Samsung SGH-F500 Dual-Faced Video Phone

Breakthrough Dual-Face design.
The Ultra Edition Video Phone is both a phone and a personal media player integrated and separate at the same time. The Dual-Faced design is surprisingly slim - Ultra slim 10.7 mm. One side features a compact mobile phone with a 1.46" 65K TFT display. Flip it over to reveal a PMP with a 2.4" 262K QVGA TFT display and surprising eye-catching design appeals to trendsetters. Touch Keypad with innovative multi-directional Sweeping UI and the Groovy purple GUI make the Samsung SGH-F500 definite to a cool multimedia device with a high design factor - in form and function.

Like a mobile cinema.
The Samsung SGH-F500 plays MPEG4, H.264, WMV and is the first phone to play DivX files. The SGH-F500 records video in MPEG4 and H.264 file formats with simultaneous sound. The Ultra Video capture precious moments that can be replayed over and over again. Supported by Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM), the phone allows consumers to find, acquire, and play content virtually anywhere. Securely, responsibly, and seamlessly plays back media files on computer, portable or network devices. Watch videos comfortably on the expansive 2.4" landscape display. This convenient Landscape View enables the video images to film the whole screen. It's like a pocket cinema.

Multitasking? - No problem.
The Ultra Video phone plays also a wide variety of music files including MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA file formats. An external microSD™ allows for unlimited storage of music files. Play music in the background as you use the mobile's other features or while taking high quality pictures with the 2 MP built-in camera. No need to carry a separate MP3 player or digital camera. You will always be prepared for photo opportunities and listening to your tunes.

[via: SamsungMobile]

E-Ten Glofiish X800 finally starts shipping

Just when we’ve almost forgot about it, E-Ten will reportedly start shipping its strangely named Glofiish X800 Windows Mobile 6 based smartphone. If you remember it was announced back in March, got the FCC’s approval in July, and finally it’s set to be released. I’ll only recap the specs - there’s Samsung’s SC3 2442 500 MHz CPU, 256 MB Flash ROM and 64 MB SDRAM, Bluetooth, WiFi, 2.8″ VGA touchscreen, built-in GPS, 2 MP camera and front-face VGA camera for video calls among other things. Sounds nice, although a better camera would be appreciated. Still, I wouldn’t mind trying one…

[Via: Unwired View]

Vodafone working on an unlimited music download service

Along with its groovy Christmas handset collection, Vodafone is also working to introduce the unlimited music download service with its partner Omnifone. Starting from November, the new service called MusicStation will allow customers to download as much music as they want for as little as $4.02 per week. Four major labels are on board, as well as a number of independents. The best thing about it is that no additional data charges apply for the music downloads.

Nokia’s flagship N95 8GB will be the first phone to support the new service is, but Vodafone also promised to deliver more compatible handsets before the holidays. We’ll see whether they’ll entice users to give-up their iTunes habits…

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

Intel's iPhone clone, we're not joking

In an effort to preserve Moore’s law that states the number of transistors on a die will double every 24 months those transistors had to become smaller. With that shrinking you’ve always witnessed the shape of personal computers change. What a 12 inch laptop can do now is more than what most computers 5 years ago that sat on your desk could have possibly done.

What is after the laptop? People have this UMPC obsession, others want internet devices like the N800, but what about your pocket? In a space that is dominated by embedded processors from ARM, again think of a cellphone from 5 years compared to the N95 or TyTN II, Intel is now saying it can provide computing horsepower that will adhere to ultra low power requirements.

Here is their concept:

May not be pocketable, but what about this sucker:

Looks like a cell phone, even has a number pad on the front. If you think your cell phone can do a lot now, wait another 5 years.

Update: Recommended article on Anandtech, plus some pictures:

[Via: The Inquirer]

Sony Ericsson jumping the Windows Mobile bandwagon?

Taiwan-based and always well informed Commercial Times today reported, that HTC (High Tech Computer) has received ODM orders for Windows Mobile-based smartphones from Sony Ericsson (you know - the guys behind Symbian-based UIQ), which will market the new smartphone in the second half of 2008. Volume shipments of the smartphone - Sony Ericsson's first Windows Mobile-based smartphone and HTC's first ODM orders from a first-tier handset vendor - are expected to top over one million units and to account for 10 - 20 % of HTC's total shipments projected for 2008, the Commercial Times said.

HTC stocks jumped 4 % after the news revealed.

Okay, this is just a rumor so far and I'm somewhat skeptical, that a shareholder of Symbian could jump the Windows Mobile bandwagon as well but who knows? Sony Ericsson entrance to the Windows Mobile world would definitely help to see stylish and functional smartphones - running Windows Mobile.

Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot K850i, a 5 MP Mobile Device Unveiled

Sony Ericsson has launched its new Cyber-shot mobile phone called K850i in India.

