Mobile Phone UK

Mobile phone industry in UK is booming at unprecedented rate. As the technology is advancing, users are being offered more multifunctional mobile phones that include camera, music, internet and video. As a result, now it is very easy for everybody to find a mobile phone of their choice with best mobile phone deals.

The leading players in the UK mobile industry often come up with attractive schemes and deals, like availability of cheap mobile phones, attractive mobile phone deals and so on. The big giants producing innovative and technological advance mobile phones in UK are Nokia, LG, Motorola and Samsung and Sony Ericsson. They offer cheap mobile phones as well expensive ones with excellent features and style.

There are various tariff deals prevailing in the UK mobile market. The three major are contract, pay as you go and SIM free. Among most popular online mobile phone deals, contract mobile deals, pay as you go mobile phone deals, 12 months free line rental, clearance deals are the best choices. All these deals bring along with them numerous free gifts and offers to the consumers. Free offers like free texts and free minutes are obviously cool rewarding programs directed towards the consumers by the online mobile phone shops. The users can implement the deals with the help of Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile, 3Mobile, Virgin etc, the leading service providers of the country that are available at Cheap Mobile Phone Deals.

One can find 3G phones, camera handsets, music mobile devices and Windows mobiles these days. Now, mobiles are not only a medium of communication but also the source of entertainment. The prominent brands in the industry are Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, LG, etc., and they are bringing some stunning models of handsets. Currently, Nokia is the market leader with 40% market share and it is having its presence in almost all parts of the world.

Besides this, the choices in mobile phones UK is vast and innovative. You can select a mobile phone very easily and the best part is that these gizmos are available with best mobile phone tariff plans. The leading network service provider T, 3 Mobile, Vodafone, Orange and virgin offer mobile phone deals to every class of people. You can also get the best mobile phone deal with your chosen mobile phone. Now, there are unlimited choices available whether it is cheap mobile phones or the expensive ones.

source : http://ezinearticles.com/

Nokia N71 May Come to AT&T

AT&T is in the process of prepping the Nokia N71 for release, according to an unconfirmed report.

This smartphone will supposedly be a merger of the best from Nokia's N-series and E-series devices.

It will have a tablet shape and look somewhat similar to the Nokia E62, which AT&T once offered.

The E71 is expected to run Symbian S60 Feature Pack 2, and include 3G (HSDPA), Wi-Fi, GPS, and a 3.2-megapixel camera.

At the rumored measurements of 4.4 in. by 2.25 in. by 0.4 in. (112 x 57 x 10 mm) and 4.2 oz. (120 grams) it will reportedly be considerably smaller than the E62, while still having virtually all the features of the much larger Nokia E90.

Pictures of the E71 have been leaked to IntoMobile showing a device that looks a lot like a merge between the E61i and the Palm Centro.

The BGR source didn't say when AT&T will release this smartphone, or what it will cost.

source : http://www.brighthand.com/

UK leads in mobile social networking

UK mobile phone subscribers are leading a global charge to take social networking to the streets, new research reveals.

Research firm Nielsen Mobile said that the UK leads Europe in mobile social networking on a percentage basis, and that the US boasts comparable numbers.

Approximately 810,000 UK mobile subscribers, roughly 1.7 per cent, visited social networking websites on their mobile phones in the first quarter of 2008.

Nielsen said that this percentage was slightly higher than in other major European markets, where 1.6 per cent of all mobile subscribers (4.1 million in all) accessed social networks via their phones in December 2007.

MySpace.com was the leading social networking site among PC users in the US, and also the most popular mobile internet social networking site with 2.8 million unique mobile users in December 2007.

Facebook, which has the second largest audience among social networking sites, had 1.8 million unique mobile users in December.

In contrast, Facebook led mobile social networking sites in the UK with 557,000 unique mobile users per month in Q1 2008, while MySpace followed with 211,000.

Facebook and MySpace were also among the top social networking sites in other European countries during the first quarter of 2008.

However, MSN's Windows Live Spaces led in Italy (154,000 unique mobile users per month) and France (106,000), and ranked second in Germany (45,000) behind MySpace (52,000).

"Social networking is already a global phenomenon, and going mobile is the next big thing," said Jeff Herrmann, vice president of mobile media at Nielsen Mobile.

"In the UK and the US especially, we already see millions of users of MySpace, Facebook and other social networks interacting with their virtual spaces while on the go.

