Sony Ericsson’s Cedar

Sony Ericsson announced its latest Cedar, the handset with enhancedconnectivity to the social networking sites.

Cedar is more a fun-filled handset that comes with easy access of social networking sites and email right from the stand-by screen with the help of 3G HSDPA.

“Sony Ericsson Cedar is the ideal product for consumers who are looking for the perfect balance between a business and social device,” Global Marketing Manager of Sony Ericsson, Quentin Cordier said in a statement.

The phone features 3.5 mm jack, social community sites including MySpace, Twitter and Facebook, email, phone book, 3G for web browsing, EAS Push email, a port to connect to PC or laptop, SMS and MMS, 2 mega pixels camera and video. The phone allows web back-up of the phone book contacts. The Widget Manager 2.0 feature allows for easy access tosocial networking sites.

Sony Ericsson with its commitment to GreenHeart and comes with recycled plastics. Besides, the phone supports HSDPA 2100, EDGE, GSM and GPRS. The handset is said to be available from the third quarter of this year.

The new Cedar will be available in two stunning colours including one with Black and Silver and the other with Black and Red. The front panel of the phone comes in black colour while the rear panel has silver or red colour. With its sleek body the phone weighs 84 grams.

Samsung's Wave

Samsung Wave marks the South Korean major’s first serious foray into the smart phone segment in India.

The highlight of this phone is that it works on Samsung’s own proprietary operating system—Bada—which is an open platform that allows users to download applications from Samsung Apps—which is an application store that can be accessed from the device and online.

The online application store features lots of freebie downloads. This is where the social networking, games and many other applications can be found. Bada is an open and configureable platform that also allows developers to create new applications with ease. Multi widgets provide weather reports, news headlines, stock updates and personal schedule all on one screen.

Besides the Bada platform, the other feature that’s being highlighted about Wave is the Super Amoled screen. It definitely is bright and eye-catching—20% brighter and 80% more visible in sunlight, the company claims, than the general Amoled screen. It also uses 20% less battery. The 3.3-inch display with a high-resolution touchscreen adds the wow factor to viewing experience—both videos and photos.

The phone’s ultra fast 1 GHz CPU enables seamless HD video playback, a great gaming experience and the running of multiple applications at the same time. While the touchscreen is intuitive and fast, we’d give more marks to the Wave for bright display. Multitasking is easy and there are ten home screens that can be customized. Moving on to social networking – the phone’s integrated Social Hub feature brings together all major email portals and SNS services directly. Managing all contacts is possible at one place, without getting confused.

The 5-megapixel camera comes with the usual bells & whistles—LED flash, autofocus, face and blink detection, beauty shot, smile shot, panorama shot, geo-tagging, and built-in image editor.

The Samsung Wave is a good-looking device with a streamlined aluminium body and strong tempered glass display. The black and gray colour combination, however, puts it firmly in the business category—a few more brighter colour options would be welcome. The phone is priced at Rs 19,100.

G-Fone 777 Dual SIM Phone now in India

G-Fone has launched its new G-Fone 777 Dual Sim Mobile Phone in India. This mobile is mainly targeted at the lower class people with a less price tag but with excellent features. The phone is available now at a price tag of Rs 5,299.

This phone features a 3.2 inch screen and a 3 MP camera present over it. The slim and sleek black color body pulls our eye towards it. This phone has many in-built applications which makes as one of the best feature of this phone. The in-built media player can play RMVB/MP4/3gp video files and of course MP3 files as well.

The in-built applications present are Nimbuzz, Opera Mini, Snaptu and Accu Weather. This phone also has a document viewer (Excel, Word and PDF documents), RSS feed reader and a photo editor. The memory is expandable up to 8GB while connectivity is taken care by Bluetooth and EDGE. A 3.5 mm radio jack is present along with a FM player.

What else do you need for 5,299 INR?

Samsung launches Bada OS, plans to cut smartphone price

NEW DELHI: Samsung has launched its new mobile operating system Bada in India along with two new products and said it plans to bring down price of smartphones to Rs 10,000 by the year-end to capture a higher market share in the growing segment.

