Apple added new models of the iPhone and iPod touch, which has double the memory, doubling the amount of music, photos and videos that customers can carry with them wherever they go. The revolutionary iPhone now comes in a new 16GB model for $499, joining the 8GB model for $399. iPod touch now comes in a 32GB model for $499, joining the 16GB model for $399 and the 8GB model for $299.“For some users, there’s never enough memory,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice-president of worldwide iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. “Now people can enjoy even more of their music, photos and videos on the most revolutionary mobile phone and best Wi-Fi mobile device in the world.” Both iPhone and iPod touch feature Apple’s revolutionary Multi-Touch™ user interface and pioneering software that allows users to find and enjoy all their music, videos, photos and more with just a touch of their finger.

All iPhone and iPod touch models include the latest software enhancements announced last month including the ability to automatically find your location using the new Maps application; create Web Clips for your favourite websites; customize your home screen and watch movies from the new iTunes Movie Rentals. Both iPhone and iPod touch feature the world’s most advanced mobile web browser in the world with Safari™ and great mobile applications including Mail, Maps, Stocks, Weather and Notes. Pricing & Availability The new 16GB iPhone is available immediately for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and AT&T retail and online stores.

The 32GB iPod touch is available worldwide immediately for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) through the Apple Store Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. iTunes Movie Rentals are available in the US only. iPhone and iPod touch require a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS® X 10.4.10 or later and iTunes 7.6; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 2) or later and iTunes 7.6.

The E61 and E61i, two popular business mobiles from Nokia, are also known as ‘calculator mobiles’ because of their obvious design. It looks as if the two will now have a successor in the form of the Nokia E71. The E71 appears to be a much sleeker and compact design, while retaining the QWERTY keyboard and large display.

If the images provided by are anywhere close to accurate (they’re just photo shopped images, according to the site), the E71 is going to be smaller than its predecessor, so users will unfortunately have to compromise on screen size. If the specs are accurate, the E71 will have a 3.2 megapixel camera, integrated GPS, Wi-Fi and HSDPA. It’s just possible that one might catch a glimpse of this at CES in Las Vegas. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled, you may be sure!

One of the bigger issues with the Apple iPhone that made everyone on the planet go ‘What the…?’ was the fact that this Super phone had a camera, great, but not only was it a simple point and shoot with no settings, it was also devoid of video recording capabilities. That is now about to stand corrected. It’s not only Apple who has revamped the camera but also a third part application that will provide this facility.

The beta version of iPhone video recording application was developed by the Monster and Friends. The latest update tells us that the application, although has it’s limitations due to the iPhone’s RAM, is able to record videos at a frame rate of 40-45 fps with no recording limit. Such was not the case with the earlier version. Kudos to the developer and let’s just say we’re looking forward to a lot more from him.

For the health conscious mobile user, Nokia has decided to ‘Step’ up and join the other mobile manufacturers like Sony Ericsson and develop an application for the regular jogger/walker. The Nokia Activity Monitor is designed to display charts and statistics, in real-time, about your movements while walking or running. It’s currently applicable only with the N95 and N95 8GB.What this application does is count the number of steps the user takes and then determines the distance covered and the energy spent.

The application also stores a summary of your workouts for comparison. The steps are detected by analysing the output from the accelerometer in a S60 smart phone. What Nokia recommends, to avoid registering false steps, is to have your mobile device either strapped to your belt or in your pocket. Preferably not in your bag or purse

Over the next several months, 12 mobile operators will run trials of contactless mobile payment services in Australia, France, Ireland, Korea, Malaysia, Norway, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Turkey and the U.S. as a precursor to commercial launches. The trials form part of the GSMA’s Pay-Buy-Mobile initiative, which is designed to provide a single global approach to enable contactless payments using a mobile phone. Consumers will be able to use their handsets to pay for goods and services in shops, restaurants and train stations.

The Pay-Buy-Mobile initiative supports the use of the Single Wire Protocol, which was adopted by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) as a standard in October 2007, to link the Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) contained within the mobile handset with the phone’s embedded Near Field Communications (NFC) chip. The NFC chip can communicate with existing contactless payment systems to deliver a wide range of secure, interoperable and transparent services, such as credit and debit payments.

There are 35 mobile operators with 1.3 billion customers participating in the initiative. Executives from Korean operator KTF have paid for goods by passing their NFC-equipped handsets by contactless readers in retail outlets in Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S. in a trial involving real transactions facilitated by MasterCard. For this trial, MasterCard’s Paypass application and Shinhan Bank’s credit card application were downloaded to a KTF UICC embedded in the mobile handsets, which were provided by LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics. The retail outlets at the respective locations were equipped with readers that support the NFC interface and accept MasterCard’s Paypass applications, enabling real transactions in three different countries.

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.

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced the latest addition to its portfolio of WiMAX customer premises equipment (CPE) - the CPEi 100. The CPEi 100 is a single data port, 2.5 GHz “plug-and-play” WiMAX solution that delivers reliable, wireless broadband Internet connectivity.

It is designed to sit on a desktop and serve as the interface between a computer and the WiMAX network. The CPEi 100 joins Motorola’s award-winning portfolio of WiMAX 802.16e CPEs and is part of the MOTOwi4™ family of broadband wireless access products. It is expected to be available in 2008 for WiMAX operators who have systems in the 2.5 GHz band and will be on display at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Motorola’s booth, #8545 in Central Hall 2. Performance and ease-of-use are essential to motivate consumers to upgrade to higher performance wireless broadband technologies, “said Fred Wright, Motorola senior vice president, Cellular Networks and Broadband. “The CPEi 100 provides that experience and enables WiMAX operators to offer a home device that consumers can install and setup in only a matter of minutes.”

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.

Samsung Mobile has announced a sleek new camera phone, the Samsung G600, at an exclusive global launch event today. Housed in a fashionable black two-toned slider shell and equipped with a 5 mega-pixel camera, the Samsung G600 is a fusion of design, photography and the ultimate in phone functionality. A design icon and high performance camera in one, the Samsung G600 is the latest member of Samsung’s range of handsets and is made to capture quality pictures of priceless moments. At work or at play, consumers can now get creative with various modes such as panorama or mosaic settings and enjoy the quality of built-in Power LED flash. No matter where it’s being used, for phone or camera, the Samsung G600 guarantees to make users look and feel great. Mark Mitchinson, Director of Samsung Mobile UK and Ireland, commented: “With slim lines and a sleek design, the Samsung G600 incorporates a sophisticated, stylish and compact product that will appeal to both fashionistas and tech-savvy professionals of all ages.” The Samsung G600 is more than a highly desirable style icon, it comes with a built-in 5 mega-pixel camera that will allow consumers to capture, store and print their favourite moments, without compromise.”

We know consumers will love having advanced functionality and digital camera features in one compelling device. Additional benefits, such as creative shot modes, microSD external memory and the Image Editor will make the Samsung G600 a digital must have,” said Mr Mitchinson. For a better viewing experience, the Samsung G600 incorporates a 2.2” LCD with 16 million colours, a 5 mega-pixel multi-function imaging system and full Bluetooth v.2 connectivity. This will enable people to view larger pictures and graphics and helps users read text or Web pages in full. What’s more, these features are bundled into a tiny 102 mm by 47.8 mm by 14.9 mm frame.

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.