Unveiled by the two International WTA players Mario Kirilenko and Marto Domachowska, the new camera phone features 5 megapixel camera with Auto focus, Xenon flash and 16x digital zoom.

The BestPic feature helps the owner to click as many as nine images in one click and even choose the best one amongst all. K850i also allows the user to automatically adjust the combination of light, contrast and brightness for best images through Photofix feature.

The multimedia phone also sports a new media browser that enables the consumer to put all the photos, video, music or podcasts at a place. In addition, it also gives access to scroll, sort and get hold of media from a single point on the menu.

The large 2.2-inch crystal bright display allows users to view photos in thumbnail images or even scroll through in full-picture mode. You can also see photos that are stored in the camera a month back.

Additional features of the Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot K850i:

• Up to 40 MB
• Memory Stick Micro (M2) and SanDisk micro SD/Transflash, 512 MB M2 in box
• Video call, Music tones, Polyphonic ringtones, Speakerphone, Predictive text input
• Up to 9 hrs/3 hrs 30 min of talk time
• Up to 400 hrs/350 hrs of Standby time
• Up to 3 hrs 20 min of Video call time
• Video recording, FM radio, Streaming audio/video, PlayNow 4.0 Media browser
• Navigation key, Picture wallpaper, Java support, Sound recorder, Alarm clock, Calculator, Calendar
• Networks: (UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100-GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900)

The auto rotate feature displays it in the correct aspect, portrait or landscape, irrespective of the orientation it was taken in.

Sony Ericsson has not released the price and availability date of the Cyber-shot K850i mobile device. The camera phone will be available in two different color such as Luminous green and Velvet blue.

Motorola MOTOROKR E8

The MOTOROKR E8 - the new music-centered proposal by Motorola has a unique touch-sensitive keypad and the so called "Omega wheel".

The keypad is quoted to support Haptic feedback, allowing the user to actually feel every keypress. The built-in memory is 2GB and is expandable through a microSD card slot, which supports memory cards of up to 4GB capacity.

Among the other more exiting features are the very slim design (standing at 115 x 53 x 10.6 mm with a volume of less than 60cc), FM radio, Bluetooth, USB v2.0 and the 3.5mm audio jack. A two megapixel camera and the 2" 262K color QVGA display are adding to the tally. The bar-shaped device will be quad-band and GPRS and EDGE enabled. MOTOROKR E8 is expected to hit the shelves in November at a projected retail price of 280 Euro.

Blue, Sunset (red) and Pale Gold BlackBerry Pearl 8100 Smartphone from T-Mobile USA

Research In Motion has the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 smartphone in spiffy new colors for T-Mobile USA. The colors include blue, sunset red and pale gold. Added to the existing white and black, customers now have a choice of five colors when it comes to their Pearl.

What's more, with the introduction of these new colors, T-Mobile is slated to introduce an affordable BlackBerry email-only service for US $9.99/month which includes access to email accounts like Yahoo!, AOL or Gmail.

Priced at US $149.99 (after a $100.00 instant discount and $50.00 mail-in rebate) for a 2 year service agreement, the quad-band BlackBerry Pearl 8100 is available from T-Mobile.

Motorola Rokr Z10 and E8 Phone More Pics

New pics have surfaced for the much awaited Motorola Rokr Z10 and the Motorola E8. As reported earlier, the Motorola Z10 will be available from O2 next month onwards. Looking at the pics, you can see that the Z10 is nothing but an over-glorified Z8, with the main difference being the 3.2 megapixel camera.There is no information yet on how much this 3G capable phone will cost, but it shouldn't exactly set you back by a considerable amount.

The E8 on the other hand is boasting a rather different design that somewhat resembles the Q9h when viewed from the side. The front section comes with a unique keyboard that features "buds" as keys, illuminating to reveal the characters each bud represents. Linux-Java will be the operating system of choice, and other features include 2GB of internal memory, a microSD memory card slot, stereo Bluetooth connectivity, and a 2 megapixel camera. Whenever the multimedia player is opened, the standard navigation keys and numeric buttons will be hidden, having the dedicated music shortcut keys light up instead. There is currently no word on pricing or availability.

Samsung T429 Mobile Phone Out on T-Mobile

Samsung has unleashed its t429 slider handset and has announced that it will be available in T-Mobile stores.

The 0.6-inch thick slider phone features a 128×160 pixel display, VGA camera for clicking photos and Bluetooth for transferring files. It also sports an IM tools that can handle AIM, ICQ, Windows Live, or Yahoo.

Aiming to bring an added level of sophistication, the tri-band mobile phone also sports built-in games, voice recording and a speakerphone. It also offers around 6 hours of talk time and two days of standby time.

