Mobile-mania

Google's new software platform for mobile phones entitled 'Android' in its prototype form on demonstration at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 11, 2008.

Google launched Android last year, hoping to establish its software as the dominant operating system for mobile phones and to improve the quality of web-browsing for handset users.





New mobile phones on show at the Alcatel stand at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.



A conference goer tests a Blackberry at the 3GSM telecoms industry trade show in Barcelona on February 11, 2008.



President and CEO of Nokia Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo shows a new phone during a press conference at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.




Samsung presents a new model Roxy F480 on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.



LG presents a new model KF700 on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.




Motorola presents a new model MOTORO Z6w on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.




Neck presents their new mobile phone 'FOMA N905i' on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.




Samsung presents a new model G800 on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.




Toshiba presents a new model G450 on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 13, 2008.




Toshiba presents a new model Port G910 on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 13, 2008.




Samsung president Geesung Choi shows a new mobile phone 'Samsung Soul U900' during a press conference at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 11, 2008.




A GPS phone called the Nuvifone by US-based manufacturer Garmin on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 14, 2008.

The biggest handset manufacturers and GPS (global positioning system) specialists have begun building handsets with personal navigation software, planning routes and guiding pedestrians with detailed digital maps.

Mobile-mania

Google's new software platform for mobile phones entitled 'Android' in its prototype form on demonstration at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 11, 2008.

Google launched Android last year, hoping to establish its software as the dominant operating system for mobile phones and to improve the quality of web-browsing for handset users.





New mobile phones on show at the Alcatel stand at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.



A conference goer tests a Blackberry at the 3GSM telecoms industry trade show in Barcelona on February 11, 2008.



President and CEO of Nokia Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo shows a new phone during a press conference at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.




Samsung presents a new model Roxy F480 on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.



LG presents a new model KF700 on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.




Motorola presents a new model MOTORO Z6w on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.




Neck presents their new mobile phone 'FOMA N905i' on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.




Samsung presents a new model G800 on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 12, 2008.




Toshiba presents a new model G450 on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 13, 2008.




Toshiba presents a new model Port G910 on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 13, 2008.




Samsung president Geesung Choi shows a new mobile phone 'Samsung Soul U900' during a press conference at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 11, 2008.




A GPS phone called the Nuvifone by US-based manufacturer Garmin on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 14, 2008.

The biggest handset manufacturers and GPS (global positioning system) specialists have begun building handsets with personal navigation software, planning routes and guiding pedestrians with detailed digital maps.

China likes its music on mobile handsets

Barcelona, February 11: More than a third of mobile phone owners in China, the world's largest mobile market, use their handsets to listen to music, more than in Britain or the United States, a study showed.

Some 34.8 per cent reported they listened to mobile music every month compared with 20 per cent in Spain, 18.9 per cent in Britain and 5.7 per cent in the United States, according to M:Metrics, a research firm that monitors mobile media usage.

M:Metrics, which was founded in 2004, collects data from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The December benchmark study on Chinese usage was the first of its kind, the company said.

It surveyed 5,163 Chinese mobile subscribers aged 13-54 via telephone in seven major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Chengdu, Wuhan and Xi'an.

Compared with users in the United States and Europe, Chinese consumers use their phones much less to check on their email or to send photos and videos.

Over 30 per cent in Italy, Spain and Britain use their phones to send or receive photos and videos, and only half as many do so in China.

Users in the United States lead the poll in email usage with 11.6 per cent compared with nine percent in Spain and Britain, but only 2.5 percent in China.

The firm also found that while some 30 percent of those polled owned Nokia handsets, giving the company a substantial lead in the Chinese market, owners of Sony Ericsson handsets were a driving force in using mobile media.

M:Metrics said global handset brands such as Motorola, Nokia and Samsung significantly surpassed native brands such as China Mobile in terms of being used to get mobile content.

"These companies are well positioned in a market where operators are seeking to grow mobile content in preparation for the rollout of 3G networks," the company said.

China is expected to issue 3G licences before the Olympics this year, but some predict licences will not be handed out until 2009, as kinks in its homegrown 3G standard, TD-SCDMA, are smoothed out.

Just like in the European and U.S. markets, 18-34 year-olds are the biggest consumers of mobile content in China, accounting for 64.6 per cent of those who accessed news and information via their mobile browser, M:Metrics said.