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.

Not only is Nokia the world’s largest mobile phone maker, it seems like they like producing the largest volume of phones too. The Nokia N78 can be thought of as an upgrade for current owners of the N73, but its piano black finish is more reminiscent of the N81 N-Gage gaming phone. We’ve already been treated to the Nokia N82, so it’s interesting that Nokia would already have another candybar smartphone for us to consider in the N78.

Critical specs include a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, WiFi, Bluetooth, and an integrated FM transmitter. Share the tunes! Word is that the Nokia N78 smartphone will get sent away to happy consumers starting next quarter. The MSRP will be around $507.

LG Electronics (LG), a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, announced today a new Dark Silver colour option for its popular LG Viewty professional-level camera phone, which has now sold over 550,000 units. LG will begin offering the LG Viewty in Dark Silver in addition the current black. LG chose this new colour to further the LG Viewty’s polished, premium image, after researching colour preferences in countries where the phone is sold and colour trend forecasts for 2008. “With this new Dark Silver colour option LG has made the LG Viewty even better, giving buyers an opportunity to customize their phones with a new high-tech finish that is still professional and complements its overall design,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “

We knew we had something special when we created Viewty, and it turns out that over half a million customers agree with us.” Another improvement to the LG Viewty is a redesigned jog wheel that makes scrolling through menus even easier. This improvement is based on customer feedback and available in some markets.

The LG Viewty, which includes a 5.0 megapixel camera and a 3.0-inch touchscreen has now topped 550,000 units in sales. This comes only two and half months after the phone’s November 2007 release in Europe. LG expects the LG Viewty will continue to sell well in Europe, where up to 10,000 units are leaving store shelves daily. The company attributes this success to the LG Viewty’s combination of top-notch features and great design.

The sleek slider-style and powerful, Samsung SCH-r610, is now available to customers, a subsidiary of unlimited wireless service company Leap Wireless International. This ultra-slim mobile phone is packed with a high-resolution, 262K TFT display,  with microSD memory slot, 1.3 megapixel cameras, WAP 2.0, stereo bluetooth and a loud, clear speaker phone. Because Cricket customers have unlimited wireless access, it has a digital talk time of up to 3 hours and standby time of up to 350 hours.

Cricket customers can get all these features inside a 4.06 x 1.96 x .5 inch handset weighing only 2.92 ounces. In addition, SCH-r610 is data capable, giving Cricket customer’s access to mobile Web and ability to download games or apps. It is available at Cricket retail stores and dealers for $250.

Samsung has launched its first ultra durable handset, the Samsung Solid, which is exclusive to O2.The Samsung Solid is water and dust resistant and has an inbuilt anti-shock mechanism. It also comes with a thick rubber body that will help protect against damage if the phone is dropped. The handset is aimed at tradesmen and extreme sports enthusiast and also features a VGA camera, Bluetooth and WAP connectivity, FM radio and flashlight. The Solid also boasts an SOS dialing function which sends an alert message to a chosen contact if the volume button is pressed three times in quick succession.

Once the message has been sent, the next incoming call is automatically answered. Samsung announcement comes just weeks after Data Select unveiled the Toughphone, which was designed by construction equipment manufacturer JCB, in November. The Toughphone is also shock, dust, water and drop resistant, and will work in temperatures from -20C to 60C.The Toughphone is free with a 12-month contract on Vodafone but costs £199.95 on pre-pay. The Samsung Solid is also available for free with a 12-month O2 contract cost only £59.99 on O2 Pay As You Go.

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.

Nextel Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTL) and Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) have teamed up to add color to the mobile phone user’s life with the first color display, Java(TM) technology-enabled phone in the U.S. — the Motorola i95cl, available today from Nextel. The handset’s large color screen, maximized memory, faster processor, and improved network connectivity allow Nextel customers to take advantage of robust Java applications including maps, animation, games, and graphics.

