Helio sale to Virgin Mobile could happen this week?

Do you hear that, Helio? That [cue Sir Richard Branson's soothing voice] is the sound of inevitability. Rumors have been swirling for a few weeks now that SK Telecom -- Helio's majority owner -- is getting ready to cut, run, and offload its share to Virgin Mobile, rolling the scrappy MVNO into the one and only virtual network in the US that's been met with substantial, quantifiable success (more recent stock woes notwithstanding). Now, the Financial Times is reporting that a deal is cued up and ready for a public introduction as early as this week. The sooner, the better, because tons of questions remain about the fate of subscribers and the introduction of the pretty hotly anticipated Ocean 2, a device that at one time could've been Helio's savior; too late for that now, we guess. [read]

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World's first iPhone 3G on sale in New Zealand a day before the US

Consider yourself an Apple fanatic? Gotta have the latest and greatest the moment it's available? Ok... prove it. We have it from a trusted source that the world's first iPhone 3G will be on sale at 00:01, Friday July 11th, in New Zealand -- that's still Thursday, July 10th at 5:01 in the AM in Cupertino or 13:01 hours in London. At that precise minute, Vodafone NZ will swing open the doors of its Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch shops to your overeager HSDPA jones. So, now that you know, the next move is all yours.

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Nokia buys Symbian, turns software over to Symbian Foundation

Nokia's been in bed with Symbian for many, many years through the development of its S60 platform -- the world's most populous smartphone platform, dont'cha know -- and they're taking that relationship to its endgame today by announcing that they'll be acquiring the remaining shares of Symbian that they don't already own. Here's where it gets interesting, though: rather than taking Symbian's intellectual private for Nokia's own benefit, the goods will be turned over to the Symbian Foundation, a nonprofit whose sole goal will be the advancement of the Symbian platform in its many flavors. Motorola and Sony Ericsson have signed up to contribute UIQ assets, while NTT DoCoMo (which uses Symbian-based wares in a number of its phones) will be donating code as well.

Other Symbian Foundation members include Texas Instruments, Vodafone, Samsung, LG, and AT&T (yep, the same AT&T that currently sells precisely one Symbian-based phone), so things could get interesting. The move clearly seems to be a preemptive strike against Google's Open Handset Alliance, LiMo, and other collaborative efforts forming around the globe with the goal of standardizing smartphone operating systems; the writing was on the wall, and Symbian didn't want to miss the train. Total cash outlay for the move will run Nokia roughly €264 million -- about $410 million in yankee currency.

Update: It's worth noting that the foundation plans to make the entire platform available as open source in the next two years -- "select components" at launch. [engadget]

Read - Creation of Symbian Foundation
Read - Acquisition of Symbian by Nokia

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Orange Hints At 3G iPhone Upgrade Scheme

After a relative lull we've suddenly been dragged back into the 3G iPhone rumour mill. According to French tech site PCInpact, it claims it has been contacted by Orange about 3G iPhone upgrade schemes that will be offered to existing iPhone owners and current Orange customers.

The first deal is alleged to be of a 'swap' nature with Orange offering to give users the new 3G iPhone in exchange for their current iPhone and a €50 fee. As for standard Orange contractees they will allegedly be offered a "generous" discount to move to the much anticipated handset. Neither Apple nor Orange have yet to respond to the report. Personally speaking however I'm going out on a limb and calling bu11sh1t on this one. After all, it would seem extremely unlikely for such a major telco to go blabbing so close to Steve Job's 9 June opening WWDC keynote. Besides, widespread iPhone licensing agreements have been getting announced for some time suggesting Apple is abandoning exclusive network deals (at least in some countries) while it attempts to make a far greater global impact. With that will come discounts, much as we have seen already from T-Mobile in Germany where the larger price plans reduced the handset cost. So just put 2+2 together...
In related news supposed official 3G iPhone advertising images apparently appeared briefly on Swisscom's website and were hastily removed but not before Greek site iPhone Hellas got some grabs. The shots show a surprisingly thin 3G iPhone in a choice of silver, black and red colours. Again I'm writing this off as publicity seeking, but check out the three shots above to see what you think...?

Check both of below :

• PCInpact Report
• iPhone Hellas

[trustedreviews]

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AT&T Has No Price For Next iPhone

AT&T has not yet set a price for the new version of Apple's iPhone, according to AT&T's chief financial officer.

"There's not been a product announcement. There hasn't been any pricing decisions made. That's yet to come," CFO Rick Lindner told the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in New York.

