Penny Mobiles – Mobile phone news, reviews & information

There are ongoing rumors that Apple will be launching its iPhone Nano on the Verizon network by the third quarter of 2010. Apple is preparing a 2.8-inch version of the phone that will have the capabilities of working globally on both UMTS 3G and CDMA mobile phone networks. The iPhone Nano is said to be planned for worldwide distribution to all carriers regardless of the technology of their network.

Reports by OTR Global, provided to AppleInsider by an industrial analyst, Asustek subsidiary Pegatron will build the new hybrid phone devices for Apple rather than Hon Hai, the iPhone recent manufacturer, this decision is to prevent the company from been inhibited to a single assembler. It also indicated that Verizon and apple have already hammered out an agreement to sell the new iPhone model within the year.

The research also informed that the new iPhone will be smaller and lighter, having a 2.8 inch screen while the current iPhone holds a 3.5 inch screen. Qualcomm’s new hybrid CDMA/WCDMA chip puts forward the potential for the iPhone to be used globally on any major network carrier, thereby solving the network fractionalization problem. It resolves other issues inclusive of user confusion that would have resulted from Apple selling different CDMA and UMTS versions of the iPhone. Having one phone that works on both the CDMA and UMTS types of network, the differences between the two will be apparently tied to the network’s provider rather than to the iPhone itself.

With the reports of Verizon selling the iPhone within the year, sales of the Droid, storm 2 and the next year’s palm pre may end up subdued if customers make up their minds on waiting for the arrival of the iPhone instead of facing the cancellation penalty and the loss of subsidy credit by buying an alternative device now.

The WebOS is literally paving the path for Palm’s phones; and it is no surprise, the OS is well made, intuitive and fun to use. Currently the Palm Pre is the only device available locally that uses the WebOS, the other WebOS phone, the Pixi, has yet to be launched in Europe. So there are no Palm Pixi deals in the UK for now.

About the New Phone

The Palm Pixi has been around for a while now and people have been looking forward to this phone. It’s small, compact and looks easy to carry around (it is); all the while, it has a lot of excellent functions and features that make it very usable. This would make it a decent smart phone, but what we have not gotten to is how it looks.

The Pixi looks astoundingly cool. The form is very smooth and has a very good flow, each curve of the device is cut and shaped to add to its cuteness. The colors of the device and texture of the plastic is both elegant and hardy, giving the device a very post-modern vibe.

Specs and More

A review of the Palm Pixi would not be complete without mentioning the amazing work done in making the full QWERTY keyboard. It is easy to use. That should very well sum it up, but it does not mention how small the actual keyboard is or how evenly spaced each button is. Despite the hardware limitations Palm managed to make a very ergonomically functional design.

The rest of the specs sound mid to low tier smart phone; a 2.63 inch capacitive touch screen, a 600 MHz Qualcomm MSM7627 processor, a 2 mega pixel camera with LED flash, micro USB, Bluetooth, etc. But factor in the fact that this phone is only 55 x 111 x 10.85 mm, then you have an amazing spec sheet.

The only things missing from this phone is a microSD card slot and WiFi support. It does have 8GB of internal storage though.

Information reaching us is that the new HTC HD2 Windows phone will be made available in-store at 02 shops as from today.

O2 today revealed that the Windows 6.5-powered HD2 will now be available over the phone and also ready for purchase within O2 store as from today. The HTC HD2 has really impressed everyone especially due to its large touch screen feature. This large and highly interactive capacitive touch screen is powered by the Windows Mobile Operating System which is frequently believed to be tricky to go along with.

The screen which is 4.3 in implies that it might be too large to put into some small pockets even though the 11mm thickness implies than it should fit into those baggy pockets without much ado.

As at the time of writing, the HD2 still hasn’t made it into 02’s website although there are great assurances you will locate it in-store.

It is also worthy of note that the HTC HD2 can be got free of charge on contract, however considering the highest-end phones we have witnessed in a while, it is largely expected for one to be paying as much/low (whichever) as £35 a month before you can expect to own this black beauty.

HTC’s skill for creating touch screen devices really excelled greatly since android give the green lights to the Taiwanese company to implement capacitive screens

The HTC HD2 is the first of its kind in the series of Windows-powered devices to include a capacitive screen and the world is definitely thankful for that.

GSM Association has come out with yet another product in the form of Green Manifesto. This product has been designed for reducing the carbon emission, which is gradually increasing to unbearable value in every industry through the mobile technology. It was launched during the Mobile Asia Congress in Hong Kong.

This new technology will help in lowering the emission of greenhouse gas emitted per connection. It is also going to show the role that the mobile communication can play for lowering the emission in other industries.

This will also add to the specific policy recommendations to all the delegates and governments, who will be attending the UN Climate Change Conference during the month of December (7 – 18) in Copenhagen.

