3G Adoption and Faster Handset Replacement in Asia-Pacific Are Inevitable

Asia-Pacific will remain the largest and fastest growing regional handset market during the next 5 years and should be prioritized.

Asia-Pacific will remain the largest and fastest growing regional handset market during the next 5 years and should be prioritized. 3G devices will dominate through natural replacement and supply-side product lifecycles.

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Kenyans Text Messaging Their Way to Jobs

In the rural parts of Kenya, jobseekers wishing to use the Internet used to have to travel long distances to the nearest town with a cyber cafe.

NAIROBI, Kenya (Reuters) – In the rural parts of Kenya, jobseekers wishing to use the Internet used to have to travel long distances to the nearest town with a cyber cafe.

That changed last year with the creation of OneWorld International, a Kenyan firm offering a mobile phone text messaging service that advertises jobs and allows candidates to apply from wherever they are.

SOURCE :Reuters
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Motorola and Nokia outsell Samsung in cameraphone market

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, 257 million camera phones were shipped worldwide, representing 38% of total handset sales, in 2004. This was up sharply from 84 million, or 16% of total, in 2003.

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, 257 million camera phones were shipped worldwide, representing 38% of total handset sales, in 2004. This was up sharply from 84 million, or 16% of total, in 2003.

Camera phones outsold digital still cameras by almost 4 to 1, reaching just 68 million units globally in 2004. Sales grew 40 percent annually, from 49 million units in 2003.

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Blocking stolen phones in South Africa

South Africa’s three mobile phone operators have agreed to co-operate on sharing databases of stolen phones and baring them from use on all three networks. This agreement will make it easier for the companies – Cell C, MTN and Vodacom – to blacklist and disable stolen, lost and destroyed cell phones and for the police to trace and arrest those who steal cell phones or use them to further their criminal activities.

South Africa’s three mobile phone operators have agreed to co-operate on sharing databases of stolen phones and baring them from use on all three networks. This agreement will make it easier for the companies – Cell C, MTN and Vodacom – to blacklist and disable stolen, lost and destroyed cell phones and for the police to trace and arrest those who steal cell phones or use them to further their criminal activities.

Until now stolen phones have been “grey” listed by MTN and Vodacom, which means that the sim cards were blocked but not the cell phone instruments. Criminals could simply change sim cards and continue using the phones. On the other hand Cell C has been blacklisting stolen or lost cellphones since its inception.
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Nigeria signs CDMA450 contract

China’s Huawei Technologies and Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications have signed a US$200 million agreement t….

China’s Huawei Technologies and Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications have signed a US$200 million agreement to deploy a nation-wide CDMA450 wireless access technology across Nigeria. China Development Bank will provide Nigeria with a loan of US$200 million for this project. Huawei Technologies has also committed to an additional US$20 million manufacturing investment in Nigeria.

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PalmOne goes for flash with new Tungsten

PalmOne’s latest Tungsten handheld comes with a Bluetooth wireless connection and nonvolatile flash memory.

cnet
The new Tungsten E2 can connect to desktops and compatible phones via Bluetooth, a short-range wireless specification, and features a brighter color screen and longer battery life than the Tungsten E, the company said .

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Saudis lash mobile users

SAUDI ARABIA, a kingdom known for its tough literal stand on Islamic law, has brought its interpretations of the religion into the 21st century.

From now on anyone caught using mobile camera phones to distribute pornography may face up to 1000 lashes, a 12-year jail term and a 100,000 riyal (about 10,000 pound) fine.

SAUDI ARABIA, a kingdom known for its tough literal stand on Islamic law, has brought its interpretations of the religion into the 21st century.

From now on anyone caught using mobile camera phones to distribute pornography may face up to 1000 lashes, a 12-year jail term and a 100,000 riyal (about 10,000 pound) fine.

This follows the case of three men sentenced to jail and up to 1,200 lashes each for orchestrating and filming the rape of a teenage girl using telephones equipped with cameras and distributing the footage via the telephones.

The law is likely to be backed by the conservative Muslim kingdom’s consultative 150-member Shura council.

The local papers consider the main focus of the law is to deal with the use of third generation (3G) mobile phones for “immoral” purposes. This ranges from receiving high-quality video clips from adult sites and the “invasion of privacy of women”. This invasion constitutes the taking snaps of unveiled women at weddings and so on.
Inquirer, UK
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Wireless: Only a matter of time until VOIP goes mobile

PARIS With the global spread of voice over Internet protocol, or VOIP, cheaper Internet calling options are reaching a growing number of fixed-line customers.

