The iPhone will launch in the UK on November 9 after an exclusive deal was announced today with O2.
O2 has signed a multi-year deal with Apple to carry the iPhone - the exact length is unknown - in exchange for 40% of iPhone revenue.
The iPhone will be sold direct by O2 and Apple, as well as by the Carphone Warehouse.
There were few surprises in the announcement. Some had predicted that Apple would not dare to release anything less than a 3G version, but they were disappointed. The European iPhone will be resolutely EDGE based, lumping us Brits with the same 2.5G version as our unlucky US cousins. However, in an attempt to soften the blow Apple announced that all iPhone users will get free WiFi access via The Cloud. Expect to see iPhone users clustering around coffee shops like flies.
The UK iPhone will be the 8GB version costing £269 for the handset. The minimum term contract will be 18 months and on the cheapest price plan that means shelling out nearly £1000 over the lifetime of the contract.
“We are coming to the UK and we wanted to pick the best carrier for the product,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaking in Apple’s flagship UK store in Regents Street, London. “The one that we felt most comfortable working with is O2. We had a lot of choices to make regarding networks across Europe, and I think we made the right ones. A lot of it was about finding partners that fitted with Apple ethos.”
Source: SmartPhoneReviewer.com
September 18th, 2007
The IFA show saw a lot of product announcements this week and one of the stand-out devices was the Samsung SGH-i620.
At only 16mm thick the SGH-i620 is a slim tri-band GSM handset with a slide-out keyboard. It also boasts UMTS and HSDPA for data transfer as well as Bluetooth v2.0.
The new smartphone will be available in Germany later this month with a QWERTZ keyboard, but all the publicity shots show a QWERTY version suggesting a UK and US launch is on its way as well.
Source: SmartPhoneReviewer.com
September 4th, 2007
The iPhone outsold all smartphones in the USA during July, and equaled the sales of the most popular feature phone, according to a study by iSuppli. The iPhone accounted for 1.8 percent of all mobile-handset unit sales to U.S. consumers during July.
Most iPhone purchasers in July were male, 35 years of age or younger and possessed a four-year college degree or more.
Strong early consumer uptake conforms with iSuppli’s forecast of 4.5 million iPhones shipping in 2007, rising to more than 30 million units in 2011.
Just one month after it debuted, Apple’s iPhone achieved sales that exceeded those of the top-selling smartphone and that equaled those of the most popular feature phone, according to iSuppli. iSuppli’s U.S. Consumer Panel Survey revealed the two models of the iPhone now on the market outsold all smart phones in July, including the Blackberry series, the entire Palm portfolio, and any individual Motorola, Nokia, Samsung or other smart phone model from a branded service provider. The iPhone’s U.S. sales in July were equal to those of the most popular feature phone, LG’s Chocolate. iSuppli classifies the iPhone as a crossover phone, with attributes that put it in competition both with smart phones and with feature phones. While the iPhone has some features associated with smart phones, users cannot load third-party software onto the product, which is a key requirement to qualify for smart-phone status. iSuppli defines feature phones as handsets that have rich functionality.
This is a remarkable accomplishment for Apple, considering that July marked the first full month of sales for the iPhone. While iSuppli has not collected historical information on this topic, it’s likely that the speed of the iPhone’s rise to competitive dominance in its segment is unprecedented in the history of the mobile-handset market.
The two iPhone models on sale in July accounted for 1.8 percent of all mobile-handset unit sales to U.S. customers during the month.
While the speed of the iPhone’s ascent to the top of the smart-phone and feature-phone charts is remarkable, it’s equally amazing that Apple achieved this in the face of numerous, well-entrenched competitors.
iSuppli’s U.S. Consumer Panel Survey also revealed other facts about American iPhone purchasers, including:
- Approximately 57 percent of iPhones bought in July were purchased by U.S. consumers 35 years of age or younger.
- Most iPhone buyers were men in July, with 52 percent of purchasers being male and 48 percent female.
- Nearly two-thirds, or 62 percent, of iPhone buyers in July had a four-college degree or more education.
- One quarter of consumers who bought iPhones switched to AT&T service. AT&T is the exclusive provider of service for the iPhone.
Some of the iPhone’s success in July can be attributed to pent-up demand following months of hype. Real proof of success will come in the coming months as demand patterns stabilize. Based on consumer demand, Apple’s brand image, industry anticipation and iSuppli’s estimates of volume shipments by manufacturers and the market segment, iSuppli is maintaining its projection that 4.5 million iPhones will ship in 2007, rising to more than 30 million units in 2011.
September 4th, 2007
Fujitsu have entered the smartphone market in style, but their first attempt is only going to see the light of day in its native Japan.
The The F1100 is a traditional Windows Mobile slider phone with a 2.6″ touch sensitive screen which is also used for fingerprint identification to unlock the keypad.
The F1100 will be available on the NTT DoCoMo 3G FOMA network and does not have GSM connectivity meaning that it’s useless outside of Japan. Of course Fujitsu may address that in future.
