Verizon Wireless today announced the availability of the Samsung U550, a fashionable clamshell with capabilities to download and listen to music, check out short video clips and take pictures and videos while on-the-go.

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 The U550 features a 1.3-megapixel camera with Night Shot, digital zoom, a camcorder, and Bluetooth wireless capabilities for headsets, handsfree, serial port, certain dial-up networking profiles, and object push for vCard. Customers can also access VCAST Video, Verizon Wireless' multimedia service for news, sports and entertainment video clips, 3D games, and more; and VCAST Music, which offers access to a library of 2.7 million full-length songs that can be purchased and downloaded over-the-air. Additional features of the Samsung U550 include:

- Get It Now-capable - download games, ringtones, wallpapers, location based services, and more
- VZ Navigator - 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 2.0 - customizable, enhanced wireless access to the latest in news, sports, weather, and more
- Instant Messaging using AIM, MSN, Yahoo!
- Expandable memory with microSD memory card slot
- Dimensions: 3.77" x 1.93" x 0.64"; 3.35 ounces with standard battery
- Advanced Speech Recognition
- Personal organizer with Calendar, Calculator, Notepad, Alarm Clock, World Time, and Stop Watch
- Bilingual user interface: English and Spanish
- TTY/TTD-capable
- Hearing Aid Compatibility rating: M4/T4

The Samsung U550 is available today for $69.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

AT&T today launched the Palm Centro, designed for users to manage their busy lives. The Centro offers consumers more choices to stay in touch by using voice, text messaging, instant messaging, email or the Web. Featuring a color touch-screen and full QWERTY keyboard, the Centro is the first Palm OS product to launch with AT&T services, such as XM Radio Mobile, Push-to-Talk and MusicID.

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The smallest and lightest Palm product to date, the Palm Centro from AT&T is available in new "glacier white" with green keypad accents, and, in approximately one month, AT&T will debut a second color - "obsidian black."

The Centro's touch-screen and keyboard, combined with the Palm OS, give convenient access to features such as one-touch speakerphone, conference calling, ignore a call with text messaging and Bluetooth connectivity.

 Its text-messaging application displays text and multimedia messages in a chat-style view, just like PC-based instant messaging, so users can see the entire conversation unfold. With the built-in IM application, users can message with select contacts from their choice of AIM, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger instant messaging services.

The Centro makes email easy with Xpress Mail, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, and Good Mobile Messaging. Using Xpress Mail, consumers can easily set up and access personal email from Gmail, AOL, Yahoo!, Windows Live and other popular Internet service providers. Xpress Mail also provides access to Lotus Notes. Via Exchange ActiveSync, receiving Microsoft Outlook email, as well as syncing Outlook contacts and calendar appointments, can be done right after the phone comes out of the box. Good Mobile Messaging is also supported on Centro and is downloadable over the air from http://get.good.com .

The AT&T Mobile Music platform can sideload music with Napster and eMusic with built-in Pocket Tunes Deluxe, listen to live radio with XM Radio Mobile and discover new songs with MusicID. The AT&T Centro is the first Palm smart device to offer XM Radio Mobile. For $8.99 a month, XM Radio Mobile gives consumers 25 of the best XM Radio channels, featuring commercial-free rock, hip-hop, country, jazz and more.

With a database of over 3 million artists and titles, customers can use MusicID to identify an unknown song. While holding the Centro up to a speaker, the MusicID application returns song information such as title, artist and cover art, if available. It also keeps track of previous IDs and allows users to share song information with friends via text messages, for $3.99 a month.

The Palm Centro from AT&T is available for $99.99 after a two-year service agreement and a mail-in rebate.

A new company called Onyx Innovation in the UK have launched themselves and their first mobile phone this month. The ONYX Liscio is a stylish uniquely designed mobile phone with an integrated MP3 player and FM radio. Features include: Tri-Band: GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900, full colour display, Bluetooth, MP3, FM radio, internal 128 MB Flash memory, free 1GB SD card. It costs £129.99 inc VAT.

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The full specification follows :

MP3-PLAYER & MOBILE PHONE

-3in1: MOBILE PHONE, MP3-PLAYER AND FM-RADIO
-STYLISH & ULTRA SMALL DESIGN
-LED COLOUR DISPLAY
-BLUETOOTH
-MEMORY EXPANDABLE WITH MICRO-SD CARD
-EASY NAVIGATION WITH JOG-BUTTON
-STANDBY-TIME UP TO 200 HOURS
-INCLUDING STEREO HEADSET
-INCLUDING 1GB MICRO-SD CARD

Product Specifications

MAIN FEATURES
• MP3 player
• Tri-band mobile phone (GSM900 / DCS1800 / PCS 1900)
• FM radio (40 stations can be stored)
• 1.1'' OLED colour display
• microSD memory card slot
• Jog-button for easy scrolling through menus and playlists
• Phonebook with up to 500 entries
• Bluetooth• Stereo-Headset
• USB 2.0
• Stylish design, ultra small DISPLAY
• 1.1'' OLED colour display (96 x 96 px, 65K colours)MEMORY
• Internal: 128 MB flash
• External: supports microSD memory cards up to 1GB

POWER SUPPLY
• Li-Ion battery 830 mAh, rechargeable via USB adaptor and PC

BLUETOOTH
• A2DP MP3 streaming
• Hands-free communication
• Service discovery

FEATURES
• Dual-Band (GSM 900/1800)
• Standby time: up to 200 hours
• Talking time: up to 3 hours
• Playback time: up to 11 hours
• Polyphonic MP3 ringtones• Voice recording
• Phonebook with up to 500 entries
• SMS memory (editable by user)
• Call history (last 50 calls, either missed, received or dialled)
• Audio format: MP3• Picture formats: JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG

HOUSING
• Black, high gloss finished
• Dimensions: 90 x 35 x 17.8 mm
• Weight (incl. battery): 60 g

Nokia has just launched its latest mobile phone behemoth - the Nokia N96. The N96 is pretty similar to the Symbian 60 powered N95 but along with the 5MP camera and builtin GPS it has 16GB of internal memory and a 2.8-inch screen. This model also has a built-in DVB-H receiver for digital TV signals in Europe and Asia, and a kickstand for desktop viewing. There are also new backlit touchbuttons on the face, dialpad and top slider section of the phone.

