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LG Posts Positive Q2 Results, Poised To Take No. 3 Spot

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Their tagline rings true, as life certainly is good for the Korean electronics manufacturer if recent financial reports are anything to go by.

Despite their other electronic devices performing well, LG’s mobile sector has been particularly buoyant of late. Selling a record 27.7 million mobile phones from April to June, they have attributed their successes to the luxury handsets performing well with the Secret, the Viewty, and even their cut-price contender, the Orsay attracting huge sales. Also, their focus on the emerging sectors of India and South America has proved profitable.

This puts LG in a strong position moving forward, and with a 9.1% market share and over 50 million sold this year alone, many analysts feel that they could overtake the ailing Motorola to become the third largest phone maker. As recently as March, some were speculating as to whether they could overtake Sony Ericsson, and it took place as predicted only last quarter.

LG does recognise the economic downturn will hit them however, predicting a slowdown in sales for the second half of the year, as fewer new models are released. Still, in light of the difficulties faced by their competitors, LG’s optimistic goal of selling 100 million handsets for 2008 is refreshing.

Apple iPhone 3G Sales Figures Rounded Up?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Seems like Apple has learnt another neat trick from the entertainment industry, aside from selling loads of games via digital downloads.

Their claim to have sold one million iPhone 3Gs during launch weekend is being disputed by Gene Munster, an analyst for leading investment bank Piper Jaffray.

Mr. Munster’s calculations seem to differ wildly from the official figure, a result of his survey of US stores and the number of handsets activated give him a far lower final total…

Apple seems to have counted the iPhones shipped during launch weekend, whilst the actual number of those handsets actually reaching end users is far less. Could retailers be holding stock back to give an impression of exclusivity and generate interest? They wouldn’t….would they?

This is all a bit reminiscent of the classic story of Atari’s E.T. for the 2600. One of the most awful games of all time, they shipped an impressive 4 million to stores, unfortunately 2.5 million were shipped back unsold, and promptly found a more permanent home in a New Mexico landfill. Still, they shipped 4 million!

Okay, that is hardly going to be the final destination for those other iPhones, but how may did Apple actually sell? Piper Jaffray says around 425,000. Not too shabby, but not a nice round number for the media to throw out like a million, is it?

Source: MacWorld

Nokia : Sales Up, Profits Down

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Nokia seem to be on their way to their poorhouse after posting their Q2 reports, showing sales of a mere €13.2 billion, up 4% on last year. Net income is through the floor, down to €1.1 billion, less than half of the previous year.

This spiral into abject failure has been due to the closure of their factory in Bochum, a move which made them awfully unpopular with residents of the German town, for whom this source of work was integral. The 2,000 jobs were lost in an effort to make savings by shifting production to Romania, but Nokia still had to settle with a €300 million payoff for the German unions and workers, in addition to the €61 million in tax relief and grants that the government wants back. That is going to dent the profit margins of any company.

Nokia also shipped a trifling 122 million mobile phones, estimated as approximately 40% of the entire market share. With Apple aiming to gain one percent of the market by selling 10 million handsets in 2008, what some percieve as Nokia’s current ‘woes’ put all this iPhone hoopla into perspective… Apple has some ways to go before they reach the big leagues.

Source:Cellular News

Virgin Mobile Says Get Nekkid, Clothe Homeless

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Talk about appealing to people’s most base instincts. Virgin Mobile in the US has managed to combine the two greatest things ever, donating money to charity and watching people get naked on the internet, in their new drive to raise awareness of social ills as well as their brand.

The scheme ‘Strip2Clothe’ is a premise that is brilliant as it is simple. Upload ‘tasteful’ striptease videos onto their site, and each time it is viewed by 5 people, Virgin donates new garments to the homeless of Washington D.C. Despite this being the latest in a long line of programs by Virgin to aid the homeless including ‘TXT2Clothe’ and ‘TXT2Donate’, more traditional charities are up in arms about the unorthodox manner in which Strip2Clothe raises funds.