If Green Manifesto is going to be implemented, then there is a possibility of seeing a reduction of greenhouse gases (emitted/connection) in 2020 by 40%.

According to GSMA, this forecast has been made covering the emission that is made by energy sources, which is under the control of a mobile operator. This includes energy consumption made by the radio networks, transports and buildings.

GSMA also added that the count of mobile connection was all set to get a rise by 70% and end at around 8 billion in 2020. This figure considers the fact that the next generation of mobile broadband network is pretty much developed. However, in spite of this growth, the total emission will remain the same (at 245 mega ton), if Green Manifesto is going to be implemented.

Now, it all depends on how seriously all the government will work on this issue, as changing the face of mobile communication will mean a considerable modification in other industries connected to the industry.

Nokia has announced that its line of N-Series phones will be using the new Maemo operating system. As seen with the Nokia N900 (which is currently being shipped all over Europe), the newer N-series phones will be using versions of Nokia’s new operating system.

However, the announcement only covers high end devices, particularly the N-Series. Nokia has been very consistent in specifying that their “high-end” devices will be using the new Maemo operating system. As many already know, Nokia generate great (greater?) profit from the sales of its low end GSM devices not only in Europe but all over the world. The N-Series may be the flag bearer of the Nokia brand, but the profit that the N-Series generates is not on the same level as the bulk of Nokia’s GSM phones.

Still, the fact that Nokia is using the Maemo on its forefront means that it will be supporting the Symbian less and less as the next few months roll around. While it is still unlikely that Nokia would ever drop Symbian, that possibility still exists. Should Nokia ever develop a Maemo for their GSM line, then the future for the Symbian is truly bleak.

For now, Symbian is getting its own spotlight outside of Nokia as other manufacturers try out the Symbian S60 operating system for themselves. Most notable is the highly fashionable Sony Ericsson Kurara (the Kurara sports an HD screen with an 8.1 megapixel camera capable of taking 720p video). Seeing the S60 on such a high end device shows that the Symbian is far from dead.

With new operating systems being launched (like Samsung’s Bada) and the Google potentially monopolizing Android with the launch of their own phone (they have not given out 2.0 SDK until recently too, despite the 2.0 being around for months), it seems like the status of operating systems on mobile phones might see a huge shift next year.

T-Mobile has filed a report to the Information Commissioner’s Office that data on thousands of customers has been sold without the company’s knowledge to unknown third parties. The general consensus is that T-Mobile should be held responsible for the safekeeping of their client information (which is part of their responsibility in their contract with their client).

Though technically, this is not a case of the internal system being weak, it is their employees who are the root of this matter. T-Mobile has expressed that it is currently working on finding out the specific individuals responsible for the data theft.

However, investigating this matter could be very difficult as it appears that this is just the surface of a much deeper problem. The selling and purchasing of information is done on so many levels and there is no easy way to filter through all the persons involved. Often, the data is illegally sold, illegally purchased, and then legally sold to other parties. The constant passing of money on different levels (to paraphrase T-Mobile) could also point to the fact that there is already a working system for these transactions.

While it is commonly spoken of, breach of secure data has never reached a scale this large. At first, T-Mobile had not announced that their company was at the crux of the investigation, but as time wore on, they finally announced that it was their company that currently had investigations (this followed the initial statements from O2, Vodafone, Orange, Virgin and 3 that their companies were not part of the investigation.

For now, government investigators are dismayed at the current penalties for guilty parties and are saying that tougher penalties would serve as a greater deterrent for these illegal activities. These opinions, which are also voiced by Justice Minister Michael Wills currently lack the support and backing of the government.

2009 is a good year for fans and enthusiasts of Android smart phones as plenty of little Android devices are both released and announced this year. Samsung’s Android phone is about to hit UK shores soon –it is expected, but not confirmed, to be arriving within this November.

When the news of the Galaxy Lite first broke out, it appeared as if the HTC Tattoo (formerly known as the HTC Tattoo) and the i5700 were about to have a low-end Android standoff. The prediction could not be more true; if not for the fact that T-Mobile has joined the fray with its own Pulse Android smart phone. With three great devices to choose from, low-end Android fans have a lot to rejoice about.

Lite Hardware and Features

Still, low-end is not exactly a fitting term for the Galaxy Lite. It may not have the huge internal storage of the original nor the 5 mega pixel camera, but Galaxy Lite reviews still place the device in the mid-tier rank. The i5700 Galaxy Lite sports 1GB of internal memory, a 3.2 mega pixel camera with auto focus, a removable 1500 mAh Li-on battery, micro USB, a micro SD and Transflash card slot, quad band network support and compatibility with 3G HSDPA, EDGE, and GPRS. Being an Android mobile phone, the Galaxy Lite will be able to access many Android applications such as Google Maps, Google Talk, and Google Mail.

