Mobility Phones - Mobile Phones

Calling on your mobile phone from abroad doesn’t have to be expensive in the upcoming winter holiday and ski season. For more than a year Vodafone has shown the way with its innovative roaming tariff “Travel Promise”, thus advancing the roaming tariff competition. This allows Vodafone customers to place a call in 20 foreign Vodafone networks world-wide at the same price per minute they would have to pay at home. The only additional charge is a one-time charge of Euro 0.75 per call. Six million travel-happy Vodafone customers have already used this transparent and inexpensive tariff when calling from abroad without hassle - no matter where they are travelling.

Vodafone customers, who want to call home from their holidays or call family and friends on the holidays from abroad, don’t have to keep track of the time when doing so. They also don’t have to worry about complicated tariffs for calls from abroad or a high telephone bill at the end of the holidays, because the unique Travel Promise option, that can be added to almost any tariff without charge, allows Vodafone customers to simply take their home tariff along on their travels.

All calls from abroad, from any of the Vodafone networks that meanwhile exist in 20 countries world-wide, are charged at the same rate per minute as domestic calls; the only additional charge is a fixed charge of Euro 0.75 per call. In case of tariffs with inclusive minutes, the calls will also be debited from the inclusive minutes. One example that demonstrates the savings potential with Travel Promise: a subscriber whose package allows for a certain number of minutes pays Euro 4.45 for a five-minute call from Switzerland to Germany at the standard roaming tariff. With Travel Promise, however, he will only pay a one-time charge of Euro 0.75 plus five inclusive minutes. At a price per minute of 15 cents, for example, this same call will only cost Euro 1.50 with Travel Promise. Neither are incoming calls of up to 60 minutes, that reach Vodafone customers abroad, charged from the border, as is frequently the case, but only at the one-time additional charge of Euro 0.75. The Vodafone Travel Promise option is completely free of charge, i.e. there are no basic fees or activation charges. You can book the Travel Promise option at any time free of charge via the German Vodafone network by dialling 12 22 5. The prepaid tariff CallYa Comfort automatically includes the Travel Promise option. Another advantage that speaks for Vodafone: the telecommunication service provider not only offers especially low roaming tariffs for phone calls, but also for data links for your laptop and mobile phone.

Vodafone customers can use Travel Promise when placing their calls in the Vodafone networks of the following countries: Egypt, Albania, Australia, Belgium, France, Greece, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Rumania, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary.

Vodafone Germany
With about 30 million customers, more than Euro 8 billion in sales and 9,000 employees, Vodafone Germany is one of the largest and most modern telecommunication service providers in Europe. As an innovative technology business and service company, Vodafone Germany stands for a one-stop mobile communication solution: a mobile phone system and fixed telephone network as well as fast data transmission services for business and private customers alike. Continuous RandD, numerous patents and investments into new products, services and a modern network have made Vodafone the most innovative market leader on the German telecommunications market. The company’s head office is in Düsseldorf. 8 branch offices and more than 1600 of their own shops prove that Vodafone is really in touch with the customer in Germany. Vodafone Germany’s group of companies also includes a majority share in the telecommunication group Arcor with head office in Eschborn/Taunus. Vodafone Germany is facing up to its social responsibilities in Germany and supports numerous projects through the Vodafone Germany Foundation.

The company is part of the Vodafone Group. You can find further information in the Internet under www.vodafone.de

Cingular Wireless wants its customers to know that its Richmond location’s staff is ready and willing to help them with all their wireless needs — but in unusual quarters. The store, formerly located at 830 Eastern Bypass, is moving into a trailer at the old Burger King lot at 470 Eastern Bypass, across from the new McDonald’s, as the new 3,500 sq. foot Cingular store is being built on that same site.Larry Fox, director of sales for the region, says, “We will have a full staff on hand to help our customers and a complete array of Cingular’s innovative phones, PDAs, and accessories for them to choose from. The quarters may be smaller for now, but the service you’ll get will still be the best in the business.”

Cingular’s former Richmond location closed its doors on December 28 and the temporary location will open for business on January 3. Store hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. The new 3,500 sq. foot store, featuring an open, customer-friendly design and Cingular’s cutting-edge wireless products, is expected to open in April.

Cingular is also planning a January 19-21 Grand Opening for its new 3,700 sq. foot Lexington superstore, located at 111 W. Reynolds Rd. between Target and Arby’s. Cingular customers can take advantage of special promotions and sales during the celebration.

For more information on Cingular Wireless’ new Richmond store, please call the store at (859) 623-0403.

About Cingular Wireless

Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 58.7 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation — the ALLOVERâ„¢ network — and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover®, the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/. Get Cingular Wireless press releases emailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com/.

Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHI) announced today that it has completed the cancellation of in total 86,472,494 shares which have been acquired pursuant to the share repurchase program the Company initiated in July 2006. All shares were acquired during the period starting July 17, 2006 up to and including December 19, 2006 at an average repurchase price of EUR 27.37 per share. As such, Philips has completed approximately EUR 2,367 million of the EUR 4 billion return to shareholders announced on August 3, 2006.
In connection with this share capital reduction, Philips has notified the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) that it no longer holds 5 per cent of its own shares. As a result of the cancellation of shares, Philips’ issued share capital as per today amounts to 1,142,826,763 shares of which 36,231,587 shares are held by Philips to cover long-term incentive and employee stock purchase plans.
 
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a global leader in healthcare, lifestyle and technology, delivering products, services and solutions through the brand promise of “sense and simplicity”. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 126,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 30.4 billion in 2005, the company is a market leader in medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, personal care and home appliances, as well as consumer electronics. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Forward-looking statements
This release may contain certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

MOTORAZR scores a hat-trick with DoCoMo’s bestselling 7 series phone in Black, Silver, and Hot pink
 David Beckham joined Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) in Tokyo today to formally kick off sales of Motorola’s trend-setting MOTORAZR (M702iS) handset with DoCoMo in Japan. Sporting the hot new device, the football icon popped up at ersatz appearances around Tokyo, with Japan’s most stylish mobile device, MOTORAZR.
Appearing with leading Japanese sportscaster Tomoaki Ogura on Best Moments in Sports 2006, Fuji-TV’s highly rated year end sports program, Beckham showed the MOTORAZR in each of its three colors. In an exclusive announcement, the soccer icon also unveiled a one-of-a-kind customized “MOTORAZR tattoo keitei by David Beckham” that will be auctioned online (http://sa.item.rakuten.co.jp/rakuoku/a/061229_moto_a/ or via MOTORAZR or other mobile phones at http://sa.item.m.rakuten.co.jp/rakuoku/a/061229_moto_a/) to raise money for UNICEF, in honor of Beckham’s role as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Beckham then hosted a MOTORAZR fashion show at the popular Roppongi Hills Arena, cutting through the backdrop with his MOTORAZR, introducing the device to the several thousand people assembled at the event with the help of J-Wave personality Sean K, and demonstrating why the MOTORAZR is the “must-have” DoCoMo handset. The program, which began with traditional Taiko drums, continued with Beckham treating the crowd to a free-kick demonstration onstage and climaxed with Beckham drawing the name of a random MOTORAZR owner in the crowd, calling the winner on her MOTORAZR, and bringing her onstage for a photo and gifts. Beckham concluded the event by kicking specially-branded black and silver MOTORAZR balls into a mosh-pit at center-stage filled with MOTORAZR owners.
MOTORAZR, available in Japan for only two weeks, is already the hottest selling mobile device in Japan, with the Hot pink, Neo black, and Cool silver handsets all topping the sales of DoCoMo’s popular 7 series. Beckham finished the day with a spontaneous stop at a Motorola “touch-and-try” event in Shibuya, one of the world’s busiest and hippest shopping areas to thank all of the people who had already made MOTORAZR the mobile device champion in Japan.
“One of the great things about my job is that I get to travel all around the world, and wherever I go, you can be sure of one thing - the people who are really stylish carry a MOTORAZR,” Beckham told the crowd. “The Japanese people are some of the most stylish in the world, and you’ve proven it by making MOTORAZR the number-one seller.”
Catch MOTORAZR (if you can) in Hot pink, Neo black, and Cool silver at DoCoMo stores and authorized retailers nationwide.
About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation and leadership in wireless and broadband communications. Inspired by our vision of Seamless Mobility, the people of Motorola are committed to helping you get and stay connected simply and seamlessly to the people, information, and entertainment that you want and need. We do this by designing and delivering “must have” products, “must do” experiences and powerful networks — along with a full complement of support services. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US $35.3 billion in 2005.

Throughout this year, when Cingular customers talked, people listened, and talked, and listened, back and forth, on and on and on and on. They talked so much that, for the first time, Cingular today said it expects to carry more than 500 billion minutes-of-use (MOU) on its network this year.That’s a lot of gabbing. But why so much chatter?

Cingular believes the more than $13 billion dollar network investment it made over the past two years to enhance the quality and coverage of its Allover Network is the cause of all the talk by its customers. The network investment gave customers access to more than 45,000 cell sites, resulting in a substantial reduction in dropped and blocked calls as well as improved voice quality.

“It’s common-sense business. If you give customers a quality product, they’ll use it more often,” said Ed Reynolds, president of network services for Cingular. “The investment we made is really paying off for us and our customers. People have noticed the difference and are taking full advantage of our services.”

