SanDisk Introduces the Stylish Sansa Fuze MP3 Player

Multi-Faceted Music Player Rounds out the Sansa Product Line

MILPITAS, Calif., SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), a leading seller of MP3 players in the United States, unveiled the multi-faceted Sansa Fuze MP3 player. The stylish music player is loaded with capabilities and features to keep consumers well entertained while on the go. Not only is it easy on the eye, its easy on the pocketbook. With availability planned for early April in the United States, the Sansa Fuze player comes in a wide array of colors (pink, red, blue, black and silver) and capacities (2, 4 and 8 gigabyte1 (GB)) with an expected starting price of only $79.99 MSRP.

In addition to playing music, video, photos, FM radio and audiobooks, the thin Sansa Fuze is packed with extras, including a microSD card slot to add and transport content with ease; a voice recorder to capture thoughts on the fly, and a bright, 1.9color screen that allows users to easily navigate their music or watch videos in landscape mode.

The Sansa Fuze is an eye-catching player that consumers will enjoy for its looks, capabilities and incredible value, said Eric Bone, vice president of product marketing for Sansa, SanDisks audio/video product line. This new MP3 player combines some of the best features found on other Sansa products, including great sound quality. Its yet another strong offering by SanDisk in the sub-$150 music player market.

A distinguishing feature of the Sansa Fuze player is its microSD card slot. This memory slot provides consumers the ability to quickly add content onto their device and expands storage capacity, giving ample space for thousands of additional songs, hours of video and numerous photos. Plus, by using a SanDisk microSD card, users can easily carry their music and other content from their Sansa MP3 player to their mobile phone, or even their PC.

The Sansa Fuze MP3 player gives users access to subscription download services from numerous sources, including Rhapsody To Go, Napster, eMusic and others. In addition, it supports playback of a wide range of popular music formats such as MP3, WAV, Audible (for audio books) and Windows Media Audio (WMA) in both unprotected and protected files. Sansa Fuze supports MPEG-4 video and JPEG photos. Its internal rechargeable battery will play up to 24 hours of audio and five hours of video between charges.2

The MP3 player works with computers running Windows XP or Windows Vista. It also works with Mac and Linux operating systems (under MSC mode).

Expected Pricing, Colors and Availability

The Sansa Fuze player is expected to be available in U.S. stores in early April. The music player comes in a 2GB capacity (holds 500 MP3 songs3) with an MSRP of $79.99, 4GB (1,000 MP3 songs) for $99.99 and 8GB (2,000 MP3 songs) for $129.99. The 2GB Sansa Fuze is available in black; the 4GB Sansa Fuze is available in black, red, pink or blue, and the 8GB is available in silver. For more information visit http://www.sandisk.com/sansafuze/.

The player is expected to be available from retailers in Canada and Europe in late spring, with other regions of the world to follow.

The flash-based Sansa Fuze player rounds out the Sansa product family, joining the popular, tiny Sansa Clip and video-centric Sansa View. The Sansa audio/video line offers consumers highly affordable, yet fun and fashionable music players loaded with appealing extra features.

About SanDisk

SanDisk Corporation, the inventor and worlds largest supplier of flash storage cards, is a global leader in flash memory from research, manufacturing and product design to consumer branding and retail distribution. SanDisks product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk (www.sandisk.com/corporate) is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.

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[Source: Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]

Sony Ericsson says reviewing ties with NTT DoCoMo

Sony Ericsson said Monday that it was reviewing its business ties with NTT DoCoMo, Japan's top mobile telephone operator, which is struggling amid an industry price war

Sony Ericsson said Monday that it was reviewing its business ties with NTT DoCoMo, Japan's top mobile telephone operator, which is struggling amid an industry price war.

But the company, a joint venture between Japan's Sony Corp and Sweden's LM Ericsson, declined to confirm reports it will stop making handsets for DoCoMo.

"It is true that Sony Ericsson is reviewing part of its product development plans with DoCoMo," said company spokesman Toshiyuki Kawamura.

But he said the firm would continue to provide products to DoCoMo.

The Nikkei business daily reported Monday that Sony Corp would stop making mobile phones for NTT DoCoMo and instead focus on overseas markets.

Sony Ericsson will end production for DoCoMo after introducing new models this summer, the newspaper, without citing sources.

But it plans to keep NTT DoCoMo as a customer by procuring handsets from other Japanese manufacturers and selling them under the brand of Sony Ericsson, the report said.

