News

Sony Ericsson chose the week the premium multimedia Apple iPhone was launched in the UK to unveil four new devices, each pitched to the mass market and tailored to specific user needs.

The new budget W380i and mid-range W890i handsets are, in accordance with its Walkman branding, are billed as music phones. Both feature Sony Ericsson's PlayNow and Track ID services.

The W890i SE Walkman is very similar to the previous Sony Ericsson Walkman W880i looks wise, apart from the awkward buttons have been replaced with nice flush ones which will make texting much more pleasurable as it should be. It also has an improved 3.2MP digital camera and a more impressive 2" screen along with a 2GB memory stick micro and continues with the tiny depth dimensions of only 9.9mm.

Vodafone last week backed Nokia's potentially disruptive move into digital content provision, just as rival manufacturers Sony Ericsson and LG Mobile counted themselves out of any face-off with their network partners over mobile content.

Nokia's deal with Vodafone is the second major endorsement for its 'Ovi' content portal, following O2 parent company Telefónica's decision to integrate its network services with Nokia's content play last month.

The Vodafone deal will see Nokia Ovi services made available on a range of 3G and HSDPA Nokia handsets ranged by the network, alongside its own content offering. Nokia has agreed to make certain devices exclusive to Vodafone as part of the agreement.

Motorola announced its new bluetooth in-car speakerphone and Digital FM transmitter, MOTOROKR T505, its first road-ready, music-oriented ROKR accessory and the latest addition to its portfolio of in-car solutions. With MOTOROKR T505 you can connect a Bluetooth enabled phone to the car sound system and enjoy hands-free calling and your favorite music in outstanding stereo sound.

The T505 is extremely portable and requires no wires or installation. Drivers simply clip the device to a car's visor and pair the T505 using Motorola's EasyPair technology to a compatible Bluetooth device. When the T505 is connected to a stereo Bluetooth phone, such as a MOTORAZR or MOTOROKR Z6, or an MP3 player, calls and music are streamed wirelessly with the perfectly-tuned clarity and wide-ranging volume of a car stereo. Drivers with standard Bluetooth phones can use the T505 to make and take their calls over the car stereo. And when the ride's over, the T505 can be easily unhooked and taken to another car for the next trip.

We're glad to see Motorola starting to claw their way back to their days as a leader in the mobile industry. Moto just secured a significant portion of the top ten 3G handsets sold in the US this past Q3 2007, and they're not going to just sit back and bask (which is the mistake they made with their initial successes in the Moto RAZR V3) in their achievements. Motorola has announced that they'll be running a blitz on the mobile space by pushing some 20-30 handsets onto the market in 2008.

In the coming year, Motorola will also stress strengthening its relations with channel partners in Taiwan and to pursue a balance between sales volume and profitability while gearing up efforts to boost performance, according to Bill Chen, newly appointed general manager of mobile device business at Motorola Taiwan.

Motorola currently was ranked as the fourth largest vendor in the Taiwan handset market accounting for a 13.6% share, compared to Nokia's 32%, Sony Ericsson's 20.6% and Samsung Electronics' 14-15%, according a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report as well as sources at Samsung.

Motorola on November 19 launched it RAZR 2 V8 Luxury Edition handset and other 2GB V8 models in Taiwan targeting the high-end segment, with the company planning to introduce its 3G-version V9, ROKR Z8 music handset and 3.5G Q9 smartphone in the local market before the end of this year, according to company sources.

Motorola has ventured into the development of Android-based handsets, but the company still has no timetable for the launch the open-platform mobile devices, Chen stated.

Samsung USA has announced that the BlackJack II (SGH-i617) will go on sale on Friday, which is known in much of the USA as Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. Initially the BlackJack II will be available in black only, but the red wine colored unit will go on sale on December 12th. The BlackJack II will be available from AT&T online and retail locations for US$149.99 with a new two year contract, after a mail-in rebate.

Released for AT&T, the Samsung BlackJack II is the successor to the BlackJack, an thin and lightweight QWERTY smartphone.

