BlackBerry App World will support new payment options in addition to PayPal. Customers will be able to purchase applications using major credit cards, including Visa and MasterCard, in various countries around the world. RIM is also working on integrated billing with various carriers to enable BlackBerry App World purchases to be applied directly to the customer’s monthly bill from those carriers.*

Easier Application Discovery

BlackBerry App World adds new tabbed sections for various lists of applications. Users can horizontally swipe or scroll to quickly view the Top 25 Free Apps, Top 25 Paid Apps and Top 25 Themes, as well as lists of Newest Apps and Recently Updated Apps.

QR barcode scanning is also supported, allowing users to scan a QR code associated with an application from anywhere – the web, print ads, brochures, etc. BlackBerry App World will quickly find the related application and automatically open the application’s information and download page.

BlackBerry ID

BlackBerry ID provides customers with a device-independent user identification (ID) used with BlackBerry App World. It enables new payment options, including credit cards and integrated carrier billing*, and allows customers to seamlessly transfer their personal library of free and purchased apps when they switch to a new BlackBerry smartphone.

“BlackBerry App World continues to grow with a rich catalog of personal and business oriented applications that further enhance the BlackBerry smartphone experience,” said Alan Brenner, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Platform at Research In Motion. “The new features in BlackBerry App World make it even easier for customers to find, purchase and maintain applications for their BlackBerry smartphone.”

Nearly 30 million BlackBerry smartphone users have downloaded BlackBerry App World and an average of over one million applications are being downloaded each day. Available in more than 65 countries, BlackBerry App World allows users to discover, download, recommend and manage the applications that help them get the most out of life while on the go.

The newest version of BlackBerry App World is available for beta preview to customers in the United States and Canada from BlackBerry® Beta Zone (www.blackberry.com/beta).

“We’re excited about the Intensity II launch because a major part of Verizon’s sustainability strategy is providing products that utilize post-consumer materials,” said Jim Gowen, chief sustainability officer for Verizon.

For customers interested in calculating their own carbon footprints, the Intensity II offers an eco-calculator to track car fuel mileage, efficiency and estimated amount of carbon dioxide emitted, along with a calendar and ringtones.

Colors: Deep Gray and Metallic Blue

Key features and specifications:

- Full horizontal slide-out QWERTY keyboard with external numeric keypad

- 2.2-inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) screen

- 1.3-megapixel infrared camera with night vision; series and divided shot modes; and color effects, including normal, black and white, antique, negative, aqua and green

- Voice commands and advanced speech recognition

- Bluetooth® technology with support for headset, hands-free, stereo, phonebook access, basic imaging, object push for vCard and vCalendar, and serial port

- microSD™ card slot with support for up to 32 GB (card purchased separately)

Lifestyle features:

- Built-in music player

- One-touch contact list to access frequently used contacts instantly

- Full suite of messaging options, including text, picture and voice messaging; Mobile IM; Mobile Chat; Mobile Email; and Mobile Web

- Social Beat application offers customers a single point for accessing social networking sites, including Facebook®, Twitter™ and MySpace®; e-mail; content feeds and instant messaging

- VZ Navigator® capabilities for customers to receive audible turn-by-turn directions to millions of points of interest and share the directions with others

- Media Center provides access to downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services and more

- Personal organizer and tools with calendar, calculator with currency converter, alarm clock, world clock and stop watch

- Supports Verizon Wireless services, including V CAST Music with Rhapsody® (subscription and PC downloads only), V CAST Song ID and VZW Tones

Additional environmental features:

- Packaging partially made from recycled paper and partially printed with soy ink, along with reduced package size, which creates less material to dispose of or recycle and less weight for shipping

- Box: 60 percent recycled paper

- Quick reference guide: 20 percent recycled paper

- High-efficiency charger that alerts when battery is fully charged

Price and availability:

- The Samsung Intensity II is available online today at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores in the coming weeks for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

Vodafone BlackBerry Prepaid Plans
Plan

Tariff
Daily Plan

Rs. 15
Three-Day Plan

Rs. 44
Weekly Plan

Rs. 100
Monthly Plan

Rs. 399

Kumar Ramanathan, Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Essar Ltd. “We are extremely pleased to announce the launch of BlackBerry service plans for our prepaid customers. This segment is highly cost conscious and through the democratization of data services, we are providing an entry threshold at an accessible price point of just Rs. 15 per day. We believe that this initiative will appeal to young professionals, students and a broad spectrum of retail customers who are looking for an exceptional experience for messaging, social networking, email, music and entertainment – on the go! RIM is known for its exceptional mobile communications and strong business reputation and we are delighted to continue our long term alliance. We are certain that our prepaid customers will benefit from the compelling functionality of the BlackBerry solution that’s delivered across our reliable and extensive network in India.”

