Posts tagged launches
U.S. Cellular Launches ‘Jewel’ of a Phone in Samsung Gem™
Mar 31st
The Latest Android-powered Smartphone at a Smart Price, $29.99
CHICAGO, March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — U.S. Cellular invites those who are ready to take the Android-powered plunge to indulge themselves with the wireless carrier’s latest device, the Samsung Gem. In stores and online April 1 for only $29.99 after an $80 mail-in rebate, this smartphone deal is no April Fools’ joke. It features a 3.2″ full touch screen with advanced anti-scratch, anti-smudge and anti-reflective protective glass.
Keeping in touch with friends and family is easy with the Samsung Gem, which allows you to update your status and post photos and messages to all of your favorite social networking sites with the touch of one button. With its easy-to-use calendar, you can organize all of your social and business appointments. You can also drag and drop various widgets and icons to personalize your very own, one-of-a-kind start-up screen.
“We want to delight our customers with handsets that can be customized to meet their individual needs,” said David Kimbell, vice president of marketing for U.S. Cellular. “As the interest in smartphones continues to grow, we are thrilled to roll out high-performing, competitively priced devices that enable our customers to be more productive and simplify their lives.”
The Samsung Gem is backed by U.S. Cellular’s high-speed nationwide network and The Belief Project, both of which have received high marks from industry insiders and consumers. U.S. Cellular has the highest call quality and network satisfaction of any national carrier*, and The Belief Project earned Frost & Sullivan’s Customer Value Enhancement of the Year Award.
The Belief Project recognizes customer loyalty with unmatched benefits and rewards like faster upgrades to the coolest phones in as little as 10 months without requiring customers to repeatedly sign contracts. It also offers an assortment of bundled National Single Line and Family Belief Plans designed to mirror the way people use their phones.
New customers who sign up for a Belief Plan and fulfill an initial two-year commitment will never have to sign another one with U.S. Cellular’s “no contract after the first.” Current U.S. Cellular customers who previously signed up for a Belief Plan and are already eligible for a phone upgrade can get promotional prices without signing another contract. Customers automatically get valuable rewards that can be used for faster phone upgrades in as little as 10 months, additional lines, phones, accessories and ringtones.
For more information about all of U.S. Cellular’s deals, plans and phones, and other restrictions on this offer, visit any U.S. Cellular store, go to uscellular.com or check out U.S. Cellular on Facebook.
*”Source: The Nielsen Company estimation based on an independent survey of 8,324 mobile phone users across U.S. Cellular’s footprint between October 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010. Copyright 2010 The Nielsen Company.”
About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular rewards its customers with the unmatched benefits of The Belief Project, an array of industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Belief Project, named Frost & Sullivan’s Customer Value Enhancement of the Year, complements the Chicago-based carrier’s growing catalog of cutting-edge phones that are all backed by its high-speed nationwide network. U.S. Cellular was recently named a J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Customer Service Champion and was also named one of Forbes Magazine’s 2010 “Most Trustworthy Companies.” To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. You can also check out U.S. Cellular on Facebook.
SOURCE U.S. Cellular
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RELATED LINKS
http://www.samsung.com
http://www.uscellular.com
From www.prnewswire.com
Cox Launches Wireless in Oklahoma
Mar 29th
Company to Launch Wireless in Additional Cities in 2011
ATLANTA, March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Cox Communications today officially introduced its “Unbelievably Fair” mobile phone and high-speed Internet service throughout Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Okla. Oklahoma City and Tulsa mark the 5th wireless cities for Cox, following the company’s initial launch in Hampton Roads, Va., Omaha, Neb. and Orange County, Calif.
The addition of wireless to Cox’s existing bundle of video, Internet and landline telephone services brings an unprecedented value proposition to consumers and introduces greater ease in integrating home and mobile services. Cox, the only wireless carrier to provide MoneyBack Minutes (SM), or cash back on customers’ bills for unused minutes each month, has received a very enthusiastic response from customers of other providers who would lose unused minutes or carry them over month-to-month with no monetary benefit.
“We are very excited to bring Cox’s fair approach to wireless to consumers in Oklahoma,” said Len Barlik, Cox’s executive vice president of product development and management. “We are introducing new service and features to the Cox bundle that were built on fairness – and our customers are telling us they like it. We plan to bring the same value from bundling services, unbelievably fair plans and easy to use products and services to more Cox customers this year.”
