Nokia makes worldwide walk and drive navigation free on smartphones

SINGAPORE, 21 January 2010 – Nokia today announced plans to make walk and drive navigation free on its smartphones as part of a new version of Ovi Maps, available for download at www.nokia.com/maps. Nokia’s mapping and navigation software has been specifically designed for mobile use and is based on unique hybrid technology. The new version of Ovi Maps will include all essential car and pedestrian navigation features, such as turn-by-turn voice guidance for 74 countries in 46 languages, and traffic information for over 10 countries, as well as detailed maps for over 180 countries.

“We want to make using your mobile for navigation as familiar as using it to send a text or take a picture. We believe that making the best maps with voice guided navigation available for free will be the catalyst to do this,” explained Vlasta Berka, General Manager, Nokia Singapore/Malaysia & Brunei. “Why have multiple devices that work in only one country or region? Put it all together, make it free, make it global and you have something that is truly useful and can help you get round almost any city in the world whether you’re on foot or driving.”

Five key features that sets Ovi Maps apart:

1. No hidden costs
The new version of Ovi Maps comes with all the maps and high-end, car grade navigation features you need for free and is yours to keep for the life of the smartphone. No additional licenses needed for extra countries, regions or services like traffic information or city guides. Data charges from network operators may apply.

2. Best global coverage
You take your mobile with you wherever you go in the world so, as standard, voice guided navigation for both pedestrians and drivers is available for 74 countries in 46 different languages and there are maps for over 180 countries. This gives you the best maps with the largest global coverage for free.

3. No network connection required when navigating
Avoid expensive, battery-draining network connections with Nokia’s unique hybrid technology. Maps can be pre-loaded on to your Nokia smartphone so you can set Ovi Maps to offline mode, saving battery power, and the navigation system will still work. This is particularly useful for those worried about data connection costs when travelling abroad or when you are travelling through areas with little or no network coverage.

4. Unique hybrid-graphics technology
Ovi Maps is built on an advanced technology called hybrid vector maps. Vector maps are high quality but less data intensive and allow you to continue to navigate even if you lose your network connection. This means that maps downloaded or updated across a network connection are about half the size of bulky bitmaps used by other mobile map providers. The hybrid technology ensures that, unlike other providers, any downloaded map data is stored on the device for future use.

5. Voice guidance & traffic information
Turn-by-turn, voice guided navigation comes free for both drivers and pedestrians. For drivers this includes lane assistance, traffic information, safety camera and speed warnings. For pedestrians this includes shortcuts through parks and pedestrian-only zones for over 100 cities around the world as well as 6000 3D landmarks in over 200 cities to help you find exactly where you are.

Ovi Maps is immediately available for download for 10 Nokia handsets, including the popular Nokia N97 mini, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and Nokia E72, with more Nokia smartphones expected to be added in the coming weeks. In the meantime, current owners of Nokia smartphones that are compatible with the new Ovi Maps can download it free of charge from www.nokia.com/maps.

From March 2010, new Nokia GPS-enabled smartphones will include the new version of Ovi Maps, pre-loaded with local country map data, with high-end walk and drive navigation, access to Lonely Planet travel guides, the HungryGoWhere restaurant guide, Wcities events guide, and updated weather information at no extra cost. Also in Singapore, consumers will have access to free Live Traffic information by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on their mobile, allowing for re-routing/alternative routes when there are traffic incidences. Other downloadable location-based applications & widgets available are Fashion Asia by FJ Benjamin, Driving@SG, and the IS magazine guide.

Current list of compatible Nokia devices: Nokia N97 mini, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition, Nokia E52, Nokia E55, Nokia E72, Nokia 5230, Nokia 6710 Navigator, Nokia 6730 classic and Nokia X6. For the latest device list, please go to http://www.nokia.com/maps.

Data transmission charges may apply. Please contact network operator for information about the data transmission charges.

Samsung Announces the Premium i8910 HD Gold Edition
Offers unrivalled multimedia experience with luxurious new look

SINGAPORE, December 2, 2009 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today announced the availability of the I8910 HD (Omnia HD, GT-I8910) Gold Edition from this weekend. This premium version of the ground-breaking full touch screen smartphone features a luxurious new look inlayed with gold and a package of special accessories.

The Samsung I8910 HD Gold Edition brings together high performance, style, multimedia and functionality in one device. This special edition comes in two fashionable colors — Champagne Gold and Luxury Brown — both of which are lined with 24 karat gold, giving the device an extra touch of style. The Gold Edition package also includes a leather case, together with special accessories including a mini-cradle and TV-out cable to enhance its superb multimedia features.

Like the original I8910 HD, which has won numerous awards including European Camera Phone in the 2009-2010 European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) Awards, the Gold Edition provides the ultimate multimedia and digital entertainment experience with its HD capabilities including the world’s first 720P HD video recording and decoding on a mobile phone.

“We are launching the Samsung I8910 HD Gold Edition for those who enjoy the amazing multimedia experience and features it offers, and want an extra touch of style and sophistication with their mobile phone,” said Younghee Lee, vice president of the Mobile Communication Division, Samsung Electronics. “The I8910 HD Gold Edition demonstrates our vision to provide phones for every customer, while delivering functionality, style, usability and entertainment in each innovative device.”

HD video recording

The I8910 HD Gold Edition’s video recording feature enables users to capture HD quality (720p) videos. Further, users can enjoy HD content on an HDTV via DLNA technology and share real-time live video via the video sharing site qik.com. The 16:9 screen with 16 million colors and dual stereo speakers allow users to experience SD (Standard Definition) and HD videos in cinema-scale quality.

