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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 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-w950i J100 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 3gsm The 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.

Sony Ericsson unveils stylish K610 3G phone for the masses

sony_ericsson_k610

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Press room
The slender, stylish K610 gives 3G mass appeal
13 February 2006

UMTS mobile delivers performance for work and leisure all in the size and weight of a 2G phone

3GSM Congress, Barcelona, 13th Feb 2006 ? Sony Ericsson today announces the K610, a slim, lightweight and affordable UMTS imaging phone that opens up the world of 3G for a much wider population. Just 17mm thick and weighing 92 grams, the K610 is the size and weight of a typical 2G stick phone and will be one of the smallest and lightest 3G phones to come on the market. It packs into its slender frame a suite of advanced communications, business and entertainment applications plus a 2 Megapixel camera, Memory Stick removable storage and Bluetooth connectivity.

?The K610 is a classic Sony Ericsson design reminiscent of the iconic and much loved T610 with a balance of form and function that makes it pretty irresistible,? said Jan W?reby, Corporate Executive Vice President, Head of Sales and Marketing

The K610?s pure lines combine with a solid, quality feel to make it a pleasure to hold and use. It is also incredibly practical and easy to use, with bright illumination plus large keypad and 262K colour display.

UMTS connectivity and a 2 Megapixel camera makes the K610 an ideal tool to shoot images and share them instantly ? whether for business or pleasure. Creating a photoblog is easily done by just adding text to images and posting them to the Internet, or images can be quickly sent by email or MMS.

High speed email, web access and a range of business-friendly applications make the K610 the ideal partner for the productive mobile office. Standard push e-mail support (P-IMAP) sends messages direct to the phone without having to download them, and a flight mode allows users to work offline.

The phone?s practical use as a business tool is further strengthened by a comprehensive connectivity suite that keeps the user always in touch. UMTS is supplemented by Bluetooth, Infrared, USB 2.0 mass storage and Memory Stick Micro? (M2?) support,. USB 2.0 can be used to synchronise with Microsoft Outlook to ensure calendar and contacts are always up-to-date the handset.

Browsing the Internet on the K610 is a graphic-rich experience that is very similar to using a PC, thanks to the NetFront? browser. HTML pages are presented in full with photos, video, words and graphics adapted to fit the 1.9? colour display, making it easy to scroll, browse and follow links between sites. New support for RSS Feeds allows users to subscribe to news services to receive updates direct to the phone.

The K610?s integrated music player makes listening to music on the move simple. Music files can be stored on Memory Stick Micro? (M2?), which can be expanded to 1GB, It is easy to create and manage playlists and supplied software handles transfer of music files between the user?s PC and the phone. The player delivers a top notch listening experience, helped along by the phone?s high quality stereo headphones and built-in equaliser.

The Sony Ericsson K610 is a Dual Mode UMTS handset commercially available in Evening Red and Urban Silver colours and starts shipping during Q2 2006.

K610i – Dual mode UMTS (2100MHz) – GPRS 900/1800/1900 for Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa

K610c – Dual mode UMTS (2100MHz) – GPRS 900/1800/1900 for Mainland China. (Launch for mainland China dependent on availability of 3G services.)

K610 ? Features at a glance:

Imaging & Messaging

* 2.0 Megapixel camera
* 2 x digital zoom
* Horizontal camera user interface
* Video call (integrated VGA camera)
* Video record and play
* Video streaming
* PictureDJ?
* SMS and MMS (Multimedia Messaging)
* 262,144 color 1.9? TFT
* 176 x 220 pixels

Entertainment

* Disc2Phone ripping software
* WAP 2.0 XHTML/HTML
* Java MIDP 2.0
* Media player (supports MP3, AAC and E-AAC+)
* Music download
* Polyphonic ringtones, 72 voices
* MusicDJ?
* 2D and 3D gaming

Connectivity

* USB cable
* USB 2.0 mass storage, full speed
* Memory Stick Micro? (M2?)support (up to 1 GB ) Bluetooth?
* Dual mode UMTS and GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900

Business

* Standard Push e-mail (M-IMAP)
* Speakerphone
* Modem
* PC synchronization
* File manager
* Talk time: Up to 7 hours GSM, up to 2.5 hours WCDMA
* Standby time: Up to 400 hours GSM and up to 350 hours WCDMA
* Size: 102 x 45.2 x 16.9mm
* Weight: 92 grams

Sony Ericsson launches entry level J100

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Press room
Sony Ericsson widens its entry level portfolio with the stylish compact J100
13 February 2006
sony_ericsson_j100
3GSM Congress, Barcelona, 13th Feb 2006 ? Sony Ericsson continues to expand its range of entry level phones with the J100, a phone that is extremely intuitive and affordable, making it ideal for everyday communications.

