SmartPhones

RIM is finally putting out its first flip phone model Blackberry with the soon-to-be-released Blackberry Pearl Flip 8220. The new Pearl Flip promises all the same features and conveniences of the traditional candybar Blackberry in a more compact flip phone style. This in response, no doubt, to the statistics showing that 70% of smartphone users own flip phones, originally made popular by the industry-changing Motorola RAZR.

If the new Blackberry Bold is designed for the business customer, the Blackberry Pearl Flip (as with the original Pearl) is geared more towards the gadget-hungry consumer set. Also as with the original Pearl, the new Blackberry Pearl Flip 8220 will feature the deft and dexterous SureType keypad.

On another note: RIM has also announced a partnership with AOL to incorporate AOL Instant Messenger, AOL Mail, and ICQ Services to future BlackBerry handheld devices, flip phone and candybar style alike.

Though the release date for the device is still under wraps, the price point looks to be $150 with a 3-year contract.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: AOL, AOL Instant Messenger, AOL Mail, Blackberry, BlackBerry Pearl, Blackberry Pearl Flip, Blackberry Pearl Flip 8220, candy bar, candybar, flip phone, ICQ, Motorola, Motorola RAZR, RAZR, RIM, Sure Type, SureType

The CEO of Symbian, the company, producer of Symbian, the operating system, OS for such popular smartphones as the LG Joy, Motorola MOTORIZR Z8, Samsung SGH series, several Sony Ericsson smartphones, and dozens of Nokia smartphones, has suggested that collaboration with search giant Google, and makers of the long-awaited (by users) and feared (by competitors) Android mobile OS, would be more than welcome by him.

Avoiding specifics as to whether the releationship would remain in the realm of applications or venture into OS territory, chief Symbian-ite Nigel Clifford points out that Google and Symian have already been working closely together for a while now, mainly on search and mapping applications for Nokia smartphones.

It would be quite difficult for the two to merge their operating systems, so the likes of RIM and Apple don’t have too much to be nervous about, but the mutual back-scratching of the two giants in their respective industries leaves a lot for fellow partners Motorola, LG, Samsung, and others a lot to be excited about. Only time will tell however, what such a collaborative venture will produce.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Android, apple, Google, LG, Motorola, Nokia, RIM, Samsung, Symbian

It's called the Nokia E71 and it's just made technology history (or at least the record books) as the thinnest QWERTY-keyboard smartphone in the world. The latest in the Nokia E-Series of handsets for business, the E71 is the replacement for the Nokia E61.

The E71 is HSDPA network capable and features a built-in GPS and both the Nokia email software and Microsoft Exchange. It also offers two home screens you can switch between at will - one for home and one for the office. And the digital camera (with flash) is a whopping 3.2 megapixels.

By designing a casing that's thin and compact, Nokia aims to appeal to those business users who take their handheld with them everywhere and are constantly holding it, using it, and interacting with it. The fact that the E71 boasts a durable hard metal casing is another appeal to businesspeople always on-the-go.

So while the RIM BlackBerry is busy battling the Apple iPhone, the Nokia E71 seems to be sneaking in from behind for some of the BlackBerry's business.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: 3.2 megapixels, apple, Blackberry, business smartphone, digital camera, E61, E71, GPS, hsdpa, iphone, Nokia, RIM

It was last November that Google announced their entry into the smartphone OS battle (alongside Symbian, RIM BlackBerry OS, Microsoft Windows Mobile, and of course the inimitable iPhone) but we have yet to see the first Google Android smartphone on the market. Well that is soon about to change.

A British chip maker named ARM has released a prototype of its unbranded handset running the Google Android operating system, equipped with:

• email (provided by Gmail)
• text messaging
• multimedia apps
• internet browser (with Google as the default home page)
• Google Calendar functionality
• GoogleMaps software

Meanwhile, Google's own engineering director has unveiled an Android smartphone prototype as well, this the Google branded GPhone. While Google won't be manufacturing the GPhones itself, it aims to design the basic handset in such a way that manufacturers of all capacities can still deliver a quality, Google-worthy product. The first of these looks to pack the equivalent power of the iPhone into a smaller, tighter package (and that includes the screen size).

The first Google Android smartphones are expected to hit markets later in the year.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: Android, ARM, BB OS, Blackberry, British, Gmail, Google, GoogleCalendar, GoogleMaps, iphone, Microsoft, RIM, Symbian, text messaging, Windows Mobile

That's right, there's a new smartphone coming to market - two actually - and they're not from Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Palm, RIM, nor any of the familiar old diehards - not even Apple. No, this one is from Velocity Mobile.

Who? That's what I said.  

Formed by Invantec and some folks from Microsoft, this new dialer in the great, big smartphone conference call in the wireless skies is set to give its forerunners a run for their money. With the new Velocity 111 (which looks a lot like a BlackBerry) and Velocity 103 (which looks a lot like an iPhone), Velocity plans to improve on what's been working so well for its competitors and getting rid of all that doesn't meet up. It will have more icons and interfaces familiar to Windows PC-users and promises to be the most customizable smartphone yet.  

As might be expected, both devices will be running Windows Mobile 6.1.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: apple, Blackberry, customizable, Invantec, iphone, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, PC, Research in Motion, RIM, Samsung, Velocity Mobile, Windows, Windows Mobile 6.1

Research in Motion (RIM) has now released a new software package for the BlackBerry for use in small and medium sized businesses. BlackBerry Professional Software, as it’s called, is primed to be a big hit, available for instant download by IT Managers with Administrator capabilities for email servers of companies using either Microsoft Exchange or IBM Lotus Domino.

