Mobiles

Garmin announced today that select Samsung mobile phones will be integrated with its turn-by-turn, voice-prompted navigation.

The Garmin navigation software is on a plug-and-play microSD card. Once users load the card into the phone, the software automatically installs. Customers can use their phone to receive voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions. A 3D moving map on the phone's display shows users exactly where they are, and if a turn is missed along the way, Samsung Mobile Navigator automatically calculates a new route. Consumers can key in specific street addresses or search millions of points of interest (POI) - like hotels, restaurants, shopping, and tourist attractions. Users can also dial the POI's phone number automatically for reservations, hours of operation, or other information.

Consumers using Samsung Mobile Navigator can also access Garmin Online, a free and subscription based service that offers dynamic content such as traffic, weather forecasts and safety cameras. Garmin Online content varies by region.

Samsung phones with this navigation capability are expected to be available in Europe and other parts of the world in several months.

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Garmin announced today that select Samsung mobile phones will have the benefit of Garmin's intuitive turn-by-turn, voice-prompted navigation directly on the phone.
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Evidence for a 3G iPhone is mounting at an alarming rate. First there is the next iPhone firmware which won’t be released until the WWDC, which supports the idea that there is likely to be a new version of the iPhone hardware released to coincide with the new firmware.

Then there is the reports of 10 million new 3G handsets being ordered for sale this year alone, a contract won by Hon Hai in Taiwan. Then Bank of America, a company whose predictions regarding the iPhone have all come true so far, predicted a Q2 release of the 3G iPhone.

Add to all of that the fact that Apple won the right to use the trademarked “iPhone” name in Japan, a land where there are no EDGE networks, only tons and tons of 3rd and 4th generation networks and the 3G iPhone is shaping up to be an almost guaranteed product of the summer of 2008. Predictions for an actual 3G iPhone release range from Early May in Spain to sometime in the second quarter which ends in September, so that’s a pretty broad range, but me, myself, and I are banking on the WWDC in June.

[via PhoneMag, PhoneMag, PhoneMag, and PhoneMag]

Centro Now Attracting New Smartphone Customers in 10 Countries Worldwide
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New Plug-and-Talk Products To "Boost Your Bars" For Improved Performance
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Breakthrough Technology Allows Users to Create, Edit, Upload, Stream and Share Original Video Content at Full VGA/30 fps Directly from their Mobile Handsets
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Symbian today announced Symbian SQL and an advanced Location Based Services (LBS) architecture. Symbian SQL and the new LBS architecture will help Symbian licensees develop handsets that handle very large amounts of data, and which provide users with relevant information based on their current location, in tune with consumer demand.

Mobile phones featuring Symbian’s LBS offering were recently launched in Japan. In Europe, Symbian’s LBS architecture will appear in mobile phones later this year. Symbian SQL will be featured in phones shipping in the second half of 2008 and be available to application developers via a download in Q2 2008.

“When I authored SQLite in 2000, I never imagined that it would one day be used in mobile phones to host databases with millions of searchable entries,” said Dr. Richard Hipp, architect and primary author of SQLite. “The advanced design of Symbian OS meshes well with SQLite, resulting in a stable and robust platform for supporting new applications. I look forward to seeing the innovation that Symbian SQL sparks from developers across the world.”

The Symbian’s LBS architecture enables:

• Tracking by emergency services (as mandated by government legislation in some regions
• Providing the quickest route - getting from A to B as quickly as possible
• Accurate pin-pointing of current location
• Geotagging images and videos - location stamping images and videos
• Finding the location of people in a contacts list
• Locating the nearest services
• Providing proximity alerts when near a specific location

Palm has sold its one-millionth Palm Centro smartphone in 10 countries worldwide, including Hong Kong, Singapore, India, the UK, Germany, Spain, Ireland, France and Italy.

First introduced in the United States last September exclusively with Sprint, and more recently introduced on AT&T in February, the fully featured Centro smartphone is available from both carriers for $99.99.

Increasingly, consumers are making the shift from traditional mobile phones to smartphones, motivated by the desire to do more with their phones and the arrival of lower-cost devices. Smartphones accounted for 11 percent of all mobile phone sales in 2007 in the United States, and this is expected to increase to 35 percent by 2011.(3) A recent Palm survey of Centro customers highlighted this trend, indicating that 70 percent are first-time smartphone users.

