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Posted on October 28th, 2009
admin
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — GPS navigation devices were the latest must-have tech toys just two years ago, and shares of device makers like Garmin and TomTom were soaring.
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A screenshot shows Google’s new mapping navigation.
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That didn’t last long. In a turnabout that has been remarkably swift even for the fast-moving technology business, those companies have suffered as competition has pulled down prices — and as more people have turned to their cellphones for directions.
In the latest blow to the business, Google announced a free navigation service for mobile phones on Wednesday that will offer turn-by-turn directions, live traffic updates and the ability to recognize voice commands. The service will initially be available on only one phone, the new Motorola Droid, but will be expanded to more phones soon.
In a briefing on Tuesday in advance of its announcement, Google said that the service might be supported by advertisements in the future. That would make driving directions the latest form of information to shift from being a paid service to one that is ad-supported.
“This is consistent with a certain pattern of Google, where they are able to build volume and usage of a product and then subsidize it with advertising,” said Greg Sterling, principal of Sterling Market Intelligent, a research firm. The losers, he said, were companies like TomTom and Garmin, along with the cellphone carriers, which offer navigation services by subscription.
Eric E. Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, said that he didn’t view the new service as hurting an industry. Instead, he said, it is a boon to consumers, made possible by the increasing power of smartphones and the growing ubiquity of Internet access.
“Obviously we like the price of free, because consumers like that as well,” he said.
But analysts say that if successful, Google’s service could chip away at sales of stand-alone GPS devices and the subscription services offered by cellphone carriers.
Sales growth for those devices is already slowing. In 2007, global shipments of stand-alone navigation devices grew a hefty 131 percent from the year before, according to data from the research firm In-Stat. But the firm predicts that shipments will grow just 19 percent this year from 2008, and a price war has hurt the industry’s profits.
“With a free alternative that is just as good, I don’t see much positive growth for the likes of TomTom, Navigon or Garmin,” said Dominique Bonte, director of navigation research at ABI Research. “If it’s free and a good service, why would you pay for something you can get for free?”
Google’s announcement also reflects a broader shift toward consolidation in the gadget world.
The smartphone is already the Swiss Army knife of the digital age, able to transform into a camera, music player or game machine at the swipe of a finger. Now it is increasingly a navigation device too.
Many people still prefer dedicated GPS devices, which tend to display maps faster since the data is typically stored in the device rather than downloaded over a wireless network. But the list of smartphone shortcomings is shrinking. Smartphone users can download applications that offer spoken directions and live traffic updates. And at $100 to $300 apiece, smartphones are competitively priced with GPS units, which average about $177, according to the research firm NPD Group.
By 2013, phone-based navigation systems, which are already more popular among younger smartphone owners, will dominate the market, according to a recent report from Forrester.
The makers of navigation devices have not ignored the spread of smartphones. But Google’s move could make it harder for them to adapt.
TomTom, based in Amsterdam, introduced a $100 navigation application for the iPhone in August. The company said the program had been downloaded close to 80,000 times. Garmin recently released the Nuvifone, a hybrid of a navigational device and a cellphone that has generally received poor reviews.
“Turn-by-turn navigation on a handset is what we’re been doing with the Nuvifone,” said Ted Gartner, a spokesman for Garmin, which declined to release sales figures for the phone. “Google’s announcement reaffirms that consumers want their smartphones to double as a navigation device.”
Julien Blin, principal analyst at JBB Industry, called Garmin’s phone a “desperate move,” adding: “The Nuvifone is around $300, and you can get an iPhone for a comparable amount that can now do the same thing.”
Shares of both TomTom and Garmin plummeted Wednesday after Google’s announcement. Garmin’s shares fell 16 percent to $31.45 on Nasdaq, while TomTom’s shares closed around 21 percent lower on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.
Google’s navigation service, which for now works only in the United States, is part of a new version of Google Maps for Mobile, software that will work on the growing number of phones that run Google’s Android operating system. Google executives said they eventually hoped to offer the service on Apple’s iPhone and other mobile devices. But they said this would be up to those device makers. Apple and Google have clashed over Apple’s reluctance to approve an application that works with the Google Voice calling service.
As mobile services that involve location have become increasingly important, the underlying mapping data has become a valuable strategic asset. Google recently began creating its own digital maps in the United States, ending a contract with the map data provider TeleAtlas, which is owned by TomTom.
