Dopod China is planning to introduce a Chinese version of the G1 in the region for the first quarter of 2009. “We intend to introduce the G1 to China, possibly in the first quarter of 2009, through a deal with High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC). It will be branded as a Dopod. We are now discussing a partnership with China Mobile,” a source from Dopod China told Interfax. The Chinese G1 will be adapted to suit China’s network although Dopod have not currently decided whether the device will be EDGE or TD-SCDMA. With TD-SCDMA being the only 3G standard technology currently in use in China. As a partner of HTC, Dopod China sells selected models of HTC phones in China under the “Dopod” brand.

  HTC Corporation has reported September revenues of NT$13.7 billion, up 30% from the same period last year. For the third quarter of 2008, the company's total revenues reached NT$37.86 billion, representing 30.06% year-on-year growth. The company also reported pre-bonus adjusted net income before tax of NT$ 9.4 billion, total net income of NT$ 8.4 billion, and earnings per share of NT$11.14. For its post-bonus adjustment, the company had total net income before tax was NT$ 7,846 million, total net income was NT$ 7,071 million, and earnings per share after tax were NT$ 9.36. HTC's third quarter revenue were in line with guidance provided during last quarter's conference call. Nevertheless, September revenues were slightly affected by the delay of shipment due to a series of typhoons. The company remains optimitics it will achieve annual revenue growth of 20-30%, and close to the upper end of the target.

  More than 100 million users worldwide will use their mobile phone to make international money transfers by 2013, according to a new analysis by Juniper Research. Cross-border mobile money transfers is a new trend, but it is expected to gain traction during the net couple of years, especially on migration routes such as Philippines/Middle East and Mexico/ USA, according to Juniper. “The vast increase in migrant workers globally has fuelled the number of remittances being sent home to friends and families regularly,” said Howard Wilcox, author of the report. “The mobile phone will become a vital enabler in developing countries because often many more people have phones than have bank accounts. The GSM Association Mobile Money Transfer global initiative emphasizes the importance that is attached to this across the mobile industry as a whole.” The top three regions for international transfers by 2013 will be Western Europe, North America and Africa & Middle East, according to the report.

  Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) announced that volume of mobile phone shipments in Japan dropped by 47.9% year-on-year (YoY) to 2,084,000 units in August 2008. Shipment volume of PHS terminals decreased by 62.4% YoY to 82,000 units. JEITA pointed out that the summer selling season did not last long because of the small number of new functions equipped in mobile phones released in the summer. Another reason for the sluggish handset sales is that, due to a change in marketing method, users now have to pay more for a handset than before, according to JEITA. Shipment of mobile phones with a 1seg broadcasting reception function increased by 20.9% to 1,774,000 units, accounting for a record 85.1% of all mobile phone shipments in Japan. The cumulative shipments of handsets in Japan have reached 41,488,000 units since the research started.

UK: Vodafone has launched a new battery charger serivce in-store, for customers to recharge their mobiles, and other portable media devices. From October apparently, customers in some stores will be able to hire a “chargebox” (locker) where they can choose from a bunch of connectors from different manufacturers - think there will be a Nokia one in there?! Prices start at £1 for 30 minutes of charging, and a maximum of £2 for 90 minutes. Customers can pay by inserting the money directly in to the ChargeBox, or pay via text message. Thirty Vodafone stores will provide the ChargeBox including those in Kings Cross St Pancras, Harrods in London, Birmingham Bull Ring, Newcastle’s Douglas Way, Bristol Broadmead and Belfast’s Victoria Square. Interestingly, people can use the service whether they are a Vodafone customer or not - I would presume the kickback for Vodafone on customers that are not already theirs is that they can try and convince them that Vodafone would be a good Operator to have service with.

  French HTC fans will be pleased to know that the HTC Diamond is now available in 7 new colors in the country. Besides the original black color, you can also now get it in white, yellow, pink, red, blue, purple or brown. Basically a whole rainbow of colors to choose from. Me? I’d go for either the standard black, white, or silver if they had it.

  HTC Corporation today announced the introduction of the HTC S740, a slim, compact, and stylish smartphone that provides the perfect combination of a traditional 12-key phone design with HTC’s signature sliding QWERTY keyboard for optimal messaging. The S740 is designed to offer the most flexible and efficient messaging experience on the market. From the design of its 12-key keypad (ideal for super fast one hand messaging) and full QWERTY keyboard (perfect for those who prefer a two handed messaging experience) both input capabilities ensure efficient and accurate typing, as well as support for POP3, IMAP and Exchange push email. Instant messaging (IM) and SMS can also be accessed through the familiar 12-key interface on the front of the phone. The HTC S740 features the fastest mobile broadband capabilities with a maximum download speed of 7.2 Mbps, up to 18 times faster than 3G. This true mobile broadband experience allows users to leverage the mobile Internet in a variety of ways including browsing to a favourite website. What’s more, HTC S740 is built-in GPS function, FM radio and 3.2 megapixel camera for stills and video. The S740 follows the sleek design of HTC’s hit consumer handset, the HTC Touch Diamond. This slim...

  The company Philips, once again, without much pomposity, provided information on its new low-cost GSM mobile phone - Philips E100, designed, with the words of the manufacturer, as a means of communication on a daily basis. In addition to opportunities to chat with the owner of the new items given the opportunity to take advantage of a built MP3 player, FM-radio, Internet browser and multimedia messaging. It is also worth noting that the E100 is made in the form factor "monoblock", has a color screen and support for memory card format microSD.  Other specifications Philips E100: Support for standard connection: 900/1800 MHz, GPRS Class 12 Size: 104x44x13, 7 mm Weight: 75 gr. Display: 1.8-inch, a resolution 128h160 points, cSTN, displaying more than 65 thousand colors Messaging: SMS / MMS Sound: 64-tone polyphonic ringtones, MP3 player FM-receiver Memory: 2 MB, expanded with microSD cards Built-game (3 pcs.) Support for multiple languages, including Russian Other applications: Alarm clock, calculator, calendar, converter values  

  At the Nokia Remix event held in London and Singapore, Nokia announced the debut of its pioneering Comes with Music digital entertainment service which offers consumers a new way to discover and enjoy music. Customers who buy a Comes With Music device will be able to explore and enjoy a diverse catalog of music of international and local artists with unlimited access to millions of tracks for a year, keeping the music once the year is over and revolutionizing their digital music experience. Comes With Music offers one year of unlimited access to the entire Nokia Music Store catalogue and customers can keep all the music that they have downloaded at the end of the year to continue enjoying their music collection. Comes With Music will be available across a range of Nokia devices, including the new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic - also announced today and the Nokia N95 8GB and Nokia 5310 XpressMusic. With more than 10 million units sold globally since its introduction last year, the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic is the best selling music phone in the world. Comes With Music will also feature a tremendous selection of independent music, courtesy of deals with The Orchard (NASD: ORCD), Beggars Group, IODA, the Ministry of Sound, PIAS and Pinnacle. These companies join...

Nokia turned up the volume on its music offering today by unveiling the new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, a mobile device for music that brings innovative new features to the mass market. Delivering on Nokia's vision to provide the best total music experience possible, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will be among the first devices to support Comes With Music, Nokia's groundbreaking service which offers one year of unlimited access to the entire Nokia Music Store catalogue. When it comes to music phones, people all over the world want a device that is a great music experience - with more memory, loud and powerful speakers, easy synchronization - and must still work well as a mobile phone with direct access to important contacts and content. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic delivers on all counts and allows consumers to access and share content. Media Bar, Contacts Bar - putting people first Taking advantage of touch screen technology, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic introduces the 'Media Bar', a handy drop down menu that provides direct access to music and entertainment, including favourite tracks, videos and photos. The Media Bar also offers a direct link to the web and to online sharing. Because the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic supports Flash content, individuals...

  Aiming to push its hardware beyond the corporate world, Hewlett-Packard will release a new version of its iPaq smartphone that will also be marketed to consumers, The Wall Street Journal reports. We don't have many details yet (iPaq App Store?), but the latest iPaq apparently will sport a touch-screen and keypad and will run on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, according to sources cited by the WSJ. The phone will likely hit Europe by the end of this year, with a broader release to follow. Though definitely better known for its laptops and desktop PCs, HP isn't new to smartphones. The company has released several models in the past, including the HP iPaq hw6945 Mobile Messenger and the HP iPaq 510 Voice Messenger (the first Windows Mobile 6 smartphone). Both were geared mainly toward businesses, and both garnered their share of favorable reviews from users. The most recent iPaq, the HP iPaq 910c Business Messenger, launched this summer. CNET reviewed the phone and found it to be a well-stocked, messaging-centric smartphone for mobile professionals, but said it faces stiff competition from the likes of HTC, Samsung, and Motorola. Fellow PC maker Dell, meanwhile, has been hinting of its own plans to enter the smartphone realm. And...