Samsung SGH-t629 Review - MobileTechReviews

MobileTechReviews refviews the Samsung SGH-t629 and writes, "The 1.3 megapixel camera produces JPEG images and sports several modes, including video. Resolution runs from 176x144 up to 1280x1024 pixels, and the 4x digital zoom brings those distant objects up close and personal at the price of some resolution. If you want to be in the picture, the t629 has a 3, 5, and 10 second timer. Image quality is good by 1.3MP camera standards with mostly accurate colors and decent low light capabilities (though low light images lose color saturation). If you cover action events like sports, the t629 offers a 6 and 9 picture multi-shot mode which takes that many pictures with a single button press. Not fast enough? Then try the 9 or 15 high speed multi-shot mode. Want to cover a larger area? The mosaic mode allows pictures to be knit together. The camera software offers up special effects, changes to color tone, can put a decorative frame around your pictures, and rotates photos, plus allows the user to control the brightness."

Samsung SGH-t629 Review - MobileTechReviews

MobileTechReviews refviews the Samsung SGH-t629 and writes, "The 1.3 megapixel camera produces JPEG images and sports several modes, including video. Resolution runs from 176x144 up to 1280x1024 pixels, and the 4x digital zoom brings those distant objects up close and personal at the price of some resolution. If you want to be in the picture, the t629 has a 3, 5, and 10 second timer. Image quality is good by 1.3MP camera standards with mostly accurate colors and decent low light capabilities (though low light images lose color saturation). If you cover action events like sports, the t629 offers a 6 and 9 picture multi-shot mode which takes that many pictures with a single button press. Not fast enough? Then try the 9 or 15 high speed multi-shot mode. Want to cover a larger area? The mosaic mode allows pictures to be knit together. The camera software offers up special effects, changes to color tone, can put a decorative frame around your pictures, and rotates photos, plus allows the user to control the brightness."

LG enV VX9900 Review - MobileTechReview

MobileTechReview has a review up of the LG enV VX9900 and has this to say about the phone's camera: "The VX9900 has an unusual 2 megapixel camera: it offers both fixed focus and autofocus modes-- usually you get one or the other but not both. In fixed focus mode it works like most camera phones, taking the photo nearly instantly with less than superb focus and no depth of field. Put the camera in either 1 or 2 step autofocus and the subject is in sharp focus, with a 1 to 2 second delay before the shot is taken. In 1 step mode the camera autofocuses and shows you the focus screen (a yellow square in the middle of the frame) then takes the shot. In two step mode it autofocuses, again showing the yellow autofocus square which turns red when it's done focusing so you can press the shutter button. Does autofocus improve image quality? Yes. Overall image quality is good by US camera phone standards but the VX9900 won't be the envy of the Nokia 2 to 3MP camera phone crowd. Images show some noise and grain even in well lit indoor settings, but resized down to 800 x 600 a 1600 x 1200 (maximum) resolution image looks quite good on a PC screen. Colors are accurate and the enV handles bright highlights well by phone standards with only modest whiting-out of highlights."

LG U830 Chocolate Phone

The LG U830 Chocolate flip phone sports a 2 megapixel camera as well as the following features:

* HSDPA
* 185MB storage
* stereo Bluetooth
* music player


Via EngadgetMobile..

Sanyo M1 Review - Infosync

Infosync reviews the Sanyo M1 and writes about the phone's camera: "Almost every camera we've tested on a mobile phones has been disappointing, and the Sanyo M1 -- which excels at almost all other functions -- is no different. Indeed, the snapshots we took using the phone's 2-megapixel looked fuzzy and cold. Videos from the camcorder were better, but still showed a great deal of pixilation and noise. The phone has a plethora of editing options, including cropping, fun frames and color effects. Also, it is easy to send your (lousy) images to your computer via Bluetooth or USB, to friends via MMS or e-mail, or even to a printer via PictBridge."

Nokia 8800 Sirocco Edition Review - MobileBurn

MobileBurn reviews the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Edition and writes about the phone's camera: "As previously mentioned, one of the updates for the Sirocco Edition is the camera. It is now a 2MP CMOS sensor, up from the original 8800's SVGA resolution. Picture quality is acceptable, though the biggest problem is the white balance. Even when given a choice of five preset white balance settings, it is almost impossible to find the correct setting indoors. Video wise, the 8800 Sirocco Edition can record at resolutions up to 176x144 pixels, but quality is only average. The user interface on the 8800 Sirocco Edition is the old Nokia Series 40 v2. As always, it is easy to use, though it is relatively slow in loading compared to newer Series 40 and S60 devices. In the gallery view, you still get to choose to browse your pictures in either a list or 3x3 thumbnail format. Sometimes it can take more than 4 seconds to open the picture gallery, though."

Cingular BlackJack Review - MobilitySite

MobilitySite reviews the Cingular BlackJack and writes about the phone's performance, and its 1.3 megapixel camera, "One of the biggest differences i've noticed between using a Windows Mobile Smartphone and a Pocket PC Phone is the actual voice call experience. While I do love the added functionality of the Pocket PC phones, it seems that all the Smartphones i've used/tested consistently have better cellular signal. The Blackjack is no exception to this. I have had no coverage issues and the "at home" test passes with flying colors. I've talked about how I live a little off the beaten path in other reviews and how many bars I get "at home". The Blackjack ranks right up there with the 3125 as one of the strongest signals.

Voice quality both ways is excellent. ... This 1.3 Megapixel camera does a decent job taking some candid photos. The camera makes the unit thicker in one spot on the rear of the device and I would love to see a camera less version, but it's still not too bad. The software that drives the camera operation is one of the best apps I've used so far. I have the Blackjack set up to where I can take a snapshot and send to an email address attached to my Flickr account, which in turn blogs the photo."

Vodafone 710

3G has a review of the Vodafone 710 and writes about the phone's camera: "You can't use this lens to take a picture of yourself. And you can't start the camera without opening the clam. When you do open the phone up a tap of key on the phone’s right edge activates the camera and you're ready to shoot photos or video. Both are fairly limited. The maximum video resolution is 176 x 144 pixels and the maximum image resolution is 1.3 megapixels (1280 x 1024 pixels). You can apply just a couple of effects: sepia and monochrome, and can set the white balance so that it is appropriate for fluorescent, incandescent, outdoor, indoor, or night lighting or simply have that automatically set itself."

Cingular to offer MySpace on cellphones

Cingular, the largest U.S. wireless phone carrier, will offer a version of popular Internet social network MySpace on its phones in an expansion of their partnership, the companies plan to announce on Monday.

For an additional $2.99 per month, customers will be able to upload photos taken on cellphones, read and respond to MySpace e-mails, update blog entries and view and search for friends from their handsets.

Media and other entertainment services are expected to be a major areas of growth for the wireless and media industries, analysts have said.

MySpace, one of the fastest-growing Internet services with more than 130 million user profiles, is also offered on cellphone service carrier Helios. But Cingular's version will be more expansive, MySpace said.

Users will need to download a Java software application to their cellphones. Initially, about 30 cellphone models will be supported, with another 20 models supported in the coming weeks, which will then account for about 90 percent of Cingular's cellphone user base, a MySpace spokeswoman said.

Although online videos from MySpace will not be viewable on cellphones at launch, it is likely to be a service offered some time in 2007, she said.

Media conglomerate News Corp. bought MySpace for about $580 million in 2005. Cingular is a joint venture of phone companies AT&T Inc. and BellSouth Corp.

Kuwait cabinet OKs third mobile operator

The Kuwaiti cabinet decided to establish a third mobile phone operator as the opposition-dominated parliament prepared to debate draft legislation calling for just such a move.

The government, which had previously resisted pressure by lawmakers to set up the company, insists that establishing companies is the sole authority of the executive power and not the legislature.

An official statement issued by the cabinet said 60 percent of the proposed firm will be sold to the public, 24 percent to state-owned authorities and the remaining 16 percent to a core local or international investor.

Kuwait has two mobile operators, Mobile Telecommunications Co. (MTC), established in 1983, and National Mobile Telecommunications Co. (Wataniya) which started operations in 1999.

