Samsung expands full-touch portfolio with Champ and Omnia Lite

Music enthusiasts who are on the prowl for a mobile phone delivering good quality music are now offered a touchscreen version of their dream gadget.Samsung has recently unleashed two new touchscreen mobile phones with enhanced music functionality in India, the Champ (C330) and the Omnia Lite (B7300).

The C330 adorns a 2.4-inch QVGA touchscreen with a Stylus Pen rendering a convenient touch experience. With a 3.5mm audio jack, the phone employs Sound Alive 3D effects which produce high quality sounds. Users can enjoy FM radio and their own library of songs saved onto 30MB internal memory which is expandable up to 8GB. An ergonomic grip is ensured with its curved body which flaunts a stylish design.

“Samsung pioneered the revolution in Touch screen segment in India and we are sustaining the excitement in the category through our innovative new launches. While the Samsung Champ is a touch screen phone aimed at the young consumers who love music and enjoy an active online social life, the *Omnia Lite* is for consumers who want multimedia entertainment as well as business features on their phones,” shared Ranjit Yadav, Director-Mobile & IT, Samsung India.

Users can now easily personalize their Samsung Champ homescreen up to seven pages as well as highlight widgets and applications they’d like to use. Social butterflies need not worry as the phone renders connectivity to seven popular SNS sites like Facebook, MySpace, Photobucket, Flickr, Friendster, Picassa, and Twitter.

Access to Samsung apps is now provided to users with the highly sultry C330 mobile device. Other highlights of the Champ include Bluetooth 2.1 support, USB 2.0 support, built-in VGA camera, Image Editor, advanced Mobile Tracker, SOS message, Touchwiz Lite 2.0 UI, and 3 page extended menu. Apart from this, about 12 hours of talktime is also offered with the phone’s 1000 mAh memory.

The second chic touchscreen offering, the Omnia Lite, runs on Windows 6.5 Pro Edge which lets business professionals view, edit MS Word, MS Excel, Powerpoint slides and view pdf files. With this device around, users can now effortlessly enjoy MS Exchange Server Push email. Push emails are provided to users with Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus NoteTraveler support while its MS Active Sync enables users to seamlessly sync between a PC and their device.

Further, users can also access applications and games through the Windows Open OS. A graphically richer touchscreen experience is delivered by the Touchwiz Lite 2.0 UI. The 250MB internal memory of the Omnia Lite is expandable up to 32GB for enjoying several media files. The phone’s 3 megapixel camera now allows users to capture clear pictures while its 3D photo album makes the entire browsing experience purely fun.

Other attributes of the B7300 are one finger zoom, Opera Browser, options of 80 online widgets from the Samsung Widget gallery, DiVx and Xivd support, and DLNA support. Users can utilize up to 10 hours of talktime with its 1500 mAH battery.

The Samsung Champ is priced at Rs. 4,500 while the Samsung Omnia Lite will make users fork Rs. 17,560.

Verizon BlackBerry 9650 Pictured Running OS 6

Wondering whether BlackBerry OS 6 will eventually arrive on your Bold 9650? While Verizon hasn't officially confirmed it yet, pictures of BlackBerry OS 6.0.0.80 running on the Verizon Bold 9650 have surfaced, though the leak also indicates that it's running a sluggishly, so it remains to be seen if the performance issue will be sorted out or not. After all, there's not much point running the latest and greatest OS on your phone, only to find that it's a headache to use. Hopefully Verizon and RIM manage to sort things out, and we’ll be seeing OS 6 updates being pushed out to various supported devices soon.

Most Expensive iPhone 4 with Diamond and Gold

Last year, we’ve posted the simple most expensive iPhone and this time, we’re revealing the world’s most expensive iPhone 4′s. Both these iPhone 4′s are designed by Stuart Hughes.

The diamond version, we’re having this in $19,514 , which features a shell that has been “encrusted with circa 6.5cts of top quality VVS , colour ‘F’ diamonds.”

Next is the gold model, it’s shell is made from pure 24ct. gold and is priced at $2,395.

Are you thinking of buying anyone of these iPhone? Post your name in comment below, we’ll publish it. Hahahahaha

Nokia N9 Meego Slider & X5 Square Slider Phones

 

Nokia’s first MeeGo slider smartphone will be the Nokia N9? A slider phone that seems like an upgraded version of N8 with the addition of a QWERTY keyboard. This QWERTY keyboard is too flat & having a tilting display.
 

