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Orange UK introduces Mini-SIMs

Ben Robinson — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:06:16 +0000

Orange UK is apparently the first Operator in Europe to introduce its Mini-SIMs. Now you might be wondering how the SIM could be reduced in size (after all, how would it fit in the handset properly), but what the Mini reference is actually for is the material that holds the SIM, until point-of-sale. Traditionally this has been of Credit Card size - now Orange have halved that material.

The saving in terms of plastic on one card might be minimal, but when you consider the billions of SIMs globally, this initiative could make quite an impact if every Operator decided to do the same.

Orange have also come up with a number of other Green initiatives, including handset recycling, and committing to the universal mobile charger initiative. Good on them I say - many small changes over time can add up to something quite substantial.

[Via: 3G.co.uk]

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EU decides not to implement Mobile TV tax

Ben Robinson — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:58:20 +0000

Content to Mobile is reporting that the EU has dropped plans to introduce a tax on handsets that are capable of receiving video.

Apparently moves were afoot last year to add a 14% tax on devices that included a TV receiver. However, pressure from the big handset vendors seems to have quelled this move.

That’s got to be a good more, surely - Mobile TV really hasn’t been the wildfire success that it was hoped to be, and I think this tax could potentially have been the death knell - Mobile TV has now earned a short reprieve, in my opinion - lets see what it can do in the next 18 months….

[Via: Content 2 Mobile]

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Ericsson signs $1.7bn agreements with Chinese Operators

Ben Robinson — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:40:28 +0000

Ericsson has signed framework agreements on 2G/3G mobile communication equipment and related services for 2009 with two major Chinese telecom operators: China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) and China Unicom, valued at USD 1 billion and USD 0.7 billion respectively.

China Mobile and China Unicom have received 3G licenses of TD-SCDMA and WCDMA standards respectively at the beginning of 2009. Together the two operators are currently serving more than 620 million mobile subscribers in China. The newly signed 2009 framework agreements will allow both operators to further improve the capacity and performance of their 2G networks and accelerate the initial build-up of their 3G networks, and consequently ensure richer and more innovative mobile communication services to hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers as 3G takes off in China.

Under the framework agreement signed between Ericsson and China Mobile, Ericsson continues to deliver green solutions to support China Mobile’s network energy optimization and CO2 emission reduction target. Ericsson will also expand GSM/GPRS network coverage and capacity in 18 provinces in China with related services. In addition, Ericsson also supports China Mobile’s 3G network build-out by providing a wide range of innovative TD-SCDMA products and solutions.

Under the framework agreement signed between Ericsson and China Unicom, Ericsson will not only become the main supplier to upgrade China Unicom’s GSM networks in 10 provinces, but also provide the operator with GSM/WCDMA core network and/or wireless access system in 15 provinces, including transmission, IP and value-added service platform. Ericsson’s strong local support team with global experience plays a key role in supporting China Unicom in launching the world’s largest WCDMA commercial networks.

I find the Chinese market fascinating, for lots of reasons - first of all, the potentially huge number of ‘untapped’ subscribers currently - second, the challenge of covering such an enormous land mass. And third, this interesting move by the Government to roll out a whole mixture of 3G technologies - oh, we’ve got pretty much every flavour deploying there - and from this press release, it seems Ericsson are right in the mix!

[Via: Ericsson]

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UK: Samsung Pixon12 to launch August 1st at Phones4U

Ben Robinson — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:26:39 +0000

Yep, the Samsung Pixon12 (the 12 being 12MP camera!) is going to launch August 1st at Phones4U - and you can pre-order now!

As Phones4U sums up nicely:

The Samsung Pixon 12 is set to be the first all Touchscreen handset to be released incorporating a 12MP digital camera.The specification of the picture taking technology contained within this handset is quite simply breathtaking and includes a host of new innovative features that will ensure the results are equally so.

12 Megapixel Digital Camera

AMOLED Touchscreen

Touch Autofocus Tracking

Geo-tagging

DivX/Xvid video player

The smart-auto mode is a great feature which automatically selects the correct scene mode based on the subject placed in front of you. Another great feature is the touch-autofocus tracking that tracks the subject and ensures it stays in focus no matter how boisterous they become. Face, Blink and Smile detection are all clever little additions that will only aid your task.

Its easy to think Samsung have put all their eggs in one basket in the Pixon 12, but this handset contains other great features. A fantastic AMOLED 3.1 inch touchscreen offers amazing image clarity & share options including bluetooth, geo-tagging and MMS.

