Mobility Phones - Mobile Phones

LG Electronics (LG) and Samsung Electronics (Samsung), which together lead the global digital TV market, announced today that they will propose their jointly developed technology as the North American technology standard for mobile DTV.Samsung and LG held a signing ceremony at Seoul Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Korea, on May 14, 2008. Executives from the two companies attended the event, including Woo Paik, LG’s President and CTO, and JongWoo Park, President of Samsung Digital Media Business.

At the ceremony, the two companies agreed to cooperate in order to assure rapid adoption by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) of a single common in-band mobile DTV standard.

Technology for the jointly proposed system will reflect the findings of the IDOV (Independent Demonstration of Viability) conducted by the Association of Maximum Service Television (MSTV) on behalf of the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC). A report on IDOV will be submitted by the OMVC to the ATSC.

The jointly promoted mobile DTV solution uses the existing terrestrial digital TV broadcast bandwidth, with no impact on existing digital TV and with minimum broadcasting equipment investment.

“LG and Samsung are already world-class in digital TV and mobile communications, said LG President and Chief Technology Officer Woo Paik. “Through this collaboration, we also have an opportunity to lead the North American mobile DTV market.” Added JongWoo Park, President of Samsung Digital Media Business: “Our collaboration on North American mobile DTV standardization will help accelerate the ATSC standardization of mobile TV technology, which will benefit both consumers and broadcasters.”

ATSC is expected to adopt the mobile/handheld DTV standard for the North American market in early 2009 following trials of the technology by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), a group of leading U.S. broadcasters who are vigorously promoting the development and early deployment of mobile DTV.

According to a study commissioned by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), with the adoption of a single ATSC mobile/handheld DTV standard, the U.S. market for mobile DTV phones will reach 130 million units by the end of 2012, with the market for portable media device mobile DTV receivers growing to include an additional 25 million units. (Source: “Study of the Impact of Multiple Systems for Mobile/Handheld Digital Television,” BIA Financial Network, January 14, 2008.)

The worldwide mobile phone market experienced an expected sequential downturn in shipments following a busy holiday quarter. According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped a total of 291.6 million units during the first quarter of 2008 (1Q08), down 11.6% from the 330.8 million units shipped during the previous quarter (4Q07) and up 14.3% from the 255.0 million units shipped during 1Q07. While the first quarter results are in line with IDC’s 2008 forecast, concerns over the economy may negatively impact handset purchases as the year progresses.”The mobile phone market will be under increased pressure from a number of factors that compete for users’ attention and wallets,” said Ramon T. Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Device Technology and Trends team. “Disposable income is being eroded by rising food and fuel prices and worries about global financial markets and slow economic growth are creating a cautious outlook for the months ahead. Against this backdrop, many emerging markets continue to offer tremendous growth potential and IDC expects highly competitive pricing and innovative service plans will keep the overall market on track for the year.”

Demand for handsets in the low cost segment will remain present in certain emerging markets throughout 2008, driving worldwide shipment growth. In contrast, more mature regions are increasingly characterized by highly competitive markets for replacement handsets and somewhat slower shipment growth.

“As predicted, most mobile phone vendors experienced a lull in the first quarter of 2008 with the exception of LG,” said Ryan Reith, senior research analyst for IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker. “Continued growth in the low cost segment will mean average selling prices (ASPs) will be generally lower than in the past, but this will be balanced somewhat by further expansion in the converged mobile device or smartphone segment, especially in mature markets.”

Top Five Vendors

Nokia once again outperformed its competitors, with total shipment volumes greater than those of the next three vendors’ combined. Keeping volumes at a high level were its entry level devices going into emerging markets, including its successful 1100 and 1200 series devices, while more fully featured devices like its 5310, 5610, and 6500 series and Nseries devices generated the most revenue and profit for Nokia. With a strong presence in emerging markets, Nokia is poised to capitalize on replacement handset opportunities in these markets.

Samsung gained further clarity as the No. 2 vendor worldwide, building its largest margin yet against Motorola. Although shipments remained even from the holiday quarter, Samsung improved its presence within key emerging markets, balancing out against soft demand in Europe and North America. In the process its decreased marketing expenses, allowing for double-digit profitability. Samsung remains confident that it will reach its goal of 200 million units shipped this year, and look to more full featured devices to be released in the months to come.

Motorola had a disappointing quarter, falling further behind Samsung and reaching shipment levels not seen since the second half of 2004. Gaps in its product portfolio left the company vulnerable, especially in the areas of music, touch, and messaging where other vendors have flourished with their own products. Further compounding its problems was another quarter of operating loss and lower operating margin. While the results speak to its ongoing difficulties, Motorola has been building a framework to turn its fortunes around with plans to separate the mobile devices business unit from the company and streamline its silicon and software platforms to bring new devices to the market later this year.

LG Electronics capitalized on Sony Ericsson’s challenges to re-take the No. 4 position for the first time since the beginning of 2006. Thanks to the continued demand of its flagship feature phones, including the Viewty, Voyager, and Venus, LG bucked the trend of seasonal decrease in shipments. In addition, LG returned to double-digit profitability. Looking ahead, LG plans to grow its presence within emerging markets and ship more high-end devices next quarter.

Sony Ericsson started off the year citing several challenges affecting its shipment volumes: diminished demand for its mid-range and high-end devices, channel inventory buildup, component shortages, and greater interest in low-price handsets in Asia/Pacific, an area where the company has not had a strong presence. Despite this dour news, the company hopes that its renewed focus on the North American market with the W350, W760, Z555, and XPeria along with several Cybershot, Walkman, and Web-ready devices around the globe will yield positive results later in the year.

