Apple has announced a free replacement of the Ultracompact USB Power Adapter, which is sold together with the iPhone 3G in some countries or seperate optional accessory. According to the company, the new ultracompact Apple USB power adapter’s metal prongs can break off and remain in a power outlet under cetain conditions, creating a risk of electric shock.


Affected countries are listed on this list, you can either order a replacement adapter via the website or exchange your adapter at an Apple Retail Store starting on October 10. Check the detail here

Nissan Motor, NTT DOCOMO and Sharp announced today that they have jointly developed a mobile phone capable of functioning as an intelligent key for automobiles. Nissan’s Intelligent Key system employs two-way wireless communications technology to automatically unlock/lock the car door and start/stop the engine. Nissan and Sharp has now integrated these electronic intelligent-key, wireless communications and electromagnetic technologies into the new handset.


Nissan, DOCOMO and Sharp will demonstrate this mobile phone with built-in Intelligent Key in their respective exhibits at CEATEC Japan 2008, which begins September 30. The three firms will continue to develop the product with an aim for commercial distribution in early fiscal year 2009.

Exclusive: Samsung Bresson sales date

Mobile Phone Helpdesk obtained some new information about the Samsung M8800 Bresson today. Anannouncement is not far away anymore because the device will be in the shops shortly.

An anonymous tipster reported to Mobile Phone Helpdesk today that the Samsung M8800 Bresson will be in the shops within seven weeks, namely in week 46. That the Samsung Bresson is coming closer is something we knew since yesterday, as is the date at which the device will be announced. Today we can tell you the day at which the device will reach the shops and this is much earlier than we thought: November 10.

The Samsung M8800 Bresson will become the second device in the Samsung portfolio that offers an expanded eight megapixel camera. However, the Samsung Bresson is a little different from earlier megapixel phones of the Korean brand, this device namely is a touchscreen phone with the complete multimedia experience like the Samsung Omnia. According to the rumours the following possibilities will be present: full HD TV on the 3.2 inch display with 16 million colours, UMTS and HSDPA support and a GPS receiver.

First we have to wait for the official announcement of the Samsung M8800 Bresson at September the 25th, after this everyone will be running to the shops at November the 10th in order take the device home.

Skibag Philips DLO-Jam Jacket - fashionable protection for the player and phone

The company Philips has announced that the new series covers Philips DLO-Jam Jacket will soon be available to users of iPod and iPhone around the world. Philips Consumer Lifestyle acquired Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO) in 2007 and now has a wide range of MP3-covers and accessories from cables to docking stations, headphones and speakers. Skibag Jam Jacket, previously issued in the U.S. under the brand DLO, made of soft silicone comfortable, fully protects the player. Novelty also saves users from the inconvenience, delivered consistently entangled wires. All blankets Jam Jacket equipped with a system with headphones that allows easy to deploy and headphone cables from the back of the cover. Skibag Jam Jacket for players Nano and iPod Classic equipped with a scroll wheel protection and relief to the touch buttons to control iPod.
Jam Jacket for iPod Touch opens up access to the touch screen and comes with special protection screen Surface Shield, oberegayuschey display from scratches and stains. Cover makes it easy to manipulate all the elements of iPod, has a spacious holes for the lock switch, headphone jack and socket connection - free to users will be able to recharge and synchronize your iPod with other devices, not vynimaya it from cover.

Skibag Jam Jacket will allow users to fashion products Apple to protect the device from external damage, as well as the usual devices to adapt to different situations.

Classic leather series Philips HipCase is bracing for the belt and soft fabric cover inside. These models are offered in black and brown, are a convenient inner pocket to accommodate a spare SIM card. The advantage of this line in the possibility of free access to terminals docking stations and headphones.

A series of Jam Jacket - it blankets slip out of silicon with a convex surface around the edges to better protect the corners of the player. Skibag equipped with special rear compartment with the insertion grooves for placing headphone cable. Package includes film Surface Shield, which can be a label on the screen, thereby protecting it.

Are you starting out in mobile? Here are some useful resources for you.

Don't know where to start when it comes to getting yourself up to speed with what's going on in our industry?

I get asked this *a lot* so I thought I'd write a blog post about recommended useful resources and also get your contributions in as well to help newbies to our industry become fully-fledged mobilists.

Blogs

Well, if you're here, you've made a good start already by checking out some mobile blogs. This, of course, isn't the only one and there's a rather good list over at WIPwiki. If you only read two blogs, then make it http://www.mobhappy.com and http://www.smstextnews.com

Free Reports

If you're specific interest is Mobile Marketing and Advertising, then the free Tanla Guide to Mobile Marketing and Advertising is worth downloading [disclaimer: I wrote a big chunk of it]. It's a comprehensive, hands-on look at the world of mobile marketing and includes essays from leading industry experts on different aspects of the mobile marketing and advertising sector.

If you're after a more generic take on the mobile industry, then The Netsize Guide is well worth a look too and includes market information for many countries around the globe. It's also a free download or paid-for print version.

If you're interested in the mobile consumer, then the Carphone Warehouse takes an annual look at this under the Mobile Life moniker. It contains data from both the UK and the US.

For a UK-centric view of the communications world, then OFCOM's annual review is a must-read. The report from August 2007 is available and so it will only be a couple of months before we have this year's edition.

Networking and events

The Mobile Mondays community is very active in many cities around the world. I help to run the London chapter and we have a membership of several thousand, an active discussion list and run events on the first or second Monday of the month for 10 months of the year. It's free to join the yahoo group (where you can participate in discussions and find out about upcoming events) and the facebook group for Mobile Monday London. Each city chapter runs in slightly different ways so I recommend you look for your nearest one and get involved. If nothing else, you should learn something and meet at least a handful of interesting people!

Swedish Beers is a long-standing, ad-hoc networking event I run with some pals in London, Barcelona and now Sydney for folks who have a passing interest in things mobile so we cover all areas of media, marketing, mobile network operators, content creators and more besides. London events happen 2 or 3 times a year (I'm currently looking for a sponsor for our next event if you or someone you know is interested). The Barcelona event happens every February to coincide with Mobile World Congress (again, I'm looking for sponsors for this to see if we can make it even better than this year's). There are no presentations, no sales pitches, just drinks, good company, a friendly atmosphere and lots of chat. Events are announced via the Swedish Beers blog and the facebook group.

For the women amongst you, there's the Women in Mobile Data Association and we have events coming up in September and December in London and February 2009 in Barcelona. Updates appear on the facebook group and our email list (contact me to join the email list - it's free).

And for the London mobile geeks amongst you, then there's Mobile Geeks of London which is happening next Thursday evening, headed up by the lovely James Whatley from Spinvox.

And if that's not enough, the wonderful Ewan at SMSTextNews also runs events from time to time all over the world. Keep an eye on his blog to find out when they're on.

So that's my initial suggestions for useful mobile resources. Please feel free to add any of your own as I realise this is a rather limited and networking-wise UK-centric list.

A useful guide to SMS launched today

After announcing my upcoming course on mobile marketing earlier today, Laura from ExactTarget's PR team over in the States wrote me a lovely email asking me for my opinion on her client's new guide to SMS. Admittedly, on reading that the company behind the publication was a tech services company I thought the guide might be a bit dry, as tech guides can often be, but I'm very pleased to say, I was totally wrong on that score. It's an fresh take on SMS marketing in an easy-to-read format.

Laura says: "ExactTarget’s Field Guide to SMS is an easy-to-read manual that conveniently breaks down the numerous uses of commercial SMS into three groups including: alerts, updates and marketing messages. Perfect for marketers who wonder what possibilities exist for using SMS within their own organizations, the Field Guide highlights 15 unique business scenarios ranging from account activity and fraud alerts to confirmations and appointment reminders."