The newspaper said Sony Ericsson was planning to shift its business focus to China, Europe and North America as it battles Finnish giant Nokia, which dominates the global mobile telephone market.

But Sony Ericsson insisted it remained committed to the Japanese market.

"Sony Ericsson does not intend to reduce our development plan for the Japanese cell phone market," said Kawamura.

Japan, a nation of 127 million people, has more than 100 million mobile phones in operation, creating a major challenge for service providers to achieve growth and sparking consolidation among handset manufacturers.

Sanyo Electric announced last month it would sell its mobile phone production unit to Kyocera Corp. while Mitsubishi Electric said last week it would stop making cellphone. AFP
Sony Ericsson said Monday that it was reviewing its business ties with NTT DoCoMo, Japan's top mobile telephone operator, which is struggling amid an industry price war.

But the company, a joint venture between Japan's Sony Corp and Sweden's LM Ericsson, declined to confirm reports it will stop making handsets for DoCoMo.

"It is true that Sony Ericsson is reviewing part of its product development plans with DoCoMo," said company spokesman Toshiyuki Kawamura.

But he said the firm would continue to provide products to DoCoMo.

The Nikkei business daily reported Monday that Sony Corp would stop making mobile phones for NTT DoCoMo and instead focus on overseas markets.

Sony Ericsson will end production for DoCoMo after introducing new models this summer, the newspaper, without citing sources.

But it plans to keep NTT DoCoMo as a customer by procuring handsets from other Japanese manufacturers and selling them under the brand of Sony Ericsson, the report said.

The newspaper said Sony Ericsson was planning to shift its business focus to China, Europe and North America as it battles Finnish giant Nokia, which dominates the global mobile telephone market.

But Sony Ericsson insisted it remained committed to the Japanese market.

"Sony Ericsson does not intend to reduce our development plan for the Japanese cell phone market," said Kawamura.

Japan, a nation of 127 million people, has more than 100 million mobile phones in operation, creating a major challenge for service providers to achieve growth and sparking consolidation among handset manufacturers.

Sanyo Electric announced last month it would sell its mobile phone production unit to Kyocera Corp. while Mitsubishi Electric said last week it would stop making cellphone. AFP Sony Ericsson said Monday that it was reviewing its business ties with NTT DoCoMo, Japan's top mobile telephone operator, which is struggling amid an industry price war.

But the company, a joint venture between Japan's Sony Corp and Sweden's LM Ericsson, declined to confirm reports it will stop making handsets for DoCoMo.

"It is true that Sony Ericsson is reviewing part of its product development plans with DoCoMo," said company spokesman Toshiyuki Kawamura.

But he said the firm would continue to provide products to DoCoMo.

The Nikkei business daily reported Monday that Sony Corp would stop making mobile phones for NTT DoCoMo and instead focus on overseas markets.

Sony Ericsson will end production for DoCoMo after introducing new models this summer, the newspaper, without citing sources.

But it plans to keep NTT DoCoMo as a customer by procuring handsets from other Japanese manufacturers and selling them under the brand of Sony Ericsson, the report said.

The newspaper said Sony Ericsson was planning to shift its business focus to China, Europe and North America as it battles Finnish giant Nokia, which dominates the global mobile telephone market.

But Sony Ericsson insisted it remained committed to the Japanese market.

"Sony Ericsson does not intend to reduce our development plan for the Japanese cell phone market," said Kawamura.

Japan, a nation of 127 million people, has more than 100 million mobile phones in operation, creating a major challenge for service providers to achieve growth and sparking consolidation among handset manufacturers.

Sanyo Electric announced last month it would sell its mobile phone production unit to Kyocera Corp. while Mitsubishi Electric said last week it would stop making cellphone. AFP Sony Ericsson said Monday that it was reviewing its business ties with NTT DoCoMo, Japan's top mobile telephone operator, which is struggling amid an industry price war.

But the company, a joint venture between Japan's Sony Corp and Sweden's LM Ericsson, declined to confirm reports it will stop making handsets for DoCoMo.

"It is true that Sony Ericsson is reviewing part of its product development plans with DoCoMo," said company spokesman Toshiyuki Kawamura.

But he said the firm would continue to provide products to DoCoMo.

The Nikkei business daily reported Monday that Sony Corp would stop making mobile phones for NTT DoCoMo and instead focus on overseas markets.