In short this is going to be a very media-friendly device, with what I’d expect to be a superb camera - Megapixels aren’t everything, but you’d think Samsung have nailed the image quality if they are touting these kinds of stats…. we’ll see in a couple of weeks!

You can pre-order the Pixon12 here.

Thanks to Ron for the heads-up!

[Story and Image via: oled-info.com]

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UK: Latest Cinema Ad from Orange: Fingrz of Fury!

Ben Robinson — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:18:24 +0000

If you are based in the UK and attend the Cinema for viewing of films, you may well be familiar with the hilarious Orange Ads that have been running for some time now - no, I’m not talking about the somewhat lacking ‘Wicked Witch’ skit Ads that are on TV, but the Ads that are created largely to tell the audience to turn off their phones before the film (and jam the Orange logo in peoples’ faces!).

Well now there’s a new one - and it’s not just an Ad, but a whole interactive site too! FINGRZ OF FURY is a cunning play on the classic Martial Arts film “Fists of Fury”, and the Ad stars Juliette Lewis, along with the usual bigwig and sidekick characters we’ve come to know and love

So if you want to check out the cinema Ad (and you should) you can (a) go to the cinema or (b) click on this link, to go to the interactive site - once you are there, you can check out the other funky media they’ve got on the site, including a ton of 70’s Kung Fu sound effects for all your mouse clicks!

Nice work Orange creatives, I like your style!

Orange FINGRZ OF FURY site

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Freeverse’s Postman App updated to 2.0 on App Store

Ben Robinson — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 12:04:50 +0000

I wrote about the Postman App from Freeverse before (here), but for those of you that didn’t see it / can’t remember:

Postman makes it easy for users to create their very own instant picture-postcard simply by snapping a photo, editing greetings and adding personalized messages. iPhone OS 3.0 Map technology works with Google (NSDQ: GOOG) (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps for location identification and enables user selectable weather. Users can then share their creations on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, the Web or via email with a one-click upload straight from the App.

Well now the App is updated to 2.0, bringing in the following features:

This update features a streamlined interface by noted U.I. designer David Lanham, professionally created built-in themes and much more. In addition to the easy social media upload ability of the first Postman release, 2.0 now includes beautiful new Landmark photos, a shake-to-erase mechanism, and text that can be tapped and edited instantly. As per user’s requests, text is now resizable and can be spellchecked instantly. Customization continues further with the capability to send postcards with enhanced geo-location accuracy or even without a front picture. This free update makes Postman even more fun and intuitive to use.

For those of you that are tired of games on the App Store, this is one of those Apps that is well worth a look - Postman is available from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/

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This week in fake devices: We’re mixing it all together, again

Dusan Belic — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:09:13 +0000

We’re back with our “This week in fake devices” series. Again, we have 5 different clone devices, three of them “resembling” Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) handsets, and two non-existing phone ripoffs which only “borrow” famous brands. Let’s roll:

Sony Ericsson S312 clone - how low can they (Chinese cloners) go? The S312 is an affordable device by itself, part of the SE’s low-end Snapshot series.
Blackberry (NSDQ: RIMM) Windows Mobile - not exactly a clone, since there’s no such original device. It seems this phone runs Windows Mobile, but has a Blackberry button. Go figure.
Sony Ericsson W995 ripoff - the clone of one of the best feature phones on the market. This “version” seems to run some kind of Samsung’s TouchWIZ user interface. I doubt either Sony Ericsson or Samsung has anything to do with it.
Louis Vuitton flip phone - nope, it’s not an original device, though I must admit it doesn’t look that bad. It’s a thin clamshell that reminds me on some Japanese models.
Sony Ericsson Walkman ripoff - branding is stolen from Sony Ericsson, while some design lines root from low-end Nokia (NYSE: NOK) XpressMusic models.

And that’s all we got for you this week. As you can guess for yourself, most (if not all) of the devices above come with Bluetooth support, dual-SIM card slot, microSD memory expansion, media/music player, and so on. The only problem is the spotty quality, and that copyright infringement thing.

[Via: JampBLOG]

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NEC, Sharp to bring its phones outside of Japan

Dusan Belic — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:06:13 +0000

Japan’s NEC and Sharp plan to export their handsets to other countries. Both companies were already present on markets outside of the Land of the rising Sun, but have struggled to gain any significant marketshare.

Now due to sliding decline in handset sales in Japan, Nec and Sharp are revising their strategy and plan to expand overseas.

