The Treo 750v will go down in history as the first Treo smartphone to be on the Vodaphone 3G/UMTS network. In fact, Vodaphone and Treo are also teaming up with Microsoft as the 750v offers Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0. The Treo 750v is one handy device that offers phone, email, messaging, web browsing, and organization software in one compact package.

The 750v is capable of a number of other great things, like the Today Screen. The Today Screen has the ability to “dial by name” with a few strokes of the QWERTY keyboard. The Today Screen can also perform web searches and one-touch dialing. You can even dial by photo if you want to! You can also manage a call directly and use the voicemail on screen with easy-to-use icons like rewind, delete, and fast-forward. You can even ignore a call and send a quick text message. The 750v also includes an integrated SMS/MMS with chat view and dedicated inbox. The phone also has personal speakerphone and an option of 6-way calling.

Other features include Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 for mobile music and video. Now you can download your favorite MP3s and video files for fun on the go. Even more fun is the included 1.3 megapixel digital camera that also shoots video footage. It also has a mini-SD expansion slot insures more memory, and is compatible with Bluetooth enabled stereo headsets. With the Windows Mobile package comes Office Mobile, for looking at all your applications for business, no matter where you are.

The Treo 750v has a very cool 240 x 240 color TFT touchscreen display that has 16-bit (over 65,000 colors). The talk time is up to 4.5 hours on GSM (also available for use) and 2.5 hours on UMTS. Without the SD, its internal memory is 128MB/60MB nonvolatile flash memory.

Vodafone has recently announced 24 3G mobile phones. One of them looks exclusive to Vodafone, the Motorola V1100 HSDPA flip phone.

Its clamshell design is similar to the RAZR, but doesn’t look as thin. According to Vodafone’s recent press release, this is supposed to have a “sporty” design, but I don’t quite see the connection. The same release says that the V1100 will be equipped with Mobile TV, Vodafone Radio DJ (not certain what that is), as well as a 1.3 Megapixel camera.

The Motorola V1100 should be available some time around the holiday season. Check the Vodafone site for more info.

Hats off to the Japanese as they don’t believe in sitting on the laurels and are forever coming up with new and innovative products. Now its Sharp’s turn to unveil the worlds first true VGA (480 x 640 pixels) phone which is available via Vodafone KK in Japan. The 904SH with its path breaking and revolutionary display would be able to offer a display which has not been seen before as the best display handsets have always featured QVGA (Quarter VGA). So what does that mean in layman terms? Read on:

The 904SH mobile phone would have a resolution four times greater and better than the competition and users would be able to enjoy multimedia functions to its fullest. The new phone is not just about the display but will also offer a host of multimedia features like 3.2 mega pixel camera; a Motion Control Sensor (for 3D games), and a Face Recognition utility to facilitate authentication of phone owners by sensing their facial characteristics. Wow this phone sounds straight from a Mission Impossible movie!

If all this wasn’t enough, the handset is capable of Bluetooth connectivity and smsing via Bluetooth. There is a parental control feature too for preventing kids to access wrong kind of applications. No information on a worldwide release but it will be available in Japan for £120 ($210).

Via Inquirer

Vodafone K.K., a leading cellular operator in Japan and a subsidiary of the Vodafone Group, has announced the inclusion of OKI's face recognition midddleware into the Vodafone 904SH mobile phone. Expect the Vodafone 904SH to be launched in late April 2006 in Japan. OKI's new security technology is labelled as FSE or Face Sensing Engine. It enables instant face recognition using the parent mobile's onboard camera.

FSE is considered to be a better security system than password protection. FSE can rapidly authenticate the owner as soon as he/she (or it?) looks into the camera. The authentication method seems not to depend on the surrounding brightness. So it can be used both indoors and outdoors. FSE includes functions to detect facial characteristics including the location of the eyes, eyebrows and mouth, and a function to keep track of changes in facial characteristics due to various facial expressions.