In addition, Samsung t429 works with T-Mobile’s myFaves system for the owner to pick 5 contacts that they can call for free. Luckily, this will not affect the monthly minute’s quota.

The Samsung t429 slider phone is currently available from T-Mobile and retails for $50 (approx. Rs. 2000).

Samsung Unveils iPhone Killer in Europe

Samsung Electronics said Thursday it will launch a multimedia touch-screen mobile phone in Europe in November, hoping to win the premium phone war sparked by Apple's iPhone.


The Mobile Hybrid, codenamed F700, has a full touch-screen control but distinguishes itself from the iPhone with a QWERTY keypad hidden underneath it. The company plans to sell it in Germany, Britain and France from November, and in Southeast Asia and North America early next year.

The handset drew big attention earlier this month when its new screen interface called Croix received the iF Communication Design Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the world.

Samsung is confident that the new handset will outperform the iPhone.

``iPhone does not have a QWERTY keyboard and people are not accustomed to its touch screen. So we decided to pack a keypad into the handset,'' said a Samsung spokeswoman. ``It also has a very intuitive user interface.

''Samsung is the world's second largest mobile phone manufacturer after Nokia. The firm, like many others, has been concerned by the debut of the iPhone in the United States though its sales in the first few months are believed to be lower than what Samsung had previously expected.

Not to yield their ground to Apple, a computer firm, traditional phone makers have all been developing touch-screen phones of their own. LG Electronics released a series of touch-screen phones early this year including the Prada Phone. Its latest project is the LG-VX10000, which is a hybrid phone with a touch screen and QWERTY keyboard just like the Samsung Mobile Hybrid.

The new Samsung phone has a 3.2-inch color display, an MP3 music player and a 3 mega-pixel camera. But it is not compatible with the Wi-Fi wireless Internet network unlike the iPhone.

Samsung said the price is not fixed yet but will be around that of the iPhone. Apple recently lowered iPhone's price from $599 to $399 for an eight-gigabyte model.

``We are proud to introduce this new type of innovative multimedia handset. Not only have we considered the latest technology, but also the usability to enhance the user's multimedia experience,'' said Choi Gee-sung, president of Samsung's Telecommunications Network Business. ``This multimedia driven handset is designed for consumers who wish to stand out from the crowd, showcasing unrivaled performance, advanced functionality and world-class design.''

Samsung's Armani phone details have leaked out

Armani phone (SGH-P520) from Samsung Mobile has shown up during the Dutch's mobile phone distribution event. This is Samsung's first mobile phone developed with an international fashion leading brand. I assume this mobile phone was developed without plans to join Armani in the first place.

However, this changed because LG came out with the Prada Phone and received a great deal of attention and feedback from consumers all over the world, becoming one of the best mobile phones in 2006. This situation has made Samsung find a way to compete against LG to keep its high-end market customers.

Now, let's check out the some of specs that have been revealed during the event. It has a touchscreen in the front with a Send and End (Power) key as the only buttons available. Thickness is only 8.9mm and Croix touchscreen UI is included. It's Samsung's own touch UI.

The Armani phone has a 3-megapixel camera and 50MB built-in memory with a microSD expandable slot. It also supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Finally, the price mentioned is about 400 euros for the Russian and European markets. The Armani phone will available at end of this year.

I hope Samsung can also do a great job with the Armani phone to keep its high-end markets in the international arena. But the price doesn't seem high enough compared with the Prada Phone, isn't it?

Nokia E51 Mobile Phone Announced

Today Nokia announced its new Nokia E51 mobile phone. The latest phone incorporates smartphone capabilities and is wrapped in stylish design. Thus it is an ideal device for business professionals.


“Business users increasingly need one device that they can count on to work productively and which offers them the level of efficiency that brings more freedom and balance to their personal lives,” said Antti Vasara, senior vice president, Mobile Devices Unit, Enterprise Solutions, Nokia.
“With the new Nokia E51 device, we are responding to this need with a business smartphone that combines the latest advances in business mobility and a classic, stainless steel design, at a price that makes it perfect for company-wide deployments,” added Vasara.
Some of the key features of the Nokia E51 phone are:

• FM radio, music and multimedia players
• 2 megapixel camera
• Nokia browser, serving as the gateway to a variety of Internet services including interoperability with Windows Live, providing mobile access to Windows Live services including Hotmail, Messenger and Spaces, available through the Nokia Download! application
• One Touch keys with one-click access to key functionalities including email, contacts, calendar and the home screen

The phone also delivers desk phone calling features such as extension dialing, hold, transfer and conferencing - to a single, mobile device. Thus companies can also reduce their international call charges by routing the call over the corporate IP networks. Cost effective isn’t it?

Nokia plans to ship the E51 phone globally by Q4 of 2007. It will be available at 350 EUR in Europe (approx 19,560 INR).

