DivX, Inc. a digital media company that enables consumers to enjoy a high-quality video experience across any kind of device.  DivX creates, distributes and licenses digital video technologies that span the “three screens” comprising today’s consumer media environment–the PC, the television and mobile devices. Recently the company has announced certification of the Samsung INNOV8 (Model name: i8510; pronounced (in-uh-veyt)), the fifth DivX Certified(R) handset by Samsung Electronics Co. which is making waves all over the world.

DivX enables a high-quality media experience for consumers by making it easy to transfer video content from the PC to the mobile environment and beyond. The Samsung INNOV8 boasts DivX video playback capability, an 8-megapixel camera, and high-capacity 16GB internal memory and TV-out, allowing users of this advanced-feature phone to seamlessly view their high-quality images and DivX video when and where they choose. The Samsung INNOV8 runs on Symbian S60, the market-leading operating system for smart phones, and is the first Symbian-based mobile device to achieve DivX Certification(TM).  Products that bear the DivX Certified(R) logo have undergone a rigorous testing program to ensure a high-quality DivX media experience, including reliable video creation and playback, interoperability with other DivX Certified devices, and the visual quality users expect from DivX. For more information on Samsung Mobile, visit www.samsungmobile.com. For more information on DivX, visit www.divx.com.

Younghee Lee, Vice President of Samsung Mobile Marketing Group said:

“Samsung INNOV8 users value video and image quality on their devices, and Samsung is dedicated to upholding their expectations of a superior multimedia experience, expanding the offering of Samsung mobile phones with DivX technology allows us to provide consumers with advanced media features and reliable high-quality. Younghee Lee reiterated that, we are extremely pleased that Samsung considers DivX a key feature on their cutting-edge, advanced mobile phones.

Kevin Hell, Chief Executive Officer at DivX, Inc. said:

“DivX technology allows users to enjoy the same quality video they get on their PCs or in the living room on their mobile devices. The Samsung INNOV8 combines high-quality DivX video, high-resolution still images and advanced user features to allow consumers to do more with their media.”

After almost a month of wait it the Chief Developer of Nokia based symbian open sourced themes worldwide, released another premium quality theme called “Minimalistic Art” for all the users of Nokia S60 mobile phones and devices. The theme greatly emphasizes on a clean yet simple graphical user interface which only Nokia Symbian Themes can provide without any additional cost involved. As usual the theme is Symbian Signed for maximum usability and friendliness for the end user. All the default icons for this 3rd edition theme have been changed to give it a premium fit with the overall gradient crimson skin. Based on Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) the theme should work with all the devices of Nokia phones including the second edition phones like Nokia N72, N70, 6680 etc. the 3rd edition NSeries and E-Series models including the Nokia E90, N95, E66 and anything that fall into the category.

The latest theme “Minimalistic Art” seems to be an instant hit among the users with more than 29,000 downloads within just the first 6 hours of the official release and it also seems to be a promising addition to the expanding quality themes portfolio of Chaos Inc.

Says the proud owner and designer Chaos Inc. of Nokia Symbian Themes:

“I am hopeful that our faithful and valued readers will appreciate the effort of our designers and developers for the themes we publish, it took us a while but I am happy with how it turned out finally, as you know that we are working to have beneficial store installed on our site so that everyone can buy applications and games straight, that is keeping us busy at the moment. However, we are trying our best to have a Barclay’s Premier League Club theme published for Liverpool before launching a full-fledged store. We are working hard on the next theme as we want it to be the ultimate theme for any Liverpool fan and hence we cannot promise that it will come out next week as a bit of work is still left for us to do. Let us see what we can do, we will try and keep you updated as always”.

A new report from IMS Research has indicated that Touchscreen-equipped mobile handsets sales have been building steadily for over a year now, they have forecasted that growth will become even stronger. Although there were fewer than 30 million touchscreen phones sold in 2007, IMS Research expect that number to increase to over 230 million by 2012.

