The EU have just modified their GSM regulation that should allow services such as 3G to be provided at much faster rates and cheaper too. In 1987 13 European countries chose GSM as a network standard to allow roaming capabilities and the highly prized 900MHz radio frequency was set aside especially for GSM. GSM went on to become the favoured standard worldwide and due to its digital nature allowed for some industry innovations such as SMS. However since this time many network advances have been made such as the introduction of 3G that allows for easier internet access of mobile phones and better data transfer. Because the 900MHz frequency had been reserved exclusively for GSM services such as 3G had been relegated to less efficient frequencies around the 2GHz range.
900MHz is favoured because it allows greater propagation and building-penetration meaning that connections are made much easier and cheaper. Now that the move has been made to open up this frequency to other services it is hoped that services such as 3G will become a lot more efficient and cost effective, ultimately driving down prices for consumers. The EU is said to have taken the move to increase competition and allow greater internet access on mobile phones as an effort to combat the global recession that is hitting Europe as hard as anywhere.
There are currently under 100 millions phone users in Europe with wireless internet access on their phones and it is thought that this will increase to over 500 million in the coming years due to the new legislation. The move should also see the mobile phone industry save around €1.6 billion and these savings should be passed on to consumers in the form of reduced rates. The move may also cause some conflict as companies such as Vodafone and O2 that were awarded the right to use the GSM band initially will now have to share it with other services effectively ending a 22 year monopoly. The move has been welcomed by those dedicated to driving down the costs of telecommunications.
Nokia has always done very well in emerging markets and perhaps this is owing to the fact that the Finnish company often comes up with products that empower the mass market user. This time is no different as Nokia unveils the Nokia 2720 Fold, along with two other economical devices, the Nokia 7020 and Nokia 2730.
The Nokia 2720 Fold is designed to bring the benefits of the Internet into the hands of people living in rural areas. Farmers and students alike will be fond of this device as it brings them learning opportunities that can only improve the quality of their lives. Let us first begin with Nokia Life Tools. With Nokia Life Tools, farmers get access to agricultural best practices so they can improve their skills. Other kinds of information available are weather reports, seed availability and so on.
Nokia Life Tools also affords students many advantages. For starters, they can improve English skills by accessing simple language courses. They can also choose to learn general knowledge courses if that is their preference. And because entertainment is often a requirement on mobile, users also have access to games, astrology forecasts, news and gossip among others.
Nokia put in place HTML and WAP support as well as the Opera Mini browser on the 2720 so that consumers can enjoy decent Web surfing. Apart from e-mail, other messaging options on this device are SMS, EMS and MMS. Personal information management (PIM) tools are also present to help you organise and take charge of your life.
The design of the Nokia 2720 Fold is quite appealing which is why users who value style might also want to give this device a try. It comes in a shiny, vibrant finish and is available in two colours – black and deep red. The Nokia 2720 Fold is scheduled for release in the third quarter of the year at a very reasonable 55 euros.
Fun and happy moments, everyday activities, unexpected events – you can record practically every single occasion with the new Sony Ericsson camera phone. The Japanese-Swedish company has just introduced the Sony Ericsson S312 Snapshot (together with the Sony Ericsson W205) highlighting the camera phone’s capacity to capture the most significant events of your life.
To underscore the importance of documenting these moments, Sony Ericsson outfitted the phone with two functions with which to achieve posterity. First, there is the video recording key that makes it quick and easy to capture friends and family in action. The second option is to take photographs with the phone’s 2 megapixel camera. It is equipped with an LED flash which is useful in low light shooting, plus once you access the camera function, four photo shortcuts light up on the keyboard.
What makes the S312 Snapshot complete are its connectivity and multimedia options. The device is equipped with Internet connectivity so users can perform Web-based tasks such as sending and receiving email, game and music downloads, even publishing on blogs.
The multimedia player of the S312 is capable of playing music and video clips. You can manage your music preferences as the S312 Snapshot organizes tunes by album, genre and artist. You can access the TrackID service if there is a tune that you are having trouble identifying. Just record a sample of the song and wait for the information to be sent to you.
Apart from these features, the S312 Snapshot also has decent messaging functionalities. You can send photos, text, even sound and video clips via MMS. The phone has support for concatenated SMS so you don’t have to worry about message length – just type away and your message will be sent in batches.
The S312 Snapshot is quite similar to the S302 in features but with the improvements done on the S312, it is safe to say your S302 unit can retire.