"Consumer demand for mobile social networking may be a significant driver of mobile service pricing models as evidenced by Vodafone UK's recent move to offer unlimited internet access as a standard feature of its new monthly mobile price plans. "

source : http://www.vnunet.com/

Nokia N96 - We Gave It 5 Stars

The N96 3G smart phone has been wonderfully designed by Nokia to tie in with the popular N series range. This also includes the very capable N95 and the N95 8GB. The N96 has a QVGA LCD screen with the resolutions 320 x 240 pixels and up to sixteen million colours. The TFT Display is a good size at 6.1 inch diagonally.

The smart duel opening design lets the user enjoy all the useful features on the phone. The Nokia N96 is slightly chunkier than the N95 but with the amount of technology it has, it still feels compact. The dimensions are 18mm in depth, 103mm in height and 55mm in width with the weight being 125 grams. This rather stylish 3G smart phone has double the amount of memory that the N95 being an impressive 16GB with the option of a MicroSD memory card.

Music Player

The N96 has a great Music player and with 16GB of memory, this means it is just as good at the Apple iTouch. The features for the music player are great with the user being able to view there albums and play lists in fantastic colour and listen to there music with great sound quality. The N96 comes with a built in RDS FM radio and Nokia internet radio and Visual radio.

Camera

There is no need to have a digital camera when you have an N96. The quality is fantastic with a 5-mega pixel camera using Carl Zeiss optics lens. There is an LED flash, auto exposure and auto focus features on the phone too. There is a rumour of a possible 6-mega pixel model being released so watch this space.

Video camera

The N96 also has great video camera that features video stabilizer so now you can have wobble free videos. You can playback your videos and do video streaming on the great quality display screen.

3G video calling

The additional camera on the Nokia N96 is for 3g video calling. This VGA camera allows the user to make calls and see the person you are talking too.

GPS

The built in GPS and Navigation system has the option of downloading up to 150 maps. The user just types in there destination into the handset and it will give you directions to your destination.

TV player

The DVB-H live TV broadcasting is a great new feature for the N96. It allows the user to view videos through the browser and watch live TV broadcasts.

Connectivity

The N96 has S60 software for the built in Symbian operating System. The 3G Smart phone does not fail to impress with all the new phone technology. The N96 features EDGE technology to provide fast data transfers and 3G HSDPA technology for quick efficiency. The WLAN Wi Fi lets you have much needed wireless connection. It also has Bluetooth and USB connection.

Internet

The web browser assists JavaScript and HTML for it's built in web browser, and mini map features. This lets the user have an amazing internet experience.

Messaging

The mobile messaging service is a fantastic way to stay in contact with your family and friends. The messaging services include text-messaging, email supporting POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP, multimedia messaging and instant messaging. The 3G smart phones battery life is never great with all the added features it just makes the battery life even shorter. The N96 should provide around two hundred and twenty hours standby time and up to three hours talk time. Be prepared to put the phone on charge every night to get full use of all the functions.

source : http://ezinearticles.com/

Contract customers looking to switch?

It has been revealed that 20 per cent of contract customers are looking to switch mobile phone providers, according to research by JD Power & Associates.

Mobile phone customers were asked to rate the company they use on a number of issues, such as image, cost and quality, reports the Press Association.

Virgin Mobile and Tesco came out on top of the poll, with the highest overall consumer satisfaction score - although the poll revealed different issues were becoming increasingly relevant to customers.

Caspar Tearle, director of service industries research at JD Power & Associates, explained: "Being 'green' is an increasingly important requirement ... it will be interesting to track how customer expectations for greater environmental friendliness will shape the industry."

Mobile phone operator Virgin Mobile launched its Liberty Sim service earlier in the year, which offers lower contract rates for a Sim-only deal, for those who do not wish to upgrade their handsets.

source : http://www.mobile-phones.co.uk/

Nokia E90 PDA Hybrid

More and more cellphone manufacturers right now are tilting towards the smartphone and PDA market. This is a good move since a lot of people are looking for that one device who has it all. Of course, given the popularity of the smartphones and PDAs, manufacturers such as Nokia has shifted their sites to this type of design. That is also the reason why, Nokia came out and made the Nokia E90 PDA phone.

The E90 is a boxy PDA phone that sports a lot of features that would make its owners very happy. As we all know, Nokia gives it its all when making devices such as this. The E90 has features such as Wi-Fi support, built-in GPS, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. The only flaw then in this phone is its usability and eye-friendliness.

