HTC Advantage (X7500): the mobile powerhouse is now official

“Earlier today HTC has announced HTC Advantage (X7500), codenamed Athena – the name we kept stumbling upon for while. The device is running on Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Edition, but at that sports a huge (we mean that) 5-inch display, a built-in 8 Gb hard drive, a speedy CPU, GPS-module, 3 MPix camera, you name – basically, the X7500 packs it all.The device comes included with a removable thumbboard that doubles as a shiled for the display – it features a transparent inset, covering up the screen’s status bar. HTC VueFLO technology allows using the motion sensor for navigating currently open page..Specfications GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), UMTS/HSDPA (2100 MHz for Europe, 850/1900 MHz for the US) 5-inch touch display with VGA resolution (640×480 pixels) 3 Mpix auto-focus enabled camera with flash VGA-camera Detachable QWERTY-keyboard GPS-module Intel PXA270 624 MHz CPU, ATi W2284 graphics accelerator 128 Mb of RAM and 256 Mb of flash-memory 8Gb hard drive miniSD memory expansion slot Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) HTC ExtUSB, proprietary HTC socket with VGA/TV-out 2200 mAh Li-Ion battery Talk time (with the display turned off) – up to 5,5 hours (GSM) and 4,5 hours (UMTS) Standby time – up to 300 hours Dimensions – 133,5x98x16 mm, with keyboard – 20 mm Weight – 359 gramsT-Mobile is expected to release the X7500 into the wild in March under the name of T-Mobile Ameo in a number of European counters, while HTC itself will be shipping devices with its own brand etched on the casing.” via mobile-review.com

Symbian worldwide smartphone share up to 67%

Global shipments of all smart mobile devices rose 30% year-on-year in Q4 2006 to hit 22 million 18 million were smart phones, 2.5 million wireless handhelds and 1.5 million handhelds Total smart mobile device shipments for 2006 were 77 million, of which 64 million were smart phones Nokia remains market leader in Q4, accounting for 50% of all shipments RIM returns to second place, with device shipments rising 54% year-on-year in the quarter Sony Ericsson gets back into top five for the first time since early 2004 Combined shipments of smart phones and wireless handhelds (“converged devices”) were up 42% But handheld shipments fell 41% compared to the same quarter a year agoHighlights from the Canalys Q4 2006 global smart mobile device research Canalys’ latest market estimates show that Nokia, RIM, Motorola and Palm each held onto a place among the top five worldwide smart mobile device vendors in Q4 2006, but some positions changed. Nokia retained its lead, while RIM moved up a place into second, nudging ahead of Motorola. Palm remained in fourth, while Sony Ericsson broke into fifth place for the first time since Q2 2004, thanks largely to shipments of FOMA devices in Japan. Its EMEA smart phone shipments were also considerably higher than in previous quarters thanks to the arrival of new models. Market shares global smart mobile devices Year-on-year market growth for all smart mobile devices combined shifted down to 30%, compared to the 50% seen in Q3 2006, but unit volumes still hit a new quarterly peak of 22.1 million. Converged device shipments (smart phones and wireless handhelds) rose 42%, while unconnected handhelds posted their largest fall yet, down 41% compared to the same period one year ago. Canalys estimates that Nokia shipped 11.1 million smart phones in the quarter, with its popular Symbian S60-based Nseries devices, particularly the N73, continuing to drive the volume. Despite increasing pressure from competitors in the mobile e-mail space, RIM performed well this quarter. A full quarter’s sales of its new ‘Pearl’ smart phone, positioned as a more consumer-oriented e-mail device than its other models, helped it increase overall device shipments by 54% year-on-year. RIM retained its position as the leading smart mobile device vendor in North America, ahead of Palm for the second quarter running. Although Palm had new smart phones on both the Windows Mobile and Garnet OS platforms in EMEA and the Asia-Pacific region, its usually strong, consumer-led