You can read all about FSE and its applications at OKI Face Sensing Engine (FSE).

These phones aren't new but it seems like they will finally, for the first time reach British Shores. Vodafone is set to release the HTC Universal (also known as the O2 XDA Exec) and the HTC Tornado (iMate SP5) very soon as the Vodafone v1640 and v1240 respectively.

Via CoolSmartPhone.

Well now, what do you say 'bout this? Vodafone Germany launched Vodafone VDA II, a Windows Mobile Smartphone without much fanfare - which is very unusual. According to the::unwired, since VDA II is based on HTC's Tornado reference design, this is not a new phone but one that uses the W-LAN feature of the Tornado series.

The W-LAN feature has been disabled by a number of other carriers, which is kinda predictable. Still, it's good to see at least one phone out there which does not hamper this feature. The Vodafone VDA II sports a 1.3 megapixel cam and a 65k color display. Other goodies include MP3 player, voice-dial and voice-commands. I don't speak German, so you may want to check out their site for additional details.

Avaiable now for those in Germany, it costs €149.50 with a two-year service contract. If you want to get it into the US unlocked (it's a quad-band GSM phone, so you won't have to worry about compatibility), be preparted to shell out €399.90.

Head to Vodafone for the scoop. Some specs in the extended entry.

Vodafone has teamed up with Sony NetServices and entered into the downloadable music and streaming music business. The new service being offered by Vodafone is called Vodafone Radio DJ and is one of the first interactive and personalizable radio subscription services around for 3G mobile phones and personal computers.

The major selling point with the Vodafone Radio DJ is the personalization system which allows subscribers to train or customize preprogrammed radio channels to their own musical tastes. As you listen to music over the stations, you can press either "like" or "dislike" buttons to indicate your music preference. The song is then skipped to the next song should you happen to dislike it. Over time, you'll get music that is more to your liking thanks to your personalizations.

Vodafone Radio DJ consists of three elements - Predefined channels, Personal Channels, and Collections. You can also purchase music on either the mobile phone or on the PC platform and then download it to either device. Songs are protected using Microsoft DRM technology.

The service will be launched on a monthly subscription basis for unlimited listening and will be available in six European countries. Via Krunker.com.

Vodafone today launched its global Mobile TV channels for use with the Vodafone live! service on a 3G enabled handsets.

Some of the highlights of these channels include globally sourced programs such as Sex and the City and Six Feet Under from HBO, Eurosport, MTV, 24, UEFA Champions League and the Discover Channel.

Vodafone's global Mobile TV channels will be widely available across Vodafone markets starting this month.

From mid-October Vodafone will offer the Vodafone 803T all-in-one music player 3G handset, it features easy access to music files and background play when using mail or the web. vodafone.com.

Today Vodafone announced that from early October 2005 it will offer the Vodafone 903T 3G handset by Toshiba, the world’s first mobile handset capable of network-assisted GPS navigation both in Japan and abroad. Some Features Inlcude:

The 903SH’s best-in-class*1 3.20 megapixel mobile CCD camera can bring both the foreground and background clearly into focus with its 5 high-performance aspheric glass lenses. The camera also uses the Frame Interline Transfer process, the same type used in professional-quality broadcast video cameras, to prevent the “smear”*2 phenomenon. Vodafone 903SH customers can also enjoy advanced photography with picture sizes of up to QXGA sizes (1,536 x 2,048 pixel).

*1: As of 28 July 2005 in the Japanese market (according to Vodafone K.K.).

Rich basic features like 2.0-inch QVGA screen, 1.3 megapixel camera, and Bluetooth®
The 703SH features a 2.0-inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixel) screen and a mobile camera capable of capturing 1.30 megapixels for still photos of up to SXGA sizes (960 x 1,280 pixels). Despite its compact body, the handset has a full array of features like Bluetooth® for wireless communications with PCs and other devices.