Posts Tagged Smartphone
Android Smartphone Shipments to Grow Faster Than Apple’s iPhone
According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global Android smartphone shipments will grow 900 percent in 2009. Healthy support from operators, vendors and developers is driving adoption. Apple iPhone OS will be the next fastest-growing smartphone operating system in 2009, with a 79 percent growth rate. Tom Kang, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “We forecast global Android smartphone shipments to grow an impressive 900 percent annually during 2009. The Android mobile operating system from Google gained early traction in the United States in the second half of 2008 and it is gradually spreading its presence into Europe and Asia during 2009. Android is expanding from a low base and it is consequently outgrowing the iPhone OS from Apple, which we estimate will grow at a relatively lower 79 percent annually in 2009.”Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Android has fast been winning healthy support among operators, vendors and developers. A relatively low-cost licensing model, its semi-open-source structure and Google’s support for cloud services have encouraged companies such as HTC, Motorola, Samsung, T Mobile, Vodafone and others to support the Android operating system. Android is now in a good position to become a top-tier player in smartphones over the next two to three years.”
Add comment May 11, 2009
New T-Mobile MDA Vario IV
The latest MDA device from T-Mobile has now been released on pay monthly contract deals in the UK, joining the recently launched MDA Compact IV this new handset provides a fantastic slide out Qwerty keyboard for easier text input.
The T-Mobile MDA Vario 4 is a rebranded version of the HTC Touch Pro which is not currently available on any network operator in the UK, this makes for a very attractive proposition as consumers can finally connect the new Vario to a range of T-Mobile tariffs with inclusive minutes and text and not have to shell out the SIM Free price for this useful little device.
Powerful communication device for professionals. The MDA Vario 4 combines business with pleasure, offering one-handed operation of simple tasks and full keyboard input for serious work.
The T-Mobile MDA Vario IV brings together elegant touch screen response with the direct precision of keyboard entry, leaving out nothing to deliver a powerhouse communication tool in a beautiful, compact design.
HTC’s rich, touch-responsive interface, TouchFLO™ 3D, provides a stunningly intuitive way to zip through common tasks like messaging, calendar checks or making calls.
Built-in Wi-Fi and high speed connectivity will keep you in touch with colleagues and contacts wherever you are. Integrated GPS can be used with maps software for a full turn-by-turn satellite navigation experience.
A beautiful angle on business, the TMobile MDA Vario 4 introduces effortless presence to enterprise-standard communications. The T-Mobile MDA Vario IV is a powerful, good-looking smartphone with a qwerty keyboard for quick and easy texting & emailing. It offers super-fast internet access and you can connect the Vario to your laptop and be online with mobile broadband.
You’ll always know where you are thanks to the built-in GPS (and we’re the first network to offer a monthly billing plan to CoPilot’s Sat Nav). You can snap away with the Vario 4’s 3.2 megapixel camera, download and edit your Word and Excel documents, view your PowerPoint presentations and with Bluetooth you can go hands-free or share files with other Bluetooth devices in an instant.
The T-Mobile MDA Vario 4 is a sophisticated and stylish device Qwerty keyboard for quick and easy texting & emailingSuper-fast internet access. Plus connect the Vario to your laptop and be online with mobile broadband. Always know where you are with built-in GPS (with CoPilot Sat Nav plan available, too) Snap away with the 3.2 megapixel camera. Get unlimited access to your email and the internet with a web’n’walk Booster.
1 comment January 30, 2009
Vodacom, RIM introduce Blackberry Storm in South Africa
Vodacom South Africa and Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the availability of the BlackBerry Storm smartphone in the South African market. The BlackBerry Storm will be available from Vodacom on January 29th.
Delivering the renowned functionality of the BlackBerry solution, the BlackBerry Storm brings entertainment, information and communications to the tips of your fingers.
The stylish smartphone boasts exceptional performance, a stunning display and rich features including 3G (HSDPA) network support, integrated GPS, desktop-style web pages, advanced multimedia, a first class phone, camera and the industry’s most robust messaging capabilities – designed to give users an incredibly fast and powerful mobile experience.
“The BlackBerry Storm is a next-generation smartphone designed to meet the communication and multimedia needs of the most demanding customers. With its renowned communications capabilities, rich multimedia features and stylish design, the BlackBerry Storm allows customers to make the most of their time on the go with a fashionable and lifestyle-friendly smartphone,” says Shameel Joosub, Managing Director, Vodacom South Africa.
