AT&T is going to displease a lot of people with this move. Recently, Open For Business has discovered that AT&T is slowly reducing the signal strengths previously seen with the provider. Even the areas with exceptionally strong signal strengths are now left with users trying to find spots where even a few bars can be managed. Most of these customers are well past the 30 day limit and are now stuck with devices that can only be termed obsolete because the service provider does not care for them anymore.

Earlier, the 2G phones for AT&T used to rely on the 850MHz for their signals. But now it seems that AT&T has moved these to the weaker 1900MHz band which is troublesome for even the newest phones in the market. The major people affected are the ones who have bought expensive phones like the original iPhone and BlackBerry with the expensive monthly contracts that tag along. The only options for these people is to either upgrade their handset or go in for additional payment every month.

With the news of Verizon’s 700Mhz band coming soon, many users are contemplating a shift or in cases where users have an iPhone, unlocking their sets and moving on.

Nokia has announced that it will be opening 10 more stores in Beijing next year. However this is not going to be a Nokia flagship store like the ones in Shanghai and Hong Kong. These stores will be managed by the local mobile phone company D.Phone. Let’s hope they are able to match the standards already set by the Finnish giant in the 2 flagship stores. The flagship stores come directly under Nokia and thus have the highest standards when it comes to interiors and customer experience.

The first of these specialty stores in Beijing will be making an appearance in the Zhongguancun commercial area, where already many mobile stores are present. Apparently, work is on the rest of the stores but no official dates have been given by either Nokia or by D.Phone.

This move by Nokia shows that it could no longer choose to ignore the potential of a city like Beijing. But, was this the right way to go? Only time will tell.

Sony Ericsson is coming out with a new phone soon. Named the C510, this borrows heavily from previous models and isn’t something that will come close to blowing you away. Some may say it is similar to the Nokia N82, but even after the striking similarity it is not even close when it comes to specs. We think it is another “updated” version of K750 yet again.

The major complaints we are going to see are the absence of a Xenon flash. Sony has a LED flash here. Apart from this, the answer call and the end call keys are way too small. A 3.2 MP camera and just 160MB built in memory may not be enough to save this phone when it comes to competing with biggies like the Nokia N Series phones. The QVGA 2.2″ screen could be better.

This phone may sell if priced right, but will be only be a mid segment phone appealing to a limited group of users when it is finally visible in stores in February.

For the complete specs and more pics, head over SE C510

This comes as music to the ears of the developers across the world who didn’t think that making applications for Android will be worth it. According to Martin Drashkov, he has received mail from the Android Market (read Google) that Android Market will expanding to many countries outside the U.S like Germany, Austria and other European and Asian countries.

Along with this, there is also the golden news that apps will finally start being paid. This is a smart move by Google since Apple clearly has the upper hand here. With hundreds of apps which utilise the uniqueness of iPhone/iPod Touch, Google was sure to be left behind. But now with the motivation of paid apps, lots of developers are surely going to start paying more attention towards Android.

Right now Android is only available on HTC’s G1, the Android-based phone from T-Mobile.

Reports were flying all over the internet that Steve Jobs’s failing health was the reason that Apple was not going to make an appearance at MacWorld from now on. Not surprisingly, following these reports there was a fall of about 2% in the shares of Apple. This has happened earlier also with rumors floating around on Steve Jobs’s health some time before. There was a fall from $87.92 a share to $86.15 in response to the reports.

But a point to be noted here is that this “rumor” was first published by Gizmodo who cited sources well placed within Apple, yet termed the report as “rumor”. Apple when contacted declined to comment on the issue, but a spokesman left things hanging in the air with the comment, “if ever Steve or the board of directors decided that he was no longer capable of doing his job as CEO of Apple, I’m sure they will let you know.”

Nothing to do except wait for the story to unfold.

Dev-Team has done it once more. The official unlock for the iPhone 3G has been released as a new year gift to all the iPhone 3G users across the world. Called as yellowsn0w, this allows you to unlock your iPhone 3G so that you can insert SIM of any manufacturer and your phone is no longer locked to one manufacturer. Some readers might confuse this with “jailbreaking” the phone. Jailbreaking allows your phone to use new applications that are not licensed by Apple whereas unlocking allows you to use your phone with any SIM carrier.

People all over the world are confirming success with unlocking their iPhone 3G and there are already 5000+ comments on the Dev-Team website itself. But be cautious since the unlock is still in beta release and they are still to release the stable software.

For more information, head over to Dev-Team blog

Jaybird has released these new stylish earphones which promise to change the way you hear music. Aptly called the “Stereo Claws” these are light and comfortable and promises complete freedom while you work and play! This is one of the few Bluetooth earphones that allows you to receive calls and listen to music simultaneously. As you receive a call, the music in your player pauses. When you finish your call, you can resume the playback.

Compatibility list includes :

Phone & other mobile phones
iPod & other MP3 players
PC | Mac
3.5mm headphone jacks

It also has small buttons for controlling your calls and your music. Along with that there are some general purpose buttons like Volume Up/Down, Power On/Off etc. Also offers noise isolation so that you can answer your calls and listen to music without getting disturbed by your environment. Comes with a one year limited warranty.

Pricing varies according to the device you want it for. JB-200 for iPhone for calls will set you back by around $129.99 .

Check out the details here

Samsung is releasing a new 8MP slider which is expected to hit the market soon. Very sleek and lots of oomph factor with the phone just 12.8mm thick and featuring a large OLED screen. Not only this, the phone’s a touchscreen! If you’ve not had enough till now, let us also tell you it has a GPS receiver, HSDPA and DivX video support along with the standard FM Radio, Bluetooth and a microSD slot. Phew! We’re still unsure about the Wi-Fi functionality though.

It is equipped with the Samsung propriety TouchWiz feature phone interface. There’s no xenon flash and this may prove to negate the 8MP camera for night shots. It’s also reported to have an anti-scratch / anti-fingerprint coated duraluminium chassis. No words on the pricing or the date of release yet but it’s expected to be available by fall 2009.

Read more here: Samsung S8300

All of us have fallen for the low priced high-end phone from a major subscriber only to realize later that there is a hefty contract involved with the device. But we give in to the temptation and pick it up. As soon as the new handsets hit the market, we are not left with any option, except to keep paying the rental every month as before since we are in a contract.

But not any more. With the revolutionary concept from Rentobile, you don’t have to invest your hard earned money into a mobile and get stuck in an expensive contract. Rentobile offers you all the latest mobiles from companies like Samsung, Nokia and BlackBerry which you can rent( yes, you heard that right!), use it for as long as you want.

Are you tired of the model now? If you’ve used it for atleast a month, you can simply return it with a pre-packed label. This means free return shipping. And finally drop it off at any UPS drop-off location. So, now you don’t feel jealous with envy when your friend picks up that latest model. Simply rent it out! Supports almost all major networks and just costs you around $35 extra every month.

For the supported networks and the handsets, go to Rentobile

One of the best applications for mobile by Yahoo, the Yahoo Go! has been given an update by Yahoo! Using just Yahoo Go!, people can find coffee shops, chat over the internet, check mail, get weather updates and even share their photos.

With the new update, the screens look brighter and more cheerful than before. Widgets are also included which can be used to access content like MTV, eBay and MySpace. So, check your profile page on myspace while you snatch the best deal on eBay simultaneously.

This version is 3.0.47 and is mainly released with support for the BlackBerry handsets. However not all handsets work with this version. Check the complete list of supported mobiles here Supported Mobiles

Check the compatibility and download it. You won’t regret it!