As mentioned, the E90 has a boxy design. To put it bluntly, it looks horrible. Personally, it looked like a device warped from 5 years ago. At the front of the phone, you’ll see its numeric keypad and some navigation controls. Also located at the front is a small display inlaid in a red rectangular case. Aside from this, the phone also weighs a ton! Well, not really a ton, only by about 7.4 ounces, but its still heavy when compared to other phones in the market.

Also, the E90, though having a brick like shape, opens horizontally to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. It has a beautiful 4-inch display that would let users have a clear view of what they are looking at. The full keyboard and its complement of navigation controls are useful for accessing all of the phone’s features. However, its design is poor and is difficult to use.

Let’s now go to the phone’s software which is ultimately better than the phone’s hardware. As most Nokia’s do, the E90 runs on Symbian OS and includes the QuickOffice suite for working with office documents and Adobe’s Acrobat Reader for viewing PDFs. Its excellent messaging options include BlackBerry Connect and Nokia Intellisync Wireless E-mail. It supports POP3, IMAP, and SMTP e-mail accounts.

As mentioned, the phone has a built-in 3.2 megapixel camera which is also difficult to use. The E90 plays audio and video files and includes an FM tuner. Its built-in GPS includes Nokia’s worldwide mapping application. It also supports Bluetooth, voice dialing, and - overseas only - the truly 3G HSDPA network.

The E90 is a quad-band GSM phone with a decent voice quality and has an excellent talk-time battery. Tests show that the phone can last up to 10 hours.

With its full complement of business software and multimedia tools, the E90 is almost like a portable office. But even its significant capabilities can’t overcome its unfriendly design and its steep price.

source : http://www.camera-core.co.uk/

Orange come last in mobile phone provider survey

ORANGE are the UK's worst mobile phone providers, according to a consumer survey.

In the UK Mobile Study of pre-pay and contract customers, Tesco and Virgin were the best phone firms.

The survey asked 3340 mobile phone users throughout the UK to rate their providers on image, cost, call quality, promotions, handsets and customer service.

The companies were then given an overall consumer satisfaction score.

Researchers JD Power found that 20 per cent of contract customers intended to switch provider, compared with 10 per cent of pre-pay customers.

The research, carried out during February, also revealed that companies' environmental credentials are becoming more important to mobile customers.

Caspar Tearle, director of service industries research at JD Power, said: "Being green is an increasingly important requirement of today's mobile telephone service providers.

"It will be interesting to track how customer expectations for greater environmental friendliness will shape the industry within the coming years."

source : http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/

FCC Approves Sony Ericsson R300 Mobile Phone

The almighty FCC is back to their approving and disapproving ways again, this time giving the go-ahead to a music-minded candybar from the good folks at Sony Ericsson. The Sony Ericsson R300 mobile phone seems to have a musical focus with its TrackID functionality, a free music recognition service that allows you to search for song titles, artists, and album names.

Beyond its tune-worthiness, the Sony Ericsson R300 also happens to be equipped with a camera of unspecified resolution, an integrated web browser for surfing on the go, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and mass storage device compliance. That's right. No need to fumble through messy software, because the R300 just shows up like a flash drive when connected to your computer.

For all intents and purposes, it seems like the Sony Ericsson R300 is an entry-level phone with entry-level desires. No word on pricing or availability.

source : http://www.mobilemag.com/

Motorola Z10 hitting UK exclusively through O2

We saw the Motorola Z10 hitting O2 UK's "Coming soon" pages back in September of last year. Back then we thought MOTO will have the device ready within a month, but as you know, we were so wrong. The Z10 was officially announced during this year's CTIA and is just starting to become available.

O2 scored the exclusive launch agreement for Motorola's video recording/editing slider smartphone. Other specs (aside from video capabilities) of the "banana smartphone" include such things as 3.2 megapixel camera, UIQ 3.2 running on top of Symbian OS, HSDPA support, Bluetooth, and of course the microSD memory slot. All users that buy the Z10, also get the Bourne Trilogy film collection on a 1GB microSD card to watch on their new mobile phone.

Finally, if you're not on O2, you should know the device will also hit other networks in the UK after the limited exclusive launch period.

source : http://www.intomobile.com/

HTC unveils new Touch phone

Mobile phone maker HTC has unveiled the next generation of its popular Touch device, the Touch Diamond, as the Taiwanese company looks to take on Apple's iPhone at the top end of the handset market.

The launch of the phone, which will be available in Europe next month, comes as Vodafone announced it would begin stocking Apple's iPhone across 10 markets, including India and Italy, later this year.

