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/

Blackberry Storm 5.0 update delayed for UK owners

Quite often the UK gets the dirty end of the tech stick. Take the Blackberry Storm, for example. US network Verizon has just announced the successor to the original Storm, the Storm 2, and also announced a major update (OS 5.0) for original Storm owners. The update will apparently improve typing speeds, which is great news but Electric Pig suggests that the same update won't be available to UK Vodafone users until 2010.

It's bad enough that Storm owners have had to wrestle with the original Storm's lacklustre screen for months but now they have to wait for a major update that will improve their user experience. We hope long-suffering Storm owners can wait until after Christmas to improve their phones but Vodafone, if you're reading this, why not make everyone's Christmas a little happier and send the update out now? Please. Seriously. Do it.

Source: http://recombu.com/

Orange to launch iPhone in UK on 10 November

Orange looks set to release its version of Apple's iPhone 3GS from 10 November, according to industry sources.

The Guardian is stating that it 'understands' the release date will be early next month, which is the day after O2 loses exclusivity for the device.

It's unlikely that the move will trigger any price war though, with Apple said to be holding firm on the cost it wants to deliver the iPhone at.

This means that when Vodafone launches its device early next year, the price is also likely to stay the same, with the networks offering packages around the iPhone rather than further subsidising the cost.

Price war

However, when 3 picks up the phone next year (as TechRadar exclusively revealed last week) it seems possible the iPhone 3GS will be mature enough to take a small drop in price, as nearly all the networks look for differentiation.

The new iPhone will be offered through Orange's online and high street retail chains, and also from Phones4U. The Carphone Warehouse, which is a re-seller of the device for O2, is also expected to follow suit.

We've spoken to Orange and are waiting to find out any more information about pricing and availability, as it seems likely there will be strong interest from Orange customers looking to get their hands on the device.

Source: http://www.techradar.com/

iPhone coming to Orange in two weeks

O2’s era of sole iPhone providership is almost over and on the stroke of midnight on November 10th, their impressive leather exclusivity glove will go ‘POOF!’ and turn to dust. Likewise, their dress will turn into a bin bag, their chariot will turn into a matchbox, their horses will turn into shrews and one of their bejewelled shoes will drop off as they scamper back off to the clutches of their ugly sisters.

Hmm, possibly got a bit carried away with the metaphor there. However, if you’re somehow still reading this, the news is that Orange will start selling the iPhone in the UK from 10th November, the day after O2’s two-year exclusivity deal for the Jesus phone comes to an end.

The Guardian are reporting that it will be sold through Orange’s retail shops and Phones4U, while Carphone Warehouse will continue to provide it for O2 and for Orange. No pricing details have been announced yet, despite what you might have heard from gangs of silver-tongued tariff-jockeys in Carphone Warehouse.

Source: http://www.bitterwallet.com/

Samsung Is Now, The Big Surprise

Samsung Electronics has been boosting its corporate image by injecting massive capital into computer memory chips and flat-screen panels.

The Suwon, Gyeonggi Province-based consumer-electronics company is now shifting its top corporate focus to highly-advanced electronic gadgets such as LCD TVs with light emitting-diode (LED) backlights and mobile phones equipped with the next-generation display of AM OLED panels.

Samsung executives say the time is ripe for Samsung Group's most powerful unit to set up a new global trend in consumer electronics markets as its decades-long efforts for the leadership in chips and flat panels have already been paid off.

Samsung has realized economies of a scale in both the memory chip and flat-screen sectors thanks to aggressive investments and faster decisions. As we are approaching a decision on pricing for our bigger clients, it is evident and natural to shift focus on to new segments," a senior Samsung Electronics executive told The Korea Times

Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/

Virtual Keypad For Nokia 5800

When using a Nokia 5800 , sometimes , I come across software which is not meant for S60v5 but acts as a base for it’s updated version to install ( I was using Garmin XT v 5.00.0 to acts as a base for Garmin XT 5.0.50 ) and I need the actual soft keys to click ‘NEXT’ and as the onscreen option on the screen was not responding to touch the solutions I had were to install Apple BT keyboard and use that but it’s too cumbersome , the other solution was to use a Virtual Keypad .

Virtual Keypad gives an Overlay of a small keypad over any program and you can use it just like a regular keypad on any Nokia phone , the Virtual Keypad features a 5 Way D-Pad , full numerical , SHIFT and DEL Keys and two soft keys .

Source: http://senseapplied.com/

Go launches latest addition to Blackberry range

Go and Research In Motion have launched the Blackberry Curve 8520 smartphone for Go customers.

The slim new handset is available for sale from Go or authorised resellers or is available with Pay Monthly plans. It is available at €70 with the Pay Monthly 20 Plan while customers who subscribe to either of the Pay Monthly 40 or Pay Monthly 60 plans get the phone for free.

