Motorlola has unveiled the first of many devices that will support the iTunes Music Store. The phone is capable of downloading and playing music from the iTunes store, as well as syncing with your PC or Mac. It includes an interface similar to the Apple iPod for navigating and playing music. There is no mention of cost - but if the price is right, you can bet this is another gadget I will own.

Read More | eWeek

  Pretty soon, we’re going to be flooded with lots of news on all the new gear products coming out later this year and beyond.  It’s because the annual Consumer Electronics Show opens up this week in Las Vegas.  The show runs January 6-9, and features a messload of exhibits showcasing the latest in everything from BlueTooth technology to home theatre to WiFi.  Some of the major products that debuted in past CES shows include plasma TV’s, HDTV, CD’s and DVD’s.  It’s just huge, with some 129,000 attendees.  Special events to look out for this year include a pre-show keynote speech by Bill Gates, and a show-floor gaming competition.  Speaking of games, PSXExtreme reports that details on the Sony PSP’s US launch, pricing, and titles will all be revealed at the show.

26 companies, including Cingular, NTT DoCoMo, NEC, Siemens, and Vodafone have begun working on a unified data standard for the next generation of cell phones. The new technology dubbed “Super 3G”, is said to be capable of almost instantaneously transmitting high-resolution video.

Read More | EE Times

It takes a lot to be able to hang with the big boys.  After the ATT-Cingular merger, Sprint and Nextel weren’t just going to sit around.  While some analysts believe that the cultures of these two companies won’t mesh well together, execs are talking consumer-market dual-mode phones that will likely come out of the deal.  Time will tell what effect this may have on Verizon’s current lead.

Read More | CNN

It turns out that Nokia is blaming counterfeit battery manufacturers for a series of incidents where their cell phones have either heated up or exploded.  To help minimize this, customers can now look for a hologram label on their new Nokia batteries.  It will hide a 20-digit authentication code that appears when a portion of the label is scratched.  In addition, users can verify the code either online or via SMS.  This reminds me of some old Transformers toys, which would hide their allegiance (Autobot / Decepticon) until you rubbed their darkened insignias.  Don’t think any of those ever exploded, though.

Read More | Cnet

You can either see this as a case of how the mighty have fallen, or how a startup was able to turn itself around and be legit. Either way, Napster announced that they have reached an agreement with Dwango Wireless to enter the ringtone market. Dwango is a publisher of mobile content, and has all the tools to deliver what Napster needs to be successful. The service will be called "Napster Mobile", and the plan is to use "integrated technology extending from the PC to mobile devices". Ringtone downloads will also earn you credit towards Napster's online music store. We can expect the service to arrive on just about all of the major US and Canada service providers in 2005.

Read More | eCommerce Times

A Turkish petrol attendant recently thought his cell phone was stolen. He did what any of us would do - call your cell phone and see if anyone answered to try and recover the phone. However, when he made the call, he could hear the phone ringing nearby. It turned out that the ring was emanating from the stomach of his dog. Apparently, the dog got a hold of the phone, and swallowed it. Eventually, through the process of elimination, he was able to get the phone back. I don't know how willing I would be to check any missed voicemails after this phones recovery.

Read More | IOL

We know that a large number of readers are clamoring for the uber-cool Motorola Razr V3. The 1/2-inch thick chassis is visually smooth as silk, and is dead gorgeous. PC Magazine recently reviewed a prototype of the final version, and while there are still a few kinks to work out before the final product is released, they have determined that this is the best looking cell phone out there.

Read More | PC Mag

Finally, Verizon Wireless is adding a GSM phone to their product line. In fact, it is the first phone in the United States that can roam on both GSM and CDMA networks. Not bad. The reviewer notes that while it is nice to finally have GSM on Verizon, GSM roaming is going to cost you a pretty penny. It seems Verizon is slowly starting to offer the features that those on other carriers already have, starting with the Motorola V710 with Bluetooth. Now if only they would make these things as user friendly as the other carriers. And what the hell is up with the keypad?

Read More | CNet

 

Exactly one year from when it was originally announced (with a version that was never actually released to the market), Nokia is going to take another crack at entering a new market. Just like with the N-Gage handheld convergence device, this item also had to be redesigned before retailers and consumers were willing to accept it. The new phone, the Nokia 7710, is designed to be used as (hold on to your seats) a phone first (not many single use devices anymore, remember when a cell phone was a cell phone?), and second, as a mobile television (the quality is not yet known). Due to the massive market share Nokia has (1 out of every 3 phones sold around the world), there is almost no better company to push this new technology. The service will first be used in Britain on a trial basis before it is hopefully released elsewhere.

Read More | Reuters UK