Samsung Launches New S60 Enabled Handset

Samsung has just introduced a new handset – the L870 that is an S60 embedded smartphone. It's made out of a stainless steel body with a hairline pattern and this slider phone is also just 13.5mm slim. Samsung and Series 60 OS seem to be doing quite well together with the platform complimenting Samsung's handset design.

"We are happy to compliment our product portfolio with yet another appealing S60 mobile, Samsung L870 that is fully customized with style, performance and user interface," says, Jongin Kim, the Vice President of Mobile Communication Division of Samsung Electronics. "With S60, we can successfully deliver the latest mobile technology with fully customizable applications and the intuitive user interfaces."

The L870 is equipped with a 2.4 inch QVGA TFT display with 16 million colors. Other features include an FM radio with RDS, a 3 megapixel camera that's capable of DVD quality video recording, document viewer and microSD external memory card support. It runs on a Symbian OS v9.3 (S60 3rd edition feature pack 2). The handset also supports Bluetooth v2.0, EDGE/GPRS and HSDPA speeds.

Samsung L870 will first be launched in Europe around August and will then be out in all regions where GSM is available. There doesn’t seem to be any pricing attached to the handset yet so stay tuned.

Wyclef Jean Launches ROKR U9 in India

Motorola has launched the MOTOROKR U9 in India. The ROKR U9 was unveiled by Motorola's brand ambassador and international rocker and musician Wyclef Jean who presented the first ROKR U9 to Miss India World 2008 Parvathy Omanakuttan.

The ROKR U9, part of Motorola's music range of handsets is the upgrade to the PEBL and comes equipped with Motorola's CrystalTalk Technology, Bluetooth with an A2DP profile, an external touch semi-sensitive display (only for controlling audio) and a 2 megapixel camera. What makes this phone stand out from being just another Motorola handset is the external display that gives users the feeling that it's floating just under the surface of the handset. It supports animated screensavers as well.

The U9 comes with Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 and supports Windows WMAv10 plus Janus DRM, MP3, AAC, AAC+, AAC+ enhanced file formats. For PC connectivity it supports USB 2.0. It has 25MB internal memory and supports external memory via microSD cards (up to 4GB). Motorola Setup, Backup and Text allow easy setup of the device for Internet browsing, phonebook and text message backup over the air on to secure servers as a free service to users.

The price of the ROKR U9 has not yet been revealed so stay tuned.

Verizon XV6900 Smartphone Available Online in the US

Verizon Wireless has released its newest smartphone called XV6900, online. Based on Windows Mobile 6, the handset offers a QWERTY keyboard, 2 megapixel camera and Bluetooth 2.0 to mobile business professionals.

The XV6900 smartphone has been developed to provide access to Microsoft’s Office application suite, Microsoft Outlook Mobile and Microsoft Exchange Server support as well as instant messaging, Web and email capabilities.

It bundles a five way enter/navigation button, built-in speakerphone, 256MB of user memory, a 2.8-inch touchscreen with 320×240 pixel, Windows Media Player 10 support for up to 8GB of microSD card and Verizon’s EV-DO wireless broadband network.

LG Reveals KF300 Slim Fashion Phone

Fashion phones seem to be the in thing these days. 'If it ain't flashy it's trashy' – seems to be the sort of thing making waves in the mobile phone circuit these days. With Samsung's G600 Belle that recently debuted, LG has one to show off as well, their new KF300.

The KF300, to be brutally honest, while it looks slim and sleek does give off a bit of a girls-only type vibe. And that’s not a bad thing ladies. It’s a flip phone with a 2.2-inch QVGA display on the inside and a 1.3-inch TFT screen on the outside. The external screen has a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels and the inside has a 240 x 320 pixel resolution with 256K colors. It’s quite the feature rich phone with a 2 megapixel camera with auto-focus to boot, Bluetooth, microSD card support, an FM radio as well as a media player. The KF300 will also support EDGE / GPRS. From the images you’ll also see that there are also a few shortcut keys located right under the screen. It also has a five way nav-pad and rather large keys which is surely a good thing.

