phones | Fone Arena

Motorola to Work with Kodak on Improving Camera Phones

Motorola has recently come to a 10-year agreement with Kodak that will see the two companies working together to make camera phones more functional and user-friendly

The world?s second largest handset maker, Motorola has recently come to a 10-year agreement with Kodak that will see the two companies working together to make camera phones more functional and user-friendly.

Kodak will supply Motorola with hardware and software to make it easier to store, send, and print camera phone pictures. They hope to make it possible to send a picture to anyone, anywhere in the world, with the click of a single button.

?Think about visual IM,? said the head of Motorola?s mobile phone division, Ron Garriques, when describing the process of sending a picture.

Although the deal between Motorola and Kodak is non-exclusive, it will likely see them work closely together for a number of years, and share intellectual property. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Yahoo announces Yahoo Go Service

Yahoo has announced the launch of Yahoo! Go, a new suite of products designed to extend the its reach beyond the Web browser,

Yahoo announced the launch its new service, called Yahoo Go, at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The new service, which will be available on mobile phones, personal computers and PC-connected TVs, will give users access to different Yahoo?s applications such as Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Messenger, Photos, calendar, address book, Web and image search, news, sports and finance without using a browser.

– Yahoo! Go mobile is available to download on Nokia Series 60 phones.
– Yahoo! Go TV is coming soon and will be available for all Windows XP PCs.
– Yahoo! Go Desktop is coming soon but Yahoo! Widgets is avialable now.

Obviosuly it?s a multi-device platform for accessing and using Yahoo Services and Products anywhere, anytime, getting rid of the confinements of a browser and a PC, and this is very promising as a concept, but apparantely Yahoo wasn?t ready for full launch at CES.

Orascom Buys Stake In Hutch, Enters India

Orascom Telecom has entered the Indian Telecom arena, with the acquisition of 19.3 per cent stakes in Hutchison Telecom

Friday, December 23, 2005: Orascom Telecom has entered the Indian Telecom arena, with the acquisition of 19.3 per cent stakes in Hutchison Telecom. With the deal, Orascom is on its way to some of the high growth mobile markets in Asia. Hutchison already has operations in India and Sri Lanka, while Orascom, the Cairo-based telecom company, has presence in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

According to Naguib Swiris, CEO, Orascom Telecom, ?We have often expressed our keen interest to enter some of the largest and highest growth mobile markets in the world like India, Indonesia and Vietnam. The tie-up with Hutchison Telecom presents Orascom Telecom with exposure to these markets.?

As per the terms of the tie-up, Orascom and Hutchison will combine procurement, apart from signing roaming agreements between all the complementary operations. Orascom will send two representatives to the Hutchison Telecom board. Besides, the company will have its members on the board of Hutchison Essar, in which Hutchison Telecom holds 42 per cent stakes.

Orasom and Hutchison control mobile operators with two billion subscribers in 15 countries.

via [EFY Times]

Motorola launches Made in India phone

Motorola has finally launched a Made in India phone, which will be marketed through Hutch at below Rs 1,700

NEW DELHI: Motorola has finally launched a ‘Made in India’ phone, which will be marketed through Hutch at below Rs 1,700, bundled with free talk time of around Rs 700, taking the effective price to sub-Rs 1,000.

Launching the C115 model, Motorola officials said although this model would not be available in the retail market, there were more phones in the C11x series that would be available over the next year and they would all be in the sub-Rs 1,700 range.

Although the company did not say who was making C115 in India, it is believed that Flextronics is doing it.

Nokia 6280 is now shipping across Europe

Now shipping in European markets, the Nokia 6280 will sell at an estimated retail price of 375 EURO before subsidies or taxes.

Infosync World reports that Nokia has begun shipping across Europe

A highlight of the 6280 is its integration of dual camera, which was previously only available in the Nokia 6680 smartphone. A back-mounted 2 Megapixel camera is used in conjunction with a front-mounted 0.3 MP camera to allow for rapid switching between views, with the 6280 also offering in-call initiation of video sharing should users want to start sharing video mid-call. Also, the 6280 offers a full-screen landscape mode for use when shooting stills or recording video, as well as a LED flash with a range of up to 1.5 meters.

