True to the Cyber-shot branding on its backside, the newly announced Sony Ericsson C902 has a definite focus on digital photography, thanks largely to its 5 megapixel camera. And this isn’t just any regular five-megapixel image capturer either. Revealed at Mobile World Congress (previously known as 3GSM), the Sony Ericsson C902 has a camera with face detection, auto focus, photoflash, and BestPic technology. This last bit enables the candybar handset to snap 9 pictures in quick succession.

Thankfully, part of the back plate acts as a lens cover too. Other features on the Sony Ericsson C902 mobile phone include a music player with Mega Bass, TrackID, FM radio, music tones, Access NetFront browser, and RSS feed support. Expected launch date for this phone is sometime in the middle of this year. No word on pricing.

Nova media has released version 5.1 of its iSync phone plug-ins. A free update for users who purchased the software within the past year, Nova’s iSync plug-ins cost 9.95 euros (US$14.65).

The plug-ins enable your Mac to exchange Address Book and iCal information with cell phones that Apple doesn’t support from the factory with Mac OS X v10.4 or v10.5. They extend the number of compatible phones to include 130 additional models from Ben, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. New to this release is support for Nokia’s 3500 Classic, 7900, E51, N82 and N95 8GB cell phones. The plug-ins require Mac OS X v10.4.9 or later, including Leopard.

Another CES is in the bag, and we’ve successfully fled Las Vegas for San Francisco. Though fewer new cell phones debuted at the show than in the past couple years, we can say that the 2008 show was all about quality over quantity. Also, when compared with the last couple of years, we had some serious competition for the Best of CES award in the cell phones and smart phones category.

But after it was said and done, the Motorola took that prize. Its innovative morphing keyboard gave it the needed mojo to lap the Sony ericsson super world phone. It was a good fight, and we hope we’ll see a similar high-pitched battle in 2009. Motorola also introduced a high-end video phone with the MOTO and it gave us two new entry-level models with the W230 and W270 besides the W760, Sony Ericsson introduced two other new cell phones. The Z551 is a design-centric handset with a new “gesture-control” feature, and the W350 is a low-end Walkman model.

Though Samsung didn’t offer any new phones for North America, it did show some existing models it wasn’t planning to bring here including the  5-megapixel camera-phone. Also sitting pretty in Samsung’s booth was the company’s phone. Nokia didn’t have anything new, either, but we did see the Nokia3110, which is made partially from renewable materials. Nokia also had a couple cell phone speakers in its booth, and Samsung showed speakers of its own. And over in the most far-flung booths on the show floor, Neonode was offering its N2PHONE and Haier offered the dual SIM-card HG-499.

SEVEN will be pre-loading its mobile email solutions beyond high-end smartphones on an array of consumer-friendly mobile phones for 3 customers. The first consumer-friendly device to include SEVEN’s solution is the Sony Ericsson W660i offered by 3, the UK’s leading mobile media company offering a convergence of communications, entertainment and information. 3 has 4.1 million customers in the UK and Ireland.“3 provides its users with the mobile services and applications we all need on the devices we all want,” said Ross Bott, President and CEO of SEVEN. “We are proud to partner with an innovative brand like 3 to integrate our mobile messaging solutions on the Sony Ericsson W660i, allowing a broader base of 3’s subscribers to access their email on the go and furthering our goal to provide mobile email access to everyone.”

Mobile Mail, powered by SEVEN, is easy to access on the Sony Ericsson W660i, with the application built into the messaging menu allowing users to access their email within a few keystrokes — making it easier to access email on a mobile than on a PC. The W660i comes with a Walkman® player 2.0, allowing users to create their own playlists, view original album art on their phone screen and customize their music experience. The phone also features a 2 Megapixel camera. “By building 3’s Mobile Mail, powered by SEVEN, into the messaging menu of the Sony Ericsson W660i it is easier than ever before for users to access their email on their mobile phone,” said John Harber, Managing Director UK and Ireland, Sony Ericsson.