PARIS With the global spread of voice over Internet protocol, or VOIP, cheaper Internet calling options are reaching a growing number of fixed-line customers.

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Adobe to buy Macromedia

Adobe Systems today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Macromedia in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $3.4 billion.

Adobe Systems today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Macromedia in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $3.4 billion.

Adobe has recently released version 2 of its market-leading digital content-creation application collection, Creative Suite – featuring Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, GoLive and Acrobat.

Macromedia’s software portfolio includes the Studio MX products Dreamweaver, Flash, FreeHand, and Fireworks. Other Mac products Director and Contribute.

Soon after the release of the Macintosh Apple bought 15 per cent of Adobe, and alongside Aldus PageMaker the two companies pioneered the desktop publishing revolution with the combination of Apple’s Mac graphical user interface and LaserWriter printers and Adobe’s PostScript font software.

In July 1989 Apple sold all 3,423,792 shares of its common stock holdings of Adobe, netting $79 million
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Motorola set to unveil iRadio

The service will let users download preselected audio content from a range of providers on their home computers, dump it on their cell phones and listen to it on their car stereos.

CHICAGO: Motorola Inc. is betting consumers will pay to have it both ways, gaining control over the content on their car radios and the flexibility of taking their music with them on their cell phones when they turn off their engines.

Motorola, the No. 2 maker of mobile telephones, is set to unveil a service called iRadio that will let users download preselected audio content from a range of providers on their home computers, dump it on their cell phones and listen to it on their car stereos.

The company is banking on the popularity of portable music underscored by sales of Apple Computer Inc.’s iPod digital music players and growing demand for high-quality, commercial-free radio provided by satellite radio companies Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.

“What we set out to solve was finding a way to get the breadth of content into the stereo where people listen,” said David Ulmer, director of marketing for Motorola’s media solutions business. “We looked around and noticed that everyone had a cell phone in their pocket. There is a very large market of potential customers to go after.”

The iRadio service, which will let customers download 10 hours of content at a time, will be available at the subscription cost of about $5 to $7 a month. When not driving, customers can listen to content on a phone with a headset.

By comparison, Sirius and XM charge about $13 a month for access to more than 100 channels; online music content provider Napster Inc. gets about $15 in the same period for unlimited downloads to a computer, or digital music player. Apple’s iTunes music library charges about 99 cents per song.

“It’s just another way to offer entertainment on the cell phone,” said Albert Lin, an analyst with American Technology Research.

In a recent research note, he called providing preselected audio content for cell phones “a massive market opportunity.”

Several companies are already betting on the potential, boosted by the popularity of a multitude of cell phones that enable music downloads.

Clear Channel Communications Inc., the top U.S. radio operator, earlier this week said it plans to begin offering clips of programs over handsets by the end of 2005.

Outside of the United States, operators like Virgin Radio in Britain and Swedish broadcaster SBS Broadcasting System SA are creating interactive radio to deliver to users with enabled Nokia mobile phones.

COMPLEMENT TO iTUNES?

Motorola has already seen the value in delivering music content. Through a partnership with Apple, it will soon launch a cell phone that works with the Apple iTunes service.

But iRadio requires a substantial up-front investment. A customer will initially lay out about $200 for a mid-range Motorola phone with at least 256 megabytes of storage, built in iRadio software and Bluetooth, a low-range wireless technology that streams content from the phone to the car radio or home stereo, Ulmer said.

The service also requires buying a $75 wireless audio adapter that must be installed in the car radio, either by the customer or a service provider. A USB connector to hook the phone to the desktop computer comes packaged with the handset.

Ulmer said Motorola plans to test the service in several U.S. markets in mid-May and launch nationwide in the fourth quarter. The company is also in discussions with several music content and wireless service providers, he said, but he would not provide specifics.

Motorola will begin selling the iRadio service at retailers, but it is also in talks with auto companies, who may eventually install iRadio in luxury cars, similar to arrangements that satellite radio providers have, Ulmer said.

© Reuters

Motorola to offer Mobile phone under Rs 2000

The phone has a stand by battery time of two weeks, in case you have forgotten to recharge it. And you can buy it at a store near you or from your mobile service company at the low price of under Rs 2,000 a piece, making it one of the cheapest mobile phones ever to hit the Indian market…

Motorola
The phone has a stand by battery time of two weeks, in case you have forgotten to recharge it. And you can buy it at a store near you or from your mobile service company at the low price of under Rs 2,000 a piece, making it one of the cheapest mobile phones ever to hit the Indian market.

The sub-$40 (Rs 1,657, at last week’s exchange rate) phones will be unveiled in emerging markets across the globe in April. Motorola’s big stop will be India. With three entry level models (C 115, 116 and 117), the GSMA expects the US telecom company to hawk 2 million to 3 million sets in India in the first six months of the launch.

Says Percy Batlivala, general manager, east south Asia, at Motorola’s personal communications business: “Over 70 per cent of global system for mobile customers use phones which cost below $65 (Rs 2,732). The low cost phone will help to open a new market.”

The demand for the phone here has been overwhelming — and not enough handsets may be rolled out at Motorola’s plant in China.

Nokia Tests TV on 7710

Nokia has started mobile TV pilots, testing the technology, mobile TV services and consumer experiences with around 500 users in Helsinki, the capital of Finland.

7710MTV and the Finnish broadcasting company YLE are among the partners in the project.
The first mobile TV service experiences in Finland happened via a friendly user test carried out in late 2004. The test showed that people liked to watch mobile TV in cars and other means of transport and in public places such as cafes. Watching mobile TV at home and in the workplace was also found to be common. The most usual time was in the mornings and afternoons and early evening.

The test users were found to be interested in news, weather, sports, current issues, entertainment and drama and comedy series. Mobile TV was also considered as a complement to the traditional television. What appealed most to test users was the fact that you can watch mobile TV anywhere you like. According to Nokia, the results showed that most of the test users were prepared to continue using mobile TV services.

The test users were able to view real-time TV and radio programs on a Nokia 7710 smartphone equipped with a special accessory to receive mobile TV broadcasts. The Nokia smartphone also enables direct links to the Internet for access to background information on TV programs or sports results. Test users have access to MTV and YLE programs as well as international channels such as CNN, BBC World, Euronews, Eurosport, ViVa Plus and Fashion TV. The pilot continues until 20 June 2005.

The mobile TV test uses IP Datacasting (IPDC), which conforms with the DVB-H standard. At the end of 2004, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) adopted DVB-H as the standard for European mobile television services, enabling the simultaneous transmission of several television, radio and video channels to mobile devices.

Sony Ericsson showcases new automotive grade, Quad-Band GSM/GPRS radio device at Commercial Vehicle Telematics Conference

APRIL 7, 2005, The Commercial Vehicle Telematics Conference, Birmingham UK – Sony Ericsson, a leading provider of wireless machine to machine technology, will showcase the GA64 at the Commercial Vehicle Telematics Conference. The GA64 is a stand out product that meets the very specific regulatory and rugged industrial requirements for automotive, fleet and industrial devices. The device is part of a line-up of Quad-Band, GSM/GPRS radio devices based on the GX64 Family Core, announced last month at CeBIT, Hannover Germany. Three distinct advantages of the GA64 are meeting a parts per million quality metric, assured long term product availability for five years, and adherence to lead-free regulatory requirements

APRIL 7, 2005, The Commercial Vehicle Telematics Conference, Birmingham UK – Sony Ericsson, a leading provider of wireless machine to machine technology, will showcase the GA64 at the Commercial Vehicle Telematics Conference. The GA64 is a stand out product that meets the very specific regulatory and rugged industrial requirements for automotive, fleet and industrial devices. The device is part of a line-up of Quad-Band, GSM/GPRS radio devices based on the GX64 Family Core, announced last month at CeBIT, Hannover Germany. Three distinct advantages of the GA64 are meeting a parts per million quality metric, assured long term product availability for five years, and adherence to lead-free regulatory requirements

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Sony Ericsson reports First Quarter Results

Tokyo and Stockholm, April 15 — Sony and Ericsson today announced the consolidated financial summary for the first quarter ended March 31, 2005 of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Ericsson), the 50:50 joint venture of Sony and Ericsson.

Tokyo and Stockholm, April 15 — Sony and Ericsson today announced the
consolidated financial summary for the first quarter ended March 31,
2005 of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Ericsson), the
50:50 joint venture of Sony and Ericsson.

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Nokia to revamp mobile handsets

Next year, Nokia expects 15 percent of the overall mobile phones on the market to include MP3 music players, but it plans to include MP3 players in half of the models it ships. Likewise, it expects two-thirds of its new models to incorporate digital cameras.

Next year, Nokia expects 15 percent of the overall mobile phones on the market to include MP3 music players, but it plans to include MP3 players in half of the models it ships. Likewise, it expects two-thirds of its new models to incorporate digital cameras.
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