Other than creating more smartphones for 2009, apparently LG is also looking towards the low-end market for additional market share. LG CEO Jung Do-hyun himself said in a statement that the company will go with aggressive price points for its products in emerging markets. Jung further adds, “We will settle for a single-digit profit margin in the low-end market by 2011,” and says that the company will expand outsourcing channels to help cut costs and maintain flexibility for the rapidly changing emerging markets. Currently, the majority of LG handsets are either high-end smartphones, or luxury phones. Hopefully, they will start on a new campaign soon that will see the rise of lower-end but still highly functional handsets from them. As one insider points out, LG knows that they are “weaker than rivals in low-end portfolios in emerging markets.” But the company is “in transition and mulling over whether to go one-step further,” regarding this.

  The worldwide mobile phone industry felt the impact of the global financial crisis in the third quarter of 2008 (3Q08) as total handset shipments were down significantly over previous quarters. Mobile phone manufacturers shipped a total of 299.0 million handsets in 3Q08, up 3.2% from last year, and down -0.4% over 2Q08. The third quarter of the year has historically been a ramp-up quarter as manufacturers load their sales channels with handsets in preparation for the holiday season, producing year-over-year growth rates as high as 20% as a result. This year has not witnessed a similar ramp up, largely due to the current economic situation. Looking forward to the holiday season, mobile phone average selling prices have already begun to drop and marketing campaigns are ramping up, and competition for buyers will remain high as spending will be a concern to consumers. IDC expects tight economic conditions will make 2009 slower and more competitive as well. Regional Analysis In North America, new releases from Apple, Palm, and Research In Motion, along with the highly anticipated release of the HTC G1, pushed the converged mobile device further into the public eye and into users' hands. Conversely, traditional mobile phones were not able to keep up...

Nokia revealed its smallest Bluetooth headset to date, the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-804. This new Bluetooth headset combines cutting-edge technology with genuine aluminum case, slim lines and a compact size making it a stylish accessory to any mobile device. Boasting superior audio quality and the latest audio features, including digital signal processing (DSP) for background noise cancellation, the Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-804 lets consumers enjoy crisp, clear conversations while on the go. The Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-804 has two user-friendly buttons making managing basic call functions and volume level easy. It comes with a desk-top charger and neck strap for convenient charging, storage and carrying The Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-804 is compatible with phones supporting Bluetooth wireless technology and is expected to launch in select markets in the fourth quarter of 2008.

  On the ceremony of rewarding MOBO AWARDS in London it was noticed the Bluetooth- set Of discovery of 925 Jewel from Plantronics. Novelty is not simply to set, but the expensive stylish accessory: Discovery of 925 Jewel is concluded in the housing from 18-[karatnogo] gold and is decorated with 40 diamonds and 31 by natural pearl. The design of this sets in the [vintazhnom] style was developed By [febom] [Koulmanom] (Phoebe Of coleman). In the characteristics and the construction gold version, apparently, differs in no way from the usual Of discovery 925. The cost Of plantronics Of discovery of 925 Jewel is 50000 of pounds sterling (about 70000 dollars).

We met Mauricio of Visto walking round the Symbian Smartphone Show last week and — well — you could hear an audible squeak of excitement from us as he brought out a Nokia ‘Exx’. That’s right.. it’s an E— something. We thought it could possibly be the E63 — and Mauricio did let slip that name.

  Asustek Computer plans to launch its first Android-based Google phone in the first half of 2009, according to company sources. Asustek may initially sell the Android-powered handsets under its own brand in the Taiwan market before also launching customized models for overseas clients, said market sources close to the company. In other news, the company sources also noted that Asustek plans to gradually phase out EMP-based handsets and instead will switch to handset platforms from Qualcomm and Marvell. While launching its 3.5G P552w PDA phone in the Taiwan market on October 28, Asustek plans to launch one 3G handset model built using Qualcomm's dual-core solutions in the first quarter of next year, the sources noted. Asustek's shipments of smartphones in the Taiwan market totaled 30,000 units in the first nine months of this year, and the company expects the annual shipment volumes to reach 40,000 units by year-end.

  According to a new study, people are increasingly choosing which phone to buy based on the ability to customise their applications. The study, conducted by Mformation, reveals that 68% of mobile phone users find it frustrating being locked into the apps that come preinstalled on their smartphone. It's a situation Apple has recently tried to take advantage of, with the launch of its apps store for the iPhone and iPod touch. A similar, though free, service is expected to be offered on Google's Android platform. The apps store has already been a runaway hit for Apple, shifting 200 million applications since launch. The survey suggests 67% of mobile phone buyers are willing to pay a premium for a similar service on their handsets. Indeed, the survey argues that 81% are so attracted by the ability pick and choose their apps that they're willing to switch provider to achieve it. "Services are very locked down. You get a device and that's what you have until you upgrade," Rob Dalgety, Mformation's marketing director tells PC Pro. "There's a lot of pent-up demand - people would use services more if there was more flexibility in provisioning. If you target services to customers and segment needs, you get more usage." This is backed up by the findings that...