The HTC Touch, launched last year, has sold more than 3m worldwide through over 100 operators in more than 50 countries. HTC is hoping the next version of the device, which it has been developing since 2006, will be more successful.

The idea behind the phone is what HTC's chief innovation officer, Horace Luke, calls "thumbability". Unlike the iPhone, which users need both hands to access properly, the smaller HTC Diamond can be used easily with one hand.

"What we want people to be able to do is the equivalent of walk and chew gum at the same time; walk down the street and access the internet at the same time," he said.

The Diamond has a 4GB memory, which is smaller than the iPhone, but a more powerful 3.2 megapixel camera. Unlike the iPhone it also has GPS built in and works on the latest generation of super-fast mobile phone network technology, HSDPA. It has wi-fi and Bluetooth short-range wireless technology and is light-sensitive.

The phone uses the latest version of the Windows Mobile operating system but is far more intuitive than any Windows device so far seen.

Users navigate the phone through the touchscreen and a small iPod-like clickwheel. The thumb-rotation movement also allows users to zoom in on particular areas of the screen, while tapping the screen formats web text into columns, making it easy to read. The phone also has a stylus for notes and character recognition.

The phone's music service uses what HTC calls Touchflow 3D, which animates album covers a bit like flipping through LPs in a record store. Contacts also flow as if they were on a Rollerdex.

Getting music onto the phone is relatively easy. It is treated as a hard drive so users do not have to upload their music through a particular computer-based music player.

HTC's chief marketing officer, John Wang, said the phone was part of HTC's efforts to improve its brand identity. The company is a relative minnow when compared with other manufacturers in the far east, such as second-placed Samsung and number five player LG.

"In 2007 we talked about the Touch, in 2008 we are talking about the Touch Diamond. We have to come up with more great ideas in 2009, 2010 and so on. It's all about repeatedly demonstrating our leadership. That will gain us respect in this industry," he said.

Orange, 3, O2 and Vodafone will offer HTC's latest device. In the past HTC phones have been stocked under operators' brand names, such as the O2 XDA, or given generic names, such as the SPV. But most of the operators stocking the Touch Diamond phone will stock it under the Diamond name.

"Not because I have requested that they do that, but because they want to," said Wang.

HTC, however, still makes a lot of bespoke devices. It is looking to make a phone using Google's Android operating system, and is understood to be working with BT on a device that will work with its new Blackberry-style email and mobile internet service, to be announced tomorrow.

Vodafone gets the iPhone

As well as signing up for the Diamond, Vodafone has secured a deal to supply Apple's iPhone in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey. Apple has already announced it will have other partners in some of these markets, including Canada and Italy.

The mobile operator is also understood to have signed a deal for the new 3G version of Apple's device, which is expected to be unveiled next month.

In a change of strategy, Apple has decided to dump the exclusive deals that marked the phone's entry into the initial markets of the US, UK, France and Germany in favour of having more operators stock the phone in the next batch of markets.

While Vodafone refused to comment, the company is understood to have struck a better deal than the original list of iPhone stockists. It does not have to give Apple as large a slice of ongoing revenues from iPhone customers as operators such as O2, who supply the handset exclusively in the UK.

source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Nokia Introduces the Nokia 6122c Exclusively for CMCC

Today, Nokia announced the launch of the Nokia 6122c, exclusively available for China Mobile Communications Corporation (CMCC). As an S60 multimedia device, the Nokia 6122c offers CMCC customers rich entertainment features and powerful applications scalable ability. With CMCC keys specifically dedicated to the internet, customers have faster and easier access to all of CMCC's Internet services and contents.

"Working with top-ranking local operators enables Nokia to optimize services for local customers, and this product exemplifies our close collaboration with global leading telecom operaters," says David Tang, Vice President of sales, Nokia Greater China area. "Its sleek, compact design is iconic of the Nokia brand, now made exclusively for CMCC customers. This demonstrates Nokia's commitment to Chinese customers."

Taking pictures is convenient with the 2 megapixel camera equipped with easy-to-use camera keys, flash, and panoramic mode. A large 2.0" display with outstanding brightness and clarity adds more pleasure for internet browsing and video streaming. Stereo digital music players support a wide range of digital music formats and, combined with FM stereo radio, allow customers to enjoy music anywhere, anytime. The microSD memory card slot allows the user to expand the memory up to 8GB, which offers plenty of space for favourite images, videos and music.

Based on S60 and Symbian OS, the Nokia 6122c enables the user to download additional applications and content on the phone and enjoy various digital experiences including entertainment services. It also allows the user to run several applications on the device at the same time - making it easy to browse the Web while listening to your favorite music.

