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New N-Series From Nokia – N72 N73 and N93

nokia_n73_n93_1.jpgNokia officially announced three new N-Series mobiles – Nokia N93, Nokia N73, and Nokia N72. N93 will feature a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics with an astonishing 3x optical zoom. N73 will also boast a 3.2 megapixel Carl Zeiss optics camera. Both phones will have 2.4″ high definition displays. N72 will have a 2 megapixel camera and a 2.1″ display.

The first of the new mobiles and the technologically most advanced is the Nokia N93. We published some pre-release photos of N93 five months ago. N93 is successor of the popular N90 and it has a lot of improvements over its predecessor. It is based on Symbian S60 3rd Edition software and one of the most attractive features is the Carl Zeiss optics digital camera offering 3X OPTICAL zoom. The phone has 50MB internal memory, as well as a hot-swap MiniSD card slot. Among the highly advertised features of the phone will most surely be its camcorder capabilities which allow it to capture DVD-like quality videos into the MPEG4 format with 30 frames per second. Those features are backed up by digital video stabilization, 20x digital zoom, autofocus and macro mode. It will have a 262K QVGA display (N90 has higher resolution display) with wide viewing angles and will support 802.11b/g WLAN, 3G (WCDMA 2100 MHz), EDGE and GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz) networks. Unfortunately, the N93 will most probably suffer the same criticism as N90 did for its large size and weight. What remains to be seen is whether the phone will also miss the vibration feature as N90 did, which would be a great disappointment to all Nokia fans.

Continue reading “New N-Series From Nokia – N72 N73 and N93”

Malaysian Khazanah might get Idea Cellular Stake

Malaysian interest in Indian telecom does not seem to be ending. After the Maxis – Aircel and Telekom Malaysia – Spice deals, there are reports that Malaysia?s state investment firm – Khazanah Nasional Bhd is in talks to buy a one-third stake in Idea Cellular.

Khazanah might take up a 33% stake conglomerate Aditya Birla was selling in Idea, Malaysia?s Edge weekly said.The Aditya Birla group has recently doubled its stake in Idea to 98% by buying out the Tatas. Birla has stated that it wants to cut its holding to 65%, but not through a sale to another mobile operator. Khazanah would be a good bet for Birla as it is a financial investor with government links.What is interesting to note here is that Telekom Malaysia, which recently bought a 49% stake in Spice, is controlled by Khazanah. Therefore, Idea and Spice will have a common investor in Khazanah if the deal goes through. Whether this leads to the merger of Idea and Spice is anybody?s guess.

Source: Money Control via [Mobile Pundit]

Sony Ericsson launches W700 and Z525

sonToday Sony Ericsson announced two new mobile phones, the W700 and Z525.
The W700 which is the 8th addition to the Walkman series, strongly reminds of the W800 model. The tri-band phone has a 1.8″ 256K colors display with 176 x 220 pixels resolution. The main difference between the new device and the W800 seems to be the smaller Memory Stick PRO Duo card that comes in the box. In this case, it’s a 256 MB one, as in the W800 box it’s 512 MB. Otherwise, the phone has a 2 megapixel camera with LED flash, but without autofocus. W700 has GPRS Class 10 support and has Bluetooth, USB and Infrared connectivity. Stereo earphones are supplied in the original package. Sony Ericsson W700 will come in Titanium Gold color as for some markets there will be a Smooth White version. It will be available in Q2 2006.

The Z525 clamshell is aimed at the US market and succeeds the Z520 model even in design. Unlike its predecessor, it will have Push-to-Talk support. The new device will have a 80 x 101 pixels resolution external display with 4K colors. The internal display will be a 1.8″ 65K colors one with 128 x 160 pixels resolution. The internal memory remains the same as in Z520 – 16 MB. The phone still has a VGA camera, MP3 & AAC support and caller ID associated light effects. The connectivity features of the quad-band Z525 are Bluetooth, USB and Infrared. Sony Ericsson Z525 will be available in New Blue around Q2 2006.

Nokia suspended the release of its 6 smartphones

The Reuters website has published the info that Nokia suspends the release of its 6 new smartphones scheduled for 1Q 2006 as it works to sort out their software. Company spokesmen said the models ? 3 of its multimedia N-series handsets and 3 E-series smartphones aimed at business class ? would start shipping to the customers in the near future.