Opposition MPs, however, insist that the establishment of a second operator had failed to cut prices and improve services.

Last week, parliament's financial and economic affairs committee approved a bill calling on the government to set up a new firm, despite government insistence that this should be done through an executive order, not a law.

The committee's bill calls for selling 66 percent of the shares to the public, 24 percent to state-owned institutions and the remaining 10 percent to a core private investor.

Parliament is expected to debate the bill either Monday or Tuesday. It had passed a similar law in April, but the government rejected it.

Wataniya was established when parliament passed a law in 1996, despite initial government opposition.

The two local mobile firms have about 2.5 million clients in a country of three million people, two-thirds of whom are foreigners, giving Kuwait one of the highest cellphone penetration rates in the world.

The larger MTC also operates in 20 foreign countries, while Wataniya operates in northern
Iraq, Tunisia and Algeria.

MTC and Wataniya are both listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange and they have a combined capitalization of close to 20 billion dollars.

Japan to launch giant satellite for mobile phones

Japan is set to launch one of the world's largest geostationary satellites in a bid to improve mobile telephone reception in remote areas, the country's space agency said.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans the launch between 3:32 pm and 3:44 pm (0632 and 0644 GMT). It was postponed Saturday due to cloudy weather at the launch site at Tanegashima in southern Japan.

The 5.8-ton, 40-meter (131-foot) long experimental satellite, known as Kiku Number 8, has some of the world's longest antennas, an agency statement said.

"This function is expected to be very useful in our daily lives, for example in some mountainous areas and at sea where no ground stations are available," the statement said.

The satellite is also aimed at helping communication between emergency vehicles and rescue workers after natural disasters.

The launch on an H-2A rocket will let the space agency test the technology before potentially marketing it commercially.

Japan's space program has gradually been stepping up activity. It had suspended launches for more than a year after an embarrassing failure in November 2003 when it had to destroy a rocket 10 minutes after lift-off when a rocket booster failed to separate.

Japan hopes to send an astronaut to the moon by around 2020 and construct a manned lunar base by 2030.

Japan to launch giant satellite for mobile phones

Japan is set to launch one of the world's largest geostationary satellites in a bid to improve mobile telephone reception in remote areas, the country's space agency said.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans the launch between 3:32 pm and 3:44 pm (0632 and 0644 GMT). It was postponed Saturday due to cloudy weather at the launch site at Tanegashima in southern Japan.

The 5.8-ton, 40-meter (131-foot) long experimental satellite, known as Kiku Number 8, has some of the world's longest antennas, an agency statement said.

"This function is expected to be very useful in our daily lives, for example in some mountainous areas and at sea where no ground stations are available," the statement said.

The satellite is also aimed at helping communication between emergency vehicles and rescue workers after natural disasters.

The launch on an H-2A rocket will let the space agency test the technology before potentially marketing it commercially.

Japan's space program has gradually been stepping up activity. It had suspended launches for more than a year after an embarrassing failure in November 2003 when it had to destroy a rocket 10 minutes after lift-off when a rocket booster failed to separate.

Japan hopes to send an astronaut to the moon by around 2020 and construct a manned lunar base by 2030.

Motorola KRZR Review - SiliconRepublic

Silicon Republic reviews the Motorola KRZR and has this to say about the phone's camera: "The camera at only 2-megapixels was very underwhelming. In recent months I reviewed a Sony Ericsson K800i with a 3.2MB camera. I said at the time that it was the only camera phone out there that could call itself a camera. I have stills from that camera phone that I will always treasure. his is the direction Motorola needs to go in. It is making great looking, affordable phones with all the right features except the camera on their phones are now old school. Motorola's doing fine, but it could do better."

Swisscom to buy back Vodafone's 25% stake in Swisscom Mobile for US$3.49B

Swisscom AG, Switzerland's former telecom monopoly, will buy back a 25 per cent stake in its mobile-phone unit from Vodafone Group PLC for 4.25 billion Swiss francs (US$3.49 billion), Swisscom said Tuesday.

The transaction will be fully debt-financed and is expected to be completed by Wednesday, the Bern-based company said.

"The move is aimed at enabling Swisscom to improve its position in terms of realizing its convergence strategy while at the same time raising shareholder payouts," it said in a statement.

Vodafone bought the stake in Swisscom Mobile for 4.5 billion francs in March 2001. Last month, Swisscom opened negotiations with the British company to buy it back.

The Swiss government, which still owns more than half of Swisscom's shares, approved the purchase.

Swisscom shares closed up 1.1 per cent at 457.25 francs ($374.42) in Zurich trading. Vodafone shares fell 0.5 per cent to 144.5 pence ($2.82) on the London Stock Exchange.

WestLB analyst Morten Singleton said that, while the deal was unlikely to have much material impact on Vodafone's results, the company's result was good.

"Swisscom have paid a lot for it, but it's a good price for Vodafone - at the expensive end of the range," he said.

Chief executive Carsten Schloter acknowledged that the price paid was "on the high side." But he said on a conference call that Swisscom expects to increase net income and equity free cash flow annually from 2007 by around 180 million francs ($147.9 million) net, after deduction of financing costs.

Palm Treo 680 Review - ITReviews

ITReviews reviews the Palm Treo 680 and writes, "One thing that always impresses with the Treo range is the ergonomics of use, and that is also the case here. ... the screen resolution is 320 x 320 pixels and the built-in camera has a maximum still image resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. Both these specifications are the same as that of the old Treo 650 and the camera in particular is some way behind the times. Palm has not managed to squeeze Wi-Fi into the device, though Bluetooth is here as well as infra-red."

Vodafone in race to buy India's Hutchison Essar

The world's largest mobile phone company, Vodafone Group, is set to enter a bidding war to buy Indian mobile firm Hutchison Essar, a newspaper has reported.

The Economic Times newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, said Wednesday the firm was holding talks with bankers to raise cash to buy the majority stake in Hutchison Essar owned by Hong Kong-based Hutchison.

However Vodafone's Indian partner Bharti Airtel told the Business Standard it was not aware of any move.

"I am not aware of their plans, but in case they do, I will welcome them," said Bharti chairman Sunil Mittal.

Hutchison Essar is India's third largest mobile phone company with around 27 million susbcribers.

Local media reports have said the Hutchison Whampoa stake and a minority stake held by the joint venture partner, India's Ruia family -- which controls the Essar Group of companies -- could fetch as much as 14 billion dollars if sold together.

Earlier reports said that India's Reliance Communications and Malaysia's Maxis Communications were also in the fray.

India is one of the world's fastest growing markets for mobile phone handsets and services with more than 100 million subscribers.

Ericsson agrees to pay $2.1B for Redback

Redback Networks Inc., which makes routers used to direct data over broadband networks, said late Tuesday it has agreed to be acquired by Swedish mobile phone equipment maker LM Ericsson for $2.1 billion in cash.

Analysts said the deal reflects a growing need among service providers to upgrade their networks to accommodate bandwidth-devouring downloads for consumers and increasingly deliver that content to mobile devices.

Redback makes so-called "edge" routers, which are used to connect computers to the Internet and are increasingly being used to simultaneously handle the data, voice, and video downloads demanded by consumers. Stockholm-based Ericsson is the world's largest maker of mobile phone networks.

Redback Chief Executive Officer Kevin DeNuccio said the deal will allow both companies to capitalize on the need of Internet providers and telecom companies to revamp their networks to handle the massive bandwidth requirements of those services.

"It's a huge market for the routing technology necessary to build out these networks, and it's really video driving the need for the infrastructure changes," he said in an interview. "I don't view this as an ending, I view it as a perfect match of the key technologies that will be necessary in the future."

Ericsson is paying about $25 per Redback share, an 18 percent premium over Redback's closing price of $21.17 on Tuesday on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The deal was announced after the market closed, and shares of San Jose-based Redback gained more than 17 percent, or $3.63, in after-hours trading to $24.80.

Ericsson shares were up 4 cents to $40.66 in after-hours trading on the Nasdaq.

The deal is expected to be completed in early 2007. Redback's management team will stay in place, and the company will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Ericsson.

