Yes, apple have released a WiFi-less iPhone, something that I consider very important since the iPhone’s software is kinda designed to always work best on WiFi networks. But if you Chinese guys(and ladies) can live without WiFi then you can always pick them up at 4,999 yuan($730) and 6,999 yuan($1,025). This pricing is quite strange since a regular iPhone 3GS(with wifi) can easily be bought for $835 in the black.

But this WiFi-less version of the iPhone may soon disapear considering that this initial batch was built when the Chinese government had it’s WiFi ban in force and since this was recently lifted I guess it won’t be soon before we see WiFi coming to these chinese iPhones. Maybe this is why the folks over at 163.com are reporting that there aren’t many people rushing to buy the iPhones.

Sources:
http://mashable.com/2009/10/30/china-iphone-wifi/

• Apple iPhone China launch on 1st October
• Apple iPhone 3G and MacWorld coming in 2008
• China Unicom and Apple bring iPhone to China , India is still waiting for 3GS
• iPhone Flops in India now onto China
• 3G iPhone Coming

We have seen 12MP camera-phones from brands like Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson. Although Sony Ericsson was the first to announce a 12MP camera-phone, Samsung overtook it and launched theirs ahead of Sony Ericsson’s.

The Samsung 12MP camera-phone goes under the name of M8910 PIXON 12. It’s a rich handset in terms of camera but not quite the all-rounder that the i8910 OMNIA HD is.

Soon after both the handsets hit the market, we heard rumours about a new handset in the works. It was said to have features of both the M8910 PIXON 12 and i8910 OMNIA HD and even more!

The handset in the above picture is the Samsung SCH-M880, a Korean variant of the below pictured M8920.

The earlier picture showed the backside of the 12MP phone. The new picture gives us a sneak look at the side buttons. The side buttons which we assume to have camera controlling functions look very similar to the controls on real digital cameras.

The handset features include:

- 3.3 inch WVGA AMOLED Touchscreen display
- 12 Megapixel Camera with 3x Optical Zoom, Xenon Flash and LED Flash
- HD Video Recording at 30fps
- Dedicated camera control, mode dial, shutter and zoom
- UMTS/HSDPA
- WiFi
- GPS
- Bluetooth
- MicroSD card slot

We also think that the phone might come equipped with the 1GHz Processor announced earlier by Samsung since it supports Full HD Video Recording, Full HD Playback and 3D Games.

• Samsung SCH-W880 12MP Phone Announced in Korea!
• Samsung M8910 Pixon- 12MP Cameraphone!

Motorola Shules is a Google Android powered smartphone set to be released on the Verizon networks. Shules is the codename and the device will be known differently when launched.

The rumoured features include:

• 3.7″ Touchscreen with 480*854 resolution
• 512MB Internal Memory and micro-SD card slot supporting cards upto 16GB (8GB card included in package)
• 5 Megapixel Camera with Autofocus
• 256MB RAM, GPS, Wi-Fi
• 3.5mm Audio Jack, Bluetooth 2.0
• 60.00 x 115.80 x 13.70 mm, 169 grams
• 1400mAh Battery- 450 Hours Standby Time, 7 Hours Talk time
• Audio Formats-AMR-NB/WB, MP3, WAV, AAC, AAC +, eAAC +, WMA
• Video Formats-MPEG-4, H263, H264, WMV

Source

• Motorola ZN4 Official
• Samsung U900 FlipShot from Verizon
• Early Hands-On With the BlackBerry Storm 2

The N79 is a candy bar handset where as the N85 is a dual slider much like the N95.

N79
Touted to be a multimedia phone, the handset comes with changeable back covers in five colours: Light Sea Blue, Espresso Brown, Olive Green, White and Coral Red.

