Nokia upgrades their Map to 2.0

Connected, Mobile navigation for Walk and Drive has arrived - Nokia unveils Maps 2.0
 

Updates include enhanced pedestrian navigation, new satellite images and support for integrated compass orientation

At the Mobile World Congress 2008, Barcelona, Spain Nokia just announced that the Beta version of Nokia Maps 2.0 is ready for you to take out for a spin. Nokia Maps is taking its mapping and navigation experiences to the next level by enhancing its pedestrian navigation, adding multimedia city guides, offering satellite images, and sporting a redesigned user interface.

Nokia Maps 2.0 adds Walk, a pedestrian focused navigation component to the application, while still offering Drive, a world class car navigation system. The pedestrian navigation efficiently walks you from A to B with visual turn-by-turn guidance. It helps you to locate yourself by giving information about the surrounding buildings, streets and parks (including pathways through the park) and in newer handsets, like the Nokia 6210 Navigator, points the direction in which you are walking; using the handset’s built in compass for orientation.

The new Nokia Maps 2.0 update also adds the option to purchase first-class multimedia guides that feature photos, videos and audio streams to enlighten your journey even more. As with the previous version of Nokia Maps, map users will receive a free 3-day Navigation trial, for Walk and Drive, plus an additional free 10 minute City Guide trial.

“By taking navigation services out of the car and onto the sidewalk, Nokia is enabling people to explore and discover what’s around them with the confidence of a local,” said Michael Halbherr, vice president, Nokia location based services. “By combining the integrated compass of the Nokia 6210 Navigator, with the speed and accuracy of assisted GPS, Nokia Maps 2.0 provides a unique experience with which other less accurate mobile navigation applications can’t compete.”

Upgrading to the GPS navigation option enables your mobile to become a powerful connected personal navigation device, that provides clear, turn-by-turn visual and voice guidance. If your Nokia device doesn’t have built-in GPS, you can also use an external GPS module with a compatible device. Nokia Maps 2.0 will also have, for an optional fee, real-time traffic feeds with dynamic re-routing in 18 European countries. With vector maps provided by TeleAtlas and Navteq, Nokia Maps now has maps covering over 200 countries, with over 70 of them navigable.

Nokia Maps 2.0 can also lead you to the nearest transit station using localized icons in 17 cities so you can hop on the Metro to get across town. While you are on riding on the Metro you can discover and explore new places using the hybrid satellite views or by purchasing one of the new multimedia city guides from companies like Berlitz. The expert advice on where to go and what to do, combined with the integrated Nokia mobile search, helps Nokia fulfill its goal of bringing people context aware Internet services forward.

Nokia also announced that they are planning on bringing Nokia Maps to the mass market with a Series 40 version of Nokia Maps, which will be ready during the 1st half of 2008. Devices based on the Series 40 platform accounted for a large portion of the more than 437-million devices Nokia estimates it had cumulatively shipped by the end of 2007.

Triple Your Efficiency with LG-KF700

LG Electronics just announced the launch of its LG-KF700, a new multimedia phone that combines three input methods to create an amazingly intuitive user interface and provides instant access to features.

The world’s first phone with three separate input methods, the LG-KF700 itegrates a 3-inch touchscreen, alpha-numeric keypad and Shortcut Dial. Each of these input methods is assigned to the tasks at which it is most efficient, making LG’s highly intuitive interface possible. With its user-optimized navigation, all of the phone’s functions and features are instantly accessable.

“Our consumers told us that they wanted a phone that had plenty of multimedia features, but doesn’t take a long time fiddling with menus to figure out. We created the LG-KF700 based their insight,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Internal research showed that a phone’s multimedia features often lay dormant if they are hard to access. On many phones these features are hidden deep in menus, requiring too much time and effort to find them. The LG-KF700 eliminates these endless menus with its intuitive interface and multiple input methods.”

LG has already established itself as a leader in phones with touch technology, and the LG-KF700’s 3-inch full touchscreen provides easy access to features and its wide aspect ratio makes it perfect for watching movies or browsing the internet. From the phone’s main screen users can flip through several handy widgets, including a calendar, scheduler, and memo pad, with the swipe of a finger. The large touchscreen also means that the phone can provide an adaptable on-screen interface, rather than tying users to a fixed, preset button layout.