The BlackBerry Storm smartphone features the unique and innovative SurePress touch-screen, which depresses ever so slightly to aid in typing and navigation and to give users an experience they can actually feel. Through the revolutionary SurePress touch-screen, the virtual keyboard on the BlackBerry Storm responds like a physical keyboard and supports single-touch, multi-touch and gestures for intuitive and efficient navigation as well as easy and precise typing.
“The ‘clickable’ SurePress touch-screen is a remarkable innovation that dramatically enhances the touch interface and user experience. We are very pleased to introduce the first touch-screen BlackBerry smartphone together with Vodacom in South Africa,” said Mark Guibert, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, RIM.
The BlackBerry Storm also features a built-in accelerometer, which automatically switches the display as the user rotates the handset for use in landscape or portrait. When in portrait mode, users can type out a quick instant message or dial a number using either RIM’s SureType keyboard layout or a 12-key multi-tap keyboard. When the handset is rotated to landscape, the user is presented with a full QWERTY keyboard.
The BlackBerry Storm smartphone brings images to life with stunning clarity through its gorgeous 3.25-inch, high resolution (480×360-pixels at 184 ppi), colour display. A multimedia powerhouse, the BlackBerry Storm smartphone has rich media player that handles a number of music formats. It can even be synchronised with iTunes so customers can enjoy their music on the move*, or synced wirelessly via Bluetooth to the BlackBerry Remote Stereo Gateway to enjoy songs through a home stereo. It also comes standard with a premium stereo headset. The built-in speaker and stereo headset both deliver music with excellent sound quality. The BlackBerry Storm also has 1GB of onboard memory storage, comes standard with an 8GB microSD/SDHD memory card and supports up to 16 GB of storage per memory card.
BlackBerry Storm users can also find their way in unfamiliar surroundings thanks to built-in GPS and Vodafone SatNav which comes preloaded. Vodafone SatNave enables users to find an address and track their location simply and easily. It can also display the route on a 3D map, together with audible step-by-step directions. The 3.2 MP digital camera with autofocus, a powerful flash and video recording rounds out the smartphone’s rich multimedia capabilities.
Preloaded with an incredible selection of applications that were custom-built for use on BlackBerry smartphones, the BlackBerry Storm enables users to simply and easily keep web community pages current, continue instant message chats or even add pictures directly to Facebook.
Preloaded applications include:
Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones
Windows Live Messenger for BlackBerry Smartphones
Yahoo Messenger for BlackBerry Smartphones
Flickr Photo Uploader for BlackBerry Smartphones
Vodafone SatNav, powered by Telmap SatNav technology
The BlackBerry Storm smartphone will be available to both Vodacom’s Prepaid and Contract customers from participating Vodacom outlets, across South Africa.
Starting as low as R59.00 per month for the BlackBerry Internet Service (Prepaid and Contract) and R98.00 for BlackBerry Enterprise Service (excluding device), customers get unlimited email, unlimited Internet browsing, as well as unlimited use of pre-loaded data applications (for accessing sites and services such as Vodafone SatNav, Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, Flickr and Facebook from the handset) without incurring any additional data charges. These pre-loaded data applications are available in conjunction with all personal and corporate BlackBerry service options for the BlackBerry Storm.
Add comment January 29, 2009
T-Mobile Launches the Shadow Phone
T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced its T-Mobile Shadow, a Windows Mobile-based phone with great connectivity options and a pretty low price. The Shadow is made by none other than High Tech Computer Corp. of Taoyuan, Taiwan (HTC) which recently started branding their own phones.
“We’re calling the new line of devices ‘Shadow’ because they’re designed to help people stay effortlessly connected with those who are closest to them – the people you would choose to have with you all the time if possible – the people you love checking in with during a hectic day or to share special news,” said Robert Dotson, president and CEO, T-Mobile USA.”
The pocket-sized phone slides open to reveal a keyboard for typing e-mails (similar to the BlackBerry Pearl’s)and features connectivity for Wi-Fi wireless Internet networks, as well as EDGE and Bluetooth. The T-Mobile Shadow will go on sale Oct. 31 for $149.99 with a two-year contract and a subscription for voice and data service. The data service costs $19.99 a month and also includes access through T-Mobile’s Wi-Fi locations.
