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Sony Ericsson Satio, Aino and Yari is about to be launched next week

Sony Ericsson Satio, Aino and Yari is about to be launched next week

Sony Ericsson’s closely watched high-end phones, Satio, Anio and Yari, will be globally launched over the coming weeks, the handset maker said Friday. On the Swedish market, Satio will start selling on Oct. 16 and Aino on Oct. 14, while Yari will reach stores this week, the handset maker said.

Sony Ericsson press spokesman Mattias Holm told Dow Jones Newswires that the new phones will start selling on all major Western European markets at about the same time as in Sweden, adding that they will be launched on a global scale in the coming weeks.

Sony Ericsson Satio, Aino and Yari is about to be launched next week

Sony Ericsson has seen an especially good response from retailers and consumers on the Satio phone ahead of the launch, he said, and added that all major operators on Sony Ericsson’s main markets will sell the phone.

Analysts have said the new phones could help Sony Ericsson improve its market share, which has declined partly due to its lack of high-end offerings. In the second quarter 2009, the company’s market share fell to 4.7% from 7.5% a year earlier, according to research firm Gartner.

The Satio phone has a 12-megapixel camera and allows users to download a wide range of applications, while the Aino offers high audio and video quality and the ability to integrate the device with Sony’s PlayStation 3 console. The Yari is an advanced gaming phone.

[Via]

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Hands-on with the HTC HD2 by IntoMobile. The HTC HD2 is a quad-band PPC phone with 4.3 inch WVGA capacitive touch screen, 1 GHz processor, 5MP camera, GPS, Wi-Fi and Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional.

[Via]

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Qt running on Maemo 5 based N900

This video shows a few Qt 4.6 examples running on the N900, featuring the deep Maemo integration and hardware acceleration using OpenGL ES 2.

[Thx Stefanos]

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Press: Nokia announces official Qt port to Maemo 5

Nokia today announced the creation of the official Qt port to Maemo 5 and published an initial Technology Preview release. This port to Maemo 5 means that developers can now use Qt to target the upcoming Nokia N900 device and also ensures that applications can be easily ported to all Qt’s supported platforms including the next Maemo 6 release as well as Symbian and Windows Mobile.

The Qt port to Maemo 5 is designed specifically to work within the Maemo 5 environment, which will power the upcoming Nokia N900 device. The port itself will be based on Qt’s upcoming version 4.6 and is scheduled for final release in Q1 of 2010.

“With this announcement and our upcoming port of Qt to the Symbian platform, we will quickly see Qt established as a leading framework for mobile application development. Developers will be able to use Qt as a framework to create powerful native applications and with Qt’s Webkit integration, it also provides them with a platform for creating web applications and services,” said Sebastian Nyström, Vice President of Application Services and Frameworks at Nokia. “Qt’s support for Maemo 5, Maemo 6, Symbian, as well as Windows Mobile makes Qt the most sensible choice for developers looking to target multiple devices and achieve the broadest reach with their innovations.”

This port of Qt will incorporate the community-driven ‘Qt for Maemo’ project that was created as result of substantial contributions and enhancements. The community project provided a strong foundation for building the official port, and because of the open nature of the project, Nokia was able to base the official port on this code. The change from a community port to an official port was necessary to ensure that applications developed with Qt will be compatible with both future versions of Qt, future versions of Maemo, as well as Symbian and the other platforms Qt supports.

Press: Nokia announces official Qt port to Maemo 5

Developers looking to support the Qt port Maemo to Maemo 5 are encouraged to visit http://qt.gitorious.org and participate in its further development. Since May 2009, Nokia has received over 400 contributions into Qt and Qt-related projects, which has helped ensure that Qt remains a stable, robust framework for developers to innovate on.

Developers looking to learn more about Qt 4.6 should visit http://qt.nokia.com, as a beta release of Qt 4.6, including the Symbian port, will be launched next week at the Qt Developer Days conference in Munich.

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iPhone App Review: Blades of Fury

Review of the iPhone and iPod Touch game -- Blades of Fury. This game is probably the coolest game i ever installed on my iPhone 3GS. If you haven’t tried this game yet, now would be the time ;)

[Via]

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Reliance Mobile has announced the launch of the CDMA based Blackberry Tour on its network in India. The latest CDMA offering from the RIM stables, the Tour, will be continued to be sold along with its predecessors -- the BlackBerry Curve 8330, BlackBerry Tour CDMA Comes to India on RelianceBlackBerry Pearl 8130, BlackBerry 8703 and BlackBerry 8830

The BlackBerry Tour is a high-end CDMA smartphone with a host of multimedia functionalities as well as support for email, social networking and a wide variety of other mobile applications. The phone will be available nationally from Oct. 12 for Rs. 27,990. As a special promotion from Reliance Mobile for pre-booking customers, users will be able to enjoy two months of free BlackBerry Internet Service on Reliance Mobile's CDMA network.