Following Oklahoma, Cox will soon launch wireless service in its New England market, which includes Rhode Island and Cox communities in Connecticut and Cleveland, Ohio. Later this year, the company will introduce Cox Wireless in additional markets, bringing its wireless service to more than 50 percent of the Cox footprint.
For more information about Cox Wireless service and details on devices and rate plans, including images and videos, visit www.unbelievablyfairwireless.com or www.cox.com (choose Hampton Roads, Va., Omaha, Neb., Orange County, Calif., Oklahoma City or Tulsa, Okla.)
Social Media: #CoxWireless, #UnbelievablyFair, #MoneybackMinutes
About Cox Communications:
Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company, providing advanced digital video, Internet, telephone and wireless services over its own nationwide IP network. The third-largest U.S. cable TV company, Cox serves more than 6 million residences and businesses. Cox Business is a facilities-based provider of voice, video and data solutions for commercial customers, and Cox Media is a full-service provider of national and local cable spot and new media advertising.
Cox is known for its pioneering efforts in cable telephone and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For seven years, Cox has been recognized as the top operator for women by Women in Cable Telecommunications; for six years, Cox has ranked among DiversityInc’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity, and the company holds a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com and www.coxmedia.com.
SOURCE Cox Communications
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From www.prnewswire.com
Smoothstone Launches Enterprise Fixed Mobile Convergence Solution for Android
Mar 23rd
LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Smoothstone IP Communications, the leading provider of cloud-based enterprise unified communications applications and services, announced today the launch of the Mobile Connect application for Android phones. Mobile Connect is an app that allows enterprises to extend the reach of their corporate communications services to mobile employees by connecting their mobile phones to the enterprise IP network.
(Logo: https://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090806/CL57709LOGO )
Enterprises are increasingly relying on mobile phones to drive employee productivity both in and out of the office, while also trying to drive down costs by integrating these devices with their enterprise communications systems.
Mobile Connect helps to meet this challenge, allowing mobile employees to have seamless access to their enterprise communication network from their Android-powered mobile handsets. With Mobile Connect, mobile and remote employees are better equipped to work as effectively and efficiently as those in corporate offices. The application is available exclusively to Smoothstone customers as a free download from the Android Market and is compatible with any Android-powered phone. Smoothstone also offers the Mobile Connect app for the iPhone.
“Through fixed mobile convergence, the mobile phone is playing an increasingly important role in the enterprise communications landscape, and Smoothstone understands that,” said Jeff Wellemeyer, president and CTO of Smoothstone. “We’re making it more accessible for both Android and iPhone users to expand their workforces in the field while keeping all their communications on one platform.”
Through the use of the Mobile Connect app, the enterprise’s mobile workforce can take full advantage of all of the outbound calling features from Smoothstone, such as access to the company directory, low-cost international calling, 4-digit on-net dialing, and visual voice mail with one-touch access to listen to and manipulate messages.
“Smoothstone’s Mobile Connect app lets employees take their workplaces with them for improved productivity and efficiency,” said Amy Lind, Research Manager for Enterprise Voice & IP Communications Services at IDC Research. “The enterprises supporting these mobile and remote workers also benefit by realizing stronger employee performance, decision-making and communication with customers, partners and other constituents.”
Mobile Connect provides users with a convergence of their desktop and mobile phones, providing callers the simplicity of a single number and maintaining privacy of personal mobile numbers. Outbound calls placed through Mobile Connect reflect the caller ID from the user’s corporate number, not the mobile number, and when used in conjunction with Smoothstone’s Phone Control, incoming calls can ring on both desk phone and mobile phone simultaneously.
Mobile Connect provides separate call logging, call history and voice mail, allowing users to keep their work and personal calls completely separated on the same device. Compliance requirements and features from VoiceMaxx also are carried over to the mobile phone through Mobile Connect. Advanced features such as call recording and centralized call detail reporting are also extended from the Smoothstone cloud-based enterprise platform.
About Smoothstone
Smoothstone IP Communications is the leading provider of cloud based communications for the enterprise – including MPLS-based application networking, enterprise voice, unified threat management, advanced contact center solutions, unified messaging and collaboration tools – all delivered as a unified suite of cloud-based applications. Smoothstone’s scalable, on-demand applications and services can be integrated with a customer’s existing network and telecommunications infrastructure, operational processes, and employee activities, enabling customers to migrate to unified IP communications as their business requirements dictate. For more information, visit www.smoothstone.com or call 800.773.3037.
