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/

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/