News | Fone Arena - Part 3074

Nokia taps Chennai as new Nokia Global Networks Solutions Center site

Nokia announced today that after evaluating a number of sites in India, it will locate its new Nokia Global Networks Solutions Center in Chennai.

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE December 16, 2005

Nokia taps Chennai as new Nokia Global Networks Solutions Center site

Chennai, India – Nokia announced today that after evaluating a number of sites in India, it will locate its new Nokia Global Networks Solutions Center in Chennai.

The Solutions Center will perform network operation tasks for selected operator customers in the Asia Pacific region as well as Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and play a key role as part of Nokia’s expanding and innovative managed services offering. It will start operations in the first half of 2006 and initially employ around 100 people, with this figure expected to rise in the next few years.

The announcement was made in Chennai by Bosco Nov?k, Senior Vice President for Services, Networks, Nokia, at a special ceremony hosted by Shri Dayanidhi Maran, the Honorable Minister for Telecommunications and Information Technology.

“This Center will play a key role for us in our drive to ease the cost pressures that our clients are feeling. This investment manifests our position as innovation leader in our industry,” Bosco Nov?k said. “With its wealth of skilled people and leading technology know-how, India is a very important market for Nokia and we’re pleased to expand our presence here.”

“We are very happy to see a world leader like Nokia extend its already considerable commitment to India, and look forward to deepening our ties in the years to come,” Minister Maran said. “This investment reaffirms India’s position as the country of choice for expanding global telecommunications companies.”

Nokia has contracted managed services with 35 clients in 28 countries, and has provided operating services for over 20 operators globally, helping them with the day-to-day tasks of running their networks so they can focus on bolstering their business offerings. , Nokia is a leader in this growing market, and managed services is a key pillar in its Services business strategy.

The announcement is the latest sign of Nokia’s strong commitment to India and the robust Indian market. Nokia has played a pioneering role in the growth of cellular technology in India, starting with the first-ever cellular call a decade ago, which was made on a Nokia mobile phone and a Nokia-deployed network. Today Nokia’s India operations include networks and terminals sales divisions and three Research and Development facilities. A manufacturing facility for mobile devices and GSM infrastructure is set to open in Chennai in the first half of 2006.

About Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations.

Nokia 6680 smartphone now starts shipping to Vodafone K.K. in Japan

okia today announced that it has started deliveries of Nokia 6680 to Vodafone K.K. in Japan. The stylish Nokia 6680 3G WCDMA terminal will be marketed in Vodafone’s lineup under the name “Vodafone 702NK II (Nokia 6680)”.

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE December 16, 2005

Nokia 6680 smartphone now starts shipping to Vodafone K.K. in Japan

Tokyo, Japan – Nokia today announced that it has started deliveries of Nokia 6680 to Vodafone K.K. in Japan. The stylish Nokia 6680 3G WCDMA terminal will be marketed in Vodafone’s lineup under the name “Vodafone 702NK II (Nokia 6680)”. This device is expected to be commercially available in Japan from December 17.

“We are extremely pleased with Vodafone’s decision to offer the Nokia 6680 to Japanese consumers,” said Heikki Tenhunen, President of Nokia Japan. “Rated as the best-in-class WCDMA device by research company Strategic Analytics and praised by a large number of consumers, the Nokia 6680 imaging smartphone delivers what it takes to be an ideal multimedia companion both at work and play.”

The Nokia 6680 is optimized for video calls with its two integrated cameras. The multimedia functions of the product are further enhanced by functions like digital music player, and the Nokia 6680 also has smartphone capabilities and productivity features for the busy tech-savvy consumer who wants to manage effectively his personal and professional life.

The Nokia 6680 (Vodafone 702NK II), specially customized for Vodafone K.K., delivers highly sophisticated 3G functionality in an attractively styled, compact form. One of the few products in the WCDMA market with truly international roaming capability, the Nokia 6680 (Vodafone 702NK II) allows consumers to enjoy various 3G services provided by Vodafone K.K., including the Vodafone live!, international roaming video calls and video streaming services in or outside of Japan.

The full-fledged smartphone feature set of the Nokia 6680 (Vodafone 702NK II) is enriched by robust data communication functions including WCDMA and Bluetooth wireless technology, which makes it fast and convenient to browse the Internet, send and receive emails with attachments, and link with other electronic devices such as PCs. These features make the Nokia 6680 (Vodafone 702NK II) a first-class tool for conducting business, whether in the office or out and about.