Cingular, which offers the fewest dropped calls of any carrier, said people are using its wireless service for longer periods — an average of 755 minutes a month, as reported at the end of last quarter. Over the course of the network enhancements, the average length of a wireless call on the Allover Network has increased as much as 15 percent in some markets.

Along with people talking more, there are more people talking. Since the network enhancements began in early 2005, Cingular increased its customer base by nearly 20 percent through the end of October 2006. Additionally, due to the enhanced quality of service experienced by customers, churn also decreased by nearly 20 percent over the same period.

In the past, Cingular announced the busiest calling day of the year, which historically had been Halloween. But today, with all the additional customers and increased talking, the busiest day of the year changes almost weekly as customers increasingly use and rely on their wireless phones more and more.

And while chatter is the main subject matter, data is no pitter-patter.

The network enhancements also provide customers with an exceptional data experience — whether using a laptop to receive broadband wireless connections to corporate and personal e-mail, surfing the Internet, downloading mobile games, or watching some of their favorite clips on Cingular Video. The consistent, fast and reliable network connections, coupled with easy-to-use applications, have driven demand for data services, increasing the average spending by customers more than 45 percent (3Q/05 vs. 3Q/06). The company expects customers to increasingly use data services, especially on its 3G network, which is available in most major markets around the country.

Add a cool device and it’s twice as nice.

Cingular’s quality of service is further enhanced by a wide range of devices that help customers take full advantage of the company’s wireless offers. Exclusive devices such as the Samsung Blackjack and Sync, LG CU500, Cingular 8525, Sierra Wireless 875 PC modem card and others, allow customers to stay connected almost anywhere in the United States or when traveling to 190 countries around the world.

“The network is the foundation of our business, now and in the future,” said Reynolds. “Our focus and investment will continue to be on providing the best possible wireless experience for our customers.”

Other things you could possibly do in 500 billion minutes:
- Listen to the live version of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” 45 billion times  
- Watch nine seasons of Seinfeld without commercials more than 132 million times   
- Make about 57 thousand trips to the moon and back   
- Attend 2.8 billion baseball games  
- Drive round-trip from New York to Los Angeles 92 million times  
- Sleep for 950 million consecutive years   
- Have a truly unlimited wireless calling plan!   
*Estimates based on available information, and uh, best guesses.   
About Cingular Wireless 

Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 58.7 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation — the ALLOVERâ„¢ network — and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(r), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/. Get Cingular Wireless press releases emailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com/.

Pantech Group, the leading Korean handset manufacturer, has announced the launch of IM-S150, a new compact handset accepting the Korean traditional patterns on the surface as part of its design innovation initiatives.
 
The new phone is likely to strongly appeal to the trend-conscious customers for its stylish and compact design. The IM-S150 is 7.8cm in height and 3.7cm in width and weighs only 80g. Pantech creates the finest phone incorporating the Korean original patterns into such a compact handset. 
 
Man Gi Kim, the spokesman of Pantech Group said, “Design has become one of the key factors to success in the mobile phone sector, and this kind of unique and stylish surface design is what we have brought into focus. We are excited to offer Pantech’s another modish phone, the IM-S150, to our customers.” “Pantech will constantly create new designs inspired by Korean traditional beauty.”
 
Recently, the IM-S150 has earned plaudits for its trendy and stylish design. It is one of the four Pantech products honored at the prestigious 2007 iF(International Forum) Design Awards for excellence in the design of cellular phones.
 
The IM-S150 features advanced-quality screen, incorporating dual TFT LCD of 260,000 colors. It is also equipped with a 1.3 mega-pixel camera with flash and 64 polyphonic ringtones. Users can send photos and phone numbers to other mobile phones through its infra-red data association (IrDA) function.
 
Pantech has been working with its Design Community to further explore Korean traditional patterns to find out charming design factors and trying to accept them in mobile phones. These attempts will help Pantech play a pioneering role in setting a new standard of Korean beauty for mobile phones.
 
The IM-S150 will be launched in Korea this week under Pantech’s SKY brand, the leading Korean premium mobile phone brand.

 Windows Vista, the new computer operating system that Microsoft Corp. is touting as its most secure ever, contains a programming flaw that might let hackers gain full control of vulnerable computers.

Microsoft and independent security researchers, however, tried to play down the risk from the flaw, which was disclosed on a Russian site recently and is apparently the first affecting the new Vista system released to larger businesses in late November.

The software company said it was investigating the threat but found so far that a hacker must already have access to the vulnerable computer in order to execute an attack.

That could occur if someone is actually sitting in front of the PC or otherwise gets the computer’s owner to install rogue software, said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer for Finnish security research company F-Secure Corp.