Nokia 6301 UMA Phone announced, the Perfect Convergence of Mobile and Fixed/Land-Line Technologies

Nokia has introduced its latest Nokia 6301 mobile phone, which offers its owners flawless voice and data mobility across GSM cellular and WLAN networks through Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) technology. The sleek Nokia 6301 makes use if UMA technology to bundle in the advantages of landline and a mobile phone, including seamless indoor coverage, sound quality and affordability.

Peter Ropke, Senior Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia said, “The convergence of mobile and fixed/land-line technologies means consumers are looking for products that can help make their lives easier.” Ropke added, “With the Nokia 6301 utilizing UMA technology, worldwide triband GSM coverage is combined with superior indoor WLAN coverage to create a device that people can use in virtually any situation.”

The UMA technology applied in the 6301 phone makes it possible for its owners to use the GSM network or a broadband Internet-connected WLAN network for mobile services. This guarantees awesome indoor coverage at the office as well as at the residence. The consumer can have one multi-mode handset that works everywhere with advanced and convenient voice services. And, WLAN/UMA offers excellent coverage and sound quality, even in areas where mobile phone reception has previously been poor.

What’s more, with UMA technology, the Nokia 6301 benefits operators as well, making it possible for them to deliver voice and data services to subscribers over WLAN, significantly increasing mobile service availability while decreasing the costs related to network deployment.
Orange has been chosen as the very first operator to offer the Nokia 6301, as part of its Unik/Unique portfolio.

Yves Maitre, Senior Vice President, Devices, Orange stated, “The Nokia 6301 is a stylish new addition to our Unik range of converged fixed and mobile phones. Orange’s Unik offer brings together the convenience of a single phone and tariff at home and on the move and the widest range of UMA handsets. The Nokia 6301, with its sleek candy bar design and attractive stainless steel exterior adds to the appeal of Unik for Orange customers.”

Embellished in a sleek stainless steel design, Nokia claims that its 6301 phone is an evolution of the modern monoblock design.

The feather light Nokia 6301 weighs just 93 grams and measures less than 13.1mm thin. It comes with an attractive desk stand, making it perfect for home and office. The Nokia Desk Stand DT-23 holds the phone and keeps its battery charged while connected to WLAN.
The other key features of the Nokia 6301 mobile phone are:

• 2 MP camera with 8x digital zoom
• Full screen viewfinder
• 2-inch QVGA screen
• USB/PC Synchronization
• Internal user memory of 30MB and 128MB in-box microSD card, with support for up to 4GB microSD cards
• Voice dialing, voice commands and voice recording
• MP3 player, FM radio
• Integrated hands-free speaker
• Talk-time of up to 3.5 hours and a standby time of up to 14 days

Slated to start shipping by Q4 of 2007 in Europe, the Nokia 6301 phone is expected to be priced at around 230 euros (excl. subsidies or taxes).

UK to get LG KU990 in October - the LG KU990 "Viewty" is coming

Those lucky Brits get all the fun. They get first crack at the HTC Kaiser TyTN II, they might get a 3G version of the iPhone, and now they’re the first out of the gates with the new LG KU990 “Viewty.” You know, the “Viewty” - that HSDPA-enabled, 5 megapixel camera-toting, touchscreen monster that LG is putting up directly against Apple’s iPhone. Yea, we’re scratching our heads over the name too - leave it to a South Korean company to come up with a name like “Viewty.” The LG Viewty should be hitting UK shores by mid-October, according to LG.

Regardless of the funky-sounding name, the LG KU990 Viewty will be using all that high-speed 3G goodness to get jiggy with YouTube - with the manual-focusing, image stabilized, 120fps video recording, 5-megapixel camera bringing high-quality pictures and videos to the game. YouTube will never be the same.

We’re expecting Vodafone to carry this “YouTube Phone.”

[Via: TechDigest]

Transforming Motorola E6 that can still make calls

It’s not often we see a transforming mobile phone that can literally transform - let alone still make phone calls. Here we have a Motorola E6 ROKR that some enterprising Moto-modder managed to turn into a transforming robot - a la Transformers. But, to our surprise, this thing does more than just transform into a robot, it can also make phone calls!

How this guy managed to create such an incredible example of phone modding is beyond us, but props go out to him - in abundance.


[Via: GearFuse]

i-mate Ultimate 8150 alive and in the wild

Here it is. The i-mate Ultimate 8150 Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional smartphone is alive and in the wild. ce4arab got a chance to play with a production unit of i-mate’s new flagship handset and came away with more pretty pictures than we knew what to do with.

These live shots of a production unit make that September launch window all that more likely. The Ultimate 8150 should be accompanied by the Ultimate 6150 at the launch.

