HTC has released an updated version of its HTC Sync software, which allows the Android-powered smartphones to connect with Outlook data (to put it simply). Version 2.0.8 is a minor update, packing only few things such as:

• Media enhancements – allows syncing of contacts pictures along with contact information.
• The process now also syncs HTC phone’s time with PC’s time and vice versa.

And that’s it. As far as I see, if you’re satisfied with the current version of the HTC Sync, there’s no need to rush, except if you really want to sync those photos and are really that time sensitive.

Check out the details at HTC Support pages.

[Via: the::unwired]

Related News from IntoMobile:

• The Missing Sync for BlackBerry Now Supports the Tour 9630
• The Missing Sync for Android Coming Soon
• PC Version of ‘The Missing Sync’ for Palm Pre Now Available
• Wirelessly synchronize your iPhone – iPhone iSync promises to bring WiFi-based iTunes sync
• Nokia N800 modding

File this under “we hope so,” as it’s clear that the version of Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE)’s first Android smartphone that can sing along AT&T (NYSE: T)’s 3G bands will be available. The official X10 page has been updated to reflect that, clearly showing a U.S. centric model that works on UMTS HSPA 800/850/1900 MHz frequencies. Yap, those are the ones that work on AT&T (and Canada’s Rogers (NYSE: RCI) Wireless for that matter). Here’s what it says:

UMTS HSPA 800/850/1900 only available for phones sold in Americas (except Brazil) and Australia. UMTS HSPA 900/1700 not available for phones sold in Americas. UMTS HSPA 1900/2100 available worldwide.

Nothing is confirmed at this stage, but it’s not like AT&T doesn’t offer any Sony Ericsson’s phones, already — i.e. the channel is somewhat open. And getting such a high-end device in the U.S. market is also of interest to the now struggling Swedish-Japanese handset maker. The only problem I see is how this reflects on the exclusivity of the AT&T-Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) releations. AT&T certainly can’t afford to miss the Android bandwagon, but Apple has the negotiating power more than any other company at the moment. We’ll certainly watch this carefully and let you know as soon as we hear something new. Stay tuned…

[Via: phandroid]

Related News from IntoMobile:

• Sony Ericsson planning first Android smartphone for Summer 2009 – Android XPERIA?
• Sony Ericsson Z555 gets FCC approval
• Sony Ericsson to reveal new handsets on June 14th?
• Sony Ericsson T303 gets friendly with FCC
• Sony Ericsson denies reports that it is ending partnershp with DoCoMo

The Chinese mobile market is ever interesting. Now that all carriers have rolled out 3G, it’s time to build a differentiating portfolios. China Unicom is known to carry the iPhone, China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) is betting big on their flavor of Android – OPhone, and China Telecom… well, they seem to work to get some Palm (NSDQ: PALM) and BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) devices ’till the end of this year or early 2010, according to a Reuters source.

RIM already sells some of its devices in the world’s fastest growing economy, whereas Palm is a virgin when it comes to China. For them [Palm], unveiling the Pre and Pixi would certainly be beneficial and would help the once proud Treo maker get some decent numbers its shareholders desperately want. Moreover, if Palm does get in, it should establish a developer portal to spur webOS app development. There’s a plan!

[Via: Engadget]

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• The $30 Palm Pixi should make you seriously consider webOS
• Kaput: Palm’s relationship with Windows Mobile
• Symbian strenghtens its R&D center in China; Acquires leading smartphone app maker Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology
• Amazon offers Palm Pixi for $25
• Airtel brings Palm Treo 750 to India

Provider of IP multimedia processing solutions, Global IP Solutions (GIPS), announced its Android offering, allowing developers to build VoIP-enabled clients with GIPS VoiceEngine Mobile. And they already have the first customer — the folks behind the popular mobile social messaging app – Nimbuzz.

I’m not sure whether this will drive the explosion of VoIP-powered apps in the Android Market, and I’m don’t know whether that makes much sense, but having a choice is always a good thing in my eyes.

Commenting on the announcement, GIPS’ CTO Roar Hagen said: “GIPS VoiceEngine allows Android developers to build VoIP-enabled applications that offer HD voice, while tackling all the typical IP network issues – such as delay, jitter, packet loss, bandwidth constraints, noise and echo. Today, mobile users desire a smartphone that offers a unique experience, which includes the ability to have great quality communication. With GIPS engineering expertise, developers can quickly and effectively build their applications enabling them to concentrate on their core business.”

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• Mocana NanoPhone Security Suite for the Android Mobile Platform
• Rhomobile Announces Rhodes Support for iPhone 3G S
• Paid Android apps hitting Android Market next week?
• Rhomobile launching Rhodes 1.2 with support for Push Data
• Skyhook Wireless SDK Upgrade Includes Android Support

By now I would expect that every single bank in the western hemisphere has a mobile banking option. Not so, as I just caught the press release from Frost Bank, which has launched Frost Mobile “just in time for the holidays.”

Frost Mobile allows users to view account balances, account activity, pay bills, and transfer funds between Frost accounts and between financial institutions.

It’s not a mobile application, but a mobile website, which works from (almost) any phone’s web browser. The service is free to all Frost customers who are registered for My Frost Online Banking, exclusive of any fees that mobile carriers charge for data services.

Finally, before I wrap this up, Frost wants us to know they’ll add an SMS service next year, “making mobile banking even more accessible.”

Related News from IntoMobile:

• Bank of America launches mobile banking service
• Wealth management goes mobile
• Verizon launches mobile banking with leading financial institutions
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• Obopay partners with Yodlee; Adds instant bank account verification for mobile payments

AT&T (NYSE: T) has added a new netbook in its offering – HP Mini 110, which the carrier is offering for $199 with a two-year contract, after mail-in rebate; and which BTW is also available on Verizon.

Specs wise, the HP Mini 110 comes with a 10.1-inch screen, 1GB of RAM, Intel Atom CPU, 160GB hard drive, WiFi… whereas Windows 7 is running the show.

As I said, a mobile broadband (AT&T DataConnect) plan is needed, which starts at $35 per month and includes 200MB of data…

Related News from IntoMobile:

• Verizon Wireless adds two HP netbooks – Mini 311-1037NR and Mini 110-1046NR
• Cellular South joins the netbook craze
• AT&T announces new netbooks and a new ConnecTech service
• Sprint offers Dell Inspiron Mini 10, too
• Dell Inspiron Mini 9 now available with built-in AT&T 3G!

U.S. Cellular has introduced the Overage Protection service, which includes sending users an SMS when they’ve used 75% of available minutes or text messages, and another when they reach 100%. The idea is, of course, to inform customers how they’re managing their pre-paid accounts.

In order to sign-up for the free services, customers should visit the carrier’s retail store, contact customer service or access their account at uscellular.com. Then they decide who will receive the alerts. The service runs nightly, calculating the usage. If a predefined threshold is reached, a text alert will be sent the next day during normal business hours.

We like the idea and I can see virtually every U.S. Cellular customer signing up for Overage Protection…

Related News from IntoMobile:

• Cellfire to provide its mobile coupon service to U.S. Cellular customers
• Cancel Your T-Mobile Contract Without an Early Termination Fee (ETF)!
• matchalert delivers latest football/soccer news to fans via SMS
• UK: Lloyds TSB to do mobile banking!
• O2 Signs Deal with Twitter to Offer Text Alerts

A company called gridMob is bringing what they say is the “first true karaoke experience for iPhone and iPod Touch” to the AppStore. The application is called iOKi and in addition to putting a karaoke machine in your pocket, it also allows users to browse and purchase tracks from a vast catalog of songs – they’ve signed contracts with all major labels.