A year earlier, Google had chosen TeleAtlas to replace Navteq, a map data provider that Nokia acquired for $8.1 billion in 2007. Google and Nokia are rivals in mobile phone operating systems.
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Posted on October 21st, 2009
admin
just 60 dollar, you can get one mobile!
please go here.
http://www.cellphonesbox.com/JINPENG-K68-Dual-Card-Touch-Screen-Phone-Gold–SZR665-_p306.html
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Posted on October 11th, 2009
admin
After much anticipation and amidst much fanfare, Microsoft unveiled its Windows MarketPlace for Mobile devices last Tuesday. The Windows MarketPlace is now open for business for WM6.5 phones, with plans to make it accessible to WM6.0 and WM6.1 phones by the end of the year (NOTE: If you don’t want to wait, you can find a CAB file that can be installed to WM6.0 or WM6.1 phones at the XDA Developers forum).
Over the last year I’ve read numerous articles that discussed the Windows MarketPlace in regards to software developers, but I have not read any articles that discuss the MarketPlace in regards to end users like me! To get a better understanding of the MarketPlace from an end user perspective I spent several hours reviewing the “MarketPlace for Mobile Customer Service Agreement,” the “Windows MarketPlace Frequently Asked Questions for Customers” and the “Windows MarketPlace Frequently Asked Questions for Developers” documents that are located on Microsoft’s website.
How the MarketPlace works
According to the Windows MarketPlace for Mobile Customer Service Agreement, “Applications made available through Windows Marketplace are licensed, not sold, to you.” To license software through the MarketPlace, all you need is a Windows Live ID. You can’t shop online from your computer just yet, but you can set up your billing preferences and view your purchase and billing history on the Windows MarketPlace website. You can pay for software either with a credit card or by having charges applied to your mobile phone bill (if your mobile operator is set up to do this). Online shopping from your computer will be offered sometime in the future.
Before you can license software you’ll be required to sign off on the Windows MarketPlace for Mobile Customer Service Agreement.
MarketPlace Mobile client
You can browse and purchase applications directly from your Windows phone through the Windows Mobile MarketPlace client. After you open up the client, you will login to your Live ID. Then you can browse available applications by selecting the “Showcase,” “Most popular,” or “What’s new” options on the Home page. Tapping the “View All” option (at the top right hand side of the screen) allows you to refine your search to paid, free, or the newest applications that have been added to the MarketPlace.
The mobile client also lets you browse by category, and you can manage applications you’ve licensed through the MarketPlace.
When you purchase a license to use an application, the application is downloaded and installed directly to your device from the MarketPlace. If you remove an application or perform a hard reset, you can download and install the application again by opening the Marketplace client on your windows phone, and going to the My Applications page (see screenshot below on the right).
Tapping the Menu option on the lower right hand side of the screen allows you to return to the Home screen or to Search for specific applications.
The Marketplace Mobile client is touch friendly and easy to use.
Licensing Applications
You can tap any application you see to learn more about it or to purchase and install it to your phone. Applications are installed directly to the Windows phone’s main memory.
i 
Windows MarketPlace for Mobile does not issue or use activation codes (4). Instead, applications are associated with your Windows Live ID account, are licensed to specific devices and can only be installed from the Windows MarketPlace. You can install applications on up to five different devices at a time. Activation and registration codes that have been purchased in other places are not supported in the Windows MarketPlace.
Trial Software, which are described as “limited functionality” versions of applications, will be available for free. (5) This is different than most trial software that is downloaded from other places, where the software are fully functional versions that time out after some period of time.
Are the benefits compelling enough to get your business?
From an end-user perspective, the benefits of shopping at the MarketPlace include:
Convenience: One-stop shopping for software from a Windows phone just doesn’t get any easier or faster than using the Mobile MarketPlace client. (well, it could be one-stop shopping once more developers get on board).
Secure Backup: All applications that are purchased in the Marketplace are automatically backed up to your account and you can download and reinstall the software to your Windows phone, as needed. (6)
Microsoft certification: All MarketPlace applications go through a rigorous certification process by Microsoft to ensure the best user experience on their Windows phones, and applications are backed by a simple return policy. (7)
Simple Refund Policy: Credit card purchases come with a no-questions-asked refund policy as long as a refund is requested within 24 hours from time of purchase and you don’t ask for more than one refund a month. (8)
Will MarketPlace restrictions leave you cold?
I hold many personal reservations about my loss of control over applications that are purchased through the Marketplace.