Redback has about 800 employees, and DeNuccio said no layoffs were planned.

"This is not about cost synergies, this is about growth," he said.

By comparison, Ericsson has about 56,000 employees and a market capitalization of about $64.5 billion, compared with Redback's market cap of about $1.5 billion.

Ericsson CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg said in a statement the agreement "accelerates Ericsson's ambition to build leadership in the fast growing broadband and IP services market."

The companies said there is an opportunity to upgrade more than 2 billion wired and wireless users over the next 10 years to all Internet Protocol-based broadband infrastructure, compared with some 250 million broadband users currently.

Analysts said both companies stand to profit from the deal.

Redback can tap into Ericsson's vast resources and customer base to help increase market share. Meanwhile, Ericsson gets to own and sell a crucial piece of technology that service providers need to intelligently differentiate between types of data and route them appropriately in increasingly complex networks.

In the latest quarter, Redback held about 6 percent of the worldwide market for Internet Protocol edge routers, according to Infonetics Research.

Redback ranked fourth on the list behind much larger rival Cisco Systems Inc., which led the pack with 51 percent, and Alcatel-Lucent and Juniper Networks Inc., which both were in the mid-teens.

The total market for that type of equipment is expected to be around $4.1 billion for 2006 and is forecast to grow to $5.8 billion by 2009, according to Infonetics.

"Size does matter in this industry, and I think this is a good match for both companies," said Michael Howard, an analyst with Infonetics. "Certainly it's a good match for Redback because Ericsson is huge. And for Ericsson, it's smart for them to own the IP edge routing technology themselves."

Family Dollar profit rises

Family Dollar Stores Inc. (NYSE:FDO - news) posted a 6 percent increase in quarterly profit on Wednesday, matching Wall Street forecasts, as sales of cellular phones and food helped make up for lackluster clothing demand.

The discount retailer, which sells items such as toys, cleaning supplies and clothing at its more than 6,200 U.S. stores, said December sales at stores open at least a year remained on track to meet its forecast for flat to 2 percent growth.

"The biggest shopping days of the season have not yet occurred, and results for the full month will be significantly impacted by the next several days," the retailer said.

Family Dollar earned $54.4 million, or 36 cents per share, in the fiscal first quarter, ended November 25, up from $51.4 million, or 32 cents per share, a year earlier.

The earnings per share matched the average of analysts' estimates, according to Reuters Estimates.

Family Dollar said the results did not take into account any adjustments that may be required when it completes a previously announced review of stock option grant policies.

The Matthews, North Carolina-based retailer said an incorrect date was used for accounting purposes on options granted to newly hired employees and in connection with its annual grant of options in one or more years. It has not yet determined the amount of any charges.

As a result of the options review, Family Dollar has not filed its annual report with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission, and does not expect to file its first-quarter report on time. The retailer said it will not repurchase its shares until it completes all required filings.

First-quarter sales rose 6 percent to $1.6 billion, helped by demand for prepaid cellular phone plans. The average amount spent per transaction rose, but the number of shoppers fell.

The discount retailer maintained its earnings forecast for the current year, but said sales of lower-margin items would likely weigh on profitability.

Full-year earnings are expected to be in the range of $1.57 to $1.69 per share. For the second quarter, earnings per share are expected to range from 58 cents to 64 cents per share.

Analysts, on average, expected a full-year profit of $1.65 per share and second-quarter earnings of 62 cents per share, according to Reuters Estimates.

Motorola KRZR K1m Review - CNET

CNET has a review of the Motorola KRZR K1m, and writes about the phone's camera: "The 1.3-megapixel camera lets you take pictures in three resolutions (Verizon's Krzr K1m has four choices); you also can choose from three color effects, a digital zoom, brightness and white balance controls, a self-timer, three fun frames, and six shutter sounds (plus a silent option). You also get a choice of three quality settings, which aren't available on the Verizon Krzr K1m. The camcorder records 30-second videos with sound, while offering a similar set of editing options. Integrated memory is slightly more than 16MB of shared space, so we suggest using a Micro SD card (our review phone came with a 64MB card). Similar to the Verizon Model, the Sprint Krzr K1m photos were slightly blurry with dull colors. We expect a bit more from a meagpixel camera."

Nokia E70 Review - Computerworld

ComputerWorld reviews the Nokia E70 and writes, "This device was seamless to use from minute to minute. Besides the simple Symbian interface, voice quality was excellent and I encountered no operating system lockups, not a trivial benefit these days as devices and mobile platforms become more complex. Navigating with the built-in joystick nub takes just a bit of getting used to but overall it is quite accurate and responsive."

Samsung X820 Review - TechDigest

TechDigest reviews the Samsung X820 and writes, "The menu interface is incredibly easy to use and takes no time at all to learn your way around even if you have never picked up a Samsung mobile before. The screen is also really good and yields some really crisp, bright images. This is especially good when combined with the 2.0 megapixel camera, which does produce some really decent pics when used in well lit areas, although it lacks a flash. The fact that Samsung didn’t shirk off with a 1.3 megapixel camera is a really pleasing addition."

Samsung SGH-Z560 Review - 3G

3G reviews the Samsung SGH-Z560 and writes, "The front screen doubles as a viewfinder for the main 2 megapixel camera, whose autofocussing lens is also on the front of the casing. If you press the camera button on the right side of the phone with the clamshell closed the camera whizzes into action. Frame your shot in the front screen, press the side button again and the shot is taken. Open the clamshell while the camera is running in this way and the main screen becomes your viewfinder. You can easily switch to using the inner VGA screen that you’d more usually use for video calling."

Nokia N91 - Video Messaging - Email - 4GB Memory - Video Record/Playback - SIM Free

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features

* Colour display (176 x 208, 262k colour)
* Download new music over the air to your Nokia N91
* Synch with PC
* Flick on Visual Radio mode. Add a rich new dimension to your radio listening
* Make your own recording using voice record application
* Up to 4GB of internal dynamic memory
* 2 Megapixel Camera
* Integrated Bluetooth wireless technology v.1.2.

Technical Details

Weight: 164 g
Length: 113.1 mm,Width (max): 55.2 mm,Thickness (max): 22 mm
Music keys: Play/Pause, Forward, Back, Stop
MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, Real, WAV, WMA, M4A, AMR-WB, True Tones, AMR-NB
Video playback: 3GPP H.263, MPEG4, RealVideo
Image viewers: JPEG, EXIF, GIF, BMP, PNG
Download and play multimedia files (video and music)
Stream media files from compatible media portals
Full-screen video playback on the phone to view downloaded, streamed or recorded video clips in larger size 2 Megapixel
Still Image resolutions: default 1600x1200, 640x480
Still Images file format: JPEG, YUV, RGB
Capture formats: H.263, MPEG-4 (video), AMR-NB, AAC (audio)
Advanced camera modes: still, burst, video and options for night, brightness adjustment, image quality, and self-timer
Digital zoom 20x stepless
Integrated Bluetooth wireless technology v.1.2
Send and receive images, video clips, graphics, and business cards via Bluetooth wireless technology
Profiles with Bluetooth connectivity
Integrated handsfree speaker.

Nokia CR-43 in car holder

Product Features

* Aerial Connection: Not Applicable
* Battery Quality: Not Applicable
* Category: Active Car Holder
* Compatibility: Nokia
* Gaming Cover: No
* Package: No

Nokia HS-4W Wireless Bluetooth Headset - Silver

Technical Details

* Bluetooth: Yes
* Category: Portable Hands Free for Mobile Phones
* Colour of Cover: Mulitcoloured
* Compatability: Nokia
* Compatibility: Nokia
* Mobile Pack: No
* Package: No
* Package with Mobile Phone: No
* Set: No

FREESTYLE Premium Speakers With Charging & Data Transfer Dock For iPod Nano/Video, Nokia, Sony Ericsson

Technical Details

* Grade A speakers for the highest quality loud crystal clear sound (5W x 2)
* USB lead incuded for synchronisation between your iPod/mobile phone and PC/Laptop
* Dock also charges your iPod/mobile phone
* All dock connectors included for use with various iPods and mobile phones
* Beautifully designed and boxed so ideal as a gift idea.

