Review of GSM/UMTS-smartphone Motorola Z8

by Jack Cook

Mobile-review.com has completed an extensive and well thought out review of the NEW Motorola Z8. I had the opportunity to hold and use for a brief period of time the Z8 while at the UIQ conference in Boston and I can tell you that it was an impressive device. Is it the best on the market? Will it become the new flagship for Motorola? With just a brief period of time using it, I can’t answer that question but the folks at Mobile-review can so take a moment (or two) and check out their very extensive review. There are a slew of pictures immersed throughout the review so you should get a pretty good feel for the device.

Motorola Z8 has been made up as the pioneer of a new line-up within Motorola?s range. In the past the company had Symbian-powered products, such as Motorola A920, Motorola A925, Motorola A1000. So seemingly there is no way for this product to claim first-of-a-kind title, yet it is still very unique. Up until the release and official introduction, even over at Motorola they were hotly debating positioning of the model, and whether it was worth launching at all, or they would have been better off with presenting an updated version right away. The handset?s fate, indeed, was going very uneasy ways.

Here is a quick look at the Z8 that I took while at the UIQ conference: The MOTORIZR Z8 - A Quick Look

And an interesting interview with Andrew Till, the Senior Director of the Software Platform at Motorola Limited. He gave a compelling presentation during the UIQ event.

Nokia chooses India for latest mobile phone launch

Nokia chose Delhi, India, for Thursday's launch of seven mobile phones for emerging markets, including two intended for shared use by families or entire villages.

The launch of these GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) phones in India comes in the wake of attempts by the Indian government and mobile services operators in the country to introduce low-cost mobile telephony to India's rural masses.
Like the traditional public call office, the shared mobile phone offered through a local village entrepreneur is seen by many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) as the best way to increase mobile penetration in rural markets, where users may not be able to afford a personal phone. In many villages, local entrepreneurs have already emerged to offer this service.
Nokia's 1200 and 1208 models offer call-time tracking and multiple phonebooks, the company said. To help manage airtime costs, the call-time tracking feature allows consumers and village phone entrepreneurs to preset a time or cost limit on individual calls, automatically ending the call after the limit has been reached, it said.
India had 166 million mobile subscribers at the end of March, up 68 percent over a year earlier, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Most of these subscribers are in urban areas. Large mobile service providers have identified the rural market as the next big opportunity. The government is also subsidizing roll-outs of mobile services in rural markets, and has proposed that operators share infrastructure to reduce costs.
A number of multinational mobile phone vendors, including Nokia, have started manufacturing phones in India. Nokia also has other operations in the country including a research and development center and a network operations center.
The Nokia 1200, with a monochrome screen, will be available this quarter with an estimated retail price of about $48 before subsidies or taxes. The Nokia 1208, with a color VGA-resolution screen, will be available in the third quarter of this year with an estimated retail price of $65, Nokia said.
Nokia also launched four other low-cost GSM phones, including the entry-level Nokia 1650 and Nokia 2660, and the Nokia 2630 and 2760 with features such as a built-in camera, an e-mail client, an FM radio and Bluetooth connectivity.
The Nokia 1650 and 2660 will be available this quarter, with the 1650 priced at about $75, and the 2660 at about $115. The Nokia 2630 and Nokia 2760 will be available in the third quarter of this year. The estimated price for the Nokia 2630 will be around $115 and for the Nokia 2760 around $122.
The company also launched Nokia 2505, an entry-level phone based on the CDMA (code division multiple access) standard for markets in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, China, and Latin America. The phone will be available in select markets in this quarter. Nokia did not disclose the pricing of this product.

Nokia wins GSM/EDGE network and managed services contract with new Slovenian operator Tusmobil

Slovenian greenfield operator, Tusmobil, has selected Nokia as its GSM/EDGE core and radio network supplier. Nokia will also operate the Tusmobil network allowing the operator to focus its management activities on building the Tusmobil image, mobile services creation, and customer acquisition. With Nokia's support Tusmobil will be able to quickly enter the Slovenian mobile market and offer a wide range of services right from the network launch, which is expected to take place in May 2007. "Tusmobil is in an exciting but challenging position in the competitive Slovenian mobile market. We needed a vendor that has a credible track record in network infrastructure solutions and services," says Marko Fujs, CEO, Tusmobil.

(PressZoom) - Espoo, Finland - Slovenian greenfield operator, Tusmobil, has selected Nokia as its GSM/EDGE core and radio network supplier. Nokia will also operate the Tusmobil network allowing the operator to focus its management activities on building the Tusmobil image, mobile services creation, and customer acquisition. With Nokia's support Tusmobil will be able to quickly enter the Slovenian mobile market and offer a wide range of services right from the network launch, which is expected to take place in May 2007. "Tusmobil is in an exciting but challenging position in the competitive Slovenian mobile market. We needed a vendor that has a credible track record in network infrastructure solutions and services," says Marko Fujs, CEO, Tusmobil. "Having Nokia operate the network will allow us to focus on customers by offering them the best mobile services in Slovenia.

"In providing managed services, Nokia takes responsibility for the operation and maintenance as well as customization of Tusmobil's network allowing the operator to concentrate on business start-up activities. Nokia will also integrate value added services platform into Tusmobil's network, and provide care and training services from its extensive service solutions portfolio. The network will be supported by the Nokia NetAct( TM ) network and service management system.

Nokia will also supply Tusmobil with cost-effective and flexible GSM/EDGE radio and core network infrastructure including Nokia Flexi EDGE Base Station, Nokia Ultrasite EDGE Base Station, Nokia MSC Server mobile softswitch, Nokia Flexi Intelligent Service Node ( ISN ), Nokia Serving GPRS Support Node ( SGSN ), and transport network.

"The cooperation with Tusmobil marks a new customer for Nokia, and highlights Nokia's leadership in supplying and managing superior network infrastructure," says Filip Rommelaere, General Manager for the Balkans, Networks, Nokia. "With Nokia's efficient network equipment and services, Tusmobil will be better positioned to win business in the Slovenian market while ensuring low operating expenditure.

" Core network and services deliveries have begun, and radio network deliveries will start in March 2007.

With its proven track record in managing networks on behalf of operators around the world, Nokia is able to support operators to enhance their service offerings and reduce costs. Nokia is a major player in the managed services business with more than 60 managed services contracts globally.

The new, innovative Nokia Flexi EDGE Base Station enables operators to introduce Nokia's best-in-class radio performance to their networks while minimizing site-related costs.

The Nokia Flexi EDGE Base Station is the latest variant in the family of Nokia Flexi Base Station products. The Nokia Flexi Base Station platform, unique in the industry, brings the benefits of modularity to GSM/EDGE, WCDMA/HSPA and WiMAX operators.

Nokia is creating seamless user experiences in converging networks thanks to mobile softswitching and IMS for fixed and mobile. With close to 130 customers for its mobile softswitching and over 50 live networks, Nokia is clearly the most experienced mobile softswitching supplier worldwide. Nokia is also the front-runner in IMS for fixed and mobile networks, with over 130 references.