Another newly launched Nokia QWERTY CellPhone is the X5, a square slider phone, which has been officially announced in Singapore. The new X5 is quite different from the Nokia X5 announced in China a few months ago, and specifically targeted to young generation. Features include Symbian S60, social networking integration (Facebook, MySpace, YouTube) with notification feature, a small QVGA screen, and a 5MP camera.

The Nokia X5-01 will cost approx. $195. Coming in lots of colors including pink, blue & green.

Viper remote start system for Android devices

Now you can use your Android-powered smartphone to lock, unlock and start your vehicle as long as it relies on a Viper remote start system. The app is now available on the Android Market and through Viper creator Directed Electronics' site as well, just in case you can't be bothered to find a Wi-Fi hotspot or do not have an unlimited data plan for your Android device. The iPhone version was already released in October last year, while BlackBerry users had their turn in the spotlight at January earlier this year. The Android app will be exactly the same as the other versions, so don't expect to see new or additional features here. While the app itself costs nothing, you will need to have Viper's SmartStart security hardware installed in your vehicle apart from an active subscription to the company's $29.99 a year security service.

BlackBerry Bold 9780 video leaked, shows off OS 6.0

It seems that the BlackBerry Bold 9650 isn't the only kid on the block that is capable of running on OS 6.0, as a leaked video of the BlackBerry Bold 9780 shows the same operating system running just fine as well. This could very well be the device that will ship at RIM's event next week, but bear in mind that this is a pre-release device, so you can bet your bottom dollar that the released device will run the final software version. It seems that the Bold 9780 has pretty minimal improvements which include a similar screen resolution to the 9700, as well as 512MB RAM just like the 9650. Check out a video of the 9780 running OS 6.0 in the extended post.

HTC To Launch All China-bound Phones With Android 2.2 FroYo

HTC must really be getting serious about improving its position over in China, as word is out that HTC will be shipping all its Android phones in China with Android 2.2, and that includes the HTC Wildfire, Desire, and the Tianyi. This is in line with previous rumblings that the Android 2.2 update for HTC devices is ready for prime time and will be delivered very soon. Now hopefully HTC will be bringing more of that Android 2.2 love stateside.

How would you change HTC's EVO 4G?

It may be America's first 4G smartphone, but if we had to guess, we'd surmise that not everyone sees it as perfect. Even if we (almost) did. HTC's EVO 4G was (and still is) a showstopper of epic proportions, boasting one of the largest screens in the smartphone universe and offering blistering speed under the hood.
But with phone innovation happening faster than anyone could've ever imagined just a few years ago, we're sure that some ideas have been planted in your head since its launch earlier in the year. For those who've been toying with this here phone, we're keenly interested in learning how you'd change things if given the chance. Would you offer a 3G-only version for those uninterested in paying that extra $10 / month surcharge? Would you be a lot more satisfied with Android 2.2 loaded on? Toss it over to another carrier? Go on and get vocal in comments below, cool?

Windows Phone 7 Device For Every Microsoft Employee

Microsoft employees will get Windows Phone 7 -- each and every one of them. That's 90,000 Windows Phone 7 devices! Great way to ensure Windows Phone 7 devices get more holding hands than Microsoft's social networking phone disaster, Kin.

Microsoft has a tradition of introducing employees to new software and technology (through a process called "dogfooding"), and it isn't the first company to do so. According to Engadget, Apple reportedly gave each one of their employees an iPhone back in 2007; Google did a similar thing with the Nexus One phone.
Some analysts are taking a dig at Microsoft's decision to distribute Windows Phone 7 devices within employees, referring to Steve Ballmer's alleged stomping on an employee-owned iPhone at a Microsoft event. Microsoft's way to stop employees from using smartphones from competing brands is to equip them with a home-brewn Windows Phone 7 device -- not a bad strategy, don't think any Microsoft employees are complaining.
Microsoft Windows Phone 7 devices will be made available to every Microsoft employee as the Windows Phone 7 devices are launched in each market around the world, according to a Microsoft statement on Gizmodo.
Microsoft has big plans for Windows Phone 7, although developers were largely unimpressed by Microsoft's recently released Windows 7 Mobile App Beta Kit. But Microsoft has support from Asus, Dell, LG, HTC and Samsung to come out with Windows Phone 7 devices by the end of the year.

Nokia takes on Apple: shows you can hold its phones any which way you like!

Well, it’s not everyday you get to see the world’s biggest mobile manufacturer, Nokia, be cheeky about the competition, but we guess the super engineering blunder that is responsible for the iPhone 4’s external antenna design was too much of an opportunity for them to let up.

So, just how did Nokia show down the iPhone 4? By rather straight-facedly demonstrating four main ways of holding a Nokia phone, which it calls the cup, the balance, the four edge grip, and thumb and finger, and then telling users that all these methods of holding a Nokia phone will result in no signal degradation, what so ever.

(left to right) cup, thumb and finger, balance, and four edge grip

Nokia then went on to make more tongue-in-cheek references, implying that users are free to hold their Nokia devices any which way they like, without suffering any signal loss. Check out a short, very sarcastic excerpt:

The key function on any Nokia device is its ability to make phone calls. After all, that’s why we know them universally as mobile phones (or smart phones, feature phones or mobile computers – though the same grip styles work for those, too). One of the main things we’ve found about the 1 billion plus Nokia devices that are in use today is that when making a phone call, people generally tend to hold their phone like a…. well, like a phone. Providing a wide range of methods and grips for people to hold their phones, without interfering with the antennae, has been an essential feature of every device Nokia has built.

The iPhone 4 was a preventable disaster

Reports have begun to emerge that the iPhone 4 antenna issue was known to Apple before the product was unveiled, and Apple CEO Steve Jobs decided to favor aesthetics over functionality.

Whatever their policies Apple has a team of brilliant engineers and designers to have developed devices such as the iPhone and iPad, so how is it that a huge flaw like this one escaped their attention? The answer is, that it didn’t.

Much like the abrasive policies of the Apple Store, and most of thier FUD, it seems like decision to ship a faulty device came from the top. From sources within Apple, reports are emerging that Apple engineers knew of the antenna issue, however Apple decided to go ahead with design despite the concerns. Due to the shroud of secrecy that Apple maintains over its products, the iPhone 4 did not receive proper testing and was only given to the carriers for testing in the nick of time. A changed antenna design should have received much more testing.

Apple is really making it difficult for people to absolve them of the blame that squarely lies on their shoulders, and this being Apple, there is certainly no small army of Apple fanatics waiting to forgive Apple even now. Instead they have been blaming users for holding the device wrong, or simply denying the issue and then releasing a software fix which makes the antenna bars bigger.

With an Apple conference today about the iPhone 4, it is wouldn’t come with any surprise if Apple talked about this widely reported issue. What everyone is waiting for now is how they will resolve the issue, and only in admitting to, and resolving – permanently – this issue will Apple gain any favor.
Will Apple issue a permanent fix though? Or can we expect another, albeit more public dismissal of this issue? It seems unlikely (and insane) for Apple to deny the issue any longer, but a fix could come in any number of ways, as a free bumper, a free fix or replacement. Apple had earlier denied free bumpers, but if they do go for this now, wouldn’t cost Apple much, as the bumpers cost them an estimated $1 of their $29 price tag. However it is hard to imaging people enjoying buying a phone for its aesthetics and then covering it up with an ugly cover.

Opinions and analysis are split over what might be the happening. While some claim that therecall would be too expensive, and wouldn’t happen, others say it is inevitable, and still others report that it has already silently begun. Some report that a fix has been developed and is the cause of the delays in shipping of more iPhone 4 units. Apple needs to develop a fix in any case, and stop selling its defective versions, the sad bit is that while Apple is maintaining its shroud of secrecy, people are continuing to buy faulty devices that they have manufactured.

It might not be too late for Apple to get some of its shine back. Apple may have lost a lot of credibility, but they have a big enough cache.

Today’s iPhone 4 conference = old bullshit + new case

Speaking of preventable disasters, today’s conference about iPhone has just ended, and it went pretty much the way you’d expect. Apple did nothing wrong, they love their users, all phones have this problem, blah blah

Cutting through Steve Jobs’s extended eloquent prose, Apple’s final solution to the iPhone antenna mess is to offer customers a new case. Certainly not a perfect solution, but at least it is a solution. There is a catch though, customers will only be offered a free case till September 30th because after that “Maybe Eminem will come out with a band-aid that goes over the corner and everyone will want that.” That might be Steve Job’s response, but we expect that Apple is working on a RealTM fix for this problem which might be coming around that time, Apple is just to coy to admit it, this is the part of where they pretend there is no problem.
To their credit, they will offer refunds for people who already bought cases. Once again a catch, third-party cases will not be included, because “The case vendors haven't had a history of helping to keep our work under wraps.” Way to love your users Steve! Punish them for what the case vendors do to you.
Now on to the rest.

Apple continues to claim that all phones have this issue, and they showed other mobile phones which suffer from the same issues, a Blackberry phone, HTC phone and Samsung phone running different operating systems, all dropping bars when gripped tightly.

Of course Steve Jobs was ready as ever with data, the first part of being “Smartphones have weakspots”. He also claimed that unlike what people expected after all this hullabaloo, only 0.55% of users reported this problem to AppleCare. This was coupled with a return rate of 1.7% which is a third of the iPhone 3GS (which was 6% apparently).

Finally an admission! The call drop rate of the iPhone 4 is higher, we were so expectant, but apparently it is less than 1 call per 100 calls more than the iPhone 3GS. This means that the iPhone 4 is only slightly suckier than the iPhone 3GS, wohoo! Things are not looking good for the 3GS though, which has apparently had a higher return rate, and almost as many call drops.

Steve Jobs then passionately proclaimed that they care about each and every user, so for the few people having this problem they will be giving away free cases. As for the proximity sensor problems, maybe in the next software update, and the white iPhone 4.

This session ended with a rather amusing Question / Deflection session, which further promulgated the fact that Apple is just covering their ass as cheaply as they can.

Knives out: Nokia and RIM hit back at Apple's 'antennagate' antics

We think Apple were extremely right in offering free cases to miffed iPhone 4 users, but there was a major faux paus that a rather over-zealous Steve Jobs committed in the damage-control press conference.

Ever heard of the childhood riddle, 'How do you make a line look bigger without touching it'? Draw a smaller line near it. Mr. Jobs picked out a page right out of his childhood and went complaining about how other mobiles in the market also had the problem that, ironically, their ‘unique’ antenna design was facing. This, to show that the problem was universal, sent from the heaven. Using the death grips, he tainted RIM’s Blackberry Bold 9700, Samsung’s Omnia 2 and HTC’s Droid Eris. We wouldn't like to pretend that this wasn't expected. We were rubbing our palms at the prospects while the statements from the companies arrived.

Here is what Research in Motion (RIM, the company behind Blackberry phones) co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie had to say:

"Apple's attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple's claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public's understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple's difficult situation. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM's customers don't need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple."

Acidic, and bang in the face. We wouldn’t bet against a lawsuit.

Although he didn’t throw a Nokia phone in the mud, there was the mention of the company when he spoke about “Nokia phones that ship with stickers on the back that say ‘don't touch here’” and self assumed that “this doesn't just happen to the iPhone, Nokia, Motorola... other phones have this issue.” When Mr. Jobs took the ‘Negative-Marketing Head’ post at these companies last night, I am sure he was aware that these companies might have something to say later. Nokia had this (notice the absence of Apple’s name, now this is what we call manners!):

"Antenna design is a complex subject and has been a core competence at Nokia for decades, across hundreds of phone models. Nokia was the pioneer in internal antennas; the Nokia 8810, launched in 1998, was the first commercial phone with this feature.
Nokia has invested thousands of man hours in studying human behavior, including how people hold their phones for calls, music playing, web browsing and so on. As you would expect from a company focused on connecting people, we prioritize antenna performance over physical design if they are ever in conflict. In general, antenna performance of a mobile device/phone may be affected with a tight grip, depending on how the device is held. That's why Nokia designs our phones to ensure acceptable performance in all real life cases, for example when the phone is held in either hand. Nokia has invested thousands of man hours in studying how people hold their phones and allows for this in designs, for example by having antennas both at the top and bottom of the phone and by careful selection of materials and their use in the mechanical design."

Although these should be enough for the day for Apple, expect further bashing as Samsung and HTC enter to defend Omnia 2 and Droid Eris, respectively.