Nokia HS-36W - Bluetooth Wireless Headset

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features

* Convenient wireless handsfree control for mobile phones
* Lightweight (only 20 g) and comfortable to wear with an adjustable earloop
* Up to 6 hours of talk time and up to 110 hours standb
* Compatibility: Nokia models 2855, 3230, 3250, 3650, 3660, 6021, 6165, 6230, 6230i, 6233, 6260, 6265, 6270, 6600, 6630, 6650, 6670, 6680, 6681, 6820, 6822, 7280, 7370, 7600, 7610, 7710, 8800, 8910i, 9300, 9500 Communicator, E60, E61, E70, 610 Car Phone, 810 Car Phone, N90, N70
* Other Bluetooth-enabled models from Nokia and other manufacturers may also work


Technical Details

Weight - 20 g
Dimensions - 65 x 25 x 22 mm
Interfaces - Bluetooth 1.2 specification with Handsfree 1.1 and Headset 1.0 profiles
Talk time - Up to 6 hours
Standby - time Up to 110 hours
Operating temperature - 15°C up to +55°C
Battery - Rechargeable Li-ion Polymer
Compatibility: Nokia models 2855, 3230, 3250, 3650, 3660, 6021, 6165, 6230, 6230i, 6233, 6260, 6265, 6270, 6600, 6630, 6650, 6670, 6680, 6681, 6820, 6822, 7280, 7370, 7600, 7610, 7710, 8800, 8910i, 9300, 9500 Communicator, E60, E61, E70, 610 Car Phone, 810 Car Phone, N90, N70 (other Bluetooth-enabled models from Nokia and other manufacturers may also work)

Nokia 6111 Pink - 1 Mega Pixel Camera Phone - Video - FM Radio - Mp3 - Bluetooth - Sim Free

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features

* Megapixel camera with 6x digital zoom and landscape camera mode
* 262,144-color display
* Video streaming and recording (up to 1 hour)
* Visual Radio
* Media player with stereo sound and MP3 and AAC ringing tones
* Nokia Xpress audio Messaging
* Push to talk

Technical Details

Operating Frequency
Tri-band EGSM900/GSM1800/1900 networks in Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America, and South America where these networks are supported
Automatic switching between bands
Size
Weight: 92 g
Dimensions: 84 x 47 x 23 mm, 76 cc
Display and User Interface
Active TFT 262,144-color, 128 x 160 pixels (29x35mm) display
New UI look and features
Integrated Digital Camera
Megapixel camera with landscape camera mode
Camera flash
6x digital zoom
Video streaming and recording for more than 60 minutes at 40 kbps (memory dependent)
Messaging
Xpress audio messaging: New, easy-to-use interface for audio messages. Record your own voice message and send to compatible devices.
MMS OMA 1.2: Combine image, video, text and voice clips and send as MMS to a compatible phone or PC
use MMS to tell your story with a multi-slide presentation. The MMS OMA 1.2 specification allows you to send/receive messages up to 300 kB in size.
Text messaging: Supports concatenated SMS, picture messaging, SMS distribution list
Predictive text input: Support for all major languages in Europe and Asia-Pacific
Email: Access your work and private email accounts
supports SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 protocols
Presence: Includes Wireless Village, Instant Messaging, and Dynamic phonebook
now someone's status before you call
Multimedia
Integrated video player for download and playback or for streaming: 3GPP, H.264 video, MPEG-4, and AMR
Video encoding and playback in QCIF format with sound
Use AAC/MP3 tracks for ringing/game/alert tones, as well as MIDI/polyphonic tones
FM stereo radio
Visual Radio
Push to Talk
Push to talk over cellular (PoC) lets you use your phone like a walkie-talkie
Easy access with dedicated key
Memory Functions
Approximately 23 MB (21 MB if Chinese-English-Chinese dictionary is included *(only in some areas)) available for video, audio, image files
Games
Champ Rally 3D
Golf Tour
Backgammon II
Solitaire
Download new Java" games
Applications
Visual Radio
Improved calendar (with week view)
World Clock II
Java" MIDP 2.0 with Bluetooth API makes downloading new applications easy
Connectivity
Transfer images, video clips, audio files, and other files
Bluetooth wireless technology: Wide range of profiles and APIs for seamless connectivity
Infrared
USB port
Easy remote or local synchronization with a PC or other compatible device
Full OMA DRM 1.0 protects copyrighted material
Browsing
Integrated XHTML browser connects over TCP/IP stack
3GPP video streaming
Smart content download: OMA DRM 1.0, MMS 1.2
OTA provisioning
Data Transfer
EDGE multislot class 8 (4+1): speed up to 236.8 kbps
GPRS multislot class 8 (4+1): speed up to 85.6 kbps
HSCSD (high-speed circuit-switched data) transfer up to 43.2 kbps in HSCSD networks
TCP/IP
Call Management
Speed dialing: Up to 9 names, with keys 2-9
Last number redial from dialed calls list (Dial key brings out the dialed calls list)
Automatic redial (max 10 attempts)
Automatic answer (works with headset or car kit only)
Call waiting, call hold, call divert, call timer
Automatic and manual network selection
Caller identification with image
Conference call (up to 5 participants)
Vibrating alert
Voice Features
Voice dialing (25 preset)
16 voice commands
Voice recording up to 60 minutes
Integrated handsfree speaker
Manual volume control
Digital Services
MP3/AAC ringing tones
Downloadable themes
Up to 64 channels of polyphonic ringing and gaming tones and true tones
Power Management
Battery: Battery BL-4B
Capacity: 700 mAh
Talk time: Up to 2h 30 min - 3 h 30 min
Standby time: Up to 7 - 10 days
Charging: 1 h 10 min

Nokia N80 Black - 3 Megapixel Camera - MP3 Player - FM Visual Radio - Bluetooth - SIM Free

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features

* Keep yourself connected virtually anywhere with Quadband GSM/EDGE
* Next generation wireless connectivity with Wireless LAN
* Take great quality photos with the 3 Megapixel camera, integrated flash and close up mode
* Easily and quickly keep your calendar, phonebook, photos, videos and music synchronized with your compatible PC
* Excellent high resolution display for superb viewing experience


Technical Details

System: Quadband: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 & UMTS (3G)
Size: 95.4 mm x 50 mm x 26 mm
Weight: 134 g
Standby time: Up to 8 days (up to 200 hours)
Talk Time: Up to 3 hours
Camera: 3 mega-pixel camera (2048 x 1536 pixels) with up to 20 x digital zoom and close-up mode
Display: 352 x 416 pixels, up to 262,144 colours.

Nokia 3250 Black - MP3 Ringtones - 2 Megapixel Camera - Bluetooth - 10 MB Memory - SIM Free

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features

* Integrated 2- megapixel digital camera (1600 x 1200 default image size)
* Advanced camera modes: Still, burst, video
* 4x digital zoom
* Video services: Video capture up to 1 hour with microSD card
* download, view, streaming
* Bluetooth wireless technology
* Phonebook
* World clock
* Remote synchronization
* Download music over-the-air

Technical Details

Tri-Band GSM
130g
103.8 x 50 x 19.8mm
176 x 208 Pixel TFT active matrix display
joystick
softkeys
music keys
music formats supported inc MP3, WMA and AAC+
2 Megapixel digital camera
4 x digital zoom
video resolution 128 x 96 pixels
15 frames per second
1 hour video capture with microSD card
MMS,SMS,email
10MB Memory expandable up to 1GB with microSD card
WAP 2.0, xHTML browsing over TCP/IP WAP/OMA and W3C standards support
WAP 2.0, XHTML, XHTML MP, HTML 4.01, CSS, ECMAScript and JavaScript
EDGE: Class 10, download up to 236,8 kbit/s
GPRS: Class 10, download up to 62,4 kbit/s
Download music over-the-air
UI Themes
Game services including levels and sounds
Ringing and alert tones: eAAC+, AAC+, M4A, MPEG-4 ACC LC, LTP, MP3, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, 64 polyphonic MIDI, RealAudio Voice, RealAudio7, RealAudio8, RealAudio10, WMA