“We partnered exclusively with T-Mobile to help them deliver a deep communications experience that is built around the customer,” said Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC. “In both form and function, the T-Mobile Shadow delivers an unmistakable commitment to enhancing personal relationships.”
The shadow features a high-quality, 2.0-megapixel digital camera with video capture as well as a multimedia player that provides a convenient way to listen to and share favorite music and video. Its custom T-Mobile Address Book lets customers easily import contact information from Yahoo!, Gmail, Microsoft Outlook and other e-mail services onto their phone using my.t-mobile.com.
The sliding Shadow’s keypad is hybrid-type, five keys wide, with two letters on each key, and it uses the predictive software Tegic XT9 to predict the next word in a sentence. The device features a 210 Mhz processor and a roomy 72MB of program memory.
1 comment January 28, 2009
HTC Sapphire next Android smartphone?
The next HTC phone to be powered by the Google Android is called the HTC Sapphire. The pictures here indicated it will have a similar trackball design as T-Mobile G1 but without a hardware keyboard.The details of this supposed T-Mobile G2 is unknown yet, from the images however it’s probably a 3.2 megapixel camera module without a flash LED at the back. According to the source it will be available in mid-May.
Add comment January 23, 2009
LG sees handset shipments rise 8 percent in 2008
LG Electronics saw handset shipments in the fourth quarter ended 31 December 2008 go up 8 percent from the year earlier quarter. Shipments reached 25.7 million, which resulted in a record 100.7 million units being sold in 2008 versus 80.5 million units in 2007. LG’s mobile communications division, which also includes network equipment, saw sales go up 34.6 percent year-on-year to KRW 4.49 trillion, versus KRW 3.33 trillion. Operating profit for the unit was KRW 176 billion, down from KRW 270 in Q4 2007. Handset sales accounted for KRW 4.09 trillion, up 40.3 percent. The operating profit margin of the unit declined 8.8 percent to 5.2 percent due to increased marketing to minimize year-end inventory. While the global economic downturn is expected to continue into 2009, LG’s business target is to grow continuously and expand market share, capturing more of the market for feature-packed premium models, smartphones and mid-to-low end mass volume units.
Add comment January 23, 2009
US Wireless Growth Won’t Be Stopped by Weak Economy
A Strategy Analytics report is predicting that US cellular subscriber growth will remain strong despite the economic situation, although growth levels will scale back slightly from 2008. US cellular service revenues will also continue to grow, albeit at a slower growth rate of 3.9%, down from 7.5% in 2008.Strong data ARPUs (average revenue per user), driven by flat-rate data plans and increasing adoption of smartphones and mobile broadband datacards, will not be enough to keep total ARPUs from dropping minimally in 2009.
In the current economic climate carriers must address tightening consumer wallets. Rather than just pushing prepaid as the perfect recession-proof tariff, carriers will work to make postpaid plans more attractive to budget-conscious customers who are re-examining their cellular spend, explains Phil Kendall, Director of the Strategy Analytics Wireless Network Strategies service.
Add comment January 23, 2009
Orange and RIM Introduce the New BlackBerry Curve 8900 Smartphone in Romania
Orange Romania and Research In Motion (RIM) launched the BlackBerry Curve 8900. In addition to exceptional phone, email, messaging, organizer, web browser and multimedia applications, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone features global connectivity support, built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, a next generation 512Mhz processor and a stunning hi-resolution display.
In a commitment to bring the latest BlackBerry smartphones to the Romanian market, Orange Romania now offers the BlackBerry Curve 8900 in its extensive BlackBerry smartphone portfolio. The choice for customers has never been wider in the BlackBerry smartphone portfolio from Orange Romania, which includes the BlackBerry Pearl 8120, BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, BlackBerry Curve 8320, and BlackBerry Boldsmartphones, as well as four dedicated service plans starting from 5 Euros per month.
Sporting a sleek new style, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone incorporates video, text and maps, a full QWERTY keyboard and an intuitive trackball navigation system that gives users an exceptional mobile experience. The full-featured smartphone lets you take your favorite songs and videos with you and with its new 3.2 megapixel camera — including auto focus, digital zoom and flash — you can take sharp, print-quality pictures and send them to friends or post them on the Internet. The microSD/SDHC expandable memory card slot supports up to 16GB per card, giving users plenty of easily interchangeable storage.