“The bottom line is you couldn’t use a vulnerability like this to write a worm or hack a Vista system remotely,” Hypponen said Tuesday. “It only has historical significance in that it’s the first reported vulnerability that also affects Vista. It’s a nonevent in other ways.”

Attackers with low-level access privileges on a vulnerable machine could theoretically use the flaw to bump up their status, ultimately gaining systemwide control, Hypponen said.

The flaw affects older Windows systems, too, and Hypponen said vulnerabilities like these are quite common and can be fixed with a software patch, which Microsoft releases on the second Tuesday of each month except for the most serious threats. The flaw remains a proof of concept, with no one known to have actually launched an attack with it, Hypponen said.

In a posting on Microsoft’s security-response Web journal, a senior security manager, Mike Reavey, said he remained confident “Windows Vista is our most secure platform to date.”

Vista, the first major Windows upgrade since Windows XP launched in 2001, was made available Nov. 30 to businesses that buy Windows licenses in bulk. Consumers generally won’t be able to get Vista until Jan. 30.

In trying to improve security, Microsoft redesigned its flagship operating system to reduce users’ exposure to destructive programs from the Internet. But most security researchers believe a complex product like Vista can never be error-free, so it was a matter of time for someone discovered a security vulnerability.

Microsoft shares rose 35 cents to close at $29.99 in Tuesday trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

BenQ Corporation (“BenQ” or the “Company”) today announces that it has sold a 31.55% equity stake in the Company’s affiliate, Airoha Technology Corp. (“Airoha”), to MediaTek Inc.(“MediaTek”) for NT$606 million in cash. Following this transaction, MediaTek will become the single largest shareholder of Airoha.Airoha Technology Corp. is a fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops and markets RF/mixed signal IC solutions for wireless applications. This strategic move will benefit BenQ, Airoha and MediaTek as the synergy it creates will provide a better platform for the development and integration of handset chipsets.

Samsung brings ultra HSDPA power to the palm of your hand
 Samsung Electronics, a leading provider and innovator of mobile phones, launches the Ultra Edition 13.8 (Model: SGH-Z720).

The Ultra Edition 13.8 (Z720) is the thinnest HSDPA slide-up mobile with a slim 13.8mm profile. It offers the latest multimedia features and the best of mobility in a fast and slender design.

Powered by High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) for data transmission speeds at 1.8 Mbps - up to six times faster than 3G UMTS technology – the Ultra Edition 13.8 (Z720 ) enables mobile users to access more files and provides greater fidelity for streaming video content.

The Ultra Edition 13.8 (Z720) weighs only 80 grams, extremely light for a HSDPA handset. The technology powerhouse comes packed with a 3 megapixel camera with auto focus for taking photos anytime and anyplace. The wide dimension of 104.5×51.3mm allows for a generous 2.1” QVGA display and also WAP 2.0 and HTML browsing capabilities are supported. In order to fully enjoy all of the 3G benefits, the Ultra Edition 13.8 (Z720) also includes a second camera for video telephony. The document viewer, voice memo and PIM features will keep even the busiest executive on top of their workload. Whether you use the Z720 for work or pleasure, this mobile phone is guaranteed to provide an enjoyable experience.

For convenience, the Ultra Edition 13.8 (Z720 ) supports microSD external memory and is equipped with Bluetooth ® and USB connectivity. The Ultra Edition 13.8 (Z720) also supports Samsung’s newest uGo and uTrack interfaces. The uGo interface automatically responds to the user’s environment and displays a city landmark of where you are located, adjusts the picture to represent day or night, and adjusts the time to reflect user’s location automatically. The uTrack interface sends an SMS message to a predetermined number to alert the user of changes in the mobile ‘ s SIM card, as well as the location to increases the chances of recovering a lost or stolen phone.

In addition, the Ultra Edition 13.8 (Z720) is the first mobile handset from Samsung installed with Googleâ„¢ mobile search and Gmailâ„¢(Google Mail) which enables consumers to search for information, and manage their emails on the move. It includes a Google icon in the application menu, offering one-click access to Google search.

“The demand for quick data services and multimedia needs will continue to increase in the mobile industry. Samsung is showing the commitment in bringing the best mobile handsets that will lead the HSDPA market and the mobile industry into the future with the release of the Z720,” said Kitae Lee, President of Samsung’s Telecommunication Network Business. “Samsung will continue to put heavy emphasis on creating mobiles that are not only powerful in features, but beautiful to look at.”

Samsung’s Ultra Edition 13.8 (Z720) has been launched in major European countries this month and will soon be available throughout Europe.