Nokia 6280 - Sim Free Mobile Phone with 2 MP Camera

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features

* Great compact design in a user-friendly slide concept
* Two integrated digital cameras: 2-megapixel and VGA
* Experience two-way video calls and see face-to-face as you talk in real time
* High-resolution, 262,144-color display
* Capture quality images and videos in landscape mode
* Fast WCDMA and EDGE connections for broadband-speed browsing plus tri-band GSM phone with global roaming capability
* Convenient email access with automatic download to send images and view documents
* MiniSD card support with hot swap capability
* Visual Radio
* MP3/AAC/eACC+ music player with stereo audio
* Push to talk

Technical Details

Operating Frequency
Dual mode WCDMA/GSM operation and tri-band GSM coverage on up to five continents (GSM 900/1800/1900 and WCDMA 2100 networks)
Automatic switching between bands
Size
Weight: 115 g
Dimensions: 100 x 46 x 21 mm, 91 cc
Display and User Interface
Active matrix, 262,144-color display (320 x 240 pixels)
Active standby: get access to reminders, to-do notes, calendar entries, and application shortcuts directly from the phone's standby screen
Dedicated key for camera application
3rd generation Series 40 user interface
Five-way scroll key, two soft keys, send and end keys
Imaging
Two-way video call capability
Support for full-screen landscape mode
Back side camera: Integrated 2-megapixel camera with landscape camera mode
Still image resolutions: 1600x1200 (2MP), 1024x768 (1MP), 640x480 (VGA)
Still images file format: .jpg
Still zoom: 8x digital zoom
Video resolutions: 640x480 (VGA), 352x288, 176x144, 128x96
Video clip length: up to one hour (depending on the amount of available memory).Videos are directly saved on the miniSD card or in the internal memory
Video file format: .3gp, .mp4
Capture modes: Night mode, sequence mode, self-timer mode
Camera flash (operating range up to 1.5 m)
Dedicated camera and zoom buttons
Front side camera: Integrated VGA camera
Note: The front VGA camera can only be used for video calls.
Multimedia
Integrated music player for MP3/AAC/eAAC+/M4A formats
Integrated video player for download and playback or for streaming: 3GPP, H.263 video, MPEG-4, and AMR
Use MP3/AAC/eACC+ tracks for ringing/game/alert tones, as well as MIDI/polyphonic tones
FM stereo radio
Visual Radio
Listen to music and interact with your favorite radio stations
Find out what song is playing, who sings it, and other artist information
Download the songs you buy direct to your phone
Memory Functions
Up to 70MB memory
Up to 6MB internal memory available for video, audio, images, and other files
Removable 64 MB miniSD card included in sales package for video, audio, images, and other files
Hot swap slot for easy miniSD card insertion and removal without turning off the phone
Messaging
Xpress audio messaging: New, easy-to-use interface for audio messages. Record your own voice message and send to compatible devices
MMS OMA 1.2: Combine image, video, text, and voice clips and send as an MMS to a compatible phone or PC
use MMS to tell your story with a multi-slide presentation. The MMS OMA 1.2 specification allows you to send/receive messages up to 300 kB in size
Text messaging: Supports concatenated SMS, picture messaging, SMS distribution list
Predictive text input: Support for all major languages in Europe and Asia-Pacific
Email: Access your work and private email accounts
supports SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 protocols - Supported attachment types: .jpg, 3gpp, .mp3, .ppt, .doc, .xls, .pdf
Presence: Know someone's status before you call
includes Wireless Village, Instant Messaging, and dynamic phonebook
Connectivity
Bluetooth wireless technology: Wide range of profiles and APIs for seamless connectivity
Infrared
USB 2.0 full speed via Pop-Port" interface
Nokia PC Suite connectivity with USB and Bluetooth wireless technology
Data/modem transmission
Easy remote or local synchronization with a PC or other compatible device
Full OMA DRM 1.0 protects copyrighted material
Browsing
WAP 2.0, XHTML browsing over TCP/IP
3GPP video streaming
Smart content download: OMA DRM 1.0 including forward lock for content protection, combined delivery, separate delivery and super distribution, MMS 1.2
OTA provisioning
Data Transfer
WCDMA 2100 with simultaneous voice and packet data download up to 384kbps
EDGE: Mobile broadband access with EGPRS multislot class 10, download up to 236.8 kbps
GPRS (general packet radio service)*: Multislot class 10, download up to 53.6 kbps
HSCSD (high-speed circuit-switched data) transfer up to 43.2 kbps in HSCSD networks
Java" Applications
Java" MIDP 2.0, CLDC 1.1 (Connected Limited Device Configuration (J2ME))
Preloaded applications: Calculator, World Clock II, Converter II (Currency, area, length, mass, temperature etc conversions), Translator
Over-the-air download of Java"-based applications and games
Games
Nokia 3D Rally
Nokia 3D Golf
Nokia 3D Snake
Call Management
Push to talk (PoC)
Enhanced voice dialing
Speed dialing
Logs: Keeps lists of your dialed, received, and missed calls
Call waiting, call hold, call divert, call timer
Conference call
Automatic and manual network selection
Caller identification with image
Voice Features
Enhanced voice dialing
Voice commands
Voice recorder
Integrated handsfree speaker
Other Phone Features
Organizer (alarm clock, stopwatch, countdown timer, to-do list, Notes)
Digital Services
Java" and Symbian applications available from Nokia Software Market
Graphics: full-screen color wallpapers, animated color screensavers, icons, logos
Ringing tones: 64 polyphonic MIDI, MP3, AAC/eAAC+, AMR audio clips, plus use videos as ringing tones
Themes: Possibility to download new themes
Power Management
Battery: Nokia Battery BP-6
Capacity: 970 mA
Talk Time: Up to 4 hours (GSM). Up to 3 hours (WCDMA
Standby Time: Up to 250 hours (GSM). Up to 250 hours (WCDMA.

Nokia 6131 - Fold Design - 1.3 Megapixel Camera - MP3 Music Player - FM Radio - SIM Free

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features

* Slim, stylish fold design with innovative, one-hand push-to-open operation
* Dual displays
* 16-million "true" colours inside and 262,144 colours outside
* Active standby on enhanced Series 40 UI
* Light indication on outer display for missed calls/SMS/calendar reminders
* 1.3-megapixel camera with full-screen viewfinder for both main and outer display
* Email with attachments
* XHTML browser
* Enhanced messaging with recently used contacts and groups
* Clearly separated keys for easy dialing and messaging
* MP3 player and FM stereo radio with Visual Radio
* Fast browsing and downloads with EDGE
* MicroSD memory cards available as enhancements (optional).

Technical Details

Quad-band GSM/EDGE coverage on up to five continents (GSM 850/900/1800/1900)
Automatic switching between bands
Weight:112g
Dimensions: 92 x 48 x 20 mm
Main display: Active TFT QVGA display supports up to 16,777,216 colours
Clearly separated keys for easy dialing and messaging
Demo mode (phone demo without SIM card)
1.3-megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom (1280 x 960 pixel resolution)
Full-screen viewfinder for both main and outer display
Camera key for taking pictures
MP3 player supporting formats including MP3, MP4, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA
FM stereo radio with Visual Radio
Video streaming (3GPP)
Video ringing tones
MIDI ringing tones up to 64 polyphonies
Combo memory with 32 MB flash and 16 MB RAM - about 11 MB user data
Java MIDP 2.0 with over-the-air download of Java-based applications and games
Nokia PC Suite with USB, Bluetooth and IrDa connectivity
Bluetooth wireless connectivity
Integrated XHTML browser
Smart content download - OMA Digital rights management 1.0
Talktime up to 3 hours
Standby up to 10 days.

Music on the move as mobile applications multiply

This past year marked the beginning of a revolutionary experiment to sell and distribute digital music to and from mobile phones. The stage is only just being set, with the business models, pricing and marketing issues still evolving.

Sprint and Verizon Wireless jumped in early with a la carte music services that let users download full tracks right to their phones, with a copy sent to their PCs. Sprint charges $2.50 per track, while Verizon charges $2. As of December 4, more than 9 million songs had been downloaded via the Sprint service. Verizon has not yet disclosed sales.