{mosgoogle} The one to watch Most advanced multimedia computer optimized for entertainment Mobile World Congress 2008, Barcelona, Spain/Espoo, Finland - Nokia today unveiled the Nokia N96, a multimedia computer truly optimized for video and TV. With a large 2.8" screen, 16 gigabytes of internal memory and support for high-quality videos in a wide range of formats, the dual-slide Nokia N96 represents an exciting new chapter in mobile media. The Nokia N96 multimedia computer is expected to begin shipping in the third quarter of 2008 with an estimated sales price of approximately 550 euros, before subsidies or taxes.

"In 2007, the Nokia N95 became an icon of convergence of Internet and mobility. With over 7 million units sold to date, the N95 has changed the way people use their mobile device. The Nokia N96 we introduced today builds on the success of N95, further enhancing the experience," says Jonas Geust, who oversees Nokia's Explore category. "Through the power of the Internet, video and TV are becoming even more prevalent in people's lives. With its large, bright screen, and a range of high-speed connectivity options and the enhanced Nokia Video Center, the new Nokia N96 is a personal window to entertainment."

Accessing internet videos is quick and simple. The Nokia N96 supports common video formats including MPEG-4, Windows Media Video and Flash Video, making favorite videos easy to view. Transferring and accessing videos is even faster with the high-speed USB 2.0 connection and WLAN and HSDPA support. In select markets, the integrated DVB-H receiver offers live broadcast TV with an automatically updating program guide. The massive memory can store up to 40 hours of video content. The storage capacity of the Nokia N96 can even be further expanded with an optional microSD card, such as the new Nokia 8GB microSDHC Card MU-43 which increases the available memory of the Nokia N96 to a total of 24 GB. For added convenience, the Nokia N96 features a 'kickstand' on the back cover that allows for hands-free viewing. The Nokia Video Center offers one place to discover and access a variety of mobile content ranging from movie trailers and comedy to news from world-leading content brands such as YouTube, Reuters, and Sony Pictures. The catalogue of internet video feeds is continually expanded with more regional and country specific content. For a superb music experience, the Nokia N96 features media keys, a 3.5 mm headphone connector and built-in 3D stereo speakers.

The Nokia Maps application offers richer maps with urban details and satellite views and has upgrade options such as City Guides, turn-by-turn pedestrian mode and voice-guided car navigation. The Nokia N96 boasts a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, flash and video light. It allows DVD-like quality video capture at 30 frames per second. Further, with the integrated A-GPS, consumers can now 'geotag' their pictures with location data and share them with their online communities. The Nokia N96 naturally supports the Ovi family of Nokia internet services, including maps, music, media sharing and more. Nokia Nseries is a range of high performance multimedia computers that delivers unparalleled mobile multimedia experiences by combining the latest technologies with stylish design and ease of use. With Nokia Nseries products, consumers can use a single device to enjoy entertainment, access information and to capture and share pictures and videos, on the go at any time. www.nseries.com

Nokia N96 will cost approx $800, but likely no US 3G support.

Offering ability to stay connected through voice calls, email, and web browsing around the globe, Sprint today announced the Samsung ACE, a sleek new smartphone powered by Windows Mobile 6.

Operating in the U.S. on the Sprint's network, the ACE provides voice calls, PDA capabilities and access to Sprint TV with over 50 channels of live television and on-demand video.

{mosgoogle} With quad-band capabilities, the ACE operates globally on CDMA and GSM/GPRS networks where Sprint has international roaming agreements. Customers can make or receive calls, access email, view documents, surf the web, and sync Outlook calendars in over 100 countries. More information about international coverage options can be found at www.sprint.com/international .

In addition to its international capabilities, the Samsung ACE also offers:

- Slim, light form factor with a full QWERTY keyboard measuring 4.65" x 2.32" x 0.46" and weighing just under four ounces
- Large 2.3-inch TFT color display, ideal for viewing live and on-demand channels available through Sprint TV, as well as up-to-date information with On-Demand
- Slide click Wheel for easy navigation between applications
- Stereo Bluetooth wireless technology for handsfree communication by pairing headsets, car-kits and other Bluetooth-enabled devices
- External memory supports up to 2 GB microSD card for storing music, videos and pictures
- 1.3-megapixel digital camera and camcorder to capture shoot clips to share with family and friends
- View documents allows customers to view files on the phone with Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Excel and Microsoft Office PowerPoint

With Windows Mobile 6, the ACE assists people in keeping track of contacts and schedules through Outlook Mobile, browsing the web using Internet Explorer Mobile and viewing Word, Excel and PowerPoint files using File Viewer.

The Samsung ACE is available today in business sales channels, online and through telesales for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and $100 mail-in-rebate. The device will be available in Sprint retail stores beginning in March.