1.31.2009
Nokia N97 Designer's Story
A unique look at the inspiration behind the development of the forthcoming Nokia N97.
Nokia N97 Updated Demo Video
Catch the latest version of the N97 UI demo - there's a new weather widget on the homescreen and a few new movements.
1.30.2009
Nokia Audio Smileys Application
Audio Smileys is a cute little application that allows you to play funny sounds to express your feelings. It is mostly targeted for youngsters, but of course, anyone can use it for fooling around with friends, or pulling pranks at co-workers. Once launched, just press keys 1...9 on your keypad to play the sound. In addition, you can create your own audio smileys with the built-in audio smiley editor.
Should work on all* latest Nokia devices based on S60 or Series 40, with traditional keypad. Partially works on devices with QWERTY-keypad (only the center key can play sounds). Does not work on touch screen devices.
* = requires Java version CLDC-1.1 and MIDP-2.0.
Known issues:
* Series 40: when key is pressed, wait for the sound to end before pressing another key. Phone may freeze or crash if keys are pressed too fast.
* Volume bar at the bottom might not be entirely visible with some phone models.
* About picture customization:
Some S60 phones cannot load pictures of more than 400kB.
Series 40 phones cannot usually load pictures of more than 30kB.
* Performance depends on the phone model
Click here to go to:
Nokia Beta Labs Download Site
1.28.2009
1.12.2009
LG Announces 3G Touch Watch Phone at CES 2009
LG Electronics, a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, has officially unveiled the world’s first market-ready Touch Watch Phone (Model: LG-GD910) with 3G Video Telephony (VT) service and GSM Quadband Network capabilities.
This chic, wearable phone is a follow-up to the prototype that LG introduced at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2008 and includes a number of upgrades, including a full touchscreen interface, 3G capabilities and video calling. Most importantly, this watch phone will actually be available for purchase.
“Our new 3G Touch Watch Phone is stylish, sophisticated and the height of technology, but it’s also undeniably fun. How else can you reenact those scenes from your favorite sci-fi or spy movie?” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The Watch Phone also demonstrates LG’s technological leadership, proving that we can bring all the components in today’s most advanced mobile phones down to a very small scale.”
At first glance, LG’s new Watch Phone appears to simply be a high-end timepiece. The company used materials and stylistic elements found in watches from top manufacturers to ensure that people will be comfortable wearing it for any occasion. The Watch Phone has a curved tempered glass face, high quality metal casing and is a mere 13.9mm thick.
The Watch Phone is as technologically advanced as it is stylish. It is the first touch watch phone in the world to feature 7.2 Mbps 3G HSDPA compatibility, enabling high-speed data transmission and video phone calls using the built-in camera.
LG did not sacrifice functionality in favor of size and the Watch Phone is fully capable of sending text messages, making phone calls, and, of course, keeping accurate time. This is all achieved using the phone’s touchscreen interface on its 3.63cm (1.43-inch) screen and LG’s intuitive Flash Interface.
Voice recognition features, which can be used with or without a Bluetooth headset, make it easier to place calls and look up contacts. Text to Speech (TTS) reads text messages and other information out loud for even greater convenience. The phone also includes stereo Bluetooth and a built-in speaker for playing back music files. A large phonebook and scheduler help with organization.
“This Watch Phone is the result of a great deal of research and development, something that is very important to us at LG. We will continue to invest in creating innovative new products and technologies like this and setting trends in the mobile phone industry,” Dr. Ahn said.
The 3G Touch Watch Phone will be first unveiled at the CES 2009, being held in Las Vegas from January 8 to 11. At the show, LG will demonstrate some of the Watch Phone’s main features including its Flash Interface, MP3 player, Voice Calling, Text messaging and Text to Speech. The phone is set to go on sale in Europe sometime in 2009.
1.11.2009
Barack Obama Endorsement for Blackberry Worth $50 Million?
From a New York Times article:This week, Michael Phelps signed a deal worth more than $1 million to advertise Mazda in China. Jerry Seinfeld earned a reported $10 million to appear in Microsoft’s recent television campaign.
But the person who may be the biggest celebrity pitchman in the world is not earning a penny for his work.