“We are excited to provide this increased accessibility on a device known for its music-centric experience – providing users with the best of functionality and entertainment on a consumer-friendly device. ”SEVEN powers 3’s Mobile Office Mail and Mobile Mail solutions, providing its users easy access to their mobile email accounts from the convenience of their mobile phone. Mobile Mail, offered with 3’s X-Series packages, provides users with real-time access to their email from popular email services such as AOL Mail, Earthlink, Gmail and Yahoo! Mail – making it easy to access mobile email as a consumer or a professional. Mobile Mail is easy to set up, requiring users to log-in only once for continued access to their email, contacts and calendar on one or more accounts, Mobile Office Mail provides users with a push-based mobile email service in real-time with access to Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino email accounts as well access to calendar, personal contacts and corporate directories.

Sony Ericsson today unveiled the T600 mobile phone. This GSM triple band mini mobile has text messaging with pictures and sounds (EMS), an easy-to-use calendar, access to online services (WAP), and an extensive phone book. The T600 will be one of the smallest and lightest phones when it comes out on the market in Q3The T600 was unveiled in Singapore and close to 30 other locations around the world in connection with the Communic Asia . Summit.

As Sony Ericsson now adds a powerful range of products to its portfolio, the T600 brings a small phone with great looks and messaging capabilities to the table. Within the phone, there is a gallery of expressive pictures in various themes and it is easy to include a picture in a text message. It is also possible to add sounds to a message, such as claps or chimes, or compose a ring melody and send as a sound attachment. To do this, the phone uses EMS, which is also implemented by other major handset vendors..For gaming, the T600 features entertaining games, some of them giving the gamer physical feedback with vibrations. As the T600 is a triple band phone, it can be used across five continents, making it the ideal phone for the frequent traveler.

- Sony Ericsson unveiled the T100 mobile phone. The T100 will attract modern young people who appreciate attractive design, ease-of-use and, core features at an affordable price. The phone features enhanced messaging capabilities and will start shipping in Q4 2002.The T100 is small in size and gives a glimpse of the new industrial design that is coming from Sony Ericsson, capturing the simplicity and minimalism of Scandinavian and Japanese design.

Preliminary consumer research findings have been very positive, with comments such as �right in fashion� and �looks more expensive than it is�. The phone is presented in three contemporary colorings, Icy Blue, Gentle Gold and Fresh White. The T100 is small and light, measuring only 99 x 43.5 x 17.7 mm and weighs a mere 75 grams. It has up to 4.5 hours of talk time and up to 200 hours (more than 8 days) of stand-by timeSeveral GSM markets have a strong need for a high-volume, low-priced phone with all the core voice and messaging features.

Developed mainly for the low-price segment, the new T100 offers great value and offers consumers EMS-messaging with pictures, sound and animations, and mobile Internet browsing with WAP. It features an extensive gallery with 30 pictures, 15 animations and 10 sounds, which can be sent and there are 10 SMS templates for often used messages. If that�s not enough, a new image can be created with a picture editor.

Ericsson chooses Agere and Proxim to jointly develop and supply telecom operators with complete end-to-end solutions for WLAN (Wi-Fi) access, integrating hot spot access with mobile 2G and 3G networks. Local access to high-speed data (called WLAN or Wi-Fi) is an increasingly important service for users of handheld devices like laptops and notebook computers.Ericsson believes that integrating indoor and Public WLAN “Wi-Fi hotspots” with mobile 2G and 3G networks is a winning business concept for the future.The unique combination of the three undisputed leaders in WLAN-technology and mobile systems respectively will ensure that mobile operators get a leading edge in this fast growing market.

The new partnership brings new benefits to both operators and end-users. Ericsson’s Mobile Operator WLAN enables operators to integrate WLAN with their existing 2G and 3G mobile business, reusing investments made in core infrastructure, subscriber management, billing and authentication.“The operators can offer customers attractive value added service packages, combining the different features of both WLAN and mobile technologies, also creating new revenue streams from locally adapted content,” says Torbj�rn Nilsson, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Strategic Business Development, Ericsson. “And since the solutions are based on standard mobile phone SIM-card technology, using public WLAN will be as easy to use as a mobile phone.”From the end-users point of view, it allows them to take advantage of WLANs at hotspots, and roam between cellular and WLAN networks.

This is a part of Ericsson’s “Always best connected” concept. It also means simpler handling, added security and cost control through unified billing.will tailor solutions for different emerging needs of both fixed line and mobile operators, based on open standards. They will include all necessary components like 802.11b modules, software and SIM technology provided by Agere, 802.11 compliant Access Points for 2,4 and 5 GHz bands provided by Proxim, and IETF/3GPP compliant Authentication Servers provided by Ericsson.

Ericsson today announced the launch of infrastructure and device platforms for WCDMA/HSPA in the 2.6GHz frequency band. The move is triggered by strong market interest and supports the growth of mobile broadband worldwide.The launch of HSPA products for the 2.6GHz frequency band provides an immediate and secure choice for operators planning to offer mobile broadband services in this band.

The initiative also follows increased interest from mobile device manufacturers in launching HSPA devices for the 2.6GHz band. In turn, Ericsson is adding 2.6GHz support to its successful family of WCDMA/HSPA device platforms and mobile broadband modules for use in notebook computers.

New licenses for the 2.6GHz frequency band are now becoming available globally and Ericsson’s HSPA solution for the 2.6GHz frequency band supports opportunities for operators to create new markets. The deployment of HSPA on the 2.6GHz frequency band also stimulates current HSPA operators to further grow their existing mobile broadband business into new frequency bands, as it allows them to leverage existing infrastructure, providing greater cost efficiency, and supports a wider range of end-user devices.Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, says: “The launch of HSPA products for the 2.6GHz frequency band supports Ericsson’s ambition to bring mobile broadband everywhere, at any time, from any device to as many people as possible.

A new way of making calls directly between phones, for free, is being trialled by a Swedish company. It is hoping to dramatically improve communications in the developing world. Swedish company TerraNet has developed the idea using peer-to-peer technology that enables users to speak on its handsets without the need for a mobile phone base station. The technology is designed for remote areas of the countryside or desert where base stations are unfeasible.

Projects backed by TerraNet recently launched in Tanzania and Ecuador. TerraNet founder Anders Carlius BBC World Service’s Digital Planet programme that the idea for TerraNet came when he was on safari in Tanzania in 2002, and found that poor connectivity meant he could not ring friends riding in another jeep only a few metres away. “I started thinking, ‘couldn’t we get phone-to-phone without needing any other equipment, and actually have real voice communication, like a telephone call, between units?’” he said.

He said that were this to happen, it could potentially spell the end for the current Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications model. About 70% of all mobile phones use this technology. Mr Carlius said large mobile firms did not like the idea of using a peer-to-peer model to make calls. “One of the biggest things against us is the big operators and technology providers really pushing against us, saying this technology doesn’t work and it doesn’t have a business model,” he said. “This is fine - just join us in Lund and see how the technology works, and ask our customers how our business model works.” Mr Carlius said that mobile phone manufacturer Ericsson had invested around £3m in TerraNet, and this indicated that the business model for the network is sound.

In the voluntary public takeover offer to acquire all outstanding shares in LHS Aktiengesellschaft (ISIN DE000LHS4000, WKN LHS400), Ericsson, through an indirectly held wholly owned subsidiary, has purchased shares and received acceptances representing together approximately 84 percent of the outstanding shares and voting rights in LHS. The statutory additional acceptance period will run until October 8, 2007. All conditions to the offer have been fulfilled. The offer has been accepted for 2,475,462 LHS shares as of the end of the acceptance period, which in addition to the 9,742,780 LHS shares acquired by Ericsson, amounts to 12,218,242 LHS shares, representing approximately 84 percent of the total number of LHS shares outstanding. Pursuant to German takeover law, an additional acceptance period will run until October 8, 2007, allowing all LHS shareholders who have not yet accepted the offer the chance to still do so. On September 18, 2007, Ericsson declared that all the conditions to the offer had been fulfilled during the acceptance period.