Two pieces of interesting Apple tidbits...

The first is specifically targeted for the French waiting on the arrival of the iPhone in their market. On Apple's press release, it states that Orange in France will be the exclusive carrier to offer the iPod-plus-phone product for the local market from November 29th, at a price of 399 Euros inclusive of V.A.T. upon subscribing to "one of the dedicated rate plans" to be offered. It's not the first mention of Orange when the iPhone is concerned, as there have been firm rumours and speculation on the number-one-wireless carrier partnering with Apple.

But what was more surprising, and not mentioned in the Apple press release, was the fact that unlocked iPhones will be an option also available. TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) reports that this second option will be available alongside the aforementioned, and will be offered "for some as-yet-unannounced higher price" - a pretty-much-expected scenario. Reason being for this is due to a law which forbids telco carriers to network-lock handsets beyond a six-month introductory window.

This second option may be of greater relevance to those outside of the French market, for people who are in markets yet to be served with a local iPhone offering (which, currently, is most of the world), than those within it.

And, finally, the second piece of news is a personal note from Steve Jobs himself (apparently) - he goes on record to say that an SDK (or "software development kit") for the iPhone and iPod touch will be made available sometime in February next year, and justifies as to why the long wait. While this may be a few months off, developers waiting to have their software working on the platform - as well as those users who can't wait to make their devices so much more practical - probably won't mind too much about this slight setback.

Time may be of the essence. But at least Steve himself has firmly assured the community (with his words of persuasiveness) that web apps certainly won't be the final frontier.

If you're in-the-know on all things Symbian, or particularly Series 60 (in this case), then you might have already heard about this piece of news...

But yesterday, at the opening of this year's Symbian Smartphone Show in London, Nokia announced a move that was bound to happen some day: the availability of touch-screen enabled S60 devices, to be available sometime during 2008. What this will mean is serious competition, in both the handset and software arenas, for the other platforms - namely, UIQ and Windows Mobile.

Quoting from the press release:

The touch user interface in S60 smartphone software offers licensees the opportunity to develop devices with a variety of input methods, whether it is a touch screen with a traditional keypad, touch screen with a qwerty keyboard or touch screen alone, supporting both finger or stylus optimized input, in addition to the range of access options that already exist today.

S60 touch user interface comes with support for tactile feedback, which means that there is a physical pulse and feedback when the user taps on the screen. This provides better awareness of the device's response improving the user experience.

Existing S60 3rd Edition applications will run on touch enabled devices unmodified. Tools will be made available for developers to further optimize the touch experience of their applications.

While we users reap the benefits of the new addition, developers would also get the ease of turning their apps into becoming touch-friendly when the ability finally becomes available. And the part where they mention the types of possible physical setups - that is, touch screen with traditional keypad, touch screen with QWERTY keyboard, and touch-screen-only - was probably hinting strongly at what we should expect to come during 2008. And the added support for tactile feedback is also very interesting, to say the least...

Other knick-knacks were also mentioned, including the platform's generic support for a variety of hardware sensors (e.g. motion, orientation, proximity, light), and native support for Flash Video by the S60's built-in (Mini-Map) browser.

And on a separate note, Google has announced the availability of a native version of Google Maps for S60 Third Edition smartphones. The application can be downloaded from the Google Mobile Maps page, and they've stated the following available servies:

• Detailed directions - Whether you plan to walk or drive, your route is displayed on the map itself, together with step-by-step directions
• Integrated search results - Local business locations and contact information appear all in one place, integrated on your map
• Easily movable maps - Interactive maps let you zoom in or out, and move in all directions so you can orient yourself visually
• Satellite imagery - Get a bird's eye view of your desired location. (It's like you're there, we swear.)

Happy days ahead for Series 60, and its users!

Thought I'd jot a note here - specifically for iPhone users - to say that Apple has finally launched their third-party applications listing for both the iPhone and iPod touch devices. Finally, we can now expect more from these devices - whichever one (or two) you may own...

As of my last count, there are 215 applications currently listed - where most of which are directly accessed through the Mobile Safari browser. For those "web app" links, the browser will act as the primary interface between it and the user.

You can access the directory from either your PC browser (where a summary of each app is shown) - or directly from an iPhone or iPod touch, which would launch the respective web app in a 'new page' within Mobile Safari.

Enjoy, and have fun!

October 11th must have been a good day to show off new products and services…

And on the other side of the Atlantic, we have Motorola presenting us with their latest handset range, to be released in the coming months. One of the star attractions was the MOTO U9, a model based on the original PEBL form factor. On the surface, it gets the Motorola aesthetic treatment - especially on the outside, where the front clamshell cover looks like a design deviation of Sony Ericsson's Z610i and Z750i models (hint: look at the pictures of the red model). The keypad area has also been reworked to match those used by more recent models (for example, the KRZR and RAZR² models).

On features, the MOTO U9 is a GSM quad-band, EDGE-enabled device with the proper music accompaniment. Compatible with Windows Media Player 11, it also supports the following audio fie formats: AAC / AAC+ / AAC+ enhanced; MP3; and WMA 10 plus Janus DRM - all of which can be stored on either the internal memory (25MB) or optional microSD card (supports cards of up to 4GB), and accessed via a USB 2.0 connection. The touch-sensitive music controls, located on the front side of the clamshell, helps make seamless music playback a reality.

Some of the other complements include Bluetooth 2.0 (which also includes A2DP / wireless stereo audio streaming support), a 2.0-megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom, and Motorola's renowned CrystalTalk technology allowing for near-perfect audio communications at all times.

