On the sidelines of the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress being held in Macau, China Mobile Ltd revealed positive talks in session with Apple about bringing the iPhone to China. There hasn’t been any agreement reached as yet, according to China Mobile’s Chairman & CEO, Wang Jianzhou. Apple had plans to launch the device in Asia in 2008 and is currently in talks with various operators in the region. Jianzhou also revealed that 3G (The TD-SCDMA standard) will be up and running well in time for the Beijing Olympics next summer. China Mobile, he said, was in talks with operators from around the world to figure out a way for athletes, organizers and visitors to use their existing cell phone numbers at local or at least heavily subsidized rates during the Games.

Jianzhou also told the audience that the operator’s mobile phone recycling CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative was showing impressive results. While only 60,000 users turned in old handsets last year, over 2 million have already done so in the first half of 2007.

The Ultra Edition Z720 is the thinnest HSDPA slide-up mobile with a slim 13.8mm profile. It offers the latest multimedia features and the best of mobility in a fast and slender design. Powered by High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) for data transmission speeds at 1.8 Mbps - up to six times faster than 3G UMTS technology – the Ultra Edition Z720 enables mobile users to access more files and provides greater fidelity for streaming video content.

The Ultra Edition Z720 weighs only 80 grams, extremely light for a HSDPA handset. The technology powerhouse comes packed with a 3-mega-pixel camera with auto focus for taking photos anytime and anyplace. The wide dimension of 104.5×51.3mm allows for a generous 2.1” QVGA display and also WAP 2.0 and HTML browsing capabilities are supported. In order to fully enjoy all of the 3G benefits, the Ultra Edition Z720 also includes a second camera for video telephony. The document viewer, voice memo and PIM features will keep even the busiest executive on top of their workload. Whether you use the Z720 for work or pleasure, this mobile phone is guaranteed to provide an enjoyable experience. For convenience, the Ultra Edition Z720 supports microSD external memory and is equipped with Bluetooth ® and USB connectivity.

The Ultra Edition Z720 also supports Samsung’s newest uGo and uTrack interfaces. The uGo interface automatically responds to the user’s environment and displays a city landmark of where you are located, adjusts the picture to represent day or night, and adjusts the time to reflect user’s location automatically. The uTrack interface sends an SMS message to a predetermined number to alert the user of changes in the mobile ‘ s SIM card, as well as the location to increases the chances of recovering a lost or stolen phone.

Amidst music, dance and a fabulous light show, Vertu launched another mobile in the Indian market: the Vertu Ascent Ti. The Ascent Ti is a quad-band 3G handset with a 3 megapixel camera with flash – the first in the Vertu series to have one. Vertu’s motto “precision engineered for strength and balance with a distinctly masculine edge” seems a fitting description of this very high-end phone. Says Frank Nuovo, Vertu Principal Designer: “From the start the Vertu Ascent has been heavily influenced by the power, energy, and sheer precision of a beautiful car.

With the Ascent Ti, this vision has been developed further using the high grade materials, design detail, technical superiority and unsurpassed performance associated with the luxury sports car industry. The result is a highly crafted handset of precision, balance and strength.” The Vertu Ascent Ti is handcrafted in England and looks as if it’s been designed to a ‘boys-and-their-toys’ motif. And while the exteriors may embody some of the most brilliant automobiles ever designed, the software provides users with the same feel.

Orange has applied for two television channels in response to a call for applications made by the French Audiovisual Council on 6 November 2007 for the allocation of DVB-H mode frequencies to be used for broadcasting Personal Mobile Television services. The first channel is Orange Sports TV, the information and sports discovery channel already available in 3G, on Orange’s broadband TV offer and on the BIS satellite package. The second channel, O’TV, is targeted at an audience of 15-35 year-olds. Orange, pioneer and leader of mobile TVOrange, the first in Europe to launch live mobile TV in 2004, has now opened up access to television using Edge, 3G and 3G+ technology to more than 6 million of its French customers. Orange offers up to 62 live TV channels and 3,000 videos.

