7/29/10

The service of mobile television from MTS is supplemented by new television channels

Telecommunication operator MTS reported the fact that the service of mobile television MTS was supplemented by the three additional Russian-language television channels: “RAIN”, “[RIAN] OF TV” and “the expert OF TV”.

As operator reports, on the sums of three months of the work of its service of mobile television in the test regime program MTS TV established more than 100 thousand users. Total traffic of the users of mobile TV exceeded 2 [Tb], and the total time of the survey of television channels comprised more than 10 000 hours. It is more than half of all users of service - owners of iPhone. The peak of the survey of mobile television coincides with the peak of business activity - subscribers use “mobile TV” as the additional information channel, useful in the work and which makes it possible to be up to date in the urgent world events. News, business and musical television channels enjoy the greatest demand.

Service “mobile TV” acts in standard 3G in the regime of test operation in two zones of the broadcasting: in Moscow and in all regions of North Western federal region. Pay for the survey of mobile television during the work of test zones, including for the traffic is not collected.

The users Of opera Of mini loaded 1 billion Web pages

The company Of opera Of software declared the statistics of the load its browser Of opera Of mini, according to which the users of this browser on July 25, 2010 loaded with its aid more than 1 billion pages, where each second server Of opera Of mini before the sending to the cell phones compresses more than 11,5 thousand pages.

Company notes that recently grows a quantity of examined pages with the aid of its mobile browser Of opera Of mini. Thus, for instance, in June 2008 the server Of opera Of mini processed about 110 mln. pages during the day, whereas in June 2010 an average quantity of workable pages exceeded 910 mln., which by 162% is higher in the comparison with the last year's results.

RIM buys domain name BlackPad.com. Plane-table will be called BlackPad?

If the management of the company Of research in Of motion not is inclined to the drawings, then it is completely possible that became known the name if not plane-table itself from RIM, then, at least, the project, within the framework which it is created. Moreover it is known not from the source, which wished to remain unknown, and not because of the prototype, which someone forgot in the bar or lost as child. Known it became directly from the system of the search for domain names WHOIS, according to information of which the company RIM became recently the possessor of domain name blackpad.com.

For the first time this domain name was acquired in January 2002 and it since then repeatedly passed from hand to hand. But no commercial stamp with this name it was recorded, and, which means, the purchase of resource did not manage WITH RIM into the significant sum. The resource exists at the present moment, but it demonstrates virgin clean page. Very name Of blackPad figures in connection with the possible development of plane-table by the Canadian producer of [smartfonov] Of blackBerry from the very beginning of the circulation of rumors about this possibility. Unfortunately, no adequate information relative to the creation of plane-table RIM there is, and therefore the reasons for purchase blackpad.com at the present moment are not known.

teXet TX-D4600[A]: budgetary radiotelephone

Budgetary model of teXet TX-D4600[A] in the lusterless black housing with the glossy framing, the velvety by feel the touch rubberized buttons, the convenient form of the tube, which repeats the structure of palm. In the set of the functions: [AON], the amber illumination of display, [spikerfon], notebook to 20 names, the Russian language, clocks, alarm clocks. At the end July novelty will appear in the stores practically in all cities. Recommended retail price of the model of teXet TX-D4600[A] - 1099 rub.

Technical characteristics of teXet TX-D4600[A]:

* 14- TI segmental display with the illumination
* Menu and notebook in the Russian and English
* Telephone book to 20 names also of the numbers
* Alliteration of the last 5 collected numbers
* Determination of number of the memory 10 numbers calling subscriber (Caller ID) with
* Automatic determinant of number ([AON]): mapping the name of subscriber, if it is carried into the telephone book, the start and the disconnection [AON], the installation of a quantity of calling signals, which enter before the determination of number, the selection of the number of signs of user number, the indication of date and time of entering the call
* Possibility of connection to five tubes
* 5 loudness levels in the tube
* 5 loudness levels and 10 melodies of the call of the tube
* Turning off of the microphone
* Programmed pause
* Search for the tube
* Indication of the discharge of the storage battery
* Indication of fall outside the limits of the communication zone of the base block
* Range to 50 m inside the building and to 300 m in the open country
* Sound signal with the pushing of knobs, the discharge of storage batteries, the fall outside the limits of the communication zone of the base block

Samsung ST80: digital compact camera with the support Of wi-Fi

The company Of samsung Of electronics presented the new 14,2-[megapikselnuyu] camera ST80, which will supplement the assortment of the digital cameras Of samsung with the support Of wi-Fi.

Because of the technologies of the wireless transmission of data Of wi-Fi and AllShare (DNLA) the owners of new camera can transfer the photographed photos and by video their by friends directly from the camera, without the participation of computer.

In the small housing ST80 they were placed objective with the 3- multiple optical the [zumom] and large 3-inch sensory display.

Novelty is separated also by its intellectual functions:

* Tool for the editing of the photo Of smart Of crop: with its aid the users can cut and extend the photographs, made at angle (for example, posters or the guide signs), thus, that they will look like usual frontal photographs.
* Regime Of smart Of auto: it analyzes the key characteristics of scene and depending on the obtained results the optimum parameters of survey automatically are selected. The regime Of smart Of auto can be used also with [videosemke].

Besides the survey of 14,2-[megapikselnykh] photos, ST80 it can write video of high clearness with permission 720p and frequency of 30 frame(s)/s. (H.264). But the basic “chip” OF ST80 is the possibility to share photographed photos and video without the participation of computer. Being located in the radius of action of the point of the access Of wi-Fi, the owner of camera can send any photograph to the electronic address, after collecting him with the aid of the screen keyboard of camera or after selecting from the built-in directory. Wi-Fi- connection, besides other things, gives the possibility from the camera to directly load photographs to such popular Web- resources as Facebook, PicasaYouTubePhoto Of bucket, and also SamsungImaging.com. Moreover the owner ST80 will obtain access to the service of the mobile provider Of boingo, which makes it possible to leave into the Internet at the high speed in more than 120 thousand. “[khot]-[spotov]” Of wi-Fi throughout the world.

Wireless possibilities ST80 supplements support to the technology Of samsung Of allShare. Because of AllShare the users can easily transfer [kontent] from the camera to other devices in the house, compatible with the standard DLNA (Digital Of living Of network Of alliance), for example television sets and the digital photo-framework.

Telephones from S40 will obtain Ovi Of browser?

The company Of nokia its models, which emerge on the platform Of s40, traditionally completed by the Web browser Of opera Of mini. However, in all likelihood, this practice approaches toward the end. The subdivision Of nokia Of beta Of labs it demonstrated the browser Of ovi Of browser for the platform Of s40, which possesses the same functionality as Opera Of mini. Browser itself still is at the stage of beta version and in the store of the applications Of ovi Of store is not accessible. This program uses a special service for the discovery of page, it compresses it and in the compressed form it sends to the telephone. I.e., it completely copies the actions Of opera Of mini.

Actually Ovi Of browser very resembles Opera Of mini 4.2, although Nokia Of beta Of labs does not report about the use of the code Of opera in its product. This browser is deprived of a number of services and functions, however, this not final version, but therefore to assert at the present moment that it will obtain, but that no - thus far early. Thus far browser can load the compressed pages, URL and [avtozapolenie], is supported integration into the search services (Yahoo! , Google, Bing), have layings. For the testing it is accessible on the site browser.ovi.com for the telephones from the list of the compatible devices. To establish this browser on [smartfony] of a series Of s60 it is not planned.

Motorola Of rambler: “[raskladushka]” with QWERTY by keyboard for Boost Of mobile

The North American operator of the mobile connection Of boost Of mobile, which is been the daughterly company Of sprint Of nextel, represented for the amateurs to greatly much write text messages the new model of cell phone from the company Of motorola by the name Of rambler. This model is folding cell phone with two screens, where in the decomposed form QWERTY- keyboard is given to owner into the use.



The beginning of sales of novelty is planned for the beginning of August on price $99.99 taking into account the free delivery. In the functional plan this apparatus appears as follows:

* 1,3 [MP] camera with the support to the video recording
* Wireless access in the Internet
* Access to the post services Of gmail, MSN, Yahoo! and so forth.
* Support of the services of instantaneous exchange by the communications
* Communications: Bluetooth (into [t].[ch]. of stereo), GPS the navigation
* Vocal functions: the system of loud communications, vocal control

Android 2.2 for Samsung Of galaxy S already in the network

The official renovation of the operating system Of android for [smartfona] Of samsung Of galaxy S must appear only in September this year. But for those, who are impatient in the network has already been located official version ON this model with OS Of android 2.2. It is natural that the version “flowed away” not along the official channels and it is only test piercing. While some producers thus far even did not accept the solution about that, will obtain their [smartfony] renovation to this version, in the company Of samsung they already created the operational version of piercing I9000XXJP1 for their flag [smartfona].

, Who is already ready to establish this software, he is worthwhile to recall for the same that the test version is not final and does not ensure entire functional unit. In particular I9000XXJP1 does not ensure the work of [flesh] in the browser. According to the information from those, who already established Android 2.2 to Galaxy S new software is sufficiently stably and, according to the data of tests, ensures increase in the operating speed of apparatus. At the same time Froyo to Galaxy S although wins in essence in Éclair, by tasks it impedes more strongly with the overload.

Official [reliz] of the renovation of [smartfona] Of samsung Of galaxy S to the version Of android of 2.2 Froyo takes place in September this year.