"The Nokia 6122c is another S60 device exclusively available for CMCC, demonstrating the continued collaboration between Nokia and CMCC," says Michael Hsu, Vice President, China Mobile Account, Nokia Operator Channel. "As a world leading mobile phone manufacturer, we highly value collaboration with CMCC. Together we will strive to forge long-term development of the domestic mobile telecom industry."

source : http://www.nokia.com/

LG KF510 - Redefining 'Style' in Mobile Phones

LG Electronics has unveiled the highly-anticipated KF510 – a slim handset that combines a sleek and sophisticated design with uncompromised functionality, aimed at fashion trendsetters.

Fused with the new 'Interactive Touch Lighting' technology, the gleaming LED lights of the touchpad guides the user through the animated multifunction menu, greatly enhancing the user experience of the KF510. At only 10.9mm thin, the slim KF510 is the first phone to feature an intriguing and unique color gradation of Stardust Dark Gray or Sunset Red on its metal exterior, giving a contemporary look and feel. Engineered to last, the aluminium metal exterior of the KF510 was specifically chosen for its durability.

Complementing the sleek appeal of the handset is the KF510's optimum functionality and performance. Intergrated with a 3.0MP camera, the fashionable mobile phone provides users with MP3 playback and enhanced speaker quality. It also features a Smart Power Saving function that can help to save up to 29% of the battery life by maintaining an ideal brightness of this sleek device through the innovative Auto Luminance Control (ALC) technology.

"At LG, we constantly seek to set the benchmark in mobile phone design by combining sophistication with unmatched functionality," said Mr. Jae Bae, Managing Director of LG Electronics Singapore. "The KF510 appeals to style-conscious and discerning consumers who desire a fashion phone together with quality features to meet the demands and needs of their lifestyle. With its stylish design, uncompromising quality and a touch of sophistication, we are very confident that the LG KF510 will achieve an iconic status as it gives users an incomparable sense of style."

The KF510 is now available locally at major mobile phone retail outlets priced at $498 (including GST).

source : http://www.hardwarezone.com/

Pink Mobile Phones: Latest Fashionable Gadget

Mobile phones allow you to communicate as well as mobility in life in many ways. They have become a part of our daily lives. Latest colorfull mobile phones have become complete entertainment gadgets with their various functions and now they are not merely talking devices used for chatting or sending SMS as they have become much more than that. There are very many mobile phone handsets in trendy colours like pink, black, silver, white and many more. Pink Mobile Phones are the first preference of the mobile phone lovers due to its attractive looks.

Pink Mobile Phones are perfect style accessories as gifts for spouse and friends especially for girls, as most of them, like pink colour very much. Many mobile manufacturers have launched a wide range of pink mobile phones with latest multimedia features. These phones have all the attractive features like 3G technology, camera with digital zooming and flash, music system and more advanced features.

There are many pink mobile phones in the market like Samsung E900 Pink, LG KG800, Motorola V3 Pink, Nokia 7360 Pink and Samsung U600 Pink. The Samsung X830 with pink colour is an ultra- cool mobile phone with outstanding features. It has a 1.3MP camera, an MPEG4, H.263 video recorder, WAP, Bluetooth and 1 GB memory. The Sony Ericsson Z610i is also a pink mobile clamshell phone with high tempting sleek looks and an invisible OLED display.

Pink mobile phones are cool stylish gadgets possessing stunning looks and excellent features. Imparting fashion to the communication domain, these stylish handsets have made a place for themselves in the heart of mobile phone users. Nokia 7360 Pink mobile phone is the bonanza of head and beauty in single gadget.

Mobile phones, in Pink colour, are highly popular phones in their respective category and are doing extremely well in the market. These handsets are mostly preferred by the females. The pink mobile phones have blown the mobile market with its collision on an array of high and low rate handsets. They are more than mere attention grabbing devices. If you are looking for an impressive colour phone, the choice is always getting bigger. With Pink Mobile Phones, you can have full fun, frolic and zest.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 release date leaked

Sony Ericsson has already confirmed that the Xperia X1, its new business focused mobile phone developed and created by HTC will be out sometime later in the year, but Handango, a mobile phone content shop seems to have the inside scoop on an actual date.

According to its latest partner newsletter sent out over the weekend:

"The Xperia X1 will launch mid-September 2008."

Handango issued the date alongside a call for content for the new handset.

