Berlin based nova media today unveiled iCON 401, a wireless USB modem for Macintosh computers with memory stick functionality. The iCON 401 supports most kinds of mobile connection speeds and can be used worldwide.
“iCON 401 features a microSD card slot and thus can be used as a memory stick with flexible size.” states Jan Fuellemann, PR spokesperson at nova media. “The antenna is built into the swivel and the swivel’s design also serves as the USB adapter protection ‘cap’. To rule out signal lost due to interference in high bands, the iCON 401 supports diversity reception. A connector for external antennas is built in as well. For future compatibility, the elegant modem is already configured to support high upload speeds with up to 5.76 Mbps.”
The iCON 401 includes the internet connect wizard launch2net which offers a one-click connection to the Internet without the need to enter cryptic configuration details. launch2net already includes connection settings for most mobile network providers worldwide and displays time and data consumption of mobile online sessions.
The USB modem is winner of the red dot product design award 2008 and weighing just around 40g.
The iCON 401 is available today from nova media for Euro 199,- plus VAT if applicable and requires Mac OS X 10.4.3 or higher.
For the millions of Americans that send MMS greetings everyday, the future has arrived. Today, Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, announced the introduction of Alltel Avatars, a 3D animated MMS greeting service that allows users to choose from an extensive library of pre-produced greetings or allows them to use templates to create their own greeting using 3D avatars, photos, voice and more.
Alltel Avatars is powered by Vidiator, a leading 3G mobile multimedia platform provider and its Xend(tm) 3D hosted platform.
Greetings are available starting at only 99 cents, with hundreds of cards to choose from at launch. The service also provides users with the ability to add emoticons, personal audio tracks, and personal digital signatures to their messages. In addition, users can create an animated image from their photos, combine it with their typed or audio message and send to mobile devices or e-mail.
“Taking messaging beyond simple text, the introduction of 3D avatars represents the next evolution of wireless communications,” said Craig Kirkland, vice president of messaging and voice services for Alltel Wireless. “The vast level of personalization offered to our customers via Alltel Avatars provides them with a new vehicle to express their emotions, style and personality.”
Unique avatar-based content that Alltel is launching includes branded greeting card content, personalized greetings created using consumers’ own photos, advertising campaigns and corporate communications. Alltel Avatars is available to any Alltel MMS subscriber with a video enabled handset that can play 3GP files.
“3D animated avatar-based mobile messaging driven by Xend 3D goes well beyond simple text, and is the next big leap in mobile messaging. It enables carriers to easily bridge the gap between SMS and new “entertainment-focused” MMS messaging applications and advertising; and for consumers, we think these type of services will change the way people communicate with their mobile devices by allowing them to richly express their emotions through voice, animation and 3D like never before,” said Connie Wong, CEO Vidiator.
Alltel Wireless continues to provide choice and flexibility to the customer’s wireless experience with its exclusive “My Circle” feature, giving customers unlimited calling to and from any five, 10 or 20 numbers on any network for free. Alltel Wireless was also the first to offer Anytime Plan Changes, giving customers the flexibility to change their calling plans at any time, without extending their current contract.
To access the multimedia content associated with this release, please visit www.thenewsmarket.com/alltel. Registered members will find broadcast quality video for their purposes, free of charge.
One of my early complaints with the first generation iPhone, which remains to this day, was the inability to send my “card” to another iPhone or smartphone user. Just days before the purchase of the Apple phone, I was able to transmit my contact card to any other Windows Mobile or Symbian user via Bluetooth or even Infrared. So why wasn’t this greatest phone ever allowing me this same convenience? Well, with no IR port and a severely retarded Bluetooth stack, it just wasn’t going to happen. What a shame and yet another ding against the Enterprise user by Apple.
Tapulous, a group of guys in Palo Alto (home to Apple CEO Steve Jobs), have thought that iPhones should be able to share contacts. Not just your contact but any of your contacts. The makers of the widely popular Twitter application for the iPhone, Twinkle, will be releasing a new application called friendBook. In its third application for the iPhone (the other the popular game Tap Tap), Tapulous brings a more powerful contacts manager to the iPhone. Not only will one be able to trade contacts, but better manager them right on the iPhone away from the connected computer. Easily find duplicates, merge contacts, and even dial a member of your virtual black book by a picture of the person, friendBook is surely to be a hit once on the App Store.
