WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

Samsung Omnia Reviews Show Beauty, Brains, Top-End Features, Lacks US 3G

New reviews of the Samsung Omnia(which means everything in Greek) are coming out daily.  MobileTech Review  notes that it looks beautiful! "Cross the great looks of the Samsung Tocco or LG Prada with the brains of Windows Mobile and you've got some device."

Mobile News reports "that all inin all, the i900 is packed full of top-end features and presented to the user in a very good package...its specification is superior.(to the iPhone) My money would certainly go onto the i900 rather than the 3G iPhone."

Chris Davies at Slash Gear writes, "There's a lot to like about the Samsung i900 Omnia.  The GPS and high-resolution camera both work well, battery life is good and it's undoubtedly a handsome phone...but you will have to live without 3G(in the US) and it's no iPhone Killer."

We expect full reviews to come out shortly and when they do we will update the reviews here.

For all secifications of the Samsung Omnia go to the original article OMG the Samsung Omnia is iPhoneliscious

Nokia  ntroduced the Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte, a premium luxury phone make with exclusive carbon fibre, titanium, polished glass and stainless steel. 

Though often thought to be the power tool of the business road warrior, wireless data card are fast becoming a popular means of home Internet access. 

Nielsen Mobile, a service of The Nielsen Company, in its first report on mobile data cards published this week, reported that there were more than 13 million wireless data card users in the US as of Q2 2008. Recent adoption has been strong, with more than half (55 percent) of these devices acquired in the past 12 months. 

Often advertised as part of a carrier's mobile broadband network, such wireless data cards come in a variety of formats--as ExpressCard and PCMCIA cards that slide into slots on the PC or laptop (which account for 54 percent of mobile data cards), as USB cards (30 percent) and as embedded cards that come built into laptops (17 percent). As of Q2 2008, consumers report spending an average of $65 on their data card, excluding service costs.

And while mobile data cards are already popular with business travelers, Nielsen's research reveals that the cards are beginning to play an important role in home and personal Internet access, as well. In fact, 43 percent of mobile data card users report they most often use their data card at home, while 15 percent say they typically use the card at work. Additionally, one in five (21 percent) data card subscribers take advantage of ubiquitous access by heading outdoors and 9 percent use their card while commuting.

ClairMail, Inc., announced that Alerus Financial, a Midwestern-based financial services company offering banking and wealth management services, selected ClairMail to power its new mobile banking offering - Alerus Mobile Access.

Alerus Mobile Access will enable Alerus Financial bank customers to connect to their accounts via text messaging (SMS) or mobile web. The service is free to all Alerus customers and allows users to access any Alerus account, including checking, savings, money market, CDs and loans. Customers will be offered a host of secure banking capabilities and alerts on their mobile phones through ClairMail's secure solution.

ClairMail's mobile banking and payments solution delivers 2-way mobile banking functionality on all mobile phones and across all three mobile user interface types - messaging, mobile web and client applications - known as the "2-way triple play."

Vringo is offering Vringo Channels, a new video ringtone channel service with free specially themed Obama- and McCain-video ringtone channels, Mobile users can personalize their phones by subscribing to a feed of video ringtones updated on either a daily or weekly basis.

With Vringo Channels, users subscribe to themed channels and receive fresh and new content automatically instead of having to update it themselves.

The first Vringo Channels launch this month, including those for Obama and McCain, giving fans of each candidate the ultimate badge of support: access to a daily updated roster of free video ringtones pulled from the latest news, commercials, events, speeches and choice campaign moments. When a user subscribes to one of these free channels, every call he or she receives becomes an opportunity to campaign for his or her favorite candidate.

Vringo has introduced an initial group of four free Vringo channels: Obama and McCain, as well as special Chill and Animation channels.

Google started running a test of display ads on select pages of the YouTube mobile site in the U.S. and Japan. This is their first step in testing mobile advertising for YouTube -- it will give y a new way to interact with content on the go, while allowing us to learn how video viewers engage with mobile advertising.

The test advertisers will also have an additional branding tool at their disposal and the opportunity to reach the millions of people who visit YouTube every day on their phones.