SOURCE Smoothstone IP Communications
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http://www.smoothstone.com
From www.prnewswire.com
Lava Launches KKT 35 – The Color Matcher Phone
Mar 17th
To boost the festive spirit of Holi, Lava Mobiles has launched a new mobile phone – KKT 35. The handset comes with a new feature called “Color Matcher” that allows the user to choose any color as a background and put it as the home screen wallpaper on the handset.
This dual SIM (GSM+GSM) handset comes with a 2.4-inch QVGA TFT Screen. Multimedia features include multiple format video player which supports AVI, 3GP and MP4 files and FM Radio. It comes with a 3.5mm audio jack enabling the users to rejoice music with their favourite set of earphones. It sports a slim look and has a metallic finish. Other features include Chat style SMS, Mobile Tracker, Voice Recording and USB Support. Also, the handset comes with a 1400mAh battery which promises 8 to 9 hrs long battery life.
KKT 35 can be snapped for as low as Rs.3, 950.
SMS REV to 59995 to get expert reviews on latest phones, laptops, cameras and more.
SMS TIPS to 59995 to get Tips and Tricks for phones, laptops, cameras and more.
Rs. 3 per SMS
From www.techtree.com
Firm launches new Smart Phone series
Mar 16th
Zen Mobile, a global leading brand of mobile phones has debut in Nigeria with six series of quality mobile phones.
Speaking at the launch of the Zen range of mobile phones held at Jade Palace, Victoria Island, Lagos, the General Manager, Zen Africa, Mr. Girish Sharma explained that Zen Mobile is in the country to offer Nigerians best quality mobile phones at affordable prices.
According to Sharma, in the last one decade since the introduction of GSM in Nigeria ,Nigerians have been made to pay more for less as the cost of mobile phones are relatively too high and this is what Zen Mobile is here to address.
“Zen Mobile is here to offer Nigerians a double-edge advantage of quality phones made with best technology, which is comparable to any other leading brands in the world at unbelievably affordable prices”
Highlighting the unique advantages of Zen Mobile phones, Mr. Girish Sharma revealed that all the six series of phones offers dual SIM facility as well as unparallel battery span with the X410 series having a 30 days battery backup while all the phones comes with 15 month warranty.
On after sales service to customers, Sharma announced that Zen Mobile already have 10 services centres spread across the country for a start with a plan to have more. He disclosed that the service centres are fully stocked with spare parts and manned by qualified and well trained technicians.
The six Zen Mobile phones series launched include the X 381 series basic with dual SIM, dual standby with 1.5’’ TFT LCD screen, micro SD slot up to 2 G.B,500 phonebook memory, music/video player, FM radio, flight mode, touchlight, 3.5mm Jack and GPRS.
The X410 series comes with a 30 day battery backup with key features such as dual SIM, dual standby with 1.8’’ TFT LCD screen, micro SD slot up to 4 G.B,500 phonebook memory, cameravideo, Bluetooth, Music/video player, wireless FM radio, flight mode, touchlight, 3.5mm Jack.
The X430 basic with camera with key features like dual SIM, dual standby with 1.8’’ TFT LCD screen, micro SD slot up to 4G.B, 500 phonebook memory, cameravideo, Bluetooth, music/video player, wireless FM radio, flight mode, touchlight, 3.5mm Jack and GPRS.
The M20 Multimedia with key features like dual SIM, dual standby with 2.2’’ QVGA LCD screen, micro SD slot up to 4 G.B, 1000 phonebook memory, 1.3 MP camera/video, Bluetooth, GPRS, WAP enable, music/video player, wireless FM radio, flight mode, touchlight, 3.5mm Jack and Theft Tracker.
The Z66 Qwerty with key features like dual SIM, dual standby with 2.2’’ TFT LCD screen, Qwerty keypad, Micro SD slot up to 4 G.B, 500 phonebook memory, camera/video, Bluetooth, GPRS, WAP enable, music/video player, FM radio, flight mode and 3.5mm Jack.
Z82 Qwerty with TV with key features like dual SIM, dual standby with 2.4’’ QVGA LCD screen, Qwerty keypad, multi colour jog ball, Micro SD slot up to 4 G.B, 1000 phonebook memory, 2.0 MP camera/video, Bluetooth, GPRS, WAP enable, JAVA, Music/ Video player, FM Radio, Flight Mode, motion sensor, 3.5mm Jack Analog TV, Theft Tracker, Face book, Twitter, Nimbus, Messenger, Caller picture and Azaan Alarm.
From thenationonlineng.net
uniBank re-launches enhanced mobile banking service
Mar 5th
Mr Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, uniBank Managing Director, said the mobile payment solution was one of many initiatives by the bank to promote increase financial inclusion.