We’re diggin’ the black finish and the backlit keypad, but it doesn’t end there. The i-mate Ultimate 8150 rocks a blazing 520Mhz processor, 2.6 inch touchscreen display, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, 256MB ROM/128MB RAM, WiFi, TV-out, FM radio, microSD slot, 2 megapixel camera, and Bluetooth 2.0. Not there’s a healthy feature-set, if we ever saw one.

The review’s in Arabic, so you’re on your own on that one. But you can peep the live pics after the break. Keep reading.


[Via: ce4arab]

Portable mobile signal jammer

Just in case you don’t want your kids to use their cell phones during a dinner, now you can block them in an elegant way.

Instead of taking away their phones, you can use one of these portable mobile phone signal jammers and easily prevent GSM, CDMA, DCS, PHS and 3G signals from reaching your kid’s mobile phone.

The jammer has a range of up to 40 feet and could be yours for about $40. Not that expensive for a quiet dinner, don’t you think?

[Via: Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]

Virgin Mobile announces Super Slice phone with Bluetooth support

Virgin Mobile USA just announced its new candybar-shaped phone Super Slice. The successor to the last year’s Slice model is the first phone offered by the MVNO which comes with the Bluetooth connectivity support. In addition to that, the UTStarcom-manufactured 10.2 mm thick Super Slice also comes with the VGA camera, speakerphone, new UI and the battery that promises to support up to 270 minutes of talk time. Naturally, being the prepaid carrier, Virgin Mobile USA is offering the Super Slice sans any contract and you can get it for $59.99 within a week or so.

All iPhone native applications

In case you haven’t noticed, the number of iPhone native applications is rising everyday. At the moment there are roughly 50 such apps for your beloved device. All of these are developed sans SDK or any other support from Apple — can you name some other company that have fans like this?

Anyway, ModMyiPhone has compiled a list of all native iPhone apps they’ve came across. Each application has a dedicated web page from where you can get the more information about it. In addition, there’s also a link to the developer’s site. So… what are you waiting for? Grab your iBaby and power it up with some cools apps!

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

iPhone Beware, the Samsung Croix Touchscreen Phone Is on the Prowl

Wow, is everyone making a cell phone to compete directly against the iPhone these days? I thought the iPhone didn't offer anything particularly novel to the mobile phone game -- we've seen plenty of full touchscreen phones before -- but man alive are there are a lot of handsets that bear an uncanny similarity to the Cupertino handset.

The latest supposed "iPhone killer" is coming by way of Korea and it's called the Samsung Croix. From the outside, the Croix (don't ask me how to pronounce that) looks fundamentally the same as the Apple iPhone, complete with a rounded rectangle thing underneath the screen. One critical difference, however, is the the Croix seems to be used in landscape mode most (all?) of the time.

Winner of the iF Communication Design Award 2007, the Samsung Croix features an "intuitive interface through on-screen touch input mapping which supports five different ways of interaction." Some say that the Croix could simply be the commercial name for the Ultra Smart F700. What do you think?

Samsung F330 Confirmed

It would seem not a week goes by when Sammy doesn't release a new phone. The Samsung F330 - another stylish addition to the company mobile phones portfolio has been announced at the IFA in Berlin.

The sleek slider is yet another music-oriented device by the Korean company.

The Samsung F330 is a tri-band phone that also supports 3G (HSDPA 3.6 Mbps) and is equipped with a 256K color TFT display with QVGA resolution. The device incorporates a dedicated Bang & Olufsen audio chip, dedicated music keys and an FM radio to add to its musical image. The Samsung F330 also has a 2 megapixel built-in camera with autofocus. There is also a secondary video call camera. In terms of connectivity the device is armed with Bluetooth and USB - both v2.0. The internal memory is 20 MB and is expandable through the microSD memory card slot.

At this stage there is no information about when the handset will be available or how much will it cost.

Samsung’s first 5 Mega Pixel Camera Phone

The samsung G600 is packed with loads of features and combines style, class and elegance

The Samsung G600 is finally here. The stylish looking slider phone that looks similar to the Samsung U600 and the Samsung E900, has burst onto our shelves and is now available through OneCompare.com.

The Samsung G600 measures 102 x 47.5 x 14.9mm and weighs in at 105g. It is loaded with Stereo Bluetooth - this allows you to stream your music to compatible speakers/headset, USB, microSD (TransFlash) with 55MB of internal memory, FM Stereo, and built in hands free to name a few.

The G600’s MP3 player boasts a feature to change the themes of your music player to suit your mood. This is the first time that Samsung have incorporated this feature into one of their mobile phones.

The main feature of the G600 would have to be its 5 mega pixel camera with auto focus, image stabiliser, and power LED flash for extra picture clarity. But that’s not all - the G600 also comes with the mobile phones world’s version of PhotoShop. This allows you to retouch, crop, and resize your pictures on your mobile phone, so not only do you get excellent quality pictures but you can also make amendments to your photographs before printing them out. This can be done via a Bluetooth printer.

Click here to check out the deals currently available through OneCompare on the Samsung G600.

Nokia India Launches Prism Collection, Ties-Up with Designer Rocky S

Nokia India has launched its Prism Collection, a modernist collection of sophisticated phones with unconventional designs aimed at style-conscious consumers. The Prism Collection consists of the Nokia 7900 Prism and the Nokia 7500 Prism handsets, which combine individual style and state-of-the-art technology.

Nokia also announced its tie-up with India's leading designer, Rocky S to create an exclusive collection inspired by the Prism collection. This exclusive collection will be showcased at Wills Lifestyle Fashion week on September 7th at Pragati Maidan.

Devinder Kishore, Director Marketing, Nokia India, said, "The mobile phone as a style and fashion accessory is gaining increasing importance in India. We have pioneered the concept of fashion phones and are happy to launch our latest offering in this space, the Prism Collection.

Nokia Prism Collection, comprising Nokia 7900 and Nokia 7500, is an ode to architecture with its sharp-angled lines, geometric patterns and graphic light-refracting colors."

"We are also pleased to announce our tie-up with India's leading designer, Rocky S who is developing an exclusive collection inspired by the Prism. His eclectic creations will reflect the aesthetics of Prism and salute the spirit of modern Indian women," added Kishore.

Silas Grant, Senior Designer Manger, Focused Appeal, Nokia, said, "At Nokia we realize that mobiles are very personal items and the design has to reflect this intimate status. Nokia has been continuously innovating to bring iconic products that combine aesthetics, technology and ease of use in a sophisticated fashion.

"The company said Nokia Design is constantly evaluating new and interesting shapes, styles and materials to be combined with relevant technology features and experiences to create relevant products that specifically meet consumers' lifestyle needs.

Rocky S said, "I am delighted to be associated with Nokia, India's leading lifestyle-technology brand. This partnership is a great opportunity for me to design a modern collection that reflects the independent attitude of the Indian women. My collection will draw its inspiration from the soul of the Prism Collection and will be futuristic, daring and mysterious, brazen and in your face to fascinate the stylish women of today."

The Nokia Prism range, comprising Nokia 7900 Prism and Nokia 7500 Prism has sharp-angled lines, geometric patterns and graphic light-refracting colors. Asymmetry and geometric lines is Nokia Prism's main design vein, which is reflected in the diamond-cut raised key-mat.

Both handsets, with their sophisticatedly glamorous high-gloss black facades, reflect an independent attitude. The Prism Collection artfully plays with juxtaposition: matte meets shine; light plays with dark; color and cool steel spliced black and sharp lines finish in softly beveled edges. Inspired by progressive architectural feats such as the Munich Stadium, the Bank of China and Prada's shop in Japan, Nokia said the 3-D textural key-mat is as visually appealing as an archly modern Sir Norman Foster building or Chanel's iconic quilting.

The Nokia 7900 Prism juxtaposes its sleek liquorice-black face with a cool anodized aluminum reverse-side, which is intricately coin-stamped and laser-etched in Nokia Prism's signature diamond-cut design. The Nokia 7900 design has the distinction of being amongst the first to feature an Organic LED light display that supports up to 16 million colors and displays light-focused screensaver graphics.

The Nokia 7500 Prism's cool slick black exterior is spliced with a playful burst of bright accent color. This strobe light-like band nods to the burgeoning neon lights of contemporary urban club culture and is interchangeable with a choice of three colors. The Nokia 7500 Prism has a 2 MP camera and can record high quality videos and play music for 8.5 hours.

Nokia unveils new lineup

Nokia unveiled four new mobile phones at its Nokia Go Play event in Singapore recently. The new phones include the Nokia N81, the upgraded Nokia N95 8GB and two new XpressMusic phones, the Nokia 5310 and Nokia 5610.

Nokia says the N81 is a true mobile entertainment powerhouse designed for work and play. It features a new 3D multimedia interface, which allows for fast and intuitive navigation through your music, pictures, contacts and web browsing activities, Nokia said.

It also comes with dedicated music and gaming keys, a 3.5mm headphone connector as well as 3G and Wireless LAN connectivity.


The N81 is configured to find, buy and manage music as well as games purchased from Nokia's recently launched Nokia Music Store and N-Gage games service.

New and improved models
Nokia's flagship multimedia phone, the N95 has received a well-deserved upgrade.

Major improvements to the phone include a larger 2.8in QVGA display, increased memory size to 8GB of Flash memory and improved GPS capabilities with A-GPS (Assisted-Global Positioning System) for faster and more accurate satellite positioning.