"We are now seeking the best products for this device and we would be interested in hearing from YOU."

According to Handango, Sony Ericsson requires your product to support the WVGA screensize (800 x 480) and multiple languages.

We will keep you posted.

source : http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/

Nokia’s new mobile music model takes on Apple’s iPhone

Apple’s iPhone may reign over the fledgling mobile music market in the United States, but in the rest of the world Nokia is No. 1 on the hit parade.

Last year alone, Nokia (NOK) sold 147 million music-playing phones worldwide, while Apple’s (AAPL) sleek touchscreen has sold 5.7 million units so far this year. And although the iPhone is now the top-selling music phone in the U.S. market, it doesn’t even make the top five in Europe where three of Nokia’s music-playing handsets are best-sellers. Now the Finnish phonemaker plans to launch a new service later this year that will let people download as many songs as they want for a limited time.

Unlike the iPhone’s pay-per-track model, Nokia’s new “Comes With Music” plan will offer several handsets that include a year’s worth of unlimited music in the cost of the phone. Once the year is over, subscribers will be able to keep their existing tracks on their phone or PC, and Nokia says they’ll have several options of extending their “Comes With Music” membership without necessarily having to upgrade to a new device. The company is still mum on what those other options may be, though it’s likely customers will have to start paying a subscription fee to keep the unlimited downloads service.

“The track-by-track purchase methodology was cumbersome to people,” says Liz Schimel, head of Nokia’s music business. “Consumers were looking for a more seamless way to access a lot of content.”

Subscription-based, all-you-can-listen-to digital music models have been around for a while. Companies like U.K.-based Omnifone and Rhapsody offer similar services and for years rumors have circulated that Apple itself will launch a flat-rate, unlimited version of iTunes. But Nokia is the first mobile giant to turn away from the a-la-carte model of selling mobile music, and, unlike other existing subscription-based services, its will allow people to keep their tunes on their phone and PC even after their subscription expires.

Of course, while customers won’t have to worry about losing their music library, they also won’t be able to transfer their songs to a new device unless that new device is another “Comes With Music” Nokia phone.

The company plans to launch several compatible handsets, as current Nokia music phones won’t work with the upcoming service. It’s not clear how much built-in memory those new phones will have, but one of Nokia’s most popular multimedia phones on the market today is the N95, which, like the iPhone, comes in an 8-gigabyte version.

Lucky for the Finnish phonemaker, analysts say content providers are eager to experiment with new ways of getting their music onto cell phones.

“They [content providers] want to at least try to shift the center of gravity away from iTunes and Apple,” says Mark Donovan, a senior analyst with mobile research firm M:Metrics.

Two of the world’s largest music labels - Universal Music Group and Sony BMG - have already committed to “Comes with Music,” and the company expects more will sign on before the new service launches in the second half of this year.

Nokia won’t disclose the details of the new business model, or say how much the “Comes With Music” devices will cost. Some media reports have suggested the phonemaker is paying $35 to Universal alone for each handset it sells. With more labels expected to join the partnership, that could end up cutting into Nokia’s profit margins, though M:Metrics’ Donovan says he believes the company has figured out a model “that has legs.”

“The idea that they would pay Universal $35 a handset doesn’t smell good to me at all,” says Donovan. “But of course the devil will be in the details.”

Schimel, head of Nokia’s music business, says the company put a lot of energy into crafting a model that makes sense for everyone involved - the music labels, customers, carriers and Nokia itself. The result, she says, will be able to compete with lots of players on the marketplace, including Apple.

“The mobile industry as a whole has enormous potential in digital music but up until now it’s only been unlocked to a limited extent,” says Schimel, who would not disclose the specifics of the “Comes With Music” business model.

One thing Nokia has been clear about is that music and other services are an important part of its overall strategy. In 2006 the company acquired digital music player Loudeye, which enabled it to launch a pay-per-track mobile music store (similar to what’s currently available on the iPhone), now available in nine countries.

But it’s Nokia’s “Comes With Music” service that has the potential to disrupt the prevalent iTunes way of selling digital music - at least when it comes to mobile downloads.

Despite Apple’s dominance in MP3 player sales, Nokia’s got a global headstart when it comes to the mobile phone market. It’s got 40% of the global handset market and is especially strong in regions that have been quick to embrace mobile content, including China and Europe.

Of course, providing a viable competitor to Apple’s iTunes means succeeding in the U.S. market as well. Currently, Nokia has just 7% market share in the United States, and its total North America sales accounted for only 2.6% of its overall, global revenues.