Source: SmartPhoneReviewer.com
September 3rd, 2007
HTC have now confirmed the HTC Touch II and released the official details. The news was ‘previewed’ earlier last week in the guise of the
NTT DoCoMo FOMA HT1100 and although we thought at the time that the handset was based on the HTC Touch, we didn’t clock that it was actually the HTC Touch II in disguise.”This is the much anticipated 3G version of Touch,” Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, said at a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
As predicted the Touch II has a slide out numeric keypad to compliment the 2.6 inch touchscreen. Connectivity comes in the form of 802.11a/b/g WiFi, SIP support and Bluetooth. There’s also a 2 megapixel camera with a 1 megapixel front-facing shooter, an FM radio and microSD card slot.
Source: SmartPhoneReviewer.com
September 3rd, 2007
HTC has announced the launch of HTCmail, a fully hosted, secure, and managed email service based on Microsoft Hosted Exchange.
HTCmail will bring the benefits of always-connected business to mobile professionals. The HTC offering provides seamless and real-time access to up to five different email accounts, either personal or work mailboxes, aggregated and instantly delivered to a mobile device through Outlook 2007. Features include email, contacts and calendar, enabling users to easily access information and communications while on the go. HTCmail is compatible with all HTC devices, and will be rolling out across selected European markets from September 2007.
“Today’s launches - both HTC TyTN II and HTCmail - are all about fast, easy access on the move to the kind of features and connectivity previously reserved for the PC world,”said Florian Seiche, Vice President of HTC Europe. “This proposition is a perfect match for both mobile professionals and advanced mobile consumers on the go who can now benefit from the powerful feature set that the HTC TyTN II offers and the true high-speed mobile access that many of our leading operator partners are offering.”
“Combining a broad range of Windows Mobile-powered devices from HTC with a rich messaging experience delivered through Microsoft Hosted Exchange is ideal for mobile professionals who demand enterprise-class communication services with cutting-edge design,” said Michael O’Hara, general manager, Communications Sector at Microsoft. “With HTCmail, small to medium enterprises can benefit from anywhere access to information without the expense or ongoing commitment of on-premise software and IT skills.”
Source: SmartPhoneReviewer.com
August 30th, 2007
LG is due to announce its latest touchscreen smartphone, the LG-KS20 at the IFA show in Berlin today.
Bearing a striking resemblance to the stylish, but unsatisfying LG Prada, the LG-KS20 boasts a 2.8 inch touchscreen and runs on Windows Mobile 6.
Unlike the iPhone it uses the commonplace 3G WCDMA standard meaning it should work in most countries around the world including in the Far East.
The KS20 also has a slightly paltry 2-megapixel camera, 128MB of flash memory, an FM radio, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
The handset should appear in Europe later this year, but there is no word on price as yet.
Source: SmartphoneReviewer.com
August 30th, 2007
Palm’s thunder has been stolen recently by the BlackBerry and Apple’s iPhone, but they have come back with an attempted bang. The new Palm Foleo is billed as a smartphone companion, but actually resembles a tiny laptop.
It boasts a full size keyboard, but only has a 10inch screen, which in some ways is a throwback to notebooks of ten years ago.
The Foleo is designed to let users manage and edit their e-mails and other documents by communicating with their smartphones through a wireless Bluetooth connection. However, it has received a lukewarm reception from many critics who say that it adds nothing to an already exiting smartphone sector.
Running the Linux OS, Foleo doesn’t actually have a hard drive, but instead can synchronise with a smartphone via a Bluetooth or wireless connection. In fact, it is getting a slightly warmer reception from the Linux community than from those in the cellphone arena. “This could become the first commercially viable portable Linux system,” said Tim Bajarin, an industry analyst at Creative Strategies.
Palm Foleo will be available in the summer at a suggested price of $599 before an introductory rebate of $100.
May 31st, 2007
Research In Motion today introduced the BlackBerry CurveT smartphone - the smallest and lightest full QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone. With its smooth and friendly design encompassing a large display, easy-to-use keyboard and intuitive trackball navigation system, this powerful new smartphone makes it easy to stay connected to the people and information that matter most.
“The BlackBerry Curve offers a unique blend of communications, multimedia and web features to provide people with an exceptional mobile companion for both work and leisure,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at RIM. “The BlackBerry Curve delivers RIM’s industry leading email and messaging capabilities in a highly approachable smartphone design that is packed with consumer-friendly features including a 2 megapixel camera, enhanced media player and high-performance browser.”
SMOOTH DESIGN & EASY TO USE
The BlackBerry Curve features a liquid silver finish, chrome highlights, smooth edges and soft curves. It is a full-featured smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard and large display and yet it boasts an impressively small and lightweight design at 4.2′’ x 2.4′’ x 0.6′’ and approximately 3.9 oz. The ultra-bright 320×240 display brings images and video to life and includes RIM’s light sensing technology that automatically adjusts backlighting levels for indoor, outdoor and dark environments. The handset also features RIM’s innovative trackball navigation system that makes scrolling and selecting fast and easy.