Nokia 2730 Classic is a new 3G handset with an integrated memory of 30 megabytes. You will also get a slot for memory cards to place memory cards to a maximum of 2 Gigabytes. Consumers can use the 2730 Classic on 3G or GSM networks according to their own requirements. This phone has been designed to offer very fast online connectivity and it also supports multitasking skills at a very fast speed. You also have the option to use the mobile on UMTS networks. With the incorporated GPRS and EDGE technology, it is possible to transfer all kinds of data at high speed. You can use this Nokia handset for various purposes with its integrated GPS navigation system with the Nokia Maps features. Nokia has added this gadget in the range of Nokia 2720 Fold and Nokia 2700 Classic.
There is an excellent phone book in Nokia 2730 Classic, where you get the option of storing almost a thousand details and you can choose to see the contacts with their pictures. The phone can also be connected to other gadgets like your PC and laptop through a USB cable connection or through Bluetooth connection. In fact you can use Bluetooth facility from almost 10 meters away with gadgets which are compatible with Bluetooth technology. It has a 2 megapixel camera integrated in the mobile phone and lets you click superior quality pictures very easily. The camera is very user friendly with several convenient features to capture perfect photos. It also has a digital zoom option of 4 x and you can take a close up of your subject for clearer images.
When you want to surf the Internet, it is possible to access the incorporated Web browser through the main menu on this Nokia handset. You can easily enjoy XHTML and HTML surfing. Nokia 2730 Classic has a messaging service which is integrated with the phone as well as email, MMS, picture and text messaging. 2730 Classic works well with several messaging services including the popular Windows Messenger.
Sony Ericsson recently announced its latest mobile device, the Sony Ericsson T707 Elle and immediately noticeable is how much effort has been done on the design and interface of the phone. The company designed to T707 Elle to be very interactive so you are just drawn to it.
The T707 Elle lights up as a way of alerting users to incoming calls. You can assign these light effects to your contacts so you can immediately identify callers. Another wow element is the Gesture Control feature that allows you to mute an incoming call or set the alarm clock to snooze with a wave of your hand.
The homescreen can be made to reflect the time of day with the Day and Night Theme feature. The phone also provides support for Flash Lite themes so you can change color schemes and wallpaper.
The T707 Elle is equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera and you’d think this is just standard addition. What sets it apart are the enhancements incorporated into the camera. It has a digital zoom and enables geo-tagging. The images and videos that you capture can be uploaded to your photo and video blogs directly. The phone has photo fix and video light functions that intuitively adjust settings so you get good quality images and videos.
But before you start thinking the T707 is all beauty and no substance, Sony Ericsson did pack a lot into the functionality side of the phone. You will be pleased to know that this unit is 3G enabled so you get fast download speeds and seamless Web surfing. You can send and receive emails with video and music, photos and voice clips. Because of these features, the T707 Elle will surely do well against say, the LG Cookie or the Nokia 6600. Date of release for the T707 Elle is at the second quarter of 2009. No word on pricing as of this writing.
The Samsung Jet S8000 may not be a regular Smartphone, but has been integrated with remarkable features. It is a great multimedia phone with a 5 megapixels camera, excellent music player as well as D1 video recording. The good thing about this handset Samsung is that it gives what it promises, and there are no breaches in the specifications. The mobile phone offers speedy data, GPS and Wi-Fi, a high-resolution screen with OLED as well as XviD /DivX support. The Jet S8000 is a strong contender for a job as a multifaceted full touch support.
Some changes have been made in the regular TouchWiz interface for the Jet S8000 and the home screen has been divided into three sections. Even as this method has been integrated in other mobile phones with TouchWiz phones, Jet version allows you to use the icons again on every screen, so you are not restricted if want the music player on 2 screens.
The Motion UI or Samsung Motion gate is the motion recognition engine from Samsung and gives you entrée to your favorite multimedia files and you can speed dial by just leaning, flipping or tapping the mobile phone. Samsung has integrated the Jet S8000 with Gesture lock or the Smart unlock attribute. It was initially seen in Samsung S5230 and Samsung S5600 handsets. Smart unlock lets you undo the mobile phone and dial a contact, open a menu or an application, just by illustrating the alphabet on the screen together.
The Cube interface is suggestive of the LG S-class interface. While LG cube has just four interfaces which can be used, Samsung has created all the 6 faces to be used as shortcut. The features of Samsung Jet S8000 can be compared with the LG Arena. They both are very similar and it feels that Samsung has targeted this mobile device as a competitor to the Arena which is already in the market.
Samsung has unveiled Omnia Lite B7300, a Smartphone powered by Windows Mobile with a touch screen display. Samsung Omnia Lite B7300 will feature TouchWiz 2.0 a new user interface from Samsung. Some of the other features of this handset include, 3 megapixels camera, 3G data connectivity, Wi-Fi, and for fast browsing they have integrated the Opera browser. This mobile phone also comes with a 3 inches 65k color WQVGA TFT touch screen display which is 240 by 400 pixel, allowing users to work on the user interface more easily. Omnia Lite B7300 is 107.9 mm long, 51.8mm wide and 12.98 thick. It is only 100 grams in weight.