According to a Reuters article, NEC hopes to export at least 1 million phones for an average price of $300. Sharp, on the other end, intends to release smartphones in Europe, and has a goal to sell a total of 4 million devices.

We’re certainly pro-competition and are looking forward to see some of those sexy high-end phones from Japan being available in Europe and the U.S…

[Via: Unwired View]

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Refurbished iPhone 3G 8GB for $79!

Dusan Belic — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:04:32 +0000

AT&T (NYSE: T) is offering the Refurbished iPhone 3G 8GB for $79! If you remember, and I’m sure you do, it all started at $499, with the original iPhone. Two years later, the improved model with 3G radio and GPS costs $400 less, and its refurbished version gets you additional $20 off. Enough said. Here’s a link to AT&T’s website with more details…

[Via: TUAW]

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Searchme visual search app available for Windows Mobile in beta

Dusan Belic — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:55:39 +0000

After conquering Symbian S60, iPhone and Android platforms, Searchme is going Windows Mobile. The dedicated application brings visual search results to touchscreen-enabled smartphones, running Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s mobile OS.

Here’s how it looks like (from the press release):

Instead of a list of blue links, Searchme delivers images of web pages, videos, music and products that play right on the search result page making it easy to find and consume information on a cell phone. Searchme offers significantly improved performance for searching on a phone because it runs as a native Windows Mobile application, rather than in a slow-rendering web browser. Unlike other search applications, Searchme supports a full touch screen interface.

For the record, Searchme has scored more than 4 million monthly users within less than a year. Windows Mobile device owners can grab the app from the “Tools” section of Searchme’s website.

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Find Internet Cafe is a great iPhone app for net-addict travellers in/within the U.S.

Dusan Belic — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:53:44 +0000

Here’s an app that’s very useful for anyone traveling to or within the United States. Find Internet Cafe does one thing superbly - help you find a nearest Internet cafe.

As expected, it relies on iPhone’s location capabilities to locate cafes based on proximity. It can also show a map with driving directions, phone number of a cafe, and a link to the cafe’s website, where applicable. Moreover, you can bookmark favorite places to find them more easily later.

And that’s about it. I’m hoping they’ll update their database with other Internet cafes outside of U.S. and make the application international. In the meantime, here’s a link from where you can grab Find Internet Cafe for a buck ($0.99).

[Via: textually.org]

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Pakistan’s Mobilink launches mobile banking service

Dusan Belic — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:52:05 +0000

Orascom Telecom Holding-owned Pakistan’s mobile operator, Mobilink, has launched a mobile banking services in association with Citibank, under an arrangement endorsed by the State Bank of Pakistan.

The new service allows customers to maintain their accounts through their phones and make secure peer to peer money transfers to any Mobilink via SMS. And that’s only a start. In the future, Mobilink hopes to offer users ability to avail and repay loans, purchase goods and services, pay bills, buy airtime and a host of other services.

For the record, earlier this year, Mobilink launched the Mobile Money Order (MMO) service in partnership with Pakistan Post, allowing users in 37 cities (73 outlets) to have access to the benefits of m-commerce.

Commenting on the announcement, Naguib Sawiris, Chairman and CEO of OTH said, “Offering access to financial services via a mobile connection is a project that has been very close to my heart for a long time. The case for mobile financial services is particularly strong in emerging markets where penetration of the financial sector is quite low… Mobilink continues to lead the local telecom industry by exploring new and innovative frontiers.”

[Via: CellularNews]

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Toodledo iPhone app updated with push notifications, additional features

Dusan Belic — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:50:43 +0000

Remember The Milk is not the only task management service which iPhone app has been updated to sing along iPhone OS 3.0. Toodledo did the same, bringing its application version to 1.5.

Aside from boasting push notifications, the updated app fixes some of the known bugs and has some other features as well:

Adding a task is now easier, and there’s more room to type;
More sorting options: priority+duedate, duedate+priority, folder+importance, folder+duedate, star, subtasks;
Notes will now detect URLs and phone numbers and allow to be clicked on them;
Cut/Copy/Paste support;
New field: start-time;
New “Start Page” option that will remember the page you were on when you last quit;
Editing tasks is easier - no more scroll wheels in many cases;
Completing a repeating task will now do an instant sync to Toodledo.com to reschedule that task;
General setting for font size;
Editing the title and tag fields now uses a multi-line text box, so you can see more of what you are editing.