The worldwide mobile phone market experienced an expected sequential downturn in shipments following a busy holiday quarter. According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped a total of 291.6 million units during the first quarter of 2008 (1Q08), down 11.6% from the 330.8 million units shipped during the previous quarter (4Q07) and up 14.3% from the 255.0 million units shipped during 1Q07. While the first quarter results are in line with IDC’s 2008 forecast, concerns over the economy may negatively impact handset purchases as the year progresses.”The mobile phone market will be under increased pressure from a number of factors that compete for users’ attention and wallets,” said Ramon T. Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Device Technology and Trends team. “Disposable income is being eroded by rising food and fuel prices and worries about global financial markets and slow economic growth are creating a cautious outlook for the months ahead. Against this backdrop, many emerging markets continue to offer tremendous growth potential and IDC expects highly competitive pricing and innovative service plans will keep the overall market on track for the year.”

Demand for handsets in the low cost segment will remain present in certain emerging markets throughout 2008, driving worldwide shipment growth. In contrast, more mature regions are increasingly characterized by highly competitive markets for replacement handsets and somewhat slower shipment growth.

“As predicted, most mobile phone vendors experienced a lull in the first quarter of 2008 with the exception of LG,” said Ryan Reith, senior research analyst for IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker. “Continued growth in the low cost segment will mean average selling prices (ASPs) will be generally lower than in the past, but this will be balanced somewhat by further expansion in the converged mobile device or smartphone segment, especially in mature markets.”

Top Five Vendors

Nokia once again outperformed its competitors, with total shipment volumes greater than those of the next three vendors’ combined. Keeping volumes at a high level were its entry level devices going into emerging markets, including its successful 1100 and 1200 series devices, while more fully featured devices like its 5310, 5610, and 6500 series and Nseries devices generated the most revenue and profit for Nokia. With a strong presence in emerging markets, Nokia is poised to capitalize on replacement handset opportunities in these markets.

Samsung gained further clarity as the No. 2 vendor worldwide, building its largest margin yet against Motorola. Although shipments remained even from the holiday quarter, Samsung improved its presence within key emerging markets, balancing out against soft demand in Europe and North America. In the process its decreased marketing expenses, allowing for double-digit profitability. Samsung remains confident that it will reach its goal of 200 million units shipped this year, and look to more full featured devices to be released in the months to come.

Motorola had a disappointing quarter, falling further behind Samsung and reaching shipment levels not seen since the second half of 2004. Gaps in its product portfolio left the company vulnerable, especially in the areas of music, touch, and messaging where other vendors have flourished with their own products. Further compounding its problems was another quarter of operating loss and lower operating margin. While the results speak to its ongoing difficulties, Motorola has been building a framework to turn its fortunes around with plans to separate the mobile devices business unit from the company and streamline its silicon and software platforms to bring new devices to the market later this year.

LG Electronics capitalized on Sony Ericsson’s challenges to re-take the No. 4 position for the first time since the beginning of 2006. Thanks to the continued demand of its flagship feature phones, including the Viewty, Voyager, and Venus, LG bucked the trend of seasonal decrease in shipments. In addition, LG returned to double-digit profitability. Looking ahead, LG plans to grow its presence within emerging markets and ship more high-end devices next quarter.

Sony Ericsson started off the year citing several challenges affecting its shipment volumes: diminished demand for its mid-range and high-end devices, channel inventory buildup, component shortages, and greater interest in low-price handsets in Asia/Pacific, an area where the company has not had a strong presence. Despite this dour news, the company hopes that its renewed focus on the North American market with the W350, W760, Z555, and XPeria along with several Cybershot, Walkman, and Web-ready devices around the globe will yield positive results later in the year.

LG Electronics (LG) today launched its LG-KF700, a new multimedia phone that combines three input methods to create an amazingly intuitive user interface and provides instant access to features.The LG-KF700 is the first phone to integrate three separate input methods, including a 3-inch touchscreen, alpha-numeric keypad and Shortcut Dial. Each of these input methods is assigned to the tasks at which it is most best suited, creating a user-optimized interface and making all of the phone’s functions and features instantly accessible.

“LG has already established itself as a leader in phones with touch technology with Chocolate, the Prada Phone by LG and Viewty, and the LG-KF700 continues this legacy,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Mobile Communications Company. “We realize that touchscreens are a wonderful advancement, but they are not the solution for every problem or every user. We looked beyond just touch when designing the LG-KF700 and studied how people actually use their phones. The LG-KF700’s three separate input methods provide unmatched convenience and mean that users don’t have to give up anything to gain a touchscreen.”

The LG-KF700’s 3-inch full touchscreen provides easy access to features and widgets, an adaptive onscreen interface and a wide aspect ratio that is perfect for watching movies or browsing the internet.

The Shortcut Dial on the back of the phone quickly scrolls through six user-selected features by controlling a virtual dial on screen, eliminating the need to dig through menus. The Shortcut Dial can also be used to zoom in on web pages, scroll through e-mails or adjust volume.

The third input method on the LG-KF700 is its alpha-numeric keypad, a feature that customers asked LG to retain because of its familiarity and because it simplifies the process of making phone calls and is excellent for typing text messages.

Together, the LG-KF700’s input methods become even more powerful. When browsing the internet on the wide touchscreen, the shortcut dial zooms in and out on websites. When sending text messages, the alpha-numeric keypad provides all of the letters, while frequently used symbols are readily available on the touchscreen. These symbols change based on users text messaging habits.

