Vodafone launching a new deal in the UK

Vodafone is launching a flexible tariff structure aimed at fighting back in the competitive UK market. The mobile phone giant will back the new price plans with a marketing campaign worth more than £10m to compete with aggressive competition from its rivals.

In a move that mirrors T-Mobile's Flext, Vodafone's new packages will give its customers more choice in selecting what inclusive services they get as part of their contract. The packages will be launched today under the "Your Price Plan" and "Your Extras" brands and will be backed by one of the company's largest ever UK marketing campaigns.

Vodafone customers who apply for the packages can choose the level of inclusive minutes, texts or data services they receive as part of a monthly contract, including mobile television and music downloads. For example, customers who opt to take an 18-month contract at £35 a month could choose to receive 750 minutes and 250 texts or alternatively 500 minutes, 500 texts and six months of free mobile television. The packages range from £20 a month to £75 a month and can be combined with other Vodafone tariffs such as "Stop the Clock" and "Passport".

Nokia N70: T-Mobile's World Cup edition

T-Mobile has launched the Nokia N70 World Cup edition. This is the same Nokia N70 that we know and love, with a few exciting extras on both the outside and the inside. We were lucky enough to get our sweaty, beer-stained hands on it this morning and have to say it's the best-looking World Cup mobile phone we've seen so far.

It does away with the stereotypical red and white In-ger-land design and features a smart new black trim and camera cover. The menu has also been given a makeover, with the boring old Nokia icons such as the spanner replaced with footie graphics, such as boots and shin guards. There are also World Cup screensavers, wallpapers and ringtones so that you get the full sensual experience.

As it's on the T-Mobile network you can take advantage of the Web 'n' walk deal, which gives you unlimited Internet access via the WAP browser for around £7.50 a month. This means you can quickly settle any football trivia arguments that would otherwise last until the bell rings for last orders.

The other extra on this phone is the CoPilot Live software, which puts satellite navigation on your phone via a Bluetooth GPS receiver. This software can even give you live traffic information, so you don't get stuck in a jam on the way to your mate's Sky HD-ready flat.

The handset is currently available with T-Mobile on a monthly tariff from free to £150, or for £300 with the CoPilot software. If you already own an N70, the CoPilot software costs £200, or £300 with European maps.

T-Mobile launches internet on the mobile for pay-as-you-go customers

T-mobile is extending their mobile internet service to pay-as-you-go customers.

According the mobile service provider, over two-thirds of mobile phone users are pay-as-you-go, so bringing mobile internet to them promises rich rewards.

The new web'n'walk tariff costs just £1 per day for unlimited internet use.

By August, 25 handsets will support web'n'walk.

The service works just like browsing on your PC, and lets you access any web page from your mobile.

Users will find Google as their default home page and have access to T-Mobile Favourites for one-click links to popular websites like Amazon, Sky, lastminute, and the BBC.

Some of the first devices to support the new plan include the Motorola V3, the Nokia 6131 and 6233, the Sony Ericsson K750i and the Samsung E870.

WWE Launches New Mobile Platform

World Wrestling Entertainment and Volantis today announced a new, multi-year, strategic partnership to help launch a new WWE mobile portal worldwide, supported by Volantis' Mobile Content Framework and Storefront solutions.

WWE is set to launch a slate of original mobile specific content later this spring, including programs and services that feature dedicated, exclusive video content and other one-of-a-kind material. It introduced its first offering, WWE Mobile Alert, an exclusive SMS subscription package, in March.

The demand for WWE content outside of its popular television programming has been growing, particularly online. WWE has seen monthly unique visitors to WWE.com increase to more than 13.6 million in February 2006, an increase of 92 percent from the prior year, as it has made its website more news oriented.

LAGARDERE ACTIVE UNITES ITS MOBILE ACTIVITIES UNDER CELLFISH MEDIA

Lagardere Active, a leading wireless content provider in Europe and North America, and a division of Lagardère SCA, one of the largest media companies in the world,
announced today that it will unite its wireless subsidiaries in North America, France and Germany to create a global content, marketing and distribution group called Cellfish Media. Cellfish Media is part of a thriving wireless content sector that is expected to globally grow from $9 billion in 2005 to $34 billion in 2009. Through its content studios, Cellfish Media creates original branded content such as music ringtones, wallpapers, animations, games and applications. Cellfish Media also benefits from best-of-breed, proprietary platforms to deliver mobile content to more than 350 million consumers through its direct to consumer channels as well as partnerships with carriers, media companies and brands. Headquartered in New York City, Cellfish Media brings together a team of 250 skilled professionals and generated 2005 revenues of $116 million. Cellfish Media will accelerate its strategy to develop and distribute original content to the mobile generation, such as Barrio Mobile, BlingGames and the widely acclaimed BlingTones, the world’s first wireless music label, featuring some of hip-hop’s biggest artists (Lil Jon, Tego Calderon, Q-tip, Pitbull, Emilio Estefan). The move to Cellfish Media reflects Lagardere Active’s ambition to address fast changing media trends.