Unmistakably a Sony Ericsson, the J100?s good looks and ease of use will appeal to anyone looking for an uncomplicated phone that?s great for voice calls and text messages, with a large keypad, one click navigation and single icon menus.

?It is important to remember that the vast majority of mobile phone users simply want a reliable, well designed phone for voice calls and text,? says Jan W?reby, Corporate Executive Vice President, Head of Sales and Marketing, Sony Ericsson. ?This is an important market for Sony Ericsson and our operator customers and we expect good demand for J100 globally, particularly in emerging markets.?

Sony Ericsson is known worldwide for its intuitive coupling of form and function to produce stylish phones with great performance and the J100 is no exception. Several features set it apart from its peers. For example it is the smallest phone in the whole Sony Ericsson range and its 65K colour display is outstanding for a phone in this segment.

All key functions can be reached with just one click and the navigation key with its icon markings makes for instant recognition of the various functions. Simply press ?Up? to set the sound, ?Right? to set the alarm, ?Down? to access the phonebook, ?Left? to start writing a message and ?Centre? to access the menu.

The core voice calls and text functions are supplemented by useful extras including alarm clock, calculator. Available accessories are the Car Holder HCH-60 and Portable Handsfree HPB-60 which when combined with J100 make for an affordable, all-round communications solution.

The Sony Ericsson J100 is a Dual Band GSM phone available in Polar White and Twilight Blue and will be commercially available during Q2 2006. The J100 will be available in the following variants:
J100i – Dual Band GSM 900/1800 MHz for Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific
J100c – Dual Band GSM 900/1800 MHz for Mainland China
J100a – Dual Band GSM 850/1900 MHz for Americas

Messaging

* 65k Color display
* 96 x 64 pixel STN
* SIM based phonebook with 250 entries
* SMS
* Predictive text input

Entertainment

* Polyphonic ringtones
* Preinstalled Wallpapers, Games, Ring tones

Connectivity

* GSM 900/1800
GSM 850/1900
* Stand-By time 300 h
* Talk time 8 h
* AMR, HR FR, EFR
* Fast port connector

Business

* Vibrating Alert
* Alarm clock
* Calculator

Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station to support large portfolio of frequency bands

Nokia extends portfolio to facilitate 3G deployments around the world

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE February 13, 2006

Nokia extends portfolio to facilitate 3G deployments around the world

Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station to support large portfolio of frequency bands

3GSM World Congress 2006, Barcelona, Spain/Espoo, Finland – Nokia, a leader in WCDMA contracts and deployments, today announced new frequency variants for its small and modular Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station. The base station, showcased at the 3GSM World Congress, is on track for commercial deliveries in the latter half of 2006.? The wide choice of frequencies covered by Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station will enable 3G operators all over the world to build cost-efficient 3G networks.

The Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station will be available for the IMT-2000 frequencies 2100 MHz, 1700 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1700/2100 MHz in the second half of 2006. In the first half of 2007, further frequencies, including 850 MHz, 900 MHz and 1900 MHz will be available, whereafter other frequencies will be added based on market need.

Live video calls on the Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station, using a commercially available Nokia 3G device, will be demonstrated on Nokia’s stand in hall 8 at the Fira de Barcelona. The Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station is a high capacity base station, which is small, lightweight, modular, future proof and capable of generating up to 70 percent savings in base station site costs.

Nokia is showing its leadership in High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) with over 20 contracts to supply High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), a technology providing enhanced capacities and speeds e.g. for 3G applications such as mobile e-mail and streamed mobile TV. As a simple software upgrade to Nokia WCDMA, Nokia has already delivered HSDPA software to a sizeable number of customers. HSDPA is now commercially available from Nokia and at the conference Nokia demonstrates the next step, its innovative flat architecture Nokia Internet-HSPA solution, to operator customers. Nokia Internet-HSPA provides high-speed mobile data access with wide area coverage for data intensive mobile business and consumer applications, as well as? VoIP.

“Increasing numbers of operators are realising the revenue opportunities offered by 3G and are devising creative service packages to suit their customers’ needs.? We believe the large portfolio of 3G WCDMA frequencies supported by Nokia can help operators around the globe build fast, efficient 3G networks,” said Robin Lindahl, Vice President, Radio Networks, Nokia. “Nokia’s commitment to 3G and its evolution, HSPA, is underscored by innovations such as the Nokia Flexi WCDMA Base Station and Nokia Internet-HSPA.”

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.

Gartner says to Nokia : start making Windows Mobile phones or forget North American market altogether

We are not saying that tomorrow, at 3GSM 2006, Microsoft and Nokia will announce that from now on Nokia will be making Windows Mobile phones, but the facts are that now in the USA with regard to mobile phone market share, Nokia is totally losing the battle … both in regular mobile phones area and in smartphone market…

Well known market research company Gartner is very blatant about this situation of Nokia in the USA, and is actually recommending to Nokia something, that we were preaching for years – “start making Windows Mobile Nokia phones, or die”:

In the enterprise market, Nokia should expand its smartphone portfolio past Symbian to include Microsoft-based products. Nokia is in danger of making the same mistake again ? trying to force end users to take its preferred solution rather than giving them what they want. In North America, enterprises will demand Microsoft-based products. Nokia should not discontinue Symbian devices, but it should focus Symbian products on the consumer and prosumer market, while offering Microsoft-based products to the enterprise market.

Conclusion: Symbian has no future in the USA and now is on position 3 there: after Palm OS and Windows Mobile phones. Maybe it is time for Nokia to abandon the pigheaded approach of making only one-platform smartphones (i.e. only powered by Symbian) and to start making Windows Mobile Nokia phones too! The 3GSM 2006 is starting tomorrow where all top managers from Nokia are present, and where also Steve Ballmer (CEO of Microsoft) and all major managers from Microsoft’s mobile division are present too. Maybe it is time, that Nokia managers should pay a visit to Microsoft managers and start talks about launching Windows Mobile Nokia phones! The 3GSM 2006 is a very good opportunity to start these talks… and at 3GSM 2007 we may already see first Windows Mobile phones from Nokia…

Nokia and Vodafone to expand use of S60 as a standard platform

Vodafone and Nokia work together to increase the use of S60 as a standard software platform collaboration between Nokia and Vodafone expands the potential market for S60

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE February 13, 2006

Vodafone and Nokia work together to increase the use of S60 as a standard software platform collaboration between Nokia and Vodafone expands the potential market for S60

3GSM World Congress 2006, Barcelona, Spain/Espoo, Finland – Nokia Corporation and Vodafone have today announced that they are collaborating to strengthen the S60 software platform’s role in Vodafone’s device portfolio. The collaboration will help Vodafone to offer new services more quickly to its customers by increasing the use of S60 as a standard software platform for mobile handsets worldwide.

“Standardisation of handset software platforms across mobile phone manufacturers offers significant opportunities for Vodafone. We will be able to reduce time to market for new products and services and help customers take up new services more quickly. The fact that Nokia is developing the S60 platform in close co-operation with us further enhances our ability to offer innovative and consistent new services in a competitive and efficient way,” said Dirk Wierzbitzki, Deputy Director of Terminals, Vodafone Group.

S60 offers Vodafone the leading technologies in customization, extensive support for new mobile services, and the baseline for best in class user experience. S60 customization capabilities, proven by strong track record in satisfying operator needs, help Vodafone to differentiate their services and applications. Together with the S60 community, Vodafone will also be able to enhance user interfaces (UI) of mobile devices.

“We are very pleased with Vodafone’s choice of S60 as a preferred device software platform. This collaboration is an important step towards increased service differentiation and innovation speed for the whole industry. S60 platform offers a rich application suite, great extensibility and ease-of-use for multimedia, imaging and business services. High priority is given to the customization and application development needs of the operators,” said Matti V?nsk?, Vice President, Mobile Software Sales and Marketing, Nokia.

Nokia and Vodafone will develop a Vodafone-specific software complement on top of the S60 platform. The collaboration also includes the expansion of the licensee base and increased portfolio penetration through open roadmap governance and establishes a strong independent brand position for both the S60 software and the supporting developer activities. In addition, Nokia and Vodafone are working jointly to promote independently licensable reference designs from semiconductor vendors to enable shorter time to market for new S60 devices.

According to Nokia estimates, the total smartphone industry volume reached approximately 46.3 million units in 2005, compared to an estimated 20.6 million units in 2004. Nokia alone will have cumulatively shipped more than 50 million S60 enabled devices by the end of February 2006 (Nokia, February 2006).

About Nokia

About S60

The S60 built on Symbian OS, is the leading smartphone software in the world and it is licensed by some of the foremost mobile phone manufacturers in the market. The flexibility of the S60 platform allows for various hardware designs and software configurations. This is demonstrated through the multitude of S60 devices already available on the market. Through its award-winning user interface, extensive support for new mobile services and the innovation potential for partner solutions, the S60 provides an open and scalable business opportunity for mobile operators and 3rd party developers. For further information about S60 news and community, please visit www.s60.com.

About Vodafone

Vodafone is the world’s largest mobile community, with equity interests in 26 countries and Partner Networks in a further 31 countries, serving over 179 million proportionate customers. Vodafone’s global consumer service offering, Vodafone live!, opens up a world of mobile colour

NOKIA launches new GPS module

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE February 10, 2006

Making Mobile Navigation more accessible: Nokia introduces location based services to mid-range portfolio, launches new GPS module

Espoo, Finland – Nokia today underlined its effort in making location based services available to a broad consumer base with the announcement of the Nokia GPS Module LD-3W, which is compatible with a wide selection of Nokia’s Bluetooth enabled handsets. By cooperating with several partners, Nokia provides comfortable and affordable navigation solutions that are now available for many of Nokia’s mid-range handsets.

“Location based services, such as navigation and point-of-interest search for hotels and restaurants are becoming increasingly popular with consumers,” says Aage Snorgaard, Senior Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia. “With the introduction of the Nokia GPS Module LD-3W and through our collaborations with navigation industry players such as Wayfinder and Telmap, we offer a compelling range of location based services to the tens of millions of consumers who have one of our highly popular mid-range models, such as the Nokia 6230i or the Nokia 6280.”

The most popular location based services for consumers have been integrated car solutions. Earlier, Nokia introduced navigation to its S60 devices. Now Nokia makes location based services accessible at a lower price point.

With a handset connected to the Nokia Wireless GPS Module LD-3W, consumers see their position with up to five meters accuracy, and the easiest route to their destination on a digital map provided by Wayfinder or Telmap. Once installed with the automatic settings configuration tool, users hold an extensive selection of digital maps right in their hand. The Nokia GPS module is expected to start shipping in the 1st quarter of 2006 and retail for approximately 110 EUR excluding taxes and subsidies.

Both the Nokia GPS Module LD-3W module and suite of navigation services will be demonstrated at the partner stands of Wayfinder and Telmap at the 3GSM 2006 Congress taking place in Barcelona from February 13-16.

Nokia completes acquisition of Intellisync

Company committed to maintaining support for synchronization and mobile connectivity to applications on non-Nokia devices and multiple device platforms like Palm OS and Windows Mobile

Nokia Press Release

New York, NY, USA -Nokia (NYSE: NOK) today announced it has completed its acquisition of Intellisync, a leader in platform-independent wireless messaging and applications for mobile devices. As a result of the acquisition, Intellisync common stock is no longer publicly traded and each share of Intellisync common stock has been converted into the right to receive $5.25 in cash.

The transaction will enhance Nokia’s ability to respond to customer needs and effectively puts Nokia at the core of any mobility solution for businesses of all sizes. Intellisync’s entire product range will continue to be sold under the Intellisync name as part of Nokia’s business mobility solutions software business line within its Enterprise Solutions business group.

“This acquisition puts Nokia in an unparalleled position in the business mobility market,” said Mary McDowell, executive vice president and general manager, Nokia’s Enterprise Solutions business group. “By combining the existing Nokia offerings with the leading software, synchronization and device management solutions from Intellisync, we are able to connect practically any device built on any platform, to any data source, application or network.”

“Broad connectivity and application support for a multitude of device manufacturers and platforms is absolutely critical to the uptake of mobility in the business world,” continued McDowell. “The reality is that employees use a variety of devices and applications today, and many companies are challenged to provide those employees with the ability to connect to corporate information and applications like email. We know that we can drive the development of the market by continuing to work closely with our partners and redefine the way people and businesses communicate.”

With the completion of this acquisition, the Intellisync team becomes part of Nokia’s Enterprise Solutions business group, led by Mary McDowell, executive vice president and general manager.

Symbian lowers prices for its operating system

Symbian announced new pricing models, looking to encourage wider adoption of its operating system by handset manufacturers. Most manufacturers have operated under a pricing model that charges US$7.50 per unit for the first 2 million handsets sold and $5 a handset thereafter. After seeing Symbian’s new models, some manufacturers may see costs drop to as low as $2.50 per unit.

The new pricing models offered would not charge a higher royalty fee for the first 2 million units. Symbian also looks to motivate manufacturers to use the latest version of the Symbian OS. Symbian is wise to offer more competitive pricing, due to the increased competition offered by other mobile operating systems such as Linux, Windows Mobile, and the Palm OS.

Symbian press release?

Samsung introduced the fastest Micro- storage card

Today Samsung Electronics has announced its new storage card of MMCMicro format. It is positioned as the fastest Micro-card on the market

samsung_mmc_micro_1gb Today Samsung Electronics has announced its new storage card of MMCMicro format. It is positioned as the fastest Micro-card on the market. Its write speed achieves 7.12 Mbps, which is according to Samsung 3.5 as much compared with other Micro-cards available. It?s possible to write 20 5-megapixel images over 11 seconds, while other cards need 30 seconds or more for it.

Besides it carries 1 GB onboard. Samsung claims this capacity is enough to store 15 hours of video snapped by a cell phone. It supports 1.8 and 3.3 volt. Dimensions are 14x12x1.1 mm. There is an adapter to use these cards in ordinary MMC slots. The 1 GB MMCMicro card will appear in shops only in 3Q 2006.

via [mobile-review]

Sony Ericsson M600 3G phone and messaging device

Today Sony Ericsson announced their M600 3G phone – a slimmer and lighter version of the P990 model. Unfortunately Sony Ericsson M600 lacks a camera, Wi-Fi support and FM radio.

The new stylish tri-band device has touchscreen and handwriting recognition. The phone runs on Symbian OS 9.1 and UIQ 3.0 and is specified for email handling. Several email clients can be installed on the phone. The large dual function keyboard makes for easy messaging input and is also the keypad for number buttons. Bunch of office tools are also present in the M600. Anti-virus, firewall and encryption software are pre-installed on the device which has 80 MB internal memory. A 64 MB Memory Stick Micro (M2) is also included in the box. The M600 communicator has RSS feeds support, PowerPoint, Word and Excel editors and a PDF viewer. The mobile has standard connectivity options as Bluetooth, Infrared and USB 2.0 (via which can be charged). Audio/video streaming and MP3/AAC/ACC+/E-ACC+/m4a formats are supported.

The business orientated M600 UMTS phone has been scheduled for shipping in the Q2 2006.
Continue reading “Sony Ericsson M600 3G phone and messaging device”

Motorola introduce the Pink RAZR V3 in india

Motorola has introduced the Pink RAZR V3 – available through select lifestyle stores across 7 cities in the country. Like its predecessors, this new mobile features the RAZR slim shape, metallic finish and advanced technology.

At 13.9 mm thin, 53 mm wide (the width of a credit card) and 98 mm long, the Pink RAZR V3 is one of the slimmest phones in the market. Motorola holds that it provides the user with a total sensory experience – from the innovative metallic finishes and use of materials to a truly revolutionary, chemically etched keypad created from a single sheet of nickel-plated copper alloy.

Lloyd Mathias, marketing director India, Motorola Mobile Devices said, “The new, bold-yet-chic color adds a sense of flair to the RAZR family. Building on the global success of the RAZR, Motorola’s customers want to lead the pack by owning exciting, fashion-forward and feature-rich mobile phones. The MOTORAZR Pink is the latest robust offering that empowers our customers to talk, message and download with style”.

The Pink RAZR V3, also known as the “Maria Sharapova RAZR”, is being introduced only as a limited edition and is being touted as a collector’s item.

The Motorola special-edition Pink RAZR V3 is priced at Rs 13,700.

Nokia to Open Source Python for S60 Source Code

Availability of Python for S60 source code via SourceForge.net to enable broader contribution to advancement of open-source mobile solutions and applications for leading smartphone platform

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE January 31, 2006

Nokia to Release Python for S60 Source Code to Open-Source Software Developer Community

Availability of Python for S60 source code via SourceForge.net to enable broader contribution to advancement of open-source mobile solutions and applications for leading smartphone platform

Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced that it has taken a step further in support of mobile open-source software application development by agreeing to release the source code for its Python for S60 Platform software package to the global community of open-source software developers.

The agreement follows on last year’s launch by Nokia of the Python for S60 Platform, which enables programmers, ISVs and businesses worldwide to utilize the powerful Python programming language to execute Python commands and run Python scripts and applications on S60-based mobile devices.

The source code for Python for S60 Platform will be made available to the open-source software development community through SourceForge.net, which provides free hosting to open-source software development projects and is the world’s largest Open Source software development web site, hosting more than 100,000 projects and over 1,000,000 registered users with a centralized resource for managing projects, issues, communications, and code.

Nokia is contributing the core components of the Python for S60 software back to the open-source developer community in order to encourage developers to take advantage of the potential for open-source mobile applications development on the S60 Platform, the leading smartphone platform. Nokia is also continuing to contribute and work within the open source community in driving the Python for S60 technology forward.

“During the past year, the popular developer-friendly features of the Python open-source language have enabled growth of a dynamic community new to mobile development to write applications that are leveraging the potential of S60-based devices,” said Lee Epting, vice president, Forum Nokia. “Now, Nokia is extending its commitment to open-source software initiatives and hopes that its contribution of source code back to the Python developer community will drive further enthusiasm and innovations in the development of leading-edge open-source mobile solutions for the rapidly expanding smartphone market worldwide.”

“I was excited last year when Nokia announced its port of Python to its advanced phones. I’m even more excited now that Nokia is open-sourcing the port.” said Guido van Rossum, creator of the Python programming language and president of the Python Software Foundation. “Opening up the platform makes the phones accessible, and will inevitably lead to cool new applications, as well as to third-party improvements to the port itself.”

Nokia’s involvement with the Python open-source community began last year when Nokia made available the Python for S60 software package for free download from the website of Nokia’s global developer support community, Forum Nokia. The Python for S60 software package installs to a S60 platform-based device, enabling developers to create applications with the simple and consistent, object-oriented Python programming language.

Python for S60 is well-suited to the development of prototype and proof-of-concept applications, enabling development of commands, scripts and applications for S60-based mobile devices. The Python for S60 runtime can also be easily extended with dynamically loadable C++ modules, enabling developers to expose additional native device functionality to Python applications. Developers can execute Python commands using an interactive console in a S60-based device, accessible via the keypad or a remote connection to a PC over Bluetooth.

Using Python for S60, developers can write Python applications and install them to a S60-based device and the device can then run these applications from the Python environment. Python applications can also be developed to run as standalone applications with the selection of an icon from the device menu. Using Python for S60, developers also can execute Python commands and scripts in the emulators of S60 SDK’s.

The S60 platform, built on the Symbian OS, is the leading smartphone software in the world and it is licensed by some of the foremost mobile phone manufacturers in the market. The flexibility of the S60 platform allows for various hardware designs and software configurations. This is demonstrated through the multitude of S60 devices already available on the market. Through its award-winning user interface, extensive support for new mobile services and the innovation potential for partner solutions, the S60 provides an open and scalable business opportunity for mobile operators and 3rd party developers.

The source code for Python for S60 Platform will be posted by Nokia to SourceForge.net. Further information and a link to the project can be found by visiting http://opensource.nokia.com/.

About Python
Python is a powerful object-oriented programming language that is developed and maintained by a global community of open source developers under the oversight of the Python Software Foundation. Python is relatively easy to learn for programmers of other languages such as C, C++, Java, and Visual Basic, and can therefore assist programmer productivity. It is often characterized as an agile language that promotes speedy development and includes a unit-testing framework for building more robust applications. Python is often used in large system development to decrease software costs, and meet aggressive schedules. The language is the basis of applications used by tens of thousands of companies and organizations worldwide, and its user base is growing rapidly.