One of the LG-KF700’s powerful multimedia features is a full featured Web browser that provides full access to Google Search, Blogs, Gmail, Maps and Youtube. Support for HSDPA 3G networks* makes web browsing extremely fast and makes other features like video telephony possible. Other features include an MP3 player, MPEG4 video player, 3.0-megapixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity and more.

All of the phone’s multimedia features are packed into a slim and stylish package with a clean, minimalist look. The LG-KF700 is available in black and silver versions, as well as a black version with chrome accents.

LG first announced the LG-KF700 at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where it met an enthusiastic reception. The phone is now available in Europe and will become available in other markets in the following months.

MySpace Mobile:Mobile Web 2.0 subscribers can now click directly into the MySpace Mobile Web site from the Connect category on the Mobile Web 2.0 home screen, eliminating the need for customers to type in a URL in order to access the site. With MySpace on Mobile Web 2.0, Verizon Wireless customers now have the ability to edit MySpace profiles, view and add friends, post comments and blogs, send and receive MySpace messages — all from their mobile phones.To access MySpace Mobile, Verizon Wireless customers simply open Mobile Web 2.0 on their phones, click on the Connect category from the home screen, and click on MySpace. On the MySpace site, customers can access a host of features, including:

– Message Management - send, read and reply to messages from all of their MySpace friends, as well as field friend requests from their mobile devices.

– Viewing Photo Albums - easily look at MySpace photo albums by choosing “My Photos” on MySpace Mobile.

– Viewing Friends - look up profiles of their friends and others through their MySpace profile. Just as on standard MySpace, MySpace Mobile lets Verizon Wireless customers see profile pictures and other member information via their mobile devices.

– Friend Search - search for people by name or e-mail address, as well as send friend invites and review invites that are pending.

– Comments / Blog Posting - post comments and update blogs just as they would from a PC. Any new information entered will be posted to a member’s mobile and online MySpace profile simultaneously.

Loopt:

With Loopt, Verizon Wireless customers can leverage their phones’ location-based services capabilities to share location information, status messages and geo-tagged photos with their community of friends. Loopt users can view where friends in their private network are located via a map displayed on their mobile phones and connect and share their locations with anyone in their address books or AIM buddy lists. Detailed Loopt maps that show Verizon Wireless users where friends are, what they are doing, and how to meet up with them, transform their Verizon Wireless phones into active social tools to connect, share and explore the real world.

Verizon Wireless customers will be able to purchase Loopt beginning in April in the Tools on the Go and Featured Applications shopping aisle in the Get It Now virtual store. Loopt will be available for $3.99 monthly access. Verizon Wireless customers will be able to get Loopt on more than 20 popular Get It Now-capable phones, including the Chocolate by LG, the MOTORIZR(TM) Z6tv and Verizon Wireless G’zOne Type-S. Download charges for Get It Now applications vary and airtime or megabyte charges may apply when browsing, downloading and using certain applications, and standard text messaging rates apply.

AT&T Inc. and MediaFLO USA Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated announced the launch of AT&T Mobile TV with FLO, a mobile television service featuring high quality live programming. The mobile TV service will launch in May 2008 on two new exclusive handsets, the LG Vu(TM) and the Samsung Access(TM). AT&T Mobile TV will also feature two exclusive channels, which will be announced soon.AT&T Mobile TV will deliver full-length television content and sporting events from top networks, including programming from leading entertainment brands CBS Mobile, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, FOX Mobile, MTV, NBC 2GO, NBC News2Go and Nickelodeon.

“AT&T Mobile TV is a powerful new mobile entertainment offering, which will give our customers a formidable lineup of sports, news and primetime shows, including two channels exclusive available to AT&T customers,” said Mark Collins, vice president of Consumer Data for AT&T’s wireless unit. “We are thrilled to team with MediaFLO USA to offer our customers an unmatched mobile entertainment experience that is changing the way we all look at TV.”

“By making the FLO TV service available to AT&T customers, the nation’s largest wireless carrier, MediaFLO USA continues to expand our award winning FLO TV service to consumers across the country,” said Gina Lombardi, president of MediaFLO USA. “We look forward to working closely with AT&T to continue the momentum of making mobile TV a staple for more consumers.”

The AT&T Mobile TV service will be launched on two stylish devices: the Vu from LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A. Inc. (LG), and the Access from and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung).

– LG Vu: A sleek and stunning device, the Vu gives you a clear view of TV, Web, pictures or videos on its large interactive touch screen. It also lets you get the utmost in mobile entertainment with a music player, 2.0 megapixel camera and Bluetooth capabilities. — Samsung Access: This stylish handset features a large landscape display, ideal for delivering a rich viewing experience and an internal antenna for exceptional reception. It’s a great device for customers who are looking for advanced multimedia capabilities such as a camera, external stereo speakers, stereo Bluetooth, AT&T Music, CV, of course, AT&T Mobile TV.

More details on AT&T’s soon-to-be-launched mobile TV service from MediaFLO USA and the company’s exclusive handsets from LG and Samsung will be available soon.

TELUS announced that it will be the first Canadian carrier to bring the next generation of the cell phone interface to life with the LG VENUS touchscreen phone. The LG Venus is the first in a series of LG Electronics touch screen phones TELUS will bring to Canadians this year. Touch screen user interfaces are typically reserved for high-end entertainment and productivity tools such as Smartphones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) and this marks the first time that Canadians will be able to own a touch screen phone.”Today’s cell phones are incredibly powerful communications and entertainment devices. To better utilize the capabilities of these devices, we believe the touchscreen interface is the future,” said Rizwan Jamal, senior vice-president of TELUS Consumer Solutions. “We are very excited to introduce the LG VENUS, the first of the LG Touch series. The LG VENUS will be followed by additional touchscreen phones later in the year to help keep our customers entertained and connected whenever they want, wherever they are.”