”We believe that in 2009 this new BlackBerry smartphone will play a significant role in the smartphone market in Romania. Customers will easily recognize the optimal combination of price, design, functionality and services. Orange smartphone sales have grown by 20% in 2008 comparing to 2007 and we are positive that launching smarpthones such as the BlackBerry Curve 8900, which combines industry leading email and Internet access services with rich multimedia capabilities, will greatly appeal to our customers,” stated Razvan Sturza, Product Manager Orange Romania.
“The BlackBerry Curve 8900 lets you stay easily connected with work, family, friends and the web – all on a beautifully designed phone that looks and feels great,” said Mark Guibert, Vice President, Corporate Marketing at Research In Motion. “The combination of features is perfect for people who want the renowned functionality and usability of a BlackBerry smartphone in a beautiful and compact design.”
Enhanced web browsing and multimedia features
The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is a quad-band smartphone with EDGE network support, providing global connectivity, fast data access and powerful web browsing. The smartphone can be used with both BlackBerry Internet Service and BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
At approximately 110 grams and 109 x 60 x 13.5 millimeters, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone to date and comes in a sleek and refined design that feels comfortable for either one-handed or two-handed use. Its large, striking 2.4 inch HVGA+ display (480×360 resolution) projects vivid color and makes information easier to read. The BlackBerry Curve 8900 also provides flexible connectivity with built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) support and helps people find their way with its GPS capabilities.
The BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone is available in all Orange shops and partners’ stores in Romania. Prices range from 229 EUR to 329 EUR depending on the BlackBerry smartphone tariff plan chosen.
Add comment January 22, 2009
Etisalat and RIM launch the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 Smartphones in UAE
New BlackBerry Curve 8900 is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone.
BlackBerry Pearl Flip is the first flip phone from RIM.
Etisalat and Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the launch of the new BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 smartphones in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone delivers a sleek twist on a classic style and is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone on the market. In addition providing exceptional communications and multimedia features, this model includes built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, a faster processor (512Mhz) and a dazzling hi-resolution display. The new BlackBerry Curve 8900 enables users to remain productive, entertained and connected to friends, family and the office wherever they go.
In addition, its advanced multimedia capabilities include a 3.2-megapixel camera with image stabilization, digital zoom, flash and the ability to record video. It comes with a rich media player, 3.5mm stereo headset jack, headset and a hot-swappable microSD/SDHC memory card slot. A 256MB card is included and it supports memory cards of up to 16GB, enabling customers to carry, capture and enjoy more of their music, pictures and video on the go.
On the flipside, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone maintains the popular features and benefits of the BlackBerry Pearl series smartphones, plus it packs numerous enhancements into its sleek flip design. The spacious SureType keyboard allows easy typing and dialing while the flip design opens to a large, vibrant internal display and provides the satisfying finality of ending a call by closing the phone. Customers will also appreciate the external display for previewing calendar reminders, email, text messages and phone calls at a glance.
The BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone also boasts an advanced multimedia experience including a 2 megapixel camera with digital zoom, flash and video recording, stereo Bluetooth support and an easily accessible expandable memory card slot for up to 16GB of additional storage per card.
Abdulla Hashim, VP of Business Solutions at Etisalat said, “The launch of these new smartphones offers an even wider choice to our customers with an unbeatable combination of great design and exceptional features.”
Khaled Kefel, General Manager of RIM in the Middle East added, “The BlackBerry Curve 8900 and the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 both harness the power of the industry leading BlackBerry platform to give users everything they need to stay connected, productive and entertained. RIM is delighted to work with Etisalat in the UAE to launch these two impressive smartphones.”
Both models are now available in all Etisalat retail outlets and business centres in the UAE, offering customers the convenience of instalment plans on a one- or two-year contract.
Source- http://www.zawya.com
Add comment January 22, 2009
RIM introduces the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 in Singapore
Research In Motion (RIM), introduced the BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 smartphones in Singapore. The new BlackBerry Curve 8900 is the thinnest and lightest full QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone and features a compact and refined design that works, looks and feels great. The new BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 is the first BlackBerry smartphone to come in the popular “clamshell” form factor.