The LG KF300 will be available in black and pink. Unfortunately there seems to be no price tag associated with the handset yet. Stay Tuned.

LG Officially Launches the KF510 Globally

We said it would be out in March and here it is, LG’s KF510 has been launched globally today, but don’t expect it on shelves so soon. With it’s dazzling color gradations of Stardust Dark Gray and Sunset Red on the full metal exterior, smooth slider and of course gleaming LED lights of the navigation touchpad.

This slim slider is just 10.9mm thin. It has a 2.2 inch TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 256k colors. Its other features include a 3 megapixel autofocus camera with a flash and image stabilizer technology, Bluetooth with an A2DP profile, a media player for audio and video and an FM radio. It also supports external memory via microSD cards and supports EDGE and GPRS.

What makes this phone really stand out are the LED lights on the touch sensitive navigation pad. The KF510 uses a new ‘Interactive Touch Lighting’ system that is animated in sequence to the features being used on the phone. The handset also has an Auto Luminance Control (ALC), which self-adjusts to the brightness of the LED screen.

"With its sleek aesthetic and superior technology, it will appeal to many discerning consumers that value both style and substance." said Dr. Skott Ahn, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

LG-KF510 will be available at most major mobile retailers in regions including Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, from April. Sadly no price tag seems to have been disclosed yet.

Samsung's G600 is Now a Ladies Phone

It seems like there are more and more mobiles being designed for the not-so-weaker sex. And why not? I ask you. After all, without being sexist, I think that’s why the telephone was invented, for people who love to talk. Samsung's G600 with its 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with image stabilizer technology and other multimedia capabilities has now been slightly modified to suit the fairer sex. Then again, I presumed that mobile phones were unisex as it is.

he new G600 Belle will be out in Burgundy and get this – the packaging will include three bottles of nail polish by nail inc. Of course the regular features remain unchanged. They include Bluetooth with A2DP, a video and audio player, stereo FM radio, microSD memory card support and of course it still has it’s 2.2 inch, 240 x 360 pixel resolution, 16 million color TFT display. Let’s not forget, the G600 also has a TV out feature, supports and EDGE and Bluetooth printing.

The Samsung G600 will be available through phones4u.co.uk starting on April 1 and hopefully it’ll also be out here, so ladies hold on to your... well whatever it is you hold on to.

Sony Ericsson Launches W890 in India

Sony Ericsson launched the latest addition to its Walkman series portfolio – W890. The W890 Walkman phone offers Mega Bass and Stereo Widening speakers with 2GB of storage capacity (2GB M2 card is provided in-box) allowing storage of upto 1800 songs. It also comes equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera. The W890 also comes with a color matched stereo headset.

Speaking at the occasion, Sudhin Mathur, GM, Sony Ericsson India said, "The W890 Walkman phone is truly a small slim phone that delivers a full Walkman experience with a unique proposition of mega music in mini size. With the W890, we aim to address the needs of young music connoisseurs who demand the latest Walkman features and fast downloads.

The W890 phone incorporates the Walkman Player 3.0, the latest in Walkman technology, which offers one-click access to the player and simple, intuitive navigation and control of the music library. It also has an integrated FM radio (with RDS). The SensMe music experience that the W890 also incorporates automatically plots your music by tempo and mood – letting you select the song that matches how you feel. For connectivity the W8990 is equipped with Bluetooth (A2DP), HSDPA capabilities and Bluetooth support. It also comes with TrackID. With it’s 3.2 megapixel camera the W890 also allows users to upload photos to a personal online gallery.

The W890 will be available in three stylish colours - Espresso Black, Mocha Brown and Sparking Silver, and will be available at a price tag of Rs. 15,990 at all RPG Cellucom stores and Sony Ericsson Experience Stores.

Palm Launches The Centro in India

Palm has introduced the glacier white Palm Centro smartphone in India, with voice, text, email, web, contact and calendar capabilities, a full-color touch screen and full keyboard.

