Well folks it’s been an interesting 26 years since the first cellular network was launched in Scandinavia. And today, we’re glad to report there’s 3.3 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide, equivalent to 50% of the global population. Of course, this doesn’t mean that half of the 6.6 billion people in the world now have a mobile phone — it just means that some people in developed countries use more than a single mobile phone.

According to Informa Telecoms & Media, as of the end of September, 59 countries had mobile penetration of over 100%, while almost half that figure, 27, had penetration under 10%. The economic difference between the more mature markets and those in developing countries is highlighted by the vast differences in operator Average Revenue per User (ARPU).

To highlight the difference, Informa is saying such carriers as Kuwaiti Zain, Hutchison Whampoa’s 3 UK, Qatar’s Q-Tel, Japanese KDDI, and Hutchison’s Austrian 3 network have ARPU of more than $65. In sharp contrast, Hutchison’s Sri Lankan operator, Bangladesh’s PBTL (CityCell), Ukrainian Astelit, and Pakistan’s CMPak have an APRU around 3 bucks.

Yap, mobile industry keeps developing. And we’re here to stay — to cover every step on the way. So, stay tuned…

New York based Cellfish Media has launched AddtoPhone, a new service that delivers optimized-format media to mobile phones. According to Cellfish, the service is easy to use and once a user enters his/her mobile phone number, an SMS is sent to him/her with a link to the content. The content is converted on-the-fly to fit the specific handset in formats like h264, h263, mpeg4, 3gp and 3gp2; and beside videos – it also supports pictures, music, and/or news feeds.

Finally, Cellfish made sure AddtoPhone is a true Web 2.0 service, hence developers can access to an API and take it from there. Plus, let’s not forget they’ve also released a Facebook application, enabling users to send Facebook content to mobile phones.

[Via: TechCrunch]

Social networks are still hot, and mobile social networks keep blooming as never before. Lately, we’ve spotted a new such service called Text Heaven which uses SMS to connect people.

As with all such services, it is required to register and then chat and flirt with other users over the net or via SMS. In addition to chatting, users can join SMS clubs, play SMS games, receive customised SMS alerts, bid in auctions, upload photos, and earn TeHe Points, which they later can spend in the Text Heaven catalogue.

Text Heaven is a free services which DOESN’T use premium rate text services. So, if you’re savvy texters and want more virtual buddies to hang with, sign-up now.

There’s nothing we love more than some highly-stylized press-shots of the latest and greatest handsets, and Engadget Mobile’s got their hands on the images that Verizon (NYSE: VZ) will be using to promote the recently FCC-approved Motorola (NYSE: MOT) RIZR Z6c “World Edition” slider. The “World Edition” portion of the handset’s name indicates the dual-mode CDMA and GSM compatibility of the handset, while the “c” in “Z6c” indicates that the VCAST TV-support from the Z6tv will be nixed from the spec-sheet in favor of that “world-traveling” GSM radio.Anyway, hit the link for more glamor shots on Verizon’s up-and-coming Motorola RIZR Z6c “World Edition” slider-phone.

Read the full article »

In another move that rivals HTC’s own penchant for naming/renaming their handsets with more model-names than we care to (or can hope to) ever remember, T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) has announced that they’ll be launching the HTC Touch Dual as the T-Mobile branded MDA Touch Plus. T-Mobile tends to rename their HTC-smartphones with the “MDA” moniker, so the renaming of the HTC Touch Dual isn’t all that surprising – it’s a pain to memorize all these model-names, but hey, at least T-Mobile kept the “Touch” branding.

As you’ll recall, the HTC Touch Dual (codename: Nike) is the keypad-toting, vertical-sliding sibling to the HTC Touch. T-Mobile has opted to go with the 16-key numeric keypad variant in favor of the semi-QWERTY, SureType-esque keyboard on the original HTC Touch Dual design reference – following in the footsteps of France’s Orange. And, as such, we’re expecting the T-Mobile MDA Touch Plus to rock that awesome TouchFLO interface, 400Mhz processor, 2.6 inch touchscreen display, 256MB ROM/128MB RAM, Bluetooth 2.0, and microSD card slot – all powered by Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional. We couldn’t find any reference to a WiFi connection in the T-Mobile MDA Touch Plus’s user-manual, so it looks like the WiFi goodness that the Japanese are enjoying won’t be making it’s way Stateside.

Update: Post edited. Of course the MDA Touch Plus is headed to the UK – that was a huge oversight. Apologies for getting your hopes up.

PDF user-manual (warning: 6.4MB)

[Via: MoDaCo]

Did Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless jump on the Android-fueled bandwagon that is the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) while we weren’t looking? Well, we can’t find any official sources that would confirm Verizon’s membership as part of the OHA – but Gene Munster, a Piper Jaffray analyst recently released a note to clients that mentioned Verizon as being a member of the OHA.

