A company called Intermundia is hitting the AppStore with its Opera project, consisting of 24 applications with the librettos of the most famous and well-known Operas. In addition to lyrics/libretto, each of the apps include information about the plot, characters and history.

Applications/operas included in the project are: Aida (G.Verdi), Carmen (G.Bizet), Carmina Burana (C.Orff), Cavalleria Rusticana (P.Mascagni), Così fan tutte (W.A.Mozart), Don Giovanni (W.A.Mozart), Il Barbiere di Siviglia (G.Rossini), Il Trovatore (G.Verdi), I Pagliacci (R.Leoncavallo), La Bohème (G.Puccini), La Forza del Destino (G.Verdi), La Traviata (G.Verdi), L’Italiana in Algeri (G.Rossini), Le Nozze di Figaro (W.A.Mozart), Lucia di Lammermoor (G.Donizetti), Macbeth (G.Verdi), Madama Butterfly (G.Puccini), Nabucco (G.Verdi), Norma (V.Bellini), Otello (G.Verdi), Requiem (W.A.Mozart), Rigoletto (G.Verdi), Tosca (G.Puccini), and Turandot (G.Puccini). Each of the apps costs $2.99, except for Carmina Burana and Requiem, which are available for free.

In addition, there’s another app called Opera Top Collection, which features all of the apps/operas mentioned above and it costs whooping $34.99.

We dig the idea of falling smartphone prices. ABI Research has been following the market and they say that in 2007 only 18% of these devices were priced under $200 retail. This year, however, that percentage went up to 27%, and by 2014 the research company predicts 45% of them [smartphones] will be priced below $200.

According to ABI, these numbers show changing consumers’ attitudes toward smartphones, and a corresponding shift in vendors’ and mobile operators’ sales and marketing strategies which ultimately lead to the current situation where we have more and more smartphones and conventional (feature) phones being priced in similar ranges.

ABI also points out that some smartphones are never subsidized (i.e. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) in the U.S.), but increasingly manufacturers want to see their higher end models reach high volumes of sales.

ABI’s mobile devices practice director Kevin Burden said: “Prices will hold at a certain point. We may never see a $30 smartphone. But over time, smartphones will take a substantial part of the mainstream handset market.”

More information about ABI Research’s new “Smartphone and OS Markets” report is available from their website.

There’s no recession for the leading mobile games developer Gameloft. During the first nine months of 2009, the company’s consolidated sales went up by 18%, reaching 90.2 million EUR. On a constant exchange rate basis, that’s actually 16%, which is still impressive.

Here’s how the numbers went from quarter to quarter compared to the last year (in millions EUR):

• Q1 2009 – 30.8 vs Q1 2008 – 25.3 (+22%)
• Q2 2009 – 29.3 vs Q2 2008 – 25.0 (+17%)
• Q3 2009 – 30.1 vs Q3 2008 – 26.2 (+`15%)
• 9-month total – 90.2 vs 76.5 (+18%)

During the first nine months of 2009, Europe, North America and the rest of the world represented 38%, 33% and 29% of total sales, respectively…

[Via: PRNewswire]

Olympic Games are always a great way to spread your marketing message to a wide audience. Bell and Samsung know that, hence we have Bell’s Omnia II being unveiled as the official mobile phone of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The announcement came just in time to celebrate the carrier’s newly rolled out HSPA network and should certainly help Bell get some love (and new subscribers) from around the country.

You know all about the Omnia II, so I won’t repeat its specs here. I’ll only add that those who own Samsung’s Windows Mobile smartphone will be able to download Samsung’s Wireless Olympic Works (WOW) application, which is used to keep track of the latest news and happenings during the Olympics. Cool for both Bell and Samsung!

[Via: SamsungHub]

India’s Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that pre-paid mobile phones are now banned in Jammu & Kashmir. As a result, no carrier can issue a new pre-paid SIM card while existing SIM cards should not be renewed in the region.

Security issues are the main reason behind the move, and Ministry said that the step comes in the wake of the reports that proper verification is not being done while providing pre-paid SIM cards by the service providers and vendors.