“In this connection, this initiative of enabling banking services to customers via a mobile phone at affordable costs will go a long way in increasing access to financial services in line with broader national objectives,” he said.
uniBank was among the first six banks in the country to introduce three main electronic banking products such as uniweb (internet banking), uni-alert (SMS alert for all transactions) and uni-Mobile, a mobile banking solution.
Mr Owusu-Amoah said through efficient and reliable service about 20,000 customers had signed on and actively using these services, falling in line with the bank’s strategy to get customers move from the use of the traditional visits to the Branch to the use of alternate channels that had been provided.
“Our customers need not walk into our branch to check balances, they need not walk into our branches to get statements or even see all transaction on their account as well as transfer money,” he said.
Mr Owusu-Amoah said the new uni-Mobile runs on the Global Banking Software provider Temenos’ Arc Mobile platform and allowed customers to view the last 10 recent transactions on their mobile phones.
It also enables direct purchases of top up units for customers and third parties from all the mobile phone companies with values loaded straight onto the phone and not through a pin number.
He said the Temenos platform can be used on any mobile handsets, making the service available to all service providers and phone models with internet connection.
“The new uni-mobile initiative certainly has the potential to become a catalyst for extending basic banking services beyond our existing branch networks in the country,” he added.
As part of the promotion in re-launching the product, customers, who sign on to the new service, will receive free coupons for pizza at Eddie’s PIZZA.
GNA
From accra-mail.com
AKAI Launches Dual-SIM Mobile Phone, the Samurai
Mar 5th
After throwing some Symbian love, AKAI has moved on to the budget users segment by launching a Dual-SIM mobile called Samurai. As with most budget phones, the Samurai is not loaded with awesome features or something, but it does boast of some basic ones.
The Samurai is supposed to have a “marathon” battery life of 7 and half hours of talk time and about 30 days of standby time. The phone also has Hindi and English support which might probably make it a decent option for Hindi-literate users. Here are the specifications of the Samurai:
- 1.8-inch TFT screen
- Digital camera
- Memory expandable up to 2 GB
- FM Radio
- 3.5 mm audio jack
If you’ve noticed, this phone doesn’t have any connectivity options which could be a bummer considering that many cell phone users literally thrive on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Anyway, the Samurai also has an LED torch and an audio/video player.
It’s priced at Rs. 1800 which pretty much explains the exclusion of quite a few features, but if you are interested in a low budget phone, (we’ve all faced those “Lost-my-smartphone-will-settle-for-cheap-phone” days now) the Samurai is available at your nearest mobile store.
From tech2.in.com
Bing launches deals on mobile site
Mar 3rd
Bing is launching deals on its mobile search site. If you go to m.bing.com from an iPhone or Android mobile phone, the menu now includes “deals.”
Clicking on it gets you a list of deals near your location, and you can sort by what’s nearby and by categories such as restaurants or movie theaters.
Local deals are the new hotness in the Web world, with companies like Groupon landing large investments.
Microsoft says the new Bing deals feature has 200,000 deals in 14,000 cities through a partnership with DealMap.
It’s not entirely ready for prime time based on some surfing I did this morning.
A search on an Android mobile phone for local deals in Seattle turned up a deal at Gossip Espresso & Tea in the Chinatown-International District. Pay $1 for a $3 bubble tea. I clicked on it. The deal expired on Feb. 16, two weeks ago.
Others worked, but were not built for buying on a mobile phone.
Another deal featured a coupon for pizza at Via Tribunali in Capitol Hill. Pay $15 and get $30 worth of food. When I click on it, it takes me to a Fresh Guide coupon website that is not optimized for a mobile phone. Paying for the deal requires filling out Web forms, which takes forever on a touchscreen keyboard.
There is an option on the mobile site to e-mail the deal to someone, so I could e-mail it to myself and fill it out later when I’m back at my desktop or laptop. But e-mailing stuff to yourself is not really in the spirit of cloud computing.
From seattletimes.nwsource.com
China’s state news agency launches search engine
Feb 22nd
China’s main government news agency launched an Internet search site Tuesday, giving its own sanitized view of the Web following Google’s closure of its China-based search engine last year over censorship.
The Xinhua News Agency is operating www.panguso.com in partnership with state-owned China Mobile Ltd., the world’s biggest phone carrier by subscribers.
