Google forced to delay British launch of Nexus phone

Setbacks with the launch of Google's first mobile phone, the Nexus One, have delayed its expected release in the UK till mid-April. Photograph: Robert Galbraith/Reuters
Google's attempt to break into the mobile phone market has hit serious problems in Britain with the launch of its flagship Nexus One device understood to have been delayed until the middle of next month.
The setback means that by the time Google's first own-branded foray into the market this side of the Atlantic is available to consumers, its local network partner Vodafone will have launched a competing product, which analysts say is better, called the HTC Legend.
While Google has been working with the industry on the Android mobile phone software for several years, the Nexus One, made by Taiwan's HTC, is the first handset over which the search engine group has had complete control. But launching a new phone has proved more difficult than Google expected.
It was released in the US in January, but Google's decision to sell it solely through its website immediately came in for criticism as buyers struggled to get help with technical problems, and Google, which has traditionally relied on email for consumer contact, was forced to introduce telephone helplinessupport and the problems it has experienced in the US has given it reason to pause over the phone's launch outside the US, to make sure it has its customer service operations in place. Last week Goldman Sachs slashed its estimate for Nexus One sales this year from 3.5m units to 1m worldwide.
In the UK, Google will not only sell the phone at full price to any customer who wants to put their existing sim card into it, but it has also teamed up with Vodafone, which will offer the device free to anyone willing to sign a £35 monthly contract.
But the delay in the launch of the Nexus One, which under Google's original plan would have been available earlier this month, means that it will come after the launch of rival Android devices that analysts reckon are at least as good, if not better. Vodafone, for instance, will be offering the HTC Legend in April which has the same operating system as the Nexus One but is more stylish: being built from a single piece of milled aluminium. Orange and T-Mobile, meanwhile, will both be stocking the HTC Desire – which is exactly the same as the Nexus One, but has an optical trackpad instead of a trackball – from next month.
The delay also means the Google device will be available in the UK only weeks before another hotly anticipated gadget, Apple's iPad. Several of the UK's mobile phone companies are finalising deals with Apple to sell the tablet computer to British consumers. Unlike its last mobile device, the iPhone, which was offered through just one exclusive partner for the first two years, the iPad is expected to be available through multiple network operators from the start.
Apple will ship two versions of the iPad in the UK, one that can access the internet using short-range wi-fi networks and one that can also access 3G mobile phone networks. But Apple needs to sign deals with at least one UK mobile network, because the iPad makes use of micro-sims, meaning that buyers cannot just put the sim card from their existing handsets into it. In fact, it will be the first device launched in the UK that uses micro-sims.
Apple said earlier this month that the device will go on sale in the UK towards the end of April but the mobile phone companies believe that the 3G version of the iPad will not be available until May. Orange, T-Mobile, O2 and Vodafone all expect to be selling the iPad to customers and they are all locked in talks with the Californian company. Apple, however, has made it plain that it does not want iPad users to be tied to long-term contracts with any mobile phone operator. Instead it wants users to be able to pay for mobile network access on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Vodafone refused to comment. A spokesperson for Google added: "Our plans for launching the Nexus One in the UK are on track and in line with our statement in January that we would launch in spring 2010."

Aircel ties up with British handset maker

To introduce mobile phones that integrate key features of social networking sites
Aircel on Tuesday tied up with British phone manufacturer INQ Mobile to introduce first-of-its-kind ‘dynamic social' handsets that help users stay connected on popular social networking sites. The mobile operator will also be participating in 3G and WiMAX spectrum auctions.
3G-ready
The two dynamic social handsets, INQ CHAT 3G and INQ MINI 3G, which will be available in 55 cities and sold from Aircel retail outlets, have been priced at Rs.7,599 and Rs.5,399, respectively.
“These multimedia phones are 3G-ready that will deliver superb value-added service (VAS) experience,” Aircel COO Gurdeep Singh told journalists here.
“We at Aircel have consciously focussed on VAS which is the future of telephony to be able to provide our consumers a rich and valuable experience and introduce to them a world of possibilities on their mobile. We are completely in sync with INQ's philosophy and devices which are built with the Internet at the core for a new generation with a different attitude to communication. That means a never before, rich and authentic Facebook, Twitter and email experience along with Aircel innovations,” he added.
Advantage
According to INQ Mobile Chief Executive and Founder Frank Meehan, “these attractively priced phones will soon become popular with Indian youths who want to remain constantly in touch. It will give them true Internet experience while on the go. The advantage with these handsets is that they integrate key features of social networking sites into the phone's address book, removing the need to separately log on to the service.”
Future plans
On Aircel's future plans, Mr. Singh said it would participate in the 3G and WiMAX spectrum bids. “We will begin our services in five more States — Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan — within the next couple of months, thereby covering the entire country. So far we have invested $5 billion while a similar amount will be invested in the next two years to expand reach and built infrastructure,” he added. With presence in 18 circles, Aircel today has over 3.5-crore subscribers.