Visa and eight North American Banks: (PNC Bank, SunTrust Bank, U.S. Bank, Wachovia, and Wells Fargo, Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank Financial Group, and Vancity) have agreed to initiate a pilot program with up to a total of 2,000 participants to test the delivery of real-time notification alerts on Visa accounts.

The program, is designed to enhance the consumer payment experience by alerting cardholders in real-time or near real-time of transaction activity on their Visa account - typically within seconds rather than hours or days.

Participants will receive notification alerts from Visa through email or Short Message Service (SMS) delivered directly to their mobile devices. The service allows Visa cardholders to set thresholds that will trigger a transaction alert.

T hrough the alert received via email or SMS text, cardholders can verify the transaction details, and if the transaction appears to be irregular, can immediately contact their bank to help stop further transactions on the card.

The service is designed to help cardholders keep closer track of their transactions and spending levels as they go about their daily routine. According to a recent Javelin Strategy & Research report, consumers view timely alerts as a valuable resource to help detect fraud.

The winners of The Future Mobile Awards from Juniper Research been announced. are given to companies that have made a significant contribution to their sector and are poised to make considerable market impact in the future.

Future Mobile Web 2.0
Gold Award:
Silver Award:

Future Mobile Search Category
Gold Award: Google
Siilver Award: Jumptap

Future Mobile Advertising Category
Gold Award: Celltick
Silver Award: Greystripe

Future Mobile Gambling Category
Gold Award: Spin3
Silver Award: Probability

Future Mobile Games Category
Gold Award: EA Mobile
Silver Award: Gameloft

The Wall Street Journal Digital Network launched WSJ.com Mobile Reader — with immediate access to business, finance and technology news and analysis from WSJ.com as well as MarketWatch.com, Barrons.com and AllThingsD.com. The customizable application is available for free on most BlackBerry smartphones.

WSJ.com Mobile Reader, developed on the FreeRange Communications Mobile Publishing Platform, provides access to the latest headlines, news summaries and updates automatically with no manual refresh required. Content tabs include What’s News, Tech, MarketWatch, Opinion, Columns and more.

To learn more about WSJ.com Mobile Reader, see available devices and sign up, go to [www.wsj.com/mobilereader](http://online.wsj.com/public/page/0_0560.html), where you candownload the free WSJ.com Mobile Reader with  acess to subscriber content for a limited time only.

Google is hiring
Android designers now.
T-Mobile needs them.

The planet is less lonely now, Nokia and Lonely Planet have teamed up to distribute Lonely Planet content via Nokia Maps.

Travellers can purchase and download the city guides that cover over 100 of the most world's most popular tourist location, for help finding great places to eat, shop and sleep, popular sights and nightlife.

The downloads are available cost $13.99, and can be found in the Guides section in the Extras menu. Nokia Maps 2.0 uses vector maps provided by Navteq and TeleAtlas. Nokia Maps now has maps covering over 200 countries, with over 70 of them navigable. Maps can be downloaded over the air directly to selected devices or by using the Nokia Map Loader on a PC.

Ringback tones are on track to become the most attractive mobile content category by 2012, according to new market research from MultiMedia Intelligence. With worldwide revenue nearly tripling to $4.7 Billion, ringback tones will fall just short of mobile gaming revenue in capturing the largest share of the mobile premium content market (not including mobile video and mobile TV).

Overall, the global retail market for mobile premium is projected to reach $29 billion by 2012, according to MultiMedia Intelligence. Developed markets, such as Japan and Korea, have seen dramatic growth in premium content, with some operators seeing data revenue exceed 30% of total service revenue. As key Asian markets continue to evolve, growth has shifted to Europe and then the Americas.

MultiMedia Intelligence also learned:

• Realtone ringtones are gently displacing polyphonic ringtones in all regional markets. Polyphonic ringtones are becoming antiquated as the cell phone evolves in to a fully realized multimedia device.
• Retail mobile music is nearly a mature market in South Korea, but an expanding market in Japan. By 2012, the mobile music market in Japan, for example, will be over 7 times the size of the mobile music market in South Korea.
• Streaming mobile music is growing; however, it does not yet have the market scale compared to other mobile music categories. Mobile games and adult content are continuing to grow, but at gradually slowing rates.

