Mobiles

Last night at a Samsung press event in New York, we spent a few minutes photographing the new pink and blue versions of the popular BlackJack II smartphone.
Read the full story here.

Read the full story here.

Samsung announced today its first 8.0-megapixel camera phone, the Innov8 (i8510). This handset is designed to capture and stores high-resolution photos and will naturally come equipped with the latest in imaging applications such as smile shot, blink shot and face recognition.

With a 2.8-inch 16.7 million color LCD is designed for photography and external dual speakers and 3D surround sound, it's clear that Samsung is taking the video viewing and video gaming markets into consideration with the i8510 as well.

Depending on the package, the unit will come equipped with either 8GB or 16GB of flash memory, and an external memory slot for up to an additional 16GB. Both versions will be running Symbian OS v9.3, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2. HSDPA high-speed Internet, Wi-Fi connection, and GPS all come standard.

Users will be able to personalize and edit photos, videos and music with Movie Maker and Story Board applications. The Innov8 also acts as a digital photo frame for those users who like to show off their work on the go.

The Innov8 will hit Europe in August and should be available in the States come September.
See full article.

Related Entries:

LG KS360 Hits The Streets - 18 July 2008

Free Wireless Encounters Resistance From Service Providers - 21 July 2008

Sony Walkman Brand Makes A Return - 22 July 2008

Digital Television Coming to A Phone Near You - 23 July 2008

Advertisement

Contents of this feed are a property of Creative Weblogging Limited and are protected by copyright laws. Violations will be prosecuted. Please email us if you'd like to use this feed for non-commercial activities at feeds - at - creative-weblogging.com.

Thumbplay, a major mobile content retailer, has rung up a sizable lawsuit following allegations that it unlawfully charges cellular telephone customers for unwanted content and services.

Chicago resident Nikolay Antonov filed a class action complaint in Cook County Circuit Court against Thumbplay Inc., a New York-based company that offers ringtones, music, games and graphics to cell phone customers. According to the suit, filed Monday, the rapidity with which the mobile content industry has grown has led to “a disastrous flaw”: Billing and collection systems put in place by companies like Thumbplay have no “checks or safeguards” to protect against unauthorized charges showing up on customers’ bills.

The suit does not explicitly accuse Thumbplay of intentionally defrauding customers: "We've alleged in the complaint that it's either passive indifference or active cooperation in a scheme to defraud."


Thumbplay's response:

"The lawsuit is utterly meritless. We have retained experienced, nationally-recognized counsel and intend to vigorously oppose these claims. As a leading member of the Mobile Marketing Association, Thumbplay not only adheres to the Mobile Marketing Association's Consumer Best Practices Guidelines, (http://www.mmaglobal.com/bestpractices.pdf), we have also been active in developing and leading best practices for mobile advertising."

This is not the first class action lawsuit against mobile-content retailers, and probably won't be the last. For those of you who aren't familiar with what's going on, let me try to explain:

First of all: this country is WAY TOO litigious so this guy is probably just trying to make an easy buck.

Having said that, there are definitely some shady business practices that have gone on in this space (not specifically regarding Thumbplay) that deserve to get criticized.

Type in "ringtones"in google and on the search results you'll see a bunch of sponsored links on the right hand side. I clicked on one called:

AT&T Ringtones
Freely Choose from Thousands of
Ringtones. Instant Download.
ATT.Ringerman.com

It takes you to a page like this where you select your carrier and then are asked to enter your cellphone number. This offer is for a $9.99 monthly "ringtone club" where you get a certain amount of credits per month that can be used in the store to download ringtones, games and other digital goods for your mobile phone.

If you read the fine print, it is pretty clear what you're signing up for, but if you're not paying attention, you could be signing up for something that you weren't intending to join. This customer acquisition strategy has gotten better over the years but in the past, there were lots of companies offering "free" ringtones and by downloading you actually got signed up for one of these monthly subscription services.

For heavy users of mobile content, the Thumbplay model probably makes sense. But for the average person out there, the subscription model is overkill and most people want to buy games and music for their phone the same way they buy games and music for their ipod. Not through some monthly subscription service, but through single, a-la-carte purchases. In my opinion, this is the right way to grow a market. Get people to download things one at a time and as they get more educated on their usage habits, then offer them clubs, and other value added services.

Thumbplay is a stand-up company and hopefully these lawsuits will go away because it certainly doesn't help the perception of the business but we'd also encourage other merchants looking at getting into the market to think about the right ways to sell.

Sprint has announced the sale of its entire network of towers, approximately 3,300 in total, to TowerCo. The sale netted Sprint roughly $670 million, while TowerCo will take over maintenance of the towers and lease their use back to Sprint.
Read the full story here.

Samsung today announced the launch of the new 8 megapixel camera phone, Samsung INNOV8, which is to be made available in the global market from August 2008. The Samsung INNOV8 (Model name: i8510) offers users top of the range camera technologies, a surround-sound cinematic video experience and mobile gaming capabilities.

Samsung INNOV8 is made for tech-savvy users who wants to enjoy the best possible multimedia entertainment with their mobile phone. With the 8-megapixel camera, pre-embedded 3D games, high speed data connections and much more other features will help users gain the true benefits of mobile entertainment, said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung Telecommunication Business.

Recognized as Samsung’s first ever 8-megapixel camera phone, the Samsung INNOV8 is ideal for users who want to capture and store precious memories in style with its 2.8″ 16M color LCD. The 8G or 16GB Flash memory and external memory slot upto additional 16G provides sufficient contents storage.

Supporting a wide range of video player formats including DivX, WMV, Real Player and MPEG4, users can enjoy an exciting pocket cinema experience. Its external dual speakers and 3D surround sound supported by DNSe 2.0, make every video clip and movie more realistic than ever. With an optical mouse and 4-way navigation key, users can enjoy PC-like browsing experience. Both HSDPA high speed Internet and WiFi connection offer convenient and seamless internet experience wherever users are.

The phone is equipped with A GPS technology, offering navigation and geo-tagging service. It also comes with the Symbian OS V9.3, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2. Samsung INNOV8 is going to be launched in Europe in August, and then expanded to other markets during September.

• Network: HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (900/2100), EDGE / GPRS (850/900/1800/1900)
• Symbian OS V9.3, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2
• Display: 2.8-inch VGA 16M TFT LCD 
• Camera: 8 Megapixel CMOS with AF and Dual Power LED
• Smart Reader, Image Stabilizer, Auto-Panorama Shot, Smile Shot, Blink Shot, Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), Face Detection
• Video Player (DivX / H.263 / H.264 / WMV / MP4)
• QVGA 120 fps Video recording, VGA 30 fps recording
• FM Radio with RDS
• DNSe 2.0 
• Music Player (MP3/ AAC / AAC+ / eAAC+ / WMA / AMR/ RealAudio)
• Bluetooth Stereo Headset (A2DP)
• A-GPS
• Optical Mouse, Accelerometer
• Embedded 3D Games : FIFA 2008, Asphalt
• Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)
• Bluetooth 2.0 / USB 2.0 / Wi-Fi
• 16GB Flash + External Memory slot : microSDHC (up to 16GB)
• Size: 106.5 x 53.9 x 17.2 mm
• Battery: 1200 mAh
• Talk time: up to 300/510 min (3G/2.5G)
• Stand-by time: up to 330 / 310 hrs (3G/2.5G)

Nokia, the world's largest handset maker, and Qualcomm, the world's largest maker of chips that run cell phones, agreed to settle a high-stakes licensing dispute and drop all legal complaints against each other in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

The 15-year licensing deal gives Nokia rights to a wide portfolio of Qualcomm's patents. Nokia will pay Qualcomm an upfront sum and ongoing royalties, but the companies did not elaborate on the terms.

Nokia, based in Finland, said it will withdraw its antitrust complaint filed against Qualcomm at the European Commission. Nokia filed the complaint in October 2005 with five other companies, which led to a flurry of lawsuits between Qualcomm and its rivals and several regulatory probes into Qualcomm's licensing practices.

The stakes were especially high for Qualcomm, which gets about two-thirds of its profits from licensing fees on its patents. Nearly all the rest of its profit comes from making chips.

"We believe that this agreement is positive for the industry, enabling the market to benefit from innovation and new technologies," said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia CEO.

"I'm very pleased that we have come to this important agreement." said Paul Jacobs, Qualcomm CEO. "This agreement paves the way for enhanced opportunities between the companies in a number of areas."

The deal, which ends all legal cases between the two firms, covers the world's most widely used mobile phone technologies and some key emerging ones. The companies did not reveal specific financial details.

Related News Articles

• Nokia Says 9 More Firms Sign Up for Symbian Pact
• Nokia Signs Warner to Music Deal
• Nokia 7210 Supernova 2.0MP Entry-Level Handheld Displayed
• Nokia 7310 Supernova Slim Handheld with 3D Textured Designs
• Nokia 7510 Supernova Clamshell Announced with Hidden Display

©2002-2008 Mobiledia Corp. A Cell Phone Resource Site. All Rights Reserved. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only.

Photo: Samsung Innov8 8MP Camera Phone Launches in August Photo 2

Korean handset maker Samsung Electronics today announced the Innov8, an 8.0-megapixel camera phone available globally starting next month.

As Samsung's first 8.0-megapixel camera phone, the Innov8 (i8510) captures and stores high-resolution photos. It has the latest in imaging applications such as smile shot, blink shot and face recognition. Users can personalize and edit photos, videos and music with Movie Maker and Story Board applications. The Innov8 also acts as a digital photo frame, letting consumers display their favorite images.

Its 2.8-inch 16.7 million color LCD is designed for photography, video and gaming. Viewers can watch videos in DivX, WMV, Real Player and MPEG4 formats. Its external dual speakers and 3D surround sound provide realistic sounds. The Innov8 comes preinstalled with Asphalt and FIFA 08.

The Innov8 has sufficient storage space. It comes with 8GB or 16GB of flash memory, and an external memory slot for up to an additional 16GB.

It comes with Symbian OS v9.3, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2. An optical mouse and 4-way navigation key gives users a PC-like browsing experience. Both HSDPA high-speed Internet and Wi-Fi connections offer convenient online access. A-GPS technology offers navigation and geo-tagging services.

Samsung launched the first 7.0-megapixel phone in 2005 and the 10-megapixel SCH-B600 in the Korean market in 2006.

"I expect Samsung Innov8 to be a revolutionary milestone for Samsung for opening a new era of mobile multimedia," said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung Telecommunication Business.

The Samsung Innov8 will be launched in Europe in August, and then other markets in September.

Related News Articles

• T-Mobile Launches Nokia 6301, Samsung T339 Wi-Fi Cell Phones
• Samsung Instinct Launches June 20 for Sprint, Priced at $129
• Samsung Omnia Smartphone Unveiled, Targets iPhone
• Samsung Soulb 9mm Candybar Phone Announced
• Samsung F400 Slider Offers Bang and Olufsen Sound

©2002-2008 Mobiledia Corp. A Cell Phone Resource Site. All Rights Reserved. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only.