Mobiles

HTC has launched its second Android OS-based smartphone, the HTC Hero, in India. This handset will come loaded with intuitive HTC Sense user interface. The phone was first launched in June at an HTC event in London. Airtel customers are offered 100MB free data transfer for six months and pack of Airtel apps like Portfolio Manager, Hello Tune Manager, Weather Channel, Mobshare, In-Mobile search and City Search.

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Amid fierce competition in the fast growing handset market, US-based mobile phone maker Motorola on Friday announced the launch of its new device Motorola CLIQ, which will run on Google’s Android operating system.

The development is being seen as a step towards breaking the monopoly of global software giant Microsoft, whose Windows operating system is used in most of the high-end devices.

The CLIQ is the first touch screen Android device from the stable of the US firm which is witnessing sagging revenues amid steeper competition from handset majors like Apple’s iPhone, Windows based devices and Nokia.
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After the announcement of the HTC Mega and the Xperia X2, here come more Windows Mobile phones! It s now the turn of Korean manufacturer LG to announce its newest Windows Mobile based handsets.

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The day when the Nokia X series and the N97 Mini were officially revealed, news about the official announcement of the HTC Mega comes from the other corner of the world.

The important thing about the Mega is that it might just be the first phone that will come with Windows Mobile 6.5 installed. We had first heard of the Mega when it was seen with the better endowed and high end Leo last month.

Along with the new OS, other features of the Mega include: TouchFlo 3D, Microsoft Exchange, Google Maps. It comes with a redesigned Internet Explorer and has Flash support and YouTube access. It will also come with Windows Marketplace for Mobile and Microsoft My Phone.

The Mega, unlike the Leo, would be a mid range handset and will be priced at around the $300 mark. The phone will be available starting Oct. 6.

Source:[techtree.com]

Might also be the first WinMo device to sport an 8.1 megapixel camera

The lone warrior of the Xperia series, the Xperia X1, finally gets a morale booster in the form of its younger,  feature packed cousin, the newly announced Xperia X2.
While we have been hearing the imminent arrival of the Xperia X2 for ages now, it was yesterday on the occasion of Nokia World 09 that Sony Ericsson chose to make the arrival of the phone official. Interestingly, yesterday was also when HTC announced that it will launch its first Windows Mobile 6 based device, the HTC Mega, next month. So, it seems the arrival of Windows Mobile 6.5 is more or less confirmed early next month.

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Having over 25 years cell phone making experience, Nokia is now determined to develop its high tech muscles in netbook producing. Ever-evolving net books are also under the spotlight. But things look much better with the new Booklet 3G netbook reveled by Nokia. This functional looker offers a battery operating time of up to 12 hours coming with included WiFi connection, GPS and 3G HSPA.

Weighing only 1, 25 kg, this nice looking mini notebook features an aluminum chassis and has 2 cm in thickness. The Nokia Booklet 3G netbook includes 3 USB 2, 0 connectors, a front facing web camera, SD card slot including Bluetooth connectivity. The netbook operates based on yet unnamed Intel Atom processor features HD video playback, HDMI output as well as 10, 1 inches glass HD video screen.

This Windows 7 based marvel also comes with a SIM slot which is hot-swappable. The Nokia Booklet 3G seems to be a full-functional laptop with the Nokia’s Ovi services it is integrated that has Maps used for Ovi and apply music downloads, the GPS and A-GPS and VPN. The Nokia Booklet 3G Booklet allows video calling with the web camera and is readily accessible to SD card reader.

