Today is 40 years after the first Earth Day and, say the folks behind the globally organised Official Earth Day 2010 Campaign, the world is in greater peril than ever. And the point of creating and gaining publicity around a special day in the year devoted to the Earth, is to get people of all races and creeds motivated to help create a healthy, prosperous and clean energy economy for today and the future.

Earth Day 2010 is a clarion call for all those millions of people who make personal commitments to sustainability, whether its walking to the office, using less energy at home, or, indeed, mobile phone recycling. And its not just limited to individuals, companies, organisations and governments worldwide can help make a difference.

So don’t forget, whilst you’re thinking of things to help save the world, remember its easy to get cash for mobile phones.

And it remains the Symbian operating system, although its share of the market dropped just over 5% to nearly 47% in 2009.

A Gartner spokesperson said:
“Symbian had become uncompetitive in recent years, but its market share, particularly on Nokia devices, is still strong. If Symbian can use this momentum, it could return to positive growth.”

Breathing down the neck of the Symbian operating system is of course the real powerhouses behind smartphones: Research in Motion’s operating system (which drives the BlackBerrys) and the iPhone operating system. These two gained ground in 2009, with an increase to 20% from 16% for Research In Motion and 8% to 14% for iPhone.

The other slight concern for the Symbian operating system – which is now fully open source - is that it is affected by the weakness of Nokia in the high-end smartphone market.

But things could improve with the impending release of Symbian3, announced at the recent Mobile World Congress 2010, and Symbian4 which will follow shortly afterwards.

The unloved Microsoft Windows Mobile lost market share, falling from nearly 12% to just below 9%. It remains to be seen how the latest reincarnation of the generally unpopular operating system will fair in 2010.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the new kid on the block, the Android operating system, rose nicely from 0.5% to nearly 4%. With it gaining popularity, it will be bound to stay on that sort of course throughout 2010.

The Gartner spokesperson added:
“Looking back at the announcements during Mobile World Congress 2010, we can expect 2010 to retain a strong focus around operating systems, services and applications while hardware takes a back seat. Sales will return to low-double-digit growth, but competition will continue to put a strain on vendors’ margins.”

So hitting the streets will be the HTC Legend and HTC Desire.

As Peter Chou, CEO of HTC puts it:
“At its essence, the mobile phone is the most personal item you have in your possession. HTC Sense was created to magnify your ability to create and define your own unique mobile experience. HTC Legend and HTC Desire take Android to another level in both substance, with HTC Sense, and style, with HTC Legend’s revolutionary crafted aluminium unibody design.”

For anyone still bemused by exactly what HTC Sense is, it’s a user experience, an intuitive way of operating a mobile phone. In other words, making the thing easier to use! And at the heart of making a HTC Sense device easier to use, are the core tenants Make It Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected.

To illustrate HTC’s way of thinking, consider their application HTC Friend Stream which, they claim,  seamlessly aggregates all of the phone users, social communication - including Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr - into one organised flow of updates.

Clever, although cynics might just say that the marketing guys are going into overdrive just to describe a fancy filing system.

But enough of HTC Sense, the new Android based HTC phones, Legend and Desire, will undoubtedly be up amongst the top performers. Although maybe the teams that create the names of devices are becoming a tad desperate. Legend might suggest to many that this was a phone to have some years and ago and as for Desire, well, the market already has a large number of products using that descriptor, most of them not usable in this article.

For the record, the Legend appears to stand out because it boasts a continuous surface which is machined from a single aluminium block into a seamless compact frame. Quite why that gives it a greater Sense is beyond this article, but it does also come with a 3.2 inch AMOLED HVGA display.

Now with the Desire, you might expect something really super dooper, and – forgive the crass joke – size obviously does matter here, because with this model, you’ll have 3.7 inches in your hand: to be more precise, a 3.7 inch AMOLED WVGA display.

The big question of course, is does Sense make your phone easier to use? That, of course, comes down to subjective opinions, but if you want to try and make Sense of it all, then HTC Legend will be available in Europe via Vodafone in April. And the Desire won’t be far behind.

Latest figures from US research house Gartner show that the total number of phones sold worldwide in 2009 was 1.211 billion units, a 0.9% drop from 2008. Most of which one day will end up with the mobile phone recyclers.

On a slightly better note, sales in the fourth quarter of 2009 were actually up 8.3% (340 million units) over the fourth quarter of 2008, so the trend is getting better.

Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner, said:
“The mobile devices market finished on a very positive note, driven by growth in smartphones and low-end devices. Smartphone sales to end users continued their strong growth in the fourth quarter of 2009, totalling 53.8 million units, up 41.1% from the same period in 2008. In 2009, smartphone sales reached 172.4 million units, a 23.8 per cent increase from 2008. In 2009, smartphone-focused vendors like Apple and Research In Motion (RIM) successfully captured market share from other larger device producers, controlling 14.4% and 19.9% of the worldwide smartphone market, respectively.”

Gartner also highlighted the intense competition felt by manufacturers in 2009, not only in growing markets such as China and India, but also in the mature markets. But, Gartner reckons that the stronger economic climate will mean better times throughout 2010.

As to the manufacturers themselves, the big five of Nokia, Samsung, LG, Motorola and Sony Ericsson had mixed fortunes. As a group, they lost market share to the likes of Apple and other manufacturers, with their combined share dropping from 79.7% in 2008 to 75.3% in 2009.

