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  • EMCC Creates VoIP Engine For S60 Devices


    Mobile VoIP expert, EMCC Software, has developed a VoIP engine for Nokia’s S60 smartphone platform.

    Built-in VoIP capability has been absent from some of Nokia’s more recent models using S60.

    Garry Partington, CTO of EMCC, said this may present a significant barrier to companies wishing to create VoIP applications or provide VoIP services.

    “Our technical expertise and platform experience has enabled us to overcome a major hurdle that prevented effective deployment of a VoIP solution across the S60 platform which accounts for around 50 per cent of the smartphone market,” he said.

    “We were concerned that the uncertainty caused by the absence of such a solution on certain handsets may be a limiting factor for companies wishing to develop VoIP solutions.”

    EMCC’s cross-platform VoIP engine is capable of being installed on S60, Windows Mobile and other platforms that lack built-in VoIP capability.

    A fully functional engine, it does not rely on any of the in-built handset capabilities and can be deployed “Over the Air” (OTA).

  • Mobile Operator Extends Skype Calls To Landlines and Abroad


    From today, customers of mobile operator 3 in the UK and Ireland will be able to use their mobile phones to call landlines and mobiles abroad at low rates using Skype.

    The move applies to anyone using a Skype-enabled 3 mobile phone – including the 3 Skypephone range, Nokia N95 and Sony Ericsson C902.

    Access to Skype on 3 was already free and allowed Skype-to-Skype calls and Instant Messaging, regardless of the end user’s location.

    The new development now allows callers to get cheap Skype rates from their mobile phones to landlines and mobiles abroad.

    Scott Durchslag, COO of Skype, said the move was an industry first that allowed 3’s clients to use their mobiles to make calls regardless of where in the world they may be and what device they are using.

    Meanwhile, Skype’s desktop client continues its slow progress towards version 4.0 with a new beta release.

    The changes include system-tray alerts and drag-and-drop file transfer, as well as automatic grouping of contacts for those who have too many friends to manage manually.

    The move follows criticism from users after Skype issued the first beta of Skype 4.0 for Windows in June with radical design changes that put off some of the service’s over 300 million users.

  • Flash For iPhone Soon – If Apple Says Yes


    Adobe Systems is preparing a version of its Flash Player that could be used on Apple’s iPhone.

    Paul Betlem, Adobe’s senior director of engineering, told Flash Magazine that the iPhone version could be available “in a very short time”.

    Whether the software is actually accepted by Apple is another matter.

    Speaking at the Flash on the Beach (FOTB) conference in Brighton, UK, Betlem conceded that Apple has the last word on what runs on the iPhone.

    “My team is working on Flash on the iPhone, but it’s a closed platform,” he said.

    The "closed system" of MobileSafari poses difficulties in building a plug-in for a browser that doesn’t officially support plug-ins.

    But Betlem told Flash Magazine that Adobe will have the player ready for Apple’s approval.

    Would Apple really baulk at the opportunity to allow the iPhone to work on any Flash-based website?

    Wouldn’t it be good to further reduce differences between phone and laptop?

    Well, in March Sun Microsystems came off badly when it committed to a version of its Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for the new iPhone only to discover the handset’s SDK prohibited Java on the phone.

    It’s also worth remembering that earlier this year Steve Jobs said that Flash Lite for mobile was not full-featured enough, while the full version of Flash would not run well on the iPhone.

    It was reported at the time that Adobe could run into problems due to restrictions of the iPhone SDK.

    Corporate issues aside, Jens Brynildsen, of Flash Magazine and Flash Gamer, makes some strong performance-related arguments for not having Flash on the iPhone.

    He doesn’t believe it would add to the iPhone experience and argues there is no reason for Apple approve it.

    A main objection is that MobileSafari wouldn’t be able to cope if it had to deal with websites laden with Flash ads.
    But he said politics would undoubtedly play a big part in Apple’s decision.

    “Apple wants to be in control – Apple don’t want Flash on their device,” said Brynildsen.

    “They want the phone to be easy to use with a uniform user interface. They want to get more developers to their platform, not Adobe’s.”