Nokia N8 is accessible for [predzakaza] in Italy

Appeared the first official information about the periods of entering into sale of first [smartfona] with the operating system Of symbian^3- Of nokia N8. In spite of that which originally was declared about the fact that this [smartfon] will be put on the market of the in August present year, actually deliveries will begin by month more lately. On the site of the Italian department of the company Of nokia the apparatus is already accessible for [predzakaza], but the period of delivery to that ordered - end of September.

Let us recall that the telephone Of nokia N8 is remarkable not only fact that it first [smartfon] from Symbian^3, but also the unique telephone of the company Of nokia with the camera of that having permission 12 [MP]. Furthermore model is characterized by housing from anodized aluminum, 3,5- one inch capacitive screen, processor with a clock frequency of 680 MHz, HDMI- output and [videopleerom], which supports DivX/XviD size.

In the official presentation of apparatus it was indicated that the deliveries for the market will begin on August 24, but apparently by this time apparatus will not be still finished and deliveries for the market will begin at the end September. Cost Of nokia N8 in Italy with the condition of [predzakaza] - 469 Euros. Which is also higher than the 370 Euros declared at the presentation, even taking into account the payment of all taxes, which increase the cost of apparatus to 444 Euros.

Amazon Of kindle with the support Of wi-Fi and 3G and by the improved screen E Of ink Of pearl

The company Of amazon continued the rule of its electronic books by the new model, which is called… simply Kindle. It is more precise, these are is two models - only from Wi-Fi and from Wi-Fi and 3G standards HSPDA (EDGE/GPRS also they are supported). Renovated Kindle is noticeably more elegant than the predecessor: it is more compact and easier - thickness does not exceed 8,5 mm, but weight - 247 grams. Furthermore, device uses a new screen E Of ink Of pearl - more contrasting, also, with the increased speed of the renovation of image. But it as before 6- one inch with the permission 600 x of 800 points and 16 by nuances of gray color.

Under the screen, as before, is located the QWERTY- keyboard, and the capacity of built-in storage is 4 Gb. In that renovated Of amazon Of kindle appeared “experimental” WebKit- browser and [usovershenstvovannaya] technology of the sonification of text (Text-to-Speech). Even now both new models can be ordered in Amazon, and their deliveries will begin on August 27. Amazon Of kindle of the new generation in the graphite and white colors will cost $139 for the version from Wi-Fi even $189 - for Wi-Fi+3G.

Galaxy S Does MicroUSB to HDMI

When the Samsung Galaxy S hit the market earlier this year, no one expected it’d be able to do video-out from a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack. But, complaints about the aspect resolution given by 3.5 mm to Component cords will now be silenced as it is uncovered that at least the American variants of the Galaxy S are able to do high definition output via a new cord from Samsung that converts Micro USB to HDMI. The adapter is an unprecedented work of engineering as many said it would not be possible to convert USB 2.0 cables to high definition output.

The Micro USB to HDMI adapter is currently unavailable from Samsung or any other distributor, but it will come into stock soon for a fairly low price of $50. With the adapter, users will be able to go to: Settings >Sound and Display > TV Out – to enable the feature.

We will have a hands on demonstration of the cable when ready. For now, feast your eyes on the picture below:

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Eric Schmidt on Google’s Next Tricks

Google has long been cast by Wall Street analysts and some tech executives as a “one-trick pony” because it earns nearly all revenue from one source–online ads. When asked for his response to that, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said in an interview: “I think that’s probably true.”

He added: “But if you’ve got a one-trick pony, you want the one we have. We’re in the ad business, and it’s growing rapidly. We picked the right trick.”

Much of the company’s online ad revenue has come from text ads that appear on search results pages of Google’s search engine and on millions of other sites.

But besides seeking to develop a social-networking service that would rival Facebook, which WSJ reported today, the company is trying to obtain a greater share of the online display-ad market. It’s gotten recent traction thanks to its new auction system that matches buyers with sellers.

“This can be a powerful business, a 10-plus billion-dollar business” per year for Google, Schmidt said.

He also said Google is positioning itself to earn $10 billion or more per year in the mobile device business, thanks to its Android operating system.

Google is giving away the Android software for free to device makers, who are using it to power dozens of popular devices. By spreading Android, which is growing at a rate of 160,000 new handset activations per day, the company ensures that its Internet search, maps and other ad-supported services will endure as users shift to mobile devices.

“If we have a billion people using Android, you think we can’t make money from that?” Schmidt asked rhetorically. All it would take, he said, is $10 per user per year. Among other things, Google might earn such sums from selling access to digital content from newspapers.

A billion people paying for newspaper content? Sounds good to us.

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Three UK now stocking the Samsung Galaxy S

UK network Three is now offering the Galaxy S Android phone on monthly contracts, if you’ve recently been won over by Samsung’s rather superb online marketing push and happen to live or work within the radiation range of a Three mast.

Three’s only offering it on three tariffs at the moment – priced at £35, £38 and a top-end £40 if you want the Galaxy S connected via its enormous One Plan if you need 2000 calling minutes and a ridiculous 5000 text messages per month.

All three of the contract options come with 1GB of mobile data, which is sadly emerging as the new standard all the operators seem to think is enough for the likes of us. The first network to offer something like 5GB or 10GB with its smartphone contracts ought to clean up.

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Application - HTC Sync™for HTC Wildfire

Release Date: 2010-07-27

You can use HTC Sync™ to synchronize Outlook contacts and calendar or Outlook Express contacts and the bookmarks of web browser between your computer and your phone. It also lets you install third-party Android applications on the phone, and bring your photos, videos, documents, songs, and playlists to your phone.

Installation Instructions:

Version: 3.0.5387

1. Hardware Requirements (PC)

Intel® Pentium® III or higher processor clock speed recommended

1GB of RAM or higher recommended

XGA (1024 x 768) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor

60 MB of available free hard disk space, and USB 2.0 is required

2. Software Requirements - Supported Operating Systems (PC)

Windows XP Home / Professional / Media Center Edition Service Pack 2 and 3 (32-Bit)

Windows Vista Ultimate / Enterprise / Business/ Home Premium/ Home Basic Edition (32 & 64-Bit) Service Pack 1

Windows 7 Ultimate/ Professional/ Home Premium / Home Basic Edition (32 & 64-Bit)

3. Installation Instructions

1. Select the file "HTC Sync" & a location closest to you then Click Download below to download “Setup_3.0.5387.exe” to your PC.

2. Run “Setup_3.0.5387.exe” to install it to your PC, and follow the Install Shield Wizard to finish the installation.

(Suggestion: Please close all running programs and temporarily exit your anti-virus program when you install the HTC Sync)

3. Select the “Complete” Setup Type for faster and easier installation process, and then press “Install” to begin the installation. (For advanced users you could choose “Custom” to change the pre-defined shortcuts and the installed application folder path by your own.)

4. After you saw the Install Shield Wizard Completed, please press “Finish” to exit the Wizard.

Start to use HTC Sync

1. Use the USB cable to connect your phone to the PC

2. When your phone prompts you to choose a type of USB connection, tap HTC Sync, and then tap Done.

3. Wait for HTC Sync to recognize your phone. On the Device setup screen, enter a name for your phone.

4. Click Save. The Device panel then opens. On the Device panel, you can set your sync options, see your phone's general information, check the used and available space on your storage card, and begin synchronization.

Tips 1:

If you cannot see the HTC Sync option when you connect your phone to the computer via USB, please follow the

Instructions below:

1. Make sure you select USB Debugging in Settings > Applications > Development before connecting your phone to the computer

2. Connect you Phone to the PC and wait 20 seconds for your phone to install HTC Sync on your phone.

3. Unplug the USB sync cable. Wait for 5 seconds. Reconnect the Phone to the PC using the USB cable.

4. Select “HTC sync” and wait for HTC Sync to recognize your Phone. This process could take up to a minute your first

time connecting to the computer.

Tip 2:

For best HTC Sync performance on your PC/ NB, we suggest you uninstall all previous versions of HTC Sync 2.0 before upgrading to HTC Sync 3.0 and above. HTC Sync 3.0 is only compatible with HTC Wildfire . If you are you also using other phones, we suggest you keep two versions in you PC/ NB for sync two different Android Platfrom phones.

Note!

* View the Help for detailed instructions of how to use the HTC Sync. (After you see the drop down menu by tapping the Help Button on the upper right corner, please tap the Help again to see the detailed instructions.)

* The installation process takes around one minute. It is still recommended that you close all programs on your PC prior to starting the installation program and do not open any applications or files while the installation is in process.

Adobe Reader For Android Hits a Million Downloads

Today’s post is dedicated to our Adobe Reader for Android users who have been instrumental in building some great momentum since we launched just two months ago.

Just this week, Android reached the million download mark in the Android Market. Also in that time period, Adobe Reader has received an average of four stars from over 4,000 users who have rated it to date. eWeek recently picked Adobe Reader as one of the Top 10 Apps Motorola Droid X owners should acquire at launch.

These milestones are just the beginning of an exciting journey of enabling users the ability to view PDF files on Android mobile devices. Based on user feedback, we released an update to Adobe Reader for Android earlier this month with performance enhancements and the ability to open PDF files from local storage on Android mobile devices. We look forward to further enhancing the product and providing you with a great user experience for viewing and working on PDF documents on mobile devices.

Let us know what you think about Adobe Reader for Android. Provide your feedback on the product either via comments on this blog or through the Adobe Reader user forums (http://forums.adobe.com/community/adobe_reader_forums/android).

If you haven’t downloaded and used the Adobe Reader for Android yet, isn’t it time you joined the million other users who have?

Thank You!

Another rogue app stealing data, security firm reports

Before we start, grab your phone and your computer and hit this link : Android apps by jakeey, wallpaper. If you have any of these applications on your Android phone, uninstall them.

We'll wait.

Now you ask why did we recommend (nay, demand!) you uninstall any of those apps? Lookout says that one or more of these apps are stealing your data and sending it to an unknown person or persons in China. Yup, innocent looking wallpaper apps. According to Lookout, the app(s) in question are collecting:

* browsing history
* text messages
* your SIM card data
* subscriber ID
* voicemail password

Look for Google to pull these soon, as they potentially affect at least 1.1 million users, but for now remember to read what an app can do when you install it. That's that screen you ignore every time you install an app. The one that tells you what system permissions the app has access to. If, say, a calculator wants to see your contacts list, think twice.

It's worth reminding that Android is the only OS that gives you these sort of warnings. And before any Apple fanatics get too cocky, at least these apps aren't stealing money from your Google checkout account. We're keeping a close eye on this one, you'll hear more as it unfolds.

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HTC to Sell Smartphones Under Its Own Name in China: Report

HTC will reportedly soon begin selling phones under its own name in China. Just as in the United States, where HTC first offered phones under the T-Mobile brand, in China it has been selling under Dopod.

Taiwan-based HTC will begin selling smartphones in China under its own name, as it begins a big campaign to create a brand presence, the Wall Street Journal reported July 27.

Until now, HTC has sold phones in China under the Dopod brand, but that will change with four new devices scheduled to arrive in September or October. According to the Journal, these include two touch-screen models, one a very high-end phone running a Windows Mobile operating system and the other a midrange handset running Google's Android OS.

"We believe China is a good market for smartphone development," HTC CEO Peter Chou told the Journal. "Consumers from China will love this kind of product because Internet penetration here is pretty high."

Chou added that a strong percentage of consumers can afford a smartphone, though HTC has yet to set pricing for the new handsets.

HTC similarly worked—quite successfully—to build brand awareness in the United States, after first arriving under the badges of other brands. Some of the first HTC-made phones for American consumers were branded under the T-Mobile name. These have included the G1—the first Android-running handset in the United States—and later the carrier's line of myTouch phones. Google's Nexus One is also an HTC phone.

HTC has since released the HD2, the Droid Eris and—the phone thought to have solidified its standing as a major player in the U.S. market—the Droid Incredible. Following these were the first 4G-enabled handset in the United States, the Evo 4G. The Android operating system is widely considered a growing rival to Apple's dominance in the United States, and a good part of HTC's success here has come with its alignment with Google.

"HTC has gone from the edge to the cutting edge," Pund-IT Research analyst Charles King told eWEEK at the time of the Droid Incredible's launch. "It stands as evidence that the game should not be handed to Apple by default. There are people out there with great ideas and great design concepts, and with Android they have an OS to build those on."

In 2009, HTC sold 11.7 million phones—a figure that research firm IDC has forecast to zoom to more than 60 million by 2012. Currently, 80 percent of HTC's revenue comes from sales in Europe and United States, but China is poised to skew that figure. By the end of this year, HTC handset sales in China are expected to rise 50 percent over 2009's total and continue heading upward.

"It's interesting. Before we've come to do anything, we already have pretty high [brand] awareness," Chou told the Journal, referring to HTC devices that have arrived in China through the gray market. Because of these phones, Chou estimates that 8 percent of China smartphone users are already familiar with the HTC brand—a good head start on the road the company is headed down.

What the gray market can't offer, Chou added, is good services for consumers, which will definitely be part of the HTC strategy.

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OptiCon Demo

OptiCon Systems, Inc. provides Wireline, Wireless and fiber optics network management solutions offering proprietary state-of-the-art software, professional services and integrated systems. OptiCon Systems have been in use by companies seeking the best solution in managing their networks for the past 10 years. The company's software solutions automate all aspects of the physical and logical layer management, fault detection and delivery of information. The scalability of the software systems permits the Company to target large communications and telecom companies servicing millions of global customers to medium-sized companies managing a single facility. Besides OptiCon Network Manager (ONMS), the company will soon offer PowerCon Energy Systems (PES) that is designed to manage large power networks and facilities for power and alternative energy companies globally. The PES/ONMS isolates (power/fiber) cable cuts, breaks, and faults, and service degradation and other power and optical events to within plus or minus five feet of the event, and produces a global positioning system location for the outage to an approximate five foot section of cable.

Modu T -Phone works on OS Of android and is supported Wi-Fi

In the Internet the photographs and the videotape, where is demonstrated Modu of the new generation, appeared. Let us recall, the first telephone Of modu is characterized by compact sizes, it is equipped with small display and several buttons. But its heir has already been prepared, we wrote about it in the news. The model Of modu T -Phone is equipped with the sensory screen, with the aid of which it proposes to use control. On video Of modu T -Phone it is compared with two more apparatuses, in particular, from iPhone: compact device shuts its display almost wholly.

Source also reported a number of the characteristics of new In modu. According to him, this is not simple telephone, but [smartfon] under the administration Of android (obviously, old version 1.5). Also in Modu T -Phone are by Fm- radio, a slot for the maps of microSD, 3,5- mm [audiorazem] and even Wi-Fi. But here are the supports of honeycomb networks 3G, in spite of the forecasts, it is not provided. Screen, apparently, is resistance: is required [stilus]. In all likelihood, in new In modu will also be housings (jacket) with different additional functions.

Connection 3G from “[Bilayn]” is accessible to each second inhabitant of the Chelyabinsk province

Operator [VympelKom] declared about the starting in the commercial operation of the network of third generation (3G) in a number of the populated areas of the Chelyabinsk province. The inhabitants of the cities can use now high-speed Internet- access: [Kopeysk], [Korkino], [Karabash], and also settlements [Novosineglazovo], Poletayev, October, old-reednsKA, Rosa, [Pervomayskogo].

Today to wireless the mobile Internet on technology 3G from “[Bilayn]” is accessible in the territory, where it lives 60% of population of the Chelyabinsk province. Network is expanded on the equipment Of huawei and works in the standard UMTS.

Prior to the end of the year the company plans to envelop with the network of the third generation all significant cities of region, including [Kyshtym], Yuzhnouralsk, [Troitsk], [Kartaly], [Katav]- is Ivanovo, and also [Sosnovskiy], [Chebarkulskiy], [Satkinskiy], [Ashinskiy] and other furthermore, will be continued work on the expansion of the scope by the connection of 3G territories Of [miassa], Zlatoust and Magnitogorsk.

Google Android Market to Stop Unauthorized App Use

Google's Android team said it has created a security tool to prevent the illegal use of paid Android applications in the Android Market. The move joins carrier billing in the latest in a series of efforts to make the Market a more serious application store.

In a move geared to please Android developers, Google July 27 said it has created a free licensing service to protect paid applications in the Android Market from unauthorized use.

The move will prevent tech-savvy users from downloading for-fee applications on the Android Market, which has some 70,000 free and paid programs.

The service includes a set of libraries developers can use to query the Android Market licensing server to check up on licensing status of users.

The program retrieves information on whether users are authorized to access the app based on stored sales records, said Eric Chu, a member of Google's Android Developer Ecosystem, in a blog post.

"This licensing service operating real time over the network provides more flexibility in choosing license-enforcement strategies, and a more secure approach in protecting your applications from unauthorized use, than copy protection," Chu explained.

Google plans to replace the current Android Market copy protection tool with the new licensing service, which will manage access to all paid Market apps for Android 1.5 or higher, over the next few months.

Google has taken a lot of heat over the last few months for Android Market.

While the store has attracted thousands of developers who prefer the open source approach over the more strongnet App Store from Apple, the open and freewheeling ethos has sacrificed some quality.

For example, DoubleTwist's Jon Lech Johansen said the Market suffered from insufficient billing and too much spam.

Google also attracted attention when it used the Market's remote application removal feature to remove two potentially malicious applications from Android devices.

On the company's second quarter earnings call July 15, Google Senior Vice President of Product Management Jonathan Rosenberg promised several changes were in motion to boost the e-commerce capabilities and overall user experience for developers and consumers of the Android Market.

Google signaled one such change July 22, when it said that it is preparing to allow consumers to purchase applications from the Android Market and charge them to their wireless phone bills.

Google Android Market Getting Carrier Billing Options

Google's Android Market is getting payment options for wireless carriers, the company said July 23. This will allow consumers to buy applications from the Android Market and charge them to their wireless bills.

Google's Android team indicated it is preparing to allow consumers to purchase applications from the Android Market and charge them to their wireless phone bills, a major convenience that bridges the gap between the application store and phone service providers.

Android developer evangelist Tim Bray wrote in a brief blog post July 23 that Google has updated the Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement (DDA) to prepare "for some work we're doing on introducing new payment options, which we think developers will like."

Specifically, "authorized carriers" have been added as an indemnified party in section 13.1.

T-Mobile, which offered the first Android phone nearly two years ago, already processes payments for Android apps on users' monthly bills. This means users don't have to whip out their credit cards to pay for the apps before they can download them.

Bray wasn't specific about what additional carriers will support this payment plan.

However, Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint all provide several high-end Android smartphones, so it makes sense that all providers be on board to help users procure the 70,000-plus applications in the Android Market as efficiently as possible.

These new terms apply straight away to anyone joining the Android Market as a new publisher. Existing publishers have been notified of this change via e-mail and have up to 30 days to accept the new terms.

Jonathan Rosenberg, Google's senior vice president of product management, alluded to new billing and payment options in the company's second-quarter earnings call July 15.