Nokia’s share of the market dropped from 38.6% to 36.4% as pressure on smartphone price points took their toll. Samsung did actually better in 2009, going from 16.3% to 19.5%. LG also showed a market share improvement, up from 8.4% to 10.1%. But Motorola took a hit, falling from 8.7% to 4.8% and Sony Ericsson also showed a decline from 7.6% to 4.5%.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was on hand to launch Windows Phone 7 at the Mobile World Congress 2010.

In a typical upbeat presentation, Mr Ballmer laid out his store:
“Today, I’m proud to introduce Windows Phone 7 Series, the next generation of Windows Phones. In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience. Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences.”

And that’s the gist of the Microsoft approach. Their challenge has to be to launch an operating system that will threaten the dominance of the big boys in the smartphone market. And Microsoft cannot regain lost ground by emulating the others; it has to produce something original and exciting.

It is with this new platform that the Seattle software kings can hold up their heads with pride; they hope. And they claim it offers a fresh approach, characterised by smart design and, in their words, “…truly integrated services.” In other words, letting people access quickly the content they want from the web and on=board applications.

Smart design will not be the key (considering the competition), but functionality, combined with smart design, could be.

To be fair, by design, Microsoft are talking about a holistic system that is behind every part of the phone, from the layout, motion, function and hardware integration. For example, the Start Screen will consist of dynamically updated ‘live tiles’ which will quickly open chosen applications.

So will Windows Phone 7 will be the answer that Microsoft needs? Much of course depends on the consumers liking the system, but also much lies with the operators wanting it and the manufacturers falling in line. Microsoft say that’s all in hand, with the major operators and manufacturers on board, and the first phones being available in mid 2010.

As to whether the consumers are infatuated, will only be clear by the end of the year. If they aren’t, then Microsoft will look like they’ve played their last hand in the mobile phone operating system market.

Simple, you get the Solena Group to help you and this is exactly what British Airways has done in order to do its bit for the environment.

British Airways has teamed up with the Solena Group to build the first sustainable jet-fuel plant in Europe which will be used to power its aircraft from 2014.

The process basically provides lifecycle greenhouse gas savings of around 95% when compared to fossil-fuel derived jet kerosene.

The new plant which is likely to be built in East London takes waste materials which would usually go into landfill sites and converts it into aviation fuel.

And the 16 million gallons of fuel is equivalent to making all of the airlines flights from London City Airport carbon-neutral and is also equal to taking 48,000 cars off the road every year.

Solena Group Inc is a world leader in renewable energy systems and from its headquarters in Washington DC, it partners companies throughout the world to produce bio-energy and bio-fuel solutions. And not only will the plant produce airline fuel, it will also generate some 20 mega watts of electricity.

Solena will build and operate the plant and British Airways has agreed to buy the bio-fuel product. Some four sites are being considered in the east of London and its expected to create some 1,200 new jobs.

The bosses are as-one as to the merits of the project, with
Willie Walsh, British Airways’ chief executive, leading the way:
“This unique partnership with Solena will pave the way for realising our ambitious goal of reducing net carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2050. We believe it will lead to the production of a real sustainable alternative to jet kerosene.”

Next up was Dr Robert Do, chairman and chief executive of the Solena Group who said:
“The Solena - British Airways BioJetFuel project will efficiently convert biomass into clean renewable fuels and electricity and is completely carbon neutral. The plant will be a state-of-the-art renewable fuel manufacturing facility, distinct from a standard waste to energy incinerator facility. It will not produce any polluting emissions or undesirable by-products.”

Not to be out-done in the applause, The Mayor of London Boris Johnson, said:
“I welcome this fantastic new ‘carbon lite’ fuel production facility in London. City Hall has been working with British Airways and Solena to drive this project forward to help untap the massive potential to generate cleaner, less polluting energy from waste, otherwise destined for landfill.”

So next time you take of in a British Airways jet, just think for a minute what might be powering it in the future: the waste of all those Londoners!

Samsung’s PR team obviously think it’s what everyone wants, saying: “Think a phone like this is too good to be true? Think again. The Samsung Mythic is everything you’ve been dreaming of in a phone and then some. You’ll watch live TV right from the extra-large 3.3” touchscreen. And if there’s nothing on TV, a slew of social networking apps and messaging features will keep you busy chatting with friends and updating them on what’s happening in your life.”

Fair enough, but it’s beginning to imply that a human being is less than complete without a steady stream of TV images in their face, or networking sites in which to update. You wake up, then begin a daily cycle of either watching TV, or telling everyone else what you’re watching on TV. The obvious question of course, is if you’re so busy watching TV, when do you have time to live a life, to actually do something that might be worth putting on your social network page?

That’s not going to stop millions of Americans tuning into mobile TV of course. With the Samsung Mythic, they’ll be able to sign up for the AT&T Mobile TV service, which gives them real-time access to stations such as CBS, Comedy Central, ESPN, FOX, MTV and NBC.

Now there’s a thought, you leave the office after a hard day, and whilst you’re wending your tired way back home, you can catch up with the myriad of Friends repeats, just in case you haven’t seen every episode at least ten times before! And when you get back home, you collapse in front of the goggle box and watch some more repeats of Friends. Just think, how interesting will your social network page be sharing that day’s activity?

