Samsung Electronics a leading mobile phone and telecommunication equipment provider, today announced the launch of ‘Soul’, Samsung’s new flagship product for 2008. To make its debut, Samsung has chosen Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as the platform to deliver its new vision for mobile handsets to enrich consumer’s lives. Samsung named ‘Soul’ to honour the completion of its exclusive ‘Ultra Edition’ series of handsets, which offer a perfect balance of design and features.

‘Soul’, an abbreviation of “The Spirit Of Ultra”, will appeal to style-conscious users who are not willing to compromise between design and technology and search out the best of the best for inspiration and stimulation to enrich their lives.’ Soul’ will be supported by a major global advertising campaign and will be available in European countries from April.” We believe that is the answer for today’s style-conscious consumers, excited by outstanding quality design and performance,” said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung’s Telecommunication Business.

“Soul is set to continue the success of past Ultra Edition handsets, such as D900 and U600, and will further enhance Samsung’s leadership in the premium phone category.’ Soul’ is the ultimate essence of mobile; a slim, lightweight and stylish product yet still boasting all the essential functions in one single device. This product, a sleek combination of highly styled design and functionality, is a triumph of extreme opposite values, ‘Portability’ and ‘Multi-function.’

Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to sacrifice quality for good looks? Well, Samsung agrees and with the Ultra Edition range of handsets, you no longer have to. Available in a range of styles, starting with the world’s slimmest handset, the Samsung X820 at just 6.9mm thin, the new Ultra Edition offers something for everyone without compromising on features.

Each phone in the Ultra Edition range is all about a new type of slimness. Each is housed in a distinctive revolutionary design and is in a class of its own - the power and style of these mobiles have to be seen to believe.

• For those that love to slide, the Samsung D900 is an ultra-slim slider with a depth of only 12.9mm and also complete with a picture-perfect 3-megapixel camera, auto focus and macro mode for taking photos up close. Truly a technological masterpiece.
• The Samsung X820 is the undisputed leader of the ultra slim mobile pack, boasting the world’s thinnest profile of only 6.9 mm. Calm, cool and collected, this mobile is guaranteed to impress and amaze.
• Finally, the third in the trend-setting trio is the Samsung D830, a brand new clamshell whose dimensions fit in at a slim 9.9 mm. It is easily a design triumph in its own right and is guaranteed to be the signature slim clamshell design of the future.

“Mobile phones are increasingly considered a fashion accessory, but in the past people have had to make sacrifices in order to get this. We believe that the performance and function are as important as style, and our premium Ultra Edition range has been designed to offer the perfect combination of comfort, power and sharp sophistication“ said Ender Yavas, Samsung’s Head of Product Management. “These sleek and ultra slim designs embody the concept that more can definitely be done with less and this fact ensures that the Ultra Edition mobiles will effortlessly integrate into people’s everyday lives.

They’ll soon wonder how they ever lived without them.” The Ultra Edition mobiles were created to strike the right balance between sharp attractive design and inner strength, performance and simplicity of use. Samsung’s Ultra Edition premium mobiles set a new industry standard, whilst still maintaining the ultimate in signature Samsung design. For those who want the body as well as looks, the Ultra Edition mobiles mean that slim doesn’t have to be delicate, thanks to the use of new materials such as magnesium and titanium in their design.

After being teased with the info that the phone exists, but with no news on the release date or pricing, it’s finally here. Nokia has launched the N82. Another high end mobile from the Finnish mobile makers with a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. But this time, unlike the N95, they equipped the phone with a Xenon flash. The N82 is also equipped with A-GPS for navigation with preinstalled Nokia maps and all the standard packages come with a free voice guided navigation trial. You can purchase additional features, such as city guides and longer subscription to the navigation. Also available in the standard pack is a 2GB micro SD card.

“The evolution of camera capabilities in mobile devices has been extremely fast over the past years. With the Nokia N82 we have reached such a superior level in image quality, speed and ease of use that not only does it outperform any other camera phone on the market, but it’s also a very credible alternative for single purpose digital still cameras,” said Satu Ehrnrooth, head of Nokia Nseries Cameras Category, Multimedia, Nokia. “In addition to the high-end camera, the Nokia N82 also enables you to navigate and discover new places, enjoy your music, browse the web, play games, chat online and be part of the global web 2.0 community wherever you go. Thanks to the wireless broadband connectivity, convergence and yet again increased performance, the Nokia N82 is all you need in your pocket. 

As opposed to Nokia’s multimedia-focused N-series, the E-series focuses on messaging. In Nokia-speak, that basically means these devices have QWERTY keyboards. The reality is that this unit is quite capable as a multimedia device, just as the company’s N-series phones are also excellent e-mail handlers, despite their numeric-only keypads. The unlocked E90 is a much-improved follow-up to the clumsy 9300 and 9500 Communicators.