MULTIMEDIA TO GO
The BlackBerry Curve comes with a 2 megapixel camera, complete with 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror and full screen viewfinder. The camera can capture images in up to three picture quality and size resolutions that can be shared instantly by email, MMS or BlackBerry® Messenger and transferred over Bluetooth® or USB cable. Photos can also be immediately set as a unique caller ID or Home Screen image.
The audio system is crisp and clear, playing music and videos through the handset’s integrated speaker or through the 3.5 mm stereo jack. The Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP) is supported, and dedicated volume controls are conveniently located on the side of the handset.
A powerful new desktop media manager is also included with the BlackBerry Curve. The Roxio® Media Manager for BlackBerry®, which was developed with Sonic® and based on the award-winning Roxio Easy Media Creator® 9, introduces a new level of simplicity, allowing users to easily search for media files on their computer, view and organize them, create MP3 music files from CDs, add audio tags, create playlists and automatically copy or convert pictures, music and videos for optimal playback on the BlackBerry Curve.
The media manager also includes Roxio Photosuite® 9 LE, a comprehensive tool that makes it easy to edit pictures and create photo albums. With PhotoSuite, pictures can be cropped, rotated and straightened, and flaws can be fixed by removing redeye or changing the brightness, contrast and saturation levels. Pictures can even be enhanced with color filters and special effects.
The media player on the BlackBerry Curve has been refined, allowing users to search for music by simply typing the title, genre, artist or album name. Videos can also be played in full screen mode.
MORE STORAGE FOR YOUR TUNES, FLICKS AND PICS
For added storage of music, videos and pictures, the BlackBerry Curve comes with a microSD expansion slot. It supports up to 2GB cards that are available today and will automatically support 4GB cards that are expected to become available later this year.
BRING THE WEB WITH YOU
The BlackBerry Curve features a high-performance browser that can download and display HTML web pages quickly and efficiently. Users can bookmark their favorite sites and set up RSS feeds to stay connected to the timely news and information that matters most during their day. The highly responsive browser, large and vivid screen and super-easy trackball navigation provides an exceptional mobile experience.
FULL FEATURED PHONE
The BlackBerry Curve offers many convenient phone features including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), Bluetooth® 2.0 support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits and Bluetooth peripherals, quad-band operation for global roaming(2), dedicated ’send’, ‘end’, and ‘mute’ keys, smart dialing, speed dialing, conference calling, call forwarding, noise cancellation technology to offset background noise, a low-distortion speakerphone for hands-free conversations and support for polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ring tones.
INDUSTRY LEADING EMAIL & MESSAGING
The BlackBerry Curve delivers all the renowned BlackBerry email and messaging capabilities and even features a new integrated spell checker with a user-customizable dictionary to help maintain spelling accuracy on the go. The BlackBerry Curve is supported on BlackBerry® Internet Service, giving users access to up to 10 work or personal email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts), as well as BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, enabling advanced security and IT administration within IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange and Novell® GroupWise® environments.
ACCESSORIZE
The BlackBerry Curve also comes with a variety of accessories: a stereo headset, travel charger, carrying pouch and USB cable are all included in the box. Additional accessories for BlackBerry handsets, including premium leather holsters and totes, an automotive charger, and Bluetooth headsets are available through retail outlets or online at: www.shopblackberry.com.
AVAILABILITY
The BlackBerry Curve (model number: 8300) will be available through wireless carriers around the world, including AT&T in the U.S., beginning this spring.
May 5th, 2007
Steve Jobs confirmed the worst kept secret in the technology world when he confirmed the existence of the iPhone, a revolutionary mobile device that combines telephone technology, PDA functionality and all the well-known features of the iPod.
The iPhone is essentially just a single screen. There are no keys or buttons, and indeed Apple is making much of its patented touchscreen technology. In fact, patents are a bit of a feature of the device with Apple protecting its baby with over 200 of the things.
Users are able to navigate the iPhone by using a virtual keyboard that’s smart enough to know when accidental tapping occurs. The screen also takes in gestures such as scrolling, pinching and stretching motions. Most impressive of all, well to TechSmec.com at any rate, is the smart screen which knows when the user is holding the iPhone in landscape or portrait and adjust the interface accordingly.
The iPhone, which starts at $499, will “reinvent” the telecommunications sector and “leapfrog” past the current generation of hard-to-use smart phones, Jobs said.
“Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything,” he said during his keynote address at the annual Macworld Conference and Expo. “It’s very fortunate if you can work on just one of these in your career. … Apple’s been very fortunate in that it’s introduced a few of these.”
Apple, now renamed Apple Inc. from Apple Computer Inc., shares jumped more than 6 percent on the announcement.
Even TechSmec.com, weary of many over-hyped Apple revelations over the years, has to admit that the iPhone is a device worth salivating over.
January 9th, 2007