In an effort to increase their share of the lucrative mobile phone market in the U.S., Finnish company Nokia is all set to storm the country with a wave of new phone models slated for release within the next few months. More in the full article.

Motorola is giving Linux a big push with plans to install the OS on 60 percent of its mobile handsets within the next two years. The Razr2 V8, Motorola's follow-up to its GSM Razr phone, will be the company's first Linux phone in the U.S. when it debuts here within two months.

Christy Wyatt, Motorola's vice president of ecosystem and market development, said that Linux will be a big help in expanding the mobile phone software developer community. Motorola has also formed the LiMo Foundation along with NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Vodafone, Samsung, and Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) to further consolidate the dev community with a single Linux platform.

While Linux will be the dominant platform for Motorola phones, the company still expects to sell handsets running on different platforms to specific target markets. Windows Mobile devices will be aimed primarily at enterprises while Symbian phones will be marketed in Europe. Low-end phones with simpler and more closed platforms will also still be produced.

Motorola also plans to roll out Linux-based CDMA phones. According to Wyatt, a lot of porting and development work has to be done first on CDMA phones, however. A non-Linux CDMA handset comparable to the Razr 2 V8 will be released in the meantime.

For the typical globetrotter, a smartphone is perhaps one of the best investments one can make. Having said that, Sprint is now offering the BlackBerry 8830 to mobile users who need that extra "oomph" in their phones.

The first question most consumers would ask is how much will it cost. Well Sprint's Worldwide BlackBerry plan is available for US$ 69.99 per month and gives customers unlimited BlackBerry email and web access in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico using CDMA technology. That's a pretty good deal considering what other companies charge for their plans.

Of course, if you already own a CDMA-based BlackBerry smartphone from Sprint such as the BlackBerry 7130e or the BlackBerry 8703, you won't have to pick up a new handset since you can use the one you already have. If you do decide to pick up the BlackBerry 8830, however, it will be available next month.

It will be priced for US$ 199.99 with a two year-service agreement but you will get a US$ 100 mail-in-rebate and US$ 100 instant rebate.

The BlackBerry 8830 has a plethora of features that will make mobile phone users very happy to own one. Some of which include a speakerphone, voice activated dialing, and Bluetooth support.

The unit also sports a full QWERTY keyboard and trackball navigation. Want to know more, check out the list of features below:

• Built-in GPS – customers can utilize applications such as Sprint Navigation, spoken and visual turn-by-turn driving directions, or BlackBerry Maps, a mapping application.
• OnDemand - a unique application available exclusively from Sprint that delivers customized, up-to-date information such as sports, weather, news, money and movie information, all with the push of a button.
• Phone as Modem – with the included USB cable, customers can utilize the BlackBerry 8830 as a wireless modem to extend the capabilities of the Sprint Nationwide Network to a laptop. An appropriate service plan is required.
• Media Player – play videos, audio podcasts or music files with the built-in media player; also includes a stereo headset jack.
• MicroSD slot – allows expandable memory to store music and video files.

Given all those, you'll probably be thinking it can't get any better. Well, they're also the first company to offer AOL messenger service, so again,  that extra "oomph" you're looking for is definitely in this phone. When it rolls out next month, check it out and see if it's something you'll need for your busy lifestyle.

 

Okay, to avoid getting "lost in translation", here's the 10meters.com definition of what CDMA is (weird convoluted jargon, and explanation of why it is important included):

CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access got its start as a military technology, developed by the Allies in WWII. Much like data sent over the Internet, CDMA conversations are "spread" when sent, then reassembled upon arrival. The technology allows multiple calls to be carried over one channel. CDMA is the fastest-growing transmission technology and is basically the multiplexing platform for 3G. It is considered an efficient and secure technology, and it operates at lower power, which conserves batteries. CDMA carriers: Verizon, Sprint PCS. CDMA champion: Qualcomm. Estimated number of users: 67 million.

AT&T uses GSM; all of AT&T's major rivals, Verizon Wireless and Sprint, are both CDMA companies. This means that if you want to use the iPhone, you better be on AT&T and GSM.

A lot have said that the regardless of the "Appleness" of the new iPhone, the experience with the product will ultimately have to depend on the service it's on. So we ask you iPhone eager folks: Are you OK with being on AT&T exclusively? Let us know in the comments.

On a related note, some witty folks are now speculating that you may see a Verizon CDMA zunephone. (But how plausible is that one?)

  

Phone news posted some interesting images of a Motorola phone that's yet to hit the streets. It was originally named the V9m, but was later changed to V9c for a few iffy reasons. Speculations have risen on the possibility of this model actually being the anticipated LAZR or a RAZR 2 of sorts.

This phone will offer touch-screen controls and the popular BREW interface that pleased fans with its ease of use. The V9c will debut initially with Verizon Wireless but may become available with other mobile providers in the near future.

The change from "m" to "c" in the model's name is due to the fact that the mobile giant wants a clearer delineation between its multimedia phones and non-multimedia CDMA models.

Folks, there's a new BlackBerry smartphone and service in town! Wireless innovation company Research In Motion (RIM) announced the BlackBerry 8330 World Edition the other day. Likewise, Verizon Wireless revealed its new Global BlackBerry service that will provide consumers an "always-on, always connected" wireless e-mail solution.