But the days when a mobile phone was just a mobile phone are long gone.

And, it has to be said, the Samsung Mythic is a little beauty and to think you can watch a TV programme on its 3.3” touch screen, is pretty impressive.

Apart from it’s ability to show your favourite TV sitcoms, it has all the usual points of merit: GSM 850/900/1900; JAVA operating system; 3.2 megapixel camera; music player; email; Bluetooth; and, with the help of a memory card, some 32GB of memory.

So there you are then, if watching TV on the move is important, get this little wonder, and by the way, it will also allow you to make calls.

In their recent financial results announcement Nokia confirmed that they had sold some 126.9 devices, up 12% on the quarter, but perhaps more significantly, up 17% on the third quarter.

This is especially good when considering that Nokia estimates that overall industry mobile device volumes were only up 8% on the year and 14% from the preceding quarter.

Nokia reckons that they enjoyed a whopping mobile device market share of 39% in the fourth quarter, a 2% increase on the same period last year and 1% more than the previous quarter (Q3 2009).

Although, despite good sales figures and market shares, sales at 12 billion euros were down 5% compared to the fourth quarter 2008 and down a far larger 22% from the preceding quarter.

Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the CEO of Nokia, said:
“We grew our market share in smartphones in the fourth quarter, driven by the successful launch of new touch and QWERTY models. Our performance in smartphones, combined with continuing success in the emerging markets…Our solid results also owe a good deal to world class supply chain management and impressive sales execution.

“Our focus remains firmly on execution, especially around user experience. Here I want to highlight our move to shake up the navigation market with free walk and drive navigation on our smartphones, a good example of how we are leveraging our assets to bring real benefits to consumers.”

The reference to the smartphones market in the above quote might be seen by some observers as a nod to Nokia struggling in the past to make its prescence felt in the top end of this particularly demanding sector. In other words, it does not have the ‘killer’ device. Many feel that although Nokia does dominate in market share terms, it has not traditionally had a device which can take on the iconic iPhones and BlackBerrys.

Brands are of course fickle things and only time will tell as to whether a Nokia smartphone will genuinely begin to challenge the two brands that are considered the trend setters.

The charity Missing People get to use 161 100 for a missing children helpline. NSPCC get 161 111 for its ChildLine service and 161 123 goes to the Samaritans who will use it as an emotional support line.

The new 116 numbers will work alongside the charities’ existing numbers. The idea is that they will allow anyone visiting Europe to be able to access a service via a memorable number.

The 116 numbers have been made available by the European Commission. One of their key aims is for certain social value services to be contactable by the same memorable number in all Member States. More 116 numbers will be issued and allocated in the future.

In the UK the 116 numbers will be free of charge, whether they are called from a landline, or mobile phone. Their introduction is expected later next year.

Martin Houghton-Brown, Chief Executive of Missing People, said:
“This is an exciting opportunity for the charity Missing People to share the Europe-wide number for missing children. The charity already takes 128,000 calls every year and this has extended the opportunities to contact us.”

Christine Renouf, NSPCC Director of helplines, said:
“It’s excellent news that we have been allocated 116 111. This is a positive step towards making sure children are aware there are helplines across Europe which they can access through a single number.”
Catherine Johnstone, Chief Executive of Samaritans, said:
“We welcome the 116 123 phone number which will give anyone in emotional distress a free, short and simple way to call Samaritans. We believe that giving people the chance to talk can alleviate feelings of despair and suicidal thoughts - ultimately saving lives.”

Ofcom’s primary job is to allocate millions of telephone numbers to the communication providers for personal and business use.

Daniel Gordon, Ofcom’s Policy Director, said:
“Ofcom’s role is to enable these numbers to be rolled out in the UK for the benefit of consumers. These new 116 numbers will mean people can call these services wherever they are in Europe.”

To great fanfare and usual Apple appetite whetting the iPad has just  been unveiled to an excited public.

It looks sleek and ‘sexy’, something you’d expect from the cool guys at Apple. It’s a tablet shaped computer which looks, say many, like an over-sized iPhone, and boasts a 9.7 inch colour screen.

But for most observers, it’s not about looks, but about where it fits into the overall scheme of techno-gadgets. And in launching the iPad, Apple’s CEO Jobs described where it was targeted, the currently sleepy ebook market. In the same way that Apple took a stranglehold on the music market and helped change the way people listened to music for ever, so they now want to take control of the ebook market.

There’s plenty there already, with Sony’s ereader having been out some time and Amazon putting a lot of weight behind their Kindle ereader.

But Apple has proved that smart design, coupled with smart marketing, can give them the edge as they build the device then stimulate growth and sales.

Of course, the iPad can do many other things as well, including surf the web, send emails, play games, watch TV, make notes and generally organise their owner’s lives.

But Apple have their eye on the ebook market and have created iBooks which lets the user purchase and download ebooks onto the iPad.

And to reinforce their commitment in this sector, they already signed deals with the likes of Penguin, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster.