Q4 was impeded by a fall of 45% in worldwide shipments of handhelds, in line with market trends. “The regional delineation of the top market players remains quite striking,” said Singapore-based Canalys senior analyst Rachel Lashford. “Shipment volumes of Motorola’s Linux smart phones in Asia, particularly China, still significantly overshadow those of its Windows Mobile ‘Q’ in North America.” Canalys estimates that Linux devices represented more than 90% of the 1.5 million smart phones shipped by Motorola in Q4 2006. Meanwhile almost three-quarters of both Palm’s and RIM’s shipments are in North America. Overall market leader Nokia, however, still ships more than half of its smart phones in EMEA, with Asia-Pacific also accounting for over 40% and North America being its weakest area by far. Japan remains a unique market. Sony Ericsson performed well there in Q4 against the strong, local Symbian-based vendors, namely Fujitsu, Mitsubishi and Sharp. RIM and HTC have also entered this challenging territory, but are yet to see significant volumes Lashford says. “Sony Ericsson’s increased shipments were not solely down to Japan though, as it has extended its smart phone range again with the W950. Having both Walkman-branded and keyboard-based devices means it can target a variety of end-user types. But it will need to continue renewing and expanding its portfolio and ensure that the propositions of each model remain clear if it wants to stay in the top five during 2007,” Lashford added. Canalys estimates that global smart phone shipments for the full year reached 64.1 million units, up from 39.4 million in 2005, equating to annual growth of 63%. Wireless handheld shipments in 2006 rose 44% from 5.3 million in 2005 to 7.5 million, overtaking their unconnected handheld predecessors. Shipments of the latter fell 33% to 5.6 million units. In operating system terms, for the full year, Canalys estimates that Symbian had 67% share, up from 63% in 2005, Microsoft was in second with a slightly reduced 14% share, RIM came in third on 7% followed by Linux on 6% and ACCESS/PalmSource with the Garnet OS on 5%. In 2007 Canalys expects that activity around Linux will increase as more vendors look to move away from older proprietary phone operating systems, while Microsoft will receive a boost from the arrival of new models, and new brands, coming to market using Windows Mobile 6.0. “The still under-penetrated market for mobile e-mail will provide tremendous growth opportunities for Microsoft, RIM and others,” Lashford added. “But in volume terms it will be hard to catch Symbian in the near future, particularly if it provides a competitive foundation for consumer-oriented smart phones at the lower price points that market demands.” About the Smart Mobile Device Analysis services The shipment estimates discussed in this release come from the market-leading Canalys Smart Mobile Device Analysis Worldwide service. Canalys’ smart mobile device product segmentation and definitions are used by vendors the world over to provide a consistent view of the total market for handhelds, wireless handhelds and smart phones. Clients receive quarterly market updates, regular reports, trends presentations and forecasts, and direct access to Canalys analysts. Canalys offers services looking at the smart mobile device markets in APAC, CEMA, EMEA and worldwide. It also has services focusing specifically on the rapidly growing markets for mobile navigation and mobile e-mail. More information… Analyst photos Photographs of the analyst(s) quoted in this release are available in the biography section and may be re-used by the press to accompany a relevant article. About Canalys Canalys specialises in delivering high quality market data, analysis and advice to the world’s leading technology providers. It is recognised as a key supplier of continuous advisory services and confidential custom projects for marketing managers and strategists within blue-chip IT, telecoms, navigation and consumer electronics companies. It has unrivalled expertise in European routes to market for all kinds of high technology products and services, and provides worldwide market data and trends analysis.