The BlackBerry Tour is a sleek looking device - thanks to its black finish and chrome highlights surrounding its edges. It measures 112mm x 62mm x 14.2mm (L X W X D) and weighs just 130g. A large familiar, full-QWERTY keyboard graces the front along with the2.44" bright, 480x360 resolution display. Other features on the phone include:

  • 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording
  • Full HTML web browser, including support for streaming audio and video (RTSP)
  • Advanced media player for videos, pictures and music, a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and support for the Bluetooth Stereo Audio Profile (A2DP/AVCRP)
  • 256MB Flash memory
  • Expandable memory via hot swappable microSD/SDHC memory card slot, supporting up to 32GB cards
  • Built-in GPS
  • BlackBerry Media Sync support




A major drawback will be the lack of Wi-Fi on this one. So, before you get hopping to buy this one, do keep in mind that there is no Wi-Fi support and for data, you will have to stick to Reliance's Internet service.

As mentioned earlier, the Tour can be yours for Rs. 27,990 and will be available staring Oct. 12. For those looking for the two months of free Internet usage, pre-booking begins on Oct. 7!

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Research In Motion released Thursday the latest version of its BlackBerry Messenger service, which adds improved collaboration, personalization, and multimedia features.

The service is essentially a BlackBerry-to-BlackBerry instant messaging program that is routed through RIM's servers, and the 5.0 version takes a few cues from social networks such as Facebook, by allowing users to add avatars. These user images can be integrated with the phone book; picture IDs will be associated with the contact list. The IM program can also integrate SMS messages into threaded conversations with other BlackBerry Messenger users.


The latest version of the service adds collaboration features by enhancing the ability to chat with groups. Group members can send messages, task notes, voice messages, calendars, and photos with multiple BlackBerry users at once.

BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 enables users to share pictures, videos, and audio files up 6 MB. Users have been able to add new contacts via e-mail and name, but the latest version also lets users add new contacts or join new groups by barcode scanning.

The consumer-focused elements of the latest BlackBerry Messenger is another sign that RIM is gaining traction in the mainstream. The company has released multiple consumer-friendly devices such as the BlackBerry Flip and Storm, and it has launched a social network and "lifestyle" apps from TiVo and MySpace.

The mainstream overtures appear to be paying off because the BlackBerry maker said more than 80% of its new subscribers last quarter were non-enterprise users. The latest BlackBerry Messenger is available for free from BlackBerry App World, or can be downloaded to handsets over-the-air from RIM's Web site. BlackBerry Messenger 5.0 is only compatible with handsets using the 4.5 BlackBerry operating system or higher.

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Samsung announced its second Google Android Phone, the Samsung Moment at the CTIA Fall Show.

(Credit: Marguerite Reardon/CNET

SAN DIEGO--After two years of waiting, Google Android phones are finally hitting the market en masse.

In the past couple of months, nine devices using Google's mobile operating system have been announced, including the Motorola Cliq, which goes on sale in November, and the new Samsung Moment, which was announced Wednesday at the CTIA Fall 2009 trade show here. The pipeline is full of more Android devices, some of which have been confirmed and some that are still rumored to be in development.

"We are seeing a lot of interest in Android here," Kim Titus, a spokesman for Samsung, said Wednesday at the CTIA trade show, where the company is showing off its two Google Android handsets--the Samsung Moment and the Samsung Behold II. "I think these devices have an opportunity to become strong cross-over devices appealing both to business customers as well as to consumers and prosumers."

U.S. wireless operators are also jumping on the Google Android bandwagon. So far, T-Mobile USA, the smallest of the four nationwide carriers, has been the only U.S. wireless operator to offer Android devices. Once the Motorola Cliq and the Samsung Bold II launch, T-Mobile will be offering four different Google Android devices on its network.

But T-Mobile won't be the only Android carrier in the U.S. for much longer. Starting next week, Sprint Nextel will introduce its first Android phone, the HTC Hero. And a couple of weeks later on November 1, it will begin selling the newly announced Samsung Moment.

Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest wireless operator, will also be getting two new Google Android phones in the coming weeks. Verizon executives wouldn't provide specifics about the devices, but one of the devices is expected to be from Motorola. Verizon and Google said Tuesday that they will be working closely to introduce new Google Android phones.

Even AT&T, the second largest wireless provider in the U.S. and the exclusive U.S. carrier for the iPhone, is expected to have a Google Android phone soon. On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal published a report stating that AT&T will be offering Dell's soon-to-be announced Google Android phone.

Device makers see Android as their biggest hope to compete against Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry devices in the smartphone market. Both Apple and RIM develop their own software that is proprietary to their homegrown hardware.

The Samsung Moment up close at the CTIA Fall 2009 Show.