Where i got this mobile?
shopping in cellphonesBox.com
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Posted on April 22nd, 2009
admin
By CellphonesBox.com
The Nokia E75 started shipping a few days ago and we’ve managed to get our hands on one of the first devices. This is a full retail, check out our un-boxing for what the retail pack consists of.
The Nokia E75 is classed as a business phone and sits somewhere between the Nokia E71 and the Communicator range. Check out our review to see how whether it lives up to expectations.
The Nokia E75 is an impressive looking smartphone. It feels solid in the hand and due to its rather flat profile looks larger than the likes of the Nokia 5800, with which it shares a similar size and weight. Initial impressions of the build quality are that it’s certainly on a par with the Nokia E71 and it feels good in the hand. The 139g weight is well balanced.
Check out the Nokia E75 Tech Specs
FEATURES: When it comes to features, the screen is a standard 2.4-inch screen with 320 x 240 pixel resolution. While there is nothing special about it, it’s certainly bright and the interface is easy to navigate. The main apps run along the top of the screen and can be accessed using the omni-directional key that sits just below the screen, between the Home and Return keys.
The numeric keypad has plenty of bounce to it and instead of individual keys you’ll find each row is a strip with a sensor underneath. This works well and helps minimise dust and grime getting between the keys.
KEYBOARD: The secret trick with the Nokia E75 that is tucked away at the back of the phone. It’s a side-loading QWERTY, which splits open as soon as you put pressure on the two halves.
As soon as you slide open the QWERTY keyboard the screen rotates so you’ll be viewing it in landscape mode. This is a nice touch and only goes back to Portrait mode when you close it back up again. The benefits of this are evident, as you’ll only really open the keyboard when you want to use it.
The keyboard itself is a nice size and the weighting of the handset means you’ll need to hold it in two hands for best effect. The keys feel large enough but due to the design have a rather flat feel to them as you type, which means you’ll be double-checking you’ve hit the right key every time.
We would have liked a slightly larger Space bar, as the one fitted is a little small and you will find yourself having to look down to locate it from time-to-time.
When pressing the buttons on the left-hand side you need to hold the device firmly, otherwise you’ll find yourself sliding the phone open slightly. This isn’t a problem, more a little irksome and could have been easily resolved with a latch, as can be found on the Nokia N97.
AROUND THE SIDES: Features tucked around the sides of the phones are 3.5mm audio jack on the top, camera and media buttons on the right-hand side, charger input, which is the standard Nokia charger can be found on the bottom of the phone, will finally on the left-hand side are access ports for the microUSB and microSD slots.
CONCLUSION: So, is the Nokia E71 about to become the businessman’s new email favourite? Its early days yet and we’ve not fully got to grips with using it. However, at the moment it’s a close call. It’s a user-friendly phone and using the keyboard is nice but unless you have a real need to have a larger keyboard, such as writing full documents rather than just quick emails on the move, Nokia E71 users may well be happy with what they’re currently using.
Check out our Nokia E75 gallery:
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Posted on April 20th, 2009
admin
Adoption of mid-range smartphones is set to buck the trend of falling revenue in the mobile market this year.
According to IDC’s Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker for Q4 2008, the number of mobile phones shipped fell by 16 per cent to 2.98 million units in 2008. It claimed the number of converged devices (smartphones) shipped increased by 8 per cent and will rise by a further 8 per cent this year due to adoption of midrange priced devices.
IDC telecommunications market analyst, Mark Novosel, said the decline was due largely to customer migration to Telstra’s Next G network.
“The majority of the year-on-year decline in 2008 was due to the unsustainable boom caused by Telstra’s CDMA to Next G migration in 2007,” Novosel said in a statement. “The actual effect of the slowing economy is less significant at this stage.
“Converged devices available [for] $49 per month should do well in 2009. It’s difficult to imagine anyone giving up their mobile phone despite growing negativity in the economy, however, it is likely some consumers on higher plans will start cutting back on their mobile spend when it’s time to renew their contract,” he said.
The IDC report claimed the recession has pushed up prices for mobile phones, and claimed adoption of high-end smartphones will drop this year. The researcher said last year shipments of iPhones dropped 27 per cent quarter-on-quarter, and unit costs are decreasing in the lead up to product upgrades.
Shipments of mobiles built on HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) constituted 45 per cent of the mobile market in 2008, according to IDC, and will increase by 4 per cent this year.
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