Mobiles

Supposed to be released in Q4 this year, Garmin has decided to postpone the Nuvifone to first half of 2009. According to the release, the company has to spend more time in meeting some carrier specific requirements. No specific date is given in their announcement.

The Garmin Nuvifone is a full touch screen phone with a 3.5-inch size display screen and pre-loaded maps for navigation. The last time we check on them during the CommunicAsia 2008 in June, the Nuvifone does have a solid software with responsive touch experience on top of the integrated Garmin navigation solution. Will they be facing more competition in year 2009 with more full touch screen joining the mobile devices family?

Garmin Nuvifone Specification:

• GSM Quadband
• HSDPA
• Build in WiFi
• 3.5-inch touch screen
• Bluetooth 2.0
• 3 megapixel camera with autofocus
• 2GB internal memory
• memory card slot

Check out the Nuvifone photo gallery here

via [phonemag]

Palm said it has sold its two-millionth Centro smartphone, which is now available in more than 25 countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

According to the Admob’s Mobile Metrics report, Palm Centro leapt onto the list of mobile phones worldwide in May as the No. 8 device, and moved up in June to No. 7. AdMob cites the growth of inexpensive phones, such as Palm Centro, as a primary driver in mobile Internet usage.

“Consumers are ready to do more on their mobile phone, and Centro has struck a chord around the world,” said Brodie Keast, senior vice president of marketing for Palm, Inc. “Centro has everything a person needs to stay connected with everyone who is important to them — and at a price point and size that make smartphones more attractive to a much wider audience.”

Palm has also added a Palm Centro in electric blue color for AT&T US early this month.

While it has not been officially announced to the public yet, member from Motomodding UK forum has found the ROM upgrade software (SHIP_NORMAN_AP_U_01.09.28R_MODEM4_U_40.11.40R_04_U). The upgrade process is not quite straightforward though, you will need to make use of the RSD Lite 4.1 software to upgrade the ROM. Read through the discussion thread for the detail.

There should be an official announcement and instructions to be made soon, if you can wait .. Check out the thread here

If you have read the world’s first BlackBerry 8220 KickStart review from crackberry, they have now posted a hands on video on the first clamshell business phone by RIM. The BlackBerry KickStart is the first clamshell design from RIM, it has an external LCD screen at 160 x 128 pixels and a internal LCD screen at 240 x 320 pixels. The KickStart will support GSM quad band network, it is not a 3G phone and able to do GPRS/EDGE wireless data connection. Other features include a 2 megapixel camera, built in WiFi and 2.5 mm headset jack.

Source

Electronic Arts (NSDQ: ERTS) released its second quarter earnings today and of interest to the mobile world is that EA Mobile brought in revenues of $44 million, an increase of 33% year-on-year.

Additionally, EA Mobile has launched three games for the iPhone already – Tetris, Scrabble and Soduku – and plans to launch additional games for the platform by the end of the current quarter.

I just discovered Baracks mobile web site. You can visit it by going to ObamaMobile.mobi from your mobile phone.

The site is well done - you can get news updates, watch videos and download a selection of ringtones and wallpapers if you want to show your support. They also have an interactive vote where you can give your opinion on The War, Healthcare, The Economy and Energy issues.

This is a very smart move by Obama - leveraging the mobile web to gain support. I don't know if John McCain has a similar offering but he should. Send me a note if you know.

There has been lots of talk in the mobile market about the demise of Palm (NASDAQ: PALM), but don't count them out yet. They are making a comeback.

Palm says it has sold 2 million of its popular Centro smart phones. According to Palm, the two-millionth Centro sold confirms that the $99 price tag has helped the mobile device gain momentum. Palm has said the Centro is a device geared toward first-time smart phone buyers and traditional mobile phone users who want to move up to a device that offers more functionality.

Currently, the Centro is available in more than 25 countries throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Along with hitting the 2 million milestone, recent data by AdMob, the largest advertising network on the mobile Web, Palm has moved into the No. 7 spot on the list of top 10 mobile phones worldwide. The Centro held the No. 8 spot for May and moved up one place last month.

According to AdMob, the growth of inexpensive phones, like the Palm Centro, have been a solid driver for mobile Internet usage.

"Consumers are ready to do more with their mobile phone, and Centro has struck a chord around the world," said Palm's senior vice president of marketing, Broadie Keast. "Centro has everything a person needs to stay connected with everyone who is important to them " and at a price point and size that make smart phones more attractive to a much wider audience."

Palm still has a long way to go with recent market share stats from Research firm Gartner showing Palm still lagged behind the competition with just 2.9% of global smart phone market share. Palm follows No. 1 Nokia, which holds 45.2% of the market; BlackBerry-maker RIM, which placed second with 13.4%; and Apple, which was vaulted to third place by the iPhone, giving it 5.3% market share.

Verizon Wireless' Voice and High-Speed Data Services Available to New Qwest Residential and Business Customers Switch Details for Existing Customers to be Announced Soon
Read the full story here.

Today Garmin announced that its upcoming Nuvifone GPS smartphone will be delayed until the first half of 2009.
Read the full story here.

A new version of the HTC Touch Diamond, this time configured with dual-band UMTS (850/1900MHz) support for AT&T's high-speed 3G network has passed through the FCC recently.
Read the full story here.