The arrival of camera-enabled mobile phones from the world’s top three handset manufacturers; the MotorolaA820, the Nokia7560 and SonyEricsson’s P800 provides new opportunities to access information, services and graphics. Using new technology from a partnership between International Wireless and Bango.net, users can now simply point a seeing handset at a bar code and content is delivered straight to the mobile phone creating an instant transaction.“I could purchase theatre tickets by scanning a code on a poster or download a train timetable simply by scanning a bar code at the train station,” said Anil Malhotra, Director of Alliances at Bango.net. “There are endless possibilities such as this for people to receive highly targeted and up-to-date information when they are on the move.”

Content providers register the bar codes as Bango Numbers and then link these to specific content such as pictures, text, video and sound, located on mobile-enabled web sites and data servers. International Wireless’ CodePoint software interprets these symbols and sends a coded number to Bango.net where it is mapped onto a specific URL.

End-user generated revenues from mobile games will reach nearly $10 billion by 2009, according to a November report by Juniper Research. Over 460 million mobile users are expected to download games by 2009, which is double the current number, the report said. Verizon Wireless and other carriers are trying to capitalize on the billion-dollar opportunity. Guitar Hero III, the third installment of a very successful console music video game published by Activision, a worldwide developer and distributor of interactive entertainment, is being offered to Verizon Wireless customers through the carrier’s partnership with Hands-On Mobile, a publisher of mobile entertainment products.

The mobile version of the video game lets cell phone users jam to music, much like they do on the console game. Users get rich graphics and high-quality audio, despite the fact that they’re playing on a cell phone and not a large screen, said Verizon Wireless. There are some modifications, however, that had to be made to the game in order to play it on cell phones. For example, Guitar Hero III Mobile comes with four authentic guitars and three venues, which requires players to hit number keys in sync with colored notes that appear on a scrolling fret board.

Verizon Wireless customers initially get 15 song tracks from the Guitar Hero console series, but they can add more tracks to the video game with song packs that Verizon Wireless will introduce each month, the carrier said. Guitar Hero III Mobile can be accessed on a monthly basis for a fee of $4.49, or customers can purchase the unlimited use package for $12. The game is compatible with Verizon Wireless’ Get It Now-capable phones, which include the Moto Rizr Z6TV, the Chocolate by LG and the Samsung. Customers will also have to sign up for Verizon Wireless’ digital service to access the game. Verizon  Wireless, in partnership with Hands-On Mobile and Activision, on Thursday began offering the Guitar Hero III mobile game exclusively to its customers.

Hutchison Whampoa, the parent company of Hutchison 3G in the UK, has confirmed that it will launch next generation mobile phone services in the UK and Italy in October of this year. However, the Hong Kong-based company admitted that users may suffer problems with dropped calls. Speaking yesterday in a hastily arranged press conference, group MD Canning Fok reassured reporters that Hutchison 3G’s network will be the best in the areas where his own company provides the coverage.

The briefing for journalists was convened after the UK Sunday Times reported on possible problems with 3G calls. Fok admitted that dropped calls were inevitable, but he insisted that every network has such problems. According to Fok, the problems are likely to occur during the network “hand-over” as users travel from Hutchison’s 3G coverage area to zones where only GSM is available. Hutchison says it plans to cover 50% of the

The Hong Kong company plans to plough around US$16.7 billion into its European 3G networks by 2005.In the UK, Hutchison plans to have some 3,500 3G base stations up and running by its October launch, with 2,200 in Italy. By the end of 2003 these figures should swell to 6,000 sites in each market. The company has set itself the modest target of adding between 5,000 and 10,000 new customers in each country during its first month of operation. Fok also said he regarded the decision by spanish operator Telefnica Moviles to rein in its foreign ambitions in the 3G field as a plus for his company. “One less competitor is better for our business,” he said.

With the impending arrival of MMS, operator and OEM interest in embedded-camera capabilities has steadily risen. Device manufacturers must develop sound product development and segmentation strategies to capitalize on the pending demand for devices with this feature. Strategy Analytics expects 16M camera phones will be sold worldwide in rising sharply to 147M in 2007. Camera phones will outsell digital still cameras worldwide.

Japan and Korea are the world’s leading camera phone markets, accounting for almost 90% of total sales Embedded-camera PDAs are expected to play bridesmaid to handsets and will account for only 6% of total PDA sales in 2007.This Market Forecast provides global estimates of cellular handset, PDA, and digital still camera sell-through by region through 2007 and analyzes drivers for embedded-camera diffusion by region.

The Hutchison Whampoa Group yesterday unveiled the brand identity 3 for its 3G services worldwide. A name, a number and a logo, 3 represents the company�s commitment to deliver on the promise of the 3G medium.The new brand name was chosen for its brevity and simplicity. It is easy to remember, ubiquitous, and transcends language, cultural barriers and even technology.

In numerology, three is a lucky number, and is associated with entertainment, optimism and clarity.Behind the name lies a new adventure - 3 is the door to a brand new medium that offers much more than 2G or 2.5G.Lisa Gernon, strategy and marketing director, Hutchison 3G UK, said, “We are building a brand which will resonate with consumers across the UK. 3 will offer customers an experience without precedent � it is unlike anything else on the market.

We are beginning a step-by-step rollout of our services over the next few months, and our research tells us very clearly that people can already see the excitement.��The core idea behind 3 is about delivering usefulness and enjoyment at the same time�, continued Ms. Gernon. �Thanks to 3G technology, we no longer have to choose between fun and functionality. Now, 3 enables us to have both at the same time�Doug Hamilton, Global Creative Director, who led development of the brand, added: �For customers 3 represents the natural next step. A step on from where we�ve been but most importantly the first step of something new that has never existed before, bringing information, communication and entertainment to people on the move.�

Ericsson secures additional 3G projects for J-PHONE’s WCDMA network build-out in Japan.In support of J-PHONE’s strategy to aggressively build-out nationwide 3G coverage, Ericsson will deploy its 3G macro base stations as well as its newly developed 3G micro base stations which are especially efficient for urban areas, hotspots and for example subways and in-building coverage. Ericsson’s 3G system has been in operation since June 30 this year, when J-PHONE began its 3G trial service.

“It was a natural for us to choose Ericsson, a long-term partner, as one of the vendors to smoothly facilitate our rapid and cost-efficient roll-out of 3G,” said John Thompson, CTO of J-PHONE. “J-PHONE is part of the Vodafone Group, and with Ericsson as a strategic supplier to the Vodafone Group, we already have agreements, product plans and processes in place to run operations in a cost efficient way,” added Thompson.“We are delighted to participate in J-PHONE’s 3G rollout and look forward to help make the network a successful high-quality service network,” said Morgan Bengtsson, President, Ericsson Japan.