What’s more, it’s not only book publishers who are hoping for big things from the iPad. All content creators, the newspaper and magazine groups especially, will be praying that this is the device that not only makes reading content interesting, but also gives it a value. The big hope is that devices such as the iPad and Kindle will change the way people read books and newspapers. And thus bring about the end of the ‘free content’ age, when everything could be expected to be on the internet for nothing.

So if you want to read your Charles Dickens, or Financial Times on the iPad, then American citizens will be able to get their hands on a model by March for around $499, whereas those in the UK will have to wait a little longer and prices have yet to be set.

In case you’re interested, the iPad weighs only 700 grams and is a mere 0.5 inch thick; which is useful, given it has to spend a lot of time cupped in your hands. And it can store between 16 and 64 gigabytes of data.

Form an orderly queue now!

Actually, it is the big northern cities of Manchester (top spot at number 1), Leeds (2) and Newcastle which take the accolade.

In these tough bastions of maleness, men spend more time talking to their mums than any other place.

Or at least that’s what research from mobile phone website rightmobile.co.uk discovered in a recent look at mobile phone call trends. Indeed, those brave men taking part in the survey were asked to work out how much time they spent on the phone to their mums as a proportion of the total time spent using their mobile phones over one month.

Of course, you might also conclude that they are on the phone to their mums so much so as to avoid seeing them. But let’s not be too churlish.

Manchester is top with am impressive 58%, but Leeds was not far behind with 54% and Newcastle hot on their tails with 52%. The others in the top ten hit parade were Portsmouth (51%), Birmingham (46%), Liverpool (46%), Swindon (42%), Grimsby (41%), Aberdeen (39%) and Bradford (38%).

So, the next question is, which is the City in which men spend the least time talking to their mums? Yes, you’ve guessed it, Glasgow. Now quite why the men folk of Glasgow don’t spend time talking to their mums on the mobile phone is beyond the scope of this article. Perhaps there’s too many distractions and it would not be a wise to ask such a question at throwing out time on a Saturday night.

With Glasgow coming last of all the cities with a mere 4%, joining them in this hall of shame is Luton at 5%, Coventry also at 5%, Oxford a fraction better at 6% and Cardiff a mere 7%. Oh woe is them.

A spokesperson at rightmobile.co.uk pointed out:
“As someone based in the South I was amazed at the results but maybe it could be because us southerners spend more time face to face with our mums than on the phone to them.

“This piece of research has really helped us to identify the types of deals and offers that we should be targeting specific regions with. What has been really interesting is the fact that for many of the guys we spoke to we could see that they spent more time on the phone to their mums than they do to their partners or wife and as for poor old Dads, they hardly seem to get a look in.”

So there we are. For any mums out there, if you want your son to keep in touch, move to Manchester.

Research from the team at Tesco Telecoms found that nearly 70% of people in Britain don’t like to carry a large phone around in their pocket. What’s more, some eight out of ten women don’t like the distraction of a handbag on a night out, so have to find somewhere else to stuff their phones. And depositing a large smartphone into a pocket of some skinny jeans, is not that easy. So, the ultra slim VX1i Party Phone was born and it will fit, says Tesco’s, into the skinniest pair of denims.

And they seem to have got it right. The VX1i Party Phone, which retails at £18.99 is now one of Tesco’s best selling mobile phones and 10,000 left the stores in the run-up to New Year.

The great attraction of course is not only its lightweight credentials, but also the fact that it is a SIM free phone. You buy it, then insert your own SIM card. It will work with most of the SIMs from the main networks, apart from 3, and this is a great attraction for those who like to party unencumbered with the usual personal belongings. They can easily swap their own number into the VX1i and party all night, safe in the knowledge that there are no unsightly bulges, at least that can be blamed on their phones.

A spokesperson for Tesco Telecoms and Tesco Mobile said:
“Our handset was developed as an affordable replacement, temporary phone or alternative to a more expensive phone, but its popularity really has taken us by surprise. The start of a new year is the perfect time to cut costs and we are amazed to see how many shoppers want a plucky little alternative to the smart-phone pack – or they want both!”

Tesco Mobile is a joint venture between Tesco and 02. It sells Tesco Mobile branded services online, through its own stores and via Tesco Direct.

Unveiled at the recent Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas, HTC claim that the Smart is a new type of smartphone which is the beginning of a group of straightforward, connected models that will be accessible to people all over the world.

Launched initially in Europe and Asia this Spring, the idea behind the Smart is to produce a device that is a smartphone, but one that is easy-to-use and perhaps more importantly, affordable.

In the words of a HTC Corporation spokesman:
“HTC has always focused on listening to customers and setting the stage for new mobile categories and HTC Smart is the response to customer demand around the world for an easier-to-use, affordable smartphone. Just adding a touch interface doesn’t mean a phone is a smartphone; The integration of HTC Sense brings an unparalleled smartphone experience for people looking to do more on their phone.”

HTC claim that the Smart has a friendly design (not sure how many people design unfriendly phones), which is compact (small), touchy (operated by fingers) and integrates an intuitive user experience that is based on the HTC Sense. In their own words, it stays loyal to the HTC design philosophy that puts people at the centre by focusing on three core areas: Make It Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected.

This basically means that the Smart can be customised and is a great portal to seeing what your friends and colleagues are boasting about on their social networking websites.

It’s powered by the delightfully called Qualcomm Brew Mobile which is apparently a cheap and cheerful, yet powerful operating system which allows the production of affordable smartphones.