Now, we’re not sure if Mr. Munster was just a bit confused – which isn’t all that unlikely, seeing as how Verizon’s recently announced plan to open their network to “any app, any device” in 2008 vibes pretty closely with the Android-supporting OHA’s open-platform mantra. On the other hand, Munster could be privy to insider information about Verizon’s intention to join the OHA.

It would make sense for Verizon to join the OHA – as we speculated might happen – seeing as how their new network policy isn’t more than a philosophical stone’s throw from the OHA’s own guidelines. And, the move would make even more sense with Sprint and T-Mobile’s membership and AT&T consideration in joining the alliance. We can’t imagine that Verizon would remain an OHA outlier if AT&T (NYSE: T) decides to make the jump and hop on-board the alliance – conversely, if Verizon decides to join the OHA, it’s more than likely that Verizon would follow suit. Can any US carrier expect to stay competitive as the singular non-OHA compliant wireless operator? Highly doubtful. Come and join the party, guys, everyone’s doing it.

[Via: Apple Insider]

Getting my N95 8GB ready for Nokia (NYSE: NOK) World, flashed to the latest firmware and now I’m reinstalling applications. I noticed Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps for Mobile is now up to 2.0.5 versus 2.0.3 when I initially reviewed the application. Just a heads up. No change log and I can’t notice any obvious changes myself to be honest.

Yes when you go to http://www.google.com/gmm on your mobile phone it still says 2.0, but once installed and you go to the about page it will show the true version number.

Let me save you some time:

Motorola is trademarking the name Zine, presumably to be used a sub brand in their smartphone lineup. This isn’t new, companies do this all the time. Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) has their Walkman and Cybershot sub brands, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has Nseries and Eseries, this is more of a marketing move than anything. What is shocking is how many things the term Zine will be used to market:

Mobile telephones, pagers, radio transceivers, electronic personal organizers, headsets, microphones, speakers, carrying cases and phone holsters, computer software and programs used for transmission or reproducing or receiving of sound, light, images, text, video or data over a telecommunications network or system between terminals and for enhancing, interacting and facilitating use and access to computer and communication networks; computer e commerce software to allow user to safely place orders and make payments in the field of electronic business transactions via a global computer network or telecommunications network; computer game software for mobile handsets; computer software and programs for management and operation of wireless telecommunications devices; computer software for sending and receiving short messages and electronic mail and for filtering non-text information from the data; digital cameras, video cameras; data cards, modems, global positioning units, batteries, battery chargers, power adapters, antennas…[and] Wireless telephone services and electronic transmission of data and documents via communications networks and global computer networks.

Pagers, you’ve heard it here first folks, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) is bringing pagers back!

[Via: Gizmodo]

It’s weekend and I should be probably resting after UIQ Fast Track in Budapest, Hungary. Instead I just wanted to share the unboxing experience with you folks. Yap, the Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) W960i is in da house. Please use the comments to submit any questions you may have. I’ll try to address all of them!

My Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N82, the device that stopped taking pictures one night for no apparent reason, is finally up and atom. While hanging out with a bunch of friends tonight (Flickr album here) I received a call, went outside, 5 minute conversation, then as I was walking back into the pub I decided to check my GMail. Addict I know. One of the girls says “take a picture!” I forget my phone is defective and slide the shutter down and shockingly it worked. Before I could even hit the camera button my Nokia gets possessed by a Finnish demon. My phone locks, locks so hard I need to pull the battery out.

After reassembling my device and powering it back on, it booted and displayed a memory error. The phone says the memory is full and I should delete some files. I try to hit OK, but the phone locks again, hard, hard enough that I had to pull the battery. Booting …

Second reboot finished, same error. At this point I’m about to throw this thing at someone, so I give it the old *#7370 treatment, a key code combination many Nseries fans know by heart no doubt, to fully reformat the device to factory settings.

The device reboots, but it is now stuck at the white screen before the Nokia Connecting People shows up. I leave it be for 3 minutes, give up, pull the battery again.

This is the 4th reboot and even the guy with a Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) P990i at the table is laughing at me. It boots just fine, I take a picture just fine, go to the gallery application to send it to my friend over Bluetooth and surprise surprise there are over 4,800 items in my gallery. Apparently I left the screen shot application running and it filled up my phone’s memory, but one would think after a *#7370 treatment everything would be OK?

I’m speechless. My camera works. My phone works. I’m calling GhostBusters.

Update: Not 2 minutes after hitting publish on this article my N82, which is sitting on my desk, decides to reboot. I try to see if the camera is still functioning and I’m sad to say it isn’t. Time to call the priest.