Linder said AT&T, has more than 2.5 million iPhone customers, with the average subscriber paying close to $100 a month on services after spending as much as $500 for the phone.

"It comes down to economics, how many units you think you can sell at different price points," Lindner said. "That's how pricing is determined on just about any device."

As the exclusive carrier of the iPhone, AT&T has said it anticipates a next-generation iPhone that operates on faster, 3G networks in the coming months.

Dan Hesse, Sprint Nextel's CEO, and other executives at the company have been promoting the Instinct, a touch screen phone developed with Samsung that will be able to surf the Internet at faster speeds than the original version of the iPhone. The Instinct is set to launch on June 20.

[AT&T]

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ASUS, the U.S. releases 12 wol 8.9 inches EeePC 5

ASUS is 8.9 inches in size ‘EeePC 900′ to 549 U.S. dollars (about 544,000 won, Hanwha) prices in the U.S. market on May 12 will be Tech Daily said. ‘EeePC 900′ is 8.9 inches in resolution 1024 * 600 netbukeuro Intel’s Celeron CPU (Celeron) and to mount the operating system (OS) to choose one of the Linux and Windows XP. Linux mount up to 20GB SSD, Windows XP can be fitted to mount a 12GB SSD City.



Multi-style touch pad on your maekbukeeo hiring two fingers on the screen, you can zoom in or out to view photos or convenient, and two fingers to scroll through documents are also available. [aving]

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Panasonic, SD compact camcorder ‘SDR-S7′ May Release

CES 2008 in the United States was held in Las Vegas, Panasonic SD compact camcorder ‘SDR-S7′ market. ‘SDR-S7′ SD memory card or SDHC cards to an optical recording medium, the compact camcorder baejum 10, and 2.7 inches LCD display, and is equipped with ‘Quick Start’ recruitment 0.6 seconds after the power is turned on after the shooting. In addition, 16GB SDHC memory card, which is available 13 hours 20 minutes during the shooting.



This product is scheduled for release in May on the American market and the consumer price of 299.95 US dollars (about 28 Hanwha million).

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Nokia armed with Google search

Nokia has teamed up with Google to facilitate web search on its products and launched models with added new services on Nokia N96, Nokia N 78, Nokia 6210 Navigator and Nokia 6220 classic at Mobile World Congress at Barcelona (February 11-14), while extending the feature to other Nokia mobile for future.

The de customer base of Nokia in over hundred countries will be able to use Google search in days to come with location based navigation services.

Hailing the models launched as mini personal computers Nokia’s Chief Executive Officer Olli Pekka Kallasvuo said, “As we continue to free the internet from the limitations of the desktop, we are taking mobility into a completely new realm of possibility.”

The sets are endowed with personal navigation software that can guide pedestrians with detailed digital maps with movie viewing to video and photo sharing devices.

Nokia Executive Vice President Kai Ostamo, while commenting on its new range of phones, said “We would like to be called Mobile Experience Company and not just a mobile phone company.”

Nokia seems to be high on spirit with this added service and is vying to add more customers. The mobile company through a research by British institute Canalys found that 60% of its users would appreciate GPS enabled function on their mobile phones.

Global Positioning System (GPS) was the most popular development to be discussed at Mobile World Congress, one of the largest exhibitions consisting of over 1200 exhibitors.

GPS-enabled phones will be priced at about 450 euros (Rs 26,000) with additional charges of subscription of the GPS services.

The world first pedestrian phone Nokia 6210 comes with a receiver for GPS network of 24 satellites and integrated compass which will provide accurate information anywhere in the world with local map software.

The Nokia officials with much praises for the navigation services said that this device would help people to explore and discover even the unknown places with much confidence.

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LG's Secret has a face: Scarlet TV

A few week a go Natassia Malthe, the starring character of the Scarlet TV series, descended in a yellow hot-air balloon on Suada, a man-made island that lies between the European and the Asian sides of Istanbul in Turkey. Her dramatic entry created a huge buzz among 300-strong guests who had gathered at the glittering event, which carried the theme “Scarlet on Air”. As she descended onto the Island, the (until then) secret TVs dramatically slid down from closed compartments above the guests’ heads.This event, which was attended by more than 200 media from Middle East and Africa, followed earlier events in Los Angeles and in London that drew celebrities for a mock premiere event to reveal the secret of “Scarlet, The Hit New TV Series,” which had been promoted through broadcast and online trailers.



