Palm Treo 650: Back in black

While Asia awaits the launch of the Treo 700 PDA-phones, Palm today unveiled the Black Tie Limited Edition Treo 650. Essentially a black-hued version of the current Treo 650, this newest handheld was apparently created specially to celebrate the company's 10th anniversary launch of the Pilot, according to a press statement released earlier.

The Black Tie Limited Edition Treo 650 is not the first color variation of the popular handheld in Singapore. The first, a Special Blue Edition, was introduced late last year. At S$1,010 (US$675.90), the new Treo 650 is priced at a slight premium above the previous color editions (S$968 (US$647.79)) and will come with a matching hard black case. It is immediately available in major retail outlets in the Republic.

Atom Exec available from second week of July

O2 Singapore has just confirmed that the company's latest PDA-phone, the Xda Atom Exec, will be available in retail outlets from the second week of July. The Atom Exec, which is the upgrade model of the Xda Atom released in 2005, is expected to be priced at S$1,348 (US$902.09).

The new Atom Exec will come with several enhanced features over its predecessor, including a faster 520MHz Intel Xscale processor and 192MB of ROM, both of which are expected to improve the overall performance of the handheld. It will also feature a gun-metal matte casing and the updated Windows Mobile 5.0 with the new Messaging and Security Feature Pack.

Nokia unveils its first i-mode phone in Singapore

Finnish phone maker Nokia and mobile operator StarHub have jointly announced the launch of an i-mode version of the popular N70 handset in Singapore. According to the joint press release issued today, this is the first time Nokia is launching an i-mode phone in Singapore. More importantly, Singapore is also the first market to release the N70 i-mode handset.

"Users who are more accustomed to the Nokia user interface can now experience StarHub's easy-to-use suite of i-mode services with Nokia N70," said Goh Li-Li, assistant vice president of i-mode Services at StarHub. Other than the i-mode application platform and a new silver-black exterior casing, the new N70 comes with the same features as the original N70. The price of the new N70 handset is expected to range from S$288 (US$192.73) to S$488 (US$326.57), depending on the mobile subscription plan, and will be available from June 24.

Unfortunately, StarHub has confirmed that users of the non-i-mode N70 will not be able to upgrade the firmware to activate i-mode in their handsets. The mobile operator has told CNET Asia that customers can expect more i-mode-enabled terminals from other manufacturers such as Sony Ericsson and Motorola in the second half of 2006. We are guessing the handsets to be the new Sony Ericsson K610im as well as the i-mode versions of the Motorola L6 and L7. (click here for a larger image.)

CommunicAsia2006 coverage kicks off!

Get ready for gameplay of a different sort this week at the Singapore Expo where mobile vendors play ball with each other and vie for superiority in the sport of oneupmanship, from design talents to designer models.

CNET Asia staffers are, of course, giving up sleep and soccer to bring you the news, musings and hot announcements off the showfloor of Asia's annual infocomm and media tradeshow. This year, we'll not only be updating our readers with the latest handsets being showcased by major phone vendors at the fair, our intrepid scribes will be blogging on the accessories, solutions and other cool gear being brandished at the booths, besides bringing you photos and Webcasts of the event.

As always, keep watching this space for updates. Or go straight to our CommunicAsia2006 Special Coverage to keep ahead on the news.

Motorola signs on Beckham as global brand ambassador

Expect to see football superstar David Beckham carrying the latest Motorola phones at this year's World Cup as he signs a three-year endorsement deal with the US-based handset maker to promote its cellular products in Asia. The collaboration will kick off with Beckham participating in advertising and retail activities across the region.

According to Motorola's press release, the endorsement deal will include the use of exclusive Beckham content such as screensavers and video clips in its mobile handsets. The England soccer captain will also be involved in Motorola campaigns such as the (MOTO)RED mobile created to help fight AIDS in Africa. (Click for the large image here.)

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