The smartphone market isn’t exactly the realm of LG, whose handsets often offer fashion before function, but if a report from Telecoms Korea is to be believed, it looks like the company may be completely changing its stance for the next year. It appears that LG has realized it will need to start producing powerful smartphones of its own if it wants to keep its market influence. From Telecoms Korea’s report, industry observers have noted that, “LG mobile phones made strides in hardware but remained weak in smartphones, which require sophisticated software. The priority should be put on software than making good-looking phones like Prada and Viewty.” It is said that LG plans to release over 10 new smartphones in 2009, and that at least one of them has been confirmed to be running on Windows Mobile. Meanwhile, Symbian and Linux-based smartphones are also being considered by LG, but will only make them if they see that market response is good. Along with their plans for smartphones in 2009, LG has also revealed its goals of making these devices “million sellers.” Well, that should be easy, but only if LG doesn’t screw things up and gets it...

  There are a few other differences. The Hacha, while clearly cast in cheap plastic from the same mold as the Vertu phone, is in fact a $15 MP3 player and not a piece of function-limited jewelry. It also plays music, which – astonishingly – the Vertu does not. For that price, you should really expect nothing, but you get 2GB storage and an the ability to play MP3, WMA and OGG files. You load it up via USB 2.0 and it is guaranteed not to work with iTunes. Even the battery life isn't bad, at 14 hours playback time. Today marks the symbolic end of the MP3 player market. We know that one day, standalone music players will be novelty items and all listening will be done on cellphones. This little piece of plastic tat ushers in the beginning of the end, firmly placing the MP3 player in the realm of the trade-show giveaway, to be ordered by the thousands along with USB thumbdrives and novelty pens.

  Inspired by luxury watches and handcrafted design, AURA™ is a unique handset that breaks convention and re-establishes artistry in mobile device design and manufacturing. Combining superb craftsmanship and a distinctive interface, AURA delivers a sensory experience that is second to none for those with refined tastes. From the moment AURA owners pick up their devices, they elevate their own experience in luxury and unmatched quality. 16 Million Colors World’s first 16 million color, circular display with 300 dpi resolution in the mobile phone industry 62 Carat Lens Created from Grade 1 62-carat sapphire crystal, one of the most scratch-resistant materials on earth Meticulously Crafted Stainless steel housing with chemically etched textures and patterns takes nearly two weeks to sculpt, etch and polish Swiss-Made Main Bearing At the center of the mechanical heart is a Swiss-made main bearing, which serves as the foundation allowing the blade to rotate with seamless precision Custom-Engineering Custom-engineered rotating mechanism has 130 precision ball bearings that drive the assisted-opening blade — like opening the door on a high-end luxury car. On the 100,000th opening, the blade glides with the same fluidity and grace that it...

  Mobiado today announces its new designer 105CLB series. The entire front and back of the phone has been crafted from large pieces of sapphire crystal and printed from beneath with the silver Mobiado monogram, providing a modern minimalist look with a wear resistance second only to diamond. The 105CLB utilizes a hidden sliding battery cover mechanism (patent pending) with the battery cover being made entirely from one piece of sapphire crystal. The phone frame is precision CNC machined from aircraft aluminum to create a strong yet light body, it is polished, and then anodized or nickel plated to produce a surface for the toughest of uses. The iconic Mobiado 105CLB is available in two designer styles (black and silver). The 105CLB is unlocked, quad-band GSM/EGSM and dual-band WCDMA network operational. They work within North America, Europe, Africa, Asia- Pacific, and South America where GSM/EGSM 850/900/1800/1900 and WCDMA 850/2100 networks are available. They are equipped with a 2 megapixel camera and video camera, more than 1 GB internal memory, 2″ display with up to 16 million colors, Bluetooth and micro USB connectivity, and a music player that supports AAC, eAAC+, and MP3 audio...