The shipments of the N91 will start this week and that of N71 and N80 in the next two weeks. The release of the N91 smartphone was originally set for the end of 2005, however it was suspended till 1Q 2006 while the company worked on some software problems. The shipments of the business smartphones the E60, E61 and the E71 set for end of March will start in the upcoming weeks.

via [Mobile Review]

Nokia 3250 starts shipping,Nokia N91 may ship in April

The first Symbian OS 9.1 Series phone and first S60 3rd Edition phone have started shipping in the form of the Nokia 3250. The 3250 is Nokia’s mid-teir music smartphone and costs 350 Euros.The Nokia N91 will start shipping in Europe in the first week of April, and follow in the Middle East and Asia in the second week of April. Shipping dates for the US market are not yet available. The Nokia N91 is Nokia’s high end music phone and will cost 700 Euros

As ever the quoted prices from Nokia re before taxes and subsidies. This means bought SIM free the phones will cost the stated amount + tax, but if subsidised by an operator they will most likely be available for less. For example the Nokia N70 pricing was around 500 Euros at launch. It is now routinely available in the UK for free when bought with a contract.

Both phones are part of the Nokia XpressMusic brand. Features include:

* Dedicated Music Buttons.
* 3.5mm headset jack (either directly or through adaptor).
* MP3, M4A, WMA, AAC and eAAC+ formats support (both phone support WMA DRM ‘Janus’ files so you can ejoy music from music subscrition services).
* 10 hours+ music listening time.
* USB 2.0 and USB Mass Storage Support for transferring music (both phones will sync with Windows Media Player).via [All About Symbian]

Designed for S60 Devices logo program launched

series 60Nokia has announced a logo for programs designed for the most popular smartphone OS – Symbian Series 60. The developers must prove that their programs are Symbian Signed or Java Verified and list the individual models that each program is compatible with. When that is done they can use this logo. This logo program will not only popularise S60 devices but also will make customers aware of the various applications available for S60 phones

According to the Nokia website:
The ?Designed for S60 Devices? logo program is set up for developer use in application marketing. The program features an S60 logo specifically designed for developer use, with the aim of making it easier for developers to communicate that a particular offering is designed for S60 devices.

Enrolling in the logo program enables you to:

  • Associate your offering with the leading smartphone platform, S60.
  • Demonstrate that your offering is designed for the S60 platform.
  • Take advantage of marketing momentum built up by S60 device manufacturers.

via [Allaboutsymbian]

Sify enables mobile commerce with NGPay

GPRS users can now shop on SifyMall over their phones. www.sifymall.com, the leading online shopping portal from Sify Limited, today announced that millions of mobile phone users on GPRS services will be able to buy a wide range of products and services over their phones starting today.

To enable this easy to use and path breaking initiative, SifyMall has tied up with JiGrahak, a mobility solutions provider, and will be using JiGrahak?s m-Commerce/m-Payment platform ?NGPay? (Next Generation Pay).

Speaking on the launch of this mobile shopping initiative, Surya Mantha, Senior Vice President, Interactive Services, said, ?We are happy to be working with JiGrahak in bringing secure m-Commerce services to the millions of mobile subscribers using GPRS services in India. With the Indian mobile subscriber base growing at the rate of about 2 million users a month, and expected to touch 200 million by 2007, the potential for mobile shopping is huge. We expect to grow the mobile shopping service space with this “one-of-its kind” offering, and work towards being a leader in this area.

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Bad News For Indian Mobile Users

The new raise in service tax could heavily affect mobile subscriptions.
Thursday, March 02, 2006:? The budget, with an increase in service tax, has brought bad news for mobile users. It is going to hit the marginal users the hardest. The service tax hike from 10 per cent to 12 per cent will see increase in the monthly telephone bills and drop in talk value for the users.

This move could also affect the Government’s target of increasing the number of mobile subscribers in both rural and urban segments.

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Access Googles Blooger from Sony Ericsson Mobiles

Search Engine Journal reports that Google and Sony Ericsson are working together to integrate Google’s Blogger on SE phones. (pay very close attention to this next statement) Google and Sony claim to be the first in the US cell market to provide pre-loaded blogging application with a tight integration to the mobile camera and easy set-up for mobile users who do not already have a Blogger blog. Have we forgotten that Nokia’s Lifeblog integrated with Typepad and comes preinstalled on certain Nokia devices?

Back to the story:

The first Sony Ericsson products to offer the new service are the recently announced K610 UMTS phone and new flagship imaging handsets, the K800 and K790, announced today and available in Q2 2006.