A Qualcomm spokesman said:
“HTC Smart breaks new ground in delivering the powerful, in-demand smartphone features that consumers want on a more accessible device for global markets. We are pleased to be supporting HTC as they utilize the capabilities of Qualcomm’s Brew Mobile Platform open operating system to offer high-end capabilities and a compelling mobile user experience at mass-market price points.”

So, pretty HTC Smart then.

But things have moved on and now 3D televisions have received rave reviews from the latest techno shindig at Las Vegas, CES 2010.

Indeed, Best in Show gong was awarded to the Panasonic VT25 television. Now LG, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba were all showing off 3D TVs, but Panasonic got the accolade, mainly because it not only does the business, but it’s about to ship, meaning it could be in a home near you (if you live in America of course), by the spring. And as such, it will be one of the first 3D, flat-panel HDTV’s available in the US market.

Now, once it reaches across the pond, don’t go expecting Phil’s next fight at the Queen Vic to be in glorious 3D, because as with all such technologies, the device is only part of the story. There isn’t much 3D content around at the moment and as happened with HD television, the availability of 3D programming could be on the low side for a bit.

The other downside of course is that watching 3D television requires you to look like Mr Magoo wearing his best set of lenses. Special glasses have to be worn if you don’t want to be sick watching a fuzzy image and although the Panasonic comes with a complimentary pair, other members of the family will either have to ask for the sick bag, or buy their own.

Now, in case you’re interested, the Panasonic glasses use an active LC shutter system which means that the two lenses darken and lighten very quickly – not discernable with the human eye - whilst the TV picture synchronously displays the corresponding left and right eye specific images. This results in what Panasonic call the Full Monty (or Full HD 3D to be precise). In techno blurb, it’s full-resolution 3D content, which preserves all 1,920 x 1,080 pixels for the left and right eye. Bingo.

Okay clever, but how long before you can view such 3D images on your mobile phone? And how long before those phones end up in the hands of the mobile recycling fraternity? The answer, on both counts, is quite some time.

Now, okay, arguments are going to continue forever which is the more stylish and ‘sexy’ phone, the Nexus One, or the iPhone, but for many people out there, it will come down to functionality and ease of use.

And as we said in an earlier blog, it’s unlikely that the Nexus One will beat the iPhone on the catwalk, but what’s at stake here is being the chosen portal of the mobile internet world. Control the gateway and Google will add another notch on the technological bedpost.

It will of course eventually reach the phone recycling fraternity, but not before its been hammered by those geeks in the industry known as the first adopters.

And the Nexus One will no doubt turn a few heads, even though it’s come from the more robotic HTC design stable.

So what are it’s key features? In the Google PR blurb, the first feature they mention is ‘dynamic noise suppression from Audience Inc.’ Not top of my hit list, but there’s no accounting for taste. Perhaps a little more relevant is that it boasts a large 3.7 inch OLED touchscreen display (800 x 480 pixels) which, says the boys and girls, allows deep contrast and brilliant colours. Okay then.

Although most won’t care about the next bit, it is important for those worried that their phone has the legs: the beast running the machine is a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset which apparently is faster than a Olympic sprinter on banned substances. Software is Eclair (thought that was a creamed bun with a bit of chocolate on top) and it runs the Android 2.1 operating system. I tell you what, the best job at HTC and Google must be coming up with the product names.

The software is fun packed, which means that you can have fun with voice-enabled keyboard (those with a lisp might have more fun than the others) and a 3D photo gallery. So, it follows the recent trend of the phone turning into a big toy.

Given that modern-day smartphones are for those looking for something exciting to play with, the next stats might be superfluous, but you can talk for ten hours on one charge, on the 2G model, and for seven hours on the 3G model. Standby time is an impressive 290 hours of the 2G and 250 hours on the 3G. And for those habitual surfers, you have five hours of fun on the 3G.

There’s 512MB of flash and 512MB RAM (remember when that was impressive for a desktop)? A 4GB Micro SD Card boosts the capacity, which can climb to 32GB.

It not only has GPS, but AGPS (short for Assisted Global Positioning System). If that doesn’t light your fire, what about a digital compass, or an accelerometer, or a five mega pixels camera? Autofocus works from 6 cm to infinity (wow, infinity, where’s that then?).

As to it’s vital statistics, its slightly anorexic at 11.5mm depth, 59.8mm wide and 119mm high. With battery, it weighs in at 130 grams.
If you want one in Europe, better ask your friendly Vodafone.

But will it be our weapon of choice for mobile browsing? You certainly wouldn’t bet against it?

Called rather boringly the Consumer Electronics Show and lasting for four days (this year 7 to 10 January), it’s a massive expo where the big boys launch their favourite techno toys and desperately try to out do each other in the bragging stakes.

The trend of the mega companies is to almost turn their backs on the show and make their announcements from their own headquarters, just before the start of the show, as if to say that they are well above all that. Apple have done it and this year Google has announced their much-awaited Nexus One from their own base, although you can bet that their executives will be swarming through CES itself. Mindyou, if you are one of the big boys, you can do almost what you like and at least they know where all the techno competitors and media will be at the start of the year, Las Vegas.

