ClarityLife C900, one of the few mobile phones especially built and designed for senior users, is now available for purchase in the US. The handset is manufactured by Clarity, a division of Plantronics, and it’s sold unlocked for $269.99. Unfortunately, there is only a GSM version of the phone (to use with AT&T or T-Mobile), so you won’t be able to use it on a CDMA network. Being targeted to seniors, ClarityLife C900 is obviously a simple phone packed with features that can make communication much easier for this categoy of mobile users. Among the features of C900, we must mention: *Amplification – seniors with hearing loss can hear incoming sound amplified up to 20 dB (decibels)*Four large buttons that provide an easy navigation*A one-touch emergency help button on the back, for instant contact with the loved ones*A large backlit screen that displays oversized text for convenient reading*Text messaging*Flashing orange LED for incoming calls*Incorporated flashlight

  According to a cost estimate by iSuppli, Google's first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, has an estimated bill-of-materials (BOM) of $143.89. For those of you keeping score, that puts it at $30.44 under the BOM cost of the iPhone. The most costly part of the G1 comes from the baseband with its combination of ARM11 and ARM7 microprocessors, which account for $28.49 of the total cost. The G1's 3.2 inch touch screen comes in second for cost at $19.67, with the camera and radio frequency/power amplifier following as the third and fourth most expensive components. iSuppli does state that the estimate is based purely on the cost of the components in the device, and not the software or manufacturing costs that go into it. Since the G1's major draw is the Android software, it would be interesting to see the rundown of software cost analysis at some point.

  All mobile phone makers grow rainbows inside their head at some point, and for Motorola, that is now. Which is why the company has announced the existence of two new colorful handsets, the Cocktail Mint and Cocktail Tropical. Both phones don’t pack in anything revolutionary, except maybe for the fact that they’re so color-filled, it’s supposed to be a feature. Well, who can blame Motorola, for they were the ones who introduced variety and stylishness in an otherwise dull and non-RAZR craving world. The Motorola Cocktail Mint and Cocktail Tropical phones are actually fairly similar. About their only difference would be that the Cocktail Mint is colored with a combination of chic black, fresh mint, and pearl white, while the Cocktail Tropical uses white, light green, violet and orange in its hues. For no obvious reason, both phones also feature a wine dictionary so users can work on their wine jargons and other wine-related skills.   We know the Cocktail Mint phone supports 3G data, supports microSD cards and has a 2.2-inch QVGA screen. There’s a camera lens at the back but its megapixel count isn’t show anywhere, so it could be anyone(or someone who knows Korean)’s guess. And speaking of guesses,...

Nokia today announced the latest addition to its Eseries range, the Nokia E63, designed for people who need to manage their business and personal lives equally well. Building on the success of the Nokia E71, the company's flagship messaging device, the Nokia E63 brings the QWERTY keyboard form factor to a broader audience at a great price. The Nokia E63 is expected to begin shipping in the coming weeks for an estimated retail price of EUR 199, before taxes and subsidies.Whilst appealing to a new group of consumers with a design that feels great in the hand and has two new colors, the Nokia E63 is still very much a member of the Eseries family. Petersen continues, "People use Eseries to access their corporate mail, review their calendar and work in their business network, so the Nokia E63 still includes Wi-Fi connectivity, easy access to Mail for Exchange and dedicated key access to contacts, calendar and email."The Nokia E63 also has the ability to switch modes with a single key press, switching from a view of corporate mail, appointments and intranet data, to a personal mode with a picture of friends, personal email and shortcuts to favorite hobby blogs or websites. Petersen adds, "The amazing response we have seen to the Nokia E71, which has very quickly...

  More and more often, LG comes with devices that have a special focus. With this we mean that a clear segmentation arose in fashion devices, basic mobiles, cameraphones and music phones. This last category will soon welcome a new family member, namely the LG KC560. This slider will have a very good price and have a fresh design. The employees of Unwired View laid their hands on the first details and pictures of the LC KG560 today. Due to this, we also know that the device likes a proper beat, at the bottom of the slider we namely find different LED lights that blink on the beat of your music. Very nice for the young mobile caller. Besides an average amount of internal memory, which can also be expanded, the LG KC560 also offers a musicplayer. Besides music possibilities the LG KC560 also has some nice things to offer on the area of photography. A 3.2 megapixel camera with an LED flash is namely placed at the back. You won't be able to reach the internet on rocket speed because the device is "only" equipped with GPRS and EDGE support, but that you are able to reach the internet and e-mail are no two ways about. A specific timeframe in which we may expect an official announcement of the LG KC560 is something we don't have at this point, we do know...

  After teasing us with a touchscreen phone way back at CES this January, iriver has been decidedly mum on the subject ever since, calling what we saw more of a "proof of concept" than a ready-for-market product. Well, that veil has been lifted and we're finally staring at the iriver wave, a touchphone that iriver plans to start shipping in Korea on March 9th of next year with KT, and with other major carriers to follow. Other than a touchscreen, the phone packs WiFi and the traditional kitchen sink approach of Korean PMPs, with multimedia playback, FM radio, e-books and an electronic dictionary. There's miniSD expansion, access to the Bugs Music Service for online music and we're sure a few other perks hidden under layers of Korean spec sheets. Overall the physical design hasn't really changed much from what we saw at the start of the year (looks like that 3-inch, 480 x 272 touchscreen is quite intact), but the software has certainly been refined, and is devoid of many of its original, erm, iPhone-inspired...