Along with stellar voice quality, the E90 includes dual screens, dual keyboards, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 and GPS, plus an entire suite of applications that would cost significantly more with other smartphones. Any way you slice it, this is a precision-engineered instrument for those who can spare more than a grand and have extra-large pockets. The E90’s sturdy matte aluminum-and-plastic enclosure feels great in the hand. At 5.2 by 2.2 by 0.8 inches (HWD) and a hefty 7.4 ounces, you certainly won’t mistake this beast for a slim RAZR2.

The E90 may be a big phone, but all that bulk is put to good use. On the outside, there’s a 2-inch QVGA screen with 320-by-240-pixel resolution. Its backlit numeric keypad sports large, clearly labeled keys with just the right amount of resistance. The horizontal flip-style handset opens to reveal a lovely 4-inch, 800-by-352-pixel widescreen and a luxurious, five-row QWERTY keyboard. There’s also an extra row of shortcut keys across the top for contacts, messaging, the Web, and other tasks. The E90 uses a smooth two-position hinge mechanism so you can flip the device open 90 degrees like a miniature laptop, or lock it at 180 degrees for easy handheld use. Unlike the numeric keypad, the QWERTY keyboard isn’t backlit — but that’s its only flaw. With its excellent feel, dedicated symbol buttons, large space bar and Enter keys, plus dedicated numbers across the top, I was able to type very easily on the E90, though it’s a little too wide to hold comfortably for long periods.

Engadget people caught this nice looking Nokia 3555 recently approved by FCC. It is a 3-G flip phone. As rumored, the cell phone will reach AT&T. This one too has a clamshell design like Nokia 6555 Mobile Phone for customer. But Nokia 6555 has hot looks. However, as stated by the FCC, Nokia 3555 supports 1700MHz and is 3G ready. Worthy to mention, the Company will offer it on T-Mobile too. Anyway, how many of us want a 3G?

Britain’s competition watchdog ruled on Tuesday that charges for receiving calls on mobile phones were uncompetitive, and floated possible solutions condemned by the wireless industry as bad for future investmentThough no final decision has to be made until next January, the Competition Commission said it was looking at ways to impose a price cap on mobile termination charges for all four British mobile network operators — Orange SA , Vodafone Group Plc , T-Mobile and mmO2 Plc .Industry regulator Oftel referred the issue to the commission earlier this year after operators objected to its proposed cuts, which would knock about four pence per minute off calls to mobiles over four years — costing the operators an estimated 800 million pounds ($1.25 billion) a year.Despite a very competitive retail market for mobile phones, Britain’s competition body said call termination charges were not subject to effective competitive pressure and were unlikely to face any within the foreseeable future.“This is because the (operators) are monopolists in relation to the supply of termination services on their own network,” the commission said in a letter sent to the operators and OftelShares in mmO2 rose two percent in afternoon London trade, while Orange and Vodafone added around one percent.Operators have said in the past the resulting fall in revenue from Oftel’s proposed cuts would threaten their ability to invest in next generation mobile networks.

Motorola i90c and i95cl Handsets Offer Robust Entertainment Choices Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and Gameloft (Euroclear 7960), a leading global publisher of video games for mobile devices, today announced they have signed a distribution agreement to make Gameloft’s mobile gaming titles available for users of Java(TM) technology-enabled phones from Motorola. The companies will demonstrate these games in the Gameloft/Ubi Soft booth (#724) at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) May 22-24 in Los Angeles. The companies will demonstrate the game Siberian Strike on the new Motorola i95cl color-display handset and the games Rotomino’s Box and Star Fighter on the Motorola i90c handset. Siberian Strike is a World War II-themed simulation game that allows players to choose between two planes equipped with secret weapons. Players’ flying skills are tested by Soviet cannons, tanks, battleships, and planes.

Rotomino’s Box is a challenging puzzle game with an original story about a mysterious box belonging to an old sorcerer. Players must think and act fast to complete each level of the puzzle and rescue the sorcerer’s assistant, who has become trapped inside the box. Star Fighter (working title) is Gameloft’s first 3D Java game. In this action-packed game, the player is an Air Force pilot whose mission is to combat alien life on four different planets.

Telstra has launched a new “super receptive” mobile phone which it recommends for handheld use in rural areas across Australia. The handset is being supplied by China’s ZTE.The Telstra 165 ‘Country Phone’ is one of two new WCDMA (Next G) handsets being added to the growing ‘Blue Tick’ range of rural specific phones.

The other new Blue Tick handset is the Nokia N95, which will be in stores from mid-November.”The Country Phone is the first Next G handset with a pullout antenna and it’s built to meet the demands of Australia’s tough outdoor conditions.

The handset’s bigger design incorporates a large, easy to use key pad to accommodate even the biggest of fingers and the phone is protected in rubber casing, is dust proof, shock and liquid resistant,” Telstra Country Wide Group Managing Director, Mr Geoff Booth, said.