(Credit: Marguerite Reardon/CNET

Like the Google Android operating system, Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform can also be used on different hardware. But as Microsoft struggles to keep pace with the rapidly changing mobile market, some device makers, such as Motorola, are gravitating toward Android. This is not to say that Microsoft is out of the game. In fact, the company just announced Windows Mobile 6.5 this week at CTIA, but experts, such as CNET's own Bonnie Cha, believe the upgrade is incremental with a bigger overhaul of the software not expected until next year.

Meanwhile, momentum is growing for Google Android phones.

Google unveiled its Android open development operating system in the fall of 2007. It took a year before the first Android phone, the HTC G1 sold by T-Mobile, was introduced. Many industry watchers had expected other handset makers to start announcing their own Android devices in February 2009 at the GSMA World Congress trade show in Barcelona. But the show came and went with few mentions of Android.

Later that spring, people were expecting Android announcements at the CTIA's spring trade show in Las Vegas. But device makers kept mum. In June, T-Mobile USA and HTC introduced the second Android handset into the U.S. market, the MyTouch. This phone was supposed to be a more refined version of the G1 and was designed to appeal to the mainstream wireless consumer.

Now as Android is about to hit its second birthday, the much anticipated flood of Android device announcements is beginning. Manufacturers, such as Samsung, Motorola, LG and HTC are announcing multiple Google Android devices. Motorola's co-CEO Sanjay Jha said this week that he expects his company to introduce "multiple tens of products" using the Android operating system.

Even phone makers Sony Ericsson and Nokia, which historically have built phones using the Symbian operating system, are rumored to be working on Android handsets. The operating system has even appealed to companies not traditionally in the cell phone business, such as laptop makers Lenovo and Dell and Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei.

While Google Android may give device makers, such as Samsung and Motorola, a way to compete with the iPhone, it could be difficult for them to differentiate their products. So far, the Android devices that have been announced look very similar. All of them sport a touch screen that takes much of the face of the phone. Some, like the Motorola Cliq and the Samsung Moment, also have QWERTY keypads that slides out for consumers who like the feel of real keys.

Samsung's Titus said there are subtle differences in the hardware. For example, the Samsung Moment uses a bright OLED screen that makes images sharper and colors more vibrant. The screen is also designed to be more energy efficient. And the Moment uses much faster processors that most other cell phones. But he conceded that because all the devices use a touch screen that they look very much alike.

"When you have a screen that takes up so much of the landscape, it's not surprising that they look somewhat similar," he said.

Since the Android platform is completely open, the real customization will likely be software based. For example, the Samsung Moment, which will be sold on Sprint's network, comes preloaded with applications and features specific to Sprint's network. These applications include Sprint's navigation service and applications for NFL and Nascar, two organizations which have special relationships with Sprint.

Motorola has also customized the user interface for its Cliq phone and it has introduced Motoblur, a social-networking-optimized version of the user interface. Motorola executives told developers at its conference this week that it expects some but not all of its new Android phones to come with Motoblur installed.

While handset makers and wireless operators may be tempted to further customize the Android software, doing so is risky since the promise of an operating system such as Android is to provide developers with an easy and open way to develop applications that can be downloaded across multiple devices.

So far developers have already created more than 10,000 applications for Google Android devices. These apps can be accessed through the Google Android Market. Big developers, such as Facebook, have already begun developing Android specific applications. And at its developer conference, Motorola announced a series of new apps available for the new Cliq, including Accuweather, the Barnes & Noble eReader, MySpace, and QuickOffice, the company said.

But as new devices are introduced on different carrier networks, it will be interesting to see if these applications in the Android Market will work across all the different hardware. If they do, they could drive more Android device development, which could lead to the Android mobile platform actually living up to the hype that was promised nearly two years ago. And if they don't, then Android will likely become just another mobile operating system that further fragments the market.

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Google

After an initial slow start, the open-source Google Android operating system appears to be finally gaining enough momentum in the smartphone arena to offer some notable competition to the market leaders - the Apple iPhone and the Research in Motion BlackBerry.

The release of the Android-based Samsung Behold and Samsung Instinct initiated the upswing in the number of Android phones - what with the Google software platform having lined up a number of hardware partners including HTC, LG, and Motorola, besides Samsung!

Furthermore, Google Android also boasts support from top US mobile carriers, with cellular leader Verizon Wireless announcing this week that it would soon unveil two Android phones. In addition, buzz has it that AT&T is also likely to release an Android-based smart phone from Dell.

Going by some reliable estimates, nearly 15 Android-powered phones will become available in the market by the end of this year.

The Android platform was released by Google almost a year back - on October 22, 2008 - on the G1 from T-Mobile; and, in spite of mixed reviews about the Android, over one million G1 devices were sold.

With reference to the growing Android appeal, Google CEO and Chairman Eric Schmidt said: "Android has come a long way from one device, one carrier and one country to over nine devices in 26 counties with 32 carriers in 19 languages. You can see the growth!"

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