It launched Samsung Wave based on Bada platform alongwith its first smartphone on Google’s Android platform – Samsung Galaxy on Wednesday. Samsung has launched Samsung Wave at Rs 19,000, much lower than Samsung Galaxy that is priced at over Rs 31,000. “We want to make smartphones available to a larger population and our new platform will aid that,” said Samsung director - mobile & IT business, Ranjit Yadav said.

The company plans to bring down smartphone prices significantly with new launches this year. At present Samsung has two smartphones in the market , which work on Windows platform. The company plans to launch about eight more smartphones by year-end , almost half based on its own platform.

Samsung is targeting to sell close to 50,000 smartphones in the current fiscal year and to capture a 20% market share in a market valued at about 2.5 million handsets. Most leading brands are launching their own operating systems, with a long term view of generating revenue through content. The smartphones market in India is fraught with competition with brands like Research In Motion, Palm, Acer, Nokia, all fighting it out for a piece of the pie.

Nokia C7 with Symbian^3, 8MP Camera Leaked?

It was just yesterday that an image of a document showing Nokia's upcoming line-up of handsets was leaked. The document, apart from revealing the name of an entire new S-Series of handsets, also revealed the names of a few unreleased handsets from Nokia's existing series of phones.

Just a day later, we have images of what is said to be Nokia's next C-Series phone, the C7. Thought to be the C7-00, this phone is quite unlike the normal Nokia phones and features more of a Samsung-ish design with rounded edges and the design of the buttons. While the authenticity of the leaked image is yet to be confirmed, let us reveal to you the specs of this leaked device.

The phone you see in the image has a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, runs Symbian^3 and boasts of an 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and support for face detection. It is also rumoured to support multi touch gestures.

From what is seems, there is quite a bit of time left for this one to be announced officially. In all probability, the C7 would only land in stores after the N8 does later this year.

Buy Sony Ericsson Xperia x10 – the New Technological Sensation

Buy Sony Ericsson Xperia x10 – the New Technological Sensation:

A lot of companies have come up with new mobile phones to appease the ever growing market for latest technologically advanced mobile phones. One such company is Sony that has always been a step ahead of the curve. Sony knows that all the features that people desire in their mobile phones. Considering this the company has come up with a number of fantastic phones.

One such phone launched by the company is the new Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. A lot of people are looking forward to buy Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, because it runs on the android operating system.

The phone has features that make it an essential gadget for everyone who is technologically inclined. The phone is easily available under a number of contract deals.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 offers a QWERTY keyboard that has attracted a lot of attention. It is one phone which has features that make it perfect for business as well as casual use. The phone lets the users read all the basic official documents on its screen. For that purpose it uses software like Microsoft office.

Also the phone offers an unmatched connectivity like HSDPA and Wi-Fi. The users can transfer the data at a fast rate. The phone weighs a mere 135g and has dimensions of 119 x 63 x 13 mm. this make sit very easy to carry the phone around.

The phone has a 4.0 inch TFT capacitive touch screen which allows the users to view pictures and videos at a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels, with a display of 65k colors.

The screen can easily survive against scratches due to its scratch-resistance surface. The phone also has an accelerometer sensor that offers things like auto rotation, proximity sensor and a lot of other things.

The phone has an 8 mega pixel camera which offers wonderful images with a resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels. Also the camera has various other features like auto focus, LED flash, image stabilization, touch focus, face and smile detection and Geo tagging.

It allows video recording at 30 frames per second.

There are many wonderful Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 deals to choose from. The deals offer a chance to buy cheap Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 without any problems. It is a wonderful way to save time and money.

You can easily find such a deal on the internet, all you need is to run a little search for the Sony Xperia X 10 deals.

Samsung Launches Its New Dual SIM Touchscreen Phone

Samsung’s latest B7722 dual SIM touchscreen phone has been launched in Sweden. Along with number of features like a 5MP camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3G with HSDPA support, FM radio and microSD card slot, the new samsung phone boasts of a 3.2-inch WQVGA touchscreen.

Quad-band GSM supports the SIM in B7722. Although, only one SIM can be connected with 3G service. This new handset runs on TouchWiz User Interface. The price of this new device is 420 Euro.

The full touch Duos has 256K colors and 240 x 400 pixels with a 3.2 inch touchscreen. Along with LED slash, it has a capable 5 mega-pixel camera, which captures pictures at a resolution of 2,592 and also records videos at 30fps.

Like every high end phone, this new variant of Samsung supports ample of multimedia formats, including MP3, WMA, eAAC+, WAV, MP4, H.263 and H.264. However, GPS support is not available in the phone but it has Google Maps and mobile tracker in it. Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, instant messaging and Push Email are also available. MicroSD cards up to 8 GB are also supported.

Blackberry pearl 3G: smartphone launched in India priced at 20K approx.

The power packed Blackberry pearl 3G phone has finally been launched in India. The Blackberry Pearl is a new look phone that RIM has made to probably to shrug- off the image of making big and bulky phones. This one is slim and sexy and extremely business class. The dimensions of the phone read 108 x 50 mm; it weighs only around 93 gms, and is only 13.2mm thick which can be considered as a feat achieved by the RIMM engineers who are so very good at making big and bulky phones.

But, if you were thinking that the reduced size would reduce the functionality in some way, then you have been gravely mistaken, and are surely about to be shocked. The phone comes with an optical track pad and a condensed QWERTY keypad built within a numeric keypad. The phone is equipped with the Sure Type feature which learns the words that we type and makes typing easier. The phone comes packed with a 3.2 MP camera and excellent video recording capabilities with auto focus features, the WIFI and 3G capabilities of the phone makes it an excellent network and internet device. Plus the BBM or the Black berry messenger comes as pre-installed support for the phone and you can also download a lot of third party apps from the Blackberry app store which has been ever growing in number. Blackberry’s Pearl 9100 can also be used for social networking and multi-tasking at varied levels with the traditional Blackberry's messaging and email facilities. The Sure type technology is the best feature replacing the Qwerty keyboard which had outlived itself. The features of the Blackberry pearl and its new looks are strategically placed with the price tag of around 20k which is sure to attract the Indian customers and make big in the existing market. With the shedding of the bulky look the blackberry is sure to win hearts of more and more Indian customers and share a piece of the market pie. Here is a look at the various features of the phone in a nutshell: • 3G network support • Optical track pad and dedicated • media keys • Sure Type technology • Simultaneous voice and data • Email and text messaging • BlackBerry Messenger • Instant Messaging • Phone • Browser • Social networking • Video recording • Wi-Fi® • GPS • Media player • Organizer • Bluetooth • Expandable memory up to 32 GB • Tethered modem

Nokia launches Nokia 2690 a low cost, feature rich mobile in India

Nokia, the world’s leading mobile phone manufacturer has launched its low cost mobile N2690 in India at Rs 3700. The phone in addition to the basic features also incorporates Nokia life tools, camera, video and internet to name a few. Nokia 2690 has all features such as good looks, durability and superior quality that consumers looks for in addition to affordability. Though the market is flooded with plethora of low cost handsets, it is Nokia’s brand value that sets Nokia 2690 apart from others.

Nokia 2690 looks attractive in the color combinations that are offered namely Graphite, Hot pink, blue and White silver. The phone is compact in size and can be termed pocket size. The 1.8 inch wide screen is capable of displaying a resolution of up to 128 x 160 pixels. Simplicity of design coupled with superior performance is Nokia’s trademark and Nokia 2690 is no different.

Nokia 2690 packs essential connectivity features including Nokia life tools, GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth and USB together. Staying in touch with close ones is no longer a distant possibility as Nokia 2690 supports email and Social networking. Nokia Life tools provide a whole new world of options to the user to gain accessibility to the outside world information and happenings at the touch of a button.

Nokia 2690 has a very good sound quality which is evident from its mp3, AAC ringtones. With the handset’s music player and Inbuilt FM Radio one can have music on the go. There is an option to increase the memory to accommodate more music and other files through MMC expansion slot to add memory to the phone. Speaking about memory, the handsets memory can be extended up to 8 GB. Its phone book can accommodate up to 2000 entires as contacts.

The basic VGA camera exists in Nokia 2690 is a bit of a spirit dampener. But coming to the other positive aspects, the phone scores in terms of Battery life. Its BL-4C 860 mAh Li-Ion battery gives up to 270 minutes of talk time and a standby time of 335 hours. Videos can be recorded with the handset at 176x144 pixels, 15 fps. The phone supports S40 themes, Java games and MMS.