The Nokia 5310 XpressMusic is billed as a mini music powerhouse packed full of features in an ultraslim design – it measures only 9.9mm thick and weighs less than 71g.

The phone also features a 2in QVGA screen, dedicated music buttons and a 2-megapixel camera. The Nokia 5610 is another great looking music phone with aluminium side panels that complement the phone's black gloss finish.

The phone features a unique Music Slider key, which makes it easy to access your music and radio functions with just a flick of the thumb.
Proving to be more than just a music phone, it also features a 3.2-megapix
el camera with autofocus and dual LED flash.

The 5310 offers 18 hours of music playback while the 5610 allows for up to 22 hours of playback time. Both phones support microSD cards of up to 4GB.

Both XpressMusic phones also support the new Nokia Music Store, which allows users to purchase songs to be downloaded directly to their phones.

All four phones are expected to be available in the fourth quarter this year.

++++
http://www.nokia-asia.com/

Nokia speakers: a small fashion statement

Undeterred by iPhone mania, Nokia continues to chug along with its own music phone efforts and has just come out with a new portable speaker device for its Xpress handset.

That's a good thing, considering some of the unfortunate alternatives we've seen out there for other phone speakers.

Rather than something that looks like a genetic experiment gone awry, Nokia's MD-6 "Pocket Speakers" take on a sleek form that looks something like a cigarette lighter as seen on Krunker.com. Following that theme, it has a hinged top that opens to reveal both speakers at one end of its 4.8-inch-long case.

At this size it won't be breaking any eardrums, but it won't take up nearly as much room as other portable speaker sets either, such as a clamshell version we cited recently. The last thing we need is a speaker accessory that's as big as the handset itself.

Nokia To Launch WiMAX Handsets

The next generation of Nokia’s Internet Tablet will feature the long-range wireless broadband technology known as WiMAX, the latest push by the Finnish cell phone maker to develop an all-in-one handset.

The company, which controls about one-third of the worldwide mobile phone market, said it had already signed a deal with U.S. carrier Sprint to make the new tablets available to subscribers in the first half of 2008.

“We are preparing for the day when people are carrying computers in their pockets and not phones,” said Nokia vice president Ari Virtanen.

Nokia did not rule out the possibility of also incorporating a cellular radio to the series at some stage in the future but said it would not be with the next product release. That would be a commercial decision not a technical one, said Mr. Virtanen.

Nokia’s tablets are pocket computers that feature short-range WiFi technology and high resolution screens that allow users to surf the web, make Internet Protocol phone calls, and send and receive email and text messages.

Helping to bridge the divide have been Nokia’s most recent mobile phones, such as the N95 and E90, which also sport WiFi and Bluetooth technologies. This means that users can browse the Internet or make phone calls by-passing their cellular carriers’ networks.

Internet tablet sales are steadily increasing although they are still not at mobile phone sales levels, said Mr. Virtanen.

Convergence between mobile phones and computers will continue and Nokia will lead the trend by approaching it both from the mobile phone and computer ends, he said.

“Today’s phones with computer capabilities are still phones at the heart,” he said. “We are making devices with computers at the heart and phone functionality on top.”

Nokia last week announced a corporate strategy shift that moves the company away from being a mobile phone maker and closer to that of an internet services company. This has in fact been a long-held ambition of the company but one which it now acknowledges publicly.

Computer maker Apple’s entry into the phone market may have hastened Nokia’s decision to go public, as may have reports of similar plans by other computer related companies such as Google and Microsoft.

Chinese Linux-powered phone with a GPS

It’s quite impressive to watch Chinese handset makers advancing so fast — I guess that’s one of the reasons Nokia and other leading phone brands keep investing in services.

Anyway, this is the first China-made device we’re featuring which doesn’t only sports a GPS receiver, but also runs on top of Linux OS. But there more in this candybar, which measures 110X52X16.5 mm and weighs only 85 grams. Above all, it’s notable to emphasize a decent (nothing too fancy) and unique design (or at least I’m not aware of any similar device), large 2.8″ QVGA 16 million colors touchscreen, 1.3 MP camera which can take both photos and videos (QVGA quality), Bluetooth, DivX-enabled media player, as well as the standard microSD memory slot.

Add the price in the equation — which according to my belief will not surpass $300 — and you have a winner, right?

[Via: Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]

Sony Ericsson W910i coming sooner than you think

This may be the old news, but we just spotted the W910i Walkman phone on the Sony Ericsson’s homepage in the “Coming soon” box. The ultimate Sony Ericsson non-smart Walkman phone brings tons of goodies in the world of feature phones. Besides the “classics” like stereo Bluetooth, USB connection, memory expansion slot and 3G radio - the W910i adds that Shake element we previously saw in the W580i model. In addition, just like some other high-end smartphones - this baby supports both landscape and portrait views, and also packs the latest Java Platform 8, which promises to bring even better graphics and web services support. Sony Ericsson seems to have a winner with the W910i… and you can sign-up to be informed when it hits the streets from here.

