Research In Motion today confirmed reports that it has purchased business application developer DataViz. RIM said in a prepared statement, "RIM has acquired some of the assets of DataViz and hired the majority of its employees to focus on supporting the BlackBerry platform. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the transaction was not material to RIM in the context of RIM's financial results." DataViz is known for its mobile Documents To Go software, which lets a number of smartphone platforms access and edit Microsoft Office, Excel and PowerPoint files.

more info RIM Confirms DataViz Acquisition

Energizer today announced a new wireless inductive charging accessory that works with a number of smartphones, such as the iPhone and BlackBerry Curve 8900. Energizer's new Inductive Charger is one of the first to make use of the recently-finalized Qi specification from the Wireless Power Consortium. The spec, which was finalized in July, sets the ground rules for device and accessory makers for building compatible wireless charing solutions. The Energizer Inductive Charger is large enough for two devices to fit at a time and doesn't require them to lock to a specific spot on the pad. There is also a USB port that can be used to charge an additional phone. LED lights alert users as to the status of the charge. The Energizer Inductive Charger requires that devices be fitted with a special sleeve in order for the charging to properly work. Energize plans to introduce a sleeve for the iPhone 3GS/3G and replacement battery cover for the BlackBerry Curve 8900. The charger will cost $90, and the sleeves will cost $35. Both will become available in October. In the future, Qi technology will be build directly onto handsets, negating the need for the additional sleeve.

more info Energizer Offering Qi-based Wireless Charging Accessory

MetroPCS recently made the ZTE Agent available for sale via its web site. The Agent is a candybar phone that has a 2.4-inch QVGA display, 1.3 megapixel camera with video capture, music player with 3.5mm headset jack, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (with A2DP) and support for microSD cards up to 16GB. According to MetroPCS, the Agent also has GPS, a WAP browser, and runs Qualcomm's BREW platform. The Agent has tri-band CDMA 1xRTT radios, and costs $69.

more info ZTE Agent Hired by MetroPCS to Sign Up New Customers

Google today announced that Google Voice can now provide missed call notifications in both a user's Google Voice inbox and Gmail inbox if they so wish. The feature can be turned on in the Google Voice settings menu.

more info Google Voice Now Offering Missed Call Notifications

The SD Association today announced a new design for memory cards that improves bus interface speeds to 300Mbps for both SDXC and SDHC cards and devices. The SD Association achieved the new speeds by introducing a dual-row pin configuration. The SD Association says that the new option will be available to full-sized SD cards as well as microSD cards, and will not require card makers to change the physical form factor of the cards. The design will be included in the forthcoming SD 4.0 specification, which is expected to be ratified in 2011.

more info SD Association Rolls Out New 300Mbps SDXC/SDHC Spec

Motorola and Ericsson have announced a new partnership aimed at providing public safety agencies with the best possible set of mobile tools, including a new Long Term Evolution-based voice and data mobile broadband system. Ericsson will provide public safety agencies its LTE technology backbone, and Motorola will provide its devices, video security and command and control solutions. The combined mobile broadband, devices, and command center tools will help public agencies have access to real-time data and improved communications capabilities during emergencies.

more info Motorola and Ericsson Teaming on LTE Safety Initiative

LG today announced that it will be using Nvidia's Tegra 2 line of dual-core processors for "a series of fast, powerful smartphones starting in the fourth quarter of 2010." LG didn't specifically define what operating system will be running the Tegra 2, but LG did mention that the Tegra 2 will be used in its Optimus-branded smartphones. LG recently announced that Optimus 7 will be the branding used for its Windows Phone 7 devices, which go on sale during the fourth quarter, too. In addition to two 1GHz cores, the Tegra 2 also has Nvidia's GeForce graphics processing unit, support for 1080p HD playback, and 3D gaming capabilities.

more info LG Picks Tegra 2 Dual-Core CPUs for Optimus Phones

Verizon Wireless today announced that the Samsung Fascinate Galaxy S Android device will be available from its online store starting Wednesday, September 8, and will be available in Verizon retail stores starting Thursday, September 9. The Fascinate will cost $200 after mail-in rebate with a new contract.