President-elect Barack Obama has repeatedly said how much his BlackBerry means to him and how he is dreading the prospect of being forced to give it up, because of legal and security concerns, once he takes office.
“I’m still clinging to my BlackBerry,” Mr. Obama said Wednesday in an interview with CNBC and The New York Times. “They’re going to pry it out of my hands.”
What could the “BlackBerry president” charge for his plugs of the device if he were not a public servant? More than $25 million, marketing experts say, and maybe as much as $50 million.
“This would be almost the biggest endorsement deal in the history of endorsements,” said Doug Shabelman, the president of Burns Entertainment, which arranges deals between celebrities and companies. “He’s consistently seen using it and consistently in the news arguing — and arguing with issues of national security and global welfare — how he absolutely needs this to function on a daily basis.”
Mr. Obama is an ideal marketing representative, other agents say — popular, constantly in the news and explicit about his attachment to the product.
“You always want the celebrity to be a good fit with your brand, and is anybody considered a better communicator right now than Barack Obama, or a better networker?” said Fran Kelly, the chief executive of the advertising agency Arnold Worldwide, who estimated that an endorsement by Mr. Obama would be worth $25 million. “It couldn’t have a better spokesperson.”
Mr. Shabelman put the value even higher, at $50 million or more, because the endorsement is worldwide.
“The worth to a company to have the president always talking about a BlackBerry and how it absolutely is a necessity to keep in touch with reality?” he said. “Think about how far the company has come if they’re able to say, ‘The president has to have this to keep in touch.’ ”
The maker of the BlackBerry, Research in Motion, recently introduced advertising campaigns and products like the touch-screen Storm that are meant to position BlackBerry as not just a business device but a consumer product like the iPhone. The company, which declined to comment on Mr. Obama’s enthusiasm for its product, also struck a sponsorship deal with John Mayer, a popular guitarist but hardly the leader of the free world.
“The most powerful man in the country is saying, at this moment, basically, I can’t live without mine,” Lori Sale, the head of artist marketing at the agency Paradigm, which pairs actors like Adrien Brody and Katherine Heigl with advertisers. “It represents their now complete and final crossover to a device that people adore.”
Ms. Sale said that Mr. Obama had essentially participated in what is called a satellite media tour for BlackBerry by discussing the product with reporters. Just a single day of a media tour, “with the most A-list of A-list of A-list, would probably be 10 to 15 million dollars,” she said.
That he is not paid to promote BlackBerry is even better for R.I.M. “What makes it even more valuable than that is how authentic it is,” she said.
Mr. Kelly said the endorsement went both ways: while Mr. Obama was doing a lot for BlackBerry, BlackBerry had helped Mr. Obama’s image by making his message seem more relevant.
“The BlackBerry anecdotes are a huge part of Obama’s brand reputation,” he said. “It positions him as one of us: he’s got friends and family and people to communicate with us, just like all of us. And it positions him as a next-generation politician.”
Inevitably, perhaps, marketing executives dream about creating an ad featuring the president-elect, something Gene Liebel, a partner in the Brooklyn agency Huge, said would be a “fantasy assignment.”
Asked what tagline he might use for the campaign, Mr. Liebel repeated one his employees had thought up: “If Blagojevich can pick my replacement, I can pick my device.”
R. Vann Graves, the chief creative officer of the UniWorld Group, suggested a campaign showing Mr. Obama in the Oval Office. “In the foreground, you have the desk, but instead of having the proverbial red phone, you have a red BlackBerry,” Mr. Graves said, with the tagline “Shot Caller.”
Matt Reinhard, the executive creative director of DDB Los Angeles, suggested Apple try to steal Mr. Obama away from BlackBerry as a spokesman for the iPhone.
The message could be, “It’s time for change,” Mr. Reinhard said.
source
1.10.2009
Sony Ericsson Announces the C510 Cyber-shot and Introduces Smile Shutter Technology
Sony Ericsson today announces its first mobile phone with Smile Shutter technology, wrapped up in its most affordable Cyber-shot phone to date; the C510 Cyber-shot. The Smile Shutter technology will also be added to the 8.1 megapixel camera phone C905 Cyber-shot, launched in November 2008.
