AT&T Wants Whack Apple, Google And You With WAC.

AT&T Wants Whack  Apple And You With WAC. http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
AT&T CEO wants to do good for you and make a buck while doing it. Realizing Apple App Store, Android Market doing brisk business and making big bucks, now the carriers wants a cut too. But they always sing the same blue, as wanting to do right by customers as a cover for the these money making deeds. When ever a big company comes out with wanting to do the best for the customers, I tend to look for the catch.
If you realize, AT&T sold millions of iPhones that run billions of apps from Apple App Store. With many of those billions of apps paying Apple 30% made Apple richer but AT&T none the richer. So AT&T CEO, together with other carriers and some handset makers, got together and mad WAC, to whack the nasty app stores. The song is;

"You purchase an app for one operating system, and if you want it on another device or platform, you have to buy it again, That's not how our customers expect to experience this environment." AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson said in a keynote speech at the world's largest mobile-phone trade show in Barcelona, Spain.

Yes Stephen, your customers like to have more 3G cell towers in say San Francisco bay area. That will make customers much more happier than any HTML5 app you or your conglomerate can offer.

WAC brings together AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp,  T-Mobile USA and also includes China Mobile, MTS, Orange, Smart, Telefónica, Telenor, and Vodafone among it's members. LG Electronics Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Sony Ericsson, Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp have promised to make HTML5 and WAC compatible phones.

“In the one year since WAC was initially formed at Mobile World Congress 2010, we have achieved a great deal, delivering against our committed timelines and objectives every step of the way,” said Peters Suh, CEO, WAC. “Working together in a unified manner as an industry, we are having a positive impact on the mobile application development ecosystem, providing developers with a simplified method of creating applications and content, and delivering them across operator, handset and operating system. With the commercial launch of operator storefronts, handsets and applications, all based on WAC, we can say that WAC is now officially open for business.”

What ever the case, I don't want to get whacked by any of those carriers, I will settle for native apps from App Store or Android Market.
You can find more about WAC here.

ZTE Launch Skate 4.3, Android Based Smartphone

ZTE Launch Skate 4.3, Android Gingerbread Based Smartphone http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Yesterday among all those cupid notes, there was a note from largely silent (up to now) ZTE. ZTE was known for brand less smatphones sold by carriers as pre pay devices. But even that did not keep ZTE from surpassing Apple in total number of smartphone production in Q4 2010. We might see much more of the company in 2011 if the ZTE Skate 4.3, running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with 4.3-inch WVGA touchscreen and a 5-megapixel auto focus camera,. is any indication. The phone has a 800MHz processor and the Adreno 200 graphics processing unit (GPU) to support the widescreen, high-definition display. There is also a ZTE Tablet, ZTE Light in the scene.

ZTE MWC 2011 Press release

14 February 2011, Shenzhen – ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, today launched its flagship Android smart phone, Skate, at the GSMA Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona. The company also announced its new "Light Your Smart World" strategy, under which ZTE will promote its entire range of signature smart products, including tablet devices, internet TV boxes and smart phones.

Inspired by the skateboard, the ZTE Skate is fashionably thin and lightweight at only 120g, featuring a large 4.3-inch screen to provide an optimal web surfing experience to consumers. It uses the Android 2.3 operating system, an 800MHz processor and the Adreno 200 graphics processing unit (GPU) to support the widescreen, high-definition display. In addition, the ZTE Skate also incorporates a 5MP camera, multimedia Bluetooth extension, A-GPS capability, hardware compass, and G-sensor.

The open Android operating system ensures that Skate can run an extensive range of apps, meeting not only the in-depth customization needs of operators, but also providing a user-friendly UI, and convenient and powerful multimedia features. Skate supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 900/1800/1900MHz and HSDPA/UMTS at 900/2100MHz, as well as WiFi internet access.

The ZTE Skate is expected to be available from May 2011 in markets worldwide. The smart phone launch also kicks off ZTE's "Light Your Smart World" smart product strategy. At GSMA Mobile World Congress 2011, ZTE will showcase a range of smart terminals including its Android-based Amigo slide phone designed for young and fashionable users, the highly successful Blade Android smartphone, and the F952 handset running Brew MP and supporting the WAC (Wholesale Applications Community).

An IDC report shows that ZTE has become one of the world's top five handset makers – in 2010 the company's global shipment of handsets reached 60 million units and terminal products over 90 million units. Signature models such as the ZTE Blade and ZTE Light became bestsellers across multiple markets, achieving outstanding sales records in more than 30 countries including Europe and Japan, within a very short period of time. The ZTE Blade was also frequently referred to as the "Most Valuable Smartphone" by media in these markets.

HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha, The Facebook Smartphones from HTC

HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha, http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Finally we get to see those facebook phones from HTC,  HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha, both with facebook logo prominantly displayed. Now all the facebook fans need only to step in and start dancing.
Both the devices feature Android 2.4, with the latest iteration of HTC Sense to integrate Facebook throughout the HTC Sense experience. When you make a phone call, the dialer screen displays your friend’s latest status and photos, and even tells you if their birthday is approaching. The same updates are also displayed when you receive a call from a Facebook friend. You can also use your phone’s existing contacts to help you connect with them on Facebook or personalize your handset further with a number of new, Facebook-branded widgets.
“We have worked closely with HTC for several years on bringing Facebook to their devices and HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are the next stage, HTC has brought Facebook to these two new devices in an innovative way enabling people to connect and share easily whenever they want, wherever they are.” said Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business for Facebook.

The HTC ChaCha, a physical QWERTY handset paired with a 2.6-inch HVGA (480 x 320 resolution) capacitive touchscreen paired with dual cameras, the front facing VGA camera providing video conferencing capabilities on a handy little phone. The main camera is 5MP which is supported by LED flash will allow to capture those rare moments.
HTC Salsa also carry the deep Facebook integration as the HTC ChaCha and provides a fast, high-performance smartphone experience. Capture the moment in high-resolution stills or video with the 5-megapixel camera and immediately share it with friends on the generous 3.4-inch, 480 x 320 resolution touch display. Upload your photos to Facebook at the touch of a button. For face-to-face conversations on the move, the VGA forward-facing camera enables high-quality video calling.




Press release

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – February 15, 2011 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, today announced two new phones built entirely to be social, combining the simplicity, ease-of-use and depth of HTC SenseTM with the power and connectivity of Facebook®. As part of an extended portfolio of six new HTC Sense-based devices being unveiled at Mobile World Congress, HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa feature a dedicated Facebook® button for one-touch access to the key functions of the Facebook service that are integrated throughout the HTC Sense experience.

    “HTC has always understood that different people want different things and the new HTC ChaCha and Salsa offer special new ways to experience Facebook on a mobile device,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “With more than 500 million active users worldwide, Facebook has become synonymous with the social web and we wanted to create the ultimate socially connected phones with mass market appeal.”

    “We have worked closely with HTC for several years on bringing Facebook to their devices and HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa are the next stage,” said Henri Moissinac, Head of Mobile Business for Facebook. “HTC has brought Facebook to these two new devices in an innovative way enabling people to connect and share easily whenever they want, wherever they are.”

    The Facebook button on HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa is context-aware, gently pulsing with light whenever there is an opportunity to share content or updates through Facebook. With a single press of the button, you can update your status, upload a photo, share a Website, post what song you are listening to, ‘check in’ to a location and more. For example, you can take a photograph of friends on your phone and upload it instantly to Facebook by simply pressing the button. Or let your friends know what song you’re listening to by pressing the button while listening to music on the phone. The track is automatically identified and shared on Facebook.

    The new devices feature Android 2.4, the latest version, and use the latest iteration of HTC Sense to integrate Facebook throughout the HTC Sense experience. When you make a phone call, the dialer screen displays your friend’s latest status and photos, and even tells you if their birthday is approaching. The same updates are also displayed when you receive a call from a Facebook friend. You can also use your phone’s existing contacts to help you connect with them on Facebook or personalize your handset further with a number of new, Facebook-branded widgets.

    The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa smartphones make it simple to stay in touch with your friends using Facebook Chat and Messages on your phone. Your Facebook messages and conversations are integrated within your phone and appear within your text and email inboxes alongside your regular conversations.

    Stay connected with the smartphone for the Facebook generation – HTC ChaCha
    The HTC ChaCha smartphone is designed to provide a seamless, social experience by enabling you to stay in touch with your friends anytime, anywhere. The unique tilt design shapes the display and physical QWERTY keyboard so it is easy to view and comfortable to type. Capture special moments in crisp, High-Definition detail or video chat with your friends using the dual cameras, including a 5-megapixel color camera with auto focus and LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera. The ChaCha smartphone also brings the Internet to your fingertips with a 2.6-inch, 480 x 320 resolution landscape touch screen.

    Your Facebook friends never felt closer – HTC Salsa
    Boasting the same deep Facebook integration as the HTC ChaCha smartphone, the HTC Salsa smartphone provides a fast, high-performance smartphone experience. Capture the moment in high-resolution stills or video with the 5-megapixel camera and immediately share it with friends on the generous 3.4-inch, 480 x 320 resolution touch display. Upload your photos to Facebook at the touch of a button. For face-to-face conversations on the move, the VGA forward-facing camera enables high-quality video calling.

    Availability
    The HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa smartphones will be available to customers globally starting in Q2 2011.