The handset makers are: Samsung, LG, Research in Motion and Sharp. It is the first time when giant phone manufactures announce their global commitment to the JIL widget standard.

Reportedly, the Joint Innovation Lab’s widgets “will be capable of enhancing the mobile internet experience for customers on a variety of smartphones as well as mid- and low-cost handsets across several operating systems and distributed through JIL operators’ applications stores”.

Verizon, Vodafone, China Mobile and Softbank have a combined user base of more than 1 billion around the world (North America, Europe, Asia and Africa).

Via Press release

• Vodafone joins the app store race
• Vodafone buys Wayfinder for $29.3 million
• European telecom operators to sell HTC-branded handsets for a change
• Vodafone Music 24/7 service Launched
• QiGi i6 officially supports both Android and Windows Mobile 6.1

Part of the docomo STYLE series, the SH-08A can be charged with both electricity and sunlight. Reportedly, 10 minutes of solar recharging is enough for about one minute of talk-time.

Built by Sharp, the phone is also waterproof, meeting the IPX5 and IPX7 standards.

Even more, the SH-08A comes with many high-end features, including:

• 3.0 inches main display with 480 x 854 pixels and 16 million colors
• HSDPA 7.2Mbps
• 8MP CCD autofocus camera
• MicroSDHC card support, up to 16GB

The SH-08A will be available from NTT DoCoMo starting September, in three color versions: white, blue and green. Its price was not announced.

Via Press release

• Samsung launches Blue Earth S7750 in Sweden; other markets to follow soon
• Nokia N97 NAM available now for $699, unlocked
• AT&T Samsung Propel Pro available starting today
• Cheap Samsung E1107 Crest Solar phone announced
• HTC Hero and HTC Tattoo launched in Australia

Well, the 3G part is now confirmed, as the Sharp-made handset has just been approved by the FCC, under the internal name of PV300. 

It’s not clear yet how T-Mobile USA will officially call the new handset.

It could be Sidekick 2009, Sidekick Blade, or perhaps another name will be eventually preferred.

Anyway, what’s clear is that this new handset looks to be the coolest in the Sidekick series.

Now let’s hope it won’t be long until T-Mobile announces it – rumors say May 13 is the phone’s release date, but we have to wait and see.  

Via Engadget

• Sidekick LX 2009 to have a 854 x 480 pixels display, GPS
• Tony Hawk T-Mobile Sidekick LX gets official
• Tony Hawk Sidekick LX to be previewed tomorrow, launched in July
• T-Mobile Sidekick gets launched as expected, priced at $149.99
• Nokia is thinking about it’s own Sidekick

Just as Fujitsu’s F905i handset was announced in Taiwan, a Sharp counterpart in the form of the WX-T923 was also unveiled, also through Far EasTone Telecommunications. Kyocera will be gunning for other global markets while NEC is reportedly planning its own strategy and will start conquering mobile world starting from Hong Kong.

Other Japan-based handset vendors like Casio might also follow the trend, but so far those identified above are the only one’s who’ve been verified. In any case, this is good news for mobile enthusiasts since more regions will get the chance to experience the high-tech telephony being provided by Japanese handsets, and at the same time a boon for the Japanese mobile phone industry.

Via DigiTimes

• Kyocera plans Android and LTE phones for 2010 and 2011
• Kyocera X-tc and JAX introduced by Virgin Mobile
• Sharp sells 10 million One-Seg handsets in Japan
• Nokia to become a MVNO in Japan, helped by NTT DoCoMo
• Cheap Kyocera S1300 and Cricket A100 launched in the US

Created by Sharp for SoftBank, the 930SH is truly unique among camera phones. That’s because its autofocus camera, instead of having a standard CMOS sensor, comes with a CCD one.    

CCD (charge-coupled device) technology is mainly used in professional digital photography, as it offers images at a higher quality and with a higher degree of uniformity.

This being said, it’s likely that SoftBank 930SH can offer a photo quality like no othger phone out there. 

Apart from that, the specs of Sharp’s new phone include:

• A 3-inch internal display with 480 x 854 pixels
• Tri band GSM connectivity (900/1800/1900 MHz) plus WCDMA/HSDPA
• GPS
• CMOS camera for video calls
• 100MB of internal memory
• MicroSD & MicroSDHC cards support, up to 4GB
• 105 x 48 x 15.2 millimeters
• 110 grams

SoftBank 930SH should be commercially available in Japan starting the next few days (or weeks), but its price is currently not known.