Frenny Bawa, Managing Director, India, Research In Motion said. “RIM is delighted to work with Vodafone to introduce smart and flexible BlackBerry service plans for prepaid customers in India. Vodafone’s prepaid customers will now be able to stay connected with friends, family and colleagues around the world.”

Vodafone’s prepaid customers can now access information and connect within 30 minutes of notifying Vodafone customer care on their choice of the Vodafone BlackBerry prepaid service plan.

Designed as a multi functional device, Olive Pad operates on an Android Operating System and supports 3.5G HSUPA, Wi-fi, and Bluetooth. With an inbuilt three mega pixel camera and a front camera, the Olive Pad can be used as a touch notebook allowing browsing, Multimedia, Instant Messaging and easy access to the world of social networking, GPS for maps and turn by turn directions, gaming console, an e- book reader, Television and it is also a Smart Phone allowing voice and Video Calling.

Speaking at the launch of India’s First Pad, Mr. Arun Khanna, Chairman, Olive Telecom said, “At Olive, it has been our constant endeavor to create products driven by technology at the forefront. With this launch, we are bringing consumers to experience cutting edge technology that the world has been talking of. It is the true convergence device that brings together the Computer, Mobile Phone and Entertainment on one platform. The Olive Pad is aimed at today’s technology savvy generation who want easy on the move connectivity.”

Unveiling the new product, Mr. David Hind, CEO, Olive Telecom, Americas said, “We are excited to launch the much awaited OlivePad in India. This latest creation from Olive willOLIVE PAD - VT100bring revolution in the field of technology with its magical features & stylish looks. Our global consumers are going to love this device because of the experience that it provides.”

Mr. Artem Orange, CEO for Olive Telecom, CIS/CEE said “ With Olive Pad we launch a new generation of mobile devices which become your true window to the world in your pocket. With the same concept, we will evolve into more and more convergence devices giving the same reach and affordable experience to customers in India and across the world. We have received tremendous response from operators and consumers in highly sophisticated markets of Central, Eastern Europe and Russia and expect to launch Olive Pad in that market in the near future.”

OlivePad is equipped with distinctive features which include flash support, mini USB port, Camera and a Smartphone.

The OlivePad will be available countrywide at all Croma stores from August.

The new Olive Convergence portfolio is complete with WCDMA, CDMA, GSM and EV-DO handsets and smart-phones, Mobile Computing Devices and Advanced data modems for wireless broadband.

While introducing the innovative Alpha Key-pad, Mr. SN Rai, Co - Founder & Director, LAVA International Ltd. said “Lava always endeavored to introduce consumer insight driven innovations, which make people’s life simple. Last year Lava redefined consumer expectation with the introduction of KKT and A series phones. It took months of rigorous research and consumer trials to conceptualize Alpha Key-pad. We feel Alpha key-pad would further redefine the mobile phone market in a big way.”

“A market study done in the key cities of India to understand usage pattern revealed that there is a large group of consumer who crave for a business class phones but not comfortable in using the same. A further deep dive unfolded that these consumers find the existing QWERTY key-pad cumbersome to use and would be comfortable if the keys are arranged in their known alphabetical order”.

At present estimated 10% mobile handsets sold in India belong to Business class segment with QWERTY keys. Most brands in India have QWERTY keypad phone in the market or planning to come up with. Standing tall in this crowded market, LAVA is the first handset brand which has created a new segment introducing Alpha series phones and intend to capture 10% to 15% market share within this segment. Apart from the alpha key-pad lava also has option of QWERTY key-pad phone.

The concept behind Alpha key-pad phone is to make texting and e-mailing easier and faster. India has the largest number of people using sms and the Alpha keypad will go a long way to empower a very large segment of mobile users. Another benefit is to provide a user-friendly experience to increase adoptability of full key-pad phones at faster pace. The Alpha keypad is meant for those set of people, who are not familiar or comfortable with QWERTY key pad but aspire to have phone like this. Besides, individuals who require one-handed mobility will find this concept more helpful.

Mr Rai further elaborated, “Alpha key pad is one of the fine examples of Lava’s innovation in the Indian mobile handset industry. Very soon we are coming up with few more innovations which would herald a new era in this industry. We remain committed to being the first in deploying innovation & technology in the mobile handsets for consumers in India. With the launch of the new B series phones with Alpha key-pad, we seek to provide consumers with a completely different and comfortable mobile experience that has never been experienced by consumers anywhere.”

Always been the innovation leader, with the Alpha key pad concept LAVA is again establishing itself as the frontrunner in consumer understanding. In 2009 when it started its operation it was the foremost company to bring a slew of functionality rich phones with the key benefits of Dual Sim and 30 days battery back-up. Carrying forward the same mission LAVA is coming up with new series of phones, which would rewrite the future of Indian Mobile Industry.

“Motorola strives to provide an increased customizable user experience, which is enabled by our latest enhancements to MOTOBLUR and featured on the new Motorola CHARM,” said Jean Pierre Le Cannellier, vice president, Americas Marketing, Motorola Mobile Devices. “Combine that with a compact design, easy handling and all the features you would expect from a smartphone, and we believe that CHARM with MOTOBLUR adds the social ability and workability consumers are looking for.”

Motorola CHARM provides consumers all the features of a smartphone with the intuitive navigation of a 2.8 inch touch screen – all in a compact, pocketable design that makes messaging a snap using the combination of a full QWERTY keyboard and touch screen. The BACKTRACK navigation pad, located on the back of the smartphone directly behind the home screen, is similar to a laptop touch panel and enables an unobstructed view of the Web, texts, e-mails and news feeds. Plus, with Android 2.1 and enhanced MOTOBLUR features, CHARM offers new customization and filtering options.

“Being social with friends and family comes naturally for T-Mobile customers, and we think mobilizing their social experiences should be effortless,” said Saj Sahay, director of product management, T-Mobile USA. “With the new Motorola CHARM and enhancements to the Android and MOTOBLUR experience, we’re bringing more social skills to our broad portfolio of Android-powered smartphones.”

Motorola CHARM will be the first device in the U.S. to feature an enhanced version of MOTOBLUR built on Android 2.1, which syncs contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more in easy to manage streams — from sources such as Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter™, Gmail™, work and personal e-mail. MOTOBLUR now allows for even greater customization, providing users more options to follow who and what really matters.

MOTOBLUR filters can be selected from a single social networking account, contacts, group or messaging account so that users can select only the information they want to stream live to the Happenings and Messages widgets. Users can move and resize pre-loaded home screen widgets to personalize up to seven home screen panels for an even more custom experience.  Lastly, consumers can manage their phone’s battery consumption by selecting different power modes to conserve battery.

Contacts in MOTOBLUR are automatically synced to the phone from personal and work e-mail and social network accounts. MOTOBLUR will continue to provide convenience and peace of mind, as lost devices can be located from a secure personal information portal and even remotely erased if necessary. In addition, one user name and password brings back contacts, messages and connectivity to previously configured networks and e-mail providers.

Last, but not least, Moto Phone Portal enables you to access and manage your phone’s data from any browser through a USB or Wi-Fi connection. Edit content and view important phone information while at home or on-the-go. Leave pictures on a friend’s PC, share a video at the local Internet café or share a presentation during an important business meeting.

Additional features on Motorola CHARM include:

* Adobe® Flash® enabled Web browsing experience to view most of today’s content-rich sites
* Full suite of Google™ services including: Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and access to thousands of apps on Android Market™
* Pinch to zoom functionality and two-finger swipe to easily surf the Web and sort through photos

* Capture sharp photos with a 3MP camera and KODAK PERFECT TOUCH technology for better, brighter pictures
* One-touch social media uploads to Facebook®, MySpace, PicasaTM and PhotoBucket®
* CrystalTalkTM PLUS for enhanced audio and call quality with a second microphone for increased voice quality while filtering out background noise
* Corporate email pushed immediately to the device for instant inbox updates

Availability

Motorola CHARM with MOTOBLUR is expected to be available exclusively to T-Mobile USA customers this summer.  For more information on Motorola CHARM with MOTOBLUR, please visit here.  To view images please visit here.

Mr. Sudhin Mathur, Business Group Head, Mobile Communications, LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. remarked, “We are an established player in the CDMA device market & in our continued effort to entrench our leadership we have introduced a variety of open market CDMA phones. Our latest introduction is built on our philosophy to offer unique & technologically superior devices to appreciate our CDMA customers and to answer to the market expectation.”

“The “Cookie Zip” promises ultimate experience for the CDMA enthusiast. As the name suggests, the phone will enable our young mobile users to have an unordinary fun experience. It delivers all the essentials in communication, multimedia and entertainment in a delightfully compact form and enables us to realize how much more out there are we could do with the faster network by EVDO; 3G like technology in CDMA.”

Key features of the LG Cookie Zip highlighted below:

• Experience Lighting Fast Download with EVDO (Evolution Data Optimized), gives services like faster networking, video messaging, video streaming, caller tunes, song ID and push to talk & many more which enables you to make your own handset with Ultra high speed data communications.
• 7.6 CM WVGA full touch screen and intuitive flash UI gives a wonderful browsing experience
• The phone not only serves your internet needs but also keeps you connected with your peers anytime, anywhere through Social Networking applications like Face book, MySpace, Twitter and Orkut. The phone also features Panchang application that helps you with information about your future.
• Superior camera quality offered by the 2 MP camera lets the user capture pictures and videos with much better clarity with
• Store and share the data with easy connectivity on Bluetooth 2.1, extensive memory of 72 MB (internal) and upto 4 GB expandable, eases personal information management through calendar, To do, Secret Memo and Date Finder.

The LG 510, Cookie Zip will be available in the Indian market at a price of Rs 8,299 /-.

Loaded with Android 2.1, Samsung Intercept provides access to popular Google™ mobile services, including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and YouTube™, and more than 50,000 applications available in Android Market™ today. It also features a powerful processor to make it a snap to maneuver within the device.

“Samsung Intercept is a valuable addition to our growing portfolio of Android phones with a rich Internet browsing experience, visual voicemail and practically all of the latest must-have features,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president of product development for Sprint. “Best of all, at this price, we are able to bring the Android experience to a broader audience that will appreciate the versatility that comes with access to thousands of apps on Android Market. This is a great device for those who use their wireless device to manage a business or socialize with family and friends.”

“The Intercept is a perfect example of Samsung’s commitment to bring the latest Google mobile services, social applications and popular features to smart phones for the mass market,” said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer for Samsung Mobile. “Users will enjoy the Intercept’s stylish design, full QWERTY keyboard and access to full web browsing and Google services for a full-featured smart phone experience.”

Great Price Without Sacrifice
Samsung Intercept makes menu and display navigation easy with a highly responsive optical joystick that virtually zips from item to item. It operates on the Sprint 3G network (EVDO-Rev. 0) and features Wi-Fi capability, integrated GPS navigation and accelerometer. Additional features include:
- Home screen that scrolls right to left for more space to organize widgets and apps
- 3.2 Megapixel camera and video camcorder
- MP3 Player with MicroSD card slot (supports up to 32 GB)
- Stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology
- Visual voicemail
- Sprint TV®, Sprint Football Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM
- Access to social networking sites Facebook®, Flickr® and TwitterTM
- Access to personal and corporate e-mail
- Easily view Word, Excel, PowerPoint on-the-go to maximize productivity

Samsung Intercept requires Sprint’s industry-leading Everything Data plans with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM that include unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from every mobile in America while on the Sprint network. Everything Data plans start at $69.99 per month – the same price Verizon and AT&T charge for unlimited talk only. (All price plans exclude surcharges and taxes.)

Sprint is the only wireless carrier to offer Ready Now service with trained retail associates to work one-on-one with customers to personalize their Samsung Intercept, set up features and demonstrate how it works before the customer leaves the store. Customers have the choice of sitting down with a Sprint retail associate at the time of purchase or they can schedule an appointment for a later time at www.sprint.com/storelocator.

More Satisfied Than Ever
Offering affordable plans to such feature-rich smartphones like Samsung Intercept is one of many reasons Sprint has excelled in customer satisfaction. Sprint is the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all industries, over the last two years, according to results from the 2010 American Customer Satisfaction Index.

Sprint’s improvement was driven in part by substantial gains in two aspects of the survey. In the area of customers’ perceptions of value, Sprint now leads both AT&T and Verizon. The company also achieved an impressive improvement in the area of customer loyalty. With these gains, the company’s overall ACSI score jumped 14 points during the last two years. In the last six years of the ACSI survey, no other company has improved its satisfaction score by that many points in a two-year period.

The improvements in the ACSI survey come as Sprint has seen nine consecutive quarters of improved customer satisfaction and first call resolution. The company’s improvements have also been recognized by other independent third-parties, including Sprint winning the #1 spot for both overall satisfaction for wireless voice service providers and wireless data service providers in a Yankee Group and Mobile Enterprise magazine survey of large business decision makers. Sprint also ranked high in small and medium business customer satisfaction. Also noteworthy was Sprint’s two-year Reputation Pulse™ score increase in Reputation Institute’s 2010 U.S. Most Reputable Companies Study (published annually in Forbes). Sprint’s 18.22 percent gain puts its improvement in the top 10 percent of the 150 largest U.S. companies, ahead of both AT&T and Verizon.

Sprint is also the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market 4G technology, offering wireless 4G service today for select devices in 36 markets. In 2010, Sprint expects to launch 4G service in multiple markets, including Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Los Angeles,Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. For information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.

Speaking on the newly launched AIRNET AN90, Mr. Raj.K.Tarani, MD, AirNet Mobile commented, “We at AirNet Mobile strive to provide only the best to our customers and believe in customizing our products around their requirements. With AirNet AN 90, we have tried to move ahead with a new design to meet the increasing demands of our valuable consumers. We have blended quality with high end technology at the most reasonable price.”

With the launch of AN 90, AirNet Mobile is all set to provide the Indian mobile users another handset with the latest technologies and stylized experience being readily available in the Tier1 and Tier2 cities. With AirNet Mobile rapidly expanding its reach over to the masses in the Indian market, it seems like a promising bet for a future leader in the handset technology.

Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive officer of Motorola and chief executive officer of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home business added, “Motorola designed DROID X to push the extreme limits of Android innovation, and enable you to do even more with your mobile device. We are breaking down barriers so that you can experience the Web the way it was meant to be and create, share and view content like never before, either in your hand or in your home. Enterprise users will also find DROID X appealing with features including push e-mail and live widgets for e-mail and calendar updates.”

DROID X gives customers a 4.3-inch high-resolution screen for viewing the latest movies and video from BLOCKBUSTER On Demand® presented by V CAST Video, the newest addition to the Verizon Wireless V CAST application, which also includes access to favorite TV shows.  The DROID X video capabilities let customers capture spontaneous fun, combining a dual-flash, 8-megapixel camera, HD camcorder, as well as DLNA and HDMI connectivity to download, stream and share personal HD content.

DROID X customers will also receive Android 2.2 and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 with an over-the-air update in the latter half of the summer.  With the update, the Flash Player will allow mobile users to experience hundreds of sites with rich applications and content inside the browser, including games, animations, rich Internet applications (RIAs), data presentations and visualizations, ecommerce, music, video, audio and more.

“It has been an exciting time for Android momentum and global consumer adoption since the announcement of DROID by Motorola nine months ago,” said Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering for Google.  “There are 160,000 new Android-powered devices activated daily and Android Market has grown to over 65,000 applications.  Plus later this summer, Verizon Wireless and Motorola will update all the DROID by Motorola phones to the latest 2.2 software.  For customers, this means great new features and improved browser performance.  For developers, this will provide new tools such as cloud-to-device messaging and enhanced enterprise functionality.”

“We are excited about full Flash support coming to the DROID X and other devices from Motorola,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer of Adobe.  “Flash Player 10.1, which is one of Adobe’s most anticipated releases ever, has been redesigned from the ground up to deliver the kind of highly engaging experiences that consumers now expect from their mobile devices.”

Once updated to Android 2.2, business customers will find DROID X offers the features that turn the device into a workhorse with support for both Exchange and Gmail™ for business. Corporate users can enjoy push delivery of e-mail; live widgets that stream messages to the home screen; filter widgets to differentiate work and home e-mail; corporate directory and Global look-up along with a unified calendar for Enterprise and sync with Google Calendar™.  Security protocols allow remote password control and wipe via Exchange server.

Pricing and Availability

DROID X by Motorola will be available at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning July 15 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.  Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.  In addition to subscribing to a Nationwide Talk plan or a Nationwide Talk & Text plan, customers will also need to subscribe to an Email and Web for Smartphone plan.  Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access.  Email and Web for Smartphone plans start at $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.