The press blurb announces that this year there are a record number of new exhibitors– some 330 – who will join the 2,500 who regularly turn up and shout about their goods. The show itself is the biggest of its kind in the world and regarded as the globe’s largest consumer technology tradeshow.

In short, whatever gadget rings your bell, now, or in the near future, there will be someone showing it off at CES. And with Las Vegas as the appropriate background (a place of fantasies and dreams), there could never be a more appropriate location for an exhibition.

And zonzoo will pick out some of the best stories from CES 2010. Watch this space. We’ll try and select some of the top mobile phone stories.

In the meantime, let’s hear what the president and CEO of CEA (anyone else wondering why everyone seems obsessed with three initials beginning with C?) has to say? By the way, CEA stands for Consumer Electronics Association and CES is their trade show, so there. And CIA stands for Central Intelligence Agency (just thought I’d drop that one in for free).

Gary Shapiro says modestly:
“With a record number of new exhibitors, scores of new product introductions, several new Spotlights on the show floor and a dynamic line-up of keynotes sessions, the 2010 International CES will be our best show yet. More technology deals will be made during the four days of CES than anywhere else on earth. In fact, each CES attendee has an average of 12 meetings while at the show, reinforcing CES as the business hub for technology. Innovation is flourishing within the technology industry and the 2010 CES is the only place to see it all.”

So lets wait and see what CES 2010 brings.

The report, from Kantar Media company Compete, also predicts a massive upsurge in what’s known as m-commerce (short for mobile commerce) in 2010.

Known as The Smartphone Intelligence Survey, the report looks at behavioural patterns of those owning Android Devices (Google), BlackBerrys and iPhones, and this latest edition, based on third quarter of 2009, is timed to appear just before the techno love-in held yearly at Las Vegas. It’s known as the Consumer Electronics Show and the great and good of the gadget world pay homage to one another’s clever musings.

But back to the report. A spokesman for Compete says:
“As manufacturers show off the hottest new devices at CES, our research shows that they’d be wise to consider the complete mobile shopping experience and how it varies by individual and device.

“We’re seeing notable behavior differences across devices, so, for example, users of the Android operating system share different characteristics than Blackberry and iPhone enthusiasts. As manufacturers and marketers better understand how each group actually uses their devices, there’s a huge potential in 2010 for mobile commerce to explode.”

The main findings from the report show that 37% of those who own smartphones have bought something non-mobile, using their handset, in the last six months. What’s more, 19% of smartphone users have bought music using their handset; 14% have purchased books, DVDs, or similar items; and, 12% have purchased movie tickets.

But research still wins the day, with 41% of smartphones (actually the iPhones and Android fraternity) using their devices to cannily check sale prices at alternative locations whilst out shopping. And as an extension to that, around 39% of iPhone users and some 31% of Android owners, read reviews about the product they’re thinking of buying before they make a decision.

Although smartphone consumers are not tolerant of sites that are not geared for m-commerce, with 45% abandoning a sale process because the site would not load and 38% saying they left sites that were not developed specifically for smartphone users.

The industry is a buzz with the launch of the Google smart phone Nexus One which will be a direct competitor to the iconic iPhone.

And although it’s easy to think that this is just about securing large revenues going forward, what’s really at stake here is both companies desire to get a lion’s share of the mobile browsing market. Once derided as a gimmick, mobile browsing has become a key digital activity and mobile internet searches are growing at a dramatic rate.

The launch of Nexus One is said to be on Tuesday and it is cannily timed to go live just before the consumer techno shindig which is held every year at Las Vegas. Called the Consumer Electronics Show, it sets the tone for the technology year in terms of what’s going to be the next big thing.

And there are companies queuing up to have a slice of the action enjoyed by Apple. But it’s not only the iPhone which is in sights of Google, the boys from Seattle don’t seem to have the success they would have hoped from Microsoft Windows Mobile and much rides on the latest version, number 7. Although Apple have seen off attacks before, this time it’s not just about cool devices, it’s about winning the hearts of minds of the mobile browsers and the portal they feel most comfortable with. Both Apple and Microsoft must be feeling the hot breath of Google on their necks.

Of course the internet is literally alight with keen anticipation about Nexus One. Google know that if they are to rip the iPhone family from its devoted fans and make a meaningful impact in the mass market, then the Nexus One has got to be the dog’s what-its-names.

So expect a bobby-dazzler, although first reports suggest that despite being slightly thinner than the iPhone, it’s not as ‘sexy.’ It’s built by the reliable HTC team who produce superb handsets, but maybe don’t quite have the flair of the Apple boys and girls. That elusive Apple ingredient which turns their products into design icons and is not easy to emulate, as many have found out to their cost.

The Nexus One is said to run the Android 2.1 operating system which is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. As with the iPhone, the screen is where everything happens and at 3.7-inches with a 480 x 800 display, it’s up to the task in hand. The on-board camera boasts five megapixels and is supported by a LED flash.

So there we are. Will Nexus One give the iPhone a run for its money? Or to be more precise, who will stand over the gateway of internet browsing and reap the rewards? We’ll have to wait and see!

And how long before the Nexus One is laid bare before the mobile phone recycling companies? Not long.

