Nokia ExpressMusic 5220 Mobile Phone

If the Nokia 5320 got too much features for your own good, here’s a better option. The 5320’s half brother which was also announced two days ago - the Nokia 5220 XpressMusic phone. Like its high-end brother, the Nokia 5220 would also give you instant access to music even while on the move, with a useful larnyard that makes the Nokia 5220 easy to carry anywhere you go. The 5220 being an XpressMusic phone also boasts of up to 24 hours playback time, has its own dedicated XpressMusic keys and a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting the 5220 to your multimedia speakers. The 5220 is also compatible with the recently launched Nokia Music Store that offers quick music downloading. You’ll have instant access to Nokia’s 2 million music tracks and you stream or sync them into the 5220. As for its other features and technical specs; the Nokia 5220 has an excellent audio quality, memory card slot that supports up to 2GB of storage, a 2.0″ QVGA display screen, support for SMS, MMS, IM, Flash and Express Audio messaging and email tools. The Nokia 5220 works on GSM/EDGE 900/1800/1900 and GSM/EDGE 850/1800/1900 networks. Weighing only 78 grams with battery, the Nokia 5220 is definitely as portable as it can be. For connectivity, the Nokia 5220’s got Bluetooth, USB and 3.5 mm AV connector. And finally, the Nokia 5220 also serves as a music player with support for MP3, M4A, eAAC and WMA music formats. The Nokia 5220 will be released in the third quarter of 2008 for $250.

Source: http://www.cellphonenews.com/

Nokia Announced 4 Mobile Goodies – 5000, 2680, 7070, 1680

Nokia has released 4 new mobile phones geared towards the less tech and feature savvy mobile phone users. To be released specifically for the South African mobile consumers, all four Nokia mobile phones are dual band GSM and have US and European versions, run on series 40 software and most importantly, all four are priced in the range $50-70. Nokia said that the company is aiming to capture the growing demand of South African mobile market for highly functional and full featured mobile phones without the need to spend too much. And these four mobile phones may actually answer those needs. Hopefully, Nokia would make these mobile phones available in other countries as well. The Asian and Pacific mobile phone users would definitely like these four mobile phones.

The first of these budget phone models from Nokia is the 1680 Classic which Nokia is touting as the most affordable phone it has ever released so far. The Nokia 1680 pretty much has all the basic phone features that you could possible get from a low-cost mobile phone. Basic text and call features plus some customization. To put some added value into the phone, Nokia even threw in a VGA camera that can take photo snapshot and short videos. Unfortunately thought, the phone doesn’t have a memory card slot so users will have to mind the number of shots they have taken or else find themselves having no extra memory to run the mobile phone’s OS anymore. The phone also has a sharing feature and email support. Slate to be released sometime in the second quarter of 2008 in the South African mobile market, the Nokia 1680 Classic has an SRP of $79.

Perhaps answering the need for a not so traditional mobile phone model, Nokia is also coming out with a slider phone that belongs in the low-budget category – the Nokia 2680. A robust slider phone released as an entry level model, the Nokia 2680 is touted of easy to use features. The Nokia 2680 also aims to be an entertainment phone with the inclusion of an FM radio with recording capability and support for mp3 ringtones. Plus of course other basic mobile phone features that include an expanded phone book memory. The Nokia 2680 also packs of an integrated VGD digital camera. Slated for release in the third quarter of 2008, the 2680 has an SRP of around $142.

After two low-end phones with an impressive features. Nokia will also introduce this time not only a full featured phone, but also with some high-end features as well. The Nokia 5000 is another candy bar phone with a 1.3 megapixel camera and a high resolution QVGA display. For entertainment purposes, it has an FM radio with recording functionality and support for mp3 ringtones plus other basic call and text features of the other budget phone models. But while the Nokia 5000 may seem just your ordinary everyday mobile phone, it actually is not after all. The Nokia 5000 also supports email, Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging, Bluetooth and GPRS connectivity and you will get all those features for a measly sum of around $142. The Nokia 5000 will be available for the South African market sometime in second quarter 2008.

Capping the list of the four Nokia budget phones is the Nokia 7070, which is also nicknamed the Prism. Sporting geometric pattern designs and external light effects, the Prism is targeted for users who express their personality through their mobile phones. The Nokia 7070 offers full customization through content, themes and wallpapers and mp3 ringtones. It has voice a voice recorder and integrated hands-free speakers for ease of use when doing something else and even when driving and answering calls at the same time. In terms of style and design, the Nokia 7070 moved away with the traditional design and came up with a uniquely design flip phone. Looking at the pictures, you wouldn’t think that the 7070 is actually a budget phone because it emits a certain class and style into its design.

Although, these four mobile phones would have their US and European versions, Nokia hasn’t announced yet as to when they will be available in both mainstream markets. In the meantime, if you happen to be in the South African areas during their release period, you might want to take any or four of those models for a spin. $70-90 dollars is not too much to spend for some full-featured mobile phones.

Source: http://www.cellphonenews.com

Samsung Q1 Profit Soars 37 Percent, Outlook Strong

Samsung Electronics beat forecasts with a 37 percent rise in quarterly profit amid strong demand for mobile phones in emerging markets. Its outlook remained solid due to strengths in TV screens and handsets, lifted by a softer Korean won and robust demand.

Samsung earned 2.19 trillion won ($2.2 billion) in the January-March period compared with 1.6 trillion won in the same period last year. Sales rose 19 percent to 17.11 trillion won ($17.19 billion), the company said.

"Our handset business is growing very strong," said Chu Woo-sik, executive vice president for investor relations. Chu cited 33 percent growth in handset sales year-over-year. Emerging markets, including China and India "continued to be the main driver of growth," he said. In a separate statement, Samsung said mobile phone sales "achieved similar volume" to the fourth quarter's record sales of 46.3 million handsets, despite contraction of about 13 percent in the global market.

On Tuesday, the group's long-serving chairman announced his resignation over a scandal that led to his indictment on tax evasion and other charges.

Source: http://www.mobiledia.com/

Skype Releases Beta Software for Mobile Phones

Skype today released a beta version of "Skype for your mobile," a software client for mobile phones that can receive calls from Skype users and make Skype-to-Skype and SkypeOut calls. Additional features include chat, group chat and presence.

The beta version helps Skype gauge the response from users. This phase is expected to last several months, after which a public version of the application will be made available. Skype for your mobile is initially supported in seven markets: Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Additional phones and markets will be added over time.

"These are still the early days for making Skype calls on mobile phones, but we've already made great strides in this space," said Gareth O'Loughlin, general manager, mobile and hardware devices. "While Skype for your mobile is in beta, it is an important time for us to listen to our users' feedback, be it through surveys or user forums."

For Skype for your mobile download instructions, visit http://www.skype.com/go/mobiledownload.

Source: http://www.mobiledia.com/