In October, Cingular Wireless introduced a subscription model, providing mobile access to existing services like eMusic,
Napster and Yahoo Music. Customers can't wirelessly download music yet, but they can transfer subscription tracks from their PC to their phones.

Once Cingular adds over-the-air downloading, expected early next year, the true test of whether a subscription or a la carte model works best on wireless will commence.

Cingular VP of consumer data services Jim Ryan believes wireless will rejuvenate the struggling music-subscription model. "We can double their base in the next 12 months," he says.

Sprint executives, meanwhile, seem content with the a la carte model, but haven't ruled out a subscription element in the future.

The more immediate goal for 2007 is to raise awareness of both models. Only 3 percent of mobile users say they've listened to music on mobile phones, so the wireless industry hopes that offering a broad portfolio of mobile-music services will spark consumer interest in 2007. A pending mobile-music service from mobile-phone manufacturer
Nokia could aid in that effort as well.

BEYOND THE RINGTONE

Aiming to raise the volume of the mobile-music message, wireless operators are creating a broad range of music-related services in an attempt to recast the mobile phone as an entertainment hub. Here are just a few of the music-related services and applications that gained prominence during 2006:

* Streaming radio: Sirius and XM Satellite Radio stations now stream multiple channels over such wireless networks as Sprint, Cingular and Alltel for a monthly fee. Others like MobiRadio and MSpot offer programming as well.

* Streaming concerts: Wireless operators have sponsored and hosted live performances by such acts as the Fugees, Josh Turner and the Pussycat Dolls and made them available for download or, in some cases, streaming live exclusively to subscribers.

* Concert tickets: Wireless leaders like Nokia and Verizon Wireless have begun experimenting with using mobile phones as a means to enter live events. Trials are under way that let fans buy their tickets via the mobile phone and receive a unique bar code sent to the phone's screen that can be scanned like a paper ticket.

* Lifestyle portals: Not content with letting wireless operators dictate how ringtones and other music content is offered to wireless users, lifestyle icons like Kevin Lyman and Tony Hawk are creating their own mobile-content portals focused solely on content of interest to their core audience.

Reuters/Billboard

Sony Ericsson J220i Vodafone Prepay Mobile Phone - Silver

Product Features

* Simple, easy to use mobile phone
* Colour screen
* Predictive text messaging
* Replaceable style-up covers
* Built-in games
* Speaker phone
* Polyphonic ringtones
* Dual band
* Up To 360 minutes Battery Talktime
* Up To 300 hours Battery Standby Time

New Apple iPod nano - 4GB - Pink

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features
* Only 0.26 of an inch thin and 1.41 ounces light
* 4GB (1,000 songs) capacity
* Battery life of up to 24 hours of music playback and up to 5 hours of slideshows with music
* Customise menus, check capacity, change your language, change how your iPod nano sounds and more
* Menu options let you browse by artist, composer, album, song, genre, or playlist
* iPod nano makes your music look as good as it sounds, thanks to a 1.5-inch colour display
* Album art appears alongside your song titles, so you see your music as you play it
* Use the Click Wheel to scroll through photo thumbnails the same way you scroll through song titles
* To see a photo full-screen, click the centre button
* View photo slideshows, complete with music
* Calendars, contacts, and the World Clock appear in the Extras menu
* iPod nano features four fun games: Music Quiz, Solitaire, Brick, and Parachute
* Tweak the built-in equalizer

Technical Details

Storage/capacity: 4GB (1,000 songs)
Battery life: Up to 24 hours of music playback
up to 5 hours of slideshows with music
Display: 1.5-inch (diagonal) color LCD with LED backlight
Ports: Dock connector, stereo minijack
Connectivity: USB through dock connector
Charge time: About 3 hours (1.5-hour fast charge to 80% capacity)
Audio support: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF
Photo support: Syncs iPod-viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only) and PNG formats
Size: 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.26 inches
Weight: 1.41 ounces
Included accessories: Earphones, USB cable, dock adapter.

New Apple iPod nano - 2GB - Silver

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features
* Only 0.26 of an inch thin and 1.41 ounces light.
* 2GB (500 songs) capacity.
* Battery life of up to 24 hours of music playback and up to 5 hours of slideshows with music.
* Customise menus, check capacity, change your language, change how your iPod nano sounds and more.
* Menu options let you browse by artist, composer, album, song, genre, or playlist.
* iPod nano makes your music look as good as it sounds, thanks to a 1.5-inch colour display
* Album art appears alongside your song titles, so you see your music as you play it.
* Use the Click Wheel to scroll through photo thumbnails the same way you scroll through song titles.
* To see a photo full-screen, click the centre button
* View photo slideshows, complete with music
* Calendars, contacts, and the World Clock appear in the Extras menu
* iPod nano features four fun games: Music Quiz, Solitaire, Brick, and Parachute
* Tweak the built-in equalizer

Technical Details

Storage/capacity: 2GB (500 songs)
Battery life: Up to 24 hours of music playback
up to 5 hours of slideshows with music
Display: 1.5-inch (diagonal) color LCD with LED backlight
Ports: Dock connector, stereo minijack
Connectivity: USB through dock connector
Charge time: About 3 hours (1.5-hour fast charge to 80% capacity)
Audio support: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF
Photo support: Syncs iPod-viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only) and PNG formats
Size: 3.5 x 1.6 x 0.26 inches
Weight: 1.41 ounces
Included accessories: Earphones, USB cable, dock adapter.

New Apple iPod - 80GB - Video/Black - (5th Generation)

Product Features and Technical Details
Product Features
* With enough room for your favourite music and video, this iPod has both sound and vision
* Up to 20 hours(1) of battery life
* 80GB storage
* Intuitive, customisable menus
* Use the Click Wheel to adjust volume, navigate songs, or browse the Music menu by artist, composer, album, song, genre, or playlist
* Want to mix things up? Click Shuffle Songs
* iPod makes your music look as good as it sounds, thanks to its big, bright colour display
* Album art appears alongside your songs in the Now Playing screen, so you see your music as you play it
* Improved video playback time, iPod keeps you entertained for up to 6.5 hours
* You can even view photo slideshows complete with music on iPod or on a TV via the optional iPod AV Cable
* A brand-new, built-in search function lets you use the Click Wheel to type out the name of the song, artist, album, audiobook, or podcast you're looking for, and your iPod returns results instantly as you select letters

Technical Details

Storage/capacity: 80GB (20,000 songs)
Battery life: Up to 20 hours of music playback
up to 6 hours of slideshows with music
up to 6.5 hours of video playback
Display: 2.5-inch (diagonal) colour LCD with LED backlight
Ports: Dock connector, stereo minijack, composite video and audio through minijack
Connectivity: USB through dock connector
composite video (with AV cable, sold separately) and audio through headphone jack or line out on the iPod Universal Dock (sold separately)
Charge time: About 4 hours (2-hour fast charge to 80% capacity)
Audio support: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF
Photo support: Syncs iPod-viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG formats
Video support: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Low-Complexity Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Size: 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.55 inches
Weight: 5.5 ounces
Included accessories: Earphones, USB cable, dock adapter, case.

New Apple iPod - 30GB - Video/Black - (5th Generation)

Technical Details
Storage/capacity: 30GB (7,500 songs)
Battery life: Up to 14 hours of music playback
up to 4 hours of slideshows with music
up to 3.5 hours of video playback
Display: 2.5-inch (diagonal) colour LCD with LED backlight
Ports: Dock connector, stereo minijack, composite video and audio through minijack
Connectivity: USB through dock connector
composite video (with AV cable, sold separately) and audio through headphone jack or line out on the iPod Universal Dock (sold separately)
Charge time: About 4 hours (2-hour fast charge to 80% capacity)
Audio support: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF
Photo support: Syncs iPod-viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG formats

Video support: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Low-Complexity Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per sec., Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48 kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Size: 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.43 inches
Weight: 4.8 ounces
Included accessories: Earphones, USB cable, dock adapter, case.