“LG is excited to launch our LG VENUS Touch phone in Canada with TELUS. Canadians looking for style and state-of-the-art technology will love this phone,” said, Andrew Barrett, vice-president of Marketing, LG Electronics Canada. “With the release of the LG VENUS, Canadians will be able to experience touch technology while they listen to their favourite songs and view videos, all packaged in a very attractive two-screen design.”

Designed to impress, the LG Touch series has everything to satisfy Canadian appetites for style and entertainment. The LG VENUS is the first of the LG Touch series available this year from TELUS and is the only LG Touch phone that features dual LCD screens and intuitive touchscreen navigation. The LG VENUS is the perfect accessory for fashion conscious consumers on the prowl for the latest must-have phone.

The touchscreen user interface represents the biggest innovation in the cell phone user interface in years. The touchscreen simplifies the traditional phone keypad by eliminating up to a dozen keys that were previously used for navigating the menus of traditional cell phones. To further simplify the user interface, the touchscreen interface only displays user options that are relevant to the task.

The LG Touch series will support a wide range of entertainment services including TELUS mobile music, TELUS Mobile Radio, TELUS Mobile TV and TELUS Navigator.

The LG VENUS from TELUS is expected to be available by mid-April in black with silver trim, with a pink version available later in the spring. For more information about the LG VENUS from TELUS, please visit: www.telus.com

Motorola, Inc., a major contributor to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard, has joined the LTE/System Architecture Evolution (SAE) Trial Initiative (LSTI). This industry group is driving the acceleration of commercial and interoperable next-generation LTE mobile broadband systems through the collaborative efforts of leading telecommunications companies worldwide.”Motorola has significant expertise in OFDM-based technologies and mobile broadband innovation,” said Darren McQueen, vice president, IMS, Cellular and Broadband Network Technologies, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility. “Joining the LSTI supports our commitment from our networks and mobile devices teams to the advancement of technologies that will deliver the media mobility experiences that consumers today have come to expect.”

Motorola is leveraging its success in being among the first to deliver 802.16e commercial systems by reusing a significant amount of its WiMAX research and development, coupled with its rich heritage in cellular networking, Motorola chipsets, network and video head-end solutions, and professional services to deliver its end-to-end LTE solution.

Motorola is among the vendors selected by Verizon Wireless and Vodafone to participate in their joint LTE trials during 2008. Motorola also is planning a number of other field trials during 2008. For more details about Motorola’s LTE solutions please visit: http://www.motorola.com/lte

About LSTI

The LTE/SAE Trial Initiative (LSTI) is a global, collaborative technology trial initiative focused on accelerating the availability of commercial and interoperable next generation LTE mobile broadband systems. The Initiative was formally launched in May 2007 by leading telecommunications companies Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, Orange, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Nortel, T-Mobile and Vodafone. Since its inception LSTI has expanded to also include in its membership China Mobile, Huawei, LG Electronics, NTT DoCoMo, NXP, Samsung, Signalion, Telecom Italia, Qualcomm, ZTE, Rohde and Schwarz, and Motorola.

LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, announced today the global launch of the LG-KF510 boasting an extremely-slim body with dynamic functional design.The eye-catching color gradations of LG-KF510 are the first ever to be used on a mobile phone, with choices of Stardust Dark Gray and Sunset Red on the full metal exterior. It adds a lustrous sophistication while the 10.9mm slim and durable inner slide of the phone subtly underscores its sleek style.

The gleaming LED lights of the touchpad brighten with a gentle touch of a fingertip, allowing one to scroll and navigate the animated multifunction menu using the new ‘Interactive Touch Lighting’ system.

Besides the stylish design, the LG-KF510 is outfitted with quality features. LG KF510 allows the user to enjoy 3MP camera with a power flash and a one-second response time. With the advanced MP3 player the user can automatically sort music into play lists or categories. These features are supported by a long lasting battery that saves power capacity through Auto Luminance Control (ALC) which self-adjusts to the brightness of the LED screen.

“2008 is the year for a new paradigm in mobile phone design and LG is setting the benchmark,” says Dr. Skott Ahn, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “We have established ourselves as a leader in this field and the LG-KF510 is a unique addition in our mobile portfolio. With its sleek aesthetic and superior technology, it will appeal to many discerning consumers that value both style and substance.”

LG-KF510 will be available at most major mobile retailers in regions including Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, from April.

Alltel Wireless and LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc. (LG Mobile Phones) announced that the highly anticipated GlimmerTM by LG will be exclusively available in Alltel retail stores and online at shopalltel.com beginning March 13. With a slide-out keypad and touch-screen interface, the LG Glimmer incorporates traditional phone functions with the latest multimedia features.The LG Glimmer is loaded with a 2 MP camera with video capabilities, an MP3 player with customizable equalizer, an expandable memory slot and is GPS capable. This slick phone is rich with several of Alltel’s Axcess applications including Alltel Navigation, Axcess Search, CityID and Axcess TV. In addition, users can listen to their favorite music while utilizing other multimedia features on the phone, such as taking photos, recording video or sending text messages. The Glimmer also features 3D graphics support and 128MB of internal memory.