World Cup coming to your mobile

T-Mobile has announced plans to broadcast 20 World Cup matches to its mobile TV customer base this summer. During the four-week football festival the operator's 3G mobile phone customers will be able to select one or all of the matches on offer to view on their handsets.
T-Mobile, along with other European operators, is hoping that the World Cup will provide a much needed boost to consumer take-up of next generation mobile phone services. Mobile TV subscriptions are available from T-Mobile for as little as euros 7.50 a month. In the UK, O2 is planning a similar service for its smaller band of mobile TV aficionados.
Out of a mobile subscriber base of around 80 million users in Germany (for all networks), only 2.3 million have 3G phones. However, this figure is widely expected to grow to over 9 million by the end of the year. It remains to be seen how far the World Cup will boost this take up. T-Mobile executives will be hoping that a sea-change in the national team's recent performances allows it to progress in the tournament and at the same time, encourage more mobile customers to use their handsets to catch crucial matches.

Jabra has great new headsets

Jabra, a leading brand of audio products for the mobile consumer market, today announced its strategy to become a leading brand in the mobile music market and the launch of a new range of audio products for music lovers at CeBIT this year. Jabra has added six new music products to its existing wireless Bluetooth headset portfolio, giving consumers a comprehensive range of products for use with the mobile phone, MP3 players and the PC.

Desire for mobile music is growing at a considerable rate with new products such as mobile music phones, iPod® and other music players driving consumer demand. According to Strategy Analytics, one-third of the 945 million phones expected to be sold worldwide in 2006 will have digital music playback functionality. By 2008, it is estimated this will rise to almost seven in ten out of the billion phones forecasted to be sold globally.

The new Jabra music audio products include a range of headsets and headphones for use with Bluetooth mobile phones and other music devices. In addition, the portfolio includes a series of adaptors or Bluetooth enablers, allowing consumers to extend the functionality of mobile phones, music devices and PCs or laptops, and enjoy hands-free communication and wireless music streaming to a Jabra or other Bluetooth stereo headset or headphone.

The products launched at CeBIT include the Jabra BT325s Bluetooth headset with stereo headphones, Jabra C820s high-performance noise cancelling stereo headphones and two music adaptors including the Jabra A125s iPod Bluetooth adaptor and the Jabra A120s Bluetooth adaptor for standard music players. In addition, the recently announced Jabra BT620s Bluetooth stereo headset and the Jabra A320s Bluetooth stereo USB adaptor are also part of the new Jabra music line up.

• The Jabra BT325s Bluetooth Headset for Music and Phone Calls
The Jabra BT325s provides users with a Bluetooth headset and high performance corded stereo headphones so users never have to miss a call while listening to music. It is designed as the perfect match for portable music devices and Bluetooth phones and provides the convenience of one headset for both listening to music and taking calls. The headset comes with high-quality exchangeable stereo ear buds and connects to MP3 players or other devices that support a 3.5 mm corded interface such as a PC or music mobile phone. A clip-on Bluetooth device featuring integrated microphone and phone volume controls enables the headset to connect to Bluetooth enabled devices to support phone calls. The Jabra BT325s comes in an urban and rain shower proof design and features 8 hours of music/talk time and 240 hours standby time.

• Jabra C820s High Performance Active Noise Cancelling Stereo Headphones
Jabra C820s corded stereo headphones provide users with superior audio quality and are ideal for any music playing device such as a mobile phone, music player, hi-fi adapter, PC or airplane. Featuring active noise reduction (up to 22dB), powered by a single AAA battery installed in the ear cup, the Jabra C820s removes unwanted background noise for a better listening experience. Jabra C820s comes with a range of adapters including a connector cable for music phones with adapters, a 3.5mm standard stereo audio cable, a two-prong airline adaptor and 3.5mm – 6.5mm stereo adaptor.