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ClearPad

ClearPad™ offers the broadest portfolio of advanced, proven capacitive touchscreen solutions. These high-resolution capacitive touchscreen solutions bring users rich functionality in a limited space. A ClearPad touch sensor provides an easy-to-use, discoverable interface for screen navigation, selection, interactive input, and much more.

ClearPad solutions deliver a wide range of touch capabilities and user experiences—all at the right price:

* ClearPad 3000 Series—Our premium ClearPad solution provides the ultimate in touchscreen innovation and excitement with MultiTouch capabilities (up to 10 fingers simultaneously). A powerful new chip delivers 48 sensing channels and excellent power management for a differentiated user experience. Click here to see the 3000 Series demo demo with gestures like Crumple and Scratch.
* ClearPad 2000 Series—ClearPad 2000 Series—the original ClearPad solution—brings exceptional DualTouch (2-finger) touch capabilities to a wide range of handheld devices. High performance and accuracy combined with seamless gesture integration make ClearPad 2000 Series the proven touchscreen leader seen in the market.
* ClearPad 1000 Series—ClearPad 1000 makes touch capabilities available to mass-market handheld devices. This SingleTouch solution provides exceptional gesture integration and a flexible zero-border sensor design. For cost-effective touchscreen capabilities, ClearPad 1000 is the right choice.

Where you’ll find ClearPad

When the display is the interface, ClearPad is the answer—including mobile phones, personal navigation devices, smart remote controls, digital still/video cameras, handheld gaming, and other electronic devices. A ClearPad sensor is placed over a main display, such as an LCD. Users activate the underlying graphical user interface buttons and controls by touch.
ClearPad benefits

All ClearPad solutions bring you the wide-ranging benefits that come from choosing an industry-leading solution:

* Broadest and Most Stable Portfolio—From Single to Dual to MultiTouch, choose the touch capabilities you need, all with proven ClearPad performance and reliability.
* Solution Stack—Synaptics’ comprehensive solution offering covers all critical capabilities, from design to testing to supply/support.
* Seamless Integration—Mount ClearPad touch panels beneath a product’s casing for a sleek, smooth appearance.
* Superior Optics—ClearPad touch panels minimize internal reflections.
* Accuracy—ClearPad delivers best-in-class accuracy, including resolutions of 500+ dpi, without requiring calibration.
* Durability—ClearPad touch sensors, mounted beneath a device’s top plastic, can be designed with a glass or PET substrate.
* Lower Consumption—Doze, sleep, and deep sleep modes maximize battery life and use less energy.

ClearPad 3000 Series benefits

ClearPad 3000 brings breakthrough MultiTouch capabilities and performance to high-end smart phones, handheld gaming, and personal navigation devices. In addition to the core ClearPad benefits, ClearPad 3000 Series offers:

* Next-Generation User Experience—Leverage breakthrough multi-finger gestures for exciting new games and applications, including dual/multi-player gaming devices and mobile applications. Click here to see the 3000 Series demo demo with gestures like Crumple and Scratch.
* Larger Screen Sizes—Synaptics’ proprietary chip features 48 sensing channels and excellent power management—enabling screen sizes up to 8 inches and more accurate sensing.
* Maximum Display Area—Industry-leading narrow borders increases the amount of touchscreen real estate and optimizes popular display technologies, such as OLED.

ClearPad 2000 Series benefits

ClearPad 2000 is the original ClearPad solution, offering DualTouch capabilities and easy gesture integration in firmware. In addition to the core ClearPad benefits, ClearPad 2000 Series offers:

* Proven Success—Since its introduction in 2007, ClearPad continues to set the standard for touchscreen performance.
* Exceptional User Experience—Two-finger interaction and gestures (i.e., Pinch, Pivot Rotate) provide an intuitive user experience.
* Best-in-Class Performance and Accuracy—Synaptics’ track record in design and testing ensures successful products that integrate ClearPad 2000 touchscreens.

ClearPad 1000 Series benefits

ClearPad 1000 brings advanced, proven SingleTouch touchscreen capabilities to mobile phones, digital still/video cameras, remote controls, and personal music players—all at an entry-level price. In addition to the core ClearPad benefits, ClearPad 1000 Series offers:

* Compelling User Experience—SingleTouch interaction enables users to touch, not press—enhancing the user experience and simplifying ease of use.
* SingleTouch Gestures—Single Tap, Double Tap, Tap & Hold, Flick, Press, and other gestures enhance interaction, add value, and go far beyond legacy touchscreen technology (e.g., resistive). These proven gestures are quickly and easily integrated in firmware.
* Clear Display—High optical clarity provides a more vibrant display, especially with crystal-clear OLED technology. Zero borders maximize the display interface area and optimize display technology.

Glass-based capacitive touch panels move into medium- to large-size applications in 3Q10

Adoption of glass-based projected capacitive touch panels has extended from small-size panels for handsets to medium- to large-size of 7- to 12-inches for tablet PC models that are expected to be launched late in the third quarter or early fourth quarter of 2010, according to industry sources.

The sources with touch controller IC suppliers indicated that capacity for glass-based capacitive touch panels is already tight amid strong demand from both first-tier handset brands and China-based handset vendors, and capacity will become even tighter with demand coming from the medium- to large-size segments.

Both touch controller IC and touch panel makers have already started shipping medium-size glass-based applications, and they expect the tablet PC segment to generate significant growth in orders and shipments in the third quarter, the sources added.

Capacitive touch panel makers such as Wintek, TPK Touch Solutions and Giantplus Technology have noted that glass-based capacitive touch panels will continue gaining share at the expense of resistive touch panels in the handset market in the second half of 2010, and global demand for small- to medium-size glass-based capacitive touch panels is expected to increase rapidly in 2011.

Giantplus explained that resistive touch panel is like STN technology in the LCD market, while glass-based capacitive touch panel is like the TFT technology, which has become the mainstream amid price drops and technological advances.

J Touch to step into ITO glass-based capacitive touch panels

Taiwan-based touch panel maker J Touch will announce its new production capacity expansion plans and details in August, including its plans for production lines for ITO glass-based projected capacitive touch panels, and the company expects the new capacity to start revenue contribution in 2010, according to company chairman Yeh Yu-Chou.

J Touch is the second largest ITO film-based capacitive touch panel supplier in Taiwan. The handset segment is the target application for its products with Samsung Electronics and HTC being its major clients, and the company has recently gained orders from Nokia and Sony Ericsson, the company noted.

J Touch currently has a monthly capacity of six million panels, and shipments of resistive touch panels accounted for about 60% of its total shipments in the first half of 2010, while capacitive touch panel shipments accounted for 20-30%, the company added.

J Touch was listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange on July 27, with a price opening at NT$57 (US$1.77) per share and closing at NT$87.

Synaptics ClearPad 3000 Series

Synaptics ClearPad 3000 Series

Synaptics ClearPad 3000 Series from Synaptics, Inc. on Vimeo.

Licensing Your Applications

Android Market offers a licensing service that lets you enforce licensing policies for paid applications that you publish through Android Market. With Android Market Licensing, your applications can query Android Market at run time to obtain their licensing status for the current user, then allow or disallow further use as appropriate.

Using the service, you can apply a flexible licensing policy on an application-by-application basis — each application can enforce licensing in the way most appropriate for it. If necessary, an application can apply custom constraints based on the licensing status obtained from Android Market. For example, an application can check the licensing status and then apply custom constraints that allow the user to run it unlicensed for a specific number of times, or for a specific validity period. An application can also restrict use of the application to a specific device, in addition to any other constraints.

The licensing service is a secure means of controlling access to your applications. When an application checks the licensing status, the Market server signs the licensing status response using a key pair that is uniquely associated with the publisher account. Your application stores the public key in its compiled .apk file and uses it to verify the licensing status response.

Any application that you publish through Android Market can use the Android Market Licensing service. No special account or registration is needed. Additionally, because the service uses no dedicated framework APIs, you can add licensing to any legacy application that uses a minimum API level of 3 or higher.

To help you add licensing to your application, the Android SDK provides library sources that you can include in your application project. The License Verification Library (LVL) handles all of the licensing-related communication with the Android Market client and the licensing service. With the LVL integrated, your application can determine its licensing status for the current user by simply calling a library checker method and implementing a callback that receives the status.

This document explains how the licensing service works and how to add it to your application.

http://developer.android.com/guide/publishing/licensing.html

Motorola Milestone XT720 unboxing and demo video

Matt unboxes the new Motorola Milestone XT720 in this video and then takes a look at the operating system, demo's some features.

Hitachi "Minority Report" like interface.

Hitachi "Minority Report" like interface.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Mini unboxing and hands-on impressions

We take the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Mini for a spin. Unboxing and hands-on impressions are included in this video. The X10 Mini is tiny compared to its bigger brother, the X10. To keep things small, the X10 Mini has pared down its feature set with a 5-megapixel camera and gets rid of the Mediascape app.

Sony Ericsson Zylo Review

PhoneArena reviews the Sony Ericsson Zylo. Sony's Walkman brand has given a lot to mankind, from the first mobile cassette player to the Sony Ericsson Zylo, which we are about to review. We have always liked the idea of having Walkman-branded devices (yes, we are old school), but how ...

Android 2.2 [Froyo] Begins Rolling Out to Select Motorola Droid X Units

Well, well, well. What do we have here? It would seem as if Android 2.2 [Froyo] has begun rolling out to a few select Motorola Droid X units. Case in point, an Engadget reader apparently received an Android 2.2 OTA update on its Motorola Droid X [pictured]. In addition, My Droid World claims to also have screenshot of a Droid X running Froyo. Now, don’t get too excited just yet, as this might be just an initial test release. You know, to make sure that the update doesn’t cause any issues.

However, it’s important to take into account that AndroidSPIN reports that one of their Verizon Wireless sources has indicated that Android 2.2 will be rolled out almost simultaneously to the original Motorola Droid, the HTC Droid Incredible, and thew new Motorola Droid X beginning next Friday, August 6. It’s said that the upgrade process for all devices should be completed by August 15.

source

Blackberry 6 and Bold 9800 May Debut Next Week

Next week may see the debut of the Blackberry 6 operating system running on a brand new slider phone, suggested by an upcoming press announcement. Many sites and blogs are getting excited about invitations from Research In Motion and AT&T for an event in New York City on August 3. The event invitation doesn't say much, but its timing lines up with previous rumors that the Blackberry Bold 9800 would debut this summer.
Blackberry Bold 9800

The oft-rumored Blackbery Bold 9800, also known as the Torch 9800, is believed to be the first device that will run Blackberry 6. The 9800 is expected to have the same look and feel of most Blackberry handsets, except that the face will slide up to reveal a physical keyboard similar to the Palm Pre. The 9800 would also have a touchscreen, but the handset may not come with SurePress technology, according to Chinese-language blog BlackBerry Time. SurePress is the oft-maligned tactile feedback touchscreen that debuted in the Blackberry Storm. Other rumors peg the 9800 as having 4GB of internal storage and a 5 megapixel camera.
Blackberry 6

Blackberry has already released two promotional videos showing off new features in its upcoming OS overhaul. The videos show a touch-based Blackberry OS that is kind of a mix between iPhone simplicity and Android-like features such as a hidden drawer you can pull up to access widgets. Some of the new features of Blackberry 6 include a redesigned and simplified home screen; universal search; new music player with an interface clearly inspired by Apple's Cover Flow; social networking integration; and a new browser based on Webkit with pinch-to-zoom functionality.

The 9800 and Blackberry 6 may be the most likely candidates to launch next Tuesday, but there is also speculation that RIM might introduce a Blackberry clamshell device. Others are guessing we might see another Bold device called the Blackberry Bold 9780. The 9780 is said to be running Blackberry 6 and feature microSD support and a 5 megapixel camera. It's less than a week until we know for sure.

source

BlackBerry 6: Another Sneak Peek!

BlackBerry 6 software sneak peek. Previews upcoming features, including the new BlackBerry Browser and Social Feeds app.

Nokia C6 review: A playful character

Gsmarena have posted their review of the Nokia C6. Here are the phone's key features, main disadvantages and their final impression.

Key features

* 3.2" 16M-color resistive touchscreen of 640 x 360 pixel resolution
* Symbian OS 9.4 with S60 5th edition UI
* Slide-out four-row full QWERTY keyboard
* ARM 11 434MHz CPU
* Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
* Tri-band 3G with 3.6Mbps HSDPA support
* 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and VGA@30fps video recording
* Wi-Fi and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
* GPS with A-GPS and free lifetime voice-guided navigation license
* microSD card (16 GB supported, 2GB included)
* Built-in accelerometer for display auto-rotation, turn-to-mute
* 3.5 mm audio jack
* Smart dialing
* Stereo FM Radio with RDS
* microUSB port
* Web browser has full Flash support
* Good audio quality
* Office document viewer

Main disadvantages

* Display performs poorly under direct sunlight
* The S60 touch UI is clunky
* Doesn’t charge off USB
* Average loudspeaker performance
* No DivX or XviD video support out-of-the-box
* No office document editing (without a paid upgrade)
* No camera lens protection

It may look like the same old same old prima facie, but that's exactly what the C series are all about. They are just not the kind of phones to set the place on fire. It's a lineup aimed at the mass market and it doesn't need inspiration and creativity when a couple of tried and tested recipes will do.

The C series are the melting pot for designs, forms and features that are proven to work. It's a low-cost and risk-free operation - what comes out of the C series isn't burdened with expectations and is more or less immune to criticism.

Every phone in the C series can trace its lineage generations back. With the C6, it's a clear case of N97 meets 5800 XM. Some may rightfully claim that Symbian touch UI needs quite a bit of genetic engineering to get things right. It can certainly use some new graphics, animations, transition effects and all that eye-candy but it isn't up to the Nokia C6 to deliver it. There's Symbian^3 and ^4 for that.

What you have every right to expect from the Nokia C6 is reasonable build quality, full-suite connectivity, great typing and reliability. And it delivers on all counts - save for a shaky battery cover (we hope it's our unit) and the clunky touch interface.

On Symbian turf, the Nokia C6 has one major competitor, the Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro. It has a similar screen, but far better processing and graphics, crowned with HD video recording. The features you sacrifice over Nokia C6 are the free voice navigation and access to the growing Ovi Store.

Among the Android species of QWERTY messengers, the Nokia C6 will have to watch out for the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 mini pro and LG GW 620. The X10 mini pro runs Android 1.6 Donut, but the Eclair update is on the way. The small size, the capacitive screen and the cool Timescape user interface count in X10 mini pro's favor. The LG GW620 likes to keep a low-profile but might be a reasonable alternative as well.

The Motorola BACKFLIP and the MB220 DEXT are two QWERTY-enabled droids to offer you the MOTOBLUR UI, which takes social networking to a whole new level.

The Nokia C6 is the most advanced and expensive C series phone so far but it obviously is on the cheap side of smart QWERTY messengers. It's got quite a bit of pressure to handle from competitors and finds it hard to identify a unique selling point. Plus currently it goes for almost the same amount of money as the N97 mini and until its price moves down, the C6 will hardly earn a place for itself in the Nokia's Symbian lineup. We are yet to see how things go though.

Introducing Ovi Browser Beta for Series 40 – Faster, Easier Web Browsing that Saves Data Costs

We’re excited to introduce the Ovi Browser beta for Series 40 phones to help meet the needs of mobile Internet users in emerging markets and around the world. We believe users of Series 40 should be entitled to rich web browsing experiences like those of smartphones, but without the same price tag.

The Ovi Browser is powered by patented Internet compression technology that delivers advanced web pages to your phone. The result is that pages show up quicker than ever, plus over the air data is reduced by up to 90%. Beyond performance, the browser includes an innovative user interface that makes it easy to access your favourite content directly from the start page without having to hunt through menus.

Ovi Browser is available as a beta download for popular Nokia Series 40 phones including: 2700 Classic, 2730 Classic, 3120 Classic, 3600 Slide, 5130 XpressMusic, 5220 Xpressmusic, 5310 XpressMusic, 5330 Mobile TV Edition, 5330 Xpressmusic, 5610, 6300i, 6303, 6500 Slide, 6500 Classic, 6600 Slide, 6700 Classic, 7210 Supernova, 7900 Prism and X3.

Keep in mind that this is a beta release, but you’ll see improvements coming as we prepare for a commercial release early next year. We’re in the process now of building up our global infrastructure to provide the best possible speed, performance, and reliability for millions of users. We’ll also be adding features to improve local search and personalization and extending support for more local languages and markets.

Download Ovi Browser beta version by going to http://browser.ovi.com on your current mobile browser and follow @ovibynokia on Twitter for tips and updates. Share your feedback by going to Options > Feedback within Ovi Browser or in the Nokia Beta Labs forum. Let us know what you think about the beta, and what needs to improve before the launch.

Thanks!
The Ovi Browser Team

5.2 Billion Smart Cards Shipped in 2009; ABI Research Estimates IC Market Worth $1.7 Billion

Smart cards became even further embedded within everyday life for most consumers in 2009. In total, 5.2 billion microcontroller and memory-based smart cards shipped into applications such as SIM cards, payment and banking, government ID, and transportation, among others. At the same time, the IC market was worth $1.7 billion, according to the latest metrics from ABI Research’s Smart Card Market Data.

On the card side, Gemalto maintained its clear position as the number one manufacturer, with an estimated 33.8% market share, while Morpho (previously Sagem Orga) gained the most market share (up 1.8%) to consolidate its fourth position.

Meanwhile, with 26.3%, Infineon continued to account for the most revenue among the IC manufacturers while in unit terms, Samsung’s strong position in SIM cards saw it capture 34% of IC volumes.

Principal analyst John Devlin says, “Last year’s market conditions were unusual. While the smart card market largely weathered the recession in terms of consumer demand, the IC market took a hit on two fronts. First, both card manufacturers and issuers ran down their inventories as they assessed the impact of the credit crunch. Second, price pressure increased greatly as IC manufacturers looked to fill plant capacity and maintain orders. Combined, these factors saw the value of the market fall by more than was expected.”

Devlin concludes, “New revenues are coming from contactless/dual-interface cards and more applications require the greater security offered by smart cards. There remains a small but solid memory-based market but higher-end secure microcontroller ICs and embedded solutions are driving the new growth. As a result of this and re-stocking inventory, we forecast that IC revenues will grow nearly 14% in 2010.”

Fresh Sounds for Orange RockCorps' London Concert at Royal Albert Hall

PENDULUM
MARK RONSON & THE BUSINESS INTL
N-DUBZ, TAIO CRUZ
PROVIDE INSPIRATION FOR THOUSANDS TO VOLUNTEER

Orange RockCorps returns to London’s renowned Royal Albert Hall for its third London gig. The groundbreaking initiative encourages young people to volunteer their time for a concert ticket.