If you’re a Toodledo fan, you’ll certainly want to update. Otherwise, you could try the application for 4 bucks ($3.99)…

[Via: JustAnotherIphoneBlog]

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CNNMoney Mobile is in the AppStore

Dusan Belic — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:48:45 +0000

CNNMoney is the latest media entity to get an iPhone app. Power Mobile is the company that developed the software using its SMART Platform.

CNNMoney Mobile features breaking news alerts, top headlines, near real-time market and stock data, as well as video clips. Moreover, users have the ability to personalize content, including news sections and a stock watch list…

The application relies on advertising for monetization, hence it’s free to the end users. AppStore link is here.

[Via: slashphone]

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ABI Research: Cloud computing will transform mobile apps

Dusan Belic — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:47:17 +0000

According to ABI Research, a new architecture based on software running in the cloud will drastically change the way mobile applications are developed, acquired and used. The research company’s new study forecasts that this will be a profoundly disruptive development that could eclipse the current mobile application model by 2014, delivering revenue of nearly $20 billion annually by the end of that year.

Mobile application developers today have to develop for multiple platforms to make sure their work reaches wide user base. In that sense, ABI’s senior analyst Mark Beccue believes that using Web-based technologies, developers could make apps that run on servers instead of locally, reducing development costs, as only one version of the application would be needed. He continues with words: “This trend is in its infancy today, but ABI Research believes that eventually it will become the prevailing model for mobile applications.”

On that note, it’s worth adding that HTML 5 is designed to enable data caching on the handset, allowing work to continue until mobile signal is restored.

Beccue concludes that cloud computing will bring “unprecedented sophistication” to mobile applications. As examples, he points how business users could benefit from collaboration and data sharing apps, while personal users could gain from remote access apps…

More information about ABI Research’s study “Mobile Cloud Computing” is available from their website.

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Shazam Now Available on the BlackBerry Storm

James Falconer — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:05:05 +0000

Some sorta exciting news for the BlackBerry Storm users out there. I just received word that a new version of Shazam for the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Storm is available, with an official announcement coming this Monday! The app is now offered to Storm users anywhere BlackBerry App World is available. You can check out Shazam right now in App World… I just checked it out myself on a Storm, and it’s there.

If you’ve ever used Shazam, you know how cool it is. If you haven’t, how it works is really quite simple. First, you hear a song. You think to yourself, ‘geez, I wish I knew what that song was’… Thankfully, you remember you have Shazam loaded up on your mobile device. You turn it on, and hold your device up to the music. Shazam listens to the music, and 9 times out of 10 (probably more) it returns to you all of the music details including title and artist… and even gives you the opportunity to buy the track! Very cool.

Stay tuned for more news on the official announcement early next week!

Thanks Claudia!

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BlackBerry Tour 9630 Now Available at Bell!

James Falconer — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:13:26 +0000

That’s right, earlier this afternoon, and ahead of the rumors, Bell launched the BlackBerry Tour 9630 ahead of rival Canadian CDMA carrier Telus (NYSE: TU). Last I checked, the Bell BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Tour 9630 is only available via the Bell website, but expect the device to start showing up in stores real soon (perhaps the July 17th launch rumor will reflect in-store availability?). In fact, Tours for all Bell locations have been ordered and are on the way.

So what are the purchase options? Bell is offering a 3-year contract for $249.95, a 2-year for $549.95, a 1-year for $649.95… or you can purchase it outright for $699.95 (as expected).

For more information and to place your order, head on over to Bell.

[Via: CrackBerry and electronista]

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The Signal #31: Androidy Week and SanDisk Giveaway

Simon Sage — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:40:27 +0000

So, who’s holding out for Rachael? What’s a Hero?

This week is dominated by Android news, predominately by our first look at Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE)’s new Xperia model code-named Rachael, as well as smashed rumours regarding Nokia (NYSE: NOK) picking up Android. Will and I close up our discussions regarding the Touch Pro 2 and the N97, and Stefan sums up his talk with the UI tech manager at Symbian (definitely worth a listen, if you didn’t catch it earlier this week).

Participation in the Vuzix iWear giveaway last week was great, but we’ve chosen our winner - Michael Welcher, congratulations! Thanks to everyone for the enthusiasm, and for listening! This week, we’re giving away ar 16 GB microSD card from SanDisk; you know the drill, drop a comment and you’ve got a chance to pick yours up. If that doesn’t quite do it for you, you should check out their 60 Second Mobile Video Contest on YouTube - send them a video clip of your favourite summer places, activities, whatever, and you can win one of 25 weekly prize packs or $1000 prize pack, or even the $5000 grand prize at the end of August. The contest runs until August 10th., so get recording!

