Curve 8520: A nifty communicator

Everyone is talking about the Apple iPhone these days; the types of applications you can get on it, the things you can accomplish with an iPhone (“almost anything” they will say), how wonderfully easy it is to use and how cool it will make you look.

The iPhone is seen as a flashy, futuristic and fun product but is heavily reliant on third-party software to make it successful.

Most treat it as a replacement for an MP3 player and a portable game console, like a Sony PSP and Nintendo DS,

It’s more of a tool for fun and play rather than for serious communication which is what a BlackBerry is essentially famous for. When BlackBerry first hit the market, it was targeted at those involved in the higher echelons of management and the like.

Since they were on the go quite often and needed to make swift decisions due to market trends for example, the BlackBerry offered them the ability to receive and reply to e-mail instantly anywhere in the world.

Research In Motion, the company behind the BlackBerry made sure that the product and service they provided was efficient and secure which made it a very attractive tool indeed.

It became a mobile office and was branded as the tool that solders you to your job 24/7.

More so though, it became a status symbol, one that almost meant that if you had a BlackBerry you were somebody important and productive.

It did not help that celebrities started to use it too, to communicate to the myriad of people they worked with, be it studio and record executive chiefs or their managers or even just to each other.

US President Barack Obama is a known BlackBerry addict and used it heavily while on his campaign trails. Even now, he has one specially designed for him with special encryptions to further secure it.

Source: http://star-techcentral.com/

Should you wait until 2010 to buy your flagship mobile phone?

There has been an influx of flagship phone announcements during the third quarter of 2009, with more to come in the months leading up to the end-of-year festive shopping period. But is it the best time to buy a new mobile phone?

During the last five years mobile phone technology has undergone a huge transformation. It has evolved from the color screens and text-based email featured in yesteryear's newest smartphones into a new breed of superphones that function as all-in-one portable computing devices with real-time notifications, integrated WiFi, multi-touch screens and graphics cards that can play HD movies with more clarity than many TVs found in today's households.

Entering the fourth quarter of 2009 there has been an enormous push by mobile makers to release new flagship phones featuring this stunning technology.

According to IDC's Oct ober 29 third quarter phone shipment report, the five biggest mobile manufacturers worldwide (Nokia, Samsung, LG Electronics, Sony Ericsson and Motorola) are hoping to ride on their newly released technology-rich phones to boost fourth quarter sales. But not all will manage to release flagship devices in time for the busy end-of-the-year shopping rush.

Both Motorola and Nokia will release their flagship devices (the DROID and the N900) in early November 2009. Sony Ericsson's flagship device, the XPERIA X10, won't be out until the beginning of 2010. Meanwhile, the economic crisis has forced manufacturers to drop their prices in a bid to stay competitive within the cut-throat mobile phone market.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/

Vodafone prices first handset with 360 platform

UK wireless carrier Vodafone is now offering the Vodafone 360 Samsung H1 smartphone on sale through its website. The device is the first to ship with the carrier’s 360 social media platform preloaded. The H1 was especially developed for Vodafone, and sports a 3.5-inch OLED touchscreen.

The Vodafone 360 service automatically syncs all contacts from your phone, Facebook, Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk, with Twitter support coming soon. Contacts from the phone are backed up as well. The H1 otherwise features 16GB of storage space, and there is Wi-Fi, GPS, and a 5-megapixel camera.

Vodafone is offering the free of charge when customers commit to two-year contracts at the equivalent of at least $49 per month. This includes 600 anytime minutes and unlimited Internet and e-mail access. Those who order the device now are expected to receive it

Source: http://www.ethioplanet.com/

Touch-screen phone use soars, iPhone on top

Market research firm ComScore reported on Tuesday that touch-screen mobile-phone adoption is not only on the rise, it's growing at a rapid rate.

Touch-screen phone adoption grew by 159 percent between August 2008 and August 2009, according to ComScore. The firm also found that by the end of August 2009, there were 23.8 million users with touch-screen mobile phones in the United States alone. In August 2008, just over 9.2 million people were using touch-screen phones.

But it's not just the touch screen that's enjoying strong growth. ComScore also found that smartphones are gaining traction across the U.S. Between August 2008 and August 2009, smartphone adoption grew by 63 percent. There were 20.7 million mobile subscribers using smartphones in August 2008. More than 33.7 million subscribers had smartphones by August 2009.