Launch Delays

Do not let these specifications impress you so early, Galaxy Lite contracts are going to be available once the device officially launches, but it will not be this November. The Galaxy Lite has taken some delays and will be launching sometime next year; though this still might change as Samsung has yet to make any final announcements. Android fans are looking forward to this phone since it applied for the “Google Experience” which should increase its functions.

With LG is announcing that they are working on their second Android mobile phone, people are starting to forget that the GW620 is also an Android smart phone. Well, it is hard to blame anyone for forgetting. With Sony Ericsson announcing the first Android smart phone to run on the Snapdragon 1 GHz processor and Motorola bringing the latest version of the Android to UK shores, all the other noteworthy Android devices got shoved out of the spotlight.

Acer also has their own Snapdragon Android phone too. LG does not like being in the sidelines too much as they too announced that they are now working on their second Android smart phone and they will be using a Snapdragon processor.

Ups and Downs

Check the LG GW620 deals with local carriers and see if any are offering good packages. At this point, it makes a little more sense to get the HTC over this model in terms of design aesthetics and functions. Price-wise, the decision goes either way. The three inch touch screen may not be that attractive as it is smaller than other 3G smart phones and the resistive touch is not as responsive as capacitive technology. Users of the Android would prefer capacitive touch screen since the OS is meant for finger touch commands than the use of a stylus.

Android Nonetheless

LG’s GW620 is an Android device with decent specs, and back then, when Android mobile phones were scarce, this would have been a very welcome addition. But with all the new mobile phones also using the Google Android operating system, it is hard to appreciate the GW620 when there are plenty of other models out there with better specifications. The 5 mega pixel camera is a nice touch, and so is the physical keyboard, but aside from these two selling points, the device has nothing much to offer that other Android devices do not have.

The new transparent screen device from Sony Ericsson is almost out and yet people are not exactly talking about it. Well, there is no surprise there as this gimmicky little phone seems to be nothing more than a stylized designer GSM device. Still, there is something to be said about a mobile phone with a transparent screen, its experimental technology at its best; concept phones are always a great way to push current technology into different directions. It is always easy to innovate by going past the normal limits of current hardware, but to actually try something new is a great big step. Whether this is a step in the right direction or not is still anyone’s guess.

Appreciating See Through

Okay, here is the clincher, what else can you do with a transparent screen? One interesting concept phone released several months back featured a transparent body that allowed you to take images of the view through the phone. Not exactly a great replacement for a camera’s viewfinder, but it did make sense particularly for point and shoot camera users. Oddly enough, the Xperia Pureness has no camera function at all. As it stands, there is no functional reason as to why this phone is using a see through screen; as we said, this is one gimmicky mobile phone.

The Bottom Line

Physically, you can see through this mobile phone. As it is, people’s attentions are also passing through this mobile phone at Sony Ericsson’s more attention worthy devices. It is nice to see that SE has not forgotten the GSM market and are still developing phones for them. But we could have really used a normal Walkman phone instead. Not to say that the Pureness is without its niche; there are plenty who would for this avant-garde mobile phone in a heartbeat.

The once leading mobile phone manufacturer Sony Ericsson has placed huge bets on its recently released cameraphones, Satio and Aino.

Industry sources reported that Sony Ericsson’s lackluster developmental pursuits to offering high-end models could be the cause of its nose-diving losses. From a 21% share of the global market pie, it went down steadily and hit a mere 15% in the recent months.

The company seems to be openly struggling in their efforts to redeem it-self from continuing losses and nosedives of sales, as it faces stiff competition from strong rivals, Motorola, Nokia and Samsung. With the launching of both Satio and Aino, the Japanese and Swedish owners of Sony Ericsson are bent on cutting their loss as well as earning their once-large shares in the global market for mobile phone devices.

The question remains”: Will Satio and Aino deliver and redeem the company’s streak of losing?

It seems Sony Ericsson thinks so.

But more importantly, the remaining chunk of their market shares and many consumers demanding better camera phones see things at the positive light.

In a statement, Sony Ericsson said that Satio integrates the best in its pedigree Cybershot features with that of the Walkman brands, and offers the Sony-exclusive PlayNow; on the other hand, Aino boasts of the capacity to give the best mobile entertainment experience.

Satio comes with a 12.1 megapixel autofocus camera and twelve times the digital zoom. Indeed, more advanced than any other camera phone. More expensive than Aino, Satio also comes with a Xenon flash. It also has anti-shake filter, direct camera key, picture mode selection, geo-tagging with Picasa direct-load capacity, and passable video recording.

For the mobile device experience, Satio comes with HSDPA support, Bluetooth, GPRS EDGE, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. It also has an MP3 player, stereo FM radio, supports Java games and applications and is compatible with mobile TV.

For more information regarding this post, visit: ibtimes.co.uk