Recent Cellteks News

Cell Phone Use Banned in 18 San Antonio School Zones

December 27, 2008

Drivers passing through nearly 20 school zones in San Antonio will soon have to stop talking on their cell phones - or at least get a hands-free device.

San Antonio joined several other cities around the country last night in cracking down on cell phone use by motorists near schools. The City Council passed an ordinance for a one-year pilot program banning the use of cell phones in 18 schools zones that have had a high number of speeding violations.

Drivers also won't be allowed to send or read text messages while in the zones during the school day.
But the program has several exceptions. Driving and talking using hands-free devices is allowed; so is calling 911, the fire department, police or a doctor's office or clinic in an emergency. Finally, it's OK for parents waiting in so-called "car lines" to call their children to say they've arrived at the school for pick up.

Violators will face a fine of up to $200 if caught.

Electronic Arts Makes Games for Google Android Mobile Phone

December 19, 2008

Electronic Arts unveiled games tailored for Google phones running on Android open-source software.

Tetris is available for the first of what is expected to be an array of mobile telephones based on a free, open software platform created by a Google-led Open Handset Alliance. EA said that puzzle-game "Bejeweled" and a video game version of "Monopoly" will be available for T-Mobile G1 handset in November and that more games are in development.

"Android is another exciting new platform to offer customers great games with enhancements like touch and tilt capabilities," said Adam Sussman, Vice President of EA Mobile. T-Mobile began selling G1 smartphone last week. Motorola is believed to be rolling out Android-based mobile phones of its own.

EA has versions of "Tetris," "Bejeweled," and "Monopoly" and other games available for BlackBerry devices and smartphones built with Microsoft's Windows software. It also has mobile versions of "Spore," "Tetris," "Sudoku," and "Scrabble" for the Apple iPhone.

Cell Phone Industry Launches Green Charger Rating System

December 17, 2008

The world's top five cell phone makers have launched a common energy rating system for chargers, making it easier for consumers to compare and choose the ones consuming the least energy. The new rating system developed and supported by LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung Electronics and Sony Ericsson, ranges from five stars for the most efficient chargers down to zero stars for the ones consuming the most energy.

The measure is a response by the cell phoen industry to heavy criticism from environmentalists. The industry has become the world's top consumer electronics business by volume. Chargers continue to use electricity if left plugged into the socket, even if the phone is disconnected. Around two-thirds of the electricity used by cell phones are wasted this way.

"If the more than three billion people owning mobile devices today switched to a four- or five-star charger, this could save the same amount of energy each year as produced by two medium sized power plants," Nokia said in a statement. The world's top four charger makers include Flextronics, China's BYD Co, Emerson Group and Finnish Salcomp.

Vertu Boucheron 150 Crafted from Solid Gold

December 15, 2008

Luxury mobile phone maker Vertu has teamed up with French jewellery house Boucheron to create the Vertu Boucheron 150, a limited edition mobile phone built from solid gold. Prepared in celebration of Boucheron's 150th anniversary, the Vertu Boucheron 150 is crafted from individual solid gold ingots taking over 1000 man hours to cut to shape, with over 700 man hours of hand polishing followed by 500 hours of hand building.

The concave sapphire crystal keypad is intricately designed with 400 points, providing the toughest of challenges for the most skilled of craftsmen. The constantly changing angled surfaces allow a cut stone appearance, inspired by the clearly faceted stones which are part of Boucheron's core craft.

The Boucheron 150 was created to reflect both brands. The Vertu V-shape morphs into random proportioned patterns and directions of the three sided surfaces creating a blend of Vertu and Boucheron elements. It gains a visual sparkle not from precious stones but instead through pure form and line achieved with precious faceted metal.

The Boucheron 150 is housed in a bespoke hand-made wooden case by Reuge, the market leading Swiss makers of artisan music boxes. The box has a custom-built brass music drum that plays the signature Vertu sandpiper ringtone upon opening.

"Using the Vertu Signature platform, but taking it away from the core design and creating a visibly stunning statement that breaks all expectations of mobile phone design, resulting in a true piece of sculpture," said Frank Nuovo, Principal Designer of Vertu.