Source: SoftBank

• In Japan, Samsung Omnia packs a 800 x 480 pixels display, built-in TV tuner and comes in red too
• LG GM310 music slider shows up, together with LG GB250, GB220, GB130 and GB102
• 8 new Samsung phones leaked – S5050, C5212, S3310 and E2210 included
• Philips X806 and C702 touchscreen phones show up
• Softbank will start selling Casio phones by year’s end

If I understood correctly what I read in the press release issued today, the Japanese companies are preparing one or more cell phone models capable to offer HSUPA speeds of up to 5.7Mbps, in addition to HSDPA speeds of up to 7.2Mbps.

Manufactured with 45-nm process technology, the SH-Mobile G4 is designed to provide uber-fast processing and advanced integrated functions, including enhanced support for applications that use 3D graphics and HD (high definition) videos.

The SH-Mobile G4 will only be available in 2010. The good news, though, is that the handsets built on the platform are planned to be released not only in Japan, but also worldwide.

• HTC TYTN II to support HSUPA?
• NTT DoCoMo tests Super 3G system with up to 300Mbps data transfer rates
• Samsung UFO SCH W300 7.2 Mbps HSDPA slider
• Vodacom Launches HSUPA Service in South Africa
• 3 UK to roll out 14.4Mb/s HSDPA in 2010

Currently, Sharp sells mobile phones in Japan, US, Europe, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. With this move, they will be vying against leading cellphone makers Nokia, Samsung, and Motorola for China’s 547 million-plus strong mobile market.

This won’t be an easy task for Sharp, given that the Chinese mobile phone market is very hard to crack, and the fact that other Japanese cellphone makers who used to operate in China have pulled out of the market several years ago.

The selling point that Sharp is trying to push, however, seems to go against what users in China’s mobile market long for. Sharp takes pride in the high-quality LCD displays on its phones, and is aiming for China’s high-end cellphone market, but it is said that many Chinese actually prefer cheaper phones that can be upgraded frequently.

Sharp aims to release its first ever Aquos cellphone in China later this month for 4,480 Yuan or about $648 USD. For the price, it offers a 3.2 megapixel camera, built-in Web browser, and a horizontally rotating screen in a clamshell form factor. It will be sold initially through one of China’s largest cellphone retailers, Dixintong, and will be released through mass-market retailers by the end of the year.

Via WSJ

• Sharp sells 10 million One-Seg handsets in Japan
• LG to ship more 3G phones than Samsung, thanks to demand from China
• China telcos gain the most with approval of 3G licenses
• More than 633 million mobile subscribers in China
• Google and Baidu to fight over China’s mobile search market

Manufactured by Sharp, the DM002SH Cinderella phone is headed to fill its space on Japan’s popular carrier, Softbank, in June. Other than the smallish Disney name on the front bezel beneath the screen and the Cinderella theme, you wouldn’t believe this is a phone for kids. Even the diamond patterned and textured outer casing in three colors of Clear Crystal, Brown Topaz, and Pink Diamond would attract more women than children.

The specs aren’t to be taken lightly either. This style icon is a full 3G-ready device complete with support for HSDPA and mobile TV for some Disney action on the go. There isn’t one but two screens, the internal one being a 2.6 inch WQVGA while the outer is a functional OLED display. The Sharp DM002SH also proudly houses a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, infrared, and 50MB of onboard memory with a microSD slot for further expansion.

Although we don’t have the information on its pricing yet, we are pretty sure Japanese fathers will go home with their pockets much lighter than usual when it becomes available in Japan next month. Sorry rest of the world!

AkhibaraNews

• Official Disney iPhone app available now
• LG Disney Mobile 3 on 3 Italia
• Papipo! – a Cellphone for Kids
• Pantech Love Actually IM-U460K touchscreen phone announced
• Sharp to try its luck in Chinese cellphone market with Aquos clamshell phone

It’s a small, sleek device with beautiful design and amazing specifications. It runs on the new 1.33 Ghz Atom Z520 processor and is packed with 1 GB RAM, a 40 GB hard drive and a 5″ 1024×600 resolution touchscreen.

These look even more impressive when you consider the size (84×188x25.9 mm) and the weight (470 g) of this device.

However, according to the people at AkihabaraNews, the performance isn’t that great, and they think that Windows Vista is to blame. Here’s a photo of the Willcom D4 from AkihabaraNews:

Other goodies include a compact a QWERTY keyboard (as you can see in the photo above), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2 MPx camera, microSD slot, and a USB port. It comes, apparently, with preinstalled Office 2007 Personal too. According to the product page on Sharp website, the Willcom D4 can be used in three different modes: “Desk”, “View” and “Input”. You can see how those work in the following image.