Convergence and Ease of Use

Featuring an industry-leading 8 megapixel camera, the Samsung I8910 HD Gold Edition empowers users to take digital camera-quality photographs. The 16 Gigabytes (GB) of internal memory with the addition of a 32GB microSD card provides storage of up to 48GB, or the equivalent of 35 DVD-quality movies or 18,000 photographs of 8 megapixels.

The 3.7” Auto-Rotating AMOLED Display offers PC-like Web surfing on the phone coupled with super-fast Internet access on HSUPA 5.76Mbps and HSDPA 7.2Mbps. A GPS with an integrated compass allows the I8910 HD Gold Edition to accommodate both pedestrians and drivers. The navigation touch control and voice guidance via dual stereo speakers makes travel easy and safe for drivers.

The I8910 HD Gold Edition’s intuitive 3D interface gives users the ability to move around and multi-task seamlessly. Motion-enabled features, including 3D games, make it easy and exciting to enjoy the best ever mobile multimedia experiences, while a single touch Samsung Mobile Widget delivers choice up-to-date information, creating a personalized interface with which to access the infinite wealth of web content.

The Samsung I8910 HD Gold Edition is available in Singapore from this weekend at a recommended retail price of $1,098. The original version will continue to be available, now at a recommended retail price of $998.

Samsung I8910 HD Gold Edition Product Specifications

Network HSUPA 5.76Mbps / HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
EDGE/GPRS Class 12 Quad Band (850/900/1800/1900)
UMTS Tri Band (900/1900/2100MHz)
OS Symbian S60 5.0 (Full touch UI)
Display 3.7″ 16M Full Touch QHD AMOLED (360×640)
Camera 8 Megapixel CMOS + CIF
Auto-Focus / Power LED Flash / Face Detection / Smile Shot / Blink Shot / Panorama Shot
Video DivX / XviD / H.263 / H.264 / WMV / MPEG4, RV
24fps@HD(1280 x 720p) Video recording
DLNA & HD TV out (DLNA dongle needed)
Video Editing: Trim video, Audio dubbing, Live dubbing, Add subtitle, Image capture
Audio FM Radio with RDS/ 3.5mm earjack
MP3/ AAC / AAC+ / eAAC+ / WMA / RA
Dual Stereo Speaker & DNSe 2.0: )
Value-added Features GPS, Proximity, Light Sensor, Compass, Accelerometer
Advanced TouchWiz UI with Widget
Mobile Widget, Share Pix, Document Viewer, E-Dictionary, Biz Card Recognition, Podcasting, 3D Games, Application Download, Real-time video uploading, Smart Search
Connectivity Bluetooth v2.0 / USB 2.0 / Wi-Fi
Memory 16GB Flash + External Memory slot : microSDHC™ (up to 32GB)
Size 123 x 58 x 12.9
Battery 1500 mAh

Talk time: Up to 10 hours (2.5G/3G)
Standby: Up to 650 hours (2.5G); 590 hours (3G)

The Nokia 6760 slide will be commercially available in Singapore from this week onwards at the recommended retail price of SGD$319, excluding operator plan and GST.

Stay Connected with the Nokia 6760 slide

The Nokia 6760 slide is ideal for individuals who desire to constantly stay connected even when they are on the go. As a messaging-optimized device sporting a QWERTY keypad, the Nokia 6760 slide is the perfect device for those who use text-based messaging to update their social networks and keep in touch. The Nokia 6760 slide offers users quick and simple access to social networks like MySpace and Facebook as well as personal email access from Ovi Mail, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Windows Live Hotmail, among others. The Nokia 6760 slide supports up to 10 email accounts. Of course, access to work email is covered by Microsoft Mail for Exchange.

Instant messaging (IM) junkies can also have their IM fix through the Nokia Messaging service which supports multiple well-known platforms such as Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Ovi.

In addition to great messaging options, features like the inbuilt A-GPS module together with the 3D, satellite and terrain maps provide users with a navigational device that helps them to find places, events, locations and directions, ensuring that no one gets lost while using this phone!

The Nokia 6760 slide has certainly not forgotten the need for entertainment as well. A crisp 2.4” display panel displaying 16 million colors ensures a rich experience for those who browse the web, play games (supports up to 9 hours of gaming time!) and watch videos on while on the go. Music lovers will certainly be able to appreciate the 17 hours of playback streamed through the 3D sound effect and integrated stereo speakers!

The Nokia 6760 slide is available in black and white.

Key features of the Nokia 6760 slide include:

• Integrated A-GPS and Nokia Maps
• Sliding QWERTY keypad makes typing easy
• Supports up to 10 simultaneous email accounts and emails with attachments or with filtering
• Fast and easy access to social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace or Twitter
• Full focus 3.2 megapixel camera
• Instant messaging with support for most popular instant messaging services like Google Talk and Windows Live Messenger

For full technical specifications of the Nokia 6760 slide, please visit http://www.nokia.com.sg/find-products/products/nokia-6760-slide

Sony Ericsson has suffered a setback as retailers Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U have stopped sales after news of Satio suffered from a software bug.

This phone was launched with much fanfare last month. In fact, we are almost ready to post our own review of this 12 megapixel camera phone. We had no issues with our set so far.

To date, it seems that the UK versions seem to have a weird issue. The phone apparently crashes when switching between applications while some customers have complained that it can suddenly lose all of its ringtones. Customers have complained that they have to remove the battery to get the phone to switch back on. Sony Ericsson says it is working on a solution to the problem which it hopes to make available on its website as soon as it is ready.

According to some reports, this is all due to Sony Ericssons’s own skin on top of the symbian OS. UK Orange and vodafone doesn’t seem to have any issues as it uses their own custom skins on top of the aging symbian OS.

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