The Vertu Boucheron 150 will cost $30,000 and be on display at the recently launched Vertu store in London starting November 19, before a showcase tour at Vertu stores in Paris, Milan and Tokyo.

Nokia N85 and N79 Released in the U.S.

December 13, 2008

Nokia has started selling the N85 and N79 in the United States, available unlocked through the Nokia Flagship stores in New York and Chicago, online and from independent retailers.

Both devices integrate a 5.0-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash to capture high-quality images and video clips at 30 frames per second. Photos can be geotagged to record the capture location and shared online on sites like Share on Ovi or Flickr.

They have ample storage space included inbox for favorite tunes - an 8GB microSD card on the N85 and a 4GB microSD card on the N79. A built-in FM transmitter lets users enjoy music wirelessly through a car or home stereo. They come with Nokia Maps for pedestrian and voice-guided navigation, free maps for more than 200 countries, satellite view and close to 15 million points of interest.

Consumers can play N-Gage games with players from across the globe. The N85 and N79 are compatible with high-speed 3G HSDPA networks in the US (850 and 1900 MHz). The N85 additionally supports European 3G networks (2100 MHz).

"The Nokia N85 provides a great mobile gaming experience, lets you capture high quality videos, browse the web, shoot amazing high resolution pictures and enjoy a great music experience and everything else that consumers have come to enjoy with Nokia Nseries," said Alessandro Lamanna, Vice President of Nokia America. "Behind the slender exterior of the Nokia N79 is a wealth of wizardry to make discovering and sharing experiences with friends a real pleasure, any time of the year."

The Nokia N85 is available for an estimated retail price of $539 and the Nokia N79 for $439.

Nokia Launches Free Email Account

December 12, 2008

Mail on Ovi, Nokia's free email account, has launched today and can be set up directly on Nokia phones.

Users with Nokia Series 40 devices can create email address on their handsets. The Ovi email account has features typical to PC-based email accounts.

"Mail on Ovi is the first-ever email service which allows people to create an account directly on their mobile phone," said Tom Furlong, Senior Vice President of Nokia. "Rather than focusing purely on push email, we are mobilizing email across Nokia's mainstream device portfolio."

Consumers will be able to choose from 12 languages based on the settings of their device, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Hindi, Bengali, Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia and Bahasa Malaysia.

Trism spells success for iPhone developer

November 25, 2008

Turning your passion into your profession is the dream of every hobbyist, but one amateur game developer turned that dream into reality with a smash hit iPhone puzzle game, CNN reports this week.

Steve Demeter wrote "Trism", a sliding-block, color-matching puzzle game, in his spare time, and put it on Apple's App Store for $4.99. Just two months later, the game had earned Demeter over $250,000, and prompted him to quit his day job at a bank and start a development studio.

Demeter's studio, Demiforce, is working on five new games, including the sequel to Trism.

Want to get in on the action yourself? Go right ahead: companies like Apple and Microsoft (with the Xbox 360's new Community Games channel) have begun to provide bedroom developers easy, low-cost ways to develop on hardware that was once closed off to all but the biggest games makers. But with low barriers to entry comes lots of competition. Over 1,500 games are currently available on the iPhone's App Store, according to CNN, compared to about 900 two months ago.

Source: (www.yahoo.com)

Mobile phone chargers are energy vampires

November 19, 2008

A group of mobile phone makers is out to raise awareness that charging devices consume energy when left idle but plugged into an outlet. Around two-thirds of the energy used by mobile devices is wasted in this way. "It may seem like it's a very small thing when you think of an individual charger, but given the number of chargers that are out there it has the potential of large energy savings," said Susan Smith, communications manager at Nokia.

To raise awareness LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung Electronics and Sony Ericsson have developed a new ratings system to show consumers how much energy chargers use in standby mode. Five stars designate the most efficient chargers, using 0.03 watt or less. Chargers that consume more than 0.5 watt get no stars. The ratings are based on the European Commission's energy standards for chargers and the internationally recognized Energy Star standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. The vendors will display the ratings on their websites.

The program is mostly about making people aware that there is an issue, according to Gartner senior research analyst Annette Zimmermann. She doesn't expect consumers to go out and buy a new more energy efficient charger. "The first thing is to make people aware that there are these issues around chargers, and that there are certain ones that are more energy efficient," said Smith.