Dolby Laboratories has joined the Symbian Platinum Partner Program, offering Dolby Mobile for Symbian OS. This new solution enables rich and vibrant surround sound from various types of mobile entertainment content, including music, movies, television, and games, to Symbian smartphone users around the world.

Dolby Mobile offers Symbian licensees the ability to differentiate their multimedia-focused products even further by offering a more immersive audio experience on the go. The first mobile phones featuring Dolby Mobile technology are already available in Japan.

“Symbian OS is a robust, open mobile operating system which is widely used around the world by some of the leading handset vendors,” said Max Taylor, Marketing Director, Mobile Business, Dolby Laboratories. “Being part of the Platinum Partner Program allows Dolby to work closely with Symbian to ensure that consumers can quickly and easily enjoy the Dolby Mobile audio on Symbian smartphones.”

RIM BlackBerry Pearl (8120) More Photos - View Specs

T-Mobile Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the April 14 availability of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone, a Wi-Fi-enabled smartphone with connectivity for T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home service.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 adds enhancements and features such as a new titanium-colored finish. With the T-Mobile HotSpot @Home mobile add-on plan, customers can get mobile coverage and unlimited nationwide calling over accessible Wi-Fi networks and at T-Mobile HotSpot locations nationwide.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 also includes video recording and playback, a 2.0-megapixel digital camera with 5x zoom, stereo Bluetooth support, and an externally accessible microSD/SDHC memory card slot for expandable memory storage. Combined with a mobile messaging platform, support for personal and corporate email, and Web browsing at Wi-Fi speeds, the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 is ideal for balancing a busy lifestyle.

Featuring RIM's SureType keyboard system, the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 has built-in spelling checker and a user-customizable dictionary. The BlackBerry browser is also improved and features a new page view option that lets users point and zoom in on specific areas of a Web page. Key features of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 from T-Mobile include:

- Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) connectivity for expanded coverage, as well as fast Web browsing
- Support for T-Mobile HotSpot @Home, offering unlimited nationwide calling over accessible Wi-Fi networks
- 2.0-megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom and built-in flash
- Media player with full-screen video playback, stereo Bluetooth support (A2DP/AVRCP) and 3.5 mm stereo headset jack
- Expandable memory storage via microSD/SDHC expansion slot and high-speed USB, for transferring files between the handset and a PC at up to 10 MB per second
- T-Mobile's myFaves support to stay in touch with those who matter most, with quick, one-click access for instant messaging, emailing, texting or calling to Fave 5 from the Home Screen
- Access to four popular instant messaging clients: AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk
- Roxio Media Manager for BlackBerry (included with BlackBerry Desktop Manager software), which allows customers to manage their media files, transfer them from their computer to the handset, create MP3 music files from CDs, add audio tags and album art, create playlists, and automatically convert files for optimal playback
- High-performance HTML browser for visiting favorite Web sites
- Intuitive user interface with an easy-to-use trackball
- Enhanced SureType keyboard with word completion, easier editing of misspelled words, built-in spelling checker and user-customizable dictionary
- 240 x 260 px display with light-sensing technology that automatically optimizes brightness for indoor, outdoor and dark environments
- Phone features with Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), dedicated send, end and mute keys, noise-cancellation technology, a low-distortion speakerphone, Bluetooth 2.0 with support for handsfree use with headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals, and intuitive call management features such as smart dialing, conference calling, speed dialing and call forwarding
- Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/Wi-Fi network support for international roaming
- BlackBerry Maps, giving customers access to maps as well as turn-by-turn driving directions
- BlackBerry Internet service support allowing access to up to 10 supported email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts such as Yahoo! Mail, AOL and Gmail
- BlackBerry Enterprise Server support that provides integration with IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange, and Novell GroupWise, and features IT policy controls for IT departments to manage usage and deployments

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 will be available April 14 in T-Mobile stores and online.

- RIM BlackBerry Pearl (8120) Specs

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• T-Mobile Offers Unlimited Calling, Messaging Plan
• T-Mobile Shadow Updated with Audio Postcard Functionality

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