There is no immediate release date or pricing details for friendBook but rumor has it that the application has already been submitted to Apple and is merely awaiting approval. So look for it through the week and download it quickly! Who knows, Apple may deem this “bad” and remove it like it did Netshare. 
Verizon Wireless, the nation’s leading wireless service provider, and Loopt® announced today that Verizon Wireless customers can now access Loopt’s interoperable location-based service.
Loopt allows friends who opt in to be located by other friends to show where the friends are located and what they are doing via detailed, interactive maps on their mobile phones. Loopt helps friends connect on the go and navigate their social lives by orienting them to people, places and events. Users can also choose to permit sharing of location updates, geo-tagged photos and comments with friends in their mobile address book or on online social networks, communities and blogs.
“Loopt helps Verizon Wireless customers stay connected to friends and share their location in a fun and interactive way,” said Ryan Hughes, vice president of digital media programming for Verizon. “Loopt enhances our customers’ real world experiences by helping friends stay informed of their friends’ lives.”
“We are on a mission to deliver Loopt to consumers everywhere, and by offering our service to Verizon Wireless customers, we’re significantly closer to achieving that goal,” said Sam Altman, chief executive officer and co-founder of Loopt. “With Loopt, Verizon Wireless customers now have a powerful tool to navigate their mobile lifestyles and easily connect with people and places around them.”
Loopt, the social mapping industry leader, offers the most intuitive and effective privacy controls and security features for end users. Loopt is 100 percent permission-based and users share location information only with their known friends via private networks. In addition, Loopt users can easily turn location-sharing on or off at any time on a friend-by-friend basis or for all friends at once. Loopt regularly works with organizations such as the Family Online Safety Institute, ConnectSafely.org, the Center for Democracy & Technology, Progress & Freedom Foundation’s Center for Digital Media Freedom, and the Internet Safety Task Force.
Loopt is available today on select Verizon Wireless phones for $3.99 monthly access in the Tools on the Go, Featured Applications and Community shopping aisles in the Get It Now® virtual store. Customers need a Get It Now-enabled handset and Verizon Wireless digital service to access the Get It Now virtual store.
Feeling a bit like grandpa with this statement, I can remember the days when Bluetooth headsets (BTh) where just a few and even those where difficult to find. Today with many states going with hands-free laws (California to join the fray four days prior to our Nations birthday,) headsets are a dime a dozen now. Many offer a wide range of differing features but none seem to offer what LG’s Decoy does. You see, the Decoy docks its Bluetooth headset in the phone!
According to the Verizon press release SvenOnTech received, the headset attaches to a “discreet docking port” on the back of the slider phone. With the 2.2” mirror-like LCD screen and five-way joystick, you’ll be able to navigate through the multimedia friendly phone that supports mp3, .wma, .aac and unprotected .aac+ files as well as doing the V-CAST thang. You’ll also be able to do email (access MSN® Hotmail®, America Online® and Yahoo!®) along with web surfing. Speakerphone, 2.0 MP camera, and Bluetooth 2.1 pretty much round out this phone. Full set of features after the jump.
The LG Decoy will be available beginning on June 16 for $179.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year customer agreement through Verizon Wireless’ online store at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores, including those in Circuit City.
Verizon Wireless has entered into an agreement with Alltel Corporation and Atlantis Holdings LLC, an affiliate of private investment firm TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners, to acquire Alltel Corporation in a cash merger. Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD).
Under the terms of the agreement, Verizon Wireless will acquire the equity of Alltel for approximately $5.9 billion. Based on Alltel’s projected net debt at closing of $22.2 billion, the aggregate value of the transaction is $28.1 billion.
The parties are targeting completion of the merger by the end of the year, subject to obtaining regulatory approvals.
Once this transaction closes, customers of both companies will have access to an expanded range of products and services, including a premier lineup of basic and advanced devices and an expanded IN Network calling community. Alltel customers also will benefit from advanced services including over-the-air downloadable music from a three-million-song library, and a network that is nationwide, for a uniform coast-to-coast experience. They also will be able to take advantage of industry-leading consumer policies, including Test Drive and Worry Free Guarantee®.