Apple set to launch custom ringtone maker for iPhone music ringtones

It looks like Apple if starting to finally come through on their promise of expanding the iPhone’s feature set through updates.

Those last two updates via iTunes have been somewhat of a disappointment - they offered nothing in the way of new features. But, as Apple Insider reports, the New York Post got wind of Apple’s plans to launch their customized iPhone ringtone service.

More at Mobtec

[Via: Into iPhone]

Hardware unlocking effort results in exploded Apple iPhone - hardware hack makes iPhone go BOOM!

You know what they say. “If you’re not willing to brick your iPhone, don’t try the iPhone hardware unlocking hack.” Well, that’s more like something that we just said, but you get the picture.

Apparently, an enterprising hacker on the Hackint0sh forums wanted to give geohot’s hardware unlock hack a go on a locked iPhone. Just when he thought things were going smoothly (he got the antenna cover off and proceeded to pry off the battery cover), the iPhone just fried itself right into oblivion. A puff of smoke black smoke and a crapload of heat resulted in a partially dissected iPhone that is now good for little more than a prime example of what can go wrong when you don’t know what you’re doing around sensitive equipment.


From the forum:

“We were so happy, all the software part was done, so we started opening the
iPhone. The antenna cover was a bit tricky but eventually it came off. Then we
started to open the metal cover (after taking out the 3 screws) and PUFF, up it
went in smoke, I think my collegue must have touched something. It literally
went up in black smoke. It was so hot that when I tried to pick it up I burned
my fingers. So, this is for sure the most difficult part of the whole process. I
don’t know what he did, as I had just stepped out of the room to fetch something
when I heard a scream…they got such a fright.”

The moral of this story? While the iPhone hardware unlocking method may be a provocative way to free yourself and your iPhone from AT&T hell, don’t try it unless you really know what you’re doing - and you’re willing to not only brick your iPhone, but fry it to a crisp as well. Wait for the software unlock! Seriously, be patient.

Still, we feel bad for the poor guy that “smoked” his iPhone.

[Via: Hackint0sh]

Could these really be spy pics of the Sony Ericsson K900 Cybershot?

Could these be actual live spy pictures of a Sony Ericsson K900 Cybershot cameraphone? We certainly hope so, this thing is as sleek and sexy as it is, well, sleek and sexy. And, with a Cybershot camera packed in there, the SE K900 will be a definite winner.

Now, if only those pictures below weren’t so damned blurry/overexposed/horribly lit, we could actually get our hopes up on this thing.

But, it does look just like the computer mockup of Sony Ericsson K900 Cybershot that you see to the left.

Real or fake? You decide - we’ll wait on more solid images to pass judgement. As much as we’d like for this thing to be more than some enthusiast’s Photoshop exercise, it’s just too shady to be believable at this point - but we hope we’re wrong.

Motorola ROKR E8, a Mobile Phone with a truly Unique Keypad leaked

Details of an unannounced Motorola phone have been leaked by a Chinese site. Apparently the device is called ROKR E8.

So what’s so special about this phone that we actually took the pain of reporting about it, instead of winding up from work on this lovely Saturday night? Well, here’s something that we wanted to share with our readers, before we sign off for the weekend.

Interestingly, the ROKR E8 doesn’t sport a full-sized keypad. Instead it carries small contact points with labels that are triggered by background lightings.


When the user dials numbers on this Motorola phone, all the keys will light up. But when the user is listening to music, the number keys will be dimmed and the music controls will brighten up. In standby mode there are standard navigation keys and numeric buttons with backlight off.
The other features of the Motorola’s ROKR E8 are:

In-built 2GB memory, with an option to increase the same, thanks to microSD slot3.5mm headphone jackMicro USB to sideload the music2MP cameraLinux-based MOTOMAGX interfaceStereo Bluetooth audio

The earliest that we get to see it is by around 2007-end or perhaps the beginning of 2008. Let’s hope more official announcement for the ROKR E8 mobile phone are made soon from Motorola’s headquarters.

All-White Nokia N73 Music Edition Looks Like Apple Product

Maybe it's just me, but whenever I see any sort of technological gizmo that is wrapped in an all-white housing, I immediately think of that produce-named company based out of Cupertino. It's unclear whether this is an official offering or simply personalization done right, but here is the Nokia N73 All White Edition.

There's nothing to note in terms of features, because this cell phone is functionally identical to the all-black music edition that we've seen popping around for some time now. The key difference, of course, is that this phone is all white instead of all black. It was spotted at a retail outlet in Taiwan.

The asking price at that store was $420.