"The combination of keyboard, touch screen and Palm's trademark ease of use makes Centro intuitive and easy to use for staying in touch," said Olivier Rozay, Palm's regional director for Asia Pacific. "Consumers who are thinking about stepping up to a smartphone will find Centro the perfect first choice – it's rich in features but also comes in a small, cool design."

With a new compact design, Centro is the smallest and lightest Palm phone to date, comes with Palm OS by ACCESS, and offers all the organizer functionalities that Palm offers.

The Centro features a touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard, with key features such as one-touch speakerphone, conference calling and Bluetooth connectivity. It keeps all conversations in a chat-style view, just like Instant Messaging, so users can see the entire conversation unfold. Personal email, such as Gmail and Yahoo!, is simple to access right out of the box, while Microsoft Direct Push Technology gives users access to their corporate email.

In addition to usual smartphone capabilities, Centro is highly customizable with thousands of applications available.

The full keyboard and touch screen provide quick access to online information and allow users to directly feed their personal blogs. Pocket Tunes on Centro lets users "sideload" songs and manage music, audio books and videos easily. Users can also shoot pictures or videos with the built-in digital camera and share them with friends.

The Palm Centro smartphone is available now at a recommended retail price of Rs. 13,990 (inclusive of tax) and will be distributed through Brightstar Telecom India Pvt Ltd., the national distributor.

Centro will be available in IT retail stores in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Pune and Chandigarh.

WinMob v6.0 to Support 480 x 800 Resolution

Newer Windows Mobile Devices will be upgraded in terms of display resolution. Currently almost all Windows mobile devices support resolutions of 320 x 240. With the new Windows Mobile v6.0, a new update has been introduced that will help make the Windows Mobile experience a little better in terms of viewing quality

The update will help support resolutions of up to 480 x 800 (DVD-like) pixels and using accelerometers the devices will be able to detect portrait or landscape orientation changes to make the appropriate changes to the display. But we still have to see this in action to let you in on exactly how it looks. Stay Tuned.

Via Intomobile.

Nokia's N82 Finally Released

After being teased with the info that the phone exists, but with no news on the release date or pricing, it’s finally here. Nokia has launched the N82. Another high end mobile from the Finnish mobile makers with a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. But this time, unlike the N95, they equipped the phone with a Xenon flash.

The N82 is also equipped with A-GPS for navigation with preinstalled Nokia maps and all the standard packages come with a free voice guided navigation trial. You can purchase additional features, such as city guides and longer subscription to the navigation. Also available in the standard pack is a 2GB micro SD card.

"The evolution of camera capabilities in mobile devices has been extremely fast over the past years. With the Nokia N82 we have reached such a superior level in image quality, speed and ease of use that not only does it outperform any other camera phone on the market, but it's also a very credible alternative for single purpose digital still cameras," said Satu Ehrnrooth, head of Nokia Nseries Cameras Category, Multimedia, Nokia. "In addition to the high-end camera, the Nokia N82 also enables you to navigate and discover new places, enjoy your music, browse the web, play games, chat online and be part of the global web 2.0 community wherever you go. Thanks to the wireless broadband connectivity, convergence and yet again increased performance, the Nokia N82 is all you need in your pocket!"
Among the other features are Wi-Fi connectivity, 3G capabilities with HSDPA for faster internet connection, Bluetooth with A2DP capabilities and miniUSB v2.0. The N82 also has an integrated Stereo FM radio, TV out, document viewer and a new auto rotate feature so if the phone is turned the display automatically switches to landscape mode. It also supports N-Gage games and has a direct upload feature for your images, so it will simultaneously upload your files while you use the phone for any other purpose.

The Nokia N82 is available now in key markets with an estimated, pre-tax, unsubsidized sales price of approximately Rs. 25,810(450 euros).