  LG Japan hosted a Mobile Design Contest and with the winners announced the phones were put on display at a Tokyo Designers Week event. Although the phones are only concepts and may never actually become products, its always interesting to see the designs and concepts that come out of these competitions. The winning design was “Planet Phone”, the circular smooth phone takes inspiration from our planet and the people on it to develop this unique clam shell mobile. The top of the phone has LED lights embedded in it. The lights represent the users friends and the frequency of contact between them. The more you keep in touch with your friends the more the lights stay in the center, but as your communication drops the LEDs retreat to the outskirts of the phone. Our second favorite design is the Temprature Phone concept. Similar to the Planet Phone concept it aims to raise awareness of your friends. The back of the phone has a number of tiles which can be removed from the phone and shared with friends. You can give your friends a tile with your name on it and vise versa, this provides a unique design for every cell phone. The Temperature phone also has LED lights behind the name tiles which glow according to the temprature of the place your...

  High Tech Computer (HTC) saw its revenues grow 22.4% on year to hit a record high of NT$16.04 billion (US$489 million) in October buoyed by the launch of new models, including T-Mobile G1 phones, according to company data. For the 10 months of this year, revenues reached NT$121.22 billion, up 30.8% from a year earlier period. Despite growing uncertainty about the global economy, HTC has remained positive over its fourth-quarter revenue outlook, targeting a total of about NT$48 billion, according to sources at handset component suppliers. The sources even pointed out that HTC is actually under a tight production schedule, with part of its shipments already being affected.

  It's a sight we never thought we'd see: five apparently sane human beings, sitting on a rug and performing a Led Zeppelin classic by blowing into their mobile phones. This bizarre musical happening was made possible by SMule's Ocarina, an inventive new application for Apple's iPhone. In fact, this is actually a genuinely playable instrument – notes are 'fingered' by covering the virtual holes on the touchscreen (think back to when you learned to play the recorder at school) and you then have to blow into the microphone to produce sounds. The ocarina is an ancient flute-type instrument that's believed to date back 12,000 years. More recently, it played a central role in one of Nintendo's Legend Of Zelda games, which explains why the software offers a dedicated 'Zeldarian' mode. Available now in the App Store for the bargain price of $0.99/£0.59, Ocarina is certainly one of the most interesting iPhone music-making tools we've seen so far.

  In the area of mobile communications, innovative technologies such as "HSPA evolution," which is the successor to HSPA, and "LTE (long term evolution)," which features high-speed communications of more than 100Mbps, are drawing interest. For both of these technologies, Ericsson intends to proactively develop and market embedded modules, base station facilities and other products. During the conference, Ericsson mentioned its concept of a future mobile terminal as "a mobile device in 2012." According to the concept, high-function terminals, in the future, will be equipped with a 12- to 20-Mpixel camera and support full HD video shooting capability. "We have an image of a mobile terminal equipped with digital camera and camcorder capabilities of the future," said Jonas Lundstedt, Ericsson's Director Portfolio Management, Product and Portfolio Management. The terminal's display will have XGA resolution. And the operating frequency of the application processor will reach 1GHz, he said. As for its telecommunications functionality, Ericsson expects the device to support 100Mbps or faster LTE. The company considers that the market shift toward such a future mobile terminal is gradual. Current HSPA technology has a maximum transmission speed of 7.2Mbps,...

  Samsung Electronics Co. overtook Motorola Inc. as the leading vendor of handsets in the U.S. for the first time in the third quarter, according to data from Strategy Analytics Inc. The South Korean company reached the milestone -- with 22.4% of the market compared with Motorola's 21.1% -- by offering carriers a full portfolio of devices, from high-end products such as the touch-screen Instinct to lower-end phones given free to customers who sign up with a particular carrier.

  LG has quietly released a new affordable clamshell, the LG KP152. For the moment, the handset officially appears only on the LG Brazil website, but it’s said it will be released in Europe too – in Russia for the beginning, starting this month. LG KP152 is surely an elegant device. Unfortunately, its features are not at all ones to crave for. The phone might represent the beginning of LG’s new campaign to conquer emerging markets with basic devices. Here are the main specs and capabilities of LG KP152: Tri band GSM/GPRS connectivity TFT display with 65K colors (its resolution is not known) FM radio SMS, MMS VGA photo camera 800 mAh Li-Ion battery Talk time: up to 3.5 hours Stand by time: up to 350hours 80 grams 88 x 47 x 17.3 millimeters LG KP152 will have a retail price of somewhere around $100. As seen in the images above, the clamshell will come in at least two color versions: red and black.

  Meizu's shadow to the iPhone, the M8, should be available in at least a limited form before the end of the month, according to a post by company head J. Wong. While already tentatively slated for November, the touchscreen phone should be launched in Meizu's native China no later than November 30th. The company is waiting for a government license for the phone but will release a test version to users even if the license isn't granted by the end of the month, Wong explains. The news is accompanied by plans for the launch that will stagger the release: both the Chinese and Indian versions will be available first, with the Chinese version's Wi-Fi disabled to meet local laws. Exports to Europe, Hong Kong and the US may also be ready by Christmas Eve with Wi-Fi intact. Meizu's device is based on a heavily modified Windows Mobile interface with numerous references to Apple's cellphone, including a Safari-like web browser front end, an iPod-like media player, and a similar overall look. However, the Chinese device also carries extras like a three-megapixel camera and FM radio at the expense of 3G data, using EDGE instead when away from Wi-Fi. The M8 is tentatively priced at the equivalent of about $348 for an 8GB version without subsidies and $421 for a...