While main features available are already known, the full technical specifications list as well as its availability is expected to be announced next week. Hopefully, it would be affordable for laptops fans. The Nokia Booklet 3G Booklet offers a genuine mobility with you being in a constant touch with the whole world.
Source:[gadgets-reviews.com]

Its product-launch offensive includes a new Nokia netbook, handset, and tablet PC that seem squarely aimed at Nokia’s top rival

Nokia has seemed determined recently to remind the world that it, not a certain Cupertino rival, is the world’s dominant handset maker. In the space of four days, the Finnish company, which accounts for 37% of global mobile-phone sales, announced plans for a netbook computer, unveiled a new bargain-priced touchscreen handset, and a high-end “Internet Tablet.” Nokia also rejiggered its top management, elevating an executive in charge of user friendliness to the executive board. Finally, the company announced an ambitious effort to offer money-transfer services to the billions of handset owners in emerging markets who don’t have bank accounts.

All but the last announcement seemed aimed squarely at Apple, whose phenomenally successful iPhone has thrown Nokia off-balance. Although the Apple accounts for less than 2% of the overall handset market, its iPhone has stolen share from Nokia in smartphones, the market’s sweet spot. Sales of high-end gadgets with computer-like capabilities grew 27% in the second quarter, according to market watcher Gartner. That comes as the overall market for mobile handsets fell 6% over the same period. Gartner says Apple’s share of the smartphone market soared to 13% from 3% in the second quarter of 2009 from a year earlier, while Nokia’s slipped to 45% from 47%. (Nokia counters that it recently has regained share.) Apple declined to comment for this article.

Nokia Chief Executive Officer Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo denies Apple is driving the company’s strategy. Rather, he says, Nokia is aiming at totally new markets as the mobile-handset business shifts from hardware to a greater focus on such services as games, music, and navigation. “It’s not simply fighting against your competitors like Apple, it’s claiming new ground. It’s claiming no-man’s land,” Kallasvuo told BusinessWeek on Aug. 27.

Still, the unprecedented flurry of announcements signaled that Nokia is going on the offensive after a long period when Apple seemed to dominate industry buzz. More major announcements are expected on Sept. 2-3, Nokia execs say, during the annual Nokia World extravaganza for analysts, press, and business partners in Stuttgart. “We are on the attack,” says Nokia Executive Vice-President Anssi Vanjoki, who oversees global sales. “We had a more peaceful moment, and now we are really aggressive.”
Source:[businessweek.com]

Nokia 6600 was a good status phone of its time but while keeping this in mind Nokia has planned for its new version Nokia 6600i with the latest features and applications.

This Nokia 6600i slide is a 3G cellphone which is packed to provide the best performance to the users.

Nokia 6600i slide phone measures 93.0 x 45.0 x 14.2 mm and Weight about 110 g in size along with a 2.2 inch screen offering a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA).

Nokia 6600i is equipped with the features like Fm radio, support all media formats, stereo headset, 5 MP camera along with auto focusing, 8X Zoom and dual LED flash, Up to 16.7 million colors, Bluetooth 2.0, micro SD card till 16GB memory, Nokia Maps application, supported mark-up languages: HTML, XHTML, WML, Supported email protocols: IMAP4, POP3, SMTP, store: up to 60 messages on phone memory, Undo function for SMS deletion, Conference calling with in 3 users, video calling, 20MB internal memory.

This handset would be available in Black and silver.

HTC have been busy recently, releasing an array of top end phones, on both the Android and Windows Mobile platform. One of the more recent releases is the HTC Touch Pro 2, a feature packed smart mobile device, running on the Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Operating System. It would be fair to say that the HTC Touch Pro 2 is not a small phone, by any means. In fact, judging in terms of mobile phones in general, it is positively huge. Weighing in at a hefty 178g, and measuring a pocket busting 116mm x 59mm x 17mm, the Touch Pro 2 certainly makes its presence felt. But it does that not just in size, but also in the features the device carries. Truly, the HTC Touch Pro 2 is a heavyweight, in all senses of the word.