  The T-Mobile G1 has barely started to hit retail channels, and we’re already seeing mockups of the next-generation Android smartphone from T-Mobile. The mockup you see here is supposed to be the successor to the T-Mobile G1, logically dubbed the T-Mobile G2. The mockup is more of an evolution in design than a next-gen successor to the still green-behind-the-ears G1, but we’re fans of this mockup just the same. Selling itself on giving the user more screen real estate, a smaller “chin,” and enhanced web browsing capabilities, the T-Mobile GII is definitely a head-turner. The mockup demonstrates the current T-Mobile G1’s weaknesses, but also gives us something to look forward to with a next-generation Android handset. Take a gander at the mockups below and twiddle your thumbs in anticipation of the T-Mobile G1’s true successor.

  We haven’t been hearing much from HP recently, but apparently, the company’s been working very quietly on two new iPAQs, which have just been unveiled as the HP iPAQ Data Messenger and HP iPAQ Voice Messenger. One of these devices features a touchscreen display, while the other has a QWERTY keyboard fitted into an alphanumeric keypad. But what other goodies does each new iPAQ hold? Read on to find out. The first iPAQ we’re going to be discussing is the new HP iPAQ Data Messenger. It’s the one pictured on the left, and has a 2.8-inch touchscreen display, with LED backlight and 320 x 240 pixels. What’s not seen at first glance is its built-in slide-out alphanumeric QWERTY keyboard, and it runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. The HP iPAQ Data Messenger also has GPS (It comes with a 30 Day Trial for Turn-by-Turn Navigation with Google Maps for Mobile), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, 3G/HSDPA and a 3 megapixel camera with LED flash. Desktop syncing is done via its microUSB port and it’s powered by a removable and rechargeable 1140 mAh Lithium-Polymer battery. Memory is taken care of with 128 MB SDRAM for applications, 256 MB flash ROM, and a microSD card slot. On the other hand, the HP iPAQ Voice Messenger only has a...

  According to the latest forecasts from Informa Telecoms & Media, there will be four billion global mobile subscriptions at the end of this year! To put the number in perspective, it took five full quarters for the latest billion net additions. Naturally emerging markets such as India and China are to “blame” for this rapid growth. The two mentioned countries have seen over 50 million new mobile subscriptions during the last six months. Other countries that also saw a significant growth in mobile phone penetration include Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan and Brazil. On the down side, though, this growth is set to slow, and Informa predicts the five billionth subscription will be signed during Q4 2011, with worldwide penetration reaching in excess of 70% by this time. Only in Africa will penetration at the end of 2011 still be below 50%. The world’s largest mobile operators know the market will stop growing at some point, hence they’re broadening, and in some cases reconsidering their strategic thinking. Informa’s “Mobile Operator Strategies” report studies the parallel business lines being assumed by the likes of Vodafone, China Mobile and Telenor. On the one hand, the extension of basic mobile connectivity...

  These days, anyone with Photoshop and a fanboy bent can come up with fake (or, as they are known, "concept") product design. To achieve smart, desirable simplicity, though, requires some talent. Mac Funamizu has it, as we saw with his transparent tablet computer, which overlays the internet on the real world. Now he has theoretically embedded e-ink into simple plastic block to make a smart phone. Based on the Nokia Aeon (another concept), the Nanokia has no buttons. The interface is configured on-the-fly, like the iPhone, but the e-ink makes you forget thare is a screen involved. The planned haptic interface furthers the illusion of real, solid buttons. I love it. Especially the slide-out-screen configuration. It's one step closer to something that was already perfected 11 years ago.

  As the wireless world awaits the Oct. 22 debut of the first phone based on the Google-backed Android software, engineers at Motorola (MOT) are hard at work on their own Android handset. Motorola's version will boast an iPhone-like touch screen, a slide-out qwerty keyboard, and a host of social-network-friendly features, BusinessWeek.com has learned. Motorola has been showing spec sheets and images of the phone to carriers around the world in the past two months and is likely to introduce the handset in the U.S. sometime in the second quarter of 2009, according to people familiar with Motorola's plans. Building a phone based on the highly anticipated Android operating system is part of Motorola's effort to revive a loss-making handset division that has forfeited market share amid a drought of bestselling phones. Motorola stock, which on Oct. 17 rose a penny to 5.62, is hovering near a 16-year low. The phone will appear among a new class of social smartphones designed to make it easy for users to connect quickly and easily to mobile social networks such as Facebook and News Corp.'s (NWS) MySpace (BusinessWeek, 10/10/08). Such phones let users message in-network friends directly from phone contact lists, for example. A Facebook representative declined...