Unsurprisingly, it was the iPhone that led the way during that period. According to ComScore, the iPhone was the top touch-screen device for users aged 13 and older, capturing 32.9 percent of the touch-screen market. The LG Dare placed a distant second, accounting for 8.7 percent of the touch-screen phones in the wild. That device was followed up by the LG Voyager, BlackBerry Storm, and Palm Treo, which captured 7.8 percent, 7 percent, and 6.5 percent of the market, respectively.

It's also worth noting that the average user of a touch-screen device is younger than those who use standard mobile phones. According to ComScore, 51.4 percent of smartphone users are under the age of 35. A whopping 57.7 percent of touch-screen users fall within that age range. ComScore also found that 20.6 percent of touch-screen users range in age between 18 and 24. Less than 5 percent of touch-screen users are 65 and older.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/

Nokia E 72 Media Launch – Pakistan – My Thoughts

As promised here are my thoughts about the Nokia E72 Media Launch held on 27th Oct 2009 , at Sheraton Hotel Karachi Pakistan , where Ms Trude Gjaland , Category Head ‘E’ Series Nokia MEA came all the way from Dubai

First it was an event well conducted , the Q & A style with Khurram , Product Manager Nokia Pakistan and Afghanistan , asking questions and Trude and Imran Khalid Mahmood , GM Nokia Pakistan answering them , some may call it a fixed interview , it was but the questions were too the point and answers were too related to the event . A much refreshing setup than people coming on stage and giving speeches .

Trude’s coming to Pakistan shows Nokia’s commitment to the country and it’s market , in these times when travel advisories are being issued for Pakistan , Trude took a bold step to come here , attend the program and also visited the market .

Pakistan may look small on the map but telecom density wise it rivals the developed nations in the west with more than 90 million connections in the population of 170 million . The country has also seen one of the highest telecom growth rates and boost one of the lowest calling rates in the world . On services wise , almost all of Pakistan is GPRS / EDGE equipped with minimum of white areas and with data rates as low as Rs 500 / Month ( USD $6) for an unlimited ( 2 GB Fair Use Policy ) data limit for Nokia E series it’s a lucrative market .

Trude’s visit to Pakistan emphasizes on the importance of Pakistan in Nokia’s portfolio , she is not the first to come to Pakistan earlier in June Mr. Head of N Series MEA came to Karachi on Nokia N97 launch .

Source: http://senseapplied.com/

Mobiles Sans IMEI Numbers Face Disconnec

Almost a yearlong saga of banning non-IMEI laden, cheap Chinese phones still goes on. Following the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, the government had directed the cellphone companies to bar mobile phones with no or spoofed IMEIs from their networks. That, however, was not strongly implemented with a number of flip-flops from both - the government and the cellphone manufacturers.

Almost a year on, in its latest move, the Indian Cellular Association (ICA) has announced that cellphones without IMEI will face disconnections by December. The announcement comes following a DoT directive where mobile operators were asked to disallow calls from such handsets to be completed. There are an estimated 25 million such handsets in circulation across the country - owing to which replacement of all such handsets is a difficult proposition. The only way out as the ICA has figured out is to make people aware about the advantages of a using phone with a valid IMEI and request users of all such phones to migrate to another phone before the cut-ff date. In fact, the ICA had started a countrywide campaign in order to make the transition from a non-IMEI phone to a legal one smooth.

Apart from being a security concern, these phones had also started eating onto shares of genuine manufacturers who were unable to compete with unbranded Chinese phones in terms of price and features. Quality wise though, it's a no contest.

Source: http://www.techtree.com/

T-Mobile Equinox: A Festive Feature Phone

Most 'feature phones' (a nice way of saying dumb phones) are pretty much the same these days. That's why we don't waste our words covering every single low-end mobile phone that gets churned out these days. Sometimes, though, a feature phone comes along that's worthy of comment. The T-Mobile Equinox (via Gizmodo) is one such phone.

In terms of specs, the Equinox beats the pants off most other dumb phones out there. It has integrated GPS, a 3.2 MP camera, an FM radio, bluethue, and the ability to act like an epileptic disco ball when it receives a call. When it launches, the Equinox will cost $50 with a two-year contract. If you're one of those luddites still holding off on buying a smartphone, this could be the light-spewing feature phone for you.

Source: http://www.i4u.com/