More related to this story
- Mystery surrounds Chinese official who allegedly fled to Canada with $14-million
- China halts online call for a ‘jasmine revolution’
- China steps up inflation fight
The venture gives the ruling Communist Party a new tool to try to control what China’s public sees online. Industry analysts say it might be commercially viable, drawing on Xinhua’s news report and China Mobile’s vast subscriber base, but is unlikely to challenge local industry leader Baidu Inc., which has more than 75 per cent of China’s search market.
Xinhua and China Mobile announced the venture in August after Google Inc. closed its China-based search engine, saying it no longer wanted to comply with Chinese censorship and complaining its e-mail service was hacked from China.
Xinhua said it hopes to make Panguso one of China’s leading search engines.
“We would like to fully exploit the advantage of Xinhua as an official agency having a large collection of news and information, and that of China Mobile in terms of technology, advanced operation principles and strong infrastructure,” said Xinhua president Li Congjun in a statement released by the agency.
China has the world’s biggest population of Internet users with 457 million people online as of Dec. 31, and 303 million people searched the Web by mobile phone last year, according to a state-sanctioned industry group, the China Internet Network Information Center. China Mobile says it has more than 589 million accounts.
Beijing promotes Web use for business and education but its extensive filters bar access to material deemed pornographic or subversive. Search engines in China are required to exclude results of banned sites abroad.
Panguso, available on both Web and mobile phone, appears to filter even more stringently than other Chinese sites.
A search on Panguso for Liu Xiaobo, the jailed activist and Nobel Peace Laureate, returned no results. A search on Baidu turned up Chinese-language commentaries criticizing Mr. Liu.
Searches on Panguso for the Dalai Lama turned up tourism information for Tibet, followed by commentaries from Chinese state media criticizing the exiled Tibetan leader.
And Panguso has politically embarrassing gaps. It returned no result in a search for the website of People’s University in Beijing, the first university founded after the 1949 communist revolution and one of China’s most prominent institutions.
Baidu claimed a 75.5 per cent share of China’s online search market in the final quarter of last year, according to Analysys International, a Beijing research firm. Google was second but its market share fell to 19.6 per cent, down from 30.9 per cent before the closure of its China search engine.
China’s mobile phone-based search market is more fragmented. Baidu leads with 34.3 per cent but local rivals such as Easou.com also have double-digit market shares.
From www.theglobeandmail.com
Verizon Wireless launches home phone service
Feb 17th
After a brief trial that began late last year, Verizon’s new home-phone service—which lets you make unlimited domestic calls on a traditional landline phone for $20 a month, all with the help of a wireless router that taps into the carrier’s cellular network—is now open for business.
Word of Verizon’s Home Phone Connect service first surfaced back in December, and Boy Genius Report spotted a promo for the plan on the Verizon Wireless website on Thursday.
Initial reports about Home Phone Connect (including my own) had it that the service would only be open to existing Verizon Wireless subscribers, but from looks of the latest promo, it appears that anyone—including new customers—can sign up.
Here’s how it works (and keep in mind that I haven’t tested the service myself yet): You take any standard landline phone and simply plug it into Verizon’s AC-powered Home Phone Connect base station, which looks like a home Wi-Fi router.
Once it’s activated (and yes, you can port over your home phone number if you like), the Home Connect service offers up your usual menu of calling services—including call waiting, forwarding, caller ID, three-way calling, voice mail, and 911 service—along with unlimited calling to any U.S. number, for $20 a month.
Another option is add a line to an existing Verizon Wireless family plan for $10 a month, although your new home phone will have to share minutes with everyone else on the plan.
There’s also the cost of the base station to consider: $129, with discounts available if you sign a contract (free for a two-year commitment, or $50 with a one year contract).
Verizon Wireless isn’t the first cell phone carrier to offer a home-phone service; after all, T-Mobile had its @Home service up and running back in 2008. But T-Mobile shuttered @Home last year.
Besides competing with traditional landlines service, Verizon’s Home Connect plan is also up against such bargain (or free) broadband-based alternatives as Skype, Ooma, MagicJack, and Vonage.
MagicJack, for example, lets you make VoIP calls on your home phone (with a little help from your PC and a broadband connection) for as little as $20 a year after a 12-month free trial.
But Verizon argues you don’t need a broadband connection to use Home Phone Connect. The Home Connect base station also boasts a GPS chip that pinpoints your position when making a 911 call (VoIP service usually require you to register your address for 911 service), along with a battery pack in case of a power outage.
So, would you consider trading in your landline (assuming you still have one) for Verizon’s new home-phone service? Or would you rather go the VoIP way?
— Ben Patterson is a technology blogger for Yahoo! News.
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From news.yahoo.com