Following the enormous success of 2008 and 2009 concerts with Busta Rhymes, John Legend, Chase and Status, David Guetta and Kelly Rowland, Akon, Daniel Merriweather, Nelly, Nas and Razorlight; 5000 volunteers will once again be able to earn a money-can’t-buy ticket to see some of the hottest artists and bands around.
Taking to the prestigious Hall’s stage for this exclusive gig on 24th September will be Australia's spectacular electro-rock stars Pendulum, award-winning super producer Mark Ronson & The Business Intl (new album 'Record Collection' out September), London’s very own N-Dubz and British singer-songwriter, rapper and producer Taio Cruz, who has recently topped the Billboard singles chart in North America.

Stephen Greene, RockCorps CEO says about the lineup, “Adding variety to our past London shows, this gig undeniably features a group of the hottest artists around who'll be rewarding the Orange RockCorps volunteers at the Royal Albert Hall. It will be an epic night – get your four hours in!”

Over the summer, each volunteer will give four hours of their time volunteering in their community to earn a ticket to this highly anticipated concert. Volunteers can register today at www.orangerockcorps.co.uk or by calling 0800 954 7625.

"We loved performing and participating in Orange RockCorps last year in Manchester and we're honoured to be asked to perform again this time in London. The volunteering angle to this show makes it truly unique, and we share the ethos and belief of the importance of getting people onto the streets to do some good for society. It will be our first chance to ever play the Royal Albert Hall, so this is a special moment all round." – N-Dubz

Now in its third year, Orange RockCorps has inspired and mobilised thousands of young people in the UK and abroad (France and Israel) to volunteer for local community projects in return for the exclusive concert tickets. The Orange RockCorps programme has struck a chord with volunteers in the UK and continues to be over-subscribed year-on-year.

With continued support from partners BlackBerry and Channel 4, the Orange RockCorps programme is set to broaden its reach around the UK. You can see coverage from the Royal Albert Hall event on Channel 4 and 4Music on Sunday September 26th

For more information and to volunteer please go to:
www.orangerockcorps.co.uk or call 0800 954 7625

Apple Updates Safari 5

Users Can Add New Features Through Extensions.

CUPERTINO, California—Apple® released Safari® 5.0.1, turning on Safari Extensions and introducing the Safari Extensions Gallery. Apple introduced extensions support in Safari 5 in June so developers could begin creating extensions with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript web standards. With Safari Extensions Gallery, users can quickly find extensions that add powerful new features to Safari, from toolbars that display live web feeds to sophisticated programs that filter web content. Safari 5.0.1 allows users to download and install extensions either from the Safari Extensions Gallery or directly from a developer's site.

“Safari 5 has been a big hit, and user response to the innovative new Safari Reader has been fantastic,” said Brian Croll, Apple’s vice president of OS X Product Marketing. “We’re thrilled to see so many leading developers creating great extensions and think our users are going to love being able to customize Safari.”

“Millions of our customers already use Amazon Wish Lists to store items they want to buy for themselves or receive as gifts,” said Gianna Puerini, vice president of Worldwide Design and Community at Amazon.com. “With Safari 5, we were able to quickly build the Add to Amazon Wish List extension that lets customers add items from any website to their Amazon Wish List with the click of a button.”

“We’re excited to continue working closely with Apple to bring visually compelling Bing experiences to Safari,” said Jeff Henshaw, general manager of Bing User Experience. “The Bing Extension for Safari brings Bing search intelligence to everyday browsing with Safari. When a user selects text in Safari, Bing instantly recognizes what they might need and pops up helpful, informative tips, from real time maps and driving directions to real time translations to direct web search results.”

“Using web standard technologies and Safari’s extension builder, we developed an MLB.com extension to give fans another way to consume up-to-the-moment baseball content, including live look-ins to games, right from the Safari toolbar,” said Noah Garden, executive vice president, Commerce and Sponsorship at MLB.com.

“Our extension for Safari is a great way for readers to get all of the latest breaking news and all the important stories, blogs and columns they want to see,” said Denise Warren, general manager, NYTimes.com at The New York Times Company. “While you browse other sites in Safari, our extension checks for updates and slides in new headlines and thumbnails, so you won't miss a thing.”

“Creating our Twitter extension in Safari couldn't have been easier,” said Jason Goldman, vice president of Product at Twitter. “By providing features like the ability to tweet about a page and view trending topics, we've created a simple way to deliver relevant, interesting content to people regardless of where they are on the web.”

The Safari Extensions Gallery is accessible from the Safari menu or at extensions.apple.com. Users can download and install extensions from the gallery with a single click, and there’s no need to restart the browser. Extensions can be automatically updated and are easily managed within Safari. Users can enable or disable individual extensions, or turn off all extensions with one click.

Safari Extensions are built with HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript web standards, and can have all the power and functionality of advanced web applications. Every Safari Extension is signed with a digital certificate from Apple to prevent tampering and to verify that updates to the extension are from the original developer. Safari Extensions are sandboxed, so they can’t access information on a user’s system or communicate with websites aside from those specified by the developer. For increased stability, Safari Extensions run solely in the browser.

Safari 5 also features Safari Reader, which presents single and multipage articles on the web in a new, scrollable view without distracting content or clutter. The Nitro JavaScript engine runs JavaScript up to 30 percent faster than Safari 4.* Built on the open source WebKit engine developed by Apple, Safari 5 includes more than a dozen powerful new HTML5 features for creating media-rich experiences, like full screen playback and closed captions for HTML5 video.

Pricing & Availability
Safari 5 is available for both Mac OS® X and Windows as a free download at www.apple.com/safari. Safari 5 for Mac OS X requires Mac OS X Leopard® 10.5.8 or Mac OS X Snow Leopard® 10.6.2 or later. Safari 5 for Windows requires Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista or Windows 7, a minimum 256MB of memory and a system with at least a 500 MHz Intel Pentium processor. Full system requirements and more information on Safari 5 can be found at www.apple.com/safari. The Safari Extensions Gallery is available at extensions.apple.com. The Safari Developer Program is free to join at developer.apple.com/programs/safari.

*Performance will vary based on system configuration, network connection and other factors. All testing conducted by Apple in May 2010 on an iMac® 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system running Mac OS X 10.6.3, with 4GB of RAM. JavaScript benchmark based on the SunSpider 0.9.1 JavaScript Performance test.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

DOCOMO Announces New Corporate Vision “Pursuing Smart Innovation: HEART”

NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced a new corporate vision, named “Pursuing Smart Innovation: HEART,” under which the company intends to achieve new growth by delivering new value to customers and ever-changing society.

For the past 10 years, DOCOMO implemented its Vision 2010 corporate vision to successfully create new communications culture by delivering diverse services and enhanced value to customers and society. Under its new vision for “Pursuing Smart Innovation: HEART,” DOCOMO intends to leverage its considerable powers of innovation to align its continued growth with the challenges and opportunities of the next 10 years, including accelerating globalization, environmental protection and the increasing spread of broadband.

Such innovations will address the changing needs of society as the use of mobile technologies continues to diversify and the quality of communication continues to evolve, particularly in the approaching era when mobile phones are owned by virtually everyone and are thoroughly integrated with daily life.

Through its new corporate vision, DOCOMO intends to enhance the uniquely joyful and inspirational qualities of mobile communication, as well as pioneer innovative new solutions for pressing social issues. The company expects to partner with a broad range of companies to drive such innovation, and thereby connect people and society in smart, innovative ways for enhanced quality of life.

NTT DOCOMO Announces “Xi” LTE Service Brand

NTT DOCOMO, INC. unveiled the brand name and logo of its forthcoming LTE next-generation mobile service for the Japanese market, which is scheduled to launch in December. The brand name is written Xi™ and read “crossy.” The logo is shown below.

Xi™

The “X” denotes both “connection” and “infinite possibility,” and the “i” both “individual user” and “innovation.” The logo, which resembles the infinity symbol, aligns the letters in a single stream to embody the bonds that organically link people, goods and information, and lead to new innovation.

DOCOMO’s Xi LTE service will offer downlinks of up to 75 Mbps, approximately 10 times faster than the company’s current FOMA™ 3G service. Initially, Xi will be available in the Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka areas, but coverage eventually will be expanded to other major cities and then additional areas of the nation. Xi users will be seamlessly handed over to the FOMA network whenever they leave a Xi service area.

Xi handsets, billing plans and other details will be announced later.

About NTT DOCOMO
NTT DOCOMO is the world’s leading mobile operator and provider of advanced mobile services. The company serves over 56 million customers in Japan, including 49 million using i-mode™, the world’s most popular mobile e-mail/Internet platform, and 54 million using FOMA™, the world’s original 3G mobile service based on W-CDMA. As a leader in the development of cutting-edge mobile technologies, DOCOMO is continually expanding the role of mobile phones as versatile and highly personalized “lifestyle tools” for everyday life, including with a wide range of innovative services for mobile payments, GPS, mobile TV, multimedia content and much more. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.nttdocomo.com.

One billion reasons to use Opera Mini every day

The most popular mobile browser achieves the historic milestone of one billion daily page views.

Opera joins the exclusive one billion served per day club. According to Opera Software statistics, Opera Mini users viewed more than one billion pages on July 25, 2010. Every second, Opera Mini servers compressed more than 11,500 pages before sending that content to phones around the world.

Opera Mini has experienced tremendous page view growth in recent years. In June 2008, Opera Mini servers processed 100 million page views per day for the first time. In June 2010, Opera Mini users viewed more than 910 million pages on average every day, an increase of more than 161% since June 2009.

“Each day is different in the fast-growing mobile Web. Every day more people around the world choose Opera Mini and view more pages through this browser,” said Jon von Tetzchner, co-founder, Opera Software. “Crossing one billion pages views in a day is further proof that people desire the best Internet experience, no matter where they live or what device they use.”