Based on its experience, Orange believes strongly in the potential of personal mobile television, which the Group plans to support through all available technologies. This is why Orange is also committed to personal mobile television as a content producer. While the DVB-H business model is made clearer via a debate involving all the sector’s players, the success of the service is based on the design of channels adapted to mobile consumers.

Orange Sports TV: “All sport, wherever I want, whenever I want, however I want “Orange Sports TV is the first French television channel specially created for mobile viewing. Launched on 6 September 2007, Orange Sports TV is a sports information channel with a highly specialized team of writers and crew who are lent support from the experience and content provided by its prestigious partners such as CNOSF (The French Sports and National Olympic Committee) and the Sporever Group. Orange Sports TV is also available on broadband TV, the Internet and via satellite. O’TV: “My TV how I want it, when I want it, where I want it”

Nokia today unveiled its latest addition to the Prism Collection, the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism, aimed at design-conscious consumers. With its seamless diamond-cut design with a crystal centre key, the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism continues to highlight the geometric shapes and personalized style of the Prism Collection. Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism will be available in the first quarter of 2008 with an estimated retail price of EUR 375, before taxes and subsidies. Nokia worked in collaboration with the creative designer Frédérique Daubal, which resulted in unique laser-etched graphic designs, distinctive wallpapers as well as exclusive accessories to the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism. The wallpapers inspired by Daubal communicate the reflection of light and capture the feel of angular prisms and triangles.” At Nokia we are constantly looking for new and innovative shapes, styles and materials combined with advanced features and personalized experiences,” said Jo Harlow, who oversees the Live category in Nokia. “Additionally, we continue to seek opportunities to collaborate with designers and artists at the top of their fields, who can offer different talents and insights to help us create products that meet the individual and unique lifestyle needs of consumers.”

The graphic design of the aluminium back cover, together with intriguing light effects, make each handset unique and complement the glamorous appeal of the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism. Combining special design and technology, the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism features an eye-catching large OLED display, with organic, modern digital art wallpapers inspired by Daubal. From a technical standpoint, the Nokia 7900 Crystal Prism comes with a 2 megapixel camera, 3G technology for fast and easy downloads and browsing, 1 GB of internal memory and a music player with matching headset. The user can also personalize the color of the light in the keymat choosing from 49 different colors.

The Nokia N95 with US 3G is an updated version of Nokia’s tremendously successful do-it-all N95. This model improves on several draw-backs from the original, including a bump in memory, higher capacity battery and support for AT&T’s fast 3G network – the previous model only supported the slower EDGE network. Physically the handset is little changed, with the only major difference being a slight increase in the thickness to accommodate the larger battery and the loss of the camera cover. It’s still a dual slide design with a keypad in one direction and media controls in the other.

The new N95 is only available unlocked and will set you back $699 from Nokia USA. Making calls on the new N95 is just is simple, just sliding it open to reveal the keypad and start dialing. The skeypad and the end and end buttons are a little small and the need to slide open the phone will slow you down a bit; this isn’t the quickest slider phone we’ve tested. As a Series 60 smart phone the organizer features are robust; it can handle everyday organizer tasks without breaking a sweat. The audio quality of the new N95 is a little mixed. Sound sent by the phone was good, but sound received was reduced in lower frequencies and too exaggerated at higher frequencies. This means that voices may sound a little thin and reedy.

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia is to unveil its first 3G phone in September, according to the company. The device will not go on sale until next year, though. Nokia set the date on Thursday, when it also released its second-quarter financial results. Jorma Ollila, chairman and chief executive of Nokia, said that several other big product launches were scheduled to take place before the end of the year. “Nokia is preparing for a string of new product launches for the remainder of the year, including a major step in September with the introduction of our first dual-mode WCDMA/GSM phone,” said Ollila.