Nokia 2690 has other basic features at par with other Nokia handsets. These include Calendar, Contacts, To-do, Notes, E-mail, converter, clock, calculator and recorder. With all these features backed by such affordability, Nokia 2690 deserves a good consideration.

iPhone 4G - Available on July

It seems that the new Iphone 4G will be Iphone 4.Apple annouced that Iphone 4G will be available on july.I can wait to buy one Iphone 4G.Movistar, Orange and Vodafone have confirmed that offering their customers the iPhone in April, the latest model of ’smartphone’ to Apple, and although none of the three has provided prices or rates available, its launch is expected in July.

The price of the iPhone 4 in the U.S. will be $ 199 (about EUR 166) for the 16 GB and $ 299 (250 euros) in the 32 GB – orders will be accepted from tomorrow and will be sent to 18 countries from July -. In addition, 3G will be $ 99 (82.5 euros) from 24 June to 3G will be manufactured at the same time.

Among the new features, Apple said Retina Display function, which enables a screen with a pixel density four times higher than the previous, until the 326 pixels per inch.

Apple founder Steve Jobs said iPhone 4 will have 100 new features. The new device is stainless steel, has a MicroSim, front camera and LED flash back, and a noise-canceling microphone.

Text input options on the Sprint HTC EVO 4G

One of the most common questions receive from readers is in regards to the available text input options on the latest Google Android devices. Since I just recently picked up the Sprint EVO 4G device I decided to put together the short video below that takes a look at some available options, including the various forms of the HTC keyboard and Swype.

The HTC EVO 4G is a device with HTC Sense and thus comes with the HTC keyboard rather than the default Google Android keyboard. The default Android keyboard is better on Android 2.1 and 2.2 devices than it was before, but I personally still much prefer the HTC keyboard. I have the default Android keyboard on my Google Nexus One, but do not like that you need to tap the ?123 button to switch to alternate characters. The only punctuation on the main keyboard view is a period so it is not very convenient.

The full QWERTY version of the HTC keyboard includes keys for a period, backslash, and .COM with the ability to simply tap and hold on almost every single key to enter the alternate character. Thus, you can spend most all of your time right in the main keyboard without having to tap the 12# key to view other keyboards. However, when you do you will see two more keyboards with the second one even including nine emoticon keys for quick entry during text messaging or email.

I also find the HTC keyboard to do a great job at predictive text so I can get away with enter just a couple of characters before watching the word appear, tapping the space bar, and then moving on to the next word. Since the EVO 4G does not have a trackball or trackpad you will also find four directional arrows on the HTC keyboard for fine placement of the cursor in text fields.

The EVO 4G with HTC Sense also includes phone keypad and compact QWERTY keyboard options that both switch to the full QWERTY keyboard in landscape orientation.

I also loaded up a beta of Swype on the EVO 4G. This alternative keyboard ships on the T-Mobile HTC HD2 and new T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide, but unfortunately is not available to download and install from the Android Market. I do not know if it ever will be available for installation on any Android device, but sure wish it would since I find it makes text entry quite easy and fast after a slight bit of practice. I still keep going back to the default full QWERTY HTC keyboard though because of the easy access to alternate characters.

Micromax Q55 Bling: Dual SIM phone combines technology with delicacy, style

Micromax unveiled its latest special edition model Q55 Bling on June 5th at a glittering IIFA ceremony held in Sri Lanka. This Dual GSM-Dual-Band phone has a few unique traits related to its birth at the IIFA. Q55 Bling sports an IIFA sign on its backside. There’s more on the IIFA front on this phone in the form of preloaded past IIFA videos. The Phone is expected to be priced around Rs 5500. With an association with IIFA, Micromax has made its foray into the global platform as well.

Micromax Q55 Bling combines technology with delicacy and style. The phone is as glittering as the IIFA. The handset has enlightened Swarovski elements embedded in it that give it a glittery and rich look. This combined with its Compact Vanity

Mirror make it an ideal gift for the special ones. The phones tag lines “Let your love Bling forever” and “Charm her with the new Micromax Bling” very much reiterate this fact.

Micromax Q55 Bling comes with a wide display of 2.4 inches that is capable of displaying 262K Color QVGA. The full QWERTY keypad handset comes with host of connectivity features. The phone is Facebook integrated and supports EDGE/GPRS/WAP/MMS along with Bluetooth (A2DP). It comes with a preloaded opera mini browser and is equipped with multi messenger as well. The phone boasts of a 10MB internal memory which can be expanded up to 8 GB using MicroSD. Its Li-ion (850mAh) battery provides Up to 1-4 hours of talk time and 180 hours of standby time.