And the news doesn’t stop that. In addition to the “generic” version of the application (which is still not available in the AppStore), gridMob has also announced a special, Lady Gaga-branded application, who [Lady Gaga] I’m not sure I like. But considering just how popular Lady Gaga seems to be these days, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the app becoming a bestseller. It comes with four Lady Gaga karaoke tracks featuring her master recordings, plus the newly released “Bad Romance” from her soon to be released album “Fame Monster.” All this could be yours for $4.99 (a dollar per song). Moreover, gridMob prepares to release other versions of iOKi app, branded by other artists later in the year…

Related News from IntoMobile:

• TELUS and Universal Music Canada Team up to Launch ‘Summer of Music with TELUS’ Contest
• Music on my iPhone: week commencing 26/1
• Paramount and Freeverse bring Days of Thunder to AppStore
• Smart Thermostat lets iPhone/iPod Touch users remotely regulate temperature in their homes; Special equipment required, of course
• Samsung A517 coming to AT&T and T539 to T-Mobile

And we’re continuing with our “this week in fake devices” series. We have 5 different phones to talk about:

• Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 5730 clone – check out that stylus. It’s a clear mark we’re talking about a clone here, as the original 5730 doesn’t have a touchscreen.
• Ferrari flip phone ripoff – this is far from being the first fake Ferrari-branded device. This time, however, we’re talking about a clamshell-shaped phone.
• Aston Martin mobile phone ripoff – this is new, as we’ve haven’t seen Aston Martin-branded phones in the past.
• Micky Mouse mobile phone ripoff – although it looks like your child’s next mobile, we urge you to skip the purchase.
• Winnie the Pooh mobile phone ripoff – similarly to Micky Mouse phone, this clone lacks quality.

And that wraps it up. Again, we cover fake devices to warn you NOT to be tricked into buying them. Stay safe.

[Via: JampBLOG]

Related News from IntoMobile:

• This week in fake devices: 5 different models
• This week in fake devices: Mixing it all together, again
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• This week in fake devices: 3 Sony Ericsson clones

AT&T (NYSE: T) has added a new texter-friendly device in its portfolio – Pantech Impact. The phone comes with both full QWERTY keyboard and numeric keypad, which [numeric keypad] interestingly sports haptic-enabled keys. Rest of the specs include a 3G radio, GPS, music player, camera that can take both photos and videos, email and IM clients.

As for the availability, AT&T will start selling the Impact starting from tomorrow, November 22nd, when interested users will be able to grab it for $99.99 on a contract and after $50 mail-in rebate, in either bright blue or soft pink…

[Via: Unwired View]

Related News from IntoMobile:

• LG Shine II hitting AT&T on November 22nd
• Nokia Mural officially announced; AT&T to start selling it on September 6th for $49.99
• LG Voyager coming to Bell Canada on November 7th
• Verizon announces Palm Centro in crisp cobalt blue for for $99.99!
• Christian Dior to unveil its mobile phone tomorrow?

Despite the fact Nokia (NYSE: NOK) announced that its N900 will sell for $649 in the U.S., the good ol’ Amazon is offering the Maemo-powered device for $480 ($479.99 to be more precise). As you probably already know that money buys you one of the most capable smartphones on the market today with features that include tons of storage (32GB), GPS, WiFi, great 5-megapixel camera, and so on. Exact shipping date is unknown at the moment, but I assume you won’t have to wait for too long to grab the N900, in case you want to.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

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• i-mate 810-F aka Hummer shows its face
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• Amazon offers Palm Pixi for $25
• Gigabyte GSmart S1200 officially official

Samsung has unveiled two new phones, part of the (again) new “Diva” series, that targets female consumers.

First comes the clamshell-shaped S5150 Olivia, which reminds me on some Nokia (NYSE: NOK) and Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) models. The device prides itself with a 2.2-inch QVGA screen, 3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity, music player, and a microSD memory card slot.

As for the S7070, it’s yet another Samsung’s all-touchscreen-er, rocking a 3-inch WQVGA resistive display, 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, media player, FM radio, and a microSD slot.