“With touch-screen phones revolutionizing wireless, the LG Glimmer from Alltel has an innovative new touch interface while offering the convenience of a slide-out physical keypad,” states Brian Ullem, vice president of device strategy for Alltel Wireless. “Its large display and multimedia capabilities allow our customers to access and manage their video and music with a simple touch.”

“Consumers will appreciate the durable metal body of this elegant, user-friendly mobile phone,” said Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy & marketing at LG Mobile Phones. “With its slim form factor and large sliding touch screen the Glimmer by LG is another example of forward-thinking technology and design.”

Alltel Wireless is offering the Glimmer by LG for $249.99 after a $100 mail-in-rebate. This discounted price is available to new customers who sign-up for a two-year service agreement and to existing eligible customers on qualifying rate plans. All Alltel customers who purchase the LG Glimmer and are on a qualifying rate plan are able to receive “My Circle,” Alltel’s exclusive calling feature allowing customers to receive unlimited calling to any five, 10 or 20 numbers, any network. In addition, Alltel was the first to offer Anytime Plan Changes, giving customers the flexibility to change their calling plans at any time, without extending their current contract.

The LG Glimmer also supports Alltel’s new service, Axcess Voice2TXT. The service, which is available on any Alltel Wireless SMS text message capable phone, quickly converts incoming voicemails to text messages in the customer’s inbox and also allows customers to store and forward converted voicemails as regular text messages. For more information on this innovative feature, please

Worldwide sales of mobile phones to end users surpassed 1.15 billion units in 2007, a 16 per cent increase from 2006 sales of 990.9 million, according to Gartner, Inc. Mobile phone sales at the end of the year were consistent with the yearly trend, as fourth quarter sales reached 330 million units.”Emerging markets, especially China and India, provided much of the growth as many people bought their first phone,” said Carolina Milanesi, research director for mobile devices at Gartner, based in Egham, UK. “In mature markets, such as Japan and Western Europe, consumers’ appetite for feature-laden phones was met with new models packed with TV tuners, global positioning satellite (GPS) functions, touch screens and high-resolution cameras.”

“After another strong year, we expect the growth in sales of mobile devices to end users will decelerate in 2008 and fall to about 10 per cent growth as mature markets become more saturated,” added Ms Milanesi. “However, the global mobile devices market will remain relatively immune to a recession in the US and Western European economies as the majority of growth in 2008 will come from emerging markets. The mature Western Europe and North America markets are driven by operator contract terms and replacement cycles and will account for just 30 per cent of the global mobile devices market in 2008.”

Nokia achieved its long-term target of 40 per cent market share in the fourth quarter of 2007 when it sold slightly more than 133 million phones across the world. Despite some component shortages, Nokia increased its market share sequentially in all regions except North America, which remains a challenging market for the vendor. In emerging markets, products such as the 1110, the 1600 and the 2630 were in demand by consumers, while in mature markets such as Western Europe high-end phones like the N95, N82 and N73 were sought-after devices. In 2008, Nokia will need to continue to improve its portfolio, offering not only more applications and functions, but also novel designs and improved user interfaces.

In the fourth quarter of 2007, Samsung maintained second position, and although its market share slipped slightly, the gap widened between it and third-placed Motorola. Its success relied on its Ultra and Ultra II family of products. In 2008, Samsung needs to diversify its portfolio further with more form factors and colours so that single products stand out from the overall line-up.

The problems that beset Motorola in the third quarter of 2007 continued through the fourth quarter, and it recorded sales of 39 million phones across the world, taking 11.9 per cent of the market. It retained second place in terms of annual sales to end users in 2007, largely thanks to the inventory it disposed of in the first half of the year. Nevertheless, the extent of Motorola’s troubles can be seen in the 9.7 percentage-points market-share drop in its fourth quarter of 2007 result from the same period in 2006.

Sony Ericsson ended 2007 with another positive performance, growing its market share on a quarterly basis to 9.0 per cent from 8.7 per cent. Its Cyber-shot and Walkman products, such as the K850i, K610i, W910i, K550i and W300i, remained popular among consumers around the world. As Sony Ericsson widens its reach, adding features such as Wi-Fi and GPS, as well as more low-tier products, it will stay competitive in the coming quarters.

LG’s mobile phone sales totalled 23.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2007, maintaining its 7.1 per cent market share despite the increase of more than three million in sales volumes. The success of the Viewty, the Venus and the Voyager helped LG gain brand awareness across the world as well as improve its margins. Ms Milanesi commented: “In 2008, LG will need to continue strengthening its high-end portfolio for mature markets as well as its mid tier. In the low tier, LG will increasingly be challenged by vendors such as ZTE, which has already been eroding its market share in key markets such as India.”

The market saw three new entrants into the top ten in the fourth quarter of 2007. These vendors included Research In Motion (RIM), ZTE and Apple. “On one hand, we have aggressive pricing and a focus on emerging markets (ZTE), and on the other, RIM with targeted functions and Apple with brand and design,” said Ms Milanesi.

“Phone manufacturers need to continuously adapt their portfolios to respond to operators’ demands for open platforms, lower pricing and more personalisation,” recommended Ms Milanesi. “They should also try to meet consumers’ desires for fashionable, easy-to-use phones.”

Regional Analysis

In Asia/Pacific, 112 million mobile devices were sold in the fourth quarter of 2007, representing 9.6 per cent growth over the previous quarter. Over the holiday season, operators and distributors offered a wide range of mobile phone options at reasonable prices, tempting new users to sign up to service plans. “Driving factors for growth in emerging markets in Asia/Pacific included huge numbers of new subscribers, lower-priced phones based on wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) technology, as well as ultra-low-cost CDMA phones and low-cost global system for mobile (GSM) phones,” said Ann Liang, Gartner principal research analyst for mobile terminals, based in Taipei.