Nokia Supreme – The $160,000 Mobile Phone

We have seen a few of Stuart Hughes’s creations before on Geeky Gadgets, like the Gold Nintendo Wii, and the $3.2 Million iPhone 3GS, his latest creation is slightly more affordable than previous models the Nokia Supreme.
Stuart Hughes has taken a Nokia 8800 and covered it in platinum and diamonds, with a total of 1,225 gems on the Nokia Supreme’s case.

It comes with 12.5 carats of pink diamonds, a 3 carat diamond for its navigation button, and a total of 83 grams of platinum.
As usual the Nokia Supreme will be made in a limited number, and only three will be made available, it will go on sale for $160,000, what a bargain I think I might order three of them.Read more.......

iPhone Suffers First Worm Attack

The iPhone is no stranger to viral attacks. Back in August Apple was forced to patch an SMS vulnerability and just this month jailbroken iPhones were locked by a Dutch hacker who demanded five euros to free them. Now a new threat is on the loose: the iPhone has its first worm.
Originating in Australia, antivirus specialist Sophos reports the worm infects handsets and - rather amusingly - changes the user's wallpaper to that of 80s pop horror and Rickroll sensation Rick Astley! It also displays the message "ikee is never going to give you up". To me this sounds far more malevolent than a worm which would simply destroy the phone.
Thankfully - as was previously the case - this latest attack only affects jailbroken iPhones and particularly those with SSH installed and still using the default password ('alpine'). Happily this greatly minimises the audience the worm can target and, funnily enough, it seems the main motivation of the originator of the worm is to bolster public awareness of security. Sophos has discovered within the worm's source code is the message: iphone crowds
"People are stupid, and this is to prove it so. RTRM. its [sic] not thats [sic] hard guys. But hey who cares its [sic] only your bank details at stake."

Clearly it isn't hard - check out that grammar!
More important than this isolated attack however is that it further adds to the trend of iPhone viruses, which in itself is just the first step to a wider attack on all handset platforms. Why now after so little trouble year after year? Well until recently the numerous variations in phone software made the effort to code and distribute a single virus for handsets rather pointless, especially when they only hand contact addresses and SMS messages inside.
Nowadays though this picture is rapidly changing. The likes of iPhone OS and BlackBerry OS are becoming increasingly prevalent while the rise of Android across multiple manufacturers suggests hackers will soon have more consistent platforms to target - and just imagine if Windows Mobile 7 turns out to be good! Furthermore, given the content on these handsets now regularly includes emails, browser histories and often password data the bounty has grown considerably.
Antivirus for phones? It has already been tried, but failed because it was ahead of its time. Sadly within a few years I suspect its time will have come... Read More.....

Say hello to your most treasured possession

AUSTRALIANS are increasingly treating their mobile phones as "back-up brains" - and losing them can be crippling.

New research released yesterday says Australians are relying on their phones as an intellectual and emotional crutch. iphone crowds
The poll of 1125 Australians, commissioned by IT giant Microsoft, showed that as Australians become more dependent on their phones, they are becoming less dependent on their memory.
Microsoft's director of mobile communication business Grace Kerrison said that while technology was making things easier for Australians, they should beware the price. mobile phones
"Twenty years ago, most Australians could tell you not only their office number, but the numbers of 10 of their closest friends," she said.
Today, she said, only half knew their work number from memory, and just a third the number of their best friend.
Modern mobile phones incorporate the myriad accessories past generations have had to carry - address book, street map, appointment diary, camera and more - into a single, pocket-sized device. With the growing availability of smartphones, the utility is limited only by imagination.
But that centralisation comes at a price: misplacing the phone - or simply leaving it at home in the morning - can cripple the user.
Mobile phones have become so integral to their owners' lives that they consider it twice as bad to lose a phone than their house keys.
For nobody is the new research more true than members of the latest generation, the most connected in history. Even their name - iGeneration or the internet generation - reflects their immersion in technology.
Year 11 student Lisa Ranson, 17, did not like being painted with the technological brush, but admitted there was some truth to the research.
Friend Imogen Sach, 16, said her phone was one of her most important possessions. "My life is on this," she said. "If I lost it, I would probably cry." Read more........

Pay Less for Top Quality Phones Under Clearance

Through purchasing clearance mobile from monthly phone contracts, you would get attractive gift offers like LCD TV, Laptop, Video Ipod, Sony PSP, Sat Nav, Nintendo Ds Lite absolutely free. Providing charming features like MP3 player, GPRS technology, camera facility etc, and the huge range of mobile phones are available in the market. Take HTC Touch Diamond on 18months as well as 24months contract mobile phones deal on Orange network, you will obtain different line rentals i.e. £19.57, £24.47, £29.36, £34.26 and others. Even pay as you go and SIM free mobiles like Motorola RAZR2V9, Motorola Jewel, LG KF390, Sony Ericsson K810i handsets are come included under clearance mobile phones.

Nokia N96 is available in clearance deals which is not all about hot looks but has a high definition 5 mega pixel camera with auto focus and LED flash. Its whole camera mechanism operates on Carl Zeiss optics. This phone is equipped with stereo FM radio with RDS and also has visual radio. That’s not all it also has GPS navigation facility. N96 offers seamless connectivity too. Various cost-effective tariff plans would be usable on different kind of contract mobile phone deals for making you burden free bills.