Both devices are expected to be available during the first quarter of 2010…

[Via: SamsungHub]

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• Samsung B5722 and C6112 DuoS phones show up
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• AT&T’s upcoming line-up reveals 3 Samsung phones: Infinity, Pivot and Trinity
• Motorola announces three new ROKR phones – EM25, EM28 and EM30

We’ve already reported about Pizza Hut’s success with its iPhone app. Well, in addition to the numbers achieved ($1 million in sales), the company is all proud to announce that it also won two MMA’s (Mobile Marketing Association) global awards: Mobile Display Campaign in North America, and Emerging Technology Campaign in North America.

Commenting on tha announcement, Pizza Hut’s Bernard Acoca said: “It’s an honor to be recognized as a mobile marketing leader by the MMA with wins in two categories. The Pizza Hut iPhone App continues to be an applauded breakthrough digital innovation that connects with consumers and industry organizations.”

Now I’m hoping other restaurants will follow Pizza Hut’s example and make the food ordering as simple and convenient as it should be, and ultimately make more money along the way.

Related News from IntoMobile:

• iPhone app success story: Pizza Hut generated $1 million in sales
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• Pizza Hut launches “Snap for Rewards” campaign

Sprint (NYSE: S) users with BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) and Android smartphones can now use YouMail-powered visual voicemail service free of charge. You know how it works, right? Just like on the iPhone, plus more:

• You can scroll through incoming voicemail messages to see caller information including caller name, time of call, and length of message
• Play voicemails by simply clicking on them
• Share and forward voicemails as an email or post to a blog
• Delete, archive or save voicemails, forever

In order to use YouMail on your phone, you’ll need the YouMail application. Search for it in the BlackBerry App World or Android Market, depending which device you use. Then go to YouMail’s website, sign up for a YouMail account and follow the brief instructions for forwarding unanswered calls to YouMail. It’s that easy.

Related News from IntoMobile:

• Visual Voicemail Arriving for AT&T BlackBerry Bold Users Tuesday?
• T-Mobile launches Visual Voicemail app for Android!
• PhoneFusion brings Visual Voicemail to Android OS, T-Mobile G1!
• YouMail partners with Salient Media to provide comedic voicemail greetings from Katt Williams
• YouMail announces new advertising program; To serve ads in voicemail SMS notifications

The BBC World Service Trust has developed English language courses for mobile phones and is currently offering them to over 50 million mobile phone users in Bangladesh. The idea behind the project is to extend BBC’s existing learning tool to mobile, in addition to TV and Internet, and reach more people.

For the endeavor, BBC has teamed up with all six of Bangladesh’s networks, which have agreed to cut the cost of calls to the service by up to 75%. Speaking of the course, it consists of over 250 audio and SMS lessons, and each lesson is a three-minute phone call, costing about 3 taka.

According to The Financial Times, more than 300,000 people have already signed up for the service, which is great!

[Via: textually]

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• BBC World Service Trust uses Ericsson to do Mobile learning in Bangladesh
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• Ryanair to start offering in-flight mobile calls

It was back in April when we reported that North Korea has reached 20,000 mobile phone users. Now, 6 months later, we’re glad to see that them number is approaching the 70,000 mark. As of the end of September, the sole mobile operator in the country koryolink, which BTS is majority owned by Eygpt’s Orascom Telecom, reported that its subscriber base has reached 69,261 users. Meaning that in the time you’re reading this, the 70,000 mark has been reached and even surpassed.

In the 9 months ending September 30, 2009 – koryolink reported revenues of $18.5 million with EBITDA of $10 million, representing a margin of 54%.

Currently, the carrier is working to extend the network coverage to the whole country…

[Via: CellularNews]

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• NTT DoCoMo 3G FOMA subscribers exceed 40 million!
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• Stat Attack: Global HSPA connections will pass the 150 million mark by the end of the summer

A company called ecobee has released a new application in the AppStore called Smart Thermostat, allowing users with compatible (i.e. expensive) systems to remotely adjust the thermostat’s temperature, schedule or update vacation events, change the system and fan operating settings. In addition, the application alerts users about the status of the system.

