Samsung SGH-X820 review

The Samsung P300 was both innovative and successful, but now Samsung has now gone a step further and taken the lead with the Samsung SGH-X820, which at 6.9 mm is the slimmest phone in the world. I wouldn't be surprised if other manufacturers go down this path and manage to spur Samsung on to even greater achievements. You cannot believe how thin the Samsung X820 is until you have held it. Next to the slim design, Samsung has managed to boost the X820 with a 2 Megapixel digital camera, with a maximum photo resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. I tried the Samsung SGH-X820 out for a while and will discuss its functions and characteristics in the following mobile phone review.

Samsung X820 - Slim designThe SGH-X820 balances slim elegance with a functional keypad and tops off its supreme design with a beveled cut surface for a natural grip.

Orange 'Unique Phone' service available in November

Orange has announced more details of its One Phone package that will allow people to have one handset that will switch between an Orange Wireless router connection and the Orange mobile network. Outline detail of the new service are on the Orange website here.

Handsets for the new service are expected to be available from November 2006, with three handsets to choose from initially the Motorola A910, Nokia 6136 and the Samsung P200. Registration to be first in the line for handsets can be done at www.orange.co.uk/uniquephone.

The service will not switch between the Livebox and mobile networks in the middle of a call, which to some extent may be preferable as if moving around your home it will avoid lots of switching pauses as the handset switches between networks.

Verizon Launches Broadband BlackBerry 8703e

On September 17th, Verizon customers will get what Cingular subscribers have had a chance at for many months now: a BlackBerry based on Research In Motion's (RIM) latest QWERTY thumb-keyboard design. Unlike Cingular, Verizon's model, the BlackBerry 8703e, is 3G enabled, however.

For the CDMA carrier 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 8700gThe only 3G-enabled BlackBerry available from a GSM carrier is shipping from Vodafone in Europe. It is the UTMS-compatible 8707v.

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

FT, Moto Demo 'Seamless Mobility'

PARIS -- France Telecom and Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT) today publicly demonstrate an innovative Network Controlled Seamless Mobility, one of the results of the companies' seamless mobility strategic partnership signed in January 2005. This collaboration aims at developing and deploying new and innovative integrated services using a wide range of devices, applications, and wireless access networks and technologies for the enterprise and consumer space. The France Telecom and Motorola labs research teams have collaborated on several projects including the one being showcased today: Network Controlled Seamless Mobility. It permits simultaneously to the operator to have a solution that enhances its services quality, optimizes the use of network capacity and achieves a greater end-user experience.

M:Metrics: UK Leads in Mobile Music Consumption, While Americans Top the Charts in Ringtones

M:Metrics, the mobile market authority, today released its findings on the audience for mobile music in the U.S. and Western Europe. The measurement firm found that the UK boasts the highest percentage of mobile subscribers who used their mobile device as a music player in the month of July. At three percent, the volume of British mobile music consumers is higher than the Spanish (2.8 percent), U.S. (0.7 percent) and German (1.4 percent) audiences.

"A significant barrier to mobile music consumption is the dearth of devices that support the activity," said Seamus McAteer, senior analyst, M:Metrics. "We are, however, seeing an influx of music-friendly devices on the market, with removable storage and better interfaces for accessing songs, as well as consumer education by the operators, all of which will foster growth in the sector."

M:Metrics also reported its ringtone consumption data, which reveals that the U.S.