DoCoMo said its new handset, which is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in February, would let users send hand-written messages and drawings as e-mail attachments and also offer a wider scope for games and other entertainment software.

The company operator unveiled nine other mobile phones on Tuesday, including a model made by Sony Ericsson that features a 3-inch Bravia flat-panel screen, borrowing the brand of Sony's flagship TVs.

DoCoMo said the "DS" in the name of the new touch-panel handset stands for "direct and smooth," the concept on which the design was based, and has no link with Nintendo's products.

Sony Ericsson also made a new "aroma" handset for DoCoMo, the "SO703i," which comes with scented sheets designed to relax the users while making calls. The phone offers nine aroma choices for the consumer, each coupled with a different panel design.

KDDI, Japan's No.2 phone operator, also introduced 10 new handsets on Tuesday in a bid to grab more customers from DoCoMo in the months leading up to March, the end of the fiscal and academic year in the country.

KDDI's line-up includes a digital TV phone featuring Sharp's flat panel and "Media Skin," a model designed by artist Tokujin Yoshioka that was selected to be a part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.