Looking to save some coin on those international calls to your mates in Brussels? Vonage has just rolled out new Android and iOS apps that do just that. The Vonage Mobile app offers free talk and text for corresponding with fellow app users worldwide by way of WiFi or data connection. Need to update app-less Auntie Em while backpacking through the Swiss Alps? The outfit says it’ll save you 70% over major carriers and costs 30% less than Skype. For calls to folks without the app, users can add calling credit in either $4.99 or $9.99 increments right from the iTunes store or Android Market. The software also makes use of your existing number and extensive list of contacts without the need to create another username. Right now, calls to any phone in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico are free from the app for a limited time — so long as you stay under 3000 minutes per month, of course. Hit the source link for more information before heading to your app repository to snag the free download.

SOURCE via Vonage Mobile

It looks like our friends over at Microsoft have outed a quartet of new Xbox Live games that will be delivered to the Windows Phone Marketplace in the not-too-distant future. Being billed as “optimized for the newest Windows Phone 7.5,” the aforementioned — and somewhat familiar — titles include: Age of Zombies by Halfbrick, Bullet Asylum by UberGeekGames, geoDefense Swarm by Critical Thought, and Tamagotchi by Namco.

Now, why are these touchscreen-tickling titles familiar? Three of the four have been proving their mettle on other mobile platforms. GeoDefense Swarm and Tamagotchi are currently available in the iOS App Store; Age of Zombies is available in both the Android Market and iOS App Store; and Bullet Asylum has been in the works for some time — we were treated to a video preview last summer, which you’ll find below.

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That’s right, despite its short-lived battle with Apple last year, Meizu has finally decided it is time to make it out of China. Well, out of mainland China at least, as the company has chosen Hong Kong as its launch pad for entering the international market.

Later this month, visitors of Mongkok will notice a brand new Meizu store pop up somewhere along Sai Yeung Choi Street, where the upcoming dual-core, 4-inch 960 x 640 MX Android phone will also be sold starting in early January — just a tad later than its mainland counterpart.

What’s more, the Hong Kong version will come with extra features such as Facebook, Google Mobile Services and various Android Market apps that are absent on the original MX. Prices and absolute date to be confirmed later this month, but either way, we have a feeling that we’ll be seeing some long lines again around China, if not Hong Kong.

SOURCE via Engadget Chinese

Lenovo is in a spree of product announcement this week. With that mild 3.7-inch Android smartphone and the massive 5-inch tabletphone, there’s seriously not much kick to the news. Well, don’t worry, because here’s a little surprise for us all, the LePhone K2.

What we got here is a 4.3-inch IPS display (resolution of which not yet announced), a powerful dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 chip, 1GB RAM, 1GB ROM and an eight megapixel 1080p camera. Sadly, like the S2 and the S760, this crouching tiger also packs Android 2.3.5 instead of Ice Cream Sandwich, but without a price or a release date, perhaps there’s still a small chance that we’ll see it eventually launching with the newer OS.

SOURCE via Engadget Chinese

Google has mentioned more than once that its Google TV platform isn’t about replacing traditional pay-TV services, and now the Wall Street Journal reports it might be about to offer one of its own. Don’t cancel your cable, satellite or IPTV service just yet though, as this would merely be an expansion of the fiber internet it will offer in the Kansas Cities, offering video and phone service as well. Reportedly it’s looked into offering channels from the families of Disney, Time Warner and Discovery, but nothing is set in stone at this point. As CBS’ attitude towards Apple TV makes clear, actually getting into the service biz can be complicated and costly, but we figure Mountain View has to fill those 1Gbps pipes with something other than Turquoise Jeep videos.

SOURCE via Wall Street Journal

Flexible displays? Samsung’s got ‘em, too. A few days after Nokia showed off its Kinetic Device prototype under the blue lights of Nokia World, Samsung made mention of its own plans to unleash some bendy mobile devices on the world. A spokesperson for the company was scarce on details, but noted that the flexible displays are targeted for 2012. The technology, which was showcased at this year’s CES, will initially be incorporated into handsets, with tablets following down the road.

SOURCE via PC World

Apple boldly rejected Samsung’s settlement offer in Australia, and so the cat fight just keep going. The latter certainly isn’t afraid of striking back in its enemy’s front yard you see. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Samsung’s set up a pop-up store merely meters away from Apple’s Sydney store, all for just stealing the thunder from the iPhone 4S launch last Friday. The campaign? For the first ten customers each day up to Friday, the Korean giant’s offering its Galaxy S II for just $2 sans contract — no wonder the line’s already longer than Apple’s, according to the Herald. But of course, Samsung’s also effectively funding some of these folks for their iPhone 4S from next door, so it’s pretty much a win-win situation for both companies. See? There’s always a happy ending.

SOURCE via The Sydney Morning Herald

Irksome GPS interference issues now somewhat safely behind it, LightSquared’s plowing forward into OEM waters. The LTE wholesaler has just struck up an agreement with Sharp that’ll see the electronics company creating the first line of devices specifically tailored for the nascent 4G network. Of course, these smartphones and tablets won’t be sold by the Falcone-backed company, and will instead make their way to its carrier partners — like Sprint, C Spire and Best Buy. If the already inked collaboration means we’ll be seeing this beastie on North American air waves, then we predict the heavily beset wireless outfit’s rocky road to launch will give way to smooth sailing.

If this hodgepodge of sorta, kinda official confirmation is to be believed, Windows Phone users can look forward to deeper integration of voice command functionality built-in to the Apollo update. Nokia US’ CEO, Chris Weber, first spilled the speech recognition beans in an interview with VentureBeat back in early August, referring to the tech as a killer WP feature.

Now, a report over on ZDNet backs up that leaked info with resume tidbits from former MS Windows Phone / Mobile Communications team members that had a hand in creating the so-called “Voice-Compose” and “Read-Aloud” features for native email clients– even tipping us off to a possible Windows 8 and WP 8 convergence.

There’s also mention of MS’ lower-end mobile OS splitting into two separate versions — Tango1 and Tango2. We know what you’re thinking. It’s hard to get excited about far-off OS updates when we’re still waiting on Mango’s release. Still, it’s good to know Ballmer and co. aren’t just resting on their Windows laurels.

SOURCE via zdnet

With the dust from its Microsoft partnership having somewhat settled, Nokia is reportedly looking to kick off its forthcoming line of Windows Phones with a major marketing campaign. As we’ve seen with their latest marketing strategy on their latest N9, it seemed that Nokia will be heading the Apple method of advertising.

According to Marketing Magazine, Nokia have already devoted some £80 million to the six-month ad endeavour, which is expected to launch in October. And yet we though the WP7 Nokia handsets will only come in 2012.

Considering all the job cuts and downwardly revised corporate forecasts, an advertising refresh would seem like a logical way for Nokia to embark on a new era. Cut some skin from there and mend it here, a common strategy in business’s logic. But the company is remaining rather mum on the subject, saying, “We are excited about the Nokia with Windows phone, but it’s not our policy to comment on specific campaigns for unannounced products.” Awkwardly executed “leaks,” on the other hand, are an entirely different matter.

SOURCE via Marketing Magazine