  We'll all be talking on sunshine in the years ahead, according to predictions by analysts ABI Research. It predicts that solar-powered mobile phone base stations will transform mobile communications into one of the greenest high tech industries. ABI estimates that over 335,000 base stations worldwide will be using powered by the sun by 2013, with 40,000 of those being completely autonomous and off-grid. Solar cell-phones The majority of base stations will use diesel or mains electricity to supplement their solar panels, especially in Northern countries where population density and cloud cover require it. Developing countries will be the biggest winners, with remote communities receiving phone coverage and web connections for the first time. Half the world's population has never made a phone call, according to (slightly outdated) UN figures. Other technologies being considered by networks eager to improve coverage are fuel cells, wind power and even compressed air. A mobile phone network powered by hot air? How...

  A phone with an 8 Megapixel camera is nice, that’s for sure. But Samsung knows that a phone with an 8 Megapixel camera and 3x optical zoom would be even nicer. According to Telecoms Korea, Samsung Techwin and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, two of the South Korean giant’s subsidiaries, have already developed 8 Megapixel camera modules with 3x optical zoom. The module has an autofocus performance improved by 57%, a 1/2.5 inch CMOS sensor and lens that support F2.85. The module is also a bit bigger than the 5MP one previously developed by Samsung.   A Samsung Electro-Mechanics official unveiled that the first handset to come with 8MP and 3x digital zoom will be released in early 2009. Even more, the South Korean manufacturer is also working on a 12MP camera module that will be smaller than the 8MP one. There’s no word yet on when this will be integrated into a phone, though.

  LG and Bell have announced a new fashion phone called the LG “Reveal” with no hesitation to promote it as looking like a make-up compact. This will be available in a flowery designed purple and black. It boasts a 2.4 inch high res screen, full QWERTY keyboard with a 2 Megapixel Camera with zoom and brightness controls, video recorder, speakerphone, EVDO, Bluetooth enabled. To kick this beast off Bell has come up with a “Shimmer Kit”. This will include a Bluetooth headset that is all blinged out with Swarovski crystals.

  Samsung has been the first and so far the only major handset manufacturer to offer dual SIM card phones outside China. And it already has an impressive Dual SIM phone collection under the DuoS brand, which includes their first two SIM phone - Samsung D880, the cheap Samsung P240 / D780, and Samsung D980 touchscreen phone. Today we learned that there’s a new dual SIM phone coming. This time Korean manufacturer is aiming to the very high end segment of the market with it’s new Samsung S9402 DuoS luxury handset. Samsung D9402 will be made of premium materials which include hardened scratch resistant display glass and metal frame covered with rhodium (chemical and mechanical damage resistant platinum group metal). It will also come equipped with Bang & Olufsen/ ICEPower amplifier to improve sound quality of the phone speakers. Other Samsung S9402 specs include: * Triband GSM (900/1800/1900 Mhz), GPRS/EDGE connectivity on 1st SIM card * Dual band (900/1800 Mhz), GPRS/EDGE connectivity on 2nd SIM card * 2″ 262K color QVGA AMOLED display * 5 mpx camera with autofocus, image stabilization, smile detection, WDR and LED flash * FM Radio with RDS * 1 GB of built-in memory * microSDHC memory card slot (up to 8 GB) * Bluetooth 2.0 and...

  One of the most powerful HTC smartphones to ever come out of the woodwork is rumored to be scheduled for an official release on November 6th. Which HTC smartphone is it? It’s none other than the HTC Touch HD. Aside from its humungous (for a handheld) 3.8-inch WVGA (800 x 480 pixels!) screen with force feedback, the HTC Touch HD tastes pretty good on paper. There’s a 5 megapixel camera on-board with autofocus (but no flash!), 3.5mm headphone port, HSDPA data and built-in GPS. What else? Ah, yes, Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. Of course, what’s mentioned above is not all. Here are more of the upcoming HTC Touch HD’s paper-tastic specs: 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A processor   Front-facing VGA camer   288MB RAM/ 512MB ROM Bluetooth 2.0+EDR with A2DP 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi Minu USB port   microSDHC card slot 1350 mAh Li-Ion battery Measures 11.5 x 6.3 x 1.2 cm and weighs 146 grams So if you’re looking to bag this baby as soon as it gets released, remember the date: November 6th. And prepare at least 649 € in view of its list...

  Meet the new Walkman handset - Twiggy. Twiggy is a thin Walkman phone for 2009 year and it is successor of well-know Walkman flip-phone W350. Twiggy has same as W350 flip design, but features are more high: 240×320 screen, Walkman player 3.0, 3.2-Mp camera. If W350 has 4 colours, Twiggy has only 2 colours. Main colour - black with green parts. Twiggy will be released at the beginning of Q2, 2009. Sony Ericsson planning, that Twiggy will be most popular handset in 2009. By the way, 2009 is year of Walkman phones.