Few precise details about the product are yet available, but it will work on existing GSM networks as well as the forthcoming high-speed third-generation networks that should go live in the UK by the end of this year. A colour screen should allow users to view video clips and picture emails, and surf the Internet at high speeds. However, Ollila said that the 3G handset would not go on sale until early reflecting the fact that only one UK 3G licence-holder — Hutchison 3G — is expected to launch its 3G network.

Nokia applauds the publication of CDMA2000 1xEV-DV (data and voice) by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and the subsequent approval by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as an official 3G standard. This new specification was successfully supported by a number of companies, including Nokia, Motorola, Sprint and Texas Instruments. The CDMA2000 1xEV-DV standard represents a practical and efficient evolution path for CDMA2000 1x carriers transitioning to third generation networks.

With the CDMA2000 1xEV-DV solution and its ability to have voice and data users in the same band, carriers are able to best optimize the cost of deployment of their 3G network according to the real data needs of their customers, said Soren Petersen, senior vice president and general manager of CDMA for Nokia. Users also benefit from CDMA2000 1xEV-DV networks, not only from improved speeds, but by being able to simultaneously perform voice and data tasks on the same device, which Nokia sees as being an important piece of the 3G picture. CDMA2000 1xEV-DV offers peak data rates of 3-5 Mbps and a typical throughput rate of 1 Mbps in a 1.25 MHz frequency channel, all while providing operators the flexibility to balance their voice and data traffic by dynamically allocating bandwidth on demand. CDMA2000 1xEV-DV also enables services such as streaming video by providing a real-time packet data connection and` provides full legacy support for existing IS-95 and CDMA2000 1x devices.

After a notoriously delayed start, the Bluetooth semiconductor market is poised to achieve significant growth. According to IDC, the market is expected to reach $2.6 billion in revenue by 2006, up from $76.6 million in 2001. Widespread adoption, “IDC foresees Bluetooth will become a checklist item within cellular handsets, handhelds, and notebook PCs especially as the roll-out of 2.5G/3G cellular networks and improved coexistence with 802.11b/g wireless LAN spark accelerated adoption,” said Ken Furer, analyst for IDC’s semiconductor research, The largest segment within the forecast period will be cellular handsets with 51% of Bluetooth revenues, this includes both add-on and embedded chips.

Headsets, which will be used primarily for cellular handsets, will grow to be the second-largest usage area with $440 million in Bluetooth semiconductor revenue. Rounding out the top-five technologies are desktop PCs, notebook PCs, and accessories Add-on modules will still represent the majority of Bluetooth semiconductor revenues for the next couple years; however, embedded form factors will become predominant by 2005, Furer said.

mmO2 today unveiled a new and exclusive mobile publishing service which for the first time allows users to send large documents at 3G speeds over their existing GPRS medium-speed mobile data connections.Called DocRocket, the service uses advanced imaging technology, and has been developed by LizardTech, a leading enterprise content management software and services company, and brought to market for the first time by source O2, mmO2’s rapid development initiative. DocRocket will transform business processes for companies with mobile workforces, and help drive GPRS take-up and mobile data usage among corporate customers.The service can achieve phenomenal compression rates, of more than 1,000 times, and can compress any type of colour document, drawing or photograph, while maintaining the quality and integrity of the original information.

For example, a 100 page colour document compressed using DocRocket can now be accessed in 4.3 minutes via GPRS - previously it took 14 hours to download when compressed using Adobe Acrobat over the same mobile network.Selected pages can be viewed without downloading the entire document, allowing huge manuals to be browsed easily and cost effectively. DocRocket not only saves download time and costs; it enables companies with large field workforces to work in new and more efficient ways.Automotive repair workers using DocRocket can access every type of car manual, at the scene of a breakdown, almost anywhere in the country. This will increase the possibility of fixing the problem on the spot and reducing towing costs. Engineers can use DocRocket to access any plan or map in the field so they do not have to return to the office to get a paper copy or load an electronic version onto their laptop. Utility workers can use DocRocket to access any cable and duct print from every street. In addition, these corporate documents can be stored centrally, making it quick and easy to update and distribute new versions of these files.