Opera Mini, the world’s most popular mobile phone browser, delivers the best Internet experience possible on more than 3,000 mobile phone models. The unique Opera Mini technology compresses data by up to 90 percent before sending content to the phone, resulting in faster page loading, improved speed, and lower browsing costs.

Download

Go to m.opera.com with your phone’s default browser and Opera will automatically select the optimized version for your phone.

The interface debate pt. 2: Touch of Class

GLOBAL – Last week, Rhiain shared my slightly tongue-in-cheek newsletter piece in defence of button-based phones. Most of you told me I was wrong (and worse). So this week, we have Rhiain’s spirited defence of touchscreen devices. “They are the future,” she suggests, which ought to be embraced. But how well do her arguments stack up? Let’s find out.
Touch of Class

Last week, Ian made a brave stab at defending mobiles with buttons. This time, Rhiain picks up the gauntlet in defence of touchscreen devices.

Touchscreen devices have been eagerly embraced by the public over the last four years with good reason. They are the future.

It’s claimed that if what you care about most is making phone calls, then a device with buttons is a better choice. Why would that be? Do the buttons somehow make you more eloquent? Do they imbue the device with some sort of AI that takes you directly to whoever you want to call? I don’t think so. It’s a red herring.

Similarly, it’s suggested that buttons are better for messaging. I would suggest that people claiming this have not tried a modern touch-sensitive device. Things have moved on a long way since your Palm Pilot in the 1990s. Modern screens are perfectly capable of rapid, accurate text messaging and email for three reasons. First, the size and resolution of the screen is much greater, so you end up with a larger keyboard than you get on a QWERTY device. Second, manufacturers have devised all sorts of ways to provide feedback, which increases your accuracy. Plus auto-correction works a lot better nowadays. And third, we’re now seeing the arrival of multitouch, capacitative screens, allowing for gestures and faster typing all-round.

But this isn’t what really makes touch screens great. The important thing is that the interface to your phone is totally malleable. One moment you might be drawing with a soft pencil in a sketching application, the next your finger is rolling a bowling ball down an alley. Application designers aren’t restricted by the hardware in any way: they can simply create the user interface that’s best for what it needs to do. The best examples here are games: useless with buttons, better with touch.

And because the screen is twice the size of your button-based dinosaur, you can actually see what you’re doing. Not just with games but everything. I can see twice the number of messages in one glance, view emails without scrolling and spend half as long tapping through my address book to find a contact.

I think the button brigade are simply resistant to change. The world’s moved on: we have colour TVs now. Mobile devices can now do almost anything; be almost anything. Don’t be afraid of change: embrace it.

Taiwan NCC decides to shift pricing for fixed-line to mobile calls to fixed-line operators

Taiwan's National Communications Commission (NCC) on July 28 passed a regulatory amendment to shift the pricing rights for voice calls from fixed-line telephones to mobile phones to fixed-line telecom carries beginning 2011, according to NCC.

Currently, NCC allows mobile telecom carriers to set prices for voice calls and pay interconnection fees to the corresponding fixed-line telecom carriers. This was because, when Taiwan's mobile networks emerged in 1997, Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) had a monopoly on fixed-line networks and mobile telecom carriers were significantly disadvantaged in competition, NCC explained.

In light of the international convention that pricing rights are the responsibility of the operator of the outgoing call rather than the receiving end, NCC decided to change its policy. The shift of pricing rights will result in decreases in charge rates for voice calls from fixed-line telephone numbers to 2G mobile phones by 9.08% at most, and to 3G ones by up to 21.7%, NCC pointed out.

In order to minimize the impact of the shift on mobile telecom carriers, CHT is required to pay progressively decreasing fees from NT$1.956/min to NT$0.3461/min during a period of transition from 2011 to 2016, NCC pointed out.

CHT to see EPS drop in 3Q10 as rivals TWM and FET head higher

Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) expects its EPS to drop from NT$1.34 in the second quarter to NT$1.22 in the third, while Taiwan Mobile (TWM) projects an increase from NT$1.13 to NT$1.19 and Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) from NT$0.60 to NT$0.75 in the same period.

The carriers' upcoming profitability has garnered differing opinions among industry pundits as Apple's latest iPhone 4 and a slew of high price tag smartphones, which all require heavy subsidization from the service providers, are scheduled to hit the market in the coming months.

Though the smartphones are an excellent revenue source, and proven to increase ARPU (average revenue per user), the subsidies needed to promote the devices have hampered the carriers' operating costs.

The three carriers expect the iPhone 4 to make its Taiwan debut at the end of the third quarter, and will be sold via multiple service providers, sources from the companies said.

New Baby

A dad adjusts to becoming a new father. Search On.
Watch more Search Stories by Google at http://youtube.com/searchstories

Alex Trebek, teachers and Googlers unite at the Google Geo Teachers Institute

What do Alex Trebek, teachers and Googlers have in common? Last week, these individuals and groups all came together at the Googleplex in Mountain View, CA to celebrate exploration and learning.

Google hosted its first Geo Teachers Institute, an intensive two-day workshop in which 150 educators received hands-on training and experience with Google Maps, Google SketchUp and Google Earth, including features like Mars, Moon and SkyMaps. Attendees from around the globe not only learned how these products work, but also discovered tips and resources for introducing these tools to students and using them to conceptualize, visualize, share and communicate about the world around them. Through this event, teachers were hopefully inspired to bring the world's geographic information to students in compelling, fresh and fun ways.

As part of our continued effort to collaborate with teachers and help students get a better sense of places across the globe, we also announced that Google Earth Pro is now available to educators for free through the Google Earth for Educators site. Educators from higher educational and academic institutions who demonstrate a need for the Pro features in their classrooms can now apply for single licenses for themselves or site licenses for their computer labs. A similar program exists for SketchUp Pro through the Google SketchUp Pro Statewide License Grant, which is currently being provided via grants to 11 states, and available to all others at the K-12 level at no cost.

In conjunction with these exciting Geo-related events and announcements, the Geo Education team also thought it’d be timely and fun to test Googlers’ geographic knowledge by hosting the company’s first ever Google Geo Bee. With help from National Geographic, 68 teams relived their school years and took a written geography exam, competing for a spot on stage with Alex Trebek, who hosted the main event. The competition was based on the group version of the National Geographic Bee for students, which Google has sponsored for the past two years. Questions included those like “Which country contains most of the Balkan Mountains, which mark the boundary between the historical regions of Thrace and Moesia?” and “Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the United Kingdom, is located in which mountain chain?”

The final three Google teams (the Tea-Drinking Imperialists, the Geoids and the Titans) all showed off their geographic literacy and answered a plethora of diverse and complex questions. In the end, it was the Tea-Drinkers who emerged the winners when they figured out that Mecca was the answer to the clue, “Due to this city’s location on a desert trading route, many residents were merchants, the most famous of whom was born around A.D. 570.” And they didn’t just walk away with bragging rights; thanks to Sven Linblad from Linblad Expeditions, they also won an amazing adventure trip to either the Arctic, the Galapagos or Antarctica.

Through all of these education efforts — for teachers, students and grown-up Googlers alike — we hope people of all ages never stop exploring.

LG ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER 2010 FINANCIAL RESULTS

SEOUL -- LG Electronics (LG) announced unaudited earnings results based on IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) for the three-month period ending June 30, 2010. Despite continuing recessionary conditions, revenues increased in most business units versus the second quarter of 2009. Strong performance in home entertainment and appliances helped offset profit declines in LG’s mobile business.

Sales and Profit
LG reported sales of KRW 14.4 trillion (USD 12.4 billion) and operating profit of KRW 126 billion (USD 108 million) in the second quarter of 2010. In Korean won, consolidated sales fell 0.7 percent (up 10 percent in USD) and net profit declined by 33 percent (down 26 percent in USD) year-over-year.

LG Home Entertainment Company revenues grew 4 percent from the previous quarter and 19 percent from a year earlier as demand for flat panel TVs surged, resulting in sales of KRW 5.4 trillion (USD 4.6 billion) and operating profit of KRW 28 billion (USD 24 million). Flat panel TV shipments jumped 47 percent to 6.3 million units compared to the same period last year. Strong demand, expansion of premium product line-up, and the launch of new LED TV products will continue to drive profits for the Home Entertainment Company in the third quarter of 2010.

LG Mobile Communications Company shipped 30.6 million units this quarter, an increase of 13 percent quarter-on-quarter and 2 percent year-over-year as a result of continued growth in emerging markets and the introduction of new smartphones such as Ally and Optimus Q. Sales increased 5.8 percent quarter-on-quarter but fell 29.5 percent year-over-year and the operating profit margin for handsets recorded a loss year-over-year due to investment in R&D and expansion of channels in emerging markets for future development.

LG Home Appliance Company showed consistent positive performance with 16.5 percent year-over-year growth (29 percent growth on a USD base) on sales of KRW 2.7 trillion (USD 2.3 billion) and an operating profit of KRW 185 billion (USD 159 million). Sales expansion in North America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa and an increase in demand in developing markets led to 30 percent growth year-over-year in overseas markets. The Home Appliance Company plans to continue its strong performance with products such as 6 Motion Front Loading Washer with Direct Drive and Linear Compressor while expanding its healthcare business and OEM business.

LG Air Conditioning Company saw sales increase 0.3 percent (11 percent growth on a USD base) year-over-year to KRW 1.6 trillion (USD 1.4 billion) with an operating profit of KRW 59 billion (USD 51 million). The AC Company plans to strengthen its global competitiveness with new energy-efficient models, increased investment in solar cells, and LED lighting as drivers of future growth.