“This move will create an enhanced platform of network coverage, spectrum and customer care to better serve the growing needs of both Alltel and Verizon Wireless customers for reliable basic and advanced broadband wireless services,” said Lowell McAdam, Verizon Wireless president and chief executive officer.
Alltel serves more than 13 million customers in markets in 34 states. This includes 57 primarily rural markets that Verizon Wireless does not serve. The transaction puts the Alltel markets and customers on a path to advanced 4th generation services as Verizon Wireless deploys LTE technology throughout its network over the next several years. Alltel’s customers also will reap the benefits of Verizon Wireless’ Open Development initiative, which welcomes third-party devices and services to use the Verizon Wireless network.
Verizon Communications, the owner of the majority stake in Verizon Wireless, expects that the transaction will be immediately accretive, excluding transaction and integration costs. “This is a perfect fit, with Alltel’s high-value post-paid customer base, its solid financials, our common network technology, and significant, readily attainable synergies,” said Ivan Seidenberg, Verizon chief executive officer and chairman of the Verizon board. “Verizon Wireless’ acquisition of Alltel clearly provides opportunities for enhanced value for Verizon shareholders.”
Alltel President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Ford will continue in his current position as head of Alltel until the merger is completed.
“Both Alltel and Verizon Wireless have long track records of delivering a high-quality customer experience in the marketplace,” Ford said. “The combination of our two companies will continue and improve upon that heritage as, together, we can more quickly deliver an expanded range of innovative products and services to our customers.”
Verizon Wireless expects to realize synergies with a net present value, after integration costs, of more than $9 billion driven by reduced capital and operating expense savings. Synergies are expected to generate incremental cost savings of $1 billion in the second year after closing.
Alltel and Verizon Wireless both use a common network technology, which provides advantages of a seamless transition for Alltel customers, ease in integrating the two companies’ networks, and scale efficiencies in operating the larger integrated network.
Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Verizon Wireless on this transaction and is providing bridge financing. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP acted as legal advisor to Verizon Wireless.
Citibank, Goldman Sachs and RBS advised the sellers on the transaction. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz acted as legal advisor to Alltel, and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Ropes & Gray LLP acted as legal advisors to the sellers.
Verizon Wireless, builder and operator of the nation’s most reliable wireless network, and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) announced that the Samsung Glyde™ will be available on May 9, 2008, online at www.verizonwireless.com and in more than 2,400 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores from coast to coast, including those in Circuit City. The Glyde is a powerful and sleek multimedia and messaging phone that boasts a robust feature-set packaged in a compact, touch-screen device with a full QWERTY keyboard.
The Glyde features a 2.8” advanced touch-screen that offers a tactile response and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard that provides customers with an easy way to send text and instant messages. This multimedia device comes equipped with a full lineup of Verizon Wireless’ hottest services including V CAST Music and Video. With V CAST Music, customers have access to more than 3 million songs from well-known and independent artists that can be purchased and downloaded directly over-the-air to the Glyde. V CAST Video gives customers access to content from the best names in news, sports and entertainment.
Other features include a 2.0 megapixel camera with flash, microSD™ card slot, which supports up to 8 GB of external memory, and Bluetooth® stereo headset support.
Additional features of the Glyde include:
- HTML browser with touch navigation
- Get It Now® – download games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services and more
- 2.0 megapixel camera and camcorder with flash and zoom:
- Brightness adjustment
- Self-time: Off, three, five or 10 seconds
- Color effects: Normal, black and white, sketch, antique, negative, green, aqua
Multi-shot Mode: Series, divided - Resolution Adjustment: 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 176 x 144
- VZ NavigatorSM capability – get visual and audible directions to thousands of destinations, locate businesses and other points of interest, get maps of a location, and share directions with others
- Music Player for .mp3, .wma, and unprotected .aac and .aac + files
- Bluetooth – supports headset, hands-free car kits, serial port, dial-up networking, advanced audio distribution (stereo), phone book access, object push for vCard, basic imaging for sending/printing non-protected images to a compatible device and basic print
- Text, picture and video messaging
- Instant Messaging using AIM®, MSN®, Yahoo!®
- Speakerphone
- Speed dialing
- Dimensions: 4.09” x 1.97” x .7” (standard battery)
- Weight: 4.13 ounces (with standard battery)
- Display: 240 x 440 pixel, 262K TFT, 2.8” active screen area
- Bilingual user interface: English and Spanish
- TTY/TTD-capable
- Hearing Aid Compatibility = M4
- Personal organizer with calendar, calculator, notepad, currency converter, alarm clock, world time and stop watch
- Phone book with up to 500 entries with multiple contacts
- Usage time: Up to 210 minutes with standard battery or up to 250 hours with standard battery for standby time
- 2.5 mm headset jack
The Glyde will be available for $249.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers can get the most out of their Glyde with Verizon Wireless’ Nationwide Premium calling plan. Starting at $79.99 monthly access, the Nationwide Premium calling plan includes: unlimited messaging, VZ Navigator, Mobile Email, and V CAST VPak plus unlimited megabytes for Mobile Web and Get It Now. For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, customers can visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or visit www.verizonwireless.com.
The enV2 is the perfect handset for on-the-go texters and music and video fans. In addition to its pocket-sized good looks, the phone is available in two sleek finishes – black and maroon. The following features and capabilities are available on the enV2:
- V CAST Music – access more than three million songs from both well-known and independent artists to download over-the-air and play on the phone
- V CAST Video – download or stream video clips from the best names in news, sports and entertainment
- VZ NavigatorSM – visual and audible directions to a destination, locate businesses and other places in an area, get a map of a location, bookmark favorites and recent searches, and even share locations with others
- Mobile Web-capable – customizable, enhanced wireless access to the latest in news, sports, weather and more
- Media Center-capable – download games, ringtones, wallpapers and more
Instant Messaging using AIM®, WL Messenger®, and Yahoo!® - Mobile Email-capable – access to e-mail services including Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live Mail, AOL, AIM, and Verizon.net accounts; or configure POP3 and IMAP accounts
- Full QWERTY keypad with large-sized external keys
- 2.4” internal screen
- 2.0 megapixel camera and camcorder:
Verizon Wireless grabs the rays of the sun and transforms them into free, clean, power. Using solar power across the nation, Verizon Wireless charges local batteries for to insure continuos power for even on those cloudy days. Pictured here, a remote desert location in California helps Verizon customers in the middle of no where have conversations with the backing of green. Not money but as in the clean eco-friendly way of powering the cell towers. Verizon has eight solar powered sites in the western United States, some that require helicopters to gain access to.
Verizon Wireless, the builder and operator of the nation’s most reliable wireless network, and VOCEL, publisher of premium branded mobile phone applications, today announced the availability of The Pill Phone, a new Get It Now® application that provides Verizon Wireless customers with detailed drug information and automatic dosing reminders – right on their phones.
The mobile version of the best-selling medication reference guide, The Pill Book, The Pill Phone application is available exclusively through Verizon Wireless. With The Pill Phone’s Pill Lookup feature, Verizon Wireless customers have access to critical information on more than 1,800 medications and prescription drugs that are commonly prescribed by physicians, including indications, dosing, side effects, drug interactions, photos of medications, and more.
The Pill Phone also offers a Medication Reminder feature, which allows customers to schedule automatic reminders to take their doses at the appropriate times. With the Medication Reminder feature, customers can stay on their familiar medication schedule at home and even when they are traveling. The Pill Phone has received FDA 510 (k) clearance and is protected under U.S. Patent No. 7,340,503.
“The Pill Phone helps our customers leverage technology to manage their health by providing educational information and dosage reminders,” said Mark Bartolomeo, vice president of enterprise data sales for Verizon Wireless. “Our health and wellness conscious customers want to be able to access important health information and The Pill Phone can serve as a valuable resource to help them access this information while on-the-go.”
Verizon Wireless customers can purchase and download The Pill Phone from the Get Going or Tools on the Go virtual shopping aisle of the Get It Now virtual store by clicking on “Get New App” and then “Mind, Body & Soul.” The Pill Phone is currently available for a $3.99 monthly subscription on a number of popular Get It Now-capable phones, including the Chocolate and the enV by LG, the LG VX9400, the MOTORAZR™ maxx Ve, and the Alias™ by Samsung. Airtime or megabyte charges apply for sending and receiving data using Get It Now, depending on the plan. Customers need a Get It Now-enabled phone and Verizon Wireless digital service to access the Get It Now virtual store.
For more information on The Pill Phone, or to see an interactive demo, visit www.pillphone.com. For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.