Motorola expects to have the MOTO U9 out, in most world markets (except their own), sometime during the fourth quarter - to make the Christmas rush, no doubt.

Resources: General product pages | Detailed specifications

Only a few months after the debuting of the RAZR² V8, we are already seeing the materialisation of "special edition" models from Motorola. I don't know whether I should see this as a good sign, or a model deemed to be ill-fated...

Branded as the 'RAZR² V8 Luxury Edition', the thin clamshell will be decorated in 18K and 24K gold plated accents, feature a soft-touch snakeskin texture on its backing, and have a diamond-cut pattern engraved into its sideband. To those who are sold by Motorola's designs, this glorified version of the V8 will only appeal to a selected audience (I personally prefer the original, more low-key, variants - given what I've seen thus far).

The Luxury Edition will be based on the RAZR² V8 model with the 2GB internal memory capacity - and everything else will stay as-is. So, therefore, it's all just about looks (which is the case for most, if not all, of their creations anyway).

And on other fronts, Motorola has also presented their latest W-series models, which are targeted for "Everyday Communication" (or the mass-market). Seven new models were announced - and I've provided the relevant links below should you be interested in learning more about any of them.

All these models are due for release prior to Christmas - or more specifically, sometime in Q4.

Detailed specifications for…
RAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition | W377 | W206 & W213 | W175 & W180 | W156 & W160

Normally, I wouldn't bother with accessory announcements. But in this case, resistance was futile...

Now, if I hadn't mentioned "music" in the title, would you have guessed what this contraption really was?

Sony Ericsson calls it a 'Portable Bluetooth Speaker' - and it's certainly one of the most interesting I've ever seen. Announced along with the K630i, this uniquely-designed unit is expected to appeal to music lovers who'd like to bring their collection around with them. Its reasonably-sized footprint (100mm diameter) makes it truly portable, and it also comes with a specially-designed case protecting it from the elements when not in use.

Not only can it be taken around, the MBS-100 - its official designation - is able to stream music wirelessly from a compatible phone supporting Bluetooth A2DP. And since this is a Sony Ericsson product, it'll probably work best with their recommended list of handsets - and, possibly, with other brands of A2DP-compatlble handsets (?). Alternatively, it can also be hooked up to an audio source via a standard 3.5mm audio jack

And just like their other accessories, the MBS-100 comes with a built-in rechargeable battery that, I am guessing, gets replenished via a standard Fast Port charger. A single full charge should allow for up to five full hours of music playback, which is pretty darn good for something of its calibre.

A Q4 release is expected for this very unique piece of art. I do hope that it'll lives up to expectations - as I'm already trying to think of a prominent place to put it...

Resources: General product pages

Sony Ericsson today finally decided on taking the wraps off a model that we (sort of) already know about...

The K630i, or also known as the generic variant of the Vodafone-only V640i, is - similarly - a 3.5G-enabled candy bar handset aimed at the masses. On the outside, it seems to share distinct aesthetic qualities as those present on the K608i (ex the mixed use of materials) - but looking quite smart at the same time, in both the "Quick Black" and "Havana Gold" colours. Internally, it features a tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900) plus UMTS 2100 transceiver and can handle all data standards, from GPRS right up to HSDPA (yes, EDGE is also supported - for the many of us who find a need for it).

Some of the other, more noteworthy, features of this phone include:

• a new standby display supporting "widgets" (possibly shortcuts and notification icons);
• a new 'Media browser' that lets its user review all accessible multimedia content easily, and clearly;
• a standard 2.0-megapixel camera with fixed focus lens;
• Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync pre-loaded - allows the mirroring of your desktop's inbox, and replying to messages where necessary;
• built-in stereo FM radio transceiver;
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR and USB 2.0 (full speed) support;
• 32MB built-in memory plus 256MB Memory Stick Micro (M2) included with sales package; and
• all the standard tidbits: A2DP wireless stereo audio support, blogging of pictures and videos, PlayNow 4.0, and TrackID.

Being the natural evolution of the K610i, Sony Ericsson has spec'ed the K630i quite well - with the exception of one very important element: the LCD. Why the refusal to upgrade the display resolution to QVGA (or 240-by-320 pixels) when it's got all the features that warrant such an upgrade - like the HSDPA support, for example, which opens the K630i up to a broader spectrum of Internet content.

In any case, the K630i is coming sometime in the fourth quarter of '07 - in "selected markets", of course.

Resources: General product pages | Technical specifications

( For anyone who's interested in the Vodafone-only V640i, which I carelessly missed - and didn't receive the press release for, the following are the relevant resources: General product pages | Technical specifications)

(I'm somewhat ashamed to say that I missed this one - somehow. Even so, I thought I'd just touch on the subject anyway...)

If you're into stylish-looking phones, then here's three that might tickle your fancy.

Sony Ericsson, in conjunction with Vodafone, will be releasing the upcoming V640i and W910i models, plus the existing slimline W880i Walkman phone, in an exclusive colour range branded as the 'Havana' collection. Each of the three models would take on a unique Havana colour tone - the V640i in Havana Gold, the W910i in Havana Bronze, and straight Havana for the W880i.

The 'Havana' models will have exactly the same specs as the generically-coloured models. So, it's all a matter of whether you take on a liking for these unique colour creations.

According to the Sony Ericsson press release, availability of these models will be available in specific Vodafone markets in Europe only (quoting):

The Havana collection will be available across a number of Vodafone Operating Companies in Europe including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom, in the coming months.

Out of your reach, and you really want one? Well, I guess there's always eBay...