Like the original BlackJack, the BlackJack II is a WM Smartphone and lacks a touchscreen. Other features include 256MB of flash memory, EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA network support, Bluetooth 2.0, a built-in GPS receiver, a microSD slot with support for both standard and SDHC high capacity flash memory cards and a 2MP digital camera.

The revised keyboard layout will reportedly include a button marked "TV," implying that the BlackJack II may further its predecessor's multimedia focus.

Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) is said to be preparing a whole new "9000-series" operating system and device platform to take on Apple Inc., Google, and others in 2008.

The 9000-series is described by Carmi Levy, an analyst at AR Communications Inc. , as "the future of the BlackBerry franchise," a complete breakaway from the device's business roots.

Dan Jones of the wireless news site Unstrung, has been told by clued-in analyst Carmi Levy that he expects a BlackBerry 9000 series with iPhone-like touchscreen functionality to be released in the first quarter of 2008. "They were originally shooting for the second half of 2007," he notes.

Levy takes this as an indication that BlackBerry is diverging even more significantly from its once top-down, enterprise-specific roots.

"The 9000 is supposed to be a touch-screen device, very similar in form factor to the iPhone," Levy tells Jones. "Which means that it is not an enterprise-friendly device."

"The 9000 series will break from the traditional half-screen, half-keyboard look of the BlackBerry," Jones writes. The handsets will also incorporate an upgraded multimedia system, along with the standard push email capabilities. Better MP3 and video capabilities are crucial if RIM is to take on Apple, Google, and others."

Verizon Wireless, the wireless company with the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung) today announced the online availability of the Verizon Wireless FlipShot(TM) by Samsung.

Featuring a 3.0 megapixel built-in camera with a rotating display for optimal viewing while in camera mode and available in black, the FlipShot enables photo enthusiasts to capture picture-perfect moments while carrying a device that allows for full mobile phone functionality and high-quality digital photos. The handset features Bluetooth® capability for headsets, stereo, car kits, object push (for vCard only), basic image and basic print as well as a business card scanner.

Additional features of the new Verizon Wireless FlipShot by Samsung include:

• 3.0 megapixel camera with Digital Zoom
• Camcorder
• Living Wallpaper
• PictBridge printing capable
• V CAST Music and Video capable
• Speakerphone
• Get it Now®
• Messaging Services - SMS, EMS and MMS messaging, e-mail, Mobile IM and chat
• VZ Navigator(SM)
• Mobile Web 2.0(SM)
• Dimensions: 3.76" X 1.83" X .73" with standard battery
• Personal organizer with Calendar, Calculator, Notepad, Alarm Clock and World Clock
• Display: 240 X 320 pixel, 260K color TFT Internal

The FlipShot is available today online at www.verizonwireless.com for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.

Reacting to a legal ruling, Germany's T-Mobile has announced that it will soon begin selling the iPhone without any required contract. A court yesterday granted Vodafone a preliminary injunction against T-Mobile, which since November 9th has been selling the iPhone for €399 with a two-year contract, much like the one enforced for AT&T's iPhone in the United States. Although T-Mobile had said it would ignore the injunction on at least a temporary basis, it has already devised a price for a contract-free product: €999, or $1,477. By contrast, the total cost of the iPhone with contract would be €1,575 ($2,329).

Vodafone has complained that T-Mobile's terms have been unfair, and that the company should not be allowed to lock phones to its service. Unlike the US, it is common in Europe for customers to unlock their cellphones; in some countries, it is even illegal for a carrier to sell phones without the option of an unlocked version. T-Mobile's option however will mark the first time the iPhone has ever been sold unlocked, as Apple has traditionally insisted that its product be an exclusive. Another unlocked iPhone will likely debut on November 29th, when it will arrive at the French carrier Orange.

Update: Reuters now reports that customers who have bought an iPhone from T-Mobile since November 19th will be able to get it unlocked for free, but some unspecified features will be broken as a result.