The Shortcut Dial on the back of the phone quickly scrolls through six user-selected features by controlling a virtual dial on screen, rather than wasting time digging through menus. This can be done at any time, from any application, not just when the phone is idle. The Shortcut Dial can also be used to scroll through web pages or e-mails, adjust volume and perform other functions for which a wheel is naturally best.

Most of the new touchscreen phones currently available eliminate some formerly universal features like the alpha-numeric keypad. LG consumers said that consumers still wanted this particular feature, not only for its familiarity, but also because it simplifies the process of making phone calls and is excellent for typing text messages. For this reason, LG incorporated a slide-down alpha-numeric keypad into the LG-KF700.

Used together, the LG-KF700’s input methods become even more powerful and efficient. When browsing the internet on the wide touchscreen, the shortcut dial zooms in and out on websites. When sending text messages, the alpha-numeric keypad provides all of the letters, while frequently used symbols are readily available on the touchscreen. These symbols change based on users text messaging habits.

One of the LG-KF700’s powerful multimedia features is a full featured Web browser that provides full access to Google Search, Blogs, Gmail, Maps and Youtube. Support for HSDPA 3G networks* makes web browsing extremely fast and makes other features like video telephony possible. Other features include an MP3 player, MPEG4 video player, 3.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity and more. All of these multimedia features are packed into a slim and stylish package with a clean, minimalist look.

New KF600 Cellphone from LG

LG Electronics just announced the European launch of its 2008 iF product design award winning LG KF600, a new mobile phone that is as feature rich and easy to use as it is stylish, thanks to its unique InteractPad.

The InteractPad replaces physical navigation keys with context-specific virtual keys that change to fit the task at hand. This new interface comes in response to the need for a simple way to navigate through the multitudinous features on today’s mobile phones.

The LG KF600’s InteractPad and its virtual menu keys show the exact keys a user needs to complete the task at hand eliminating distractions. This is far more flexible than standard hardware keys and eliminates the need to memorize exactly which key performs what function. These virtual keys are also larger and better spaced than physical keys, improving accuracy.

The InteractPad is an ideal interface for controlling multimedia features like the LG KF600’s digital audio player, camera and video camera. Because its controls are not tied to physical buttons, each of these functions has a custom interface that makes it incredibly intuitive to use.

To make it easier to use, the InteractPad is equipped with multi-sensorial feedback that provides users with audio, visual and tactile cues. When a virtual button is pressed it becomes larger and the phone vibrates just slightly and makes a clicking sound. This feedback is not only designed to make these virtual buttons seem more like real ones, it also makes the phone more comfortable to use and improves accuracy.

The LG KF600 includes eight dynamic graphic interface themes that are stylish and fun. Each gives the phone a different character that can act as an extension of its owner’s personality. These themes, many of which were inspired by the work of famed artist Keith Haring, affect all aspects of the LG KF600’s interface including the InteractPad. When users choose a theme, all the layouts of each application will be reflected in menu, icons as well as wallpaper under the integrated theme.

The LG KF600 is far more advanced than other slide phones and unlike any other phone available because of its unique interface and feed-forward tactile navigation made possible by the InteractPad.

The LG KF600’s powerful multimedia features include a 3 mega-pixel camera, MP3 player, video recording, FM radio, Bluetooth and more. Its ergonomic trapezoidal shape is the ideal complement to the phone’s sleek, glossy finish.

1) Main Features
-InteractPad™
Unique interactive touch-based virtual navigation keypad that interacts with upper display and with the user
-Dynamic graphic interface themes
Eight integrated graphic themes that are reflected in all menu, icons, wallpaper and other comprehensive interface features
-Multimedia Features
Music player with FM Radio, 3 Mega pixel camera & camcorder, and touch-control games

2) Basic Specifications
RF band: EDGE 900/ 1800/ 1900
Dimensions: 101.2mm (L) x 50.7mm (W) x 14.1mm (D)
Upper display: 320 x 240 pixels, 2.00?, 262K color TFT
Lower pad (InteractPad™): 240 x 176 pixels, 1.5?, 262K color TFT Weight: 107g
Standard battery: Li-Ion 800 mAh
Standby Time, Max (hrs): 300 hrs
Talk Time (hrs): 3 hrs
Color choices: Pastel pink, shiny pink, wine red and titan

