Earlier during the first quarter of this year, we all caught a glimpse of the thin Motorola Stature i9. Now Boost Mobile offers something different, more on the outside appearance as it introduced the red version of the thin flip phone from Motorola.

The eye-catching Motorola Stature i9 in red is available starting today at www.boostmobile.com with free shipping for the price of $299.99 with no contract, credit check or hidden fees. Following the online launch, the red Stature i9 will be available through various other Boost Mobile retail and distribution channels.

Features:

• Nationwide Boost Walkie-Talkie
• 3.1 Megapixel Camera with 8x Zoom and Flash
• Video Camera
• Music Player
• High Resolution External Display with Dynamic Touch Controls
• Stereo Bluetooth

(Source) Press

Tags: appearance, contract credit, credit check, distribution channels, dynamic touch, First Quarter, flip phone, free shipping, glimpse, high resolution, launch, Motorola, Motorola, music player, stature, video camera, Walkie Talkie, zoom

In case you haven’t noticed, most people today are doing their shopping online. This is the new age of consumer buying and apparently some sectors are trying to bite into the craze, enhancing mobile interface options to get in with the times.

In PriceGrabber.com’s March 2009 survey, nearly 58 percent of online consumers currently own a mobile phone capable of connecting to the Web. Of the online consumers with Web-enabled phones, 21 percent own a smartphone, 8 percent own an iPhone, and 29 percent own another type of Web-enabled phone. Forty-two percent of survey respondents said they own a non-Web-enabled phone capable of using voice and text service plans only.

Web-enabled phones have become increasingly mainstream, and much of this popularity can be attributed to the release of the iPhone. The iPhone, released on June 29, 2007, jump-started mainstream smartphone adoption, with 75 percent more online consumers purchasing their first Web-enabled phone in 2007 compared with 2006. Despite the economic climate, 8 percent of online consumers purchased their first Web-enabled phone in the first quarter of 2009.

Smartphone and iPhone owners are comfortable using the mobile Internet to make purchases. Fifty-six percent of Apple iPhone owners and 28 percent of smartphone owners already are comparing prices online with their mobile phones. Additionally, 27 percent of iPhone owners and 35 percent of smartphone owners anticipate that they will be comparing prices within two years.

PriceGrabber.com will continue to track mobile Internet shopping trends and shifts in consumer behavior in the coming months.

(Source) Press

Tags: Apple, Apple iPhone, Business, Cell Phones, comparing prices, consumer behavior, economic climate, First Quarter, first web, interface options, internet shopping, iPhone, mobile interface, mobile internet, Mobile News, mobile phone, mobile phones, mobile shopping, sectors, survey respondents, web enabled phones

Sony Ericsson may be laying off another potential 2,000 workers some time soon in an effort to restore profitability at the troubled mobile phone maker. The move to axe 2,000 staff and contractors in 2009 from the 10,000-strong workforce follows hard on the heels of last year’s removal of 2,000 jobs. It underlines how Dick Komiyama, Sony Ericsson’s president, is developing a reputation as an aggressive cost-cutter.

The handset maker owned by Japan’s Sony and Sweden’s Ericsson on Friday reported a net loss of €293m ($381m) for the first three months of 2009, because consumers are buying fewer mobile phones in the global recession.

Mr Komiyama last year set out plans to reduce Sony Ericsson’s annual operating expenses by €480m, partly by cutting 2,000 jobs, or 17 per cent of the workforce. All the world’s leading handset makers are braced for falling sales in 2009, but Sony Ericsson is feeling more pain than larger rivals such as Nokia, Samsung and LG.

Sony Ericsson is experiencing a deeper unit sales decline than Nokia partly because it does not make cheap mobiles. Consumers are “trading down” to low-priced mobiles . Sony Ericsson is also suffering because it has a weak range of smartphones – mobiles that double up as mini computers – compared with traditional rivals and new entrants such as Apple.

Sony Ericsson reported revenue of €1.7bn for the three months to March 31, down 36 per cent on the same period last year. The net loss of €293m compared with a net profit of €133m in the first quarter of 2008.

(Source) FT.com

Tags: axe 2, Business, Cell Phones, consumers, decline, dick, First Quarter, first three months, global recession, handset makers, hard on the heels, mini computers, mobile phone maker, mobile phones, net profit, operating expenses, profitability, reputation, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Sony Ericsson, traditional rivals, workforce

Compared to other cell phone manufacturers, Nokia managed to actually make a buck in the first quarter of the year. Actually it has made about $160 million in profits but that’s 90% lower than that $1.6 billion it turned in the year before. Sales dropped from $16.7 billion last year to $12.2 billion in Q1. That’s how Nokia managed to keep its crown as its still holds 37% of the worldwide market share.

via BBC

Tags: First Quarter, Loss, Mobile News, Nokia, Nokia