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.

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

I’ve no idea why it took so long for Fring to embrace Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s mobile platform, but whatever the reasoning is, it’s good to see them jumping on board. Yap, Fring is now an Android thing, too — joining the likes of the iPhone/iPod Touch, Symbian S60, Windows Mobile, Linux (Maemo) and Java ME-enabled devices.

Just like that’s the case with other smartphone platforms, Fring for Android allows users to chat with their buddies across multiple IM networks, make free calls, post status updates, as well as make calls to mobile and land-lines using SkypeOut or some of the available SIP VoIP services — either via WiFi or 3G.

And that’s it. Simply search for “fring” in the Android Market and take it from there. And check out the introductory video after the jump.

Read the full article »

During the Mobile Asia Congress, the GSMA unveiled Mobile’s Green Manifesto, developed in collaboration with The Climate Group, to set out how the mobile industry plans to lower its greenhouse gas emissions per connection. The manifesto makes specific policy recommendations for governments and delegates attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen to realise the full potential of the role that mobile communications can take in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.

Through the Green Manifesto, the mobile industry outlines its goals:

• To reduce its total global greenhouse gas emissions per Connection by 40% by 2020 compared to 2009.
• To aim for carbon neutral growth, despite the fact that the number of mobile connections is set to rise by 70% to 8 billion by 2020.
• To work with handset vendors to ensure that the energy consumed by a typical handset is reduced by 40% by 2020.
• To work with equipment vendors to ensure that the life cycle emissions of network equipment components are reduced by 40% by 2020.

And if you care to read the whole thing, you can do that from this page.

Just when we talked about Oberthur’s EcoSIM card, the company announced that it has demoed a visual voicemail service running on their Multimedia SIM Card GIGANTIC WUAOW during the CARTES & Identification 2009 exhibition in Paris. Oberthur’s “partner in crime” is Spanish Telefonica (NYSE: TEF), which will undoubtedly sell the service as soon as all trials are completed. Moreover, we’ve no doubts other carriers will jump on board, selling visual voicemail to all the feature phone-ownin’ (no smartphone is needed, as far as I’ve understood) folks out there. A new revenue stream for the carriers has emerged, and I bet they won’t miss it.