Music by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, as featured on Tap Tap Revenge for the iPhone.

The Signal is a part of the Tech Podcasts Network.

Download The Signal ( Episode 31 ) - iTunes - RSS - (25:23)

Headlines

Head To Head Review: Touch Pro 2 Versus Nokia N97

Audio Interview: Scott Weiss, User Interface Technology Manager at Symbian Foundation

Do not listen to the Guardian, there will be no Nokia devices running Android any time soon

Rumor: Sony Ericsson Rachael: 1 GHz, 8.1 megapixel, Android powered monster

Sony Ericsson’s Android User Interface Caught on Video?

Google Announces Chrome OS for Netbooks, Android Supposedly Still in the Picture

Rumors

Sony Ericsson Kiki Hosts Transparent Display

Concept: LG GC990 Louvre: 12.1 megapixel dumbphone that shoots 720p video

Low-end messaging phone LG GW300 in works

Nokia 5530 XpressMusic approved by the FCC

First Shots of the Verizon Pantech Escapade

The New LG Chocolate: teaser pics out!

Is this the Sony Ericsson Twiggy?

T-Mobile U.S. Touch Pro 2 Due August 12?

Samsung Omnia 2 Caught on Video

Verizon’s Samsung Glyde 2 caught in the wild

Nokia E52 with non-US 3G gets approved by the FCC

Releases

Verizon Confirms BlackBerry Tour Launch Date

Nokia 3720 Classic: 125 EUR, coming out this summer, nearly impossible to break

TELUS MiKE Motorola Clutch i465 Arriving July 14th

O2UK confirms Android-based Samsung i7500 Galaxy

Motorola’s ROKR ZN50 touchscreen music-phone coming to Korea

TELUS Launches Samsung U430 Flip Phone

Palm Pre Gets Official for Europe

Android-powered HighScreen PP5420 coming to Russia

Pantech announces IM-U460K aka Love Actually all-touchscreen phone

T-Mobile launches Samsung S3030 Eco in the Netherlands

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Samsung gives WinMo devs free access to virtual device testing

Will Park — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:48:28 +0000

Samsung is apparently embracing the Windows Mobile development community with a new virtual device laboratory, appropriately dubbed Lab.dev, through the company’s Samsung Mobile Innovator development portal. Lab.dev’s goal is to give Windows Mobile developers a virtual testing environment where they can install and test WinMo apps on any Windows Mobile-powered Samsung smartphone - all over a web connection. All testing is done on physical Samsung smartphones, which can be reserved for “your own unique use during specified time slots.” Best of all, it’s free!

The Lab.dev initiative will allow WinMo developers to more quickly and conveniently test their latest wares, without having to get their hands on pricey physical hardware. Developers can choose to test on 11 different Windows Mobile smartphones from Samsung. Windows Mobile devs looking to take advantage of Lab.dev will need to have a Samsung Mobile Innovator user account, a JavaScript-compatible web browser, Java Web Start and, of course, access to the web through ports 80 and 1200.

If you meet the above criteria, head on over to Samsung Mobile Innovator and give the Lab.dev a spin!

Samsung Lab.dev

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The Verizon Wireless Palm Pre… kinda, sorta

Will Park — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:05:25 +0000

The Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre’s success is only being held back by Sprint (NYSE: S)’s exclusivity deal on the WebOS-powered smartphone. Both Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless and AT&T (NYSE: T) have made it known that the Palm Pre is most certainly on their radar (although, Sprint isn’t shy about reaffirming their own exclusivity deal), but we’ve yet to even see either carrier officially embracing the smartphone. Thankfully, no lack of carrier support could stop Pre-hacker Cleanser from porting his once Sprint-locked Palm Pre to the Verizon Wireless network. With a little ingenuity and some elbow-grease, Cleanser has managed to create a Verizon Wireless Palm Pre of sorts.

The Pre’s CDMA radio hardware is already compatible with Verizon’s CDMA network, so it makes sense that someone could get the Pre roaming Big Red’s US network. But, it’s most definitely a hack and isn’t going to be a viable option for the average Palm Pre customer.

Voice calls and SMS text messages are a go, but wireless data is still in in the works. With a little luck, Cleanser will have the Palm Pre fully functional on Verizon Wireless in due time.

Now, where’s that official Verizon Palm Pre?

[PreCentral via EngadgetMobile]

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