These two, furthermore, allow users to just use local number either for domestic or international use (Australia, Europe, parts of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North America). Speaking of which, the Global BlackBerry Service is capable of making and receiving calls from more than 150 countries as well as send and receive e-mails in more than 60 different countries.

RIM President and co-CEO Mike Lazaridis mentioned that consumers have a lot to look forward to from BlackBerry 8330. He added,

The BlackBerry 8830 is built on an exciting new device platform that combines CDMA and GSM/GPRS roaming support with the latest in industrial design and functional innovations. This innovative and stylish smartphone includes all the benefits that users have come to love about the BlackBerry solution along with a compelling new global service from Verizon Wireless.

Both the smartphone and the service will be available on May 14 and BlackBerry 8330 will be priced for US$ 299.99. A couple of its features include:

• EV-DO/GPRS network connection for high-speed data transfer in more than 60 countries
• GSM/GPRS (900/1800 MHz) for continued voice and e-mail while traveling internationally
• Auto-selection of CDMA/GSM Mode
• Thin form factor of just 14mm for both style and easy handling
• New Trackball navigation system
• Media player
• Expandable memory option with microSD card (sold separately)
• Speakerphone
• Bluetooth® capabilities for certain profiles inclusive of hands-free, dial-up networking and serial port
• Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD)
• Instant Messaging capabilities for quick and easy communication

Phones, phones and more phones are being planned to be released by Alcatel this May 2007. From what we hear, the planned release of phones will be dubbed as the fashionable bunch. There are designs dubbed to be of "soft-touch plastics", "leather-like finish", and phones adorned by "dots of liquid metal." There are even floral finishes for the very ladylike phone buyer in everyone of us.

The French multinational company calls this 20-phone model May launch, a "Spring lineup of fashion" phones. Apart from the looks department, though, the phone models are reported to boast techie features such as 1.3-megapixel camera, 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, dedicated music controls, and support for 1GB TransFlash cards.

Sounds yummy. But if you're thinking a unit from such a well-designed selection of phones is going to cost you mucho dinero, fear not. There are such models in the selection of 20 that will surely belong to the budget of any mid-ranged or lower-ranged buyer. Alcatel is also working with GSM handsets approved by the AT&T; the CDMA phones should also be good to go on several "smaller regional carriers".

Interesting and all, but how will this lineup appeal to the Wi-Fi phone-hungry crowd?

Losing a pet back in the old days means finding them the old-fashioned way as well: by looking. Now if a pet gets lost, owners just call them in their cellphones. Collars and picket fences don't do it for us any longer. We have to go do THIS hightech. And the kinds of advances we have are already bordering the level of the absurd.

As aptly called, PetsCell is the first voice-enabled waterproof cellphone. Measuring 5cms wide, 2.5cms thick and 9cms long, manufacturer PetsMobility Inc. thinks that this thing hanging from the neck of your pet sets the standard for GPS tracking devices.

With tracking software combined to CDMA technology, it allows users to track their pets anywhere within the network. And since we're talking about a cell phone coverage as network here, the whole of the globe is basically it. PetsCell can be matched with a 3G Phone, PDA or via the web.

Another thing is the geo-fence option which creates a boundary around the owner's property. Once their pets cross this geo-fence, PetsCell will automatically inform the said owner. Bread Crumb feature reveals past locations of the pets. Should our loyal four-legged buddies start raising privacy issues, we don't know anymore.

Verizon Wireless has recently included Nokia's 6215i clamshell in their lineup. A quick glance at the phone's features won't probably get you stirring but it tries to make up for its outdated camera and connectivity features by providing support for CDMA networks on the 800 and 1900MHz bands.

The new clamshell also uses 1xRTT for data and supports Verizon's Get It Now service which allows consumers to easily modify their ringtones, wallpapers, and games. The clamshell's Mobile Web 2.0 application also allows users to browse the web, check their mail, and instant messaging with friends.

The Nokia 6215i sports a VGA camera that has digital zoom and allows users to share images with friends via the Pix Place application included in the phone. A big con in getting this phone though is that it doesn't have an MP3 media player. It also scores low on connectivity as it's not Bluetooth nor Infrared-enabled.

The phone allows for up to nine days standby time and 3.75 hours of talk time and now available for $49 dollars from the Verizon Wireless website with a two-year service agreement. Whether this clamshell is something you can see yourself using for two years, you decide.

Because of the realized disadvantage of Boost's growth - thereby outpacing Sprint - Sprint has announced that the carrier would have to take steps to halt the growth of its MVNO Boost, which primarily targets the youth market.

COO Len Lauer explained that this spurt in Boost's growth will essentially put a strain on Sprint's iDEN network. As it is, the network is already under pressure because Sprint had to give up a portion of its iDEN spectrum to the FCC in order to create clear public safety bands. And with the continuing growth of Boost's users, it is further straining the already near-exhausted network. In truth, the carrier actually prefer that Nextel subscribers be served with the limited capacity that they have.

While no definite plans as to how exactly they intend to stunt Boost's growth, Sprint has announced  the plan to launch dual mode handsets that use CDMA for voice and data calls, and only relies on iDEN for Push To Talk, to thin out Nextel's crowded 800 MHz spectrum.