Australia has more cell phones than people, according to government statistics revealed Monday, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.”For the first time, there was more than one cell phone for every Australian in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, the Australian Communications and Media Authority reported.

There were 21.26 million phones operating, a 7.6 percent increase on the previous year.

Australia’s population at Sept. 30, 2007, was 21.1 million, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said.”

More than 20,000 are expected to take part in a demonstration to protest a decision by Finnish telecommunication giant Nokia to close down its plant in the west German city of Bochum, news reports said Saturday.

“Nokia’s definite decision to shut down the Bochum plant to locate to Romania has sparked countrywide anger and calls for a total boycott of Nokia mobile phones.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also voiced sympathy with popular demands for a boycott.

German television has reported about mass protests of Nokia cell phone users who have either given up or have thrown away their mobile phones.”

textually.org

Sony Ericsson has opened its first ever exclusive store in Bangladesh with the aim to provide local customers with a “world class shopping experience.”

Beside offering the full range of Sony Ericsson devices, the new store also features well-trained and friendly staff, as well as such goodies as touchscreen self-help product updates and interactive phone display. Plus, let’s not forget the in-store customer service center, or so called “Sheba.”

There you have it. If happen to be in Bangladesh, make sure you visit the store at shop number 35 & 36, Block A, Level 6, Bahsundhara City — where you’ll certainly have a chance to get your hands on the latest Sony Ericsson’s handsets…

intomobile.com

Yeah, we’ve seen a Skype phone and a PMP awkwardly merged into one before, but this unit adds its own layer of sketchiness for good measure. The V688, supposedly offered up by Shenzhen Went Wide Shine Electron Company, claims to boast a 1.8-inch display, MP3 / video playback, USB connectivity, an FM radio, rechargeable Li-ion and an integrated Skype phone. Per usual, we wouldn’t expect this piece to posses any signs of expert craftsmanship, but you can toss over an inquiry if you’re really curious as to what it will run you.

engadget.com

According to “Mobile Market View,” a new mobile consumer study conducted by The Kelsey Group with research partner ConStat, 44.7 percent of U.S. mobile phone users surveyed say a mobile phone with better Internet capability will be a key factor in their next mobile phone purchase decision.

According to the survey, only 26 percent of mobile phone service subscribers currently opt for an Internet access plan.
“The combination of unlimited data plans and next-generation Internet- enabled mobile devices, like Apple’s iPhone, suggests mobile Web access will grow to become ubiquitous,” said Matt Booth, senior vice president and program director, Interactive Local Media, The Kelsey Group. “Growing mobile Internet usage and increased satisfaction with mobile Internet applications are among the converging factors that we believe point to a breakthrough year ahead for mobile ad adoption.”

The Kelsey Group announced last month that it expects U.S. mobile search advertising revenues to grow from US$33.2 million in 2007 to US$1.4 billion in 2012, representing a compound annual growth rate of 112 percent.

Among the 500 mobile users surveyed in the Mobile Market View study, maps and local commercial search are preferred Internet applications. In the past six months, 9.8 percent of respondents used their mobile phones to conduct Internet searches for products and services in their local area. During the same period, 10.7 percent downloaded or looked at maps, while 10.9 percent indicated they had downloaded search or mapping applications (for use on the Internet) to supplement those that came with their mobile phones.

phonemag.com

 File this “way to early to talk about it,” but apparently the Big Red is looking forward to the iPhone 2 which reportedly should come with a built-in 3G radio. According to Vodafone’s CEO, they will “absolutely” negotiate with Apple to carry their handset as soon as Jobs&Co make it 3G enabled.

Somehow, I don’t buy this. The main problem was in lack of control by the carrier, not the built-in hardware. Vodafone and other major carriers don’t like the whole iPhone idea where Apple gets piece of the profits, plus the control over the customer’s experience. In addition, Vodafone has invested tons of money to make its own music store, which would directly compete with Apple’s iTunes. On the other hand, this may happen if Apple proves it can actually bring additional cash to its carrier-partners. iPhone is coming to UK next month, can’t wait to see the first figures…

intomobile.com

You may have heard the hubbub in the last 24 hours about AT&T’s new Terms of Service for its DSL accounts, and its apparent hardline approach to customers who may criticize the company. For those of you not up to speed, the long and short of it is that the TOS stipulates that AT&T can and does reserve the right to disconnect any user’s account if the telco believes said user is utilizing the connection to “damage the name or reputation of AT&T, or its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries.” Sounds doomy and gloomy, doesn’t it? Well, AT&T issued a statement in response to the backlash it’s been getting, making it explicitly clear that it is not the company’s policy to axe users who take it to task. Here’s what they had to say:

“AT&T respects its subscribers’ rights to voice their opinions and concerns over any matter they wish. However, we retain the right to disassociate ourselves from websites and messages explicitly advocating violence, or any message that poses a threat to children (e.g. child pornography or exploitation). We do not terminate customer service solely because a customer speaks negatively about AT&T. This policy is not new and it’s not unique to AT&T.”

So, according to The Man, you can talk all the smack you want about AT&T and its screwball policies / high prices / use of dental implants to monitor your conversations — without the fear of having the lines snipped… or so they say.

engadget.com

Google is considering a move into the UK wireless market after the regulator Ofcom yesterday proposed grabbing back more than a third of the mobile phone spectrum that Vodafone and O2 have been using for 22 years to auction it for new entrants.

… Acquiring a slice of the airwaves in Britain would allow the Californian search engine to launch its own fully fledged mobile phone service or push for the sort of open standards-based wireless broadband network it is proposing in the US.

textually.org

Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson said it is keeping a “low profile” in the Middle East after Al-Qaeda in Iraq threatened it over a cartoon which appeared in a Swedish newspaper. interactive investor reports.

“We decided yesterday to take down our company flag in the Middle East to reduce our visibility,” company spokeswoman Aase Lindskog said.

“We take the threat very seriously. We have thousands of employees in this region. We remind them that the general security precaution advises and recommends a low profile, not to wear the T-shirt of the company, etcetera.”

Ericsson was one of the Swedish firms named in a statement purportedly from the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq which appeared on the Internet on Saturday, threatening violent retaliation over the cartoon.

The group also offered a 150,000 usd reward for anyone who slit the throat of cartoonist Lars Vilks, whose cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog appeared in the Nerikes Allehanda newspaper on August 18.

Other companies mentioned in the statement were Scania, Volvo, Ikea and Electrolux.”

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