Nokia's most powerful camera-phone yet

Here's something to add to your wishlist of 5-megapixel camera-phones this Christmas. The Nokia N82, just announced today, is the candy-bar edition of the N95. Like the latter, it has almost everything you can find in mobile phones today, from onboard GPS and 5-megapixel sensor with Carl Zeiss optics to Wi-Fi/HSDPA connectivity and 30fps VGA video capture (MPEG-4). What's noteworthy here is that Nokia has upgraded the LED lights on the N95 to a Xenon flash for the N82. There's also an orientation sensor for automatic switching between portrait and landscape viewing modes. Get our first impressions of the N82 here.

While local prices will only be released closer to launch, the N82 is expected to retail for about 450 euros. It is slated for launch in Asia over the next few weeks.

Callpod Dragon Bluetooth headset has 100+ meter range

Callpod has just announced the Dragon Bluetooth headset, which claims to have 100+m range (that's 328ft for you non-metric types) plus dual-mic noise suppression technology. Like the SoundID SM1000, the Dragon also has a walkie-talkie mode that you can use if you have two of them. It also features two reversible earwraps for comfort, plus the ability to upgrade the firmware in case there are feature updates in the future. The Dragon is rather pricey as far as headsets go, but if it delivers on all its promises, it sounds like a good deal. It's available for US$119.99 right now from Callpod.com.

Via Crave CNET

Smart phone sales skyrocket

Smart phone sales are on fire, according to a new report from market research firm In-Stat.

In a new report published Tuesday, In-Stat predicted that smart phone sales will grow at a rate of more than 30 percent a year for the next five years. This is much faster than the overall cell phone market, which is growing in the single digits. The report also said that smart phone sales are outpacing the sale of laptops, as more corporate customers use their phones on the road.

"Because of the value users are finding, organizations are slowly taking ownership of smart phones and data applications used for business purposes," Bill Hughes, an In-Stat analyst, said in a statement. "Rather than having overcomplicated reimbursement plans, more organizations are finding it more expedient and economical to treat wireless voice and data services as a business expense when they use smart phones."

Smart phones are also starting to expand into the mass market with several handset makers already selling devices. Research In Motion introduced the Pearl. Motorola has its Motorola Q. Samsung has the Blackjack. Palm just came out with the Centro. And let's not forget Apple with the iPhone, the hottest cell phone ever to hit the market.

In addition to email, these devices offer instant messaging and integrated Web services. For example, RIM just announced tight integration between the social-networking Web site Facebook and its BlackBerry phones. And Palm's Centro is integrated with MySpace.com. These devices also pack in multimedia applications like music and video.

But what will really drive growth further into the mass market is pricing. Palm's Centro, which hit the market this fall, is priced at US$99 out of the gate. And many other smart phones like Samsung's Blackjack are US$100 with a mail-in rebate.

Sales could grow even more rapidly if Google is able to deliver on its promise with the new open-source Android software. If Google can find a way to integrate advertising into the platform, the company could further drive down the cost of these phones and the data services.

All of this is good news for the entire mobile ecosystem. Handset makers will obviously sell more devices. Companies such as Microsoft and Symbian will also benefit because they develop the operating software used on these phones. It's also great news for mobile operators, because on average smartphone subscribers spend more on services per month than subscribers using traditional cell phones.

Via Crave CNET

Pay daily flat rates for data roaming in Asia

Come early next year, travelers in Asia will no longer need to pay per kilobyte rates when using data roaming services on their mobiles. Conexus Mobile Alliance has announced that it will be introducing the first pay-per-day data roaming flat rates in the region.

Singapore mobile operator StarHub, which is a member of the Conexus Mobile Alliance, plans to introduce this flat-rate service in the first quarter of 2008. According to StarHub, its mobile customers will be charged only daily data roaming rates up to a pre-determined price cap when roaming in the networks of the other Alliance members. Data consumption below the price cap will be charged on a per kilobyte basis. While prices will be announced only next year, the Singapore carrier estimates that users can enjoy savings of up to 80 percent with the new flat-rate plan.

Conexus Mobile Alliance is the largest consortium of mobile carriers in Asia with a combined customer base of around 160 million subscribers. Its members include NTT DoCoMo in Japan, KT Freetel in South Korea, Hutchison Telcoms (Hong Kong) in Hong Kong and PT Indosat Tbk in Indonesia.

China Mobile talking to Apple on iPhone launch

While the iPhone is expected to debut in Asia only next year, China's largest cell phone carrier is already in talks with Apple to bring the much-anticipated handset to the Mainland.

During a session with reporters at the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress in Macau, China Mobile's chief executive revealed that the company is currently having a dialog with the Cupertino company on its iPhone. However, he confirmed that the two parties have not come to any agreement as there are still revenue-sharing issues to resolve.

The Apple iPhone first launched in the US market earlier this year and was recently rolled out in Europe. So far, there's been no word on when exactly the device will debut in Asia come next year.

Via BusinessWeek

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