Telstra Product Management Group Managing Director, Ms Holly Kramer, said while the Country Phone had a focus on utility, the Nokia N95 had all the style and sophistication synonymous with one of the world’s leading handset brands.”Incorporating advanced multimedia functionality and elegant design, the Nokia N95 is the first Nokia handset to achieve Telstra’s Blue Tick for handheld use in rural areas,” Ms Kramer said.Both new handsets offer easy 1-click content and applications including access to BigPond TV, 33 channels on Mobile FOXTEL, Sensis search services plus an array of free BigPond content such as the latest news and weather reports.

D-Link, the true leading global manufacturer of broadband, wireless, and networking hardware for Home and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) environments today announced the D-Link Wireless Media Player that distributes digital music, video and photos stored on PCs to play and view on a television and/or stereo system.The Wireless Media Player (DSM-320) enhances the usability of both a home network and a home entertainment centre by creating a seamless connection between computers and consumer electronics. The DSM-320 is a product for the digital home; a product segment that D-Link believes is set to grow rapidly in the next few years.

D-Link’s media player supports all the most widely used standards, such as MP3, JPEG, MPEG, Xvid and QuickTime, for streaming video and audio on home networks.”The new wireless media player gives consumers access to more content than ever before in the area where they congregate the most, the living room,” said Kevin Wen, European President of D-Link. “Now a family can view a catalogued library of digital photos on their TV or listen to pre-set configured MP3s in surround sound stereo, all of which represent the next step in the evolution and convergence of the CE and PC for the digital home.

The look and functionality of the media player is coherent with that of other entertainment devices such as DVD players and therefore removes technology barriers for the customer,” concludes Wen.The Wireless Media Player uses IEEE 802.11g standard to link the home PC to the TV and Hi-Fi system. The media player can also be connected to the PC through a regular Ethernet network cable. DSM-320 connects to the TV via a SCART (with video, A/V and RGB), RCA A/V or S-video cable. It also comes with digital audio outputs for Coax or optical fibre. DSM-320 is a versatile device that can be used for everything from displaying digital photos and videos on a TV to playback of MP3 files on a stereo. The media player comes with a remote control and supports the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) standard, making it easy to install. The wireless bandwidth is 54Mbps in accordance with IEEE 802.11g.

Australian-based multimedia content development company, today announced that it will be launching their IamEmo mobile content at Mobile Content World  being held over two days later this week in the United Kingdom. The IamEmo™ mobile content has been uniquely designed to enhance Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). moodmessaging are launching their IamEmo™ mobile content in the UK market on the back of securing a global content distribution deal with Nokia earlier this year. Nokia have partnered with IamEmo™ for the global launch of their new 3220 handset. An introductory selection of IamEmo™ content has been preloaded onto all 3220 handsets, and is being distributed throughout Europe by 123 Multimedia. In the United States, the IamEmo™ content is being distributed by AT&T Wireless via moodmessaging’s distributor Ztango and in the Asia-Pacific Region, the IamEmo™ content is being distributed by SAM CLICK and by Nokia Tones, Graphics and Games.moodmessaging has developed, under their IamEmo™ brand, colour animations featuring Emo™, the Chameleon, that consumers can download onto their mobile phones and send as part of an MMS message to their friends, families and colleagues. The animations featuring Emo™ use colour, facial expressions and body language to illustrate one of eight human emotions in a number of different guises. Emo™ adds emotional context to ordinary text messages, transforming messaging from plain black-and-white text to a colourful, engaging and meaningful exchange.”Communication is not just about what you say, but how you say it. Using Emo™, users can create emotionally-rich messages that immediately engage with whoever you send them to. With Emo™, you know that whoever receives your text message will know exactly how you feel,” said Kevin Brough, CEO of moodmessaging.IamEmo™ is a breakthrough proposition for MMS as it meets the genuine consumer need for expressive, rich messaging. The content is being offered to handset manufacturers and network carriers for preloading into MMS capable handsets. “This not only creates massive differentiation for the handset itself, but also encourages daily MMS usage and the ongoing downloading of new IamEmo™ content,” added Brough.moodmessaging launched their IamEmo™ mobile content in Australia and New Zealand in mid , and had extended distribution to more than seven Asia-Pacific markets by February 2004. There are currently over 40 Emo™ animations available for download to consumers with MMS capable mobile phones, with new Emo™ animations being released globally each month.Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications carrier has also partnered with moodmessaging to provide Telstra customers with access to unique IamEmo™ characters including some that have been specifically designed to align with Telstra’s sponsorship and marketing efforts such as Australian Idol. moodmessaging will initially provide Telstra with exclusive customised content preloaded onto Sony Ericsson handsets, with further plans to preload content onto a range of other handsets, including those manufactured by both Motorola and Nokia.moodmessaging plans to launch their IamEmo™ mobile content in other markets throughout Asia before the end of the year and is currently reviewing commercial agreements in other overseas markets.”IamEmo™ will enable users to finally let people know how they really feel using multimedia messages,” commented Brough. moodmessaging will be launching their IamEmo™ mobile content at Mobile Content World from 21-23 September at ExCeL located at 1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL. You can visit moodmessaging at Pod C6 in the Mobile Content Pavilion.