One of the benefits of the handset’s size is that it can accommodate a well proportioned QWERTY keyboard. In use this keyboard is comfortable, and can easily be used for typing out a short word document or editing an Excel spreadsheet; the keys are well spaced, and give good feedback. When you slide open the device, the screen automatically rotates into landscape view, thanks to the built in accelerometer. A nice touch is the ‘slide and tilt’ effect of the phone; simply slide the QWERTY keyboard out and then raise the screen, which sits at a comfortable viewing angle and enables you to rest the device on a suitable flat surface to make typing that much easier. In practice this may not be as swish as the opening mechanism on the Nokia N97, but nonetheless it is practical and convenient.

Another benefit of the rather cumbersome size is the inclusion of a good sized screen. The HTC Touch Pro 2 offers a large 3.6 inch TFT resistive touchscreen, supporting up to 65,000 colours with a pixel resolution of 480 x 800. Being a resistive touchscreen you can select items on the phone either with a stylus or with your finger, and there is also support for handwriting recognition. Although the screen ‘only’ supports up to 65,000 colours, images are well presented and video playback too is clear and crisp. It is likely the only time there will be issues with this screen is when using the handset outdoors in direct sunlight.

Feature wise, the HTC Touch Pro 2 has a high specification, and for all those who dread the dreariness of the Windows Mobile menu system, with its lists and lists of menu items, fear not. HTC have done a marvellous job of integrating the latest version of their Touch-Flo user interface onto the device, meaning menu navigation, design and interaction is a real pleasure. The Touch-Flo UI is simple to use, and after only a brief period of time, even a smartphone novice would have little problem navigating the menu system. HTC really are to be applauded for their efforts here, finally making a dreary operating system fun and easy to use. Even the ‘Start’ button, which on many Windows Mobile phones just drops down a little menu list has been given a nice facelift, with the Touch Pro offering a nicely laid out menu navigated via smart looking icons.

Being a business focussed device, the HTC Touch Pro 2 has some nice little usability features that are worth noting; firstly, the handset smartly switches between loudspeaker and personal call, simply by putting the phone onto the desk, face down, during a call to activate the loudspeaker, then picking the phone up and putting it against your ear to cancel loudspeaker and move to personal mode. It is also easy to keep in touch with your contacts; communication history can be listed for individual contacts, so you can see the exchange of texts, calla and emails with that particular person. If that person is also a friend on Facebook you can see their status updates in the communication history too. Messages are presented in thread fashion, similar to the way conversations are recorded on instant messaging, making it easier to follow the flow of the conversation.

On the Homescreen of the device, at the bottom, is a row of tabs, which are short cuts to the various often used features on the handset, so this would include things like messaging, web browsing, email, etc. You can get to each option by flicking through the screens, or by running your finger along the zoom bar. The order of tabs can be changed, so your preferred options are accessed quicker. The zoom bar is also useful for zooming in on pictures on the phone. Once a picture has been selected, simply slide your finger along the zoom bar as you zoom in on the image. All very smooth, just like the rest of the menu system in fact.

As expected, all the major connectivity options are included on the HTC Touch Pro II; we find HSDPA at up to speeds of 7.2Mbps, complimented by HSUPA at 2Mbps. WiFi 802.11 b/g is also there, plus Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support. Quadband GSM gives you worldwide GSM support, and if you are in a country where 3G is not available, you can connect via GPRS, HSCSD or EDGE.

Multimedia aspects are covered with the inclusion of a 3.2 Megapixel camera, with autofocus, although unfortunately there is no camera flash. The camera is enabled to record video at VGA resolution, and thanks to the TV Out feature, videos and pictures can be displayed from the phone directly to a TV, although the overall quality of images captured on this device are average, at best. There is also a media player built in, which will play popular music and video files, including WMA, MP3, AAC, 3gp and WMV, but disappointingly HTC have not included a 3.5mm audio jack. The device does have a built in GPS receiver, and Google Maps support is included.

There is a lot to like about the HTC Pro 2. Yes, it is a big phone, and that does need to be taken into consideration. But if you are looking for a handset that has Windows operability, coupled with a fun, easy to use UI, with a full specification of features, you could do a lot worse than the Touch Pro 2.
Source:[rightmobilephone.co.uk]