    Brynildsen argued that if Apple opened up the device for Flash, thousands of apps and developers would be added for the platform.

    “All of these would create different looking and fancy UIs that "break" the iPhone experience,” he said.

    “Very few will have the skills required to write content that does not tax the CPU or load progressive content that is too big for memory.”

    There’s plenty of gamers out there, for instance, that would be happy to run that risk. Please let us know your view on Flash for the iPhone.

  • Sony Expands Memory Stick Line


    Sony is expanding its Memory Stick media with new products that include features such as USB connectivity and pre-bundled movie content.

    The latest addition is the HX series of Memory Stick media, which comes in either 4 or 8 GB capacities and has high transfer rates – especially for large capacity files.

    Shane Higby, director of marketing for Sony Electronics’ consumer media group, said new digital SLR cameras and HD camcorders were driving the demand for higher capacity storage with greater connectivity and faster transfer speed.

    “With the included USB adaptor, the new HX series gives users the convenience of transferring pictures and video to their PC faster and easier,” he said.

    The new HX series has a 20 MB/s read speed and 15 MB/s write speed, about three times faster than regular Memory Stick PRO-Duo media.

    Sony is also introducing a new version of its Memory Stick Entertainment Pack, which lets users choose one of four movies from Sony Pictures Entertainment.

    The featured titles, which have a combined box office total of more than USD $1 billion worldwide, include: Surf’s Up, The Da Vinci Code, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Benchwarmers.

    This pack includes a launcher DVD featuring the four movies, and users can unlock the title of their choice using a provided code and transfer it to the Memory Stick media.

    Each movie is optimized for playback on Sony’s PlayStation3 or PlayStation Portable systems.

    Sony is also is also releasing a new line of Memory Stick Micro media, designed for use with compatible Sony Ericsson multimedia phones.

    The new models are available in one, two, four and eight GB capacities, and come with a USB adaptor.

    This allows users to copy data to their M2 media and then transfer it to a PC with USB port.

  • SanDisk Announces 16GB Mobile Phone Memory Card


    SanDisk is to launch what it claims is the world’s largest removable storage capacity for mobile phones – a 16GB microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro mobile memory card.

    The fingernail-sized memory cards are aimed at consumers wanting to get the most out of the many storage-intensive features in today’s portable handsets.

    These include music and video playback, high-definition digital camera functions, gaming and GPS applications.

    The 16GB card can also be used in other devices, including video cameras, GPS receivers or MP3 players with microSD slots.

    MicroSD cards are designed for slot-equipped legacy mobile phones and can hold a maximum capacity of 2GB. Current MicroSDHC cards are available in 4GB and 8GB.

    Avi Greengart, research director for mobile devices at Current Analysis, said there was an acute need for more mobile storage capacity.

    He said 16GB gave consumers the ability to carry their digital content with them and still have room to do more with their mobile phones.

    “Handsets have become far more than just phones – they’ve become mobile jukeboxes, mobile offices, even mobile movie theaters,” he said.

    “Flash memory cards have increased in storage capacity, but even an 8GB card may be too small for anyone with GPS map data, a few movies, a game or two, a presentation file and other applications.”

    SanDisk’s 16GB microSDHC card will be available in the US in November.

  • WD Offers Centralised Storage To Small Networks


    WD has unveiled a high-speed network storage system intended as a cost-effective, centralised storage for small office and home networks.

    ShareSpace is a 4-bay storage system with Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) interface that provides up to 4 TB of storage capacity and multiple RAID configurations.

    Its first foray into the small-office network storage market, WD is hoping to introduce a new class of users to centralised storage systems that were once only available in large companies with big IT departments.

    For small businesses, WD ShareSpace network-attached storage systems allow storage to be centralised for easy accessibility.

    But WD is hoping to attract home users as well.

    Popularity of home networks is growing worldwide, with penetration as high as 50 per cent in some countries, according to a recent Parks Associates study.

    WD says that with the ShareSpace system it’s possible to centralise media collections and access them from anywhere in their home.