The yuppie may be long gone, but as this milestone and RIM’s latest figures prove, although there are hoards who covet the cool lines of an Apple device, there’s plenty out there who prefer the status of the BlackBerry. It has reached the enviable position of being de rigeur for the serous minded business person, allowing you to complete a multi-million pound deal, whilst chatting with your partner and ordering a latte from your neighbourhood coffee shop.

For the three months to 28 November, 2009, the NASDAQ listed company banked a whopping $3.92 billions in revenues. Pretty impressive, but what’s even more impressive is that it was up 11% over the previous quarter and up a staggering 41% over the same quarter last year.

Which means that for the quarter just gone, RIM shipped around 10.1 million devices.

Now BlackBerry’s are regularly handled by the mobile phone recycling companies as those addicted to their digital chirping friends are keen to always have the latest model, so there will always be a willing audience ready to part with their spondula. But what’s great news for RIM is that their sales are not just about their customer’s upgrading their handsets, because during the quarter around 4.5 million new subscriber accounts were added, bringing the total global Blackberry subscriber base to 36 million.

In others words, imagine well over half the people in the UK owning a BlackBerry.

Jim Balsillie was in understandably buoyant mood when he said:
“We are pleased to report record shipments of more than 10 million BlackBerry smartphones during the third quarter with higher than expected revenue, earnings and subscriber growth.

“RIM is experiencing a great start to the holiday buying season and the strong Q3 results and Q4 outlook clearly reflect the strength of our diversified product portfolio as well as the success of our efforts to expand into broader customer segments and new geographies while maintaining our strong position in North America.”

So there you are; if anyone was wondering how the smartphone market seems to be progressing, then have a look at RIM. Not bad at all.

This will no doubt bring a raft of older iPhones to the attention of the mobile phone recyclers.

The Vodafone iPhone will be available to its customers on contract with those paying a £35 paid plan getting a iPhone 3G free.

There are three models available of course, the iPhone 3G 8GB, iPhone 3GS 16GB and iPhone 3GS 32GB. Each are available in a number of plans within the Vodafone contracts.

The iPhone 3GS, whether you get the middle-weight 16GB, or the heavyweight 32GB, is, says its fans, the most powerful iPhone yet, up to twice as fast as the iPhone 3G.

Amongst its many qualities the iPhone 3GS boasts a high quality three megapixel autofocus camera, a longer battery life, simple to use video recording and hands free voice control, just in case you appear in an episode of The Apprentice and want to abuse your fellow team mates in front of the cameras.

All the iPhones connect to the mother ship via the App Store which, whichever way you look at it, has been a phenomenal success, with over two billion downloads up to now. These Apps of course are there to ease life for the modern human, or just make it a wee bit more complicated; take your pick. But if you need advice, or help, on anything, then go to the bountiful App Store.

Vodafone contract customers wielding an iPhone can expect up to one GB of mobile data and unlimited access to Wi-Fi in the home.

Consumer entry point for a Vodafone 3G 8GB is a 24-month contract costing £30 a month and a phone price of £59. This gives you 300 minutes yapping time, unlimited texting ability and a single gig. Top of the pile is the 18-month contract costing a significant £80, but you can jaw on for 3000 minutes, again send unlimited texts and still get one gig; but on the upside, you do get an iPhone 3GS 32GB phone for free.

The monetary commitment is ready to be revealed at the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference which is currently underway in Copenhagen. It is said, according to a diplomatic source which was unnamed, to be a sign of good faith from the EU and is targetted at climate change mitigation and adaptation in vulnerable third world countries.

News agency AFP also ran with the story, although they said the amount the EU was prepared to spend, between 2010 and 2012, was being kept secret. Their source was a draft text of the commitment said to come from the EU.

The Financial Times Deutschland speculated that money is deemed necessary as a sign of the EU’s belief that support is desperately needed for those countries being affected by climate change now. It is also reported that the EU recognise that their contribution is barely a drop in the ocean against what the final bill might be.

The two-week conference is being held in Copenhagen and most see these as not only historic talks, but ones that almost represent the last big chance to get things right.

Chief Yvo de Boar said the time was now up to agree on the framework of a tougher climate deal after a series of troubled negotiations which have deepened a rift between rich and poor nations.

He told press agency Reuters:
“I believe that negotiators now have the clearest signal ever from world leaders to draft a solid set of proposals to implement rapid action…Never in the 17 years of climate change negotiations have so many different nations made so many firm pledges together. Almost every day countries announce new targets or plans of action to cut emissions.”

China, India and Indonesia are amongst a number of other countries which have all rallied behind the flag, announcing new commitments to reduce emissions. South Africa has also announced that it will take its turn, promising to reduce its emissions by 34% over the next ten years. And Japan remains true to its original targets of a 25% cut in emissions by 2020.

The major caveat of course is that these targets are based on every other significant country accepting and meeting their targets.

But these recent offerings from some of the world’s largest polluters provide hope that the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference can achieve some level of success.

Much rests on the last few critical days of the conference, as leaders from over 100 countries will fly in and try and finalise a major deal, including agreeing on emissions levels and who is going to foot the bill.

No says industry researchers Gartner. The rise of the smartphone to eventual world domination and control of the human species is continuing, with sales up an impressive 12.8%, equating to 41 million units.

Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner, said about the wonder machine:
“Smartphones continued to represent the fastest-growing segment of the mobile-devices market and we remain confident about the potential for smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2009 and in 2010.”