Micromax Q55 Bling has special feature when it comes to music. The phone is powered by Yamaha for an unmatched musical experience. Its Multi Format Music Player supports MP3 / AMR / MIDI / WAV formats. Other entertainment features include games and a basic 2 MP camera. Other features include Stereo FM Radio and video player. “The Micromax Q55 Bling phone is an altogether unique category in the mobile telecommunication services that would reinvent your experience with the gadget each time you hold it to do something new.” Mr. Vikas Jain, Business Director, Micromax said at the launch.

Micromax Q55 Bling is targeted towards consumers looking for beauty combined with technology. The latest ad featuring Twinkle Khanna with Akshay Kumar lending his voice to the commercial says it all. As mentioned in the ad “It Twinkles” indeed.

Nokia N900 Arrives in India Officially

Will cost Rs. 30,639

Nokia's Maemo 5 based tablet, the N900, was available in India via unofficial channels for quite some time now. Seeing the demand for the handset in the grey market, Nokia seems to have thought of bringing in the handset officially to India and that is exactly what it has done today.

Nokia has officially launched the N900 in India. The N900 boasts of an impressive hardware spec sheet that begins right from the processor - an ARM Cortex A8 that provides 1GB of application memory and Open GL ES 2.0 Graphics acceleration support.

The OS is Linux-based Maemo 5 that provides the device comprehensive multitasking ability. The N900 also features a WVGA touchscreen and a full, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It comes with 32GB of memory (which really isn't an upgrade over the N97) and an expansion slot - you can add up to 48GB - which should suffice for "normal" users. With a decent 5 megapixel camera, the N900 seems to take photography seriously. All the other features you might expect find their way in as well. We're talking about the A-GPS and FM transmitter support. On the connectivity front, it supports HSPA Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity as well.


The phone will cost Rs. 30,639 in India, which is on the expensive side - but is well below the initial expected cost of the handset - which was just over Rs. 35,000. The N900 was officially launched in August 2009.

Speed up with Acer’s Liquid E Ferrari special edition phone

Acer’s Liquid E smartphone had debuted in February this year. Well, the handset now gets a luxurious sibling. Acer recently announced the Liquid E Ferrari special edition which it claims is one of the most exclusive smartphones in the world. Tailored for users looking for perfection and sophistication, the phone is based on Android 2.1.

Bundled with many new technologies and exclusive features, the phone’s appearance keeps in mind the ‘Ferrari’ brand attached to it. Symbolizing passion, at least the handset’s bright red hue suggests so. The company says users can look forward to superior performance akin super fast racing cars.

Gianpiero Morbello, Acer Vice President, Marketing and Brandcommented, “A Ferrari is not just about speed. It is an expression of beauty, power, excitement, pleasure and natural excellence. From the original concept to the finished product the new smartphone was conceived down to the finest details with the idea of giving a stronger sense of belonging to all Ferrari fans.”

Boasting of an eye catching design, this smartphone flaunts a glossy red casing with chrome trim. Including a 3.5” hi- resolution capacitive touch screen, the backside of the handset reveals the legendary ‘Scuderia Ferrari’ with a carbon fibre detailing. The microphone recalls the ‘air intake inlet’ giving it a powerful look to keep it in pole position. The user interface of this phone is also said to be completely customized.

Fans of the Rossa can anticpate the excitement of the Gran Premio right at their fingertips while the 5-page homepage lights up by the Ferrari wallpaper. This should let users dive deep into the Formula 1 world. Besides this phone, Acer also introduced a new headset that bears the Ferrari brand name. In a compact fabrication, the earphone will fit any ear and houses a range of enhanced technologies for complete reception. Fashioned to keep external sounds away, it proffers superior clarity while also canceling echos and regulating the volume automatically.

A stylish Ferrari case has additionally been revealed for protection of the phone. Outfitted from high-quality material, the casing should keep the phone safe from shocks and dust.

The pricing and availability details of the phone are not known yet.

Android gives prepaid a smartphone Boost

Although it isn't a high-end smartphone, prepaid Boost Mobile subscribers now have an Android option.