more info Samsung Fascinate Hits Verizon Stores September 9

Samsung today announced a slew of new technical components for mobile devices. First, Samsung has developed new embedded memory modules for smartphones that adopt the e-MMC 4.41 specification. This specification's biggest improvement is that it provides improved multitasking and the ability to help devices better manage read/write cycles. Samsung has already started manufacturing the 8GB moviNAND chips, and will follow with the 16GB chips later this month. Second, Samsung introduced a range of new CMOS sensors for mobile devices, including the S5K4E5 module for smartphones. This new CMOS sensor has adopted back side illuminated (BSI) pixel technology, which improves low-light performance by 30%. The S5K4E5 has a 5 megapixel sensor and supports video capture at 30 frames per second. Samsung claims it also has reduced lag time for faster picture taking. Third, Samsung introduced a new, dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor for smartphones. The new processor, which is named Orion, has two processor cores each with 32Kb data cache, 32Kb instruction cache, and 1MB L2 cache. Samsung says the Orion is ideal for multimedia applications, and it supports 30 frames per second video playback, full 1080p HD video recording, and 3D gaming with its enhanced graphics processing unit. The Orion will be sampling by the fourth quarter of 2010, and Samsung expects it to go into full production in the first quarter of 2011.

more info Samsung Announces New Memory, Camera, Processor Chips

Samsung Mobile Display expects that a new plant, scheduled to open in July 2011, will help it meet the growing demand for its displays for smartphones and other products. The new plant will increase Samsung's production capabilities tenfold, jumping from 3 million per month today to 30 million per month when the plant opens. Samsung is going to spend about $2.1 billion to set up the plant, which will be located near Seoul. It will primarily be used for 3-inch smartphone screens. Lee Woo-Jong, vice president of marketing for the display business, said to Down Jones Newswire in an email, "We've put in a great deal of effort to move up mass production." Lee said Samsung has not given its own Galaxy S Android phones priority over orders from its smartphone competitors. He noted that the shortage has affected Samsung, too. Demand for Samsung's AMOLED displays has left phone makers unable to manufacture enough of their own devices. Companies such as HTC have been impacted, which eventually had to use Super LCD displays from Sony in order to keep up with orders of its devices from carriers such as Verizon Wireless.

more info Samsung to Use New Plant to Boost Display Production

LG today announced that it will be branding its Windows Phone 7 devices LG Optmus 7. LG also announced that it is incorporating DLNA media sharing technology into its forthcoming line of Windows Phone 7 devices. The unique feature that LG is introducing will allow users to automatically share media content by simply swiping the content up off the top of the screen. The Korea Times explains that the Optimus 7 device will see other compatible DLNA equipment that's in range, and users will be able to choose which device they flick the content to. Files that can be shared include 720p HD videos, high-resolution photos and high-quality music files. LG's Optimus 7 Windows Phone 7 line is expected to launch during the fourth quarter of 2010.

more info LG Adds Swipe-to-Share DLNA Tech to Windows Phone 7

According to sources cited by Reuters with knowledge of Nokia's plans, Nokia will introduce a new flagship device called the E7 at its Nokia World event on September 15. The only details shared about the E7 are that it has a large touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard.

more info Nokia to Intro E7 At Nokia World

AT&T on Sunday made the LG Encore available for sale. The Encore is a touch phone with a three-inch display and LG's feature phone touch operating system. The Encore has quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band 850/1900Mhz 3.6Mbps HSDPA 3G, aGPS, accelerometer, and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with support for A2DP. It has a 3 megapixel camera with video capture and is compatible with AT&T's Video Share service. The Encore has a robust media player that includes streaming radio stations and certified Dolby Mobile playback. It is pre-loaded with AT&T's SocialNet software for social networking. The Encore has a 3.5mm headset jack and supports microSD cards up to 16 GB. It is available starting Sunday, September 5.

more info AT&T Asks LG for an Encore, LG Obliges

Sony Ericsson fields an 8.1 megapixel shooter with S60 5th Edition under the hood. Despite its potential, the Vivaz has problems.
(follow link to read)

more info Review: Sony Ericsson Vivaz

According to the Wall Street Journal, T-Mobile USA is in talks with Huawei about the Chinese company's new IDEOS Android smartphone. A source cited by the Journal said that a deal isn't in place yet, but one could be forged within four to six weeks. Huawei developed the Tap touch phone, which was branded and sold by T-Mobile. Huawei has yet to strike a major win with U.S. network operators, and the company confirmed that it is talking to the carriers about distribution deals. The Journal believes the device will be available before the holidays for about $100 on contract. The IDEOS runs Android 2.2, has a 2.8-inch touch screen, camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth.

more info T-Mobile Interested in Selling Huawei's IDEOS Phone

Google has settled a lawsuit against it over its Buzz social networking service. When it launched in February, Google automatically used Gmail customers' Google Contacts to build a set of followers. Many complained that this was done without their permission and gave away their email addresses to strangers. Google changed the privacy settings quickly, but the failed launch was enough for some to sue. Rather than pay any claimants, Google is setting aside $8.5 million to be used for attorney's fees and donations to organizations that help aid in keeping user data private on the internet. Google will also make it clearer to users of the Buzz service how their privacy is handled. Buzz is built into the browser-based version of Gmail, and also has dedicated mobile tools, such as a widget for the Android platform.

more info Google Settles Buzz Privacy Suit

T-Mobile is offering BlackBerry OS 5.0.0.822 to its BlackBerry Curve 8900 and 8520 devices. The software can be downloaded over the air directly to the handset. T-Mobile recommends that users of the 8900 and 8520 update their system software.

more info T-Mobile Rolls Out Minor Software Update to Curves

Adobe confirmed to Phone Scoop in a call that though Android 2.2 is required for Flash Player Mobile 10.1 to work, that doesn't mean that all Android 2.2 devices will be able to access and run Flash Player Mobile. According to Adobe, smartphones need to have a minimum set of specifications in order to run Flash Player Mobile, including a fast enough processor and graphics support. Adobe's web site notes that devices with a VGA screen need to have at least a 550Mhz processor in addition to hardware vector FPU support. Devices with WVGA displays need to have a dedicated Cortex A8 800MHz processor or higher, with the same hardware vector FPU support. Adobe said that the Google Nexus One, HTC EVO 4G, HTC Desire, and Motorola Droid, Droid 2 and Droid X are all certified to run Flash. Adobe noted that it knows of several Android handsets that will be released later this year that won't meet the minimum spec requirements to support Flash, though Adobe couldn't name them because they haven't been announced by the manufacturer/carrier.

more info Adobe Confirms Not All Android 2.2 Phones Get Flash

BlackBerry owners can now use a new Starbucks Card Mobile App to manage a Starbucks card and even make mobile payments at select stores. The app lets Starbucks Card holders check their balance, reload their card and also make payments at more than 1,000 U.S. Target stores and in Starbucks locations participating in a trial in Seattle and Northern California. The app also lets users check their My Starbucks Rewards status and find local shops. The app is available now for download on Starbucks' site.

more info BlackBerry Phones Order a Grande Starbucks App

Verizon Wireless today began offering a prepaid data package for use on 3G capable phones, including a wide range of smartphones and 3G feature phones. Customers will get unlimited data for $30 a month on smartphones and multimedia phones, or multimedia phone buyers can choose a $10 monthly plan that includes 25 MB of data, with a $0.20 per MB overage fee. The new data packages is available in stores today, and will be sold online at Verizon's Web site starting September 28. The featured phones include BlackBerry models like the Curve 8530, both Storm models and the Bold 9650; the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus; and the full Verizon Droid lineup, including the Droid 2 and Droid Incredible, among numerous others. Supported feature phones include the LG enV Touch and enV 3 models, the LG Chocolate Touch, and the Samsung Alias 2, among a few others.

more info Verizon Offering Prepaid Package for 3G Phones