Skype replaces free U.S. calls promotion

Skype is introducing a $30 annual subscription to make unlimited calls with the Internet-based telephone service to any regular or mobile phone number within the United States and Canada.

The new calling plan being announced Wednesday comes as Skype phases out a promotion launched in May allowing unlimited free calls in those two countries.

Skype, acquired last year by eBay Inc. for $2.6 billion, is offering a half-price promotion on the new SkypeOut plan until the end of January, charging $14.95 for 12 months of calling instead of $29.95.

The regular price for using SkypeOut in the United States and Canada is 2.1 cents per minute. The charges for calling non-Skype phone numbers in other countries vary widely, starting at roughly 2 to 3 cents a minute to many major European and Asian nations. Users can also pay for SkypeIn service to receive calls dialed from regular phones.

Skype has never had an unlimited calling plan before, and for now the new offering is not being launched in other nations where the free in-country calling promotion is also set to expire at the end of December.

The company declined to discuss what impact the new strategy might have on revenues. Management recently estimated this year's revenue would total $195 million in 2006, roughly in line with the $200 million level projected last year at the time of the eBay deal.

Skype calls are connected over a high-speed Internet connection using either a personal computer, a growing number of cordless handsets configured to communicate directly over a broadband modem, and certain cell phones with Wi-Fi capability. Each user has a Skype ID and can call other Skype users for free.

Samsung Unveils Fusion Memory Chip

Samsung Electronics has created an innovative memory chip designed to boost the processing speed in mobile phones for handling digital video and other data-intensive applications.

The OneDRAM chip, currently in the prototype phase of development, is designed for next-genneration smartphones and handsets, as well as game consoles and other products that handle 3D graphics.

By using a new design, Samsung claims, a single OneDRAM chip can replace two memory chips in high-end handhelds and thereby sharply decrease the time that it takes to transfer data between internal processors while also saving valuable space inside.

Multimedia Demands

Currently, the demand for music, video, and other multimedia content in mobile applications has prompted device manufacturers to employ two separate processors, one for voice communications and another for media.

Samsung claims that the OneDRAM device, which channels processing traffic between communications and media functions, results in a five-fold increase in speed. In addition, the chip reportedly cuts power consumption by some 30 percent, meaning longer battery life for mobile devices.

The new chip is noteworthy, said IDC analyst Sean Ryan, given that manufacturers continue to pack more features into their small-scale products.

"The trend in mobile devices is to add music and video players, as well as larger displays, all of which require more power," Ryan said, citing recent smartphones such as the Motorola Q, BlackBerry Pearl, and BlackJack. As a result, he said, reducing power consumption by 30 percent becomes very attractive to device makers.

Coming Soon

And while more people are using their phones as MP3 players or to stream TV shows and other video clips, business users are accessing e-mail, surfing the Web, and sharing documents wirelessly, Ryan noted.

Any improvement in mobile data processing is a boon for wireless operators as well, the analyst said, because they are in the process of rolling out third-generation networks and want to increase the data traffic on those systems.

Samsung projects that handsets using the OneDRAM processor will be introduced by the second half of 2007.

Vodafone's Greek arm is fined EU76m

Greece's agency for information security on Thursday imposed a EU76m (£51.2m, $100.5m) fine on Vodafone's Greek operation for failing to prevent the illegal tapping of more than 100 mobile phones, including one used by Costas Karamanlis, prime minister.

Vodafone called the decision "unjustified" and said it would appeal. It said the investigation was incomplete because it had not included Ericsson, the Swedish company that supplied the wire-tapping software.

The watchdog said Vodafone had failed to take adequate measures to protect its network and had not informed subscribers that their phones were being tapped. It said the company had tried to obstruct investigators after the illegal software had been identified.

It said the inquiry would continue. It has asked representatives of Ericsson, which has offered to co-operate, to testify at a later date.

The wire-tapping software was installed in 2004, amid concerns about security for the Athens summer Olympics but was not revealed until more than a year later.

Cellphones used by Mr Karamanlis, Petros Molyviatis, the foreign minister and other government officials were tapped between June 2004 and March 2005, when Vodafone dismantled the software and told the government, according to a parliamentary committee.

The software diverted calls to 16 mobile phones using pre-paid cards, which were located in central Athens.

George Koronias, chief executive at Vodafone Greece, told the parliamentary committee the company had no knowledge of the spyware. Ericsson is Vodafone's main equipment supplier.

The suicide of George Tsalikidis, a senior Vodafone executive, the day before company officials briefed the government on the surveillance operation, triggered speculation that the company was aware of the wire-tapping operation. However, a judicial investigation failed to reveal any link.

South Korea wants teens to hang up mobile phones

South Korea is trying to stop teenagers ringing up massive mobile phone bills with new rules that let parents control just how long the handsets are used.

Phone bill angst is rife in South Korea, where data from mobile service operators show that four out of five people own a handset and at least six out of ten school-age children have one.

A Telecommunications Ministry official said on Friday that from January, children will need parental permission to go above a pre-set limit, which can be up to 30,000 won ($32.57) a month.

Parents will also receive detailed information about the types of services their children subscribe to.

At present, parents can set a limit on how long children can talk on their mobiles, but all the kids have to do is ask the mobile provider to increase the limit.

In February, a teenaged South Korean boy killed himself after tallying a phone bill of 3.7 million won ($4,017).

"The ministry hopes these regulations will prevent teenagers from making a lot of mistakes about how they use their mobile phones, which can lead to mounting bills," the telecommunications ministry said in a press release.

Cho Jin-kyung said she hoped the new regulations would mean her teenaged daughter spends less time on the phone and more with her books.

"My daughter's phone bill always causes me stress," Cho said. "I scold her all the time over it and threaten to cut her allowance, but it never works."

As cellphone uses grow, so do security options

Banks and credit card agencies are gearing up security for financial transactions over cellphones and other handheld devices.

Aware that a growing number of consumers - especially those under 35 - are comfortable using cellphones as digital wallets, leading financial institutions are concocting mobile-security options to protect them from hackers and cyberthieves.

"Mobile banking is where online banking was a decade ago. It's starting to take off," says Richard Crone, a Silicon Valley consultant who follows electronic-payment services. "Cellphones are more ubiquitous than PCs - across ages, incomes, geography - and have become payment instruments. That makes them targets." A sampling of what's being offered:

•Wachovia's 5.9 million customers now have the option of using a cellphone or personal digital assistant to check accounts and transfer funds. The mobile service requires an encrypted - or digitally scrambled - user name and password, says Jason Ward, director of interactive design at Wachovia.

•Early next year, Citibank will test a program to let consumers check balances, pay bills, transfer funds and search for a nearby ATM from cellphones. Citi Mobile requires an access code and operates on an encrypted system. The service can be immediately disabled if a cellphone is lost or stolen.

•Under a system being tested by Visa USA, mobile-device users need to enter a password to perform financial tasks. If a cellphone is lost, users can immediately disable all payment applications on it from another phone or PC.

•MasterCard Worldwide is offering mobile authentication, which lets consumers shop or bank with specific credit cards and debit cards over a cellphone. They are required to enter a PIN, which assigns a one-time-only password for each transaction.

Financial institutions are building digital defenses as mobile viruses rise.

They have increased from 34 in 2004 to 162 in 2006, says security firm SMobile Systems. SMobile expects 600 to 700 new viruses in 2007.

The figures pale in comparison with overall viruses - 57,125 have been discovered over the past 12 months, according to security-software maker McAfee. But they signify a new cybersecurity battlefield, tech analysts say.

That could be unsettling news for an estimated 30 million North Americans who use their cellphones to bank or shop, according to market researcher TowerGroup.

But Michael Carpenter, 20, who is testing a mobile-banking service at BancorpSouth in Mississippi, isn't worried. He figures it's easier - and safer - to check accounts and transfer funds from his cellphone than a computer.

"It's fast and convenient, and I'm accustomed to using my cellphone for a lot of things."