Sprint-owned Boost Mobile announced today that they will be offering a Pre-paid Android phone in their arsenal of "no credit needed" phones.

While it does have the Nextel-made-famous push-to talk/annoy functionality, the Motorola i1 runs an antiquated version of Android, version 1.5. That means a lot of the latest apps and functionality won't be available at launch.

However, it does expand Android's reach to those who prefer not to sign up for long term plans. Also, those without credit (new to US?, bad mortgage, etc.) can now join the Android ranks.

That might give Android's market share another tiny... Boost.

New Apple iPhone on tap but may fail to dazzle

Apple Inc's next-generation iPhone, which CEO Steve Jobs is widely expected to unveil on Monday, will have to really set new standards in multimedia content and function to wow Wall Street and consumers.

Apple's challenge may be to dream up game-changing innovations, since the iPhone is already an unqualified blockbuster that is the company's main profit growth driver, and its share price hovers near record highs. The bid is made tougher with the early success of the iPad tablet computer, which many say has already created a new market.

Competition from a host of well-received smartphones based on Google Inc's Android operating system is also growing, pressuring Apple to raise the bar even higher.

The "iPhone 4.0 will keep them ahead of the game. Is it as easy as last year to stay ahead? No. I think Android has made huge progress," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.

Only last year, Research in Motion Ltd was seen as Apple's top rival. While the company's Blackberry remains the smartphone of choice for many corporations, Apple has made strides in that market as security concerns addressed by the Blackberry have eased.

More than 70 percent of Fortune 100 companies have deployed or piloted the iPhone, according to Apple.

But the iPhone's prime target -- for now -- remains the consumer, in a market where it increasingly goes head-to-head with Android phones from vendors like HTC, Motorola Inc and Samsung Electronics.

Longer-term, investors are squarely focused on the iPhone's spread into international markets including China, Apple's pricing strategy, and when the device will be available through another U.S. carrier besides AT&T.

Jobs takes the stage at Apple's developers conference in San Francisco on Monday following a hectic public schedule of late, where Wall Street is expecting to get its first formal look at the fourth-generation iPhone.

The phone will likely be faster, have more capacity, a better screen and battery life, and a front-facing camera -- all nice additions, but none of which move the competitive needle very much.

"There will be some pretty cool things on stage with Steve, but at the end of the day we know the general functionality," said Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall.

Some features that iPhone users have long clamored for, such as multi-tasking, will also be added.

GROWING COMPETITION

The iPhone, introduced in 2007, arguably created the modern smartphone industry. The template pioneered by the iPhone -- a roughly 4-inch slab with a touchscreen interface offering quick access to thousands of applications -- has become the standard for Web-surfing handsets.

But the market has since grown thick with competitors, particularly slick smartphones based on Android.

"Android is the only real contender to the throne," said Rodman & Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar.

"Nokia's position continues to fade, RIM has yet to make traction on the consumer side, and Microsoft could end up being too little, too late."

Nokia's Symbian mobile operating system is the global market leader and RIM's platform is No. 2, but both are losing market share, according to Gartner data.

The iPhone's global share surged to more than 15 percent in the first quarter, making it No. 3. Android was No. 4 with close to 10 percent of the market, a huge increase from the previous year and gaining, Gartner data show.

Milanesi said the iPhone has done well internationally, particularly in Europe, but still has plenty of room to grow in Asia, where competition is fierce and smartphone preferences can vary widely from market to market.

The iPhone is available in around 90 countries and on more than 150 carriers. Apple sold a record 8.75 million iPhones in its latest quarter. That accounted for 40 percent of revenue, with margins estimated at roughly 60 percent.

Many on Wall Street expect the iPhone to arrive at Verizon no later than 2011, and perhaps as early as this fall. Apple is not expected to announce a Verizon iPhone on Monday.

AT&T has come under withering criticism from iPhone users over its network quality, although Jobs said this week he expects to see improvement this summer.

AT&T said Wednesday it will stop offering an unlimited pricing plan for new subscribers to its mobile data services, which could help improve the speed of its network in some areas by cutting down on network-clogging downloads.

Piper Jaffray analyst Christopher Larsen said the timing of that announcement, days before Apple's event, was no coincidence. It could help the carrier keep its exclusive iPhone deal for longer.