BlackBerry Professional Software comes bundled with a huge number of features and functionalities, far too numerous to list here, but with some of the most exciting utilities and capabilities including:

• selecting which company smartphones have browser access and restricting which sites can and cannot be viewed
• limiting long-distance calling to only approved numbers
• defining automated backup schedules

BlackBerry Professional Software has been put together so as to be simple to install and manage, with all sorts of step-by-step wizards at your disposal, as well as advanced security features (like end-to-end AES or triple DES encryption) and IT policies and commands (for imposing lockdown, wiping data, and defining and enforcing security protocols such as for using Bluetooth and voice calling).

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: AES, Blackberry, BlackBerry Professional Software, Bluetooth, DES, encryption, IBM, IBM Lotus Domino, IT, IT Manager, Microsoft, Microsoft Exchange, Research in Motion, RIM, security, voice calling

Recently this blog reported on results of a study that showed the RIM Blackberry OS to be the "best" smartphone OS among industry analysts. However, according to an informal survey conducted by internet technology review stalwart CNet, the preferred smartphone operating system among consumers (or at least, CNet readers) is Windows Mobile.

Smartphones running Windows Mobile include the Samsung Blackjack, the Motorola Q (the top two tier-1 smartphones), as well as many manufactured by HTC, including the widely-popular HTC Tilt.

Based on pure market share alone, the study of 130 users showed Windows Mobile at 42.3%, RIM Blackberry at 19.2%, Apple OS X at 17.7%, and Symbian and Palm OS at 10%. Those are the stats for operating systems. As for smartphone manufacturers, RIM and HTC both took the lead, tying with a 19.2% market share each, Apple following close behind with 17.7%, Motorola at third with 11.5%, Palm at 10%, and all the rest (Nokia, Samsung, etc.) taking the remaining 22.3%.

Interestingly enough, the praise for Windows Mobile was balanced out (read: marred or tainted), however, by half of the respondents reporting complaints of the very same OS. Finally, a whopping 66% of CNet readers responding the survey said they would be likely to consider purchasing an Apple iPhone as their next smartphone, three times more than those who said they'd opt for the second place contender, the Blackberry.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: apple, Blackberry, CNET, HTC, HTC Tilt, iphone, Microsoft, Motorola, Motorola Q, Nokia, Palm, RIM, Samsung, Symbian, Windows Mobile

The world leader in travel resources - AAA - is now accessible via the Blackberry, specifically the 8830 and the 8130. AAA Mobile, downloadable through the Blackberry's GPS app and powered by Networks in Motion, now makes the world's favorite handy devices even handier, adding the following of its services to its menu:

• TourBook Guide Travel Information
• Navigation
• Member Roadside Assistance

This makes the RIM Blackberry the first smartphone device compatible with AAA's award-winning local search and navigation applications. Even Blackberry users who aren't AAA members can still subscribe to AAA Mobile and get access to:

• audio/visual directions to any U.S. destination
• the locations of AAA-approved POIs (points of interest)
• the locations of Diamond Rated restaurants and hotels
• a searchable listing of more than 100,000 destinations that offer member savings to those who present their AAA or AAA Mobile card
• detailed maps of all of the above
• bookmarking features

The service also streamlines the process of using AAA roadside assistance by transmitting one's location via their GPS to the nearest AAA-approved responder.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: AAA, AAA Mobile, Blackberry, Diamond Rated, directions, GPS, hotels, maps, POI, restuarants, RIM, TourBook Guide, Travel Information

A recent survey by Handango shows that smartphone users use their smartphones for far more than making and receiving calls and emails. It seems more and more people are using their smartphones more and more for entertainment purposes than in the previous two years when the devices were primarily used for professional and business purposes. Entertainment has just recently eked above business use 17% to 16% and looks only to be climbing higher from here.

Analysts attribute this shift to a shift in the predominant market for smartphones, that being from techies and executives to everyday consumers. The reining leader in the world of smartphones - still RIM, despite the big splash made recently by the Apple iPhone - reports that the 10 best-selling applications for their revered Blackberry includes:

• Ringtones and ringtone libraries
• Games (like Sudoku and Texas Hold'em)
• Instant messengers
• Travel assistants

And the Blackberry isn't alone in this. One of the main activities used on Windows Mobile Standard devices is the viewing of streaming media.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: apple, Blackberry, entertainment, games, Handango, IM, instant messenger, iphone, RIM, ringtones, Sudoku, Texas Hold'em, travel assistant, Windows Mobile Standard

Did you ever wonder who makes the best smartphones in the world? The answer to that question can't help but be subjective. However, if popularity among consumers is any indication of quality, then we can easily identify the top smartphone makers simply by looking at market share.

According to Canalys, a company that provides "expert analysis for the high-tech industry", the number one smartphone maker is Nokia, with a stunning 53% market share. To translate - that means more than half of the smartphones sold last year were Nokias.

That puts them leaps and bounds ahead of any other competition, even second place holder Research in Motion with just an 11.3% market share for its trendy and innovative Blackberry smartphones.

This all may come as little surprise to anyone paying attention to the smartphone industry. The shocker, however, comes when realizing that the far and away third place winner is Apple with only one smartphone to its name - the iPhone, of course - which, if you glance at your calendar, you'll notice only came out 7 months ago.

No wonder every smartphone maker in the world, including fourth place contender Motorola, are looking to the iPhone to give them a lesson in how to make the next best thing in smartphones.

written by SmartPhoneWizard \\ tags: apple, Blackberry, Canalys, iphone, Motorola, Nokia, Research in Motion, RIM