At both events, however, surprised guests (at least, those not in the know) learned that the premiere was actually for LG’s new Full HD LCD TV, Scarlet, and that LG had cleverly manipulated the meaning of “TV series” in order to increase interest and impact. As Gadget highlighted in its report from the January Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, consumer electronics is gaining the human touch, and LG took this a step further and endowed their latest TV series with a real human personality. “Brand marketing now is all about creating a story in which a brand communicates with consumers. Strengthening consumers’ emotional attachment to that brand is the key to long-term success,” said Mr. Christopher Kim, President of LG Electronics Turkey.
LG involved a real TV series producer, David Nutter, the high-profile TV director of shows such as The X-Files, Dark Angel and Smallville. But it used fake TV series trailers and a mysterious new starlet. The Scarlet campaign itself is a fascinating drama in engaging audiences and turning them into consumers. From rumours of the actress’s private romances to the synopsis of the fake TV series, there was literally "lots of intrigue, lots of rumours, lots of talk” going on, just as the commercial copy suggested, both online and offline. The TV show angle was a very effective method of attracting an audience and heightening their interest. LG’s challenge was to find the right way to bring the TV to life. The answer was Natassia “Scarlet” Malthe, whom LG and Nutter felt was the exact personification of the Scarlet TV’s qualities: “dazzling, exciting, intelligent and extraordinary”. In working with Natassia Malthe, a former Norwegian/Malaysian model and a Hollywood actress, LG and Nutter planned an engrossing story with an intricate plot. Now identified with the company’s new, unique-looking Scarlet LCD TV, the model/actress basked in the media glow secretly created by LG, which has helped elevate her career to new levels. This process involved no small amount of real-life excitement as well, as Natassia lived the role of Scarlet for almost six months in a series of advertisements, interviews and public appearances. Instead of just putting TV sets out on the market, LG set out to involve a global audience in a fun, exciting experience that is about much more than just a product. This is the secret behind the Scarlet campaign, and the strategy for building and maintaining a winning brand in the future. However LG also revealed that there is more to come and, just as in a hit TV series, the whole secret has not yet been revealed. So the real story behind this hit TV series is “to be continued.” [scarlet.co.za]

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Sony To Make Bigger OLED TVs Soon

That Sony OLED television isn't bad—it's just a little too tiny for the family to gather around comfortably. Luckily Sony has announced that they will indeed be investing more money (read: $210 million) into their OLED manufacturing to produce "even larger" sized panels for release sometime between April 2009 and March 2010. That's good. Since they have some competition soon. [digitimes]

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KES 2007 - Samsung Present Giorgio Armani-Samsung Mobile Phone

Samsung presented Giorgio Armani-Samsung mobile phone during KES 2007, which is the first jointly developed product of the two companies’ strategic alliance. This 10.5mm-thick phone features 3M camera, full touch screen with CROIX UI, Bluetooth capability, and etc. It is scheduled to be launched starting from November in Europe market.

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LG Electronics CDMA industrial development targets two sectors Water

LG Electronics (www.lge.com) 4, the Hong Kong Grand Hyatt Hotel at the 3G CDMA Industry in the development of the target (3G CDMA Industry Achievement Award), ‘Awards’ backer consumer technology (Subscriber Technology Innovation)’ and ‘end CDMA Industry Leader (CDMA Industry Leadership Award), ‘Water, respectively.

3G CDMA Industry Achievement Award">

LG Electronics has introduced to the American market last month, touch-screen mobile phones’ Voyager (model: LG-VX10000) ‘was released this year, one of the CDMA mobile phone designs and features are most attractive products in a’ consumer technology Innovations’ ‘Verizon Wireless’ and the Joint Water .

The LG Electronics 2005 ‘FASTAP phone (LG-6190)’, 2006 ‘cornerstone’ in the consumer technology innovation award at the award three consecutive years.

Voyager is a form of a folder over the touch screen and ‘QWERTY (QWERTY)’ keyboard combined with the Internet, e-mail, text messages (SMS) and multimedia services can be used as easily to a laptop.

Meanwhile, LG vice president of the North American Institute Journeyman yibyeonggwan CDMA Industry for the development of individuals and organizations contributed to the award ‘end CDMA Industry Leader (CDMA Industry Leadership Award)’ award.

Vice President, the third-generation mobile communication technology yibyeonggwan global specification development consultation chain 3GPP2 (3rd Generation Partnership Project 2) to the next generation of wireless communication for a variety of research projects to proceed with the development of the CDMA industry that merits recognition.