But she also expects consumers will make energy use one of many factors when they pick up a new phone in the future. There is also a potential to reduce electronic waste related to chargers; by giving users the option of not purchasing a charger with every new phone, something NTT DoCoMo has already implemented.

"It is something we are researching and looking into, but haven't made any decisions yet," said Smith.
Going forward we will see more announcements related to more environmentally friendly mobile phones, according to Zimmermann. "We will see more mobile phones that use, for example, recycled materials and bio-plastics," she said.

Apple's iPhone passes Motorola's Razr to become top consumer phone

November 12, 2008

Apple's iPhone 3G became the most popular handset among U.S. consumers last quarter, passing Motorola's Razr after less than three months on the market.The iPhone 3G, which started selling July 11, ended the Razr's three-year reign as the No. 1 U.S. consumer handset, research firm NPD Group said Monday. NPD's numbers exclude purchases by companies.

Apple increased sales of the touch-screen device even as total handset purchases by U.S. consumers dropped 15 percent to 32 million units, NPD said. The faster iPhone 3G, an update to the model Apple started selling last year, accounted for more than a third of the company's revenue last quarter. "It's one of the first devices to provide a desktop-like browsing experience that we've seen consumers flock to," Ross Rubin, an analyst at NPD, said in an interview. "The device represents a fusion of design and an advanced operating system."

The latest iPhone model has benefited from the reduced price of as little as $199 and new applications, Rubin said. The first iPhone sold for as much as $599.Apple stock declined $2.36, or 2.4 percent, to $95.88 Monday. Motorola shares fell 29 cents, or 6.1 percent, to $4.50. Apple posted a 26 percent rise in fourth-quarter profit last month as sales of 6.89 million iPhones beat analysts' estimates. The iPhone accounted for 39 percent of total sales of $11.7 billion, when setting aside an accounting standard in which revenue from the iPhone and the Apple TV set-top box is spread out over two years.

The Razr took second place last quarter and was followed by Research In Motion's BlackBerry Curve and two LG Electronics models. Motorola's phone sales have slid for seven straight quarters as the handset maker has struggled to compete with touch-screen devices such as the iPhone.

Motorola has been slow to adapt to the demand by consumers for phones with larger screens, e-mail and Web capabilities, Rubin said. He said Motorola can't depend on the Razr as the handset continues to lose users.
"Consumers are beginning to tap into the idea of Internet access on-the-go and richer media features that are becoming more difficult to navigate on a small screen," Rubin said.

Source: (www.seattletimes.nwsource.com)

AT&T Mobility looks beyond handsets

October 27, 2008

Thanks to a new executive position, AT&T Mobility is attempting to expand the range of gadgets its network interacts with — and counter similar efforts by its rivals.

The carrier announced the appointment of Glen Lurie to president of AT&T’s newly created Emerging Devices, National Distribution and Resale operation. Lurie will lead the carrier’s initiative to move beyond handsets and integrate new devices and applications onto AT&T Mobility’s network — including personal computers, mobile Internet devices (or mini computers), in-car entertainment and navigation systems, cameras and machine-to-machine communications solutions.

Lurie was formerly the president of national distribution for AT&T Mobility.

Lurie’s appointment appears to be an effort to draw attention to the issue, since the technology is nothing new. AT&T Mobility representative Mark Siegel recently said the carrier already has 200 non-handset devices already running on its network, although many are not introduced to the mass market. Most devices are industrial in nature, Siegel said.

Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. have been talking up their attempts to open up their networks to a plethora of devices. Verizon Wireless last year announced a program designed for those looking to get their inventions and devices onto the carrier’s wireless network, while Sprint Nextel has long stated the goal of its mobile WiMAX push has been to host many different devices, not just handsets.AT&T Mobility said its re-organization is a key component of its business strategy to grow wireless penetration and develop new distribution models.

“High-speed wireless broadband service can enhance a huge variety of gadgets, including many consumer electronics such as personal computers and laptops, GPS systems and digital cameras,” Lurie said. “There is also a host of exciting new applications — from social networking to navigation to location-based solutions — being developed that will rely on wireless connectivity.”

Source: (www.rcrwireless.com)