Sony Ericsson will end production for DoCoMo after introducing new models this summer, the newspaper, without citing sources.

But it plans to keep NTT DoCoMo as a customer by procuring handsets from other Japanese manufacturers and selling them under the brand of Sony Ericsson, the report said.

The newspaper said Sony Ericsson was planning to shift its business focus to China, Europe and North America as it battles Finnish giant Nokia, which dominates the global mobile telephone market.

But Sony Ericsson insisted it remained committed to the Japanese market.

"Sony Ericsson does not intend to reduce our development plan for the Japanese cell phone market," said Kawamura.

Japan, a nation of 127 million people, has more than 100 million mobile phones in operation, creating a major challenge for service providers to achieve growth and sparking consolidation among handset manufacturers.

Sanyo Electric announced last month it would sell its mobile phone production unit to Kyocera Corp. while Mitsubishi Electric said last week it would stop making cellphone.

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[Source: Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]

Uganda Police Force Deploys Motorolas TETRA Digital Communications System

The new TETRA system allows efficient communication between varied Ugandan security agencies

Schaumburg, Ill 10 March, 2008 Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT), today announced that its TETRA digital trunk radio communications system is now fully operational in Uganda, enabling efficient communication between Ugandas security agencies.

The TETRA system includes a state-of-the-art control room, bases in the Kampala and Entebbe area, and numerous subscriber terminals for instant, reliable digital communication that ensures confidential voice transmissions for secure communication.

The system is connected to Uganda's telephony network and to the conventional network through a gateway. The system includes an emergency call/alarm feature, private call; SMS and telephone interconnect functions for specific talk groups in the Uganda Police Force and other security forces, Civil Aviation Authority, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The encoded Motorola TETRA digital trunk radio system allows interoperability among the different agencies and immediate communication of their operational needs. Additional feature includes GPS-based Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS) embedded in each radio.

The TETRA system provides efficient and reliable support for all security agencies in the country, as well as a flexible communications system for sending and receiving instructions, clarifying duties, and coordinating responses during emergencies.

Wireless communication is an essential tool for the Uganda Police during heightened alert, as it enables more efficient deployment of resources and a quicker and more effective response to incidents. It also allows better focus on duties and essential routine patrols. Motorola is privileged to provide the cutting-edge digital trunk communications system as one of the solutions for the Uganda Police Force, said Ron Landenberg, director of communication systems operation, part of Motorolas Government and Public Safety Business Unit.

Motorola's communication system and technology is an enormous improvement that addresses Ugandan safety concerns. The system proved itself as most reliable communication solution at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Kampala. The system provides adequate coverage for police and security personnel out in the field, said ICT Minister, Dr. Ham Mulira, "The system also provides interoperability agencies as they operate on a joined communication infrastructure an important feature in receiving mission-critical information during emergencies".

About TETRA
TETRA is an open digital trunk radio standard stipulated by European Telecommunications Standards Institute, which can cater to the highest requirements of mobile radio professionals.

About Motorola
Motorola is known around the world for innovation in communications. The company develops technologies, products and services that make mobile experiences possible. Our portfolio includes communications infrastructure, enterprise mobility solutions, digital set-tops, cable modems, mobile devices and Bluetooth accessories. Motorola is committed to delivering next generation communication solutions to people, businesses and governments. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US $36.6 billion in 2007. For more information about our company, our people and our innovations, please visit http://www.motorola.com.

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[Source: Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]

NGMN Conference at CeBIT 2008 looks ahead towards a Bright Future of Mobile Broadband Communications

This years CeBIT trade fair featured a half-day Conference of theinternational Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGMN) held at the Convention Centre. Five renownedleaders of the mobile industry provided a vivid outlook into the future of mobile broadband communications,currently one of the hottest topics in the mobile and internet industry.

In his key note speech, Hamid Akhavan (Chairman of the NGMN Board and CEO, T-Mobile International),outlined the great potential of mobile broadband as well as key challenges and objectives. Mobile broadbandis a reality today in many markets, Akhavan said. The mobile data traffic is growing rapidly as peopleincreasingly mobilize their personal, social, and working lives. The NGMN Alliance has been established byleading mobile operators to drive the development and to ensure the success of the mobile broadbandecosystem. NGMN will provide a true mobile internet experience with personalization and attractive, easy touse devices and applications.