LG Electronics CDMA industrial development targets two sectors Water

LG Electronics (www.lge.com) 4, the Hong Kong Grand Hyatt Hotel at the 3G CDMA Industry in the development of the target (3G CDMA Industry Achievement Award), ‘Awards’ backer consumer technology (Subscriber Technology Innovation)’ and ‘end CDMA Industry Leader (CDMA Industry Leadership Award), ‘Water, respectively.

LG Electronics has introduced to the American market last month, touch-screen mobile phones’ Voyager (model: LG-VX10000) ‘was released this year, one of the CDMA mobile phone designs and features are most attractive products in a’ consumer technology Innovations’ ‘Verizon Wireless’ and the Joint Water .

The LG Electronics 2005 ‘FASTAP phone (LG-6190)’, 2006 ‘cornerstone’ in the consumer technology innovation award at the award three consecutive years.

Voyager is a form of a folder over the touch screen and ‘QWERTY (QWERTY)’ keyboard combined with the Internet, e-mail, text messages (SMS) and multimedia services can be used as easily to a laptop.

Meanwhile, LG vice president of the North American Institute Journeyman yibyeonggwan CDMA Industry for the development of individuals and organizations contributed to the award ‘end CDMA Industry Leader (CDMA Industry Leadership Award)’ award.

Vice President, the third-generation mobile communication technology yibyeonggwan global specification development consultation chain 3GPP2 (3rd Generation Partnership Project 2) to the next generation of wireless communication for a variety of research projects to proceed with the development of the CDMA industry that merits recognition.

The nine sprints meet 3G CDMA Industry development targets’ camps around the world representing the CDMA CDMA Development Group (CDMA Development Group) in a single year during the development of CDMA technology in the performance of established companies and individuals awarded the 280 hotline.

Meanwhile, according to market research firm Infonetics market analyst Lee (Strategy Analytics) 4 According to a recent survey released by the mobile phone market, LG Electronics third quarter of this year up to 2770 million (market share 21.2%) of CDMA mobile phone sales. LG Electronics had 2005 (20.9%) and 2006 (22.3 percent) to win three consecutive years CDMA market, the world’s number one spot and expect to achieve

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iPhone 3G Launch Date Confirmed

We all suspected it, but now it is confirmed: someone very, very close to the 3G iPhone launch has told me that Apple will announce their new model at the WWDC Keynote on June 9th. The second-generation iPhone will be available worldwide right after the launch, and not at year's end, as previously thought. The new model will also herald new sales policies in some countries.

In Spain, for example, the 3G iPhone will be available for sale at the June 18th grand opening of Telefonica's megastore—an Apple Store-like shop located in the company's historical building in Madrid's Gran Vía— with nationwide availability the next day or after a few hours. The other European countries with iPhone availability will have similar launch schedules.

According to another source involved in the launch, the 3G iPhone will no longer be available at a fixed price point—at least in some countries, and its launch will also bring new sales policies, although these have not been completely specified yet.

The move is a logical step, since the iPhone has clearly solidified its position as the cellphone to beat during the last 12 months, and companies in the cutthroat European cellphone market need to use it as an incentive to capture clients aggressively.

This most probably means the new 3G iPhone will be integrated in the usual marketing systems of carriers, with point-based trade-ups, discounts for carrier switchers and other service-based subvention packages.

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Dell and Ericsson Partner to Give Users More Connection Options

Dell and Ericsson have teamed up to bring users a new way to stay connected during travel and while away from the office. By utilizing mobile broadband networks, Dell and Ericsson are offering users connection options for their laptop computers. Dell’s next generation laptops will be able to access seamless roaming on tri-band HSPA mobile broadband via Ericsson. All this will start very in the second quarter of this year.

Since HSPA is the most widely used mobile broadband in the world, users will be able to access the internet through over 185 commercially deployed networks that are readily available around the world. These networks have the ability of serving over one billion customers. Since users are more and more using mobile work stations such as laptops, it only makes sense for them to be able to access the mobile internet one their laptops as well as on their handset. Users will have the ability through Dell and Ericsson to access the internet wherever and whenever they want to, wirelessly or via a wired connection.

With the team work of Dell and Ericsson, a mobile user will no longer simply mean someone using a cell phone, now mobile users will include mobile laptop users as well, with all connected on the same high speed, efficient network. This simple and cost effective solution for users on the go will offer built-in broadband modules on Dell laptops that are equipped with a GPS receiver.