See where that’s going? Soon enough every iPhone user will be able to have all the benefits of Bill Gates’ famous digital home. The problem, however, is not in the available apps, it’s the high-end equipment that costs fortune that keeps many folks, myself included, from pushing our homes into the digital age.

Anyway, AppStore link is here, and no, I don’t hate you if you can use it.

[Via: renewbl]

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• iPhone 2.2 OS asks to rate iPhone applications on deletion
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Kyocera (NYSE: KYO) announced three new phones for the U.S. market, with two of them targeting heavy texters. From left to right, they are:

• SCP-6760 Incognito – it’s actually a Sanyo (OTCPK: SANYY)-branded sideways clamshell that combines a touchscreen (2.6-inch QVGA) with full QWERTY keyboard. In addition, there’s the so called “glow-thru” keypad and OLED secondary display, as well as 3G radio, Bluetooth 2.0, 2-megapixel camera, threaded messaging support, and microSD memory card slot. Sprint (NYSE: S) has picked up the Incognito and will start offering it on November 30th.
• S2300 Torino – another QWERTY phone, this time in candybar form. Specs include a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, threaded messaging, speakerphone, and 1xRTT data. It should be available in February 2010.
• S1310 Domino – basic candybar with tri-band CDMA radio, 1xRTT data, Bluetooth, WAP browser, speakerphone. Should be available in December.

And that’s it from Kyocera. Nothing high-end-ish, just something for the mass market.

[Via: PhoneScoop]

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• Motorola Announces Even More Motomobiles
• Kyocera jumps into GSM market; Announces 4 handsets
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• Kyocera unveils 5 new phones

Motorola (NYSE: MOT) announced a new all-touchscreen phone called Crush. The device is a mid-ranger with power and lock keys unusually placed above a 2.8-inch 240×400 pixels display — a fact that gives Crush a somewhat interesting look. Rest of the specs include a 3G radio (EV-DO Rev. 0), 2-megapixel camera, media player, Bluetooth, 950 mAh battery, and of course a microSD memory card slot.

No details on pricing except that the Crush will be affordable, and that it will hit US Cellular before the end of this year…

UPDATE: The Motorola Crush is available now at US Cellular for $79.95 w/2 year agreement and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

[Via: Unwired View]

Related News from IntoMobile:

• Cellular South joins the Moto Hint party, too
• U.S. Cellular adds Motorola Quantico, too
• Cellular South adds Samsung Finesse, too
• LG Neon hits AT&T; Could be yours for $30 on a contract
• More from Verizon: LG enV2, HTC XV6900 (Touch), Motorola Q9c, Samsung Alias

Chillingo keeps pumping new games to the AppStore. Their latest baby is called Ravensword: The Fallen King, and it’s probably one of the best (if not the best) RPG title for the iPhone/iPod Touch.

As you’re probably aware what RPG genre brings to the table, I’ll quickly jump to the game features:

• Gameplay is a hybrid between 3D action game (FPS), adventure and RPG.
• An expansive 3D world filled with diverse locations and an array of characters.
• Enemies include Orcs, Trolls, Ogres and Demons.
• Along the way you will be able to pick different weapons, items, and magical runes.
• You can play either in first or third-person perspective.
• Spatial 3D audio includes footsteps of creatures as they creep up next to you.
• Additional features include horse riding, shoot practicing, and animal hunting in the forest.
• Secret areas, monsters, and treasures keep hard-core RPG fans playing long after they’ve completed the main storyline.

I told you it rocks. AppStore link is here and the price is $6.99.

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• Creatures of the Deep website unveiled
• Chillingo’s Underground is a scrolling shoot-em-up game for the iPhone
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• Hello Kitty Parachute Paradise hits the AppStore