We are pleased to work with our carrier partners to present two additional RIM innovations to customers in Singapore, said Gregory Wade, Regional Vice President, Asia Pacific at Research In Motion. The BlackBerry Curve 8900 and BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphones build on the success of the BlackBerry platform and offer customers two new, well balanced alternatives to meet their mobile lifestyle, entertainment and business needs.
Add comment January 20, 2009
Palm unveils new smart phone, operating system
Palm Inc. unveiled a new touch-screen smart phone and operating system Thursday, marking its latest attempt to catch up with competition from Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry and Apple Inc.’s iPhone. At the International Consumer Electronics Show, Palm executives touted their Pre, which looks similar to the iPhone, with a face dominated mostly by a 3.1-inch touch screen and single button. The body of the Pre is black and slightly curved, with a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out from the bottom.In an effort to capture both business and consumer users, the Pre will come loaded with features, including Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth and GPS, as well as 8 gigabytes of storage space, a 3-megapixel camera and music and video playback. The Pre also has a variety of sensors, such as an accelerometer so images on the screen will rotate when a user turns the device on its side.
Many of these features are already available on rival phones, including the iPhone, the latest BlackBerry models and HTC Corp.’s G1 that was released in the fall by T-Mobile and Google Inc. Palm has been overshadowed in the last several years by the success of these products — especially by the growth of BlackBerry smart phones among business customers and, since its June 2007 release, of iPhones among consumer users.
Add comment January 12, 2009
Palm receives USD 100 mln in funds from Elevation Partners (USA)
US-based smartphone developer Palm announced that Elevation Partners has agreed to make an additional USD 100 million equity investment in Palm. Under a definitive agreement, Elevation will increase its investment in Palm by acquiring newly issued Series C preferred stock that is convertible into Palm common stock at a price of USD 3.25 per share, a 31 percent premium to the closing price of Palm common stock on 19 December of this year. The Series C preferred stock carries a 0% dividend rate. Elevation will also receive warrants to acquire 7 million shares of Palm common stock at the same price. Prior to 31 March 2009, Palm may elect to cause Elevation to sell up to USD 49 million of this new investment to other investors on the same or better terms than on which Elevation invested. Palm CEO Ed Colligan said that the additional capital from Elevation Partners will enable Palm to put added momentum behind the new product introductions scheduled for 2009 and will provide it with enhanced stability in unsettled economic times. The transaction is expected to close by 31 January 2009, subject to customary closing conditions.
Add comment December 26, 2008
BlackBerry Bold To Launch In Korea
SK Telecom has launched corporate services for RIM’s BlackBerry Bold smart phone, with the device expected to debut at the end of the month, reports AP. RIM, along with other foreign-made internet-enabled phones were long hindered from rolling out in South Korea by a rule that required all handsets to run a local technology, though an exception to that law, allowed for Bold’s launch. Telecoms regulator, the Korean Communications Commission, lifted the ban last week, with the abolition of the rule to go into effect in April 2009.
Add comment December 18, 2008
Nokia And Motorola Dominate China’s Smartphone Sales
Apple and RIM may be eating into its share of the smart phone market in developed markets, but Nokia is still king of the smart phone in China, where its third quarter share of sales reached an overwhelmingly dominant 69.3 percent, according to a new research report from China research group CCID Consultancy.
Nokia does especially well, CCID found, as the handset maker has a product offering that spans the low, mid, and high tiers of the market. There was also good news for the embattled Motorola, which has the second largest share of the Chinese smartphone market, cornering 19.9 percent of Q3 sales. Motorola does best with the mid-range of the market. The combined share of the two companies accounts for nearly 90 percent of smartphone sales in China. In third place, was local handset maker Dopod (4.7 percent), followed by Korean electronics firm Samsung (2.5 percent).
As for the actual number of handsets sold, the figure was 7.474 million, staying mostly flat (up 0.6 percent from the second quarter). Sales revenues in the third quarter hit 18.17 billion yuan ($2.65 billion), up 4.5 percent from Q2. Smart phone sales accounted for 19.3 percent of total mobile phone sales in China.
CCID expects China’s smartphone sales to grow moderately, but may see a boost from the launch of Android-based smart phones, which the research group said has caught the attention of many phone manufacturers in China.
Add comment December 18, 2008