The National Network For Youth (NN4Y) were initially partners in the idea, but as some of the 150 charities they represent found it inappropriate given the compromising situations homeless youths often end up in. As such, they have dissociated themselves from the charity effort, with the Catholic Charities group citing the ‘distateful’, ‘inappropriate’, and ‘exploitative’ nature of the idea.

Probably why the latter weren’t asked by Virgin to take part in the campaign…

The means may seem a little racy, but they are arguably validated by the ends. Judging by the traffic being enough to crash Virgin’s site on two occasions since launching on the 13th of July and over 70,000 donations being made already, people are only too happy to help the homeless on the conditions that it isn’t their own money, and if they get some tame nudity in the bargain. Just like Mother Theresa wanted us to be…

EA Getting In The Game With iPhone

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Gaming’s biggest annual conference E3 is currently going on in Las Vegas, and the amount of attention the large developers are paying to the hot new girl in class - the iPhone - shows that people are taking it very seriously as a gaming platform.

Electronic Arts is one of the largest publishers in the industry, and their E3 press conference yesterday confirmed their commitment to creating unique, high-quality content for the iPhone.

They are mentioning a number of the big franchises making the jump including Tiger Woods 09, Need for Speed and Monopoly. This adds to unique titles like Spore Origins, which impressed many upon the unveiling in tandem with the iPhone development kit.

Some titles have already seen simple Java-based spinoffs for mobile phones but given the power of the iPhone, robust titles on a par with PSP games can be expected. Wi-fi and 3G allowing multiplayer, over-the-air full game downloads, unique accelerometer and touch-based interfaces? The iPhone looks to be a powerhouse to revolutionise yet another industry.

Read the rest of this entry »

HTC Makes A Name For Itself In The U.S.

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Heard of HTC? Unless you’re really into your tech hardware, possibly not. Maybe they aren’t a Samsung or a Motorola just yet, but they are the largest manufacturer of Windows Media-based handsets, and they want you to know about it. Okay, not you, but the US…then you.

With the launch of the Touch Diamond in the UK and the States, as well as the forthcoming Touch Pro, HTC seems determined to penetrate the public conscious with a multi million dollar marketing push across all media featuring the tagline, “Set Your Fingers Free”. Don’t mean to be a stickler, but whilst HTC were busy fiddling with styluses (stylii?), Apple beat them to the finger pie buffet with the iPhone. The Touch Diamond still has one…

The imaginative ad on their site highlights their new focus on being a maker of fun, intuitive touch-driven handsets, rather than remaining an austere PDA maker for the gadget-savvy. They have been known for courting a fair few networks in their time with many exclusive handsets including o2’s XDA series, but it seems they wish to get their solo project off the ground finally.

Combine this with their more prominent branding on handsets, the community aspect they are attempting to develop with the HTCWiki, and the Touch Diamond soon to be available on all networks in the UK, HTC may be a force to be recognised as much as reckoned with in the smartphone sector.

iPhone 3G Jonny : Is Nothing Sacred?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

We were a bit sad when finding out that the iPhone 3G queues in New York were headed up not by card-carrying members of the Steve Jobs fanclub, but rather a collective looking to change the world through the power of sitting down. But to hear the world’s first owner of Apple’s überphone was in fact a living, breathing ad for Yellow Pages New Zealand just breaks our hearts.

Yes…Jonny Gladwell, the man who kept a log of all the adventures on his blog, became a media darling and won the hearts of the tech world with blind iPhone devotion is now emblazoned across their site, alongside free promotion for a list of all of the things he was able to buy on his phone whilst in the cold. Thanks Yellow Pages (TM)!

Now, in an act of sacrilege, they are holding a competition to win that very iPhone he queued 60 hours to procure.

What a git.

Vodafone Acquires 70% Stake In Ghana Telecom

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Vodafone has bought up a controlling stake in Ghana Telecom in a bid to craft an empire in the emergent African market. Seventy percent of the West African country’s third largest mobile service provider and number one in landline communications has been acquired from the Ghanaian government at a cost of £450 million.

