HTC First Quarter 2009 Earnings Falls 30 Percent On Delayed Shipments

"Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC reported a 30 percent drop in first quarter earnings, as the economic crisis continued to take its toll on mobile phone sales. In a statement today, HTC, best known as the phone manufacturer behind the G1, the first Android phone, said its self-assessed net profit for the three months ended March 31, was NT$4.89 billion ($148 million), down from NT$6.94 billion ($210 million) a year earlier. Still, the earnings were ahead of a Reuters poll of 10 analysts, which had forecast NT$4.64 billion ($140 million). Revenues were down 3.4 percent to NT$31.59 billion ($954 million) in Q1 from NT$32.70 billion ($988 million) a year earlier, missing the company’s forecast in February of sales of NT$33 billion ($997 million). HTC blamed the missed target—which reached 95.7 percent of its forecast—on a delay in product shipments, which were pushed forward to April. Tapei-based KGI Securities analyst Vincent Liao told Dow Jones that the results were “in-line with expectations,” citing weak demand for expensive smartphones and the small number of product launches in the first quarter. Liao said he expected sales to pick up from the second quarter." via moconews.net

Samsung Omnia i910 GPS unlocked by new ROM!

If you’ve been scouring the interwebs for an easy way to unlock your Samsung i910 Omnia’s GPS hardware to work outside Verizon’s premium VZ Navigator service, you’ve probably found yourself up a certain creek without a certain paddle.Until now.Rejoice, ye Verizon customer! A new “unofficial” Windows Mobile ROM for the Verizon Samsung Omnia promises to unlock your Omnia’s GPS receiver from carrier-lockdown.The new Samsung Omnia ROM has surfaced at MoDaCo forums, and brings with it the power to free your Omnia to use the integrated GPS hardware with third-party mapping applications like Live Search and Google Maps. This “unofficial” ROM beats Verizon to its own punch. As you might recall, Verizon had promised to unlock GPS receivers in the Omnia, Saga and Touch Pro in the first half of 2009. But waiting for Verizon to launch anything these days is like watching mold grow.
In addition to the GPS unlock, this unofficial Omnia ROM offers:

• 5% battery increments!
• Smart Memo
• Opera Mobile 9.5 build 15679
• Favorite Settings, now known as Easy Settings
• Windows Live
• Dialer Touch Lock Settings-Off, 2s, 5s, 10s.
• Disable Threaded Text Messaging via System Settings
• iPhone-esque popup keyboard keys
• Better kinetic scrolling in Samsung apps
• Samsung Volume Control

If you’re brave enough to flash your Samsung Omnia with unofficial firmware, head on over to MoDaCo for the ROM download and flashing instructions. Make sure you back up all your data before hand, because it’s not going to be there after your ROM flash. Remember, this ROM is only intended to be used with the Samsung i910 Omnia - the one with the Verizon logo.Enjoy all that unlocked GPS goodness!" via intomobile.com

The Samsung Propel Pro is Available from AT&T

The QWERTY handset from Samsung baptized the Propel Pro is finally available from AT&T. You can have it for $149.99 after $50 mail-in rebate on a two-year contract. And here are the official specs of the Propel Pro, just to remind you what all that money will buy:

• Slider form factor, QWERTY keypad
• 2.5-inch TFT display, 320 x 320 pixels, 65K colors
• Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE connectivity (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA connectivity (850/1900/2100 MHz)
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard OS
• 3 megapixel camera with autofocus
• Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0
• MicroSDHC support
• 4 x 2.5 x 0.6 inches, 4.8 ounces
• Talk time: up to 6 hours, Standby time: up to 12 days" via mobilewhack.com

Nautiz X5 Smartphone

First of all, the Nautiz X5 is fast and powerful. Its 806 MHz Xscale processor, 256 MB RAM and 512 MB Flash memory is just wow. With Windows Mobile 6.1, a full VGA screen, and a battery that lasts more than a full workday on a single charge this handheld takes no prisoners.