Sales in the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region remained strong in the fourth quarter of 2007 and reached 61.8 million units. Mobile operators continued to add new subscribers to their networks, especially in Africa where countries such as Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria and South Africa saw healthy net new additions.

In Japan, sales to end users numbered 12.5 million units in the fourth quarter of 2007, a decrease of 3.6 per cent year-on-year. Strong sales in the early part of the year brought total sales in 2007 to a record high of 52.3 million units — more than in 2003, when many Japanese bought their first camera phones. “In 2007, music player functions and embedded TV-tuners with large, high-resolution displays persuaded users to replace their devices,” said Nahoko Mitsuyama, principal analyst for mobile communications research at Gartner, based in Tokyo.

In Latin America, sales reached 38.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2007, a 12.5 per cent increase from the same period in 2006. “In December, the holiday season, along with accompanying promotions, meant sales hit a new record level,” said Tuong Nguyen, analyst for mobile terminals at Gartner, based in Arlington, Virginia.

The fourth quarter of 2007 was another record quarter in North America, as sales to end users continued at a rapid pace, reaching 49 million units, an increase of 9.2 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2006. “AT&T and Verizon Wireless continued to be the strongest performing operators, while Sprint Nextel lagged,” said Hughes De La Vergne, principal analyst for mobile terminals research at Gartner, based in Dallas, Texas. “Replacement devices continued to dominate sales and growth in new subscribers slowed down as penetration rates climbed.”

In the fourth quarter of 2007, mobile phone sales in Western Europe totalled 55 million units, up 2 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2006. Features such as music players, GPS and cameras proved to be significant attractions. In the same quarter, operators in Germany, the United Kingdom and France introduced Apple’s long-awaited iPhone to the market. Although sales have been small, this iconic device renewed consumers’ interest in high-end phones, which in most Western European markets are still heavily subsidised by operators.

LG Electronics, Inc. and DivX, Inc., a digital media company, today announced that the LG Viewty camera phone (Model: LG-KU990) is the first mobile phone with DivX Certification to natively record video in the high quality DivX format.The LG Viewty enables consumers to capture high-resolution video, comparable in quality to what they would expect from a video camera, on their mobile phones, DivX videos recorded through the LG Viewty can easily be uploaded to online video sites or can be played back on any DivX Certified consumer electronics device, including DVD players, gaming consoles and portable media players.

“Users of the LG Viewty have come to expect innovation and quality,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The addition of DivX recording capability to the Viewty will open up the media experience and enable our users to do more with the videos they capture, from sharing that content online to playing it back beyond the phone on a wide variety of devices.”

“Our goal is to make it easy for consumers to enjoy a high-quality video experience on any kind of device,” said Kevin Hell, CEO at DivX, Inc. “The LG Viewty is a perfect example of this experience. It allows consumers to capture video on its 3-inch screen and then easily transfer that video to a computer or virtually any kind of consumer electronics device.”

The LG Viewty is a professional-level camera phone with features that surpass most phones on the market and includes 5.0 mega-pixel still image capture, manual focus, image stabilizer, handwriting recognition for photo editing, a document viewer, voice recording and 120 fps 640 x 480-pixel DivX video encoding. The LG Viewty has undergone a rigorous testing program, as do all the products that bear the DivX Certified logo, to ensure a high-quality DivX media experience. LG Viewty, currently for sale in Europe, will begin shipping immediately with DivX encoding capabilities.

LG Electronics announced that it will debut its new LG-KF510 at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona, Spain on February 11, 2008. LG-KF510 is a stylish, fashionable phone catering to users’ demand for slimmer phones with unique design accents.At just 10.9 mm thick, the LG-KF510 is the extremely slim slider phone. It combines a slim style with strength created by its metal frame and tempered glass. At the center of its design are metal gradation paint schemes available in Stardust Dark Gray or Sunset Red.

This attractive looking phone is equally attractive to use. Its tactile and visually interactive user interface includes captivating animation developed based on the LG’s advanced touch technology. Users will especially appreciate the quality of the LG-KF510’s multi-function camera with 3.0 mega pixel and MP3 player.

The LG-KF510 will be available worldwide, with an initial launch in March 2008 starting from major global markets.

The worldwide mobile phone market passed a new milestone in shipments by recording over 300 million devices shipped during the fourth quarter, while experiencing slower year-over-year growth for 2007. According to IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, the 334.0 million handsets shipped during the holiday quarter was a new record for the industry, and was up 15.3% over last quarter.For the entire year, total shipments reached 1,144.1 million units in 2007 with 12.4% overall growth. Nokia once again led vendors in shipments throughout the year, although some shakeup in the vendor rankings did occur. Samsung, which had been the number three vendor in the industry, surpassed Motorola during 2007 to capture the number two spot.

“Give credit to Samsung for taking the number two position worldwide from Motorola,” says Ramon Llamas, research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team. “For the past few years, Samsung’s growth kept pace with the market, but in 2007 the company beat the market almost by a factor of four. Samsung capitalized on replacement handset opportunities in the United States and Europe with a steady stream of mid-range and high-end devices while Motorola spent much of the year addressing inventory challenges across EMEA and Asia. Now that Motorola is implementing a new handset strategy, it will be interesting to watch the hotly contested number two position in 2008.”