And the top five players in the market haven’t changed that much, with Nokia leading the way with 39.3%; Research in Motion (BlackBerry) at 20.8%; Apple, 17.1%; HTC, 6.5%; and, Samsung bringing up the rear with 3.2%.

But that doesn’t tell the whole story of course. Nokia might be the leader in the market, but it was the only smartphone manufacturer in the third quarter to lose market share, around 3%, and an all-time low. Nokia might hog the middle ground, but it lacks a show stealer smartphone at the top end of the market. And nothing in the pipeline looks likely to steal the thunder of BlackBerry makers RIM, up nearly 5% and uber-cool Apple, which again took a 5% increase.

For RIM it was their highest share yet and particularly impressive as it appears to be more than holding it’s own against the cool kid on the block, Apple. But helping Blackberry were the Curve 8900 sales volumes in Europe and the Tour and Storm 2 with Verizon Wireless in the US. RIM also benefited from pre-paid sales and more flexible BlackBerry Internet Service offerings, which drove volumes in emerging markets like Latin America.

Apple shipped seven million units, as the rollout of the iPhone 3GS continued in new countries. And Apple is trying very hard in China.

HTC only put on 2%, but that only includes its own-branded products and does not reflect this comparatively new entrant’s dominance in this sector. Samsung nearly saved Nokia’s blushes, only managing a 0.2% increase.

In terms of the heart of the smartphone, the operating system, Symbian lost ground (because of Nokia’s performance), whereas Android picked up momentum. But with only a handful of Android devices available, its share remained small at 3.5%. The oft-quoted demise of the Windows Mobile operating system is complicated by the fact that version 6.5 only became available in October, too late to have an impact on the third quarter, so sales of Windows-based smartphones saw another decline.

Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner, said on the figures:
“The third quarter of 2009 saw the announcement of many new mobile devices, including several Android smartphones ready for the holiday season in the fourth quarter, but hardware commoditisation and the growth in open platforms will make it harder for them to stand out.

“Meanwhile, the channel slowed its inventory-reduction efforts so while some sales volumes increased, average selling prices (ASPs) stagnated. We expect pressure on ASP to continue into 2010.

“Many devices will reach the market in time for Christmas, and mobile carriers will run incentives for consumers during the holidays. We expect sales of mobile devices in the fourth quarter of 2009 to show year-over-year growth. As many vendors and industry watchers call for a decrease in sales into the channel, our sell through data is showing that 2009 performance will be flat rather than down over 2008.”

During the period under review, Nokia remained top-dog with a whopping 113.5 million phones shipped, a handsome 36.7% of the market, although that was down a touch from the 38.2% gained in the third quarter 2008. Nokia was faced with component shortages, but also that familiar problem of not having a knock-em-dead, top of the market smartphone. Nokia dominated the mid-tier market, but seemed unable to make a killing at the upper end.

Samsung consolidated its number two slot in the market with a very strong 2009 third quarter, increasing its market share 2.5% over last year, at 60.6 million units. Samsung got most things right, having a good time with touchscreen devices, qwerty phones and smartphones driving sales in the mature markets of Europe and the US. In emerging markets, it’s policy of refreshing older models helped the good figures.

In common with Nokia, third-placed LG appears more comfortable in the middle ground and lacks a smartphone portfolio. And it did manage to increase its market share from 7.8% to 10.3% with 31.9 million phones shipped.

The remaining two of the big five mobile phone manufacturers didn’t fair so well as their peers. Number four, Motorola, lost 3.5% share of the market, shipping 13.9 million phones, as it waits for fourth quarter product launches. Fifth placed Sony Ericsson dropped about the same market share as Motorola, selling nearly the same amount of phones, 13.4 million, as sales of it’s phones deteriorated.

No. Despite many early press reports which described it as a “disposable” phone, BIC are at pains to point out this is not so. A disclaimer says: “BIC phone is not a ‘disposable’ phone. It is sold with a rechargeable battery, included in the pack and when your 60 minute credit is over, you can buy more credit with a prepaid “mobicarte.”

So now you know, but with BIC’s pedigree, you can see why people might get the wrong idea.

Sold over the counter at, for example, supermarkets, local stores, tobacco shops, newsstands, train stations and airports, BIC reckons its new mobile phone will win fans because it is not only easy to use, but focuses on the basics: sending and receiving calls and SMS. Sold in distinctive citrus orange and lime green colour schemes, BIC also think it will be an ideal ‘second’ phone, one that could be used for mundane calls, whilst the main mobile line is kept free.

And BIC’s partner in France is Orange who are lending their considerable telecom weight to the idea. In order to get their free 60 minutes, purchasers of the BIC phone have to identify themselves to service agents and the telephone number, which is included in the pack, is
valid for at least 12 months from the time the phone is activated.

The manufacturer behind the BIC phone is TCL which currently sells its mobiles under the Alcatel brand.

For those that don’t know, BIC has been around for over 50 years, producing stationery, lighters and shavers. It is one of the most recognised brands in the world, selling its products to over 160 countries around the globe. In 2007, BIC enjoyed sales of 1,456.1 million euros.

Yet only time will tell is convenience, over say substance, will justify the recommended €49 price tag for the new BIC mobile phone.