There are numerous indications that touchscreen-equipped mobile hand sets are poised to significantly increase their presence in the mobile handset market. For example the Recent reports and announcements from the three largest mobile phone manufacturers have highlighted a trend in the increased production of phones using touch technology. In July, LG revealed that it had sold 7 million touchscreen handsets. This announcement came just five quarters after LG launched its very first touchscreen mobile phone. Showing similar success, Samsung has also recently released the Instinct, a full touchscreen handset, through Sprint. Just one week after the launch, Sprint announced that the Instinct had already become the best selling EV-DO device in the carrier’s history. Not to be outdone, Apple reported selling 1 million of the new 3G iPhone handsets in just the first three days of its release.

The impressive growth that IMS Research is predicting will not be driven solely by the smartphone segment either. According to the IMS Research report Touchscreens & Input Technologies for Mobile Handsets, touchscreens will increasingly penetrate the much larger feature phone segment. In fact, Nokia just announced that its initial foray into the touchscreen market will be targeted at the “volume market” because that segment of the population is the largest consumer of mobile phones.

According to IMS Research analyst and report author Femi Omoni: “The original iPhone was the catalyst that created this huge market interest in touchscreen phones. The fact that it was not only popular with consumers, but also helped drive data revenues proved how important touchscreen handsets can be. Now all of the network operators and handset manufacturers want a piece of the pie.”

Verizon Wireless and Motorola, Inc. have announced the launch of Motorola Adventure V750. The phone is a rugged Push to Talk phone designed for the most extreme conditions. The phone is now on available from business sales and online at verizonwireless.com with immediate effects. The Motorola Adventure V750 meets military specifications for extreme conditions including shock, vibration, dust, solar radiation, high-temperature storage, high and low temperature operation and altitude. With Verizon Wireless’ Push to Talk capabilities and a large 2.2-inch high-resolution internal display and 1.6-inch external display, customers can easily see which friends and colleagues are available and speak to them instantly. The phone’s no-slip surface and speaker make the V750 tough and functional enough for a day on the job site, an afternoon hike or a night out at the club. Ideal for the highly-mobile and active individual, the feature-rich V750 offers a durable and reliable solution for Verizon Wireless Push to Talk customers and leverages the high-speeds of the Verizon Wireless Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) network.

The rugged V750 also helps businesses keep productivity high, thanks to Verizon Wireless’ location-based services, including VZ Navigator and Field Force Manager. With VZ Navigator, customers can get audible maps, turn-by-turn directions and location information to more than 14 million points of interest that customers can share with others. Field Force Manager gives Verizon Wireless customers a resource management tool that provides businesses with the ability to locate, monitor and communicate with their mobile field workers – right on their mobile devices.

Verizon Wireless’ Push to Talk service leverages EV-DO Rev. a technology, which provides customers with fast two-way communication with one person or a group of people. In addition to the simplicity of one number, national coast-to-coast coverage and no hidden charges or fees, Verizon Wireless Push to Talk customers can expect:

• Network Reliability – with the enhanced Push to Talk service, customers get an instant connection feature combined with the best wireless coverage in the United States
• Presence Information – similar to instant messaging, Verizon Wireless’ Push to Talk subscribers can see who is “on” and available to receive a Push to Talk call
• Online enterprise contact management tool to easily manage a business’ Push to Talk contacts from a Web-based interface.
• V CAST Music with Rhapsody – Download music directly from the phone using the service to access a library of more than 5 million songs, and purchase full-songs over-the-air. Customers can also sync favorite tracks, albums, playlists from a PC (requires a separately purchased data cable).
• Dedicated external music keys, for easy access to music.
• Stereo Bluetooth wireless technology (handset supports Bluetooth A2DP and AVRCP profiles)
• Mobile IM and chat capabilities
• Mobile Web – customizable, enhanced wireless access to the latest in news, sports, weather and more¹
• Media Center – download games, ringtones, wallpapers and more¹
• V CAST Video – customers can stay entertained with the hottest clips including sports highlights, breaking news, weather and more.¹
• A 2.0 megapixel camera
• 2.5 mm headset jack
• Text, picture and video messaging capabilities¹
• microSD™ card memory port with up to 8 GB support with optional memory card

The Motorola Adventure V750 is available for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate ($149.99 – $50.00 = $99.99) and a new two-year customer agreement. Verizon Wireless customers can get Unlimited Push to Talk for $10 per month, per line to any Nationwide voice plan.

With 30 years of experience in its hand, Sony Ericsson continues to lead the way in the mobile phone music arena with cutting edge music technology and unique accessories. The company has now unveiled its latest innovative additions to the Walkman^TM phone family: the W902, W595 and W302, and seven new music accessories. The newly introduced phones and accessories comes with superior sound quality and pioneering features that take Walkman phones beyond music and expectations with fantastic extras such as great imaging and video capabilities. With Sony Ericsson today music is reborn

The list of pioneering and innovative features found on Walkman phones continues to be unmatched in the industry. Features like the music recognition application TrackID^TM, SensMe^TM, for matching your mood to the music and Shake control to change tracks with the flick of your hand make Walkman phones stand out from the rest.

Sony Ericsson can now also boast of best-in-class sound quality and a clear audio experience from its W902 Walkman. The W902 features the same superior sound quality as the newly launched W980 which was rated “best audio experience” this month, in a trial conducted in Germany by TESTfactory*.

With the W902, users can listen to music the way it should be heard: true to original. It’s also a mobile phone for those that want it all, with a five megapixel camera and great video capturing and sharing capabilities, an 8GB Memory Stick Micro^TM (M2) for storing more than 8,000 songs, the W902 is a top-of-the-range device that will make you the envy of your friends.

The W595 Walkman is perfect for those who want to share sounds with their friends. Store and play more than 1,900 songs through the built in stereo speakers. Plug in the in-box sharing jack to listen silently to your tunes with a friend or Bluetooth^TM your sounds to Sony Ericsson’s range of wireless speakers.

The new W302 Walkman is packed with impressive features in an affordable no-compromise slim handset. Targeting all audiences, the phone comes complete with an impressive two megapixel camera, FM radio, TrackID and 512MB Memory Stick Micro.

The next generation of accessories includes three new sets of speakers, the MBS-200, MBS-400 and MPS-100, to help music lovers go beyond the individual and play music directly from their mobile phone. Enhancing its music accessories collection Sony Ericsson has also introduced three new stereo headphones, HBH-IS800, HPM-88 and HPM-66 for the optimal listening experience.

Speaking on the occasion Ben Padley, Head of the Music Category at Sony Ericsson, says, “Since the launch of our first Walkman phone in 2005, Sony Ericsson has continued to pioneer a superior mobile music experience – and the 77 million Walkman phones sold to date are testament to this commitment. With this latest range of phones and accessories, we are offering high quality sound and a rich feature set that cements our position as a leader in the music phone category. We are pushing the boundaries of what people think is possible and are offering best-in-class sound quality and our most exciting Walkma phones to date.”

On April 2, Air France began offering voice calls on one of its jets on a trial basis, and BMI of Britain and TAP of Portugal plan to do the same.

Although U.S. airlines have shunned the service, Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost airline, is so confident mobile phoning will prove popular that it plans to start offering it in June without even bothering with a trial.

With the Air France trial, passengers only learn about the possibility of using their phone once they are on the plane. An announcement refers them to an instruction card in the seat pocket.

They are told to switch off their phones during take-off and landing – and a special icon has been added next to the seatbelt sign to indicate when phones can be turned on.

[...]

The technology being tested by Air France links passenger phones to an onboard network connected to the ground via satellite. OnAir, the supplier, said transmission levels are low enough to avoid affecting the safety of aircraft equipment.

OnAir is an Airbus joint venture based in Geneva and one of two companies that are offering the technology, along with AeroMobile, a British joint venture with the Norwegian telephone company Telenor.

The system being tested by Air France uses an onboard base station in the plane – called a pico cell – which communicates with passengers’ own handsets. Though low power, the pico cell, located in a compartment normally used for hand luggage, creates a network encompassing the cabin of the plane.

The base station routes phone traffic to and from the plane to a satellite which beams down to mobile networks on the ground. Meanwhile the control unit on the plane ensures that mobiles do not connect to any base stations on the ground – as is technically possible when a plane is flying below 10,000 feet.

Source: International Herald Tribune