• Jabra A125s Bluetooth Adaptor for iPod®
The Jabra A125s is the ideal solution for Bluetooth enabling an iPod so users can wirelessly listen to music via a Bluetooth stereo headset or headphones. Compatible with most iPods including the iPod mini, iPod photo and iPod nano, the Jabra A125s provides users with wireless music streaming from an iPod to a Jabra or other Bluetooth stereo headset or headphone. The Jabra A125s features 10 hours of music time.

• Jabra A120s Bluetooth Music Adaptor
Featuring 10 hours of music time, the Jabra A120s can be used to Bluetooth enable all music devices using a 3.5mm jack such as music mobile phones, PCs, or standard music players. With the Jabra A120s users can stream music direct to a Jabra or other Bluetooth stereo headset or headphone.

• The Jabra BT620s Bluetooth Stereo Headset
The Jabra BT620s Bluetooth stereo headset is the first Jabra Bluetooth hi-fi stereo headset that lets consumers switch instantly between enjoying music and talking on the phone. The Jabra BT620s provides consumers with great audio quality direct from a mobile phone, MP3 player, PC or laptop. When a call comes in the music pauses automatically so the user can take the call. The Jabra BT620s features 14 hours of music playing time, one of the longest in the industry, 16 hours of talk time and up to 240 hours of standby time. RRP: 99 EUR

• The Jabra A320s USB Bluetooth Stereo Adaptor
The Jabra A320s USB Bluetooth stereo adaptor enables users to stream music, transfer data, or talk wirelessly. The Jabra A320s Bluetooth stereo USB adaptor brings Bluetooth capability to a PC or laptop providing users with an immediate solution for wirelessly listening to music, having hands-free conversations and transferring data. RRP: 29.90 EUR

All products are expected to be available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in the first half of 2006.

Get FHM on your mobile

FHM's sprawl across media has now reached mobile TV, as Emap starts offering an hour's worth of three- to five-minute mini-programmes each week on the 3, Orange and Vodafone networks.

The men's monthly magazine has made a home for itself on the web, then last year on music television and Sony's PSP. It is now upgrading its 3G mobile content service, which was established last year and already has 500,000 unique users, to a broadcast TV service.

Rather than selecting clips, mobile users tune in to an hour-long loop, as with a TV channel.

Content is created by the FHM team and Guerrilla, the production company behind FHM Music TV.

It includes photoshoots of FHM cover stars, the magazine's High Street Honeys competition, as well as Around the World in 80 Beers, which follows an FHM journalist as he samples local brews around the globe.

Origami: The new handheld laptop

Microsoft and Samsung and Asus plan to unveil an ultralight tablet computer that melds a laptop and media player into a thin, new device.

Samsung's device, the Q1, will use Microsoft's Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system. It is a product of Microsoft's so-called Origami project — an effort to shrink and redefine the laptop, while bolstering the company's software sales for new hand-held devices. Asus will also produce a version.

The Samsung device is a flat black rectangle that weighs 1.7 pounds, has the dimensions of a DVD box and is 1 inch thick. The viewing screen is 7 inches diagonally, more than twice the size of most pda's or Internet-enabled smart phones.

While Microsoft dominates the desktop and laptop markets with its Windows operating systems, it trails the Symbian group — led by the mobile phone makers Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola and Siemens — for software on smart phones.

Like a personal digital assistant, the Q1 can be operated with a metal stylus by writing and clicking on the screen. The device, which comes with a 40-gigabyte hard drive, can also be operated with a wireless keyboard.

The Samsung device has two wireless technologies built in: Wi-Fi for Internet access and Bluetooth for connecting with devices like keyboards, printers or mobile phones. The battery lasts about three and a half hours, the company said.

Blog via your mobile phone

Sony Ericsson has announced it has linked up with Google to incorporate the American company's Web search and blog features into its mobile phones.

Phones will be able to launch a separate Google Web search option using a single keystroke without the need to open a new Web page.

Users will also be able to post blogs through a pre-loaded application linked to the Google-owned Blogger site.

A blog, short for Web log, is an online journal people use to express opinions, post pictures and share experiences.

Sony Ericsson said the new services would be launched in the second quarter of the year and be available on the K610 UMTS phone and the newly launched K800 and K790.

New MVNO exclusively for students in the UK

Dot, a new mobile service developed exclusively for students, launched recently.

The service which will launch across 90 pre-selected Universities throughout September has been specifically tailored to the student market; offering transparent pricing structures and fantastic value for money.

Dot has been designed to be as user friendly as possible. Subscribers can manage their accounts online and for service enquiries of any sort there's a direct line straight to the customer services team.