The Nokia 6680 is the third Nokia 3G product available in Vodafone K.K.’s device lineup. The Nokia 6630 (Vodafone 702NK) was added to the Vodafone K.K. portfolio in December 2004, and the Nokia 6650 (V-NM701) became available in the Japanese market in August 2003.

Detailed information about Nokia 6680 (Vodafone 702NK II) and its services can be found from Vodafone’s website www.vodafone.jp.

Blackberry Gone?

RIM the company which manufactures the popular Blackberry devices is under a severe legal crisis. RIM is facing a patent infringement case filed by NT

Research In Motion Ltd., the company which manufactures the popular Blackberry devices is under a severe legal crisis. RIM is facing a patent infringement case filed by NTP Inc. This despite RIM’s public assurances that it had signed a 450 million dollar deal that would end the legal battle. Things are so bad that Blackberry sales could be halted by the court unless RIM can satisfy the demands of the small patent holding firm. RIM faces an injunction that could leave its 3.65 million U.S. customers without service unless the company settles its patent-infringement case with NTP Inc.

The company has met privately with some of its customers to reassure them that the service will not shut down and that a settlement is far likelier. But in public, RIM has said very little — in deference to the legal process, the company said. The company is rapidly loosing brand equity with consumers since then – the company remains silent on answering even the most basic questions to the general public (customers). Although RIM has not talked to the media or made public statements, it has met with some major customers and resellers privately, according to Guibert. Some customers said RIM assured them service will continue to operate and that a settlement is likelier than a shutdown. Northwest Airlines, a heavy corporate user of BlackBerrys, met with RIM last week. “We were satisfied with the information provided by RIM,” the company said in an e-mailed statement. “As far as contingency plans, we have identified alternative suppliers of similar service.”

via [Phoneyworld]

India Can Wait; Airtel To Launch 3G Services In Seychelles Soon

India will have to wait for 3G services for some more time. But not Seychelles. Airtel, India’s leading mobile telephone service provider, will shortly launch 3G mobile services in Seychelles.

India will have to wait for 3G services for some more time. But not Seychelles. Airtel, India’s leading mobile telephone service provider, will shortly launch 3G mobile services in Seychelles. Telecom Seychelles Limited, owned by Bharti Tele-Ventures, has been providing mobile and basic telephone services in Seychelles for the last 7 years under the Airtel brand, It will invest 44 million Seychelles Rupees for rolling out the services.

The new 3G and GPRS network will add a new dimension to the services provided to all Postpaid and Prepaid customers and roamers. This upgrade will open a gateway to Broadband Internet Access, Video Calling, Picture Messaging (MMS), Data Cards, Prepaid Roaming, Advanced Billing System and loads of other Value Added Services. The new 3G upgrade will also provide fast and more reliable Internet access of up to 384 kbps as against 10 kbps in 2G or 30 KBPS in GPRS, the release said.

The 3G Network will be on the IMT 2000 Band (3GSM) enabling complete alignment with the world standard. This will ensure seamless roaming with the rest of the world. Besides the upgrade Airtel is adding new Base Stations to expand its coverage to more islands.

via [contentsutra]

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

Ebooks coming to your nokia smartphone

Ebooks Corporation today announced it has entered into a five-year distribution agreement with Nokia
Corporation of Finland to distribute a growing range of popular books via a new generation of Nokia smart phones. The deal means that users of Nokia mobile devices will be able to find, buy, download and read books directly from their handsets.

Under the agreement, Ebooks Corporation will supply a range of book
excerpts that will be installed on Nokia phones. The phones will also include
key elements of the eBooks.com web site.
Ebooks Corporation has been selling downloadable books since the launch of
its ebookstore, eBooks.com, in 2000. The company now hosts an inventory of
27,000 titles from 130 global publishers, including Random House, Time Warner
and Simon & Schuster. ebooks.Mobile, the company’s forthcoming mobile portal,
will be accessible from any web-enabled handset.
Stephen Cole, CEO of eBooks.com said, “This arrangement will make it very
easy for Nokia mobile device users to find and read their favorite authors.
Our customers are especially tech savvy and very mobile. They will appreciate
the ability to access their library anywhere, any time.”
“Nokia is pleased to be partnering with Ebooks Corporation in this
interesting development. The mobile device is a logical platform for people to
carry and manage all their reading needs”, said Petri Hokkanen, Manager, Rich
Media Business Program, Multimedia Business Group of Nokia. “Screen display
and storage capacity have come a long way in recent years. At the same time,
the available inventory of ebooks has exploded. Ebooks Corporation’s years of
experience in producing and distributing ebooks will be of great value.”