How Apple chooses to price its newest iPhone, as well as the older models, will be closely watched, given Apple's enviable margin profile. The latest model iPhone, the 3GS, starts at $199 with an AT&T subsidy, with the older model 3G priced at $99.

Many doubt there will be any surprise announcements on Monday, but with Apple one never knows. The rumors include a Web-based version of iTunes, and a new version of Apple TV.

HTC set to launch second Android phone ‘Aria’

HTC is looking to launch its second smartphones based on Google’s Android platform on the AT&T network sometime in early June.

There are some leaked pictures of an Android smartphone circulating around the internet and allegedly they are the pictures of the upcoming HTC Aria. According to these pictures the device will be the smallest Android smarthpone yet.

HTC Aria powered by Android 2.1 will deploy the latest version of Sense user interface. It is expected to feature 3-inch display, an optical trackpad or joystick, a 5-megapixel camera, a MicroUSB port and a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack.

ATC currently offers Android based Motorola Backflip smartphone, that was launched March. The company had promised that it will launch a total of five Android based smartphones in 2010.

According to some analysts online, HTC might launch the phone on the same day when Apple plans to launch its iPhone 4G. Apple might launch the iPhone on other networks in the US however it is to be seen if Aria can dent the market perforce of the new iPhone.

Micromax to Launch IIFA Edition Q55 Phone

Micromax is all set to launch the IIFA Edition of its Q55 handset at the upcoming IIFA Award function scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka on June 5.

The Q55 is an existing handset from Micromox's growing portfolio of products. The latest edition of the phone known as the Q55 Bling, comes embedded with Swarovski Elements and IIFA insignia on the back of the phone. The special edition device also comes loaded with IIFA content including video of the previous IIFA editions. The phone is also ready to be sold in Sri Lanka where Micromax has tied up with Sri Lankan operator Dialog. Users in Sri Lanka will get a Dialog SIM with the handset.
In India, the phone will be available starting June 3 and will cost Rs. 5,500 which amazingly is the same price at which the "original" Q55 retails.

As for the features, the Q55 is a rather odd looking handset. It is a dual band phone (not dual SIM!) and boasts of a 262K color QVGA (320*240 pixels) display, 2.4-inches across. It also has a slide out QWERTY keypad and a decent 2.0 MP camera. The phone is social networking friendly and comes with an integrated Facebook app as well as Opera Mini.


The phone supports Bluetooth and is fully EDGE/GPRS/WAP/MMS compatible. It has 10MB of internal memory and a slot for microSD cards as well. The Li-ion battery is rated at (850mAh) and gives a talk time of up to 1-4 hours and a standby time of up to 180 hours.

Samsung Galaxy S gets worldwide launch

Samsung earlier today announced an ambitious launch for itsGalaxy S i9000 handset. Though many cell phones launch in one country and with one carrier at a time, over 100 wireless providers from around the world have agreed to offer the device including, as we've guessed earlier, the four key players here in the United States.

As a reminder, the Galaxy S is powered by Android 2.1 and features a blazing fast 1GHz processor. The four-inch super AMOLED display, which is by far the sharpest I've seen on a smartphone to date, makes other devices looked washed out in comparison.

Other features include Samsung's TouchWiz 3.0 user interface, a 5-megapixel camera, and a front-facing camera to allow for video calling. Among the pre-loaded apps are Swype, Tele Atlas, and the popular augmented reality browser, Layar. Samsung has also taken time to create a Daily Briefing widget, which offers up instant The Galaxy S is available immediately for select European carriers and a full, worldwide rollout is expected later this summer. We've yet to hear when the device will arrive in the United States, but I suspect the day is fast approaching. Samsung pegged the phone with a "summer" release when it unviled the handset at CTIA back in March. Delaying it too much could impact sales as new, more powerful phones seem to arrive every few weeks.

As much as I loved the Galaxy S upon its debut, I already see where it lacks when compared to phones like HTC's last few devices. Yes, the 5-megapixel camera is terrific, but it lacks a flash. Released last month, Verizon's Droid Incredible boasts an 8 megapixel camera and dual LED flash. Also, the Galaxy S features inter-device connectivity through DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) whereas the EVO 4G offers the more common HDMI output.