With the number of mobile phone users in Ghana increasing at a rate of 50% over last year and only 33% currently owning a phone, Vodafone are looking to capitalise on new opportunities whilst Western Europe is on a downturn. Already having large stakes in telecoms networks in South Africa, Kenya and Egypt, Vodafone is wise to focus on offering a viable alternative in nations whose landline infrastructure is poor.

It isn’t purely exploitative, as Vodafone’s departing CEO Arun Sarin spoke of their commitment to invest over £250 million on improving Ghana Telecom: “Ghana is one of the most attractive markets in Africa, I expect that our investment will generate substantial benefits for Vodafone and for the Ghanaian economy and we are delighted that we will be working in partnership with the government of Ghana.”

Detractors are unimpressed with their business decision to avoid dealing with the market leader MTN, currently the network of choice for 50% of Ghana’s users. However, the prohibitive cost and the circling of other potential buyers has said to have dissuaded Vodafone from considering the firm.

Good news all round for the ailing Ghana Telecom, with their development of broadband installation in full swing and the weight of Vodafone behind them, they could become the jewel in the crown of the company’s African expansion plans.

Mobile Phone Transactions To Be Worth £151bn by 2013

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Despite the downturn in the mobile phone market with regards to handset sales, industry analyst Juniper Research has predicted an explosion in the purchasing of goods on those handsets in the next five years.

They forecasted that the payments via mobile of both digital and physical items could exceed $300bn across the planet by 2013. That’s a lot of Leona Lewis ringtones, but also includes the buying of books, games and CDs. Juniper realises the infrastructure for this is not ready for this kind of expansion, urging companies to take advantage of the “significant and immediate” opportunities in the arena of the mobile internet.

The report’s author, Howard Wilcox, talked of the potential in this emerging market: “They [retailers] need to move quickly to exploit the opportunity presented, and ensure that they maintain ease of use for their customers who are already familiar with web shopping from their PCs.”

To paraphrase, Wilcox sees mobile commerce as one big chicken waiting to get plucked.

The prevalence of smartphones and 3G connectivity is giving consumers the freedom to blow their cash on the move, and the future of advertising has the potential to target people based on location, for example only whilst on public transport or at sporting events.

The two big markets for mobile e-commerce are Western Europe, who are in fact mostly buying Leona Lewis ringtones via SMS, and the Far East, where Japanese folks are big on buying tangible stuff over the web.

So, get ready to be bombarded with carefully selected spam everywhere you go, lucky consumers that you are…

Source: silicon.com

Sony Ericsson Issues Profit Warning

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (240)

Sony Ericsson is currently in damage limitation mode, having to release a warning about Q2 profits that could upset investors. In that there are none. They released a report on June 28th that they will just about break even over the second quarter, blaming underwhelming sales of expensive handsets and product delays.

In what can only be described as an understatement, they described market conditions as “challenging.”

Now, Sudoku puzzles are challenging. Combating a 15% decline in the European mobile phone market as a whole is something else entirely.

Sony Ericcson seems to be the industry whipping boy of late, with a run of very bad luck. Spending seven figures appointing Maria Sharapova as their first ever brand ambassador, only to see her beautifully destroyed in the French Open and Wimbledon wasn’t doing wonders for their PR strategy. Also the rumours of Sony’s disappointment in their Swedish partner’s performance to the extent that they may leave them out of the PSPhone’s development cannot be good news.

As a result, Ericcson shares are down more than 11 percent following this profit warning, leading analysts to draw parallels between their and Motorola’s woes with an over-reliance on a few successful models rather than attempts at innovation.

Granted it is a very competitive landscape, with most of the major manufacturers speaking of their trepidation at the industry’s immediate future, but to move from 64% sales growth in Q1 2007 to 2% a year later is troubling.

Xperia X1. That’s what Sony Ericsson needs to release. Yesterday. If they get their development times down to a reasonable turnaround instead of the 2 years the Xperia has floated around for, then they would be far more successful at remaining competitive and current.

Source : Reuters