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Sprint, Google Expand Mobile Partnership

Sprint and Google are partnering to bring services such as Google Maps for Mobile and YouTube to Sprint customers. As part of the deal, Google will also become Sprint's preferred mobile search provider.

"Our partnership with Google is a great example of how Sprint is making the mobile Internet experience even more customer-friendly and useful to our customers," said Kevin Packingham, vice president of product management at Sprint. "Sprint looks forward to extending its partnership with Google, and to bringing customers a mobile experience enhanced by the speed of the Now Network, complimented by the services of Google."

This is not the first time Sprint and Google have worked together. In November 2006, Sprint made Gmail available from its portal. Late last year, Sprint joined Google as a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance, currently developing the Google's Android open mobile platform. And just last week, the two companies contributed to the formation of Clearwire, a company focused on building the first nationwide mobile WiMAX network.

"Google and Sprint have a lot in common when it comes to our vision for the mobile web," said Doug Garland, vice president of product management at Google. "We both believe in openness and providing compelling, easy-to-use mobile services that consumers can use every day. We look forward to working together to deliver a great experience."

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Opera Mini 4.1 Released

Opera Software today announced its newest version the Opera Mini browser, up to 50 percent faster that prior version. Opera Mini 4.1 searchs for text within a webpage, provides URL entry with recognition based on bookmarks and browsing history, uploads and downloads files without going into the phone's native browser and downloads pages for offline viewing.

"More than 44 million people from all over the world have discovered and fallen in love with Opera Mini," says Jon von Tetzchner, CEO of Opera. "Those people are not just the users of Opera Mini, they are also the co-creators and our most valued critics of the product. We have actively talked to our community members in order to build the best Web browser for mobile phones. I strongly believe that the newest version of Opera Mini will be received with much excitement."

Since its launch in 2006, Opera Mini has become the most popular mobile browser with over 44 million users. Opera Mini 4.1 introduces new features such as:

- Up to 50% faster than Opera Mini 4.0
- The new Opera Mini will automatically suggest URL completions
- Webpages can be saved for later off-line viewing
- Gives quick access to the word or phrase users want in webpages
- Images, ringtones and other content can be downloaded without leaving Opera Mini

View the guided tour of Opera Mini 4.1 at http://www.operamini.com/tour.

         

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LG, Samsung to Develop Mobile DTV Standard

LG and Samsung will collaborate on developing technology that they intend to propose for adoption as the mobile digital TV standard for the North American market.

The combined technology will be presented to the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC), the international organisation which is establishing broadcasting standards for digital television, before 2009, they said.

"LG and Samsung are already world-class in digital TV and mobile communications, said LG President and Chief Technology Officer Woo Paik. "Through this collaboration, we also have an opportunity to lead the North American mobile DTV market."

ATSC is expected to adopt a mobile/handheld DTV standard for the North American market in early 2009 following technology trials conducted by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), a group of leading U.S. broadcasters who are vigorously promoting the development and early deployment of mobile DTV.

"Our collaboration on North American mobile DTV standardization will help accelerate the ATSC standardization of mobile TV technology, which will benefit both consumers and broadcasters," said JongWoo Park, President of Samsung Digital Media Business.

According to a study commissioned by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), with the adoption of a single ATSC mobile/handheld DTV standard, the U.S. market for mobile DTV phones will reach 130 million units by the end of 2012.

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Verizon Wireless to Introduce Linux Phones

Verizon Wireless is backing a free operating system that competes with programs from Microsoft, Google and Qualcomm and expects it to become the "preferred" software on its network.

The No. 2 U.S. mobile service joined a consortium working on a Linux-based mobile operating system expected to rival a mobile system being developed by a group headed by Google.

The announcement follows signals last month that AT&T would support Android, the Linux operating system being developed by Google and about 30 partners.

"Verizon Wireless is demonstrating itself a champion of openness in mobile innovation by joining the board of LiMo Foundation," said Morgan Gillis, executive director of LiMo Foundation. "Major wireless service providers from across North America, Asia and Europe are now engaged in committed collaboration through LiMo. This offers further concrete evidence that LiMo is positioned at the heart of the rapidly emerging, industry-wide trend to secure the benefits of openness and choice in technology."

Verizon Wireless said it would take a seat on the foundation's board and expects to sell its first phones based on the LiMo operating system in 2009.

Launched in January 2007 by Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic, Samsung and Vodafone, Verizon Wireless joins the foundation's other 39 members in working to deliver an open and consistent software platform based upon Mobile Linux.

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