The Motorola i95cl features a large high-contrast screen with a color display, backlighting and customizable color palettes. It allows users to personalize the phone to meet their individual needs by downloading applications — from business productivity tools to games. The Java application environment is ideal for 256- color, PC-type business applications and can support fully animated 3D wireless gaming engines. Ten pre-loaded musical files and nine selectable ring styles allow users to personalize the handset with rich polyphonic sound. A color, animated icon-based menu allows easy navigation of the phone’s many features. Pre-installed Java applications include the games EA SPORTS(TM) PGA TOUR(R) Golf provided by JAMDAT Mobile Inc. and MotoGP(TM) from THQ (NASDAQ NMS: THQI); as well as a calculator tool, expense pad and several selectable wallpaper patterns.

Nextel Wireless Web customers can download additional applications and musical MIDI ring tone This feature-rich handset offers a built-in speakerphone, voice- activated dialing, and a voice recorder. The long-range digital walkie-talkie function, known as Nextel Direct Connect(R), allows users to communicate instantly with one or up to 100 individuals at the touch of a button. The flip phone’s exterior display allows access to the Caller ID, date and time, and VibraCall(R) alert without opening the handset, and the smart button enables multiple tasks to be performed with a single keystroke. The large interior display makes dialing more accessible, as each number pressed can be confirmed by a large, full-screen digit. The Motorola i95cl handset has a cool silver finish with a navy blue flip. It measures 3.5 x 1.9 x 1.2 inches (90 mm x 50 mm x 32.25 mm), has a 1.14 x 1.49 inch (29 mm x 38 mm) color display. It weighs 4.9 ounces (155 grams) with the slim battery and 5.3 ounces (165 grams) with the standard battery. It comes with a high-performance battery that offers 206 minutes of talk time and 75 hours of standby time, a rapid travel charger, and a belt clip.

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.

T-Mobile on Tuesday began offering the Nokia 6263, a classic clamshell cell phone with enhancements, such as e-mail capability and a XHTML browser. The Nokia 6263 is not a costly multimedia device like the ones by Nokia as part of its Nseries, but it does fulfill most basic functions required by mobile users. For example, the phone is capable of receiving e-mail with attachments and it can be used for Internet browsing via a built-in XHTML browser.

It also supports Java and Flash Lite, and can be synched to a desktop through Nokia’s PC Suite software, available as a free download. “Many customers are looking to own a device that offers the latest conveniences, and want all of those features in a stylish — but classically-styled — phone. The Nokia 6263 is designed expressly for those people,” said Frank Vium, Nokia’s vice president of sales, in a statement. While T-Mobile is still in the process of building out its third-generation cellular network, known as HSDPA, the Nokia 6263 is capable of supporting it. It also uses quad-band GSM/EDGE on the carrier’s existing network, which is much slower than HSDPA.

Additional features include a 1.3-megapixel camera with video recorder, music player, FM radio, and stereo Bluetooth. The Nokia 6263 can store up to 350 songs on a 512 MB memory card that’s included with the phone. That could be expanded to 3,000 songs with an optional 4 GB card. The phone offers about 3 hours of talk time or over 11 days of standby time. The phone is available immediately online and at select T-Mobile retail stores, according to the companies, but pricing isn’t yet available. Similar mid-range models, such as the Nokia 6103 and Nokia 6133, are being offered by T-Mobile for under $150 (some less with special offers).

For video-gaming enthusiasts who don’t wish to shell out hundreds of pounds for the latest console, there may be an alternative in the form of an upcoming $20 (14) device for playing classic Atari 2600 games. The “Atari 10-in-1 TV Games” device is a basic joypad with 10 built-in 8-bit Atari games and a standard ATV output cable allowing it to connect to any standard television. The device will join a similar product, launched last year, that plays Activision games.

The device includes classics such as Centipede, Asteroids, Missile Command, Battlezone, Adventure, Combat and four others, according to Jakks Pacific, which is making the device under license from Infogrames Interactive, owner of the Atari intellectual property. It will retail under the brand of Jakks’ Toymax International subsidiary. British mobile phone developer IFone said last year it would work to put classic Atari games into mobile phones, and this year has announced deals with Ericsson and Vodafone to deliver games.