Offering up to 74 MB of user available memory, the 6280 includes the full compliment of Nokia’s messaging and presence functionality with support for SMS, MMS and presence enhanced instant messaging, as well as an e-mail client supporting POP3/IMAP4/SMTP protocols. Additionally, the 6280 also offers Nokia’s Xpress audio messaging as well as support for Push-To-Talk, and further on the note of audio integrates a stereo FM radio with support for Visual Radio and also a music player with stereo audio.

For shorter range connectivity, the Nokia 6280 integrates Bluetooth, Infrared and also USB 2.0 via Nokia’s proprietary Pop-port interface, all of which enable synchronization with the Nokia PC Suite.

Measuring in at 115 g and 100 x 46 x 21 mm, the 6280 offers a claimed talk time of up to 3 hours and up to 250 hours when on GSM; up to 2.5 hours and up 200 hours, respectively, when on WCDMA.

Now shipping in European markets, the Nokia 6280 will sell at an estimated retail price of ?375 EUR before subsidies or taxes.

via [infosyncworld]

Airtel and Bird to laucnh 1399 prepaid offer

Bird mobiles a chinese mobile maker and india’s Airtel have partnered to offer a bundled handset and connection for just 1399 rupees

Bird Phones, the Chinese cell phone company, has entered into a ‘bundling’ pact with Airtel under which a connection and handset is being provided for just Rs1399 but with a lock-in-period.

Adarsh Shastri, Director, Marketing, Bird Phones, said, “We shall be offering a handset for just Rs1399 along with a pre-paid connection of Airtel which also includes Rs600 worth free talk-time to be spread over six months. The scheme involves huge subsidy which is being shared by both parties.”

The scheme was launched in first week of November in six circles and the company sold 65,000 handsets in first 20 days, Shastri claimed.

“Our target is to supply five lakh handsets till end of current fiscal,” he added.

The same model of handset is being sold at Rs3,000 in the open market. The bundled (handset plus Airtel pre-paid connection) scheme comes with a 8-month lock-in-period whereby the consumer is barred from using the same handset for another connection.

Currently, the scheme is available in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh (East and West), West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar, he said adding the company was planning to cover all India soon.

Samsung Unveils 3 Handsets

Samsung Unveils 3 Handsets SGH – X700, SGH – N 710 and SGH -X660.

Dec 13, 2005
Samsung has launched three new handsets – the samsung – X700, SGH – N 710 and SGH -X660.

The X700 is a 1.3 Megapixel, tri band, bar type phone, with advanced features like GPRS Class 10, Bluetooth /USB Connectivity, Stereo FM Radio, Video Recording and Messaging, External Memory (Trans Flash) and Mobile Printing. It is priced at Rs 14,699.

The SGH – N 710 is a light-weight bar phone weighing about 76 gm. This dual band, black and white phone is priced at Rs 3,199.

In the Folder category, Samsung has introduced the tri band, SGH – X660. This handset has features like video recording, photo caller ID, 8 MB memory, MP3 ring tones, Speaker Phone and VGA/CMOS camera. It is priced at Rs 8,599.

Samsung, recently also announced the launch of its 2 Megapixel, quad band SGH D-600 in the market. The phone includes features like file viewer, Bluetooth wireless sharing and mobile printing, PictBridge, TV output support, Sync ML DS, email client capabilities, USB 1.1 and TransFlash memory. A music player adds to its abilities with MP3/AAC/AAC+ as well as dual speakers for 3D sound and Bluetooth stereo headset compatibility. It is priced at Rs 23,999/-.

With the launch of these new handsets, Samsung now has around 18 models in the market, priced in the range Rs 3,199 to Rs 23,999

ROUTE 66 Mobile 7 for Nokia Series 60 Mobile Phones Launched in North America

ROUTE 66 today announces the launch of ROUTE 66 Mobile 7, marking a new era in GPS satellite navigation using mobile phones

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ — ROUTE 66 today announces the launch of ROUTE 66 Mobile 7, marking a new era in GPS satellite navigation using mobile phones. ROUTE 66 Mobile 7 determines its position using an advanced high sensitive wireless GPS receiver, guiding the user with turn-by-turn voice
instructions and on-screen directions to its destination. A new navigation display has been developed providing users with all vital travel information on a single clear screen of their mobile phone including 3D map display, turn arrows and navigation guidance, as well as the ability to dial points of interest directly from the map. In addition, ROUTE 66 Mobile 7 features the very latest maps, driving directions enhanced with upcoming exit signs and continued guidance when GPS reception is temporarily lost for example in
tunnels through ROUTE 66’s new Extrapolated GPS (E-GPS) technology. In summary, ROUTE 66 Mobile 7 is an ideal travel companion in the car, on your bike or simply when you are walking.