The Ultra Edition 13.8 (Z720) Specification
Standard  GSM / GPRS (900/1800/1900MHz) + EDGE + UMTS + HSDPA
 
Camera  3 Megapixel Camera + VGA Dual Camera (AF / 3x Zoom)
 
Display  2.1” 240×340 262K Color TFT LCD 
 
Features  Video Recording & Messaging (MPEG4 / H.263 )
 
 MP3/ AAC / AAC+ / e-AAC+ / WMA
 
 Digital Power Amp
 
 Bluetooth® / USB 
 
 Document Viewer / Google Search / Google Mail (Gmail) 
 
 Speakerphone / Offline Mode / uTrack / uGo 
 
 MircroSD external memory
 
Size  104.5 x 51.3 x 13.8 mm 
 
Weight  80 g
 
* Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced that it has developed the industry’s first one gigabit (Gb) Mobile DRAM (dynamic random access memory) for mobile products, using 80nm process technology.

The new chip, also known as low-power DDR (double data rate) or synchronous DRAM , will be more cost effective than other high density mobile solutions and used for a wide range of advanced handset applications as well as for digital still cameras, portable media players and portable gaming products.

The monolithic 1Gb Mobile DRAM is a highly competitive choice for mobile applications over the double-die stack, 1Gb memory solution widely used today, as the electric current in the new chip drops a full 30 percent.

The new 1Gb Mobile DRAM chip uses the same packaging technique as the 512Mb double-die stack 1Gb package, however it introduces a new temperature-sensing feature. This new temperature-compensated, self-refresh feature maximizes the self-refresh cycle to reduce power drain in standby mode by 30 percent over conventional memory chip designs.

Also offering a more compact form factor, the new 1Gb Mobile DRAM chip is at least 20 percent thinner than a multi-stack package of 512Mb dies, allowing a single high-density package solution of 1.5Gb or even 2Gb Mobile DRAM memory, for which market demand is expected to grow in 2007. One 1Gb mobile DRAM also can be combined with Flash memory in multi-chip packaging including package-on-package designs.

Samsung plans to mass produce the new device beginning in the second quarter of 2007 at a time when demand for high-density 1Gb mobile DRAM is expected to be very high.

Motorola today announced availability of the PrPMC6001, the company’s fastest Processor PMC module. The PrPMC6001 is designed to enable original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to boost their platform compute and I/O performance while maintaining excellent power and thermal characteristics.

The power and versatility of Motorola’s PrPMC6001 may enable engineers that are designing leading-edge pervasive computing and embedded network control and signal processing applications, such as flight computers, software defined radio, and command, control and communications systems, to quickly and easily add processing power.

Featuring a Freescale MPC7448 PowerPC® G4 architecture processor running at speeds of up to 1.4 GHz, the PrPMC6001 uses an integrated system controller to give the processor high-speed access to up to one GB of external memory with Motorola support and up to 256MB of flash memory. The PrPMC6001 features dual independent Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, one of which has optional SerDes support, routed to the PMC connector. It supports both real-time and Linux operating systems for enhanced customer flexibility.

This latest module extends Motorola’s embedded communications computing product portfolio, which ranges from individual blade and module building blocks through fully integrated and validated communications servers. Motorola gives customers the flexibility to integrate its products at the appropriate level for their solution.

PrPMC6001 features

• Single-width PMC (PCI Mezzanine Card)
• Freescale MPC7448 PowerPC® G4 architecture processor operating at up to 1.4GHz
• Up to 1GB ECC DDR SDRAM
• Dual GigE interface
• Up to 133 MHz PCI-X interface
• PTMC compliant P4 connector
• Supports VxWorks 5.5 and 5.5.1, certain carrier grade Linux distributions and kernel.org 2.6.10

Hot on the heels of a new partnership with Nintendo to offer the Opera Web browser for the Wii game console, Opera has announced plans to put its browser on Samsung phones.

For a browser that has a small footprint, Opera Mobile packs a lot of features, including two rendering modes (”Fit To Screen” and “Desktop Display”); small buttons and scrollbars that leave space for a Web site’s content; and a customizable homepage that has a built-in search bar plus a list of the user’s 10 favorite Web sites.

But that’s just the start. Opera Mobile offers keypad shortcuts that users can customize; an autocomplete function for URLs; smooth scrolling; and the unique ability to open as many as four windows at once, jumping between them in the same way that users of Opera’s desktop browser can switch between open tabs. Each window can have its own display settings, including custom zoom.

Small Screens

But the best-known feature in Opera Mobile is Small Screen Rendering, in which a full-sized Web page is sliced up and pared down to fit in a phone’s tiny window. The feature is not unique to Opera, but it’s a feature that Opera is known for.

“There’s debate as to whether reformatting approaches is a good approach or a bad approach,” said Avi Greengart, a handset expert with research firm Current Analysis. “It’s sort of a love it or hate kind of thing. But in terms of reformatting, Opera does it as well as anyone,” he said.

Opera Mobile also filters content through Opera’s servers, which compress the content’s behind-the-scenes code before sending it to a user’s handset. The compression leads to faster browsing and lower monthly bills for customers whose phone companies charge them by the amount of bandwidth they use.

Mobile v. Mini

Opera Mobile is one of two Opera browsers for cell phones. The second, Opera Mini, is a Java-based browser for cell phones that don’t come with a browser preinstalled.

Opera Mini itself is no pared-down piece of software. It lets users upload photos from their cell phones directly to their blogs or social-networking sites like MySpace and Flickr. A built-in RSS tool lets users gather and read news on the go, and secure connections make banking, buying, and using e-mail much safer.

As with all things Opera, there’s more, of course. The Mini offers smooth scrolling, bookmarks, skins to let users customize its look, and a built-in multisearch feature that lets users send a query to Google, Google News, the BBC, Technorati (a blog search engine), Dictionary.com, Weather Underground, and half a dozen other sites, ensuring Opera a top slot in the mobile browser market for months — or even years — to come.

Zi Corporation, a leading provider of intelligent interface solutions, today announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with ACCESS Systems Americas, Inc. (formerly PalmSource, Inc.) to pre-integrate eZiText predictive text technology and Decuma handwriting recognition technology into the ACCESS Linux Platform. ACCESS is a global company providing leading technology, software products, and platforms for web browsing, mobile phones, wireless handhelds and other networked devices.

Under the terms of the agreement, ACCESS has chosen to pre-integrate Zi Corporation’s eZiText and Decuma technologies into the ACCESS Linux Platform, the Company’s fully integrated, open, flexible and commercial grade Linux-based platform designed for smartphones and mobile devices. This pre-integration is expected to accelerate the introduction of devices that incorporate Zi technology while providing a vehicle for ACCESS’ thriving third party developer community to leverage eZiText in their applications targeted for devices based on the ACCESS Linux Platform.

Milos Djokovic, President and CEO of Zi Corporation said today: “This agreement has strategic significance for Zi as the ACCESS Linux Platform will open up new business channels and expand our reach in the smartphone and wireless device markets.”

Zi will receive unit license fees from OEM’s for eZiText or Decuma-enabled devices on the ACCESS Linux Platform.

With over 400,000 registered third party developers, ACCESS enjoys one of the most loyal and productive development communities in the world. As the ACCESS Linux Platform is rolled out, this developer base is expected to grow as Linux developers begin leveraging the open nature of the ACCESS Linux Platform and begin creating new applications for the mobile market.

“Zi provides world-class technology and ACCESS is dedicated to providing a complete, ready-to-go, carrier-class Linux platform for its licensees.” said Larry Berkin, Senior Director - Developer Ecosystem & Technology Acquisition, ACCESS. “We are looking forward to providing user-friendly services such as those from Zi that make life-on-the-go easier.”

About ACCESS

ACCESS and NetFront are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACCESS CO., LTD. in Japan and other countries.

PalmSource, Palm OS, Palm Powered and certain other trade names, trademarks and logos are trademarks which may be registered in the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and other countries and are either owned by PalmSource, Inc. or its affiliates, or are licensed by PalmSource, Inc. from Palm Trademark Holding Company, LLC. These marks may not be used in connection with any product or service that does not belong to PalmSource, Inc. (except as expressly permitted by a license with PalmSource, Inc.), in any manner that is likely to cause confusion among customers, or in any manner that disparages or discredits PalmSource, Inc., its licensor, its subsidiaries or affiliates.

The registered trademark LINUX^® is owned by Linus Torvalds, owner of the mark in the U.S. and other countries, and licensed exclusively to the Linux Mark Institute.

ACCESS Linux Platform is a codename subject to change upon release of the final product without prior notice, in the sole discretion of ACCESS Co. Ltd., ACCESS Systems Americas, Inc. or the applicable third party. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Zi Corporation

Zi Corporation (www.zicorp.com) is a technology company that delivers intelligent interface solutions to enhance the user experience of wireless and consumer technologies. The company provides device manufacturers and network operators with a full range of intuitive and easy-to-use input solutions, including: eZiTypeâ„¢ for keyboard prediction with auto-correction; eZiText for one-touch predictive text entry; Decuma for predictive pen-input handwriting recognition; and the Qixâ„¢ search and service discovery engine to enhance the user experience and drive service usage and adoption. Zi’s product portfolio dramatically improves the usability of mobile phones, PDAs, gaming consoles and television set-top boxes and the applications on them including SMS, MMS, e-mail and Internet browsing. Zi supports its strategic partners and customers from offices in Asia, Europe and North America. A publicly traded company, Zi Corporation is listed on the Nasdaq National Market (ZICA) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (ZIC).

Today Microsoft® and Amoi Electronics unveiled four new Microsoft Windows Mobile® 5.0 based smartphones running the Texas Instruments OMAPV1030 EDGE chipset. Amoi Electronics is the first device maker to launch smartphones based on this lower-cost, high-performance chipset architecture, previously only available for feature phones, and intends to offer these devices at lower price points than ever seen before in the China market.Previously, smartphones running on a robust operating system such as Microsoft Windows Mobile required a more expensive dual-core chipset to power the rich user interface, data networking and additional personal and business applications. This new single-core solution achieves through higher levels of integration, more aggressive process technology and better system partitioning, and offers significant costs savings on the total bill of materials.

As a result of the reduced costs, users can look forward to lower price points. The first of the four smartphones, the Amoi E72, is expected to sell at a price below RMB2,000 (US$250). This is the lowest price ever for a Windows Mobile 5.0-powered smartphone in China.

Available in various form factors ¨C slider, candy bar, or with QWERTY keyboard ¨C these Windows Mobile-powered smartphones include the Messaging and Security Feature Pack for Windows Mobile 5.0, which support Microsoft Direct Push Technology. This provides busy mobile professionals with always-on access to up-to-date information in their email, calendar, tasks and contacts in real-time, helping them to stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues. These phones also come equipped with powerful security features such as remote device wipe and rich-security encryption features which ensure the safety of important business information.

With the lower price point, the Amoi devices still have many of the same entertainment features of other Windows Mobile-based smartphones. These light-weight and slim devices offer music and video capabilities in a familiar experience with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile. With Bluetooth 1.2 support, users can conduct over-the-air synchronization of data with their desktops as well as enjoy stereo-quality music on their Bluetooth stereo headsets. The Amoi smartphones also offer digital cameras (up to 2 mega pixel) that can also shoot video , and the high-quality color screens enhance the viewing of video clips while on the go.  Internet Explorer is also offered on all of the new Amoi smartphones for a rich internet browsing experience.

According to a report by Analysys , the smartphone market in China is expected to grow at 50 per cent over the next three years, with sales volumes anticipated to reach 17.64 million in 2008. This growth has been driven by increased user awareness, converged devices, better designs, the enrichment of third-party applications, and the popularity of high-speed wireless connectivity.

“We strongly believe in the potential of a mass market for smartphones in China as well as other developed and developing markets in the world.” said Mr. Li Xiaozhong, President of Amoi Electronics, Co., Ltd. “Our partnership with Microsoft and Texas Instruments has allowed us to offer the Windows Mobile smartphone experience at lower price points than ever before.”

“We are very excited to be a part of the innovation that Amoi and Texas Instruments brought to this new line of lower-cost smartphones,¡± said Pieter Knook, Senior Vice President, Mobile Embedded Devices and Communications Sector, Microsoft Corp.  ¡°The lower price points will help us extend availability of advanced features like email, streaming video or mobile services to a wider segment of customers enabling them to work or play wherever and whenever they want.¡±

High-performance application processing at cost-effective prices
The OMAPV1030 GSM/GPRS/EDGE solution was developed to bring advanced multimedia features to mainstream mobile phones. The design expands on TI’s proven GSM/GPRS/EDGE technology and leverages TI’s advanced 90nm digital process technology to enable handset manufacturers to reduce costs and speed time-to-market. The OMAPV1030 solution runs both modem and applications processing on a single OMAPTM core, ensuring a high-quality mobile multimedia experience. The combination of the ARM9 and TI Digital Signal Processor (DSP) improves performance while reducing costs and power consumption, resulting in longer battery life and usage times for an optimal user experience. The OMAP-Vox platform is designed to maximize software re-use driving overall development costs down, to provide a natural and affordable roadmap to next-generation standards.

“TI remains committed to delivering open solutions that foster development of lower-cost Smartphones. Our OMAP-Vox platform was architected with the mainstream consumer in mind to deliver a high-quality, multimedia experience,” said Richard Kerslake, Worldwide General Manager, 3G and OMAP Business, Texas Instruments. “Leveraging our robust OMAPV1030 processor and Bluetooth technology, as well as Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software, Amoi is delivering personal entertainment and communication capabilities to the masses.”

Availability
These devices will be commercially available in China by December 2006 - January 2007. Prices for the E75, E76 and E78 will be announced at a later date.

Next-Generation Headset Combines Advanced, Award-Winning Technology and Industrial Design for Clearer, More Comfortable Conversations

Noise is nothing with the new Jawbone Bluetooth headset, which is available exclusively from Cingular Wireless–just in time for the holidays.