The dot service offers students a bundle of 'units' instead of bundles of minutes or texts. Users simply choose a phone, the contract length and their monthly bundle, which can be as low as £20. Dot customers also get free usage alerts, avoiding the pitfall of an unexpected bill.

More innovative still, dot will have an advice and sales crew on each of the 90 campus sites that have been selected for the initial launch. The service is available exclusively to students online and on campus via a dedicated team of student Sales Managers and representatives that have been recruited directly from the local student populations.

The dot service runs on the Vodafone network. Dot has chosen to partner with Vodafone because of their superior network coverage and innovative services, including Vodafone Live!

The launch of dot is being supported by a full campus marketing campaign. Initiatives include the sponsorship of club-nights, television advertising booked on SUBtv (the network of plasma screens in 92 students unions), posters, print and online activity. A PR campaign targeting both student and national press will support this activity.

Mobizzo to Offer Content from Hot Fox Brands

News Corporation's Fox Mobile Entertainment today announced the launch of Mobizzo, a comprehensive new destination for mobile content. The first such venture by a major media company, Mobizzo aggregates a slate of diverse content - games, music, general entertainment and more - from across News Corp.'s worldwide divisions, as well as from other media companies and up-and-coming talent, all in one place.

Mobizzo was formed by Fox Mobile Entertainment, the mobile entertainment pioneer that took the industry by storm with American Idol text voting and invented the now ubiquitous industry term Mobisode(TM), which led with the "24:Conspiracy" series.

Now available on Cingular and T-Mobile phones and available soon on most U.S. carriers, Mobizzo offers a vast selection of exclusive content for download, including:

-- Collections from popular Fox-brands, such as "Family Guy," "American Dad," "Napoleon Dynamite" and the upcoming feature film "Ice Age: The Meltdown;"

-- Products from well-known and up-and-comer artists, like mobile art from Shepard Fairey, known for his Obey artwork, and Mark Mahoney, celebrity-tattoo artist from Shamrock Social Club Tattoos; and

-- An assortment of games, music and images from top music labels, such as Warner Music, global game producers including I-Play and Airborne and other media sources.

To generate consumer awareness, Fox Mobile Entertainment will launch a multi-million dollar consumer marketing campaign, including television, print, radio and outdoor, as well as viral marketing and it plans to roll the service out globally later in the year.

Mobile users will be able to access Mobizzo content through one of two easy-to-reach channels:

-- Logging on to www.mobizzo.com

-- Entering a memorable short numeric code on their mobile keypads

Competitively priced - easy to use

Consumers can download content from Mobizzo for a small fee charged directly to their monthly mobile phone bill. Pricing for the various products will be competitive with a la carte offerings ranging from $1.99-$2.49 and monthly subscription plans averaging $5.99 per month.

Fox Mobile Entertainment already has licensing and distribution deals for Fox's top brands with the world's most powerful carriers that reach nearly 2 billion cell phone subscribers worldwide -- including 200 million in the US. Led by industry innovator Lucy Hood, the unit created American Idol's text message voting system and the Mobisode, the now pervasive term for short episodes of programming designed exclusively for transmission and viewing on cellular telephones. To date, the unit has distributed four series and 200 Mobisodes to mobile via Vodafone and Verizon, including "24:Conspiracy," an original series inspired by the critically acclaimed television drama "24." "24:Conspiracy" can be seen in 25 countries and has been translated into six different languages.

Start your own tv show with BLOGTV, a winner at 3GSM

The BLOGTV won the best made for mobile video service Award in the 3GSM Association Awards 2006

The BLOGTV enables everybody who has a web cam or a 3G phone to start their own TV show and broadcast it over the internet. LIVE.

People with 3G phones can watch LIVE BLOGTV shows 24/7 on the WAP BLOGTV site.

The BLOGTV was selected from a short list of 6 nominees, including Nokia, Three and Universal.

The judges said that the BLOGTV “Gives the opportunity for the users to shape the service”.

The BLOGTV was also one of the 15 companies short listed nominations for the mobile communication industrys new Mobile Innovation Award.

Watch TV on your mobile

ROK TV, the UK’s first cross-network, 2.5G, TV-for-mobile service, is now compatible with a total of 19 handsets following the recent addition of 7 Sony Ericsson Java-powered phones to the existing range of Nokia handsets.

Combined, ROK TV-compatible handsets now account for 35% of all smartphones currently being sold in the UK.