LG enV VX9900 Review - PCMag

PCMag reviews the LG enV VX9900 and has this to say about the phone's camera: "Outfitted with a powerful (for a phone) 2-megapixel camera, the handset takes sharp, well-balanced photos, albeit with distracting color noise. An autofocus function, although a cool idea, raises the shutter delay from a sprightly 0.4 seconds to an unacceptable 2 seconds without making photos much sharper, but you can turn it off. Sadly, the flash is pretty dim as well. You can use the enV's movie mode to take 320-by-240 videos at 14 frames per second, with some visible compression artifacts. I printed my photos directly over Bluetooth to an Epson PictureMate printer without a problem. I was also very happy to see that the camera sports a handy lens cover."

LG VX8600 Review - Infosync

Infosync reviews the LG VX8600 and isn't too thrilled with the phone's camera: "Clearly an afterthought, the LG VX8600's camera takes lousy, blurry pictures with colors that are nowhere near consistent. The phone saves pictures to its own internal memory, then requires you to transfer them individually to your memory card. Camera options, such as white balance or brightness, had little effect on overall image quality. The photo album allows you to zoom in on photos, and nothing else; no cropping or editing capabilities are available. "

Sony Ericsson Z310

Sony Ericsson Press Release

For a phone that reflects your style whether you’re at work or at play, picture yourself with the new Sony Ericsson Z310. Announced today, this stand-out phone has a flawless, polished finish. The front icon display is integrated into the design, hidden discretely beneath the surface until a message or call is received. There are even eye-catching coloured light effects that can be assigned to contacts in the phonebook; so you can know at a glance who is calling.

"This stylish clamshell phone is one you won’t want to live without. Not only does it boast good looks and a vibrant colour, it also provides must-have features for this type of everyday phone: VGA camera, MP3 Music Ringtones & Bluetooth(R) connectivity," says Steve Walker, Head of Product Marketing at Sony Ericsson. "The fresh look is also complimented by some innovative design features, normally only seen on more advanced phones."

Technorati Tags: sony ericsson z310, sony ericsson camera phones

The seamless, semi-transparent finish on the front of the phone allows the display icons (which signal when a new event takes place on the phone) to be ‘hidden’ beneath the surface. And a separate external display, also concealed under the surface of the phone, lets you know exactly who is calling.

Adding to the striking design is a series of novel light effects that serve to both personalise the phone & allow the user to 'colour code' their contacts. Simply assign a coloured light to your frequent callers and you will know instantly whether its work trying to reach you, your best friend fixing a date, or your mother calling to invite you to Sunday lunch! It is even possible to set the look and feel of the menu & screen display to match the time of day; a bright theme during the daytime and something more relaxing or subtle at night.

Although straightforward to use, the Z310 is loaded with features to help you organise your life and have fun along the way. The built-in VGA camera allows you to take spontaneous snaps and share them with family and friends instantly via Picture Blogging (uploading pictures directly to a Blog site from the Z310) or Picture Messaging (MMS). Alternatively, just use the phone as a portable photo album to make sure that your memories are always with you.

And there’s no need to worry if you can’t find your phone in your bag or under that pile of papers! Just link the Z310 to a Bluetooth headset, such as the comfortable & compact HBH-PV705 Headset, and you are likely to never miss a call.

You can choose the Z310 in the colour that best fits your lifestyle and your wardrobe. This luscious phone comes in three very individual colours: Jet Set Black, Blush Bronze or Lush Pink.

Z310 is a Triple band/EDGE/GPRS 900/1800/1900 handset and will be available in selected markets from Q1 2007.

Z310 - Features at a glance:

Imaging and messaging

* Main screen
* 128 x 160 pixels
* STN (for low power consumption)
* 65,536 colours
* External screen - combined Monochrome/single colour display (96 x 64 pixels) and Icon Display
* Built-in VGA camera
* Messaging - MMS, SMS and EMS
* Email
* Instant Messaging
* Changeable Wallpapers & Themes
* Picture phonebook

Music

* Polyphonic ringtones
* Music ringtones (MP3)
* Java Midp 2.0
* PlayNow(TM)
* Direct links for easy download

Connectivity

* EDGE
* HTML browsing
* Infrared
* Bluetooth(TM)
* Speakerphone
* WAP 2.0
* AMR speech codec - optimises voice quality & minimises interference
* FOTA
* Talk time: Up to 7 hours
* Standby time: Up to 300 hours

Accessories

* Bluetooth(TM) Headset HBH-PV705 (over-ear style)
* Deskstand CDS-60
* Bluetooth™ Car Speakerphone HCB-100

Samsung SCH-B550

The Samsung SCH-B550, aimed for the Korean market, offers a 2 megapixel camera. Other features include:

* MP3 player
* Bluetooth
* DMB TV receiver with video out
* 3D graphics processor

Via EngadgetMobile.

Palm Treo 700p Review - CoolTechZone

CoolTechZone reviews the Palm Treo 700p and writes about the smartphone's storage and camera capabilities: "Palm has thankfully upgraded the onboard memory to 60MB (128MB in total), but you can add additional storage with Multi/SD/SDIO cards for up to 2GB. That’s a nice bonus for those of you who prefer to store multimedia files on the phone. The camera supports 2x digital zoom, automatic light balance, 1280x1024 resolution and video capture functionality as well. The picture quality in our tests was acceptable, though nothing compared to a dedicated digital camera, of course. The interesting thing we noticed with the ringer was that it automatically switched to vibrate as we turned it off with the slider at the top. We are grateful to Palm for enabling this feature. We won’t have to worry about missing calls now, or go through the menu and pick vibrate. Bluetooth 1.2 support, in addition to infrared support, is available as well."

LG U830 Chocolate Phone

The LG U830 Chocolate flip phone sports a 2 megapixel camera as well as the following features:

* HSDPA
* 185MB storage
* stereo Bluetooth
* music player

Cingular BlackJack Review - MobilitySite

MobilitySite reviews the Cingular BlackJack and writes about the phone's performance, and its 1.3 megapixel camera, "One of the biggest differences i've noticed between using a Windows Mobile Smartphone and a Pocket PC Phone is the actual voice call experience. While I do love the added functionality of the Pocket PC phones, it seems that all the Smartphones i've used/tested consistently have better cellular signal. The Blackjack is no exception to this. I have had no coverage issues and the "at home" test passes with flying colors. I've talked about how I live a little off the beaten path in other reviews and how many bars I get "at home".

The Blackjack ranks right up there with the 3125 as one of the strongest signals. Voice quality both ways is excellent. ... This 1.3 Megapixel camera does a decent job taking some candid photos. The camera makes the unit thicker in one spot on the rear of the device and I would love to see a camera less version, but it's still not too bad. The software that drives the camera operation is one of the best apps I've used so far. I have the Blackjack set up to where I can take a snapshot and send to an email address attached to my Flickr account, which in turn blogs the photo."

Samsung Drift Review - PCMag

PCMag reviews the Samsung Drift and writes about the phone's camera: "During my real-world testing, pictures taken with the Drift's 2-megapixel camera were beautifully sharp, but a bit dark. The video mode takes 320-by-240 videos at 14 frames per second, good for a camera phone. ... There's also a weird bug in the camera that doesn't let you send picture messages if the image is stored on the memory card. Helio's intercarrier messaging has always been a little wonky, anyway. For example, when I tried to send pictures to and from a Verizon Wireless phone, the Helio message arrived on the Verizon phone, but the Verizon message never showed up on the Helio phone. (Text messages worked fine.)"

Nokia 8800 Sirocco Edition Review - MobileBurn

MobileBurn reviews the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Edition and writes about the phone's camera: "As previously mentioned, one of the updates for the Sirocco Edition is the camera. It is now a 2MP CMOS sensor, up from the original 8800's SVGA resolution. Picture quality is acceptable, though the biggest problem is the white balance. Even when given a choice of five preset white balance settings, it is almost impossible to find the correct setting indoors. Video wise, the 8800 Sirocco Edition can record at resolutions up to 176x144 pixels, but quality is only average. The user interface on the 8800 Sirocco Edition is the old Nokia Series 40 v2. As always, it is easy to use, though it is relatively slow in loading compared to newer Series 40 and S60 devices. In the gallery view, you still get to choose to browse your pictures in either a list or 3x3 thumbnail format. Sometimes it can take more than 4 seconds to open the picture gallery, though."