Industry News

Here at Virtual Impact, we try to keep on top of the ever-changing mobile industry and keep our clients informed of these vital changes. Below are various links to news that we feel might be of use to you. Included are mobile phone launches and other industry news.

1,000,000th iPhone

Ok, so in only 74 days, the iPhone has been sold 1 million times, more than the original iPod by the way, but is it really that good? Perhaps, and we have yet to see here in the UK after the announcement that O2 have secured the iPhone deal. Vodafone users will no doubt be disappointed, although in my experience, phones rarely live up to their hype, and I expect that whatever phone Apple brings out as a sequel will be far better. We will have to wait until Christmas to see just how good it really is.

The Palm Treo 500v

While the new Palm Treo looks suspiciously like a Blackberry, it does look like Palm could be onto a good thing. Having moved away from the Palm OS, the Treo uses Windows. Email and web along with the usual modern phone functionality make this a good choice for the workaholic. Beware Palm fans, this newest version has for the first time moved away from touch screen to a purely QWERTY keypad.

Government Extend The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR)

After 28 separate studies, the government has decided to give another £8.8 million into the health studies on mobile phones. Most previous studies have been somewhat inconclusive, but the majority suggest that mobile phones do not pose any health risk to users. Although health and safety should always be the forefront of any new technology, it begs the question whether people would stop using mobile phones even if they did find a link to them with cancer.

Motorola RAZR2 V9

The disappointing newest edition to the RAZR range, the V9, while a little thicker than the V8, is only fractionally better, and Motorola have insisted on keeping the 2 mega pixel camera rather that upgrading. The design still looks great, but then it hasn't changed, maybe it's about time the RAZR series faded away into nothingness.

Nokia Launch NetActTM Configurator

Nokia have launched a family of network management solutions to help integrate and develop the current disparities within the various networks. The hope is that next generation platforms and services will integrate more easily with the software. We are more than excited to see how this may affect compatibility within the market.

Sony Ericsson K770i

As with previous Cyber-shot phones, the K770i has more than simply an impressive 3.2 mega pixel camera, but a decent flash and auto focus. The inbuilt photo applications make this a happy snappers dream. The usual benefits are included and although the design has not been improved in any major way, the phone comes in a fetching brown. The K770i is also a very lightweight phone at just 95 grams.

BlackBerry Curve 8310

The design team at BlackBerry are much like those at Porsche, make a good thing and stick to it. Not unsurprisingly then, the new 8310 is much the same as the older 8300, but it has some subtle differences. The 8310 has developed into an awesome piece of hardware for anyone looking to work on the go, and now includes GPS. However, as with more and more mobile devices these days, you can only get it from one provider, Vodafone, and that does not appear to be changing any time soon.

LG Shine KE970 Titanium Black

LG have increasingly begun to impress with their sleek designs and very smart phones. Although it remains pretty standard as far as functionality goes, the KE970's titanium black colour is very attractive, and builds on the original silver design, and the beginnings of the SV420. While LG should never attempt to work with Prada again, if they continue their impressive design run, especially with the soon to launch KS20, then they could begin seeing a larger share of the market.