Nokia’s Schimel says although it won’t be one of the launch markets Nokia has every intention of eventually bringing its “Comes With Music” service to the United States.

But it’s possible Apple will be pressured into change its tune — and offering a subscription-based iTunes service — long before that happens.

source : http://techland.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/

Nokia to offer many new phone models in U.S.

Nokia Oyj (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) will introduce many new phone models through U.S. carriers in coming months to grab a bigger share of the lucrative cellphone market, the Finnish phone maker said on Monday.

Nokia sells 40 percent of all phones sold globally, but in the United States its share has slumped as the Finnish group ended its own production of phones using CDMA technology, popular in the United States.

Nokia has increased its focus on the U.S. market under Chief Executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, who took over from long-term chief Jorma Ollila in 2006 and committed to spend on average a week each month in North America.

Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat quoted Nokia's chief designer as saying design cooperation with U.S. operators will soon bear fruit.

"In the next few months (U.S.) operators will carry a lot of new products from us," Alastair Curtis told the paper.

A Nokia spokesman said the company would introduce a number of new models in the United States this year -- including CDMA phones, models tailored for the U.S. carriers and phones sold globally.

Nokia has signed deals with smaller handset design and manufacturing houses to produce CDMA phones which would be sold under the Nokia brand.

In North America, Nokia's market share has collapsed from 20 percent to 7 percent over the past two years, according to research firm Strategy Analytics, who also cited a poor offering of phones with a folding or clamshell design in Nokia's portfolio.

Nokia dominates the handset market in emerging markets and among cheaper phones, but it has faced increasing competition from the likes of Samsung Electronics (005930.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) and LG Electronics (066570.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) in more developed markets.

"When Nokia fixes the U.S. issue that will be the most important driver to increase global market share," said eQ Bank analyst Jari Honko.

Shares in Nokia were 1.8 percent lower at 19.10 euros by 1401 GMT, compared with a 1.3 percent drop in the DJ Stoxx European technology shares index .

source : http://www.reuters.com/

T-Mobile offers faster wireless

T-Mobile USA Inc. of Bellevue, the nation's fourth-largest cellular carrier, said it has begun offering a new wireless voice-and-data network in New York, with plans to extend the service to major urban markets throughout the year.

T-Mobile, the last of the four carriers to implement a network of this speed, said its so-called 3G network will be available in Seattle between Oct. 1 and the year's end.

The new network uses technology called UMTS, or Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, which downloads data at up to 300 kilobits per second. That's up to four times faster than T-Mobile's current technology. And handsets due for release in the third quarter will be able to use an even faster technology, HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), which operates up to 600 kbps.

By comparison, cable modems download 460 to 1,000 kbps. Faster connections mean Web pages load faster and documents can be sent or received more quickly. Upload speeds are typically slower than download speeds.

UMTS already can be used on four T-Mobile phones that went on sale last year: Nokia's 3555 and 6263 and Samsung's t819 and t639.

UMTS and HSDPA are upgrades from the current network, which is only one-third to one-quarter as fast as UMTS, said Neville Ray, T-Mobile USA's senior vice president of engineering and operations.

Though BlackBerry smart phones are an important part of T-Mobile's lineup, models with HSDPA likely won't be available until next year, Ray said. The new network can't use current HSDPA phones sold by AT&T or imported from overseas because it uses a different slice of the airwaves, or spectrum, for its 3G service.

UMTS has been used in Europe for several years, Ray said. Creating T-Mobile's new network took time, because incumbents on the spectrum bought by T-Mobile required "long discussions" before they vacated it, Ray said.

"It's been a tough road, but they've been very cooperative in recent months," Ray said. The speed of the rollout of 3G to other cities is now more dependent on how fast the company can get new equipment up and running, he added.

T-Mobile USA had 28.7 million subscribers at the end of 2007. It's due to announce new subscriber numbers and quarterly earnings Thursday.

In related news, T-Mobile USA's parent company, Deutsche Telekom AG, reportedly is investigating a bid to buy Sprint Nextel Corp., the nation's third-largest cellular carrier.

The Wall Street Journal, quoting unidentified people familiar with the situation, reported Monday that deliberations between Deutsche Telekom and Sprint Nextel are at "a preliminary stage and management may very well turn away."