ROUTE 66 Mobile 7 is available immediately. The Full Navigation Kit contains all the maps for the US and Canada and is priced at US$ 299 / CAN$349.

Package contents:

— Memory card (512 MB DV RS-MMC Mobile)
— Navigation software, geographic maps and user manual (DVD)
— Memory card reader/writer
— ROUTE 66 wireless GPS receiver (SiRF Star III)
— ROUTE 66 lanyard
— In-car charger cable for GPS receiver
— Universal car mount for mobile phone
— Quick Start Guide
— Mobile phone NOT included in this pack

Compatibility:

ROUTE 66 Mobile 7 is compatible with all mobile phones featuring an external memory card slot (MMC Mobile), Bluetooth wireless technology and Symbian Series 60 operating system. This includes Nokia (3230, 6260, 6600,6620, 6630, 6670, 6680, 6681, 6682, 7610, N70, N80, N90, N91). ROUTE 66 Mobile 7 is NOT compatible with Sony Ericsson,Nokia Series 80/90 and Microsoft Mobile smartphones.

SOURCE ROUTE 66
Web Site: http://www.66.com

Indiagames To Ship EA Mobile Games in India

Electronic Arts EA and Indiagames, a mobile content publisher, have signed an exclusive licensing agreement that will bring EA mobile games to consumers across multiple mobile carriers in India.

Electronic Arts (EA) and Indiagames, a mobile content publisher, have signed an exclusive licensing agreement that will bring EA?s mobile games to consumers across multiple mobile carriers in India.

The games that will be initially released through Indiagames include Need for Speed Underground 2, Need for Speed Most Wanted, NBA LIVE 06, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06, EA SPORTS FIFA 06, FIFA STREET 2, Madden NFL 06, SimCity and The Sims 2. Indiagames will release EA SPORTS FIFA 06 this year.

ea games logo Jon Niermann, President, EA Asia Publishing said, ?Indiagames is a key partner for us as we expand our business from packaged goods to mobile content in the burgeoning Indian marketplace. They have a strong technological infrastructure and share our passion for delivering top quality entertainment.?

?Indian consumers are quickly adopting a mobile lifestyle and we believe that this partnership will give people the opportunity to experience the fun and excitement of playing great games on their mobile phones,? maintained Niermann.

India games logo Vishal Gondal, CEO of Indiagames said, ?We are thrilled to bring such legendary and popular games to Indian audiences. We are convinced that thousands of Indian fans will enjoy the opportunity to experience these games on their mobile phones.?

via [TechShout]

EA Buys Jamdat for $680M

In an effort to expand its mobile gaming portfolio, Electronic Arts has announced that they will be acquiring Jamdat Mobile – the top publisher of wireless video games.

Jamdat is the publisher of such popular games as Tetris, Downtown Texas Hold ‘Em, and Bejeweled. The acquisition, expected to close in EA’s fiscal fourth quarter ending March 2006, will cost Electronic Arts US$27 a share, or $680 million USD total. The deal is an 18% premium over Jamdat’s Thursday closing price of US$22.77 a share.

Jamdat is based in Los Angeles, and has 350 employees across the globe.

via [red herring]

Nokia PC Suite version 6.7 available

The latest version of nokia pc suite for nokia mobile phones is available for free download at the nokia website

Latest Update: Version 6.7
?Manage your text messages and phonebook easily with File Manager
?Automatic notifications when a new version of PC Suite is available
?Improved back-up and Image Store features
?Released 07 December 2005

Homepage:

http://europe.nokia.com/nokia/0,,72014,00.html

Links:

http://nds2.nokia.com/files/support/global/phones/software/Nokia_PC_Suite_67_rel_21_eg_us.msi

http://nds2.nokia.com/files/support/global/phones/software/Nokia_PC_Suite_67_rel_21_eng.msi

http://europe.nokia.com/nokia/0,,72026,00.html