The Nautiz X5 has an integrated 3 megapixel autofocus camera, and it also includes integrated 1-D laser barcode scanning or an optional 2-D imager. It offers a standard GSM/UMTS voice and high speed HSDPA data connectivity with lightning-fast, 3G communication. The Nautiz X5 has integrated Bluetooth and 802.11b/g, with WPA2 encryption for improved security and CCX certification for better interoperability. And with state-of-the-art SIRF Instant Fix II technology, the Nautiz X5’s GPS computes positions in seconds.

Did I mention abuse in the title? An IP65 rating means the Nautiz X5 is impervious to dust and highly water-resistant, and it can withstand drops from 1.8 meters and operate in a wide range of temperatures. It weights only 410 g (14.46 ounces) including rechargeable battery and fits comfortably in anyone’s hand, 160mm (6.3") x 80 mm (3.15") x 35.5mm (1.4").

More specs:

Connections: USB host/client, Serial (ttl), Audio jack, IrDA, Ethernet (via desktop cradle), MicroSD slot.
Communication: PAN: Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, WLAN*: integrated 802.11b/g, WITH WEP, WPA, WPA2, CCX Cisco Compatible extensions, Integrated GPS Sirf III with Instant Fix II, GSM/UMTS (HSDPA/EDGE), Integrated speaker & microphone.

More: http://www.nautiz.com/default.asp

Asus P552w

ASUS P552w is a PDA phone which features Glide – an innovative touch-responsive user interface that makes navigating and performing tasks on a mobile phone more intuitive and interactive than ever before. Equipped with a 624MHz processor and a host of market-leading features such as 3.5G HSDPA connectivity, GPS and seamless Google integration, the ASUS P552w PDA phone is a perfect fit for the rising tide of young, tech-savvy professionals who appreciate a good-looking mobile companion that packs a wealth of fun features and yet is no slouch when it comes to work.

Glide to a New Mobile Experience
Underpinning the ASUS P552w's revolutionary touch-responsive user interface is its cutting-edge Gester technology that enables users to perform a variety of navigational actions – such as selecting, zooming, scrolling and flipping – easily through simple flicks of their fingers. Incorporated into Glide are also applications that enable users to access a wide range of functions such as looking up the latest news, checking the weather forecast, viewing photo slideshows and listening to music within a few finger taps. These applications, dubbed Multi-Home, Anytime Launcher, EziPhoto, and EziMusic, give the expression "the world at your fingertips" a whole new meaning.

Unprecedented Processing Power, Speed and Connectivity
The ASUS P552w boasts one of the most powerful CPUs (624MHz) on the market today. Apart from posting exceptional Vsbenchmark scores, the ASUS P552w’s real-world results are equally tangible – applications and games run noticeably faster and video frame rates are markedly smoother. The ASUS P552w also features 3.5G HSDPA (3.6Mbps) connectivity for the fastest Internet browsing, file sharing and TV program-streaming experience possible. Furthermore, it offers Bluetooth, WLAN 802.11b/g, GPS, USB and other connectivity standards to enable easy data transfers to and from other devices.

Deep Google Integration
The ASUS P552w features Google Maps* which not only facilitates navigation, but is capable of furnishing users with information on points of interest. The ASUS P552w’s navigation capabilities are further bolstered by a feature known as ASUS SMS Location Link. With this exclusive feature, users at two different locations can locate each other easily by sending each other SMS messages. Clicking on the URLs which are automatically embedded in the sent messages will link the phones up to Google Maps, which will then provide the users with clear directions on how to get to each other’s positions. The ASUS P552w also features a convenient Google Search Bar on the Today screen that makes it easier to perform online queries.

EziPhoto, EziMusic and Other Applications
The ASUS P552w comes preinstalled with applications that allow users to get an easy handle on entertainment. The most exciting of these are EziPhoto and EziMusic. EziPhoto enables users to flip through their photo collection with their fingertips, akin to how they would with a real album. It also has a Calendar option which organizes and displays the thumbnails of photos users have taken according to the dates in which they were snapped, allowing them to relive those moments in chronological order at a single glance. EziMusic offers an interactive interface – complete with exciting animations – for users to play and manage their music, performing each task with colorful aplomb. The ASUS P552w also houses applications that enable easy access to web content like RSS newsfeeds, YouTube movies and photos on Flickr, ensuring that users have a full complement of entertainment options to choose from while out of the house or office.