Intel and Nokia unveiled plans on Tuesday to work together to create a type of mobile computing device beyond today’s smartphones and netbooks.

The move takes Intel a step further towards a breakthrough into the highly prized mobile phone market. Nokia typically works with potential suppliers on joint research for several years before deciding to adopt a particular technology.

For Intel, a partnership with a leading mobile player is crucial to adoption of its chips although the announcement suggested the groups would focus on niche products initially in categories of devices yet to be developed.

"We believe that this will allow us to create an entire new category of devices," Kai Öistämö, Nokia executive vice-president in charge of the group's devices unit, told a media conference call. "The mobile and computing industries are coming together and we, as leaders in our respective industries, are taking the responsibility to really be the enablers to create this brave new world."

His counterpart, Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice-president of Intel’s ultra mobility group, described the partnership as "this year's most significant collaboration in our respective industries."

Source: FT

Labels: intel, MIDs, netbooks, Nokia, smartphones

The latest smart phone to hit the market this Summer is T-Mobile's new Google Android device, called the myTouch.

The myTouch is the second smartphone the network provider has introduced that uses Google's open-source mobile operating system, Android. It's first device, the G1, has sold more than one million devices according to T-Mobile.

The myTouch is manufactured by HTC, and has the same hardware design as the Google Ion, also known as the HTC Magic.

The carrier will announce a few more Android devices later this year but it will be focusing much of its marketing efforts promoting the myTouch.

According to T-Mobile, the key to the myTouch standing out among an increasingly dense market is personalisation. While the basic hardware design of the myTouch is the same as the HTC Magic, T-Mobile has made enhancements to the device both in terms of hardware and software.

Software wise, users will be able to customise their myTouch device with various Android applications. In retail stores, T-Mobile sales representatives will help customers set up their own personalised device before they leave the store.

Sherpa, created by Geodelic is an example of application that will enable customisation. This application is a location-based service that uses GPS to enable users find restaurants, cinemas, and other businesses or points of interest that are nearby.

Source: Silicon

Labels: myTouch, smartphones, T-Mobile

Acer, the world's third-biggest PC maker, vowed to be among the top five smartphone vendors in three to five years as it made its first foray into the fast-growing segment.

The Taiwanese computer maker launched four smartphones for the Taiwan market and promised a further six by the end of the year.

Acer's move into smartphones reflects the continued convergence between the computing and communications industries, and the fact that computer makers are looking for sources of growth amid a PC market battered by the economic downturn.

Few phone makers are switching to computer manufacture, but several of Acer's rivals, such as the smaller Asus, are developing smartphones, which accounted for 12 per cent of mobile sales in the fourth quarter of last year, according to research firm Gartner.

The market is dominated by Nokia, which has a 41 per cent share, followed by BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, Apple, HTC and Samsung.

Aymar de Lencquesaing, president of Acer's smart handheld unit, said smartphones represented a "very big opportunity" for the computer maker, which expects to have a 6-7 per cent market share and to ship 20m smartphones annually by 2012.

Acer appears prepared to undercut its rivals to reach that goal, as it did in the stiffly competitive PC market. The four models Acer is selling in Taiwan range betweenT$15,000 and T$20,000 (US$455-$607) compared with T$20,000-T$25,000 for HTC's smartphones and about T$26,000 for Apple iPhones.

Acer's phones, particularly two models it plans to launch in September, aim to "bridge the gap between [standard] feature phones and smartphones", Mr de Lencquesaing said. The C1, which looks like a standard mobile phone but has a touchscreen, would sell for $40-$50.

Apple said last week it would sell an iPhone for $99.

Only 300m of the world's 4bn mobile phone users were using smartphones, Mr de Lencquesaing said. "It's not at all a question of whether they will shift; it's a question of when.  Inherently, the economics of this market is that it's faster growing than the PC market."

Arthur Hsieh, technology analyst for UBS, said smartphones would reach 20 per cent of the global market in the second half of this year. It was too early to tell whether Acer's strategy would succeed, he added.

Source: FT

Labels: Acer, netbooks, smartphones

Apple has released a new family of iPhones at its Worldwide Developers’ Conference in San Francisco. Among these is a $99 version of the current iPhone, but with reduced memory, which is available in the US immediately.

Apple's new 3GS models video recording, increased speed and a 3-megapixel camera (still not big enough). The new 16GB version will cost $199, and the 32GB version will cost $299. These will be available from June 19.

Phil Schiller said: “This is the most powerful, fastest iPhone ever made.” The new phone will last longer between battery charges, and will operate on WiFi networks for up to nine hours, up from the six hours of current models.

Whilst Nokia holds 41% of the smartphone market, and RIM holds 20%, Apple holds only 11%. However, this will increase with the new iPhone models as long as too many people aren't put off with the relatively poor service of AT&T.

Labels: Apple, iPhone, RIM, smartphones

Acer has just announced that a version of its Aspire One netbook will run the Android operating system, from the third quarter this year.

Android was originally intended as a smartphone platform. But with some phones increasingly being able to do what some laptops can, coupled with growth in mobile broadband, the importance of being able to connect wherever you are and the popularity of netbooks, distinctions between the two are becoming less obvious (apart from the ability to make calls of course)

Jim Wong, Acer's president of IT products, said in a statement, ''Netbooks are designed to be compact in size and easy to connect to the internet wherever you go... The Android operating system offers incredibly fast wireless connection to the internet; for this reason, Acer has decided to develop Android netbooks for added convenience to our customers.'

According to Acer, the majority of Acer netbooks will come with Android as an alternative operating system to Microsoft's Windows.

Labels: Acer, android, netbooks, smartphones

Mobile internet take up is up across Europe on last year by 25%. according to Forrester Research.

Unsurprisingly, this was dominated by consumers who owned smartphones; 35% of iPhone owners and 30% of smartphone users regularly access the internet, according to the report.

According to Forrester, lack of transparent and affordable mobile internet tariffs are key barriers to growth. This is reflected in how regular mobile internet use increased to 60% of those who had both a smartphone and an unlimited data plan. Clearly, although mobile operators have made progress over the last couple of years, still need to undertake some serious thought around payment plans.

According to Thomas Husson, analyst at Forrester “Apple is only the tip of the iceberg, as drivers are now in place for mass-market take up of the mobile internet in Europe. The expansion of internet brands, smarter phones, and high-speed networks are enabling compelling user experiences that, coupled with all-you-can-eat data plans, are driving usage... The mobile internet is gaining momentum, with 24% of European online users regularly accessing the internet from their mobile phones. A year ago, the percentage was only at 20%,” said Husson."

Labels: iPhone, mobile internet, mobile phones, smartphones