LG Follows Carriers To iFollow

Instant Messaging specialist Followap has signed added another high profile customer to its list following the announcement that LG Mobile will use the company's IM solution in future handsets. With a customer list that already includes Vodafone, Microsoft's MSN, Hutchison's 3, Ericsson, Samsung, Motorola and more, Followap is making great strides in the mobile instant messaging (IM) and presence market. The latest to join the list is LG Mobile which has selected Followap's mobile IM iFollow Client to be integrated into its latest 3G handset the LG U300. The LG U300 is designed specifically for the IM user in mind, featuring the first ever IM key which means that with one click, users can access their personal MSN Messenger community, and interact with their family and friends on the go.

BenQ P51 Pocket PC phone was vaporware after all

The reason is trivial: BenQ, that previously has purchased Siemens Mobile division from Siemens, is firing all German employees and closing all facilities in Germany.

What is the reason of closure? Obviously the market share of BenQ-Siemens mobile phones was falling rapidly and that was the reason. What was the reason of this fall of market share? On one hand one could suspect German workers, who take benefit of overly bureaucratic and too employer-hostile German social system, but we think that it was clearly mis-management on part of BenQ. Anyway: after Sierra Wireless, yet another (potential) vendor/maker of Windows Mobile phones goes away. All in all bad news for Windows Mobile camp!

Information from BenQ follows.

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BenQ Announces Discontinuation of Funding for its German BenQ Mobile Phone Subsidiary

To stem unsustainable losses at BenQ's mobile operations, BenQ Corporation's board of directors convened today and resolved to discontinue capital injection into BenQ Mobile GmbH & Co OHG, its German mobile phone subsidiary.

Gracenote(R) and Samsung Partner to Get Music From the PC to the ...

LOS ANGELES, BUSINESS WIRE -- Gracenote, a global leader in digital entertainment technology, today announced an agreement with Samsung Electronics, a leading provider and innovator of Click for the lowest price on dmnobieblankmobile phones');" onMouseOut="hideAd();" class=Hotlink>mobile phones and telecom systems, to provide its Music ID(TM) and Playlist(TM) technologies to ease the management and transferring of music from the PC to a wide range of SAMSUNG handsets, starting with the SGH-E500. The E500 with Gracenote functionality is currently available throughout Europe.

The new E500 is the first Samsung handset to ship with Gracenote Music ID and Playlist technologies, which allow consumers who use the Samsung Mobile PC application to get content from the PC onto their E500 handset with reliability and ease.

BlackBerry 8703e Available From Verizon

Verizon this week launched the BlackBerry 8703e, the carrier's version of Research In Motion's (RIM) most recent QWERTY thumb-keyboard wireless handheld. Although variations on the 8700 series have been shipping for about a year, Verizon's is the first CDMA model, and it is 3G enabled.

For Verizon that means compatibility with its EV-DO network for data transfers between 400 to 700 kbps. Much faster than the 135 kbps EDGE speeds available with Cingular's 8700c or T-Mobile's 8700g. The only 3G-enabled BlackBerry available from a GSM carrier - the UTMS-compatible 8707v - is shipping from Vodafone in Europe.

In addition to accessing the Web, corporate network, and e-mail from their handheld, 8703e users have the option to connect their BlackBerry via a USB cable to a laptop to take advantage of EV-DO to do the same.

Xplore M98 could be a PalmOS best-seller mobile

ASIAN COMPANY GSPDA could turn its Xplore M98 PalmOS based smartphone into a best seller, if it tweaked the design a bit and invested in proper marketing and distribution in the West.

Xplore M98 PalmOS smartphone with stylus and included 32MB Sandisk Micro-SD card

I bought this Palm OS based smartphone because I love the simplicity of the traditional Palm OS Garnet, and the high availability of third party applications of all kinds, from good games to open source databases to "voice over IP" SIP applications.

Another good selling point of the Xplore M98 is its "clamshell" format and 1.3MP camera, which actually looks more like a 640x480 CMOS sensor software -interpolated to 1.3MP, but which gives average quality images. Personally, I prefer a clamshell design over the more basic "candy bar" design and to my knowledge, the M98 is the only Palm OS based, GSM clamshell phone in the marketplace.

Samsung Upgrades Network With Force10 TeraScale E-Series

Force10 Networks announces that Samsung Electronics has deployed the TeraScale E-Series family of switch routers in its semiconductor facility to speed collaboration, design and automated manufacturing processes. With the high density and resiliency of the Force10 TeraScale E-Series, Samsung can leverage its network as a strategic asset, gaining a distinct competitive advantage.

Supporting 630 Gigabit and 112 Ten Gigabit Ethernet ports, the Force10 TeraScale E600 provides the high density foundation Samsung requires at the core of its manufacturing network, providing the electronics leader with a highly flexible foundation that can seamlessly scale with demand. In addition to high density, the Force10 TeraScale E-Series provides the unmatched resiliency required to assure business continuity.

OZ provides easy to use mobile email to 3 Scandinavia

OZ, the mobile messaging solution provider, announced that 3 Scandinavia has deployed the OZ Mobile Email Solution to provide their customers with a rich and easy to use mobile email experience. The award winning OZ solution will bring the highly popular MSN Hotmail service to millions of 3 Scandinavia Group's mobile subscribers; allowing them to stay connected with their buddies anytime and anywhere.

"Providing our customers with innovative services is extremely important at 3," said Shlomo Liran, CEO of 3 Scandinavia. "We selected OZ for their innovative mobile messaging solutions, steadfast industry reputation and its ability to help carriers generate new revenue streams with subscriber centric solutions - which is crucial to remain competitive in this marketplace."

Available on LG and Sony Ericsson devices, the OZ Mobile Email Solution is pre-loaded on the LG U300 and the Sony Ericsson K610 devices; pre-loaded services allows for easy access to the solution, and encourages quick adoption of the solution.

Celcom signs partnership agreement with Vodafone

Celcom has signed an alliance with Vodafone, a mobile telecommunications company, and announced the introduction of three new products and services.

Among the products and services introduced under this partnership is the Vodafone Mobile Connect 3G broadband data card, which includes Vodafone Mobile Connect software that is aimed at optimising the connection through a graphical interface.

Celcom also hopes to introduce enhanced roaming capabilities to enable superior rates and services in more networks around the world. The company said that in the near future, it expects to offer a virtual home environment (VHE) when roaming on Vodafone networks, with the same short codes and services that customers would use in Malaysia.

As part of the alliance with Vodafone, Celcom is also introducing the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution, developed by Research In Motion (RIM).

SAMSUNG Electronics Upgrades Network With Force10 TeraScale E ...

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 2006--Force10 Networks(R) today announced that SAMSUNG Electronics, an affiliate of SAMSUNG Group, South Korea's largest enterprise, has deployed the TeraScale E-Series(R) family of switch routers in its semiconductor facility to speed collaboration, design and automated manufacturing processes. With the high density and resiliency of the Force10 TeraScale E-Series, SAMSUNG can leverage its network as a strategic asset, gaining a distinct competitive advantage.

"The efficiencies of automated manufacturing processes are critical to the ongoing success of our business, and to gain further advantage, we needed a reliable network that could scale with our growth," said Chan-Ho Yoon, network architect at SAMSUNG Electronics, the largest company within SAMSUNG Group.