The provision of TV to mobile phones is subject to massive investment worldwide at present with some of the biggest global telecom companies predicting mobile TV to be the 'next big thing'. ROK has already developed the technology to deliver mass-market TV-for-mobiles and has been quietly launching the service in the UK.

ROK TV now has more than 2,500 subscribers to what is the world’s first network-agnostic, mass-market 2.5G and 3G, multi-channel, full-screen TV-for-Mobile service. Even on 2.5G GPRS ROK TV plays at a higher frame-rate than most, if not all, existing 3G TV offerings.

The ROK TV subscription service starts at £0.99p per channel per month and can be downloaded online at www.rok.tv

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Why watch the Olympics when you can play it on your mobile?

I-play, the mobile games company, has announced the North American and European launch of Torino 2006(TM) - Official Mobile Phone Game of the Olympic Winter Games . I-play secured the exclusive license to develop a mobile phone game based on the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy from International Sports Multimedia Ltd (ISM), exclusive licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for Interactive Entertainment Software. This is the first mobile phone game title ever to be officially licensed by the IOC.

Developed in close cooperation with ISM and the Organising Committee of the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games to ensure the authenticity of the game, Torino 2006™ captures the excitement and passion of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games on mobile phone, allowing mobile phone users worldwide to test their skills at a number of disciplines.

The game features four of the signature Olympic Winter Games disciplines: Downhill Skiing, Ski Jumping, Curling and Bobsleigh.
The game’s Downhill Skiing discipline, reflecting the most spectacular Alpine Skiing speciality, involves launching the skier in the ‘tucked up’ position to maximise aerodynamics and efficiency; choosing the shortest trajectories; and flowing through the course as smoothly as possible to maintain maximum velocity, taking care to avoid time penalties due to missed gates.

In Ski Jumping, perfecting the launch is critical in order to get maximum height and distance. Players must fight the wind to keep from veering off-course and focus on the distant landing point. From the heights of the ski-jump, players defy the laws of gravity, using power, precision and nerves of steel. The smallest of errors will compromise the entire jump.

With Curling, the focus is to deliver a smooth granite stone across an expanse of ice with pinpoint precision to the target. To get your player’s team closer to the centre of the target than the opposing team, all four team members must be involved in every shot, with one carefully delivering the stone, two sweeping the ice in front of it to regulate friction, and the skipper calling the strategy.

In the mobile phone game’s Bobsleigh discipline, players must approach the curves just right in order to maintain maximum velocity and score the fastest times! The four-person team pushes the sled for 50 meters – a distance which must be covered in less than 6 seconds to reach a speed of over 40 km/h – before jumping into the sled and reaching for gold. The trick is to handle the course’s many banked curves as smoothly as possible, as each bump against the iced walls adds fractions of a second to the run time.

The game has already received critical acclaim:
Mobile Game Faqs gave the game a Gold Award, saying – “It is clear that a lot of time has been spent to recreate an accurate simulation for all the events.”

A mobile and Walkman: 2 for 1!

The Sony Ericsson W550i Walkman™ is a mobile phone for music lovers. FM radio, an advanced digital music player inside and everything you need to enjoy your music on the move. CD ripping software is included in the kit for getting your favourite songs into your phone. Drag and drop using Disc2Phone™. The swivel-action W550i has a 1.8” colour screen for the best possible video viewing and gaming experience plus dedicated gaming buttons for fast and action-packed 3D gaming on the go. When you want to catch some action, the W550i is also an impressive 1.3-megapixel camera with video recording and digital camera menus.

Visit the Sony Ericsson site to view all the details here.

The new Opera Mini

Opera Software has announced the worldwide release of Opera Mini, the full Web browser that runs on almost every mobile phone, including low- and mid-end handsets. The global launch follows the trials of Opera Mini in the Nordics and in Germany during the fall of 2005, which resulted in a user base of over one million people.

Opera Mini compresses Web pages by up to 80% and reformats them using Small-Screen Rendering(TM) for easy and fast browsing on small, mobile screens. For the end-user, this means faster browsing and dramatically reduced phone bills for those who pay per KB in data traffic.

Opera Mini's start page features a Google search box for quick access to Web search. And the customizable bookmark list makes it easy to save and surf your favorite sites.

Opera now also offers customized versions of Opera Mini to mobile phone operators, handset manufacturers and other companies interested in offering a branded, full mobile Web browser to their customers.

Welcome

This is a new blog that will review the latest mobile products & services including: mobile phones, mobile retailers, mobile operators, mobile aggregators, mobile games, mobile music, ringtones, full track downloads, mobile search, and all mobile services.