This tiny device will only be available in Japan at first, because it’s configured to use Japanese PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) and uses W-SIM cards. The planned release date is mid-June this year, and retail price is 128,600 yen (about $1270) with a minimum two-year contract.

Via AkihabaraNews

• Windows Sideshow is now available for Windows Mobile devices
• Intel sets Atom-based iPhone mini-tablet rumor straight
• HTC Shift with EVDO and GSM/HSDPA approved by FCC
• Intel confirms plans for Atom-based iPhone-like mini-tablet?
• New Mio Phones Launched

Developed in Sharp’s European labs the new VGA touchscreen features 640×480 300 ppi resolution, 30fps frame rate and has built-in image sensor that can read your fingerprints.

The screen will be used in cellphones and will add touchscreen and biometric sensor functions to them.

As demonstrated in Samsung SCH – V960 Joystick phone, the fingerprint reading ability also gives Sharp the possibility to implement touchscreen scrolling function similar to that on Apple iPhone, in a way that is not covered by multiple Apple patents.

Via: Mobinaute

• Samsung SCH V960 Optical Joystick phone. How does it work?
• Fujitsu Offers Waterproof Phone with Fingerprint Sensor
• Samsung SCH V960 Optical Joystick Phone
• Touchpad input on Samsung phones
• World’s longest mobile phone concept

But eMobile has an impressive mobile broadband terminal for the service too. Designed by Sharp and called Em-One, this sleek device runs on Marvel PXA270 520 MHz CPU with 128 MB of RAM and 512MB of Flash memory, has 3.6 Mbps HSDPA, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, 4.1″ Wide VGA full touchscreen, 1.3 mpx camera and dual slide QWERTY keyboard.

Full specs for EM-One mobile broadband terminal include:

MarvellPXA270 520 MHz CPU
NIVIDIA GoForceâ„¢ 5500 Graphics
Flash Memory 512MB/SDRAM 128MB
800 X 480px 4.1 inch 65,536 colors ASV LCD (with backlight)
HSDPA, IEEE802.11b/g, Bluetooth 1.2
1.3 megapixel camera
Internal Speaker (Stereo), Mic
miniUSB port (host function compliant),
cradle port,
RGB adapter port,
headphone jack (flat),
AC Adapter port
miniSD Memory Card Slot
Dimensions: 140(W) X 70(H) X 18.9(D) mm
Weight: 250g (with battery pack and stylus pen)
About 4 hours active usage time
Windows Mobile 5.0

EM One will cost 95 000 Yen (795 USD), but you’ll be able to get it for 39 800 Yen ( $333) if you opt for 2 year contract with unlimited data plan.

eMobile.jp 

• Virgin Media launches mobile broadband service in UK for less than $30 a month
• Samsung Z800 HSDPA modem/USB dongle with 4GB microSD memory card
• BT Launches Mobile Device Offering
• Samsung U700 Thinnest 3G slider is coming to U.S. soon
• T-Mobile to turn 3G USB dongles into Wi-Fi routers with new service

VGA screens are coming to the mobile phones. Today Vodafone announced new Sharp 904SH cellular phone for UMTS networks featuring 2.4″ 480×640 pixel VGA LCD screen. VGA displays have four times the resolution of QVGA displays used in today’s handsets. Other interesting features of this 3G cell phone include:

Motion Control Sensor that measures handset posture in all directions in 3D
Built -in Bluetooth multiplayer games and chat software
Face Recognition device (additional camera and software) that is able to identify the owner from their eye and facial features within one second
Wireless software upgrades

Vodafone Sharp 904SH handset also comes with all standard goodies of high end mobile: 3.2 megapixel camera with 2x optical and 50 times digital zoom, 20MB of built-in memory and a slot for miniSD Memory card, 128 poliphonic ringtones, music and video players, additional software.

Currently this phone is available only on Vodafone network in Japan, but it is likely to show up in Europe and U.S. this summer.

• Sharp to try its luck in Chinese cellphone market with Aquos clamshell phone
• Sharp VGA Touchscreen/Fingerprint reader
• Samsung, LG, RIM and Sharp will support JIL widget specs
• Vodafone Premium Christmas line-up: Nokia N95 8GB, Samsung F700, Sony Ericsson W910i
• Vodafone Samsung 360 H1 starts shipping on October 30