Nokia Gets Arty With the New 8800s

Nokia’s 8800 series has always embodied class, elegance and a very artful feel and has always managed to make the very traditional, simplistic design look like something that’s more of a status symbol than a mobile phone. The latest additions to the series are the Nokia 8800 Arte (art) and Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte.

Both phones are essentially the same, except for the fact that the Sapphire Arte version has a genuine sapphire gemstone embedded in the center of the 5 way nav-pad. Aside from their traditional metal and glass bodies the surfaces now have an Anti-fingerprint coating (about time guys). Both these new models have taken the series to whole new level being equipped with a 3 megapixel, auto-focus cameras, 3G capabilities and having 1GB of internal memory. They also come with 2 inch, QVGA, 240x320 pixels resolution, OLED displays with up to 16 million colors. The Arte models also use the new standardized microUSB connectors for charging and data transfer.

Apart from the physical traits that clearly make these models in the series stand out, Nokia has also incorporated some fancy new technology into these Arte pieces. First off is the "turn-to-mute" feature wherein all you need to do if you want to silence an incoming call is simply flip the phone over on it’s back. Another new feature is a Tap for Time function. By lightly tapping the metal portion under the screen an analogue clock appears on the screen.

Continuing a tradition of incorporating exclusive soundtracks in its premium handsets, Nokia has invited the internationally acclaimed master producers Kruder & Dorfmeister to add their standout musical style by creating a unique compilation for these new devices. Owners of the Nokia 8800 Arte and Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte will be able to enjoy an exclusive videotrack and soundtrack composed by Kruder & Dorfmeister with visuals by Fritz Fitzke.

Each handset comes with an assortment of mobile accessories that includes the Nokia BH-803 Bluetooth headset with Active Noise Cancellation and touch sensitive volume adjustment. Each handset also comes with a leather pouch with a linen lining and a separate matching desk stand.

The Nokia 8800 Arte will start shipping in the fourth quarter of 2007 at an estimated retail price of Rs. 57,355 (1000 EUR) before taxes and subsidies. The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte will follow in the first quarter of 2008 and retail for approximately Rs. 65,957 (1150 EUR) before taxes and subsidies.

Sneak a Peek at Nokia's N82

The Nokia N82 seems like it could revolutionize Nokia fans with a whole bunch of new features that also include auto screen rotation, that seems to be the ‘In’ thing these days with phones like the iPhone and Sony Ericsson’s W910i. According to Symbian-Freak.com, the auto rotation application is utilized for almost, if not all instances in the new Symbian OS.

Aside from that the N82 will be fully equipped for connectivity with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (presumably with A2DP compatibility of course), 3G, N-Gage gaming application and let's not forget the 5 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss lens and a xenon flash. It’s also supposed to have 132MB of internal memory with 128MB of RAM for speed.

Here’s another phone I’d love to get my greedy little hands on, unfortunately there seems to be no indication on when it’s going to be released and what the price would be.

SE W960i, Music Stand Hit Stores This Month

Sony Ericsson announced yesterday that the W960 Walkman phone will start to ship this month. A potent combination of a slim UMTS and Wi-Fi enabled phone with a high-performance media player, the W960 will be available in selected markets across the world in time for the Christmas season.

The vinyl-black W960 was unveiled in June 2007 and marks the next generation of Walkman phones, with room for up to 8,000 songs and finger-touch navigation through playlists on the large 2.6 inch touchscreen. It is equipped with a 3.2 MP camera, and the display can be used as a widescreen for watching video in TV quality.

"The W960 has been generating a lot of consumer excitement since the day it was announced," said Ben Padley, Head of Music Product Group at Sony Ericsson. "As the next instalment in our hugely popular Walkman phone series, we are confident that this mix of 3G phone, Walkman player and quality camera will prove to be a hit, and a great complement to the rest of the range."

Sony Ericsson’s Music Desk Stand MDS-65 will also hit the stores around the same time. The MDS-65 lets you charge the phone while experiencing high-fidelity sound on its four full-range neodymium magnet speakers. The MDS-65 has the option of portability as it can run on batteries.

