handsets

In filings with U.S. regulators, Nokia on Thursday estimated that the growth rate for sales of its handsets in Europe had shrunk to 3 percent in 2007 from 16 percent in 2006.

What's more, the company said its growth rates had cooled in the Middle East and Africa (to 19 percent from 68 percent in 2006), North America (to 6 percent from 13 percent), and Latin America (to 10 percent from 15 percent), Reuters notes.

The global picture wasn't quite as wearying for Nokia: 2007 sales in the Asia-Pacific region grew by 34 percent, and in China, … Read more

Cell phone maker Sony Ericsson said on Wednesday that demand is slowing in Europe for midpriced and high-end handsets, and that slowing demand will hit the company's first-quarter results, notes a story by Barron's Tech Trader Daily.

Sony Ericsson also said component shortages for midpriced phones had hurt sales, which the company expects will reach 22 million phones for the quarter, with an average price of $187. At least one analyst, who previously had predicted 9 percent over the year-ago quarter, told Tech Trader that that number is well below expectations. He had forecast sales of 26.5 … Read more

Motorola's executive management shakeup continues as the company replaces two more senior executives.

The company has replaced treasurer Steve Strobel with Larry R. Raymond, a former vice president and treasurer at Sears Roebuck. Strobel had most recently been working for a private equity firm.

Motorola also replaced Mike Fenger, who had been the head of mobile devices in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Stephen Nolan, formerly vice president of sales at Motorola for Continental Europe, will now be in charge of the EMEA region.

The changes at the top are all part of Motorola's plan to transform … Read more

Other than to call for a cab, something tells us that new phones won't be on too many people's minds this St. Patrick's Day. But if you adhere to some strange custom by which gifts are exchanged every March 17, LG has a handset that's made to order.

The "Rumor" has been around for awhile, but SlashPhone says a special green version has been made available to Sprint customers just in time for the occasion. Other than the color, the handset seems to have the same features as earlier models, including a built-in GPS … Read more

Late last year Philips made headlines with a Xenium 9@9 phone that could last for two months on standby, and the handset has another new trick in its latest version--a touch screen.

When the Xenium 9@9v makes its way to Asia next month, it will one of only a handful of touch-screen phones on the market (PDAs excluded). According to the literature, the handset uses handwriting-recognition software that converts doodles into SMS text so you can actually scribble out your messages.

The company didn't provide much information about the 9@9v's dual-SIM card feature, so we … Read more

For those who want some personal security without resorting to an Avurt IM-5, the phone stun gun may be a more discreet alternative. But many of those on the market are fairly obvious even to the untrained eye. (The prominently labeled "STUN" button might have something to do with it.)

But British authorities have confiscated one that looks particularly real, and for good reason: It apparently is. Nottingham police seized a potentially lethal weapon disguised as a Sony Ericsson W700 handset, according to Newlaunches, one that's capable of delivering a 900,000-volt jolt. The BBC reported that … Read more

As Vertu celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, the luxury handset maker is commemorating its first decade with another special edition (surprise, surprise). This time it's the "Monogram Constellation" collection, though there's apparently no astronomical connection other than price. But something tells us that Vertu consumers aren't terribly concerned with such details.

With the latest line, the phone maker extraordinaire continues its leather kick, which it has already adopted for occasions ranging from the picnic to the race track. Given that this is Vertu, of course, it's no ordinary cowhide treatment: Each piece takes … Read more

There's nothing the lipless feline won't do for world domination, and that includes mating with your mobile phone via a proprietary cable to accomplish its goals. This mini-kitty juices up the handset using what looks like two AA-sized batteries, though that's not clear because those specs weren't available.

The problem, according to Akihabara News, is that this charger is compatible only with only Japanese cell phone battery connectors. However, GeekStuff4U--maker of this device--plans to develop a mini-USB version so that fans outside Japan won't be left out in the cold.

(Source: Crave Asia)

The Japanese-Swedish phone maker today unveiled the T303, a pocket-sized slider targeted at the fashion-conscious crowd. There haven't been many new models under the T series, with the more recent ones such as the T280i, T650i, and the T250i in candybar forms. So the slider T303 is a tiny surprise.

The various Sony Ericsson lines may be confusing for the average consumer on the street. Let's do a recap: In addition to the T, there's W (Walkman), C (Cyber-shot), G (Web), R (Radio), and X (XPERIA). Then there are the K and P series, for which have … Read more