Las Vegas, USA – January 7, 2009 – Sony Ericsson today introduces the beautifully simple C510 Cyber-shot, its most affordable Cyber-shot phone to date, and an application upgrade to the C905 Cyber-shot™ phone, currently at the top of the charts across the globe.
The Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot portfolio has topped 32 million handsets sales worldwide demonstrating Sony Ericsson’s market leadership in bringing exciting new camera phone technology to consumers around the world.
The C510 Cyber-shot will make Sony Ericsson’s camera phone experience accessible to even more consumers and markets worldwide.
C510 Cyber-shot
More consumers can now enjoy the Cyber-shot experience, without compromising on quality. Sony Ericsson continues to push design and innovation, as well as work with the best partners in the industry, to provide existing consumers and consumers in new markets the chance to enjoy the benefits of mobile photography.
The accessible C510 Cyber-shot handset is jammed packed with the highest quality imaging technology and encased in a stylish handset design expected from Sony Ericsson.
Beautifully simple C510 Cyber-shot features include:
* Reliable 3.2 megapixel Cyber-shot camera
* Smile Shutter – clever technology that detects a person’s smile and immediately takes the photo!
* Face Detection – focusing technology of up to three faces at a time
* Auto-rotation – alter the landscape and portrait view by rotating the mobile phone
* Snapfish by HP – pre-installed application allows users to send print orders from the phone to Snapfish and have quality photo prints delivered to their homes.
* YouTube enabled – upload your videos and images straight to the web
* Photo Fix – adjust light balance, brightness and contrast simultaneously
* SMS conversation style – see your entire SMS conversation history at a glance
* Slide in lens cover and illuminated imaging Shortcuts
* Auto focus – take the best shot
“We have been leaders and innovators in the camera phone segment since the company was started,” said Sven Totté, Head of Imaging Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “Now we are delighted to unveil the C510 Cyber-shot, our most accessible Cyber-shot phone to date which includes a host of new features normally found on more premium phones. Features like Smile-Shutter, YouTube integration and Snapfish by HP integration make the C510 Cyber-shot a really fun mobile phone to use. This phone will enable us to engage new markets and consumers to our Cyber-shot phone experience.”
C905 Cyber-shot upgrade
The fantastic C905 Cyber-shot phone is now even better thanks to new software announced today by Sony Ericsson. The 8.1 megapixel camera phone has received tremendous feedback across the globe.
This upgrade is designed to add extra value to a consumer’s camera phone experience, and make a fantastic product even better. Consumers who already own a C905 Cyber-shot™ phone can easily download the new applications from mid-February 2009 at www.sonyericsson.com.
Capture the spontaneous moments in life with the C905 Cyber-shot upgrade, which features:
* Smile Shutter
* YouTube
* WayFinder 8
* Snapfish by HP – high quality, best value prints. Place print orders directly from the mobile phone – no memory cards, cables or offload needed
* SMS/MMS conversation style - users can switch between the generic inbox or conservation chat where the entire message chain is presented at a glance.
Also announced today is a new colour of C905 Cyber-shot, Tender Rose, available from Q1 2009 in selected markets and IM502, a new camera phone tripod, available in stores now.
The C510 Cyber-shot supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSPA 850/1900/2100. C510 Cyber-shot will be available in selected markets from Q1in the colours Future Black and Radiation Silver.
Sony Ericsson Announces W508 Walkman Phone
Enjoy music the way you want it with the W508 Walkman phone. Consumers can have the most interactive mobile experience as individual as they are, with clever technology such as Shake and Gesture control, SenseMe and TrackID, as well as one extra Style-Up cover with the W508.
“The W508 Walkman phone builds on our iconic Walkman range and the successful W380.” said Alexandre Cardon, Global Product Marketing Manager (music) at Sony Ericsson. “For those who like to express their style and individuality through their mobile phone we’ve brought our creative design team in to design stylish changeable covers so that W508 offers a truly interactive and individual experience.”
Shake control and Gesture control allows you to become your own DJ with just a flick of your wrist – raise the volume or set the shuffle function by giving your phone a quick shake. Is that alarm getting to you? Switch it to snooze or mute the volume with a sweep of your palm without having to fumble for the off button.
The W508 also includes popular Walkman features such as SensMe, for matching your mood to the music and touch keys on top to play, stop and skip tracks. A 3.2 megapixel camera, HSDPA and 1GB M2 card completes the W508 offering for any trend setter.