AARP Services and Consumer Cellular are offering a major senior discount with low monthly rates without termination fees, long term contracts and mandatory binding arbitration. 

 The features of the new plans include:

• Free basic Nokia phone or you can buy a Moto RAZR V3 for $100.
  
• A five percent discount on monthly access and airtime usage rates for AARP members. Monthly plans start at $10 a month and .24 cents a minute.
• 30 percent discount on some accessories,
• A 45-day extended trial period for new AARP subscribers and plans starting as low as $10 per month,
• Unlocked phones (phone can be used on other carriers' networks),
• Flexible billing cycle where a member can change rate plans mid month without penalty,
• Phone number portability,
•  Phones that are hearing aid compatible.

To learn more about the new plans, AARP members can visit www.ConsumerCellular.com/AARP to sign up for a low-cost cellular service plan and have a free phone shipped directly to them.  A five percent discount will automatically be applied to the access and airtime usage charges on each AARP member's monthly Consumer Cellular bill.

Consumer Cellular guarantees AARP member satisfaction and provides an AARP member customer support line staffed with representatives located in the United States. A risk-free trial is offered that includes a full refund for cancellation in the first 45 days or before the use of 45 minutes.

Sprint  said it is preparing for the potential impact of Tropical Storm Fay threatening to make landfall in the Florida Keys Monday evening and then again through southwest and central Florida Tuesday. Sprint has staged backup generators and personnel in strategic locations in Florida to manage potential service impacts.

Sprint also  installed permanent generators at more than 1,000 additional sites in hurricane-prone communities in Florida in 2007. Sprint also added more than 450 new sites throughout the state of Florida to its Nationwide Sprint Network and Nextel National network in 2007.

Customers can take proactive steps before the storm hits. Sprint offers the following consumer tips to prepare for a possible landfall:

• Keep your wireless phone and backup batteries charged, but be aware that an interruption of wireline and commercial power could affect wireless calls.

• If possible, get extra batteries and charge them.

• In times of commercial power outages, a car adapter for your wireless phone should enable you to recharge the battery.

• Keep phones and necessary accessories in a sealed plastic bag to avoid water damage.

• Load family and emergency numbers into your wireless phone.

•  Wireless networks sometimes experience heavy traffic during emergency events, so remember to use Nextel Direct Connect( or send a text message.

For more information about Sprint Nextel hurricane preparation efforts, or to learn what you can do to prepare for a major storm, visit: www.sprint.com/hurricaneinformation.

Sprint  and the National Football League are offering NFL Mobile Live, the only wireless source for complete, live access to NFL action. NFL Mobile Live is free of charge to Sprint data subscribers.

For the first time in wireless, Sprint customers will be able to listen to the live radio broadcasts of every NFL game throughout the 2008 regular season and will also be able to watch all eight of the Thursday Night Football telecasts carried by NFL Network live beginning on Nov. 6 via the new NFL Mobile Live application. Sprint is making it easier to follow a specific team by carrying a live radio broadcast for each game including pregame and postgame reports in most instances.

Sprint is also now offering  MOTORAZR VE20  that runs on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. MOTORAZR VE20 offers one-touch access to its music player, text inbox and menu controls from its external display.

MOTORAZR VE20 provides easy access to Sprint-exclusive content, including NFL Mobile Live, a new application that brings the excitement of the game right to your wireless phone. Offered free to Sprint customers with a data plan, NFL Mobile Live features live audio broadcast of all NFL regular season games, live audio/video stream of eight NFL Network games (beginning in November 2008,) exclusive team content and exclusive video highlights. Additional features of MOTORAZR VE20 include Sprint Music Store for quick and easy over-the-air song downloads,, Sprint TV with extensive live and on demand programming, stereo Bluetooth wireless technology, a microSD card slot and a 2.0 MP camera.