  Here is list of new phones from Sony Ericsson for 2009 year: Yao: Walkman branded phone named W305 Entry slider phone   Walkman-version of F305 Release date: the end of Q1 Yue: Cyber-shot branded Compact stick phone 3.2-Mp camera One of the K550’s successors   Release date: the end of Q1 Frances: Cyber-shot branded Slider design GPS (!)   Active lens cover PhotoFix, Face Detection, Smile Shutter   Looks very pretty Athena: Snapshot branded Mid-range stick phone Can be successor of S302 Release date: Q1, 2009 Filippa: Cyber-shot branded stick phone HSUPA 140 Mb of memory SnapFish BestPic, PhotoFix, Face Detection, Smile Shutter Colours: Noble Black, Precious Peach, Sincere Silver Kate: Cyber-shot branded stick phone Active lens cover 3.2-Mp camera with AF EDGE 900/1800/1900 and HSDPA 2100 120 Mb of memory PhotoFix, Face Detection, Smile Shutter, SnapFish Available in 2 different colours Rika: Named W705 Walkman-version of G705 Wi-Fi with GPS (!) In the box: 4 Gb M2 and HPM-77 Available in 3 colours...

  The ongoing wrangle in the flash memory business that could potentially see Samsung buy out SanDisk took a new turn at the weekend when it emerged that Toshiba is getting involved too. Japanese media reports say that Toshiba is talking to US-owned SanDisk about buying ¥100 billion (£570 million) worth of SanDisk equipment in a factory they already run together as a joint venture. Protective measure The possible move is being seen as Toshiba's attempt to protect its production capabilities should the Samsung takeover of SanDisk eventually go ahead. If that were to happen there would be little chance of Samsung wishing to work with Toshiba in future. Money is tight Samsung currently has 42 per cent of the world's NAND flash memory market, with Toshiba in second place on 28 per cent. As Toshiba currently has less than ¥300 billion in the bank, the possibility of spending more than a third of that underlines how seriously it takes the Samsung threat. 

Q3 highlights: Break even results, excluding restructuring charges, as challenging business conditions continued C902 Cyber-shot™ camera phone is hit model of the quarter First Xperia™ branded multimedia phone X1 began shipping   Expansion of music service offering with announcement of PlayNow™ plus   Units shipped in the quarter were 25.7 million, a sequential increase but flat year-on-year, while sales for the quarter were Euro 2,808 million, a decrease of 10% compared to the third quarter of 2007. Most of this decrease reflects the impact of exchange rate fluctuations, as well as a shift of the product mix to more lower priced phones. Gross margin also decreased year-on-year and sequentially due to continued price pressure at a time of adverse cost trends in the supplier base. This was partially mitigated by the introduction of new products at the end of the second quarter, such as the C902 Cyber-shot™ camera phone, which is selling well; however, strong competition continues, particularly in Europe. Income before taxes for the quarter was Euro 12 million, excluding restructuring charges of Euro 35 million, a decrease compared to the third quarter of 2007. Average selling price (ASP)...

  One of the great things about the original Soul is that despite its heavy-hitting credentials -- 5-megapixel camera, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, and OLED-equipped d-pad, just to name a few -- it remains a pretty understated (read: tasteful) slider. Of course, taste isn't for everyone, which is apparently why Samsung has elected to dress up its high-end U900 in black and gold for a "Limited Edition" that commands about a 700 Czech crown ($40) premium over its easier-to-look-at silver counterpart. To each their own, we suppose. The Limited Edition is already available in some markets, and with the high sheen of that classy gold plating, it should be pretty easy to pick out.