No, not our in-house artist Neo Carlo Magno, but Neo, the mobile phone manufacturer.

The Neo Ellipse features semi reflective dark finish and a molded chrome center spine, while it measures 110 x 44 x 15 mm. As you can see on the picture, the shape of the phone is curved, and this is no image effect, the phone is actually 15mm thick on the middle, while only 3mm thick on the ends.

The stylish Ellipse should be available by the 1st of October in Asian markets and the GCC. Other markets should follow after this date. You can purchase the device at the company’s website.

Neo has also launched in Hong Kong and the three major cities of India; namely, Bangalore, New Delhi and Mumbai. “We have started sales this month into the major retail chains like Hotspots, Cellucom and The Phone Store,” says Amjad Ali, Senior Vice President of Neo DWC-LLC. He continues to say, “It has taken us some time to enter this market but now that we are in, our design driven brand will add some flavor to the Indian mobile phone market.”

[via Slashphone]

Mobile TV hasn’t even been launched in most countries yet, and there’s already new technologies ready to take its place. DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting for Handhelds) was selected by the European Union as its official standard for Mobile TV.

At this year’s IFA in Berlin, Alcatel-Lucent has demonstrated a technology dubbed DVB-SH (Digital Video Broadcast – Satellite services to Handhelds), which contains MPE-iFEC (Multi-Protocol Encapsulation - inter-burst Forward Error Correction), a powerful error-correction coding that improves the quality of broadcast mobile TV reception in hybrid satellite and terrestrial networks.

The technology can be used in any frequency spectrum below 3GHz, including UHF, L band and S band, and in terrestrial, satellite or hybrid networks.

What this means for us is that we’ll have better TV quality if this technology is deployed. If you’re in Berlin, you should check out some of the modified Sagem MyMobileTV at the conference, which are being used to showcase the technology.

Press release after the jump.

Read more »

South African Airways will appeal to the Civil Aviation Authority of South Africa to allow mobile phones use in Flight Mode, as well as allowing mobile phone calls and WiFi connections via the installation of a server on SAA aircraft.

SAA had requested once that customers be allowed to use mobile phones in Flight Mode, but the request was denied, according to Sarah Uys, manager of corporate communications at SAA.

Uys further explained that “The use of cellphones and the Internet through wireless technology on board aircraft in SA is regulated by the SA CAA, it has taken the view that our legislation does not allow the use of such technology, while in flight, and thus it is illegal to make use of cellphones and other unapproved transmitting devices. SAA was the first local airline to apply for our customers to use the ‘flight mode’ of some cellphones, but we were turned down.”

The FCC, USA’s communications regulator, has already approved in-flight calls from mobile phones, and many countries allow them as well.

[via ITWeb]

The BBC World Service Trust is producing a mass media campaign to prevent transmission of HIV in India. The campaign objective is to make condoms more socially acceptable and improve the images of the condom user as a smart and responsible person. The campaign is in four phases over one year starting from December 2007.

What I had heard is that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation were involved in this too. Besides the ringtone, the website offers wallpapers too.

HIV is a taboo issue in India, but it’s a disease that  is increasing in proportion, just like in Africa. The reason why the Trust isn’t providing condoms instead of just providing a ringtone is that using them is a taboo itself. The cause is to raise awareness so that using condoms are acceptable for use.

Condom a Cappella website

[via 2dayBlog]

With a variety of Bluetooth headsets and car kits, one would wonder why drivers are still getting fined for being on the phone while driving a car. The reason might be complication, or laziness, which is more probable. With technologies such as NFC coming up, connection between accessories and phones will be more automatized, and then, no one will have excuse. Let’s look at some of the excuses that are made:

• “I haven’t figured out how to use my Bluetooth yet!”
• “I was trying to find out if the volume was up on my phone because I couldn’t hear anything out of my Bluetooth”
• “The fine is just a business expense, I’ll write it off.”
• “I just plain forgot about the law.”
• “I can’t stand that stupid ear piece.”
• “I have the blue tooth but don’t know how to connect it to the phone.”
• “I had it on speaker.” (While still holding it in their hand.)
• “My Bluetooth doesn’t work. The battery is dead.”
• “I was waiting to get a ticket before I spend money on a Bluetooth.”
• “My wife said I sounded like I was in a toilet so I switched back to cell.”
• “I heard it was a second offence thing and you cannot stop me just for talking.”
• “Is it not more of a hazard to fumble around trying to get the ear thing in?”
• “I wasn’t using my phone. I was just resting my head against it!”
• One driver, when spotted by a motorcycle officer, flipped his cell phone shut and acted as if he was using an electric shaver while driving.

[via Roseville California News]