Such a deal would catapult T-Mobile USA to the top spot in the U.S. market, though the two companies use different technology. Sprint Nextel spokeswoman Leigh Horner said the company had no comment when The Associated Press asked about the deal. Ray also had no comment Monday.

source : http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/

Mobile Phones UK Ruled By Technology

In the present times, mobile phones have turned in to highly functional gadgets, which can perform more than one task in a simplified manner. It has come a long way since the times, when these were used only for conversing or exchanging messages. Nowadays, you can do very many things with a mobile phone handset. You may feel apprehensive about the rising cost of these advanced gadgets. A simple way to find any desirable mobile phone handsets at ostensible deals in the UK is to conduct rigorous search and compare the rates, put forward by various online mobile phone dealers. In this way, you can find the most nominal rates of the latest mobile phones in the UK.

The UK mobile phone market is flooded with plenty of business centric mobile phone handsets. Apart from this, you will also find some mid range handsets, which are most suitable for individuals who are looking for basic range features, housewives, students and many more. You can make your choice among handsets, offered by plenty of leading mobile phone manufacturers.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a mobile phone handset with highly advanced features, then you will also find a large number of gadgets with extremely high end functionality. With such mobile phones UK, you can enjoy multimedia features, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, internet connectivity and many more. You can enjoy seamless connectivity with 3G smart phones and innovative features like imaging capabilities, music features, browse web, check mails and so on. Some of the well known mobile phone manufacturers in the UK are Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, LG, Siemens, Sony Ericsson and Apple amid others.

The mobile phone handsets offered by the above mentioned mobile phone manufacturers incorporates great looks and equally astonishing functionality. There are very many music centric mobile phone devices for music lovers or those who love photography. All in all the mobile phone UK offers you more than one way to stay in touch with the outside world.

source : http://ezinearticles.com/

T-Mobile Launches New Solo & Combi Tariffs

Following the growing trend of networks boiling down and simplifying their Tariffs is T-Mobile this month which has reworked and rebranded two of its most popular price plans.

From 1 May, the network's popular Sim Only deals will be renamed 'Solo' and its 18 month fixed minutes and texts packages known as 'Combi'. Its groundbreaking Flext package will remain unaltered and complete the trio - a system whereby users buy monthly 'credit' which is spent anyway they wish.

On with the new. As with all good Sim Only plans, Solo will place users on rolling 30 day contracts and offer an impressive range of tariffs from its £15pm deal providing 350 cross network anytime minutes and 650 texts to its £35pm package housing a whopping 1800 minutes and unlimited texts per month.

Moving across to Combi, it will launch with £25, £30, £35 and £40pm tariffs providing 300 minutes/300 texts and 600 mins, 800 mins and 1000 minutes with unlimited texts respectively. The full range of T-Mobile handsets are available on Combi with prices starting from free depending on your choice of phone and contract. Incidentally, if you're fans of T-Mobile's U-Fix, Family and MyFaves bundles don't worry - they're all still going to be available.

source : http://www.trustedreviews.com/

UK start-up finds way to encrypt mobile phone calls

A British start-up that has developed technology that prevents people snooping on calls from fixed-line and mobile phones even if made from abroad is looking to raise several million pounds as it closes in on key deals with multinational companies and the British government.

Cellcrypt, founded only three years ago, is run by Claes Bergstedt, a former sales head of the British electronic organiser firm Psion. It has been operating in "stealth mode" while it perfects its technology and gains security clearance from the UK and US authorities. Having raised initial financing from Porton Capital, the company, which has only a dozen staff in London and Woking, Surrey, is in talks with investors about raising more cash to launch its sales and marketing efforts.

The security of phone calls has become a major concern not just for governments but also for multinational companies whose staff travel the world. Traditionally, firms that want to secure their communications have bought new hardware, such as the secure mobile devices sold by the US technology giant General Dynamics. But these devices can be expensive.

Other companies have developed ways of encrypting voice calls so they cannot be intercepted. The US-based Koolspan has developed an encryption device that can be plugged into a mobile phone's memory card slot. The company last month raised more than $7m (£3.5m) from investors.

Cellcrypt's technology, however, encrypts calls that use the cheaper voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology. VoIP uses a mobile phone data connection to set up a call over the internet, rather than utilising the traditional voice part of the mobile phone signal. Mobile phones can also access wi-fi networks that make use of public wireless internet access hot spots around the world to make unlimited international calls far more cheaply.

Cellcrypt allows users to make secure VoIP calls by installing software on their mobile phone. Bergstedt said people were increasingly worried about the security of telephone calls. "If you access your bank online it's safe but if you use your phone it seems to be fair game," he said. "Why should people treat the call differently?"

source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/