13 March 2008
Puretracks, a Toronto-based digital music provider, is launching a music service
for BlackBerrys that could help make RIM's (NSDQ: RIMM) enterprise-focused
devices more consumer-friendly. RIM will be under increasing pressure as Apple (NSDQ:
AAPL) gears up to launch Microsoft's (NSDQ: MSFT) ActiveSync on the iPhone,
enabling enterprise users to get email, calendar and contacts pushed to the
iPhone. Enabling Blackberry devices to do more consumer services may widen the
appeal of Blackberry devices, and enable some users to carry just one device for
both their work and personal lives.
Puretracks is partnered with Universal, Sony (NYSE: SNE) BMG, Warner, EMI, and
independent labels worldwide. The store will debut in the U.S., but there's no
word on how much the tracks will cost, or if Puretracks will partner with
carriers or go direct to consumers. Puretracks, which is building the service
with the help of Magnet Mobile Media, will show off the DRM-free service
tomorrow at SXSW in Austin before launching at CTIA next month. The music store
will be available on the BlackBerry Pearl, the BlackBerry Curve and the 8800
series, which already have music players embedded into the phones. Release.
info: http://www.moconews.net
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12 March 2008
O2 have been in the Windows Smartphone market
longer than most - the original O2 XDA was launched way back in 2002, and it was
one of the very first Windows devices on the market. Originally O2 relied on HTC,
but recently it has gone elsewhere to source its latest XDA handsets.
So, the new O2 XDA Atmos is a little different from other carrier's Windows
smartphones in that it isn't an HTC device, and is presumably made by ASUS. A
tri-band UMTS device with HSDPA high-speed data, WiFi, quad-band GSM, GPRS and
EDGE, the XDA Atmos ticks all the boxes when it comes to connectivity.
The 2.4" touchscreen is pretty normal too, and the O2 XDA Atmos comes with
Windows Mobile 6 and all the usual software that you would expect, including
push email support and "Pocket" versions of Microsoft Office.
info: http://www.mobilegazette.com/
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 11 March 2008
It appears that Alltel is set to launch a new device, known as the LG Glimmer,
soon. The Glimmer is a slider handset that sports a large 2.8" touchscreen
display and 2 megapixel camera. It also is capable of 3G data speeds, thanks to
its support of Alltel's EV-DO network, and comes equipped with Bluetooth and a
microSD card slot.The Glimmer weighs in at a slightly hefty 127g (4.5oz) but
still features a rather thin 15mm (.6") profile. While Alltel has yet to
formally announce the device, LG's Korean offices put out a press release that
spoke of its impending release.
info: http://www.mobileburn.com/
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9 March 2008
Two top executives at Motorola have departed ways with the company. The
moves come amid the downward spiral the company is facing currently.
Kenneth C. Keller Jr. left the company last Friday (Feb. 29th).
Motorola waited till yesterday to break the news of Mr. Keller's departure.
He had been the Chief Marketing Officer since October 2006 and is not being
replaced as of now instead, his two former deputies, Eduardo Conrado and
Jeremy Dale, will be reporting to the presidents of their divisions. Conrado
handles the marketing for Motorola's business-to-business products while
Dale oversees the mobile device sector of the company.
Stu Reed, the now-former president of Motorola's Mobile Devices business,
is the second executive to leave within a week. As of now there is no word
on who will be filling Mr. Reed's position.Before Mr. Reed was president, he
had helped Motorola in transferring their supply chain organization, new
product introduction, manufacturing and customer fulfillment along with
creating significant cost savings by consolidating suppliers.
info: http://www.phonenews.com/
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 5 March 2008
As Barcelona gets back to normal after
being descended upon by a who's who, and what's what, of mobile, MaryLou Costa
picks through the pieces of the biggest industry event in the calendar.
The rumpus in Hall 8 of the Fira Di Barcelona centred on new touchscreen
handsets, the launches of which will precede a scramble for market share gains
in the UK over the coming months.
Despite the annual rush of press releases from show hosts the GSM Association
(GSMA), the Mobile World Congress has increasingly become an event about
devices.
This year's show in Barcelona was no exception - advertising from
manufacturers was most prominent and, with the notable exception of Motorola,
the big five had kept their 2008 powder dry for this event to unveil the
headline acts in their forthcoming handset portfolios.
On the back of the success of its Viewty and Prada touchscreen devices, LG
entered Barcelona with a triple whammy - the KF700, KF600 and K510, all
touchscreen sliders with three megapixel cameras. The Korean manufacturer also
launched its first GPS-enabled smartphone, the Symbian-powered KT610.
info: http://www.mobilenewscwp.co.uk/
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The mobile phone or mobile, also called a wireless,
cellular phone, cell phone (AKA: cellphone), cell or hand phone (HP),[1] is a
long-range, portable electronic device used for mobile communication that uses a
network of specialized base stations known as cell sites. In addition to the
standard voice function of a telephone, current mobile phones can support many
additional services, and accessories, such as SMS for text messaging, email,
packet switching for access to the Internet, and MMS for sending and receiving
photos and video. Most current mobile phones connect to a cellular network of
base stations (cell sites), which is in turn interconnected to the public
switched telephone network (PSTN) (the exception is satellite phones). |