ACCESS Linux Platform on display at 3GSM

Access is finally shipping its next-generation Linux-based operating system and development kit for mobile devices. The company is showing off version 1.0 of Access Linux Platform (ALP), and various tools and high-end mobile applications processor support packages, at the 3GSM World Congress this week in Barcelona. The ACCESS Linux Platform enables the creation of world-class mobile devices and mobile services by providing a complete and flexible commercial-grade Linux based operating system designed for the worldwide mobile and converged device markets.The ACCESS Linux Platform sets a new standard for mobile Linux device platforms. Using Linux technology, the worldwide standard for open source solutions, the ACCESS Linux Platform combines the best open source technologies—carefully evaluated and optimized by ACCESS—with new ACCESS developed Linux components and ACCESS proprietary components. As integrated by ACCESS, these components make up the ACCESS Linux Platform, a solution designed to provide a complete, open source-based mobile platform. The flexibility of the ACCESS Linux Platform means customization is possible as it hasn’t been possible before, giving handset and converged device providers and mobile operators the ability to create unique, branded mobile phone solutions for their customers. Imagine Linux Applications in Your PocketThe ACCESS Linux Platform comes from the creators of the successful operating system known as Garnet™ OS (formerly Palm OS®) and continues the Palm OS heritage of enabling full-featured, ready to use mobile devices. The ACCESS Linux Platform includes easy-to-use native applications for communications including telephony, productivity, and multimedia. The ACCESS Linux Platform also includes Garnet™ Virtual Machine (Garnet VM). Garnet VM provides compatibility for the thousands of (properly written) 68K-based Garnet OS applications used daily throughout the world. The ACCESS Linux Platform also includes ACCESS’ JV-Lite™2, a comprehensive Java™ solution for next-generation mobile devices. These three application environments: native ACCESS Linux Platform, Garnet VM, and Java, provide third party developers a tremendous opportunity to create and distribute a wide range of new and exciting applications for mobile phones and converged devices worldwide. Create Applications that Stand Out in the CrowdWith the ACCESS Linux Platform developers can create unique and differentiated applications. Independent software vendors can take advantage of the ACCESS Linux Platform’s full suite of development tools to create applications that stand out or fit into any of the various worldwide mobile networks. Application development for the ACCESS Linux Platform devices has great potential to result in the availability of applications for all types of activities—everything from work to games to education. Now, with the ACCESS Linux Platform, the vast and dynamic open source development communities can also bring popular Linux based applications to a whole new market. ACCESS Linux Platform Screens Download Screen Captures in High Resolution Telephony and Network Support Full-featured telephone application with speed dial, call forward/wait/hold/bar, & multi-party conferencing Telephony radios (including 3G) are easily integrated with the telephony framework of the ACCESS Linux Platform OMA client provisioning v1.2 Linux Solution Based on a multitasking, multithreaded Linux kernel 2.6.14 or later, and includes the Hiker Application Framework™ Networking and Communications Includes a modern and robust connection manager capable of handling multiple simultaneous connections TCP/IP WiFi (802.11g) Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR USB IrDA Serial Native Applications All native ACCESS proprietary applications support inter-application communications for data interchange Phone Contacts Calendar Memos Tasks HotSync® NetFront™ Browser HandMail™ (available 2Q2007) SMS+ iMessenger™ Music Video Photos & Studio Camera Documents (available 2Q2007) Utilities (Clock, Calculator, Recorder, Home Screen, Flight Mode) ACCESS Linux Platform Diagram Compatibility Garnet VM allows thousands of Garnet OS applications to run unaltered on an ACCESS Linux Platform mobile device Java JV-Lite2 Wireless Edition software (Java Virtual Machine), including popular JSR modules Platform language support: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese Desktop Software and HotSync Software Manage personal information on a Windows® XP desktop computer to add, edit or delete contact records, calendar events, memos and tasks and synchronize using HotSync software, which now supports OMA DS v1.2 (SyncML) Backup and restore information between the device and desktop as well as install native, Garnet OS, Java applications and media files with HotSync Security Security policy framework and VPN framework Additional security frameworks can be added Sound Mono microphone input/headset input Stereo out Speaker(s) Tools A complete and integrated suite of open source based tools is available for developing ACCESS Linux Platform native applications Hardware Requirements Performance 200 MHz ARM 9 minimum; 400 MHz ARM 9 or greater recommended Display 240 x 320 display – QVGA (optimized for the platform) 320 x 480 display – HVGA 800 x 480 display – Widescreen (maximum) 65k color support (minimum) 256k color support (maximum) Memory 64 MB RAM (minimum) 64 MB Flash EFIGS (minimum); two-byte localization or 3G application suite may require more Input Qwerty keyboard support 12-key keypad with 5-way navigation support Touch screen digitizer support On hook / Off hook 4 Hard Keys required 1 Hard Key optional

imate with five Ultimate devices


“Following close after the announcement of the JAQ4, i-mate introduced at 3GSM Congress a line-up under “Ultimate” tagline, which includes five 3G-enabled devices running on Windows Mobile 6 operating system housed in various form-factors – from a candy-bar to a notebook-esque casing. These should turn out to be really powerful devices, whose specifications sports the following options:
Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 operating system
GSM/EDGE (four bands), UMTS/HSDPA (three bands)
VGA-resolution touch sensivite screen
Intel 520 MHz CPU
2 Mpix camera
Stereo FM-radio
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/e/i) and Bluetooth 2.0 EDR
MiniUSB high speed
128 Mb of RAM and 256 Mb of flash-memory
MicroSD memory expansion slot
First offering representing the Ultimate range is expected to start shipping in the middle of 2007.” via mobile-review.com

Review of Windows Mobile 6 Standard operating system

“Another stage of Windows Mobile platform development reached its close and was marked with an anticipated release of a new OS version – Window Mobile 6. Microsoft is announcing its new solution one of these days – either today or shortly after 3GSM congress kicks off, that is why we talk about the release of WM6 as an accomplished fact. Readers Mobile-Review.com have a unique opportunity to get their hands on the review of the new Windows Mobile version for smartphones without leaving their homes. An in-depth article on the communicator edition of WM was published at our portal a while ago and can be found here.At first let’s investigate indexing and codenames of different editions, that have been constantly changing ever since introduction of the new OS. Standardization policy followed by Microsoft, aimed at lining all its solutions up is easily understandable, for it enables users to get a one-piece image of the company in a faster way and thus allows for better product perception. Windows Mobile system is now numbered with a single digit, without an addition of point-zero, that has been left out. It is very justified, since neither Windows Mobile 5.2 nor 5.3 saw release – over at the company they prefer addressing current problems and updating the feature pack with AKUs, similar to those used in the desktop edition of the OS. So it is Windows Mobile 6 that stands before us, this is the system’s final title. The division by platforms is still here, however it has gotten to be a little bit more complicated compared to Windows Mobile 5.0. See for yourself: Version for PDA – WM 5.0 for Pocket PC > WM 6 Classic Version for communicators – WM 5.0 For Pocket PC Phone Edition > WM 6 Professional Version for smartphones – WM 5.0 for Smartphone > WM 6 Standard ” Read more here: