Ovi Maps hits 3.4 " in beta form " Nokia nail it…
February 28, 2010
“Just released this morning (see my ‘Install diary’ below) is Ovi Maps 3.4 (build 91, if you’re being fussy). This follows up the formal release of v3.3, which introduced the new interface and free worldwide voice navigation. In brief, Ovi Maps is claimed to be faster and more accurate, and, as reported below, Nokia certainly seemed to have made big strides in this area - v3.4 is hard to criticise in the performance department now. It also adds Wi-Fi positioning to the many ways location is determined, though it will take a while before Nokia’s servers build up enough data for this to be useful. ” Read more here:
Palm’s webOS 1.4 update now available for Sprint, O2 and Movistar phones
February 28, 2010
“The latest update to Palm webOS is now arriving on your phone via an over-the-air update. The update is now available for customers on the Sprint network in the US and on the O2 UK, O2 DE, O2 Ireland, and Movistar networks in Europe. The update is expected to be availablefor Palm webOS phones on other networks soon.Highlights of the latest update include:
The ability to capture, edit, and share video: Not only can you easily shoot video footage from your Palm webOS phone, but you can also make quick edits and upload your footage to YouTube or Facebook (or send them via email or MMS) with just a couple of taps. See the video capabilities in action in the video inside.
Get more done faster: The Calendar, Phone, Messaging, and Email apps have all been enhanced with new features to simplify common tasks (many based on feedback from our customers). For example, in the Calendar app, you can now dial a number that appears in the subject of an appointment. In the Email app, you can now sort by date, sender, and subject. In the Phone app, the Call log offers more options to easily connect to a contact (such as via SMS). And there are some new shortcuts for zipping from one app to another (for example, moving from a chat view to a phone call with that person). Youll also see improved performance in these apps.” Read more inside..
Pharos Announces New Rugged Windows Mobile 6.5 PDA
February 27, 2010
“The Pharos 565 is a ruggedized Windows Mobile 6.5 PDA with a full QWERTY keyboard, QVGA color touch screen, built-in GPS receiver, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, IrDA and RAW IR/SIR. The device comes with a powerful Marvell PXA310 624 MHz CPU, 512 MB Flash ROM, and 256 MB DDR SDRAM. The ruggedized Pharos 565 PDA is compliant with the International Protection Rating (IP54) standard and can resist a drop in a range of 4 ~ 5 feet. It includes the complete Office Mobile suite of applications. The unit is perfect for anyone who needs a complete mobile organizer, multimedia entertainment, and GPS navigation in a convenient, compact, and easy-to-use package. The package includes the 565 PDA, a long-life Li-Ion Polymer battery, AC adapter, USB cable, and the software you need to get started.
Features
Skype no longer offer Windows Mobile Version
February 26, 2010
Wondering why you couldnt download the Skype for Windows Mobile from the company website? Skype has confirmed that it will no longer offer Skype for Windows Mobile, as it felt that the version is not offering the best user experience compare to Symbian and iPhone version. The company has posted a faq says, Weve chosen to withdraw Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile because we want to offer our new customers an improved mobile experience much like the version that has proved so popular on the iPhone, and which is now available on Symbian phones. Our focus is on providing a rich user experience that allows you to enjoy free Skype-to-Skype and low cost calls as easily on the move as you do at your desktop. We felt that Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile were not offering the best possible Skype experience. You will still be able to use the Skype service with your windows mobile smartphone if you have already installed though. You can also access the windows mobile download page manually by using the following URL http://www.skype.com/intl/en/download/skype/windowsmobile/” via slashphone.com
Nokia N97 mini Gold Edition unveiled, costs $850
February 26, 2010
“While were waiting for new phones like the X10 or the C6 to be announced, Nokias busy launching luxury editions of already-available handsets.Take the Nokia N97 mini Gold Edition for example, which has been unveiled today.The N97 mini Gold Edition is dressed in 18-carat gold and comes with apps like ELLE 360Fashion, which should help fashion lovers follow the latest trends and news.Other than that, the Nokia N97 mini Gold Edition has the same features the regular edition includes: 3.2 inch touchscreen display with 360 x 640 pixels, full QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, HSPA, GPS, Nokia Maps, 3.5mm headset jack, 8GB of internal memory, and a 5MP camera with autofocus and LED flash.Nokia N97 mini Gold Edition will be available across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. We dont know when, but we do know the phones price: about 625 or $850.” via unwiredview.com
iTunes Store Tops 10 Billion Songs Sold
February 26, 2010
Apple today announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded over 10 billion songs from the iTunes Store, the worlds most popular online music, TV, and movie store.