About Ebooks Corporation
Ebooks Corporation is a global provider of electronic books. It has
distribution agreements with publishers worldwide. Ebooks Corporation hosts
and securely distributes ebooks through its retail site eBooks.com. The
company recently launched EBL – Ebook Library, a service for libraries that
enables students and researchers to access a wide range of books from their
desktops.

SOURCE Ebooks Corporation
Web Site: http://www.eBooks.com

Nokia RFID on 3220

RFID might get a big retail push if Nokia releases their current prototype RFID phone. This phone is based on the Nokia 3220 design is has built in circuitry to read and write to RFID information tags.

RFID (Radio Frequency ID) might get a big retail push if Nokia releases their current prototype RFID phone. This phone is based on the Nokia 3220 design is has built in circuitry to read and write to RFID information tags.

Potential uses for this go further than advertising and ticketing as the phone includes the ability to dial phone numbers, send SMS messages or opening up URLs. So you could get your kids phones to SMS you as soon as they past a RFID point at home.

Sony Ericsson expands in-house manufacturing capacity in China

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications has received Chinese Ministry of Commerce approval to take control of Beijing Suohong Electronics Co. Ltd. (BSE), a Sony China controlled manufacturing facility, by raising its share holding to 74.5%. The BSE site, which is 60% dedicated to the outsourced assembly of printed circuit boards for Sony Ericsson, will become an in-house manufacturing facility.

Beijing and London, 13th December 2005, — Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications has received Chinese Ministry of Commerce approval to take control of Beijing Suohong Electronics Co. Ltd. (BSE), a Sony China controlled manufacturing facility, by raising its share holding to 74.5%. The BSE site, which is 60% dedicated to the outsourced assembly of printed circuit boards for Sony Ericsson, will become an in-house manufacturing facility. Sony Ericsson will increase its stake in BSE from 10% to 74.5% through the acquisition of Sony China?s shares; local minority shareholders will remain unchanged.

SE Press Release

Panasonic Mobile To Shut Down GSM Operations

This means that the Panasonic Mobile plant in the Philippines will be closed. The GSM production lines at the Czech plant will also be shut down and the GSM manufacturing in Beijing will be retooled to focus on 3G phones. The company also announced that it is working to shift all of its future handsets over to the Linux based platform that the company is currently using in the Japanese market.

This past week Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co., Ltd, the parent company of mobile phone maker Panasonic Mobile, announced that Panasonic will no longer compete in the GSM handset business due to “severe global competition”. The company said that it will refocus all of its efforts on 3G handsets, where it has been quite successful so far.

This shift towards Linux means that the Panasonic R&D facilities in the US will be closed, as these offices had been working on devices based on the Symbian OS. The Panasonic R&D labs in the UK will refocus on 3G technologies.

This SMS will self-destruct in 40 seconds

A new type of text message called StealthtText launched by Staellium UK Ltd self-destructs in 40 seconds, according to The Daily Record.

This tape will self-destruct in five seconds? became a household phrase in the 60s and 70s thanks to the creators of Mission Impossible, and now 30 years later the ability to send your own self destruct messages has become a reality thanks to a new innovation ? called StealthText launched by Staellium UK Ltd.

Whether you?re a celebrity who?s up to no good or a business executive dealing in sensitive information, the last thing you want is for urgent text messages you?ve sent to fall into the wrong hands. StealthText allows you to send a text message safely in the knowledge that it will delete itself from the recipient?s mobile phone as soon as the person has read it ? ultimately, allowing the sender control of their own information.

Until now, mobile phone users have had to rely on recipients to delete sensitive text messages on their behalf; although a number of high profile cases (Rebecca Loos), have shown that this cannot always be relied on.

However, by simple keying in a code, StealthText users can rest assured that the message goes up in smoke, just like the famous tapes scenes in the Mission Impossible series

http://www.stealthtext.net/pages/mainmenu.htm

via [textually]

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

Samsung to set up $15-m handset manufacturing unit

The factory will be set up at Gurgaon, Haryana. This is Samsung’s fourth overseas handset manufacturing facility in the world after China, Brazil and Mexico.

New Delhi , Dec. 9

KOREAN electronics major Samsung, on Friday, announced its plans to invest $15 million to set up a mobile handset manufacturing facility in India.

The factory will be set up at Gurgaon, Haryana. This is Samsung’s fourth overseas handset manufacturing facility in the world after China, Brazil and Mexico. The facility will have an initial capacity of 1 million units per year, which will be stepped up to 20 million units by 2010.

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