Hartmut Kremling (CTO, Vodafone Germany) followed up on this by presenting the key success factors for nextgeneration mobile networks from an operator perspective. He pointed out: Increasing network traffic loadbeyond Pentabytes/month and the demand for high data rates indicate a clear need for a step-change inspectrum and network technology. Spectrum - the blood of our industry - is a scarce resource. Sufficientspectrum allocation and efficient use is therefore essential for NGMN. The performance of LTE / MobileWiMAX is getting closer to the NGMN requirements; however, there is still a way to go. Most importantly,network deployment must be feasible on the existing 3G site grid, and transmission costs need to bedrastically reduced through advanced backhauling solutions.

How advanced network technologies and architectures contribute to resolve the challenges of next generationmobile broadband, this was the emphasis of the speech from Matthias Rei (Head of LTE Radio, NokiaSiemens Networks): Reduced network cost per Megabyte is a clear prerequisite for maintaining theprofitability of mobile broadband networks, Rei said. LTE/SAE offers an evolutionary network migrationpath enabling investment protection for operators and low network cost per Megabyte by flat architectures,optimized backhaul transmission, high spectral efficiency, and a scalable bandwidth. We are enthusiastic asLTE live on Air field trials carried out in Berlin have shown very encouraging performance results for LTEincluding the feasibility to deploy it on existing 3G sites.

Services are Key, this was the key message from Dr. Jinsung Choi (Vice President Mobile Comms Tech, LGElectronics), who gave a lively impression of what customers can expect from future mobile broadband enduserdevices and applications. It is very obvious that the convergence of mobile, fixed, internet, gaming andcomputing industries and applications drives the mobile broadband market growth, Choi explained. Drastichandset performance improvements will make the internet experience portable and more personalized. Twomajor trends will be the convergence of mobile-centric devices integrating many different functions and thedivergence of specialized application-centric devices. In either case, service personalization delivers lastingincremental value increased revenues and customer loyalty, he concluded.

Semiconductor technology and chip sets for end-user devices are critical enablers for any new and ever moredemanding mobile wireless technology. Fortunately, Bill Krenik (CTO, Texas Instruments) had good news forthe industry when he pointed out: Whereas implementation of 3G terminal chip sets was a big challenge over2G, OFDM-based next generation mobile broadband technologies are much more manageable. Advancedsemiconductor process technology maximizes integration and minimizes cost. And integration drives featuresand functionality. The mobile future is bright. Chip sets for next generation include devices that will enable a10-fold application processing performance, 8+ hours of continuous video viewing, 100+ hours of music, andmuch more.

If you would like to receive further information about upcoming NGMN Conferences or NGMN Alliance pleasecontact Marie-Luise Mller at +49 69 / 9 07 49 98-0 or marie-luise.mueller@ngmn.org

About NGMN Alliance
Next Generation Mobile Networks is an alliance founded by leading international network operators,representing more than half of all mobile phone users worldwide, to develop a coherent vision for the mobileindustrys evolution beyond 3G. NGMN currently comprises 45 world-wide leading mobile operators,technology vendors and universities.
www.ngmn.org

About T-Mobile International
T-Mobile International is one of the worlds leading companies in mobile communications. As one of DeutscheTelekom`s operational segments, T-Mobile concentrates on the most dynamic markets in Europe and theUnited States. Almost 120 million mobile customers were served by companies of the Deutsche Telekomgroup by end of 2007. The common technology platform is based on GSM, the worlds most successful digitalwireless standard. This also makes T-Mobile the only mobile communications provider with a seamlesstransatlantic service. T-Mobile also is partner of FreeMove, an alliance consisting of four of Europes leadingmobile companies - Orange, TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) T-Mobile and TeliaSonera to help their customerscommunicate as easily while travelling abroad as they do at home.
www.t-mobile.net

About Vodafone
Vodafone Germany is one of the largest and most modern telecommunications providers in Europe. It servesalmost 34 million customers, realises turnover of more than EUR 8 billion and has 9,000 employees. VodafoneGermany is an innovative technology and service enterprise, offering a comprehensive range of mobilecommunication services from one provider. The portfolio includes mobile communications and fixed networktelephony, as well as data services for business and private customers. Continuous development, numerouspatents and investments in new products, services and the modern network have made Vodafone aninnovation leader in the German telecommunications market. The company is headquartered in Dsseldorf.Eight branch offices and a chain of 1600 Vodafone shops keep us close to our customers. The VodafoneGermany group of companies also includes a majority shareholding in the Arcor telecommunications group,which is headquartered in Eschborn, Germany. Vodafone Germany is committed to CSR and it additionallysupports numerous projects through the German Vodafone Foundation. The company is part of the VodafoneGroup.
www.vodafone.de