Skype puts Dr Evil to shame as they reaches 100 billion min

Skype just announced that they reached the 100 billion minutes mark, which is quite impressive as they have only been live for about 4.5 years. And in those 4.5 years they have reached a total number of 276 million registered users where 30 million was added in Q4 alone. From where we sit we think no matter what Ebay actually paid for Skype its bound to be a huge success, as no telecompany can show either the same amazing growth in users and in minutes spend, furthermore Skype is a Global and not local brand which is also a big advantage. Ebay certainly had 100 billion reasons to buy Skype, maybe in a few years Skype will be a bigger earner then Ebay itself.

Chip news from AMD at the GSMA Mobile World Congress

Today at the GSMA Mobile World Congress, AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced an expanded portfolio of products and technologies to enable such popular, media-rich applications as mobile TV, 3D games and high-fidelity audio, delivering immersive entertainment to tomorrow’s mobile phones and handheld devices.
AMD has enhanced its established line of innovative, open-standard handheld device technologies with upcoming AMD Imageon processors, as well as next-generation 3D and vector graphics cores available for licensing. These new AMD offerings are designed to allow device manufacturers and network operators to support today’s most popular applications, as well as cutting-edge applications that will thrill tomorrow’s mobile consumer.

According to analyst firm iSuppli, premium mobile content such as music, games and video is gaining momentum as a key revenue driver for network operators. In fact, mobile content now surpasses messaging as the largest data segment, representing 51 percent of total data revenue.

“In many mobile phone markets worldwide, voice and messaging services are beyond the point of saturation,” said Pam Tufegdzic, analyst, iSuppli Corporation. “To continue to grow their subscriber base and increase return on their investments, network operators no longer see premium mobile content as a value-added competitive advantage, but rather as a mainstream service necessary for market entry.”
As a leading supplier of media processors and graphics cores for the handheld market, AMD works with an ecosystem of device makers, software developers and baseband suppliers to deliver innovative technology solutions that can yield truly immersive mobile content.
The latest technology offerings to broaden the popular family of AMD Imageon processors will include:

• AMD Imageon D160 mobile TV solution, a complete hardware and software package that will enable OEMs to design cutting-edge mobile devices that receive over-the-air broadcast TV signals transmitted in the DVB-T and DVB-H standards, currently used in various markets worldwide. This turnkey, antenna-to-display solution also will enable mobile TV functionality to be designed in a USB-powered device for watching live television on notebook PCs, PDAs, portable media players and other USB-enabled handheld devices.
• AMD Imageon M210 audio processor is designed to enable a high-definition, fully integrated audio subsystem capable of delivering more than 100 hours of music playback in airplane mode. This new audio processor will be ideal for both multi-function, mainstream mobile phones and portable music players.
• AMD Imageon A250 application processor for feature phones will combine the best of AMD’s latest multimedia technology for video recording and playback, photo imaging, and high-resolution displays, offering performance rivaling today’s stand-alone consumer electronics devices while maintaining long system battery life. This new application processor is designed to help phone manufacturers reduce the time and cost associated with system integration.

Graphics To Go AMD is committed to delivering stunning graphics to consumers everywhere by licensing intellectual property (IP) to mobile chipset suppliers. AMD announced several IP deals during the past year as part of this business. Building on that success, unique next-generation AMD graphics cores are available to leverage the same innovative AMD technology that provides an immersive graphics platform from PCs to game consoles such as the Microsoft Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system.

• AMD Z180 OpenVG 1.x graphics core offers the only available hardware-accelerated native vector graphics solution, ideal for advanced user interfaces, navigational systems and portable devices optimized for animation and Flash-style content.
• AMD Z460 OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics core will deliver fully programmable shader models for realistic 3D graphics, designed to revolutionize the mobile gaming experience for portable devices.

New AMD handheld technology will be available for OEMs and silicon supplier licensees to sample beginning this month. Features enabled by these new products and technologies are expected to start appearing in mobile devices in late 2008 and 2009.

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