The Blackberry Curve 8520 provides easy mobile access to e-mail, messaging and popular social networking sites. It features a tactile full-QWERTY keyboard and comes with rich multimedia capabilities and easy access to music, games and other mobile applications for entertainment on the go. It is a world phone and is Wi-Fi-enabled to give consumers faster web browsing and extended data coverage.

It introduces an innovative touch-sensitive track pad that makes scrolling and selection smooth and simple for an outstanding navigation experience.

It is also the first BlackBerry to feature dedicated media keys, smoothly integrated along the top of the handset to give customers an easy, convenient way to control their music and videos.

Source: http://www.timesofmalta.com/

Pay-as-you-go Android hits the UK this week at T-Mobile

Now if you want to try out Android without taking on a hefty contract, there is a pay-as-you-go option for the first time in the UK, with the launch of the T-Mobile Pulse.

The phone shares many of the characteristics of some other Android handsets targeted at the mass market of mobile web users and younger consumers – integrated social networking, simple user interface, midrange media features. The Pulse, which is actually made by Huawei but branded by T-Mobile, offers some of the features of new products like Motorola Dext/Cliq, but without any contract tie-in. Instead, users will have to shell out an upfront £179.99.

The Pulse has good connectivity – HSDPA, Wi-Fi and GPS, better than some smartphones – but is middle of the road on other hardware. For instance, its camera is 3.2-megapixels and has autofocus but no flash. The design is slimline with a 2Gb microSD card included and a 2.5mm headphone jack. It has a 3.5-inch touchscreen.

For those who prefer to spread their payments, the Pulse can also be taken on a two-year deal of £30 a month, spreading TMo’s bets when it has slapped a fairly hefty price tag on the pay-as-you-go option. This taps into the trend for even higher end users to go for prepaid in the current downturn. "We've seen an increase in the take-up of £80-plus devices on prepay," said T-Mobile UK, though it did add that the Pulse was designed to be “aspirational”. It expects the phone to appeal to 18 to 24-year olds, whereas the HTC Android products carried by the carrier were aimed at an older segment and early adopters.

The Pulse came to the UK this week and will also appear over the coming weeks in all T-Mobile’s European territories - Germany, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Macedonia and Croatia.

Other midrange Android handsets are starting to appear to broaden the platform’s appeal beyond the smartphone base. These include the Dext and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Lite, plus another HTC model, the Click/Tattoo.

Source: http://www.unthinkable.biz

HTC Tattoo mobile phone review

HTC has played the biggest part in bringing Android to the masses. If you want a new operating system to take off, you need to gain some degree of market base, which is why the HTC Tattoo is exciting. Like the Huawei's T-Mobile Pulse, the HTC Tattoo is pitched as an entry level device, for those that can't afford a premium phone like the HTC Hero.

It is no surprise to see the Tattoo coming from HTC: they have a history of producing various formats of Windows Mobile devices so are ideally placed to repeat this operation for Android. The HTC Tattoo, then, follows the inoffensive design lines of preceding HTC touch devices and at first glance could easily be taken as a Windows Phone.

Although it is an entry-level or "mass market" device, the build quality is still good. Plastics are used throughout, but they are free from creaks and it looks smart. A range of custom covers will be available with the option of designing your own through tattoomyhtc.com; ours simply had an Android popping his head out of the back cover, the cuddly little chap that he is. The HTC Tattoo measures 106 x 55.2 x 14 mm, so is relatively compact.

The front sees the usual range of controls: Home, Menu, Back and Search sit paired on two rocker keys under the screen, with a central four-way/ok controller flanked by the calling keys. The action on the buttons is reasonable, if a little shallow, although those with bigger hands might find that bending your thumb to use them is a little uncomfortable.

Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com/

Nokia N900 UK release pushed back to November

The Nokia N900, which many of use were hoping to be released in October, seems to have been pushed back to November.

The news came from Peter Schneider, head of Maemo marketing for Nokia, when pointing out that the phone had been well received by members of the developer community.

The impending end of October, the previously assumed (though never confirmed) launch date for the N900, caused some to question whether the new device would be released in time.

However, despite being available for pre-order for weeks, Schneider confirmed in a message. We expect it [the Nokia N900] to start shipping during November 2009".

The reason for the fervour over the anticipated launch is the new phone / UMPC (depending on your point of view) is that it runs on Nokia's new open source Maemo 5 OS, which is tipped to finally help the Finns rival the likes of Android mobiles and the iPhone.

It's also gained some pretty favourable reviews, and we were impressed by it when we got some face time with it on our in-depth hands on.

Still, at least November's not too far away - we should still get our hands on the high-powered mobile before Christmas.

Source: http://www.techradar.com