“Over the last three years, growth in the industry during the holiday quarter has fluctuated from 18.0% to 30.0%, and this past quarter we saw it drop to 11.6%,” said Ryan Reith, senior research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker. “The expectation that the market would maintain the level of growth it saw over the last three years was unrealistic. We expect growth to be in the single digits throughout 2008, and most likely for years to follow.”

Top Five Mobile Phone Vendors

Nokia shipped more units in the fourth quarter than the next three vendors’ shipment volumes combined. This, Nokia executives pointed out, was the result of its streamlined operations, which produced on average nearly 1.5 million units each day during the quarter. This number could have been even higher if the company did not have to deal with component shortages during production. Regardless, it still marks a significant accomplishment. Nokia’s volumes were primarily driven by entry level products from its 1100 and 1200 device families, but its biggest revenue and profit generators came from its premium Nseries devices.

Samsung achieved several noteworthy accomplishments to end 2007: It took the No. 2 position worldwide for the year, posted its third consecutive quarter as the No. 2 vendor worldwide, and recorded its sixth consecutive quarter of shipment growth. In the process, Samsung realized double-digit profit margins during the quarter, resulting from an emphasis on its premium Ultra Edition phones and converged mobile devices. Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2008, the company plans to top its 46.3 million shipment volume while maintaining profit margins.

Motorola spent another quarter addressing its challenges, the most significant being a slowing demand for Motorola’s products. CEO Greg Brown pointed out that the company had missed out on significant growth areas, most notably in 3G, China, and emerging markets, and that gaps in Motorola’s current product portfolio had to be addressed. Recent announcements of its ROKR E8, Z10, and W series reflect Motorola’s attempts to revive its handset business, but recovery is expected to continue into 2009.

Sony Ericsson broke through the thirty million unit mark for the first time in its history. As in previous quarters, EMEA represented the bulk of the company’s shipments, but it also improved its presence in North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. Even with greater attention and resources going towards emerging markets, Sony Ericsson still recorded the highest ASP among the leading vendors. Key devices for the quarter included the K550, W200, W300 and the W580.

LG Electronics took another step towards breaking the 25 million mark, and with the success of premium devices in developed markets and cost effectiveness, the company also realized slight operating margin improvement. Key to its success were several models released during the quarter, including the Voyager and Venus in the United States, and the Viewty in Europe. Despite its positive results during the quarter, LG saw the distance between itself and Sony Ericsson grow to more than seven million units, reversing the progress it had made in previous quarters.

Alltel Wireless announced that three new handsets — the LG Scoop, red BlackBerry Pearl 8130, and the Samsung Muse — plan to be available in Alltel retail stores and online at www.alltel.com/style during the first quarter of 2008. Whether into music, messaging or quick access to applications on the go, such as e-mail and the Internet, Alltel customers can choose from an extensive lineup of phones in brilliant colors to find one that fits their unique personality.Messaging Made Quick and Easy

For people who stay connected through text messaging, the LG Scoop allows customers to take it easy on their thumbs with a messaging-friendly QWERTY keyboard and chat-style IM. Offered in three colors including citrus orange, slate gray and turquoise blue, the LG Scoop has AOL Instant Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger pre-loaded, so there is never a missed message. The phone also features a 1.3 MP camera with video capabilities and is Celltop-ready as well as Bluetooth capable. The LG Scoop is the ideal phone to use Alltel’s new service, Axcess Voice2TXT, which converts incoming voicemails to text and sends them to the customer’s text inbox. With the QWERTY keyboard, users of this phone will be able to easily and discretely respond to voicemails.

Coolest Smartphone is Now Red Hot

The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 smartphone, now available in red, gives customers an exceptional mobile experience with powerful communications and multimedia capabilities. This sleek, eye-catching smartphone offers e-mail, fast HTML Web browsing, a 2 MP camera with flash and video capture, GPS capabilities, Bluetooth wireless technology and microSD expandable memory. With the stylish red BlackBerry Pearl 8130, customers can multi-task like a pro, and look good while doing it. This smartphone is available for pre-order at www.alltel.com/style.

When Music is Your Inspiration

The Samsung Muse sports a fresh look and a stimulating sound to satisfy all who find inspiration in music. With the Samsung Muse, those passionate about music always have their favorite tunes within reach. Users can customize the phone with a dedicated music key for ringtones, XM Radio Mobile and easy access to the MP3 player. The modern design, available in midnight blue, also features a 2 MP camera with video capabilities, GPS capabilities and is preloaded with Axcess Mobile Guide and Stereo Bluetooth technology. Multimedia fans can also enjoy streaming music from their PC using Music Powered by Celltop along with premium preloaded applications like Axcess TV and Search.

Mobile Pedestrian Handheld (MPH) Digital TV TechnologyThe MPH in-band mobile DTV system is over-the-air Digital TV transmission technology for mobile, pedestrian and handheld devices. Based on the core technology used for existing VSB (Vestigial Side Band) standard, developed by LG’s U.S. R&D lab, this technology doesn’t require additional frequencies like DMB, DVB or MediaFlo.

Dr. Woo Paik, CTO of LG Electronics explains: “This groundbreaking MPH technology will allow people to view content at any time, from any place, while creating new revenue streams for broadcasters.”

LG developed the technology in collaboration with its subsidiary Zenith and Harris Corporation, both of which are based in the U.S. Over 50 researchers participated in the development project. KRW 7 billion has been invested since 2006.