LG Business Solutions Company recorded sales of KRW 1.2 trillion (USD 1.0 billion), an increase of 14.7 percent year-over-year as a result of growing global demand for monitor TVs and LED monitors. The BS Company will continue to seek new opportunities for its commercial and automotive businesses by introducing new solutions and forging new partnerships.

Financial Statement and Non-operating Items
Net profit in the second quarter of 2010 increased by 27 percent quarter-on-quarter to KRW 856 billion (USD 736 million) due to a KRW 815 billion won profit from discontinued operations as a result of LG Innotek being excluded from LG’s consolidated figures. LG Innotek was excluded from these figures due to LG Electronic’s stake falling below 50 percent in April as a result of LG Innotek issuing shares from the conversion of convertible bonds and bonds with warrants.

LG adopted the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in 2010 with the objective of unifying its global accounting and financial reporting standards. The 94 subsidiaries of which LG owns more than 50 percent of voting shares have been consolidated under IFRS.

2010 3Q Business Direction and Prospects
The company expects to see modest growth in the third quarter of 2010 with the continuing global economic recovery. LG will continue to introduce new products in major categories including smartphones, while investing aggressively in R&D and marketing and developing premium products in order to secure a stronger position in respective categories.

2010 2Q Exchange Rates Explained
Amounts in Korean Won (KRW) are translated into US Dollars (USD) at the average rate of the three month period in each corresponding quarter: KRW 1,163 per USD (2010 2Q) and KRW 1,291 per USD (2009 2Q).

Earnings Conference and Conference Call
LG Electronics will hold a Korean-language earnings news conference on July 28, 2010 at 16:00 Korea Standard Time at the LG Twin Tower Auditorium (B1 East Tower, 20 Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Korea). An English-language conference call will follow on July 29, 2010 at 21:00 Korea Standard Time (14:00 GMT/UTC). Participants are asked to call +82 2 6677 3356 and enter the passcode 57290. The corresponding presentation file will be available for download at the Investor Relations section of the LG Electronics website (http://www.lg.com/global/ir/reports/earning-release.jsp) at 13:00 on July 28. Please visit http://pin.teletogether.com/eng/ and pre-register with the passcode provided. For those unable to participate, an audio recording of the news conference will be available for a period of 30 days after the conclusion of the call. To access the recording, dial +82 2 6677 3358 and enter the passcode 282316 when prompted.

# # #

About LG Electronics, Inc.
LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing more than 80,000 people working in over 115 operations around the world. With 2009 global sales of 55.5 trillion Korean Won (43.4 billion US Dollars), LG comprises of five business units – Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, Air Conditioning and Business Solutions. LG is one of the world’s leading producers of flat panel TVs, audio and video products, mobile handsets, air conditioners and washing machines. LG has signed a long-term agreement to become both a Global Partner of Formula 1™ and a Technology Partner of Formula 1™. As part of this top-level association, LG acquires exclusive designations and marketing rights as the official consumer electronics, mobile phone and data processor of this global sporting event. For more information, please visit www.lg.com

Wireless Phones And Network Aid Firefighters In Modoc County, California

Verizon Wireless Boosts Network Capacity In Ambrose, California; Dispatches Wireless Phones And Mobile Broadband Devices To Support Emergency Response Teams.

What:
Verizon Wireless engaged its Crisis Response Term (VCRT) to respond to a request from CAL FIRE for additional cell phones and to boost wireless coverage for emergency personnel battling the wildfire near Ambrose, California.

The Modoc Lightning Complex Fires are among the 180-plus wildfires currently burning throughout the forests in northeastern California.

Expanding coverage and capacity to an existing cell site in the area enhances wireless coverage so that emergency response teams and other Verizon Wireless customers can make more calls and send more data transmissions.

When:
A Network Repeater, 30 emergency wireless phones and 30 Mobile Broadband devices were dispatched to Ambrose, California on Wednesday, July 28, 2010.

Where:
The CAL FIRE Command Center established in Ambrose, California.

Why:
Verizon Wireless deploys mobile cell sites -- or boosts the call-handling capacity of existing sites -- to enhance its network when there is a natural disaster or other unplanned event. In the past year, Verizon Wireless has deployed mobile cell sites and other equipment to wildfire incidents around the country. Additionally, the company has provided hundreds of wireless phones with service to aid emergency responders, relief workers and others.

Network Investment:
Verizon Wireless’ ongoing network investment in California now totals nearly $5.7 billion. Nationally, the company has invested more than $60 billion since it was formed -- $5.7 billion on average every year -- to increase the coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide network and to add new services. The result is the nation’s largest, most reliable 3G network that powers services such as Mobile Broadband and Email.

Reliability:
In addition to its fleet of mobile equipment, Verizon Wireless’ reputation as the nation’s most reliable network is supported by industry-leading redundancy and maintenance measures. This has proven particularly valuable during natural disasters and other emergencies across the country.

Standard Verizon Wireless network-reliability features include battery back-up power at all facilities as well as generators installed at all switching facilities and many cell site locations.

Did You Know? With Verizon Wireless Global Phones, Customers Can Stay Connected In More Than 220 Countries Worldwide

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Whether traveling overseas for business, vacation or both, Verizon Wireless customers can find the right global phone to meet their needs.

Verizon Wireless currently offers a wide selection of global devices that enable customers to make phone calls and send and receive text messages in more than 220 countries and destinations and access data services in more than 200 countries and destinations worldwide. Verizon Wireless’ global phone lineup includes smartphones, such as the BlackBerry® Bold™ 9650, BlackBerry® Storm2™, HTC Imagio™, HTC Touch Pro2™, and LG Fathom™, that enable travelers to browse the Web and stay connected to both business and personal e-mail accounts. Verizon Wireless global phones are available online at www.verizonwireless.com or in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores across the country.

In addition, customers heading to 40 destinations outside of the United States can use any Verizon Wireless phone to stay connected, and all international travelers can access global support 24/7 while traveling. For a full list of CDMA and GSM destinations or to learn more about Verizon Wireless global capabilities and customer support, visit www.verizonwireless.com/global.

With the nation’s largest and most reliable wireless network, a wide variety of smartphones and other wireless devices, and award-winning customer service, Verizon Wireless is a leader in customer satisfaction. In 21 of the last 23 quarters, Verizon Wireless has led the industry with the lowest customer turnover rate among major U.S. wireless companies. Learn more at http://aboutus.vzw.com/customersatisfaction/index.html.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving more than 92 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 79,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

Idaho Customers Receive More 3G Coverage With New Verizon Wireless Cell Sites

Investment increases consumer value as demand grows for calls, e-mail, text, Web, video and music.

BOISE, ID — More Idaho residents, businesses and visitors are enjoying improved service thanks to new Verizon Wireless cell sites. The sites expand wireless voice and 3G data coverage and capacity in many communities and areas across the state, including:

* Albion – the Albion Valley, Elba area and along I-84 near Malta
* Burley – along Hwy 24, north of Burley
* Carey – along Hwy 93 east of Carey to Craters of the Moon National Monument
* Castleford – south of Sunset Butte and west of Deep Creek
* Dietrich – the north Dietrich area, along Hwy 26/93 and Hwy 24
* Georgetown – along Hwy 30 from Bennington to the Georgetown Summit Wildlife Management area
* Hamer – south of Hamer, along I-15
* Island Park – along Hwy 20, south of Island Park in the Henry Forks area
* Mud Lake – area north of State Road 33, including Salmon Hwy from State Road 33 to State Road 22
* Pingree – along Hwy 39, north of Pingree/Springfield area
* Ririe – area east of Ririe, along Hwy 20 from Little Pine Creek to the Conant Valley
* Rogerson – south of Rogerson, along Idaho/Nevada state border
* Shoshone – along Hwy 75, north of Shoshone and east of Richland
* Swan Valley – along Hwy 26, west of Swan Valley and southeast of Ririe
* Twin Falls – along Hwy 93, Joslin Field airport and the town of Hollister

The increase in coverage and capacity also means the network can carry more calls, e-mails, text and picture messages in more places, and offer greater wireless access to the Web.

The company’s ongoing network investment in Idaho now totals more than $210 million. Nationally, Verizon Wireless has invested more than $60 billion since it was formed – $5.7 billion on average every year – to increase the coverage and capacity of its premier nationwide network and to add new services. The result is the nation’s largest, most reliable 3G network that powers services such as Mobile Broadband and Mobile Email.

Businesses of any size can tap into the power of Mobile Broadband. The service allows users to connect to the Internet wirelessly while on the go to download music over-the-air, and access e-mail or corporate data.

Small business owners interested in Mobile Broadband, and other wireless solutions, can visit http://business.verizon.net where they will find:

* An online forum to share experiences and connect with other business owners
* Access to Small Business Specialists in each Verizon Wireless store
* Discounts and promotions to help businesses stretch their budgets
* Summaries of mobile solutions like e-mail, wireless Internet and Push to Talk service
* 24/7 tech support

Verizon Wireless tests its network and those of its competitors. The company determines if voice calls and data connections are successful on the first attempt and stay connected.

Nationally, Verizon Wireless’ real-life test men and women drive 100 specially equipped vehicles almost 1 million miles annually. They drive on Interstate, U.S. and state highways, as well as major roads and streets in high-population areas, based upon U.S. Census counts. Vehicles are equipped with computers that automatically make more than 3.5 million voice call attempts and more than 19 million data tests annually on Verizon Wireless’ network and the networks of other carriers.