Prices haven't been disclosed yet.

Google Forays Into Cellphone Market

today that it is developing a free cellphone software package so the Internet search leader can more easily peddle ads and services to people who aren't in front of a PC.

While the announcement ended months of speculation about the Mountain View-based company's cellular ambitions, the first phones equipped with Google's so-called 'software stack' still won't be available until the second half of 2008.

Diversifying into cell phone software could open more digital doors for Google to build upon the trove of information that it has collected about its users' personal interests so it can profit by showing more appealing ads.

Google won't be making the phones, however. Nor does it plan to stamp its prized brand on the devices. Instead, it will work with four cell phone manufacturers who have agreed to use Google's programs in their handsets. Consumers will have to buy a new phone because the bundle isn't made for existing handsets.

Engineers have been working on the software for three years, dating back to a Silicon Valley startup called Android Inc. that Google acquired in 2005. The mobile software still bears the Android name in acknowledgment of its heritage.

"This is going to bring the Internet into cell phones in a very cool way," said Andy Rubin, an Android co-founder who is now Google's director of mobile platforms.

Even with its market debut months away, Google's software looms as a significant threat to other mobile operating systems made by Microsoft Corp., Research In Motion Ltd., Palm Inc. and Symbian, which is owned by Nokia Corp. and several other major phone makers.

Because Google's software will be free, it could undercut rivals who charge handset makers to install their operating systems. It also promises to make smart phones less expensive since manufacturers won't have to pay for software.

Google's system will also be based on computer code that can be openly distributed among programmers. That, Google hopes, will encourage developers to create new applications and other software improvements that could spawn new uses for smart phones. A development tool kit for working on the new platform will be released next week.

"This is a shot that is going to be heard around the world, but it's just the first shot in what is going to be a very protracted battle in the next frontier of the mobile Web," said Michael Gartenberg, a Jupiter Research vice president.

So far, Motorola Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., HTC and LG Electronics Inc. have agreed to use Google's software in some of their phones. Both Motorola and Samsung already buy Microsoft's Windows Mobile in some of their phones.

Some key details, like pricing and how many phones will be shipped next year, have yet to be worked out. But it's quite likely that the Google-equipped smart phones will cost less than the popular iPhone that Apple Inc. began selling in June.

Samsung Launches New Win Mobile 6 Phone

Samsung has launched another new mobile. Yes, one more. This time it’s a new Windows mobile though. The SPH-M4650 (a rather lengthy name to remember), is their latest release and features a 2.8 inch touchscreen display that doesn’t support multi-touch for some reason. It also seems to have a DMB TV Tuner. Among its other features is a 2 megapixel camera and it also has Bluetooth, but whether or not it will support A2DP is not yet confirmed but in all probability, considering it’s running on Window Mobile 6.0 it just might.

There’s been no word on the official price or availability of the SPH-M4650 though it’s estimated to cost about Rs. 21,700 (500,000 won).

Via Akhiabara and Engadget.

LG's Shine Goes Wooden

At first glance you may think LG decided to follow today’s trend for natural products when it designed this mobile phone. But take another look and you'll see the device is not made of wood after all – it only looks like it is. The phone is actually encased in a faux wood-like finish

The Shine Wood – that’s the official name – is called the LG LB-2500H in Korea. This flip phone has a 2 megapixel camera, MP3 player, Bluetooth, and support for a memory card. The display is 2.2 inches, with 262K colors, but the resolution hasn't been revealed yet.

Rumor has it that the LG Shine Wood will be launched in Korea soon, and should cost around 362 Euro (Rs 20,500). Stay tuned.

Via Akihabara News.

Apple Imposes New Limits on iPhone Sales

Apple Inc. no longer accepts cash for iPhone purchases and now limits sales of the cell phone to two per person in a move to stop people from reselling them.

The new policy started Thursday, according to Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris. Before then, there was no cash restriction and the purchase limit was five per person.