Samsung Wave S8500 Preview
February 25, 2010
“Life has come from the water. That’s where everything has begun for us, so water seems to be a pretty natural place for Samsung to start a new beginning. Samsung has created a new mobile operating system to compete with the other big players on the smartphone market. Will it succeed? We don’t know that yet, but we are dying to see what will become of the new bada OS, and how it will evolve with time. In Korean, “bada” means ocean, and the Samsung Wave S8500 is the first smartphone that will take you on a journey to badas depths. We sincerely hope thats a place where beautiful and friendly creatures live and shine in a plethora of colors to create an immersive atmosphere. Still, we are not striking off the list the option of bada being a place where carnivorous sharks are swimming around you in a circle, anticipating your one wrong move so they can have a little snack. But we guess that all depends on Samsungs devotion to create a rich platform and not just do a marketing trick by providing a smartphone for everyone.” Read more here:
Windows Marketplace for Mobile update released
February 24, 2010
“The Marketplace update that Microsoft announced just a few days ago has been released today. Just launch the Marketplace app on your phone and you will recive the updated version. If this doesnt work you can also uninstall the current version that is you your handset and download the newer one at mp.windowsphone.com.
Here are the new updated feature included in this version:
World View: previously known as geo selector, the World View feature will allow Marketplace users to browse and purchase applications from different geographic catalogs. For example, a user in France could choose to browse the English US catalog, or a user in Canada could browse the catalog from Japan. All application prices will show up in the users local currency and Microsoft will be in touch with registered independent software vendors (ISVs) in the weeks ahead to provide step-by-step instructions on how to re-price their apps for all markets.
Installation onto storage cards: a highly requested feature by end users, it will allow users to install applications downloaded from Marketplace onto storage card memory. This will solve a common pain point today where the main memory of the phone runs out after installing a few apps from Marketplace. Read more inside..
Gartner: Apple, Android, and RIM winners in 2009 smartphone growth
February 24, 2010
Worldwide Mobile Terminal Sales to End Users in 2009 (Thousands of Units)
|
Company |
2009Sales |
2009 |
2008Sales |
2008 |
|
Nokia |
440,881.6 |
36.4 |
472,314.9 |
38.6 |
|
Samsung |
235,772.0 |
19.5 |
199,324.3 |
16.3 |
|
LG |
122,055.3 |
10.1 |
102,789.1 |
8.4 |
|
Motorola |
58,475.2 |
4.8 |
106,522.4 |
8.7 |
|
Sony Ericsson |
54,873.4 |
4.5 |
93,106.1 |
7.6 |
|
Others |
299,179.2 |
24.7 |
248,196.1 |
20.3 |
|
Total |
1,211,236.6 |
100.0 |
1,222,252.9 |
100.0 |
Note* This table includes iDEN shipments, but excludes ODM to OEM shipments.
Source: Gartner (February 2010)
In 2009, Nokia’s annual mobile phone sales to end users reached 441 million units, a 2.2 per cent drop in market share from 2008. Although Nokia outperformed industry expectations in sales and revenue in the fourth quarter of 2009, its declining smartphone ASP showed that it continues to face challenges from other smartphone vendors. “Nokia will face a tough first half of 2010 as improvement to Symbian and new products based on the Meego platform will not reach the market well before the second half of 2010,” said Ms Milanesi. “Its very strong mid-tier portfolio will help it hold market share, but its ongoing weakness at the high end of the portfolio will hurt its share of market value.” Read more inside..
Palm Pre Plus vs. BlackBerry Storm2
February 23, 2010
“Two of Verizon Wireless top smartphones are going head to head in an in-depth comparison. We have the Palm Pre Plus, it runs webOS and features the best multitasking user experience on the market. And we have the BlackBerry Storm2, which runs BlackBerry OS 5.0 and features unmatched messaging capabilities. Which do I feel is a better smartphone? Read on to find out.
Lets go over the specs real quick. The Palm Pre Plus has a 3.1 capacitive touchscreen at 320 x 480 resolution with multitouch capabilities. It has a full physical QWERTY keyboard, 3 megapixel camera with flash, all packed into a riverstone-like frame. The BlackBerry Storm2 9550 has a 3.25 capacitive SurePress touchscreen at 360 x 480 resolution. It has a unique touchscreen dubbed SurePress which uses four electronic actuators to make it feel like a click on a hardware keyboard. It also packs a 3 megapixel camera with auto focus and flash, and features unrivaled email capabilities.” Read more here: