Nokia N97 Mini Oakley edition marks its debut at the Olympics
Perhaps we missed that while watching the Olympics coverage but apparently Nokia used Olympics to release the limited version of their handsets. 200 limited edition Nokia N97 mini handsets were produced by the Finnish company in collaboration with Oakley, which were given to Oakley sponsored athletes.
The specialty of these phones is the Oakley Thunderbird laser-etched on their backs. Thunderbird is a logo created specially for the Olympics. The Nokia N97 mini Oakley edition differs from the original Nokia N97 mini by the preloaded content.
Windows mobile launches Opera Mini 5 beta
Windows mobile has launched the native version of Opera Mini. Earlier, WinMo users needed Java support but that has changed for good.
Opera decide to go the other way after Skype ditched support and development for their WinMo native app. Though Opera Mobile 10 beta has been there in the market for several months, the mini version becomes worth downloading owing to its several advantages. The specialty of Opera Mobile 10 beta is that its Java-based sibling compresses the data traffic by up to 90 percent resulting in zippier page loading and lower browsing costs.
This version is identical to the Java-based version released in beta, late last year. With features like Speed Dial homescreen, password management, tabbed browsing and support for Opera Link, it unifies users’ mobile bookmarks and features with those from their desktop Opera browsers.
On Windows Mobile 6.5 deviOpera Mobile 10 beta,ces, this browser is practically indistinguishable from the which was launched last November. This can be differentiated from its counterparts on the basis of their settings menu. Opera Mini has Opera Turbo server-side compression on at all times, and the user can select the quality of in-page images to alter the speed at which pages are loaded. An Opera Mobile user can turn Opera Turbo on and off as per the requirement and customize the level of zoom for page viewing.
Browsing speed gets significantly affected by Opera Turbo. Besides, Opera Software has also been claiming that it has the ability to compress the traffic by up to 90%, which not only lowers the expenses on pay-per-megabyte data plans but also speeds up the experience.
However it does not offer media support that Skyfire is known for on the Windows Mobile platform.
UTL introduces solar-powered handsets (Uganda)
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Uganda Telecom has introduced a solar-powered mobile phone in the market. The new phone is named Kasana, that runs on solar-powered mobile phone after an initial charging on electricity grid power. According to Uganda Telecom, it agreed an exclusive distribution deal for the phone with its designer ZTE. The handsets are manufactured from recycled materials and has a built-in solar panel that charges the phone using the sun’s rays. After an hour of exposure to the sun, the solar phone provides up to 12 hours of talk-time. It comes with a travel charger.
Vodafone and Swarovski join hands on Crystal Phone
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: According to the Austrian company, the fashion phone, called the Vodafone 533 Crystal (Crystal is part of Vodafone’s new “Catwalk Collection”), is crafted using a special coating to add brilliance to the Swarovski crystals. The handset comes with a crystal-inspired theme and animated start-up display. The phone features a 2.0-inch color screen, 1.3-megapixel CMOS camera, MP3 player, FM radio, Bluetooth and external memory slot. The price is not yet disclosed.
Zain launches the fourth generation of e-Go devices
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Zain, the leading mobile telecommunications company in Kuwait, launched the latest e-GO device shortly after it announced the highest mobile broadband speeds ever in the region which supports a download speed up to 21.6 Mbps by its network.
The company’s latest groundbreaking product is the first in the region to provide data transfer and internet connection services with the highest speed to reach up to 21.6Mbps.
Zain’s Kuwait CEO, Eng. Khalid AlHajeri said, “The new e-GO device is a unique device that supports broadband speed up to 21.6 Mbps.
He added the new e-GO device is the fourth generation of data & internet devices offered by Zain and that it is now available in all Zain branches through-out the country.
Nokia and Telecom Italia team up for Nokia Messaging
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Nokia and Telecom Italia have teamed up for bringing Nokia Messaging, an easy-to-use and convenient messaging service. The subscribers will be able to operate the Nokia Messaging push email service, from mid-Sept.
This agreement contributes to the evolution of the mobile phone that will increasingly be a tool to access one’s ecosystem of private, family and professional content. TIM believes in this evolution and wants to experience it alongside its customers,†stated Oscar Cicchetti, Head of Domestic Market in Telecom Italia.
With this service, Nokia and Telecom Italia join forces to drive mobile messaging adoption for their customers using Nokia solutions and Telecom Italia special data plans. We are glad to satisfy the growing consumer demand to access email accounts directly from the device whenever they want, wherever they are. The objective is to bring mobile email to everyone and make it easily accessible to the largest number of users possible,†explained Alessandro Mondini Branzi, General Manager, Nokia Italia.
Telecom Italia and Nokia have conformed to offer Nokia Messaging service with some 30 Nokia Symbian devices which include Nokia E75, Nokia E55, Nokia N97 alongside the Nokia E71 and Nokia N95 8GB. Users merely need to enter their email address and passwords in order to get emails pushed directly onto the homescreen of their mobile phones. With ease and comfort, users will be able to read, send, forward and reply to emails, read and attach files at the same time.
It is Predicted that Japanese Mobile Subscribers Will Reach 107.9 Million by the End of 2010
DUBLIN, Ireland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sept. 15, 2006–Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com) has announced the addition of Japanese Mobile Market Forecast 2003-2010 First Half 2006 to their offering.
This is a regular report published twice a year. The report presents an analysis of future trends in the Japanese mobile market as determined through an examination of issues in each category during the first half of 2006 (from January to June). In addition, it provides a prediction of Japan’s mobile market until 2010 in consideration of future market conditions, Japan’s economy, mobile handset regulations, the movement of players in the segment, and the future lifestyles of users. The report also presents an overview of the development of the market since 2000.
For this report, we conducted primary and secondary research on the mobile operators (including newcomers) in Japan as well as using our own research methodologies to forecast the developments in the Japanese mobile market from 2006 to 2010.
In the first half of 2006 (from January to June), Japanese mobile operators focused on enriching their handset line -ups as market competition intensified in the face of a strategic alliance between mobile operators TU – KA and au, and the upcoming introduction of Mobile Number Portability (MNP). In particular, NTT DoCoMo and au, which enjoyed dominant positions in the market as the first and second largest mobile operators, respectively, grappled with rising challenges from competitors in order to retain their users. In March 2006, Softbank, having received a mobile business license from the government, took over Vodafone, heralding another large change in the landscape of Japan’s mobile market. Softbank is poised to introduce mobile services through Vodafone in October of this year with the launch of MNP in Japan. Such drastic changes in the Japanese mobile market in 2006 created a new turning point in the development of the industry.
Up until 2001, the Japanese mobile market posted double – digit growth with a penetration rate hovering around 50%. However, in 2002, the market became saturated and the pace of growth slowed. In 2001, NTT DoCoMo introduced 3G services in the market. From that time until 2004, more than half of all mobile users migrated to 3G. Currently, Internet access and new provisions for content have become common and essential services, while becoming a larger share of data ARPU. Mobile handsets, which have been the important voice and data communications tool, have come to play an integral part in the everyday lives of the Japanese consumers.
According to this report, the total number of mobile subscribers will reach 96.6 million, with a penetration rate of 75.6% by the end of FY 2006 (ending March 2007 in Japan). The Japanese mobile industry is viewed as saturated and its growth rate is falling year by year. However, it faces a turning point as value -added services are being developed based on the improvement of high- end networks, newcomers are entering the market, and a new market for the business users is being created by the mobile operators.
Currently, the Japanese mobile market is driven by several factors. For example, since 2005, easy-to – use mobile handsets with limited features have been released, targeted at seniors, and in late 2005 and early 2006, handsets with designs and GPS functions suited to children gained in popularity. Additionally, NTT DoCoMo and au successfully appealed to new customer groups while promoting family subscriptions, and handsets and tariff plans tailored to business users were introduced in 2006.
At the same time, Willcom, a PHS (Personal Handyphone System) operator, has continued to perform robustly in 2006, following similar results in 2005. After reaching a peak in April 2002, PHS began to decline and the ser vice held a weak position in the market delivering services to niche and data card users. However, in February 2005, Willcom debuted and put vigorous efforts into increasing the number of Japanese PHS users to 4 million by June 2006. Now, more and more users are utilizing Willcom handsets as second handsets, as Willcom has implemented attractive flat rate services for both voice and data communications, and smartphone type handsets. In considering that Willcom is likely to continue its strong performances and that PHS will remain immune from the ripple effects of the upcoming introduction of MNP scheduled for the autumn of 2006, PHS services are expected to influence future trends in the Japanese mobile market.
This report forecasts that the number of Japanese mobile subscribers will record 4.03% in terms of CAGR from 2003 to 2010 and reach 107.9 million by the end of 2010, taking into account various changes in the Japanese mobile market.
Companies Mentioned Include:
- TU-KA
- au
- NTT DoCoMo
- Softbank
- Vodafone
- KDDI
- Willcom
- Fujitsu Limited
- Mitsubishi Electric
- Sharp
- Motorola
- Panasonic Mobile Communications
- NEC
- BB Mobile
- eMobile
- IP mobile
Source- http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060915/20060915005284.html?.v=1
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