"Customer response to the iPhone has been off the charts, and limiting iPhone sales to two per customer helps us ensure that there are enough iPhones for people who are shopping for themselves or buying a gift," Kerris said. "We're requiring a credit or debit card for payment to discourage unauthorized resellers."

More than 1.4 million units of the hybrid cell phone-iPod have been sold since it debuted on June 29, according to Apple. It is expected to be a hot gift for the holidays.

Apple thinks some people already have purchased multiple iPhones to resell, including those looking to modify or 'unlock' the phones so they work on networks other than AT&T, Apple's carrier partner in the US.

Apple estimates that buyers of 250,000 of the iPhones sold so far intended to unlock them, Apple COO Tim Cook said in a conference call with analysts this week.

Apple's attempts to prevent that 'unlocking' activity, which included a software update that blocked hackers' workarounds, have frustrated users – and sparked two lawsuits.

Rugged Windows Mobile PDA Announced

A company called Psion Teklogix has developed what might be called a rugged or outdoorsy Windows Mobile PDA called the iKon. Its 2 megapixel camera can be used as a scanner/barcode reader and the 3.7 inch VGA display can function as the viewfinder.

This apparently heavy-duty mobile runs on Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional with an Intel XScale processor. It’s equipped with 128MB of RAM and 128MB of ROM, and supports external memory via microSD cards. It also has an integrated GPS unit.

The device is EDGE-enabled and has Wi-Fi support, USB and Bluetooth v2.1. According to the company, it can withstand a five-foot drop on to concrete, and is also well protected from dust and water.

The iKon will be launched in the US this December, but there’s no word on the pricing yet.

Via Engadget.

i-mate Reveals Two New Ultimates

The Ultimate 8502 and the Ultimate 9502 are the two latest additions to i-mate’s growing collection of Windows Mobile devices.

Both phones feature Wi-Fi, in-built GPS receivers, AV-in and AV-out, and QWERTY keypads. They are triband phones with GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA. Both run on Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional and are equipped with Qualcomm MSM 7200 400 MHz processors.

In addition to these similarities, the two devices are Bluetooth-enabled and A2DP-compatible, with 256MB ROM and 128MB of RAM. They also support external memory with microSD cards and use 2.5mm earphone sockets (which seems to be a major turn-off).

The Ultimate 8502 is equipped with a 2 megapixel camera (with LED flash), supports Push Email, and has document viewers for MS Documents and PDF files. Its 2.6 inch TFT touchscreen display has a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels with 256k colors.

What seems to be the Big Brother of the Ultimate series is the i-mate Ultimate 9502 that comes off looking more like some sort of Tablet PC. The QWERTY keyboard is under the large 2.8 inch TFT touchscreen display that has a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels with 256k colors.

The display simply slides up, much as in the Sony Vaio UMPC. The 9502 is equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera, auto-focus, LED flash, and a secondary camera for video calling. The device is quite heavy at 200g

Neither the pricing nor availability of these phones have been disclosed yet, so stay tuned.

Via GSM Arena.

Samsung's G800 to Launch in November

Samsung’s latest camera phone, the triband G800, has a 5 megapixel, auto-focus camera with a xenon flash and 3x optical zoom. The camera utilizes face detection for taking better snaps. All this is neatly concealed with a lens cover for protection and style.

That’s impressive enough, but just in case you’re picky and such features don’t hold you in thrall, the G800 has plenty more to... well, tickle your tech-bone.

Apart form the camera, the G800 has a 2.4 inch TFT LCD display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 256k colors. It’s equipped with 160MB of internal memory. As if that’s not enough, the G800 can be fitted with a microSD card for more memory.

Connectivity-wise, the G800 is GPRS, EDGE-enabled with HSDPA for fast transfer of data. Bluetooth with A2DP compatibility and USB v2.0 come bundled. It also has an FM radio and a document viewer.

The phone will hit the European market next month but there’s no word on the official price. Estimates, however, hover around Rs 24,000 (approx. $600). Stay tuned!