    The included iTunes server capability allows users to play their music on any Mac or PC using iTunes software.

    Jim Welsh, vice president and general manager of WD’s branded products and consumer electronics groups, said the WD ShareSpace system offered big-time storage without the need for a big-time IT department.

    "With the WD ShareSpace storage system, small offices and home network users can experience the same centralised storage and data protection often found only in big corporate data centres,” he said.

    "The set-up process is a breeze, so you can be up and running in a matter of minutes.”

  • Dark Knight To Be Warner Bros' First BD-Live Release


    The Dark Knight is likely to be the biggest Blu-ray release of the year – if not ever.

    So it’s appropriate that Warner Bros has decided to make the Batman tale its first BD-Live capable release.

    The studio will offer standard and limited edition releases when it hits stores on December 9.

    The standard version will include the 153-minute feature film spread across a BD-50 dual-layer disc with 1080p/VC-1 video (2.40:1) and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround audio.

    Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround dubs and subtitles are also provided in English, French-Quebec and Spanish.

    Extras included on the first disc also include Gotham Uncovered: Creation of a Scene, a version of the film containing behind-the-scenes vignettes with director Christopher Nolan and his team discussing the planning of the film, the use of IMAX photography, the stunts, and more.

    The second disc will feature all-HD extras including featurettes and a collection of six episodes from Gotham Cable entitled Gotham Tonight.

    BD-Live content has not been revealed but Warner said a digital copy will be included in both releases.

  • Comstar Launches Stream-branded HDTV


    Russian telecomms operator Comstar-UTS has fully launched Stream-branded HDTV services in Moscow in the upgraded sections of the MGTS network.

    It has also introduced a package offering broadband internet access at speeds of up to 20Mbps.

    The Comstar-UTS HDTV package offers three channels – MelodyZen, Voom TV and Luxe TV – and costs R200 (USD $8) a month to receive.

    On top of this, it is also offering a new HD VOD service, with movies costing R100 (USD $4) each.

  • HD Drives Freesat Sales to 100K in Five Months


    The UK’s free-to-air satellite service Freesat has racked up 100,000 sales since its launch in May.

    Freesat said high definition coverage of major sporting events over the summer played a key role in encouraging people to buy HD set-top boxes.

    Co-owned by the BBC and ITV, Freesat offers a satellite alternative to the Freeview service on digital terrestrial television.

    It is taking on competitor Sky by offering free TV channels, including some HD ones, once customers pay for a Freesat receiver.

    There are now around 120 TV and radio channels and Freesat said that its early success was greatly boosted by BBC HD and ITV HD offering free HD coverage of Euro 2008, FA football, Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.

    The service expects to have 200 channels available by the end of 2008 – including subscription-free high definition channels from the BBC and ITV- and 230 by early 2009, with around 30 channels added each month.

    Freesat is promising a packed HD Christmas schedule and November will see the launch of Freesat+, the first digital television recorder (DTR), from Humax.

    Earlier this month, ITV director of group development and strategy Carolyn Fairbairn replaced Tim Davie as chairman of the Freesat.

  • Passengers Oppose Mobile Calls During Flights


    Seventy-five per cent of travellers would never use a mobile phone during a flight, according to a survey by Wanderlust Magazine.

    High in-flight charges and the irritation of having fellow passengers make irritatingly “pointless” calls in a confined space were among the main reasons for not allowing mobiles to be used.

    The poll comes as Ryanair announces that passengers will shortly be able to make mobile calls during flights.

    In March, Emirates became the first commercial airline to allow mobile calls during flights. The airline says the average call costs more than USD $3.50 a minute.

    The poll of over 1000 of the magazine’s readers, showed that three-quarters of respondents (76%) said that they would never use a mobile phone in the air.

    Only 2% of those questioned said that they would happily use their phone on a plane regularly and 17% said they might be tempted, but only if they were delayed.

    Dan Linstead, editor of Wanderlust said: “The message from our readers, who are all seasoned travellers, is loud and clear.
    “Planes are one of the last sacred mobile-free havens and they want it to stay that way – let’s hope the airlines start listening.”