I say: "The ExactTarget team have put a lot of thought into the different cases for using SMS in a business context ranging from account activity alerts to VIP access and everything in between. Keeping with the 'Field Guide' and Nature theme, they've defined characteristics of the different 'species' of SMS messages and broken them down in each case by describing the Wildlife Commentary (real life usage scenarios), Defining Characteristics (an explanation of how that particular type of SMS works, Species Contribution (the benefits of using it), Diet (what data you need to make it work) and Habitat (where you're likely to discover this type of SMS). It's intended as an idea-starter rather than a comprehensive guide, but if it's a starting point you want, then this is as good a start as any."

Google And The Wireless World

Emerging Mobile News As the top executive of AT&T Inc.'s mobile division talked about new gadgets and strategies at the wireless industry show this week, he slipped in a surprise: The Google Inc.-backed Android mobile software likely has a future on some AT&T phones. "I was concerned that maybe they were just going to focus on Google applications, but they're going to open it up and allow us to be able to customize" an Android device, said Ralph de la Vega, president of AT&T Mobility. "I am more impressed than ever that I think that's going to be a good option." Even though Google isn't exactly in the wireless business, that hasn't stopped it from spurring industry-wide change as it seeks to expand its reach to mobile devices. "We'll continue pushing to help make the wireless world look much more like the open platform of the Internet," Google attorneys Richard Whitt and Joseph Faber said Thursday in a statement about a recent radio spectrum auction.

In that auction, Google put billions of dollars on the line to get the government to impose new wireless open-access rules. More recently, the company has pushed to turn vacant television channels into a new medium for Internet access. It's also reportedly a potential investor in a next-generation wireless network. "They've had a tremendous impact," said Avi Greengart, mobile device research director for Current Analysis Inc. "They view the wireless industry strategically as a platform that they have to play in. They look at the future of the Internet as moving mobile." When it comes to advertising, Google's core business, a mobile user is more valuable than a person sitting at a desk because he or she is more likely to immediately need and use information, Greengart said. "Google's strategy basically is: 'Bet on every horse and add horses to the race as necessary,' " he said. Google made a bet worth more than $4.6 billion during the auction of radio airwaves that will become available next year as TV stations switch to digital broadcasts. Although Google didn't win any airwaves, it helped persuade the Federal Communications Commission to require that the winner of a huge part of the airwaves let subscribers use any wireless devices and software. Verizon Wireless won those and other airwaves with bids worth $9.4 billion.

The carrier said Friday it would use the airwaves for a next-generation high-speed data network using Long Term Evolution, a technology that will be ideal for connecting electronics including phones, medical devices and gaming consoles. "Verizon changed its whole philosophy" about open access in advance of the auction, said Tole Hart, an analyst with the Gartner Inc. research firm. U.S. carriers traditionally have tightly controlled the devices and applications allowed on their networks. "Partly as a result of our bidding, consumers soon should have new freedom to get the most out of their mobile phones and other wireless devices," Google's attorneys said. Until last week, federal rules prohibited auction participants from talking about it in detail. The Internet search leader also is pushing the government to open up unused parts of the TV spectrum so they can be used for mobile broadband. Other supporters of the effort include Microsoft Corp. and Dell Inc. The unused spectrum offers "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide ubiquitous wireless broadband access to all Americans," Whitt, Google's telecom and media lawyer, said in a letter to the FCC last month.

TV broadcasters, who are worried about radio interference, have opposed the proposals. Recent news reports also have named Google as a potential investor in a project led by Sprint Nextel Corp. that would deploy a nationwide network using WiMax, a high-speed and long-range wireless technology often called "Wi-Fi on steroids." "What we've seen in the wireless industry over the last 20 years has been companies that have all followed the same path," said Jeff Kagan, an independent telecommunications analyst. "Everybody has taken the same path except Google. Google comes in with an entirely new way of thinking."