It may not be the most attractive WinMo Smartphone, as it has basically been created for the medium range Smartphone buyers. It is expected that this 3G handset will be especially popular in regions where HSDPA and EDGE do not matter a lot. Specifications will also include a GPS, USB 2.0, Bluetooth as well as quad-band GSM, and you will be able to carry your gadget wherever you travel. Not much is known about the date of release to the markets for buying or the price of this mobile phone from Samsung.
B7300 Omnia Lite is a very interesting handset which is loaded with several entertainment and communication features which are just right for people who use mobile phone regularly today. The phone is expected to be available in two colors and you can buy according to your taste. It is from the same group of Samsung Omnia mobile phones as the Omina 2 and the Samsung Omnia Pro. They all have their exceptional features and are great handsets, like the ARM1176-based CPU powers Samsung B7610 Omnia Pro and it has devoted graphics acceleration.
Spotify has been achieving great success in the short time it has existed and now has nearly 2 million regular users. The Swedish internet service allows users to listen to streaming music online completely free with over 6 million tracks available. Spotify are able to provide this service due to intermittent adverts between songs and also through the availability of a premium service for a small monthly fee of £9.99. Now Spotify want to bring this service to the Apple iPhone in the form of an app, albeit for premium users only.
Apple are still in the process of reviewing the app, and many industry commentators are speculating that it will be refused. Spotify could potentially pose a serious threat to the market success of Apple’s own iTunes service as it would allow access to most popular music at a much cheaper rate. The Spotify iPhone app will also allow the saving of playlists so that users will be able to listen to songs they have already streamed when their phone is not connected to the service.
If Apple’s track record of refusing competitive apps is anything to go by then Spotify will have to abandon their iPhone ambitions altogether. Apple have recently refused apps from internet giant Google on the grounds that they duplicated features already present on the iPhone (i.e. Apple’s own services). Google Voice and Google Latitude have both recently been rejected and many commentators are arguing that the real reason is Google’s status as one of Apple’s leading competitors. Google Android is being dubbed by many as the mobile OS of choice and these commentators suggest that Apple is merely trying to limit the success of their Silicon Valley rival.
Due to this pattern of behaviour from Apple it could be likely that the Spotify service will be rejected due to the threat it poses to iTunes, although the decision is likely to be announced in the next few weeks. If accepted it could change the way in which people listen to music on their mobile phones.
RIM has announced that their BlackBerry Curve 8520 will be released in the UK early in August. The Curve 8520, which follows on from the Curve 8320, will be a entry-level BlackBerry device with many of the features of high-end BlackBerry’s removed to lower cost. Although the Curve 8320 was released two years ago, the Curve 8520 is not a great deal different.
The Curve 8520 features BlackBerry’s trademark signature of a full QWERTY keyboard on the front which highlights that this phone is aimed primarily at the messaging market. Because of this some of the other features are somewhat lacking, most notably the camera which is a paltry 2 megapixels with no flash. There is support for BlackBerry’s App World, similar in nature to the Apple App Store, where users can download third party apps to personalise their phone. The Curve 8520 comes with Facebook and MySpace apps included and offers full Mac support with iTunes syncing available as standard.
The 65k colour TFT screen is relatively small at 2.64” when compared to some of the big boy’s on the market but is still suited to its purposes. There is no 3G support for the Curve 8520 and the EDGE is a rather lowly 236.8kbps. There is WiFi support however, and there is a media player with a good range of compatibility, supporting most widely used codec’s and there is also a 3.5mm audio jack which will come as good news to music fans.
The BlackBerry Curve 8520 is not as feature filled as many BlackBerry phones around although it was not intended to be as it is marketed as an entry level phone. Although there are still many great features there are certainly better BlackBerry devices around. This may be a good choice however if you want to get into the BlackBerry experience but are looking for a cheaper handset than some of the others BlackBerry has to offer.
The latest phone model from Nokia is currently stirring up a lot of excitement across the mobile world and justifiably so for it is 3G capable yet it sells for such a bargain, people can hardly believe their ears. The Nokia 2730 Classic is expected to retail for around 80 euros – certainly easy on the pocket. This device was launched together with two other budget friendly phones, the Nokia 7020 and 2720 Fold.
The Nokia 2730 is a great buy as it boasts of an extraordinary feature set – well, extraordinary under this price range anyway. Since it is 3G enabled, users can enjoy a rich Internet and e-mailing experience over this device. The Ovi Mail application is included on the 2730 so that e-mail is simplified and doesn’t require the use of a PC.