Integrating Blogger and Google Web Search in the Sony Ericsson handsets will provide a completely new experience for consumers. Icons leading to Google Web Search have been integrated into the phone user interface to provide easy access to the information that Google Web Search can provide.

Calvin Klein of Cellular Communication quits Nokia

FoneArena has learnt from News.com.au that NOKIA’S head of design Frank Nuovo also known as Calvin Klein of Cellular Communicationis to leave the company after more than 16 years.

He would continue consulting and stay as principal designer with Vertu, Nokia’s luxury phone brand.

Nokia would also centralise design to global team overseeing all of its handsets.

Six new phones for Sony Ericsson

sony Today Sony Ericsson announced a whole new line of mobile phones: the K800 and K790 Cyber-shot phones, the quad-band W300 Walkman clamshell, K510 and K310 camera phones and the Z530 clamshell.

The K800 and K790 bar phones are of very high imaging class with their 3.2 megapixel cameras. Supplied with Sony’s BestPic (for exact capturing), PictBridge (for direct printing via USB), auto focus and Xenon flash, the new devices are concentrated in imaging. The phones are 106 x 47 x 18 mm big and weigh 115 g. A 2″ QVGA 262K colors display, 64 MB internal memory, Adobe applications support and other functions make them even more efficient. They also have Picture Blogging feature, which is developed with Google’s Blogger. This option enables easy and fast updating and uploading of photos and data in the user’s blog. K800 and K790 also have a VGA camera for video conversations. Various media formats and FM radio are supported as well. Memory Stick Micro card slot is available for expanding the storage space. Bluetooth, USB and Infrared connectivity options are also included. The only difference between K800 and K790 is the networks support. K800 is UMTS – GPRS phone as the K790 is a tri-band EDGE phone. Both models will be available in Velvet Black in Q2 2006.

The W300 Walkman clamshell is the seventh phone in the Walkman series. This clamshell is 90 x 47 x 24 mm big and weighs 94 g. Made for music lovers, it has 20 MB internal memory and a 256 MB Memory Stick Micro card that comes in the box. Except the card slot, the quad-band phone also has EDGE Class 10 support for high speed data transfer. It has an external 1″ display with 101 x 80 pixels resolution (monochrome, regrettably) and a 262K colored internal display with 128 x 160 pixels resolution. W300 features a VGA camera, standard messaging options and USB, Bluetooth and Infrared connectivity. This Walkman clamshell will be available in Shimmering White and Shadow Black color variants in Q2 2006. Sony Ericsson K510 is a camera bar phone with basic features. It is 101.5 x 44 x 17.5 mm big and weighs 82 g. It has a 1.3 megapixel camera and 28 MB internal memory for storage. The new phone has 262K colors display with 128 x 160 pixels resolution. Bluetooth, USB and Infrared connectivity are also present. The tri-band device will be available in Midnight Black and Polished Purple color variants in Q2 2006.

The Z530 clamshell has a VGA camera but has a Memory Stick Micro card slot. It is 90 x 47 x 24 mm big and weighs 93 g. The external display of the phone is with 101 x 80 pixels resolution monochrome and the internal one is a UBC (Ultra Bright Colour) 65K colors with 128 x 160 pixels resolution. Sony Ericsson Z530 also has Bluetooth, USB and Infrared connectivity. The new tri-band clamshell will be available in Chromic Grey, Soft Black and Elegant Red color cariants in Q2 2006. The Sony Ericsson K310 model is a bar phone with simple photo functions. It has a VGA camera and 15 MB internal memory with no memory expansion card slot. It is 101.5 x 44 x 17.5 mm big and weighs 82 g thus it has the same dimensions as the K510 model. This phone has the same display as Z530 with its 65K colors and 128 x 160 pixels resolution with UBC (Ultra Bright Colour). K310 has Bluetooth, USB and Infrared as well. The tri-band device will be available in Misty Silver and Shadow Blue color variants in Q2 2006.

Continue reading “Six new phones for Sony Ericsson”

Free Outgoing on Idea Cellular

Idea Cellular has announced “Outgoing Free”, an offer that allows the first two minutes free on all outgoing to local and STD numbers for its prepaid customer base.

Idea Cellular has announced “Outgoing Free”, an offer that allows the first two minutes free on all outgoing to local and STD numbers for its prepaid customer base.

Idea maintains that the first two minutes free on all outgoing calls reiterates its endeavor to innovate and keep ahead of the pack in the prepaid segment. This customer offering is available on all local mobile calls on purchase of the Rs 250 voucher with Rs 50 talktime, all local calls on purchase of the Rs 750 voucher with Rs 75 talktime, and all STD and local calls on purchase of the Rs 2000 voucher with Rs 200 talk time.

Once the customer has completed usage of first two minutes, calls will be charged at 1 Rupee for all cell-to-cell local calls, and Rs 2 for other local and STD calls for a period of 30 days from the date of purchase of these vouchers. This offer is also applicable to lifelong customers.

Announcing the launch, Vikram Mehmi, CEO, Idea Cellular, said, “With ‘Outgoing Free,’ Idea Cellular will offer the most competitive prepaid product in the marketplace. The idea is to continue offering our customers great value for money (VFM) products, supported by our factory of innovative value added Services. The combination is hard to resist, and is sure to change the prepaid industry as we know it.”

Sony Ericsson W950i announced

Sony Ericsson debuted its most powerful Walkman phone yet, the W950i.

After launching two other models this morning (sony-ericsson-w950iJ100 and K610i) Sony Ericsson debuted its most powerful Walkman phone yet, the W950i. The handset sports a massive 4GB of flash memory which puts it on an even playing field with the Apple iPod Nano.Features of the Sony Ericsson W950i include:

  • Symbian v9.1 on the UIQ 3.0 platform
  • GSM 900/1800/1900 plus UMTS 2100
  • 4GB flash memory for up to 4,000 songs
  • Bluetooth with support for stereo headsets
  • Walkman music player that plays MP3, AAC, AAC+, E-AAC+, WAV and m4a
  • QVGA touch screen with 262k colors
  • USB 2.0

The W950i is slated to begin shipping in the third quarter. Unfortunately we won’t see the W950i in the US thanks to its tri-band radio.

via [MobileTracker] and [Mobile Guerilla]

Nokia announces 3 new phone 6131,6136 and 6070

Today in Barcelona Nokia presented their latest, Nokia 6131, Nokia 6136 and Nokia 6070.

Today in Barcelona Nokia presented their latest, Nokia 6131, Nokia 6136 and Nokia 6070.
nokia 3gsmThe 6131 EDGE clamshell has a large internal QVGA display with 16 million colors. The external display has 262K colors. The quad-band device features FM radio tuner, 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth support and microSD slot. Nokia 6131 also has Visual Radio support.The expected price of Nokia 6131 is around 275 EUR.

The Nokia 6136 is a quad-band UMA-enabled device. UMA technology (Unlicensed Mobile Access) goes for combining GSM and WLAN technologies. Nokia 6136 is the second UMA-enabled phone, after the N80 model. The phone also has a 262K colors display, microSD slot,1.3 megapixel camera and FM radio tuner. The radio has Visual Radio support. Nokia 6136 has a new DARP (Downlink Advanced Receiver Performance) radio receiver for improved voice quality and higher data transfer. The initial customer for the 6136 model will be Orange company.

The 6070 model also has EDGE technology and multimedia features like FM radio tuner and camera. It has the Nokia Series 40 user interface. This phone is tri-band and is expected to go for around 135 EUR.

Nokia 6131, Nokia 6136 and Nokia 6070 phones are all expected to be available in Q2 2006.

Nokia press release

Internet calls on a Nokia phone made possible with the first Nokia UMA network solution

3GSM World Congress 2006, Barcelona, Spain/Espoo, Finland – Today, at the 3GSM World Congress, Nokia unveiled three new devices; introduced its first UMA network solution; announced collaboration with Vodafone aimed at increasing usage of the S60 platform; launched additional frequency variants for the Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station; and announced a new cooperation agreement on DVB-H interoperability.

Nokia unveiled the Nokia 6131 and Nokia 6070 mid-range GSM camera phones, as well as the Nokia 6136 Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) device. The Nokia 6131 comes in a folding design and offers a 1.3 megapixel camera, while the Nokia 6070 comes in a classical form and offers basic camera phone capabilities at an affordable price point.

The Nokia 6136 UMA device, which can switch seamlessly between GSM and WLAN networks, offers users more reliable connectivity in homes or offices with poor cellular coverage. Nokia also launched a UMA network solution that enables operators to deliver cellular and data services to subscribers over WLAN access networks, thereby increasing mobile service availability. With both UMA network equipment and a UMA capable handset, Nokia is able to provide a complete end-to-end UMA offering.