Samsung’s out with first 1GB mobile memory chip – the first of its kind. This will spearhead a new revolution in the mobile DRAM (dynamic random access memory) market for mobile products, using 80nm process technology.

The company claims its 1GB, monolithic, Mobile DRAM to be a highly competitive choice for mobile applications over the available double-die stack. Compatible with a wide range of advanced handset applications as well as with digital still cameras, portable media players and portable gaming products, the 1GB mobile DRAM features a temperature-sensing technique that maximizes the efficiency of self-refresh cycle.

The new chip also reduces power consumption in standby mode by up to 30 percent as compared to other double-die stack alternatives. Samsung will enter into mass production of the product in the second-half of 2007. Also offering a more compact form factor, the new 1Gb Mobile DRAM chip is at least 20 percent thinner than a multi-stack package of 512Mb dies, allowing a single high-density package solution of 1.5Gb or even 2Gb Mobile DRAM memory, for which market demand is expected to grow in 2007.

If you need a smartphone that does everything then the new BlackBerry Pearl, RIM’s first BlackBerry with a camera, memory expansion, and expanded multimedia capabilities, is the one for you. At a price of $249 with a three-year voice and data plan from Rogers, $449 for a one-year term it has proven to be a boon to the company.

BlackBerry 8100 or the Pearl     is the first of a radical new generation of smart phones at 4.2 by 2 by 0.6 in. and about 3.5 oz., is a cutie! The menu applications/options can be handled simply by pressing down on the trackball. The opotions are very user-friendly and a lot of your tasks and multi-step ones are handled simply by repeated pressing of trackball.

The Pearl has most of the features that you’d expect on a high-end smartphone, including fast Web browsing that makes mobile Internet surfing painless. Voice calls are very clear, the screen is crisp and bright, and the built-in camera takes reasonably good pictures for a phone cam and has a nice bright flash, although it doesn’t do video clips.

Linksys beat Apple and launched the iPhone. But before you get the wrong idea the iPhone is a company’s line of VoIP phones, which now includes two newcomers: The Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit for Skype and the Wireless-G Phone for Skype.

The Dual-Mode Internet Telephony Kit for Skype ($179.99) includes a cordless, VoIP phone and base station that connects to a home Ethernet connection. The phone also works over an existing landline, and does not need to be connected to a computer to function with VoIP. It has a 4,000 color capable screen with 128×128 pixels and is rated for 120 hours of standby time and 10 hours of talk time.

The white Wireless-G Phone for Skype ($199.99) has 802.11b and g connectivity so it can make calls via Wi-Fi, which should make it useful in heavily hot spot dotted areas. It’s 4.65 inches long by 1.77 inches wide and 0.81 inches thick. It comes with a 1.8-inch display with 128×160 pixels that supports 65,000 colors

Skype comes pre-loaded on both phones, and they both have speakerphone capabilities.

Mobile gaming fans can rejoice as Samsung is launching the SCH-V960 the first handset to include an optical joystick. The new model is a slider phone with a sensor-laden joystick in the spot above the number pad where most phones sport a multidirectional button.

According to Samsung, a user will control the joystick with their finger, activating the phone’s onscreen cursor. This could make finding your way around cell phone menus a little easier and could cut down on erroneous button pushing while trying to open applications.

The phone also has a Smart Lighting feature, which will automatically adjust the brightness of the screen and keypad; other features include a dedicated Bluetooth button, two-megapixel camera, microSD slot, MP3 support, and EV-DO and GPS capabilities. It has a 2.1-inch (240 x 320-pixel), 262,000-color screen.

But for now gamers have to wait as it is only going to available in Korea and if it gains acceptance there, we will soon see it in the US.

Have you given a thought for all the cell phones and accessories thrown out daily by all of us as soon as we pick a new one? Time to chip-in and do some good this holiday season with some recycling.

Recycle your Mobile Devices at any Staples store in the US to protect the environment and to support the Sierra Club. CollectiveGood and Staples now offer a nationwide Mobile Devices Recycling program in all Staples stores that makes it easy for customers to recycle their used cell phones, PDAs, pagers and rechargeable batteries.

Customers can recycle these devices by simply dropping them off while they shop at their local Staples store. A large portion of the proceeds generated from recycling the mobile electronics devices will be donated to the Sierra Club, America’s largest grassroots environmental organization to fund environmental education and conservation programs.
To find out where your local store is click here and pass on this message to help protect our environment.

Do you like to express your personality with your accessories? Then this is for you – LG and Prada are partnering to develop iconic and stylish mobile phones.

The first Prada telephone by LG will combine high-end technology with avant-garde design offering the best in both style and performance. This forward-thinking product is the result of a different approach to the typical fashion designer and mobile phone manufacturer co-branding exercise.

The result is a unique, sophisticated and elegant phone, with an advanced touch interface, which eliminates the conventional keypad. The initial launch is planned for early 2007, with distribution starting in Europe followed by countries in Asia such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.

Now this where fashion meets technology! “We are passionate about developing exclusive phones that appeal to consumer’s desire to express their personality through their choice of mobile and feel very strongly that Prada shares this belief,” said Mr. Mun-Hwa Park, President & CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

Cingular and Mastercard are trying to make like easier for you by helping you pay faster! They are launching a trial program for paying via cell phone at stores in New York City.

Only the Retailer you are at should have the set up for MasterCard’s PayPass which lets you just tap your card to the machine instead of sliding and signing. Your phone should also be equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC), and all you have to do is all you’d have to do is tap one button on your cell and you have paid.

Have a look at how this works here and soon you can leave your cards at home but keep a close watch on your cell phone! So now instead of opening your wallet you can pay by tapping on your phone. However, methinks not much to gain with this project!