Nokia Life Tools also makes an appearance on this phone and you may be wondering what you could possibly use that application for. Well, the Nokia 2730 Classic is actually primarily geared towards mobile users in emerging markets. To users located in remote areas, specifically, this type of application can prove to be indispensable. For example, a farmer can learn of agricultural practices so he can improve his craft. A student who wishes to enhance his English speaking skills can access English language courses over the device.
Of course, let us not neglect to do a rundown of the multimedia features of the phone as apart from functionality, entertainment is also a standard when purchasing a mobile device. The Nokia 2730 is equipped with a 2MP camera. You can also perform video recording, streaming and playback on this unit. The file format supported by the video functions is 3gp.
With the music player, you can listen to MP3, MP4, AAC, MIDI, WAV, X-Tone and AMR sound files just to mention some. The phone also has a few games pre-installed into it which should provide sufficient alternative amusement.
The EU have just modified their GSM regulation that should allow services such as 3G to be provided at much faster rates and cheaper too. In 1987 13 European countries chose GSM as a network standard to allow roaming capabilities and the highly prized 900MHz radio frequency was set aside especially for GSM. GSM went on to become the favoured standard worldwide and due to its digital nature allowed for some industry innovations such as SMS. However since this time many network advances have been made such as the introduction of 3G that allows for easier internet access of mobile phones and better data transfer. Because the 900MHz frequency had been reserved exclusively for GSM services such as 3G had been relegated to less efficient frequencies around the 2GHz range.
Nokia has always done very well in emerging markets and perhaps this is owing to the fact that the Finnish company often comes up with products that empower the mass market user. This time is no different as Nokia unveils the 
Nokia Life Tools also affords students many advantages. For starters, they can improve English skills by accessing simple language courses. They can also choose to learn general knowledge courses if that is their preference. And because entertainment is often a requirement on mobile, users also have access to games, astrology forecasts, news and gossip among others.
Fun and happy moments, everyday activities, unexpected events – you can record practically every single occasion with the new Sony Ericsson camera phone. The Japanese-Swedish company has just introduced the 
What makes the S312 Snapshot complete are its connectivity and multimedia options. The device is equipped with Internet connectivity so users can perform Web-based tasks such as sending and receiving email, game and music downloads, even publishing on blogs. 
There is an excellent phone book in Nokia 2730 Classic, where you get the option of storing almost a thousand details and you can choose to see the contacts with their pictures. The phone can also be connected to other gadgets like your PC and laptop through a USB cable connection or through Bluetooth connection. In fact you can use Bluetooth facility from almost 10 meters away with gadgets which are compatible with Bluetooth technology. It has a 2 megapixel camera integrated in the mobile phone and lets you click superior quality pictures very easily. The camera is very user friendly with several convenient features to capture perfect photos. It also has a digital zoom option of 4 x and you can take a close up of your subject for clearer images.
Sony Ericsson recently announced its latest mobile device, the 
The T707 Elle lights up as a way of alerting users to incoming calls. You can assign these light effects to your contacts so you can immediately identify callers. Another wow element is the Gesture Control feature that allows you to mute an incoming call or set the alarm clock to snooze with a wave of your hand. 
The T707 Elle is equipped with a 3.2 megapixel camera and you’d think this is just standard addition. What sets it apart are the enhancements incorporated into the camera. It has a digital zoom and enables geo-tagging. The images and videos that you capture can be uploaded to your photo and video blogs directly. The phone has photo fix and video light functions that intuitively adjust settings so you get good quality images and videos.
The 
Samsung has unveiled Omnia Lite B7300, a Smartphone powered by Windows Mobile with a touch screen display. 
It may not be the most attractive WinMo Smartphone, as it has basically been created for the medium range Smartphone buyers. It is expected that this 3G handset will be especially popular in regions where HSDPA and EDGE do not matter a lot. Specifications will also include a GPS, USB 2.0, Bluetooth as well as quad-band GSM, and you will be able to carry your gadget wherever you travel. Not much is known about the date of release to the markets for buying or the price of this mobile phone from 
Spotify has been achieving great success in the short time it has existed and now has nearly 2 million regular users. The Swedish internet service allows users to listen to streaming music online completely free with over 6 million tracks available. Spotify are able to provide this service due to intermittent adverts between songs and also through the availability of a premium service for a small monthly fee of £9.99. Now Spotify want to bring this service to the 
RIM has announced that their BlackBerry Curve 8520 will be released in the UK early in August. The Curve 8520, which follows on from the 
The Nokia 2730 is a great buy as it boasts of an extraordinary feature set – well, extraordinary under this price range anyway. Since it is 3G enabled, users can enjoy a rich Internet and e-mailing experience over this device. The Ovi Mail application is included on the 2730 so that e-mail is simplified and doesn’t require the use of a PC.