It’s also worth pointing out this isn’t the first time the Indian government has changed the rules about mobile services in the region bordering Pakistan. For instance, mobile phone coverage is forbidden along the demarcation line between the two countries…

[Via: CellularNews]

Highlights for Children is launching its first iPhone app – the original Highlights Hidden Pictures game, which (as you can presume) targets iPhone and/or iPod Touch-ownin’ parents.

The seek-and-find game is designed to challenge child’s visual skills to allow him/her to locate hidden objects within Highlights’ classic kid-friendly illustrations. There are over a hundred hidden objects to find and when each is located, it turns from black and white to color and a sound chimes to announce the discovery.

In total, Highlights Hidden Pictures features eight puzzles, and two free additional puzzles are available after registration. The price is $1.99. (iTunes link)

Telefónica O2 (NYSE: TEF) Germany has turned on the switch to its HSPA+ network in Munich. Actually, not whole city is covered at the moment, but we assume that will happen in no time (and the same will also happen to other German cities, as well). At the moment, it’s the city center and western part of the city as well as around the Marienplatz where you can get the ultra-high-speed mobile Internet. That’s of course if you’re one of lucky few with HSPA+ USB modems, which are capable to deliver download speeds of up to 28 Mbps and upload rates of up to 5.76 Mbps!

China’s Huawei provided the hardware for the infrastructure upgrade, and they are also making compatible USB modems.

Finally, our readers from Munich may want to know how they can jump on board. If you’re already using unlimited data plan, you will get a new HSPA+ enabled stick for free! All you have to do is visit a local O2 store until the end of the year. On the other hand, if you don’t rely on O2’s mobile Internet service, you’ll have to visit/call O2 and follow instructions provided which [instructions] will certainly include some contract signing/money exchange activities…

[Via: the::unwired]

Disclaimer: I was personally involved in the development of these apps!

Don’t know about you, but I like reading quotes from time to time. Not like reading dozens of them, but few per day just to keep me entertained and eventually to learn something new. Hence, I was working with a friend on 4 free quote apps for the iPhone I’m shamelessly presenting you today:

• Motivational & Inspirational Quotes
• Love & Romance Quotes
• Business & Success Quotes
• Life & Wisdom Quotes

I’m sure you can figure out what kind of quotes each one of the apps contains. I’ll only add that each of the apps comes with more than 500 quotes, the user interface is super simple, and you can easily email any quote you like. That’s it.

As I said, the apps are free, and we’re trying to see/test whether one can earn some money by displaying banners from AdMob’s network. Hope you download the apps and help us spread the work. I would appreciate a lot.

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) X3 — the non-3G music-centric slider that was announced at this year’s Nokia World in Stuttgart, Germany — has been cleared by the FCC. We don’t have a clue whether some carrier will pick it up, but with this clearance – it’s officially ready for the U.S. market. Since there are no 3G radios involved, it can easily sing along AT&T (NYSE: T)’s or T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s networks, relying on EDGE data only. Maybe, just maybe, we see it included in some carrier’s Christmas catalog, though as I said, we have no such information at this stage.

As a reminder, the X3 is a music-centric device sporting dedicated music keys, Bluetooth 2.1, 3.5mm headset jack, 3.2-megapixel camera with flash, stereo speakers, FM radio that works without headsets, 2.2-inch QVGA screen, microSD memory card slot, while Nokia’s feature phone platform Series 40 is running the show.

[Via: Unwired View]

This one’s for our Europe-based Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre users who want to break-up with the exclusive Pre carrier in their country. Thanks to the Rebel Simcard II you can do just that, while paying only £10.99 ($17.95) for the pleasure. The mentioned card sits between your carrier’s SIM (that’s O2 (NYSE: TEF)) and the Pre’s SIM slot, bypassing network locks and allowing access to other network’s services, 3G data included.

Here’s how they did it (video) and before I let you go, I’m looking forward to see this repeated with the Pixi. That’s at least until Palm start selling its first webOS baby unlocked. Back to the clip…

[Via: Engadget Mobile]