Specs & features:

• GPS with A-GPS support on Nokia Maps 2.0
• Geo tagging support
• 5MP auto-focus camera
• Carl Zeiss optics
• Lens cover like the N82
• Dual LED flashes
• N-Gage
• 3G
• HSDPA
• Wi-Fi
• EDGE
• GPRS
• Bluetooth with A2DP support
• 2.4 inch TFT display
• 240 x 320 pixel resolution sporting 16 million colours
• 4 GB microSD memory card

“The Nokia N79 packs cutting-edge technology into a compact design – a characteristic of the iconic N-series – that allows people to discover, create and share their passions with others,” said Juha Kokkonen, Director, Nokia N-series in a statement from Finland, Head Quarters of Nokia. “It has been designed for those who want a device that is as appealing as it is powerful and comes with interchangeable covers that have automatically matching screen themes.”

Availability:
From October 2008

Price:
Rs. 22, 500 approximately without applicable taxes

N85
The N85 is a gaming device.

Specs & features:

• 2.6-inch OLED screen
• N-Gage gaming
• Music with in-built FM transmitter
• 5 megapixel auto-focus camera
• Carl Zeiss optics
• Dual LED flash
• Geotagging
• 3.5G HSDPA
• Wi-fi
• Bluetooth (A2DP)
• 8GB microSD card
• RDS radio
• 3.5mm audio jack
• A-GPS support

“The Nokia N85 was created to be more than the sum of its parts, offering a complete mobile entertainment package designed for connecting, sharing and discovering,” said Juha-Pekka Sipponen, Director, Nokia N-series. “The iconic Nokia N-series dual slider design has evolved to become smaller and sleeker while integrating the newest features and services to deliver the best mobile experience to date.”

The Nokia N85 is pre-loaded with at least 10 made-for-mobile N-Gage gaming titles and a voucher to activate one full game license. Dedicated gaming keys light up when the device is in landscape gaming mode to further enhance a user’s gaming experience.

Availability:
From October 2008

Price:
Rs. 28, 800 approximately without applicable taxes.

Via: Nokia.com

• Nokia N85 launched in India for 27000
• Nokia Launches the N96 and the N78
• Nokia N86 launches as N86 8MP with 8 MegaPixel Camera
• Nokia launches N95 multimedia phone
• Nokia N79 now in India redefining cool !

Be it tourism, finance, economy, or newest technology, India is now the most preferred destination for all activities. India is now abuzz with activity and yes the world has finally understood its true potential. Well this is certainly why nokia has launched the Nokia E71 and the Nokia 6220 classic here, first amongst several markets. Nokia said India is an emerging market has the largest base for its handset markets. Moreover it’s a strategic move to take on a nearly close yet far rival Samsung.

Nokia E71 retails for 19500 INR and Nokia 6220 Classic retails for 17500 INR.

more info on E71 and 6220 classic follows

• Motorola to setup facility in Chennai
• Nokia E72 , 5730 and 5530 Coming to India Really Soon
• Orascom Buys Stake In Hutch, Enters India
• Nokia don’t Forget to Launch the N900 in India at a Realistic Price
• What will Vodafone do with Hutch ?

The first mobile phone to combine Motorola’s ModeShift Technology and Kodak Imaging Technology was unveiled in Beijing, China. With Kodak Easyshare Software and easy access to Kodak Gallery or other web sharing sites, pictures are easily moved off the device, allowing consumers to print, share and enjoy their favourite photos whenever they want.

Camera features:

• 5 megapixel auto-focus camera
• Xenon flash
• Settings for low-light environments
• Multiple capture modes
• Multi-shot and
• Panorama – which automatically stitches together continuous shots taken on the horizon line into a single, extended image
• Gallery Link – to upload images in one click

Specs & features:

• USB
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• CrystalTalk technology
• Dual compatibility for GSM
• Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)
• HTML browser
• SMS, MMS, IM and personal e-mail

“Today’s creative consumers not only want to be the photographer, but also the retoucher, the exhibitor and the critic,” said Jeremy Dale, corporate vice president, mobile devices marketing, Motorola, Inc. “The MOTOZINE ZN5 lets them be all the things they want to be.”

No word on the pricing yet.

MOTOZINE ZN5 will be first available in China in July 2008.

• Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5 Review – Camera Phone with Xenon Flash – Pics
• Motorola to Work with Kodak on Improving Camera Phones
• Motorola Purchases Wireless Networking Software Company
• MC55 Enterprise Phone Unveiled by Motorola
• Motorola announces ROKR E2

Samsung launched the i-Killer, the i900 recently. Certainly has killer looks…

Specs & features:

• Windows Mobile handset (6.1 Professional)
• 3.2-inch QVGA display
• 240 x 400 pixel resolution
• Optical mouse
• 12.5mm thick
• 5-megapixel auto-focus camera
• Geotagging
• Inbuilt GPS

• QuadBand
• GPRS/EDGE
• 3G
• HSDPA 7.2Mbps speeds
• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi
• TouchWiz interface
• Accelerometer that automatically rotates the display when held in landscape
• FM radio and media player
• microSD card slot
• 8GB and 16 GB capacities

No official pricing announced yet!

• Nokia N97 vs Samsung OMNIA HD Photo Gallery
• Samsung OMNIA II and Jet Announced!
• Samsung Omnia HD i8910 makes a debut
• Samsung Omnia HD Photo Gallery
• Samsung Omnia HD and Omnia Pro launched in India get a Price

The handset has two screens – external 2-inches TFT LCD with 240 x 320 resolution and internal 2.6-inches screen with 400 x 240 resolution. The surface is reflective and features a free-stop flipping hinge that allows users adjust to any preferred angle or position.

Specs & features:

• Windows Mobile 6 OS
• 3.5G connectivity
• GPRS, EDGE
• WCDMA
• HSDPA
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Wi-Fi
• USB 2.0
• One-step Quick Modem setting
• 158 grams
• 113 x 54 x 18.7mm
• 2-mega pixels camera
• 0.3 mega pixels for video telephony

According to Edward Wang, Business Head, Mobile Communication Business for Asus India, this is the only communicator with a Web cam which is called iCAM. Users can type SMS, listen to music, write emails etc simultaneously while using the iCAM.

Price:

Rs 27,900.

• Asus announces two PDA handsets for India
• ASUS P835 Touchscreen business phone in India
• ASUS P750 PDA launched in India
• HTC handsets with CDMA technology via Reliance
• Asus Lamborghini comes to India

HTC has unveiled the HTC Touch Pro that is a strong contender for the top slot amongst business phones.

Specs & Features:

• TouchFLO 3D interface for accessing various applications and features
• HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and wireless connectivity
• Customized mobile Web browser

• Zoom and pan Websites with one-hand
• Automatically view optimized content that has been specially created to fit the display
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS
• Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 MHz processor
• Auto Screen rotation feature that automatically switches the screen to landscape mode when turned
• YouTube application for watching a variety of user generated video content
• Google Maps for mobile for mapping and traffic data
• A slide out QWERTY keyboard
• Built-in TV-out functionality
• 2.8-inch VGA touch screen display
• 3.3MP auto-focus camera
• Advanced wireless and auto sensor screen pivoting
• microSD card memory expansion
• Bluetooth v2.0 with EDR
• GPS/a-GPS
• USB connectivity
• Wi-FI capabilities

Available in Europe, Asia and Middle East in late Summer.

No word on the price.

• HTC TyTN II launched in India
• Palm Centro smartphone in India
• HTC Touch Pro Unboxing Pics
• Nokia N97 vs HTC Touch Pro 2 Photo Gallery
• Asus new PDA launched in India

They have released two versions, one for their Symbian version and the other for their Windows Mobile Version. There is yet no news as to why they have not released an update for their Symbian UIQ version.

For symbian S60, this in version 3.35 is more stable than ever and also brings all round better sound quality. Speakerphone support is added for devices running on top of Symbian 9.2 (S60 3.1), and file transfer is now enabled for Yahoo! IM and Skype.

For Windows Mobile the version is 3.24, supporting a feature that enables auto-roaming between 3G and WiFi, and also allows users to manually manage their WLAN settings directly from fring. In addition, fringME widget support is added and so are additional languages. In total the VoIP application is now available in 8 languages including English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Italian and Russian.

The download link is www.fring.com

• Fring for iPhone
• Fring Never worry About ur ISD bills
• Fring : Make free mobile VOIP Calls
• What does Skype buying Gizmo Project mean for Truphone and the next Billion
• Skype iPhone App First ScreenShots