Can’t get that song out of your head but have no idea what it’s called? Use TrackID with text search and you’ll have the answer at a touch of a button. Also available on the W508 is PlayNow arena which provides a full range of mobile entertainment downloadable from your handset - unique themes and wallpapers, traditional and specially developed ringtones and music tones, a wealth of free content and of course DRM-free music tracks and TrackID charts from around the world.
The new W508 Walkman
Walkman my style
* One extra Style-Up cover in the box – change your mobile phone with your mood
* Walkman player
* HSDPA – download content quickly with a faster web experience
* Touch music keys on top – switch tracks the easy way
* TrackID with text search – find your favourite songs in seconds
* PlayNow arena – customise your mobile phone with unique ringtones and wallpapers
* Shake control– skip through your tracks with a flick of the hand
* Gesture control - Move your hand above the W508 to mute an incoming call or put the alarm clock on snooze without touching it.
The W508 Walkman supports HSDPA 2100 and EDGE 850/900/1800/1900. The W508a supports HSDPA 850/1900/2100 and EDGE 850/900/1800/1900. W508 Walkman will be available in selected markets from Q2 in the colours Metal Grey and Poetic White.
Sony Ericsson Announces W715 Walkman Phone for Vodafone
Sony Ericsson announces that soon Vodafone customers will be able to use the GPS enabled W715 Walkman phone to make the most of location-based services. Aside from turn-by-turn pedestrian or driving navigation available using Vodafone Find&Go, customers will be able to find their nearest restaurants, hotels or shopping centres all within a few clicks on their new mobile phone.
The W715 Walkman phone features the same superior sound quality as the W980 Walkman phone, which was rated ‘best audio experience’ in independent tests*. On the top of premium music experience with crystal clear sound, the W715 includes popular Walkman features such as the music recognition application TrackID, SensMe for matching your mood to the music, and Shake Control to change tracks with the flick of a wrist. All this provides for a premium Music experience, fully integrated with Vodafone Music, allowing easy access to single and album downloads.
‘"The W715 is another exciting exclusive for Vodafone customers. The seamless integration with Vodafone’s Music services, such as single or full album download, provides for a great overall experience on our fast and reliable network. With fully integrated GPS and Vodafone Find&Go, this phone is offering a very attractive feature set in a combination we know customers are asking for more and more", said Patrick Chomet, Global Director of Terminals at Vodafone.
‘We are continuing to progress the music capability on our phones’, added Peter Marsden, Head of GCU Vodafone at Sony Ericsson, ‘and the W715 Walkman phone is a great way to support Vodafone Music, plus its dedicated key to location-based services simply highlights its ease of use – all making for a great user experience.’
The W715 Walkman phone is much more than a music phone. Its metal finish combines with a large screen in an elegant and compact slider for a professional feel. The inclusion of a 3.2 Megapixel camera and Wi-Fi connectivity allows users to snap photos of friends, and quickly upload them to social networking sites for all to see.
The Vodafone exclusive Sony Ericsson W715 Walkman phone will be available in Galactic Black, and Luxury Silver. Country availability will be announced in due course.
The new W715 Walkman phone
* Award-winning clear audio experience – listen to music as it was meant to be heard
* aGPS increases the precision of location-based services (LBS)
* Vodafone Find&Go navigation service – a complete mobile navigation experience
* Desktop direct search to online music – go online for the best songs and most popular videos on YouTube
* Wi-Fi and DLNA certified – connect the way you want
* Shake Control – switch tracks and control the volume with the flick of a wrist
* SensMe – create playlists based on mood, rather than artists or genres
* Large 2.4-inch screen – view websites and emails with high clarity
* Auto rotate – switch from portrait to landscape with just a tilt of the phone
* Google Maps for Mobile
* 3.2 Megapixel camera – snap and share your favourite images via Bluetooth
* FM radio with TrackID – listen to the radio while on the move
* Option for 4GB memory card – store up to 3,900 songs
The W715 supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSPA 900/2100. The W715 will be available in selected markets, in the colours Galactic Black, and Luxury Silver - countries and details of specific music and navigation applications, to be announced locally during Q1 (January-March) 2009.
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