As the rapid growth of the U.S. DTV industry will be even further accelerated due to the nation’s official shift to digital TV in 2009, when analog TV transmission will cease, the overall mobile TV market is projected to grow from USD 200 million in 2006 to USD 2.4 billion in 2008 to USD 4.1 billion in 2010.

Accordingly, markets for mobile handsets, navigation devices, notebook PCs and receiver chips are expected to grow rapidly as well. At CES, LG is demonstrating mobile phone handsets, laptop PCs, portable navigators and in-car DTVs, all with MPH chips.

Verizon Wireless and mobile banking and payments enabler Firethorn Holdings, LLC, a Qualcomm company, announced today that customers of major financial institutions, including Wachovia, SunTrust, FirstBank, and BancorpSouth, now have access to their accounts in the palms of their hands.With Verizon Wireless’ mobile banking offering powered by Firethorn, customers can now access and manage their financial relationships while on-the-go for a seamless, real-time and secure user experience, including checking bank account balances, transferring funds between accounts within the same bank, and reviewing and paying bills for those bills already set up through the financial institution’s online account service.

The Firethorn application is secure and utilizes both PIN and device lock-out capabilities, which are in addition to the security that is already incorporated by the financial institution. As another layer of security, customers will need to register with their financial institution’s online banking service in order to use mobile banking.

Verizon senior vice president of consumer products Jim Straight said, “After announcing our relationship with Firethorn two months ago, we’re making mobile banking a reality for our customers. And whether our customers prefer to bank at Wachovia, SunTrust, FirstBank or BancorpSouth, they can now do so wherever they go because Firethorn and their financial institution partners provide a secure, easy-to-use and flexible mobile banking application that delivers a superior customer experience.”

Financial institutions that have joined the Firethorn network include: Wachovia, SunTrust Bank, Regions Financial, BancorpSouth, Synovus, FirstBank, Arvest Bank, and America First Credit Union.

Firethorn chief executive officer Tripp Rackley said, “Viewing balances, making transfers and paying bills on-the-go is an exciting first step for millions of Verizon Wireless customers. Together with Verizon Wireless and our financial partners, we are helping to define the market for mobile financial services.”

The Firethorn application is currently available on several phones from Verizon Wireless, including the Chocolate and enV by LG, LG VX8700, LG VX8600, LG VX9400, and the Samsung SCH-a950. The companies expect to make the application available on additional devices in the coming months. Verizon Wireless customers can find the Firethorn application in the Get Going or Tools on the Go virtual shopping aisle of the Get It Now virtual store by clicking on ‘Get New App’ and then ‘Business/Tools.’

The mobile banking application is free, but application download, usage or megabyte charges may apply. Customers should check with their financial institution for availability and instructions on how to access their accounts through the mobile banking application.

Starting today, the fashion-forward Venus by LG becomes available in pink, exclusively from Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network. The perfect gift for the fashionista this holiday season, the Venus’ sleek slider design now comes in a sparkly pink finish with the same sizzling mobile features available on the popular black Venus by LG.The Venus features a 2.0 megapixel camera, VZ NavigatorSM capability, a microSD memory slot that can support up to 8 GB of additional memory, and dual-screen displays, the lower with touch navigation. For music and video fans, the Venus by LG also offers access to V CAST Music, which gives customers access to more than 2.5 million songs that can be purchased and downloaded over-the-air to the phone; and V CAST Video, Verizon Wireless’ multimedia service with news, sports and entertainment video clips, 3D games and more. Customers can even browse the Web or text message while listening to the music.

The Venus by LG is available in both pink and black for $199.99 after $50 mail-in rebate and two-year customer agreement.

Sporting the same sturdy good looks and user-friendly features of the original LG VX8350, the LG VX8350R offers all of the services Verizon Wireless customers expect, wrapped in a glossy red finish. The LG VX8350R is available today at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com.The LG VX8350R supports V CAST Video and V CAST Music, which gives customers access to more than 2.4 million songs that can be purchased and downloaded over-the-air directly to the handset. Powerful dual stereo speakers, external music controls and screen, and a microSD memory port that supports up to 4 GB of memory round out this media-rich handset. Bluetooth-capable, the LG VX8350R supports headset, hands-free, stereo music, phone book access, basic printing, object push for vCard and vCalendar profiles and is also equipped with an easy-to-use 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder.

The LG VX8350R is available at more than 2,300 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores including those in Circuit City for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and new two-year customer agreement.

Verizon Wireless and LG Electronics MobileComm USA, Inc. (LG Mobile Phones) announced today the newest flavor of Chocolate by LG — Blue Ice. The newest addition to the Chocolate line-up, the silky-smooth slim slider design comes coated with a frosty blue finish and includes the must-have multimedia capabilities for the music and entertainment lover on your holiday list.The Chocolate in Blue Ice includes the same features chocoholics have come to love, such as vibration feedback on the touch-sensitive keypad, navigation wheel with classic red trace motion lighting, and a microSD memory card slot that supports up to 4 GB of memory.

Customers who purchase the Chocolate will love the quick and easy access to V CAST Music, the Verizon Wireless service that offers more than 2.4 million songs for download over-the-air, and V CAST Video, which offers news, sports and entertainment video clips, 3D games and more. VZ NavigatorSM, a popular tool available on the Chocolate, includes mapping, audible turn-by-turn navigation and access to information on more than 14 million points of interest. A 1.3 megapixel camera, speakerphone and Bluetooth headset capabilities round out the features wrapped in frosty blue.

Chocolate by LG in Blue Ice is available today for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and new two-year customer agreement at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores within Circuit City. It will be available at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com on Friday, Dec. 7.