Aliph, a leading developer of mobile audio products that deliver exceptional quality in any environment, and Cingular Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless carrier, today introduced the new Jawbone headset for Bluetooth mobile phones. Jawbone^â„¢ is the first adaptive Bluetooth headset with Noise Shield^® technology, which virtually eliminates background noise so calls are clearer. Jawbone’s audio performance is further enhanced by an award-winning design by internationally acclaimed product designer Yves Béhar, which maximizes comfort and functional simplicity.

Ambient noise is often an issue with many headsets and can make conversations difficult in noisier environments. The Jawbone Bluetooth headset with Noise Shield technology uses an advanced, military-grade noise-canceling system that continuously adapts to users’ changing environments to deliver unparalleled audio quality.

The Noise Shield technology was originally developed by Aliph for DARPA (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to enhance communications in the most hostile and rugged environments. This technology includes an intelligent system of sensors and software, which continuously adjusts—at a rate of 500 times per second—to improve audio quality based on what it knows about the environment. In doing this, the Jawbone headset will:

1. Identify and isolate your speech: Jawbone is the only headset that has a proprietary voice activity sensor. Its ability to determine precisely when you are speaking is what drives the headset’s superior sound quality. Unlike other headsets, Jawbone can easily separate your speech from other sounds nearby.
2. Subtract the unwanted noise: Jawbone’s proprietary software continuously samples the sounds in your environment, and then subtracts those sounds from your speech signal. This allows you to speak normally in any environment while still being heard clearly when placing calls.
3. Automatically enhance your audio: Jawbone constantly adapts, allowing you to hear your caller better by boosting the frequencies that increase voice intelligibility to stand out over your environment.

“We endeavored to build the first headset all users will actually want to wear,” said Hosain Rahman, Aliph CEO and co-founder. “We’ve always led the industry from a technology perspective, now we’ve integrated that adaptive technology into a Bluetooth headset that is simple, intuitive, and easy to use – the total product experience has been designed around how consumers actually use wearable technology. As an innovator in wireless communications, Cingular is the perfect partner to bring the new Jawbone to market.”

“Jawbone is the first Bluetooth headset that adjusts and optimizes both incoming and outgoing sound so you can conquer the problems of a noisy, unpredictable world,” said David Christopher, Vice President, Product Management, Cingular Wireless. “Today’s consumers may often find themselves having conversations in less than ideal environments. With Jawbone, our customers can now make phone calls comfortably in high-traffic, high noise locations. We are pleased to be the first wireless carrier worldwide to bring this unique, best-in-class product to market.”

Jawbone has a perforated shield that curves to match the outline of the face, while the soft and smooth underside provides a comfortable feel on the skin. Only 14 grams, Jawbone feels very light on the head and can be worn on either ear. Earloops in four different sizes and shapes ensure a customized fit and feel while also maximizing stability on the ear.

“With Jawbone, we set out to transform a technology product into a personal accessory,” said Yves Béhar, who joined Aliph as vice president and creative director while continuing to lead fuseproject, the San Francisco-based design studio he founded. “Jawbone’s ergonomic and clean design enhances all aspects of the product experience: visual, tactile and auditory.”

The Jawbone Bluetooth headset was awarded an International CES Innovations Design and Engineering Award and an iF Product Design Award. An earlier generation of the Jawbone headset was honored with the 2005 CES Innovations Award, the BusinessWeek Industrial Design Excellence Award, and a DEMOgod(tm) award from the DEMO industry conference group in 2004. The first version of Jawbone has also been exhibited at both the New York Museum of Modern Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Jawbone is currently available exclusively at select Cingular Wireless retail stores nationwide for $119.99 and is compatible with all Bluetooth-enabled handsets. Consumers can also visit www.jawbone.com.

About Aliph
Aliph was founded in 1999 by Alex Asseily and Hosain Rahman, two young engineering entrepreneurs who met as Stanford undergrads. The pair shared a belief that voice would be the dominant interface for mobile devices and that creating a noise-free environment was critical to delivering an improved mobile communications experience. Aliph is committed to ensuring that mobile users have the best possible experience anywhere, anytime. Since 2002, Aliph’s technology has been optimized for DARPA to maximize communications clarity in the most hostile conditions. Aliph’s first consumer product, the Jawbone headset, debuted in 2004 to critical acclaim for its marriage of performance, design and comfort. Headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., Aliph is funded by private investors and the Mayfield fund. For more information about Jawbone, please go to www.jawbone.com.

About Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 58.7 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE: BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation — the ALLOVER^â„¢ network — and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover^®, the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com. Get Cingular Wireless press releases emailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com.

Nokia has won a major GSM/GPRS/EDGE network expansion contract from leading Russian operator MegaFon that will see it deliver both radio and core equipment as well as a range of services, helping MegaFon deliver advanced mobile solutions to its fast-growing subscriber base. The value of the agreement is over EUR 320 million, and equipment deliveries have already begun.