About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of communications services. The company provides acomplete, well-balanced product portfolio of mobile and fixed network infrastructure solutions and addressesthe growing demand for services with 20,000 service professionals worldwide. Nokia Siemens Networks isone of the largest telecommunications infrastructure companies with operations in 150 countries. Thecompany is headquartered in Espoo, Finland.
www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

About LG Electronics
LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics,home appliances and mobile communications, employing more than 82,000 people working in over 110operations including 81 subsidiaries around the world. With 2007 global sales of USD 44 billion, LG iscomprised of four business units - Mobile Communications, Digital Appliance, Digital Display and DigitalMedia. LG is the worlds leading producer of mobile handsets, flat panel TVs, air conditioners, front-loadingwashing machines, optical storage products, DVD players and home theater systems.LG Electronics Mobile Communication Company (LG) is a leading producer of mobile handsets. LG createshandsets that provide optimized mobile experience to customers around the world with its cutting-edgetechnology and innovative handset design capabilities. With advanced wireless solutions, LG is rapidlyexpanding its presence and market share globally
www.lge.com

About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) helps customers solve problems and develop new electronics that make theworld smarter, healthier, safer, greener and more fun. A global semiconductor company, TI innovates throughmanufacturing, design and sales operations in more than 25 countries.'
www.ti.com

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[Source: Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]

What is a green electronics product?

Hanover, Germany The Sony Vaio TZ11 laptop, Sony Ericsson T650i mobile phone and Sony Ericsson P1i PDA have come out on top in our first survey of greener electronics products. Some products were more advanced than others, but there's definitely room for improvement as none of them scored over 5/10.

We conducted a survey of the main brands of desktop PCs and notebooks, mobile phones, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), assessing them on their use of hazardous chemicals, energy efficiency, overall product lifecycle (recyclability and upgradeability) and other factors such as the promotion of environmental friendliness and innovation.



We contacted market leaders and invited them to submit their most environmentally-friendly products currently available. In addition, we placed ads in trade magazines and on websites encouraging other producers to participate. Each company could submit a maximum of three products in each of the product categories.

Thirty-seven products were assessed, from fourteen major electronics brands who agreed to provide information for the survey at the end of 2007. The companies submitted information on their most environmentally-friendly products. Sony Vaio TZ11 notebook, the Sony Ericsson T650i mobile phone and the Sony Ericsson P1i PDA came out top.

The best rated desktop came from Dell (Optiplex 755) and HP (dc5750) but these and other mobile phones, laptops and PDAs didn't score above 5/10.

Our survey was based on voluntary participation by companies willing to submit their products to our critical evaluation. Unfortunately, not all the companies we invited agreed to participate, and in the game consoles category in particular we received either no submissions at all or they came too late to be included. Non-responders included: Acer, Apple, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sharp.

Since submissions closed, several companies have launched products that showcase new environmental innovations. Nokia's Evolve phone uses more recycled plastic and has a highly efficient charger. Apple's Mac Book Air eliminates the use of toxic mercury and arsenic to raise the bar on toxics reduction.

Because the electronics industry is moving fast we are at the world's biggest IT fair - CeBIT in Germany, to check out which companies and products are on the cutting edge of environmental innovation. Our experts will be investigating the facts behind the hype and highlighting the leaders and showing up any superficial green claims. Check out the updates on green innovations at CeBIT
on our blog.

Our survey also reveals that while no individual product could yet lay claim to being truly green, there are plenty of individual innovations by different companies in toxics reduction, energy efficiency, longer lifecycles and recycling. The key to making a comprehensively greener product is combining innovation in each of these areas.

We will continue to challenge electronics manufacturers to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products - from production, through manufacture and to the very end of their products' lives - and to clean up their products by eliminating hazardous substances and replacing harmful ingredients through safer alternatives or design changes while producing energy efficient products.

Manufacturers need to embrace a truly comprehensive approach. Consumers should not have to choose between a toxic free product or an energy-efficient one. They should not need to ask if being recyclable is better than being durable.

When a product offers all those standards and is marketed with consumer-friendly services extending the lifespan as much as possible, then we can say there is a true green electronics product on the market.

Buy it, Use it, Break it, Junk it, it's Toxic


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[Source: Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]