By Dan Gallagher 

Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone and iPad and Sony Corp.'s (SNE, 6758.TO) PlayStation 3 may turn out to be the top-selling consumer-electronics products this holiday season, according to a new type of market research that tracks consumers' stated buying preferences over social networks.

A business intelligence firm called WiseWindow has designed a service called the Holiday Preference Index for consumer electronics. Updated daily, the index measures what the firm dubs as "purchase interest" in various products, using posts made on approximately 300,000 websites, blogs and social-network services such as Facebook and Twitter.

What the service has found is that, as a product category, smartphones have remained the most popular item since data began to be acquired in mid-November--before the kick-off of the holiday shopping season. Smartphones were given an index ranking of 83 on Monday--relatively on par with their ranking before Black Friday.

Among smartphones, the most popular is Apple's iPhone. The index also ranks BlackBerry smartphones from Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM, RIM.T) in the top 10 as a group. The most popular device in that family is the slide-out, touch-screen BlackBerry Torch.

"Smartphones seem to be the number-one thing that people want," said Marshall Toplansky, president of WiseWindow, in an interview.

Videogame consoles have also remained near the top of the preference index. The PlayStation 3 from Sony was the top-ranking product on the index on Monday--compared to an eighth-place slot before Black Friday. The Wii from Nintendo Co. (NTDOY, 7974.TO) and the Xbox 360 from Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) are also high-ranking items.

Tablet computers as a category have declined in popularity, from an 86 rating at Thanksgiving to the current ranking of 61. The highest-ranking device in the category is the iPad from Apple, which, at 72, has come up significantly since its pre-Black Friday ranking of 44.

WiseWindow has deployed this sort of technology before. In the recent mid-term elections, the service joined with the Daily Beast political blog for a feature called the Election Oracle, which used the same sort of data to predict winners for each race. The site claims it called 36 of the 37 Senate races correctly along with 98% of the House races.

The firm also provides market research for movie studios and record labels. Toplansky said the company's Mass Opinion Business Intelligence, or MOBI, tools have been useful at predicting box-office share and demand for new album releases.

"We're hoping this type of research will open the door to a much more valuable set of data that companies can use to make better decisions in real time," Toplansky said.

-By Dan Gallagher, 415-439-6400; AskNewswires@dowjones.com

One of the most desired Android smartphones to date, HTC Desire HD^[1], is now available for purchase across few UK online stores.

First comes uSwitch^[2] which is offering the device on an array of carrier contracts as well as SIM free. With some solid contract, users can get it for FREE, while the unlocked version could be yours for 465 GBP.

Then there’s Expansys^[3] that asks 499 GBP for the Desire HD sans any contracts signed. Alternatively, there are “for free” options with an appropriate two-year agreement(s) on Vodafone.

Finally, Play.com^[4] is still in the “pre-ordering phase,” but expects HTC’s bulky baby to go on sale on Monday, October 25th.

To sum things up, if you live in the UK – you can grab the HTC Desire HD from free to 500 GBP, depending on your willingness to sign a contract or not. Word of caution – before signing a contract or paying any amount, make sure to try out the Desire HD in a store. Many folks find it too bulky and yes, I’m one of them…

[Via: GSMarena^[5]]

References

1. ^{^} HTC Desire HD (www.intomobile.com)
2. ^{^} uSwitch (www.uswitch.com)
3. ^{^} Expansys (www.expansys.com)
4. ^{^} Play.com (www.play.com)
5. ^{^} GSMarena (www.gsmarena.com)

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) October 18, 2010

At home or work Smartphones have become a part of our daily life. newPCgadgets has just introduced Smartphone Coasters, a new stainless steel coaster that provides the ultimate convenience stand for Smartphones.

Smartphone Coasters are stainless steel stands that are space-saving and stackable. Perfect for home or business, Smartphone Coasters provide friends, guests or customers fast access to their Smartphones. Smartphone Coaster holds most Smartphones; including the popular iPhone, Droid, HTC EVO, BlackBerry and dozens more.

Within several days of introduction, Smartphone Coasters have already outpaced sales of all of newPCgadgets other products combined. With a small mention in the Android Central over 3,000 units were sold in just 48 hours.

Now instead of just laying your phone down on the table, or keeping it in your pocket, you can stand it up at an easy to view 75 degree angle. Parents can use the Smartphone Coaster to entertain their children with games or movies; professionals attending a business lunch or dinner will love the ability to view text messages and incoming calls faster.

Use Smartphone Coasters anywhere. They are perfect for entertaining at home or put them on the conference table at work. Smartphone Coasters are great for sports bars, restaurants or even hotels. They fit anywhere people gather with their Smartphones.

Best of all they are very affordable and really trendy. Prices are as low as $2.49 each in quantity and available directly from newPCgadgets.com. If you are looking for a trendy gift ideas this holiday then make sure to add Smartphone Coasters to your list.

# # #

For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2010/10/prweb4663154.htm^[1]

References

1. ^{^} www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2010/10/prweb4663154.htm (www.prweb.com)

A photo showing an internal Verizon document has recently appeared on Engadget, it looks pretty legit and talks about some of the upcoming smartphone launches they have planned for Q4 2010.

Sadly there is no sign of a Verizon iPhone, however there are four Android smartphones on their way, these are the Motorola Droid Pro, the Motorola Droid 2 Global, HTC Merge and LG enV Pro.

The Motorola Droid 2 was first revealed back in August, if you would like to find out more about this smartphone check out all of our previous Motorola Droid Pro posts here^[1].

There is quite a lot of mystery surrounding the Motorola Droid 2 Global phone, recent rumors suggested that it would feature a 1.2GHz processor, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a 5 megapixel camera, you can find out more here^[2].

The HTC Merge is a regarded as a mid to high-end smartphone, it features an 800MHz processor, 512MB RAM, Android 2.2, a 5 megapixel camera and a 3.8-inch display, for more details check out all of our HTC Merge-related articles here^[3].

Not too much is known about the LG enV Pro at the moment, therefore we will have to keep you posted as we find out more, so far rumors suggest that it will feature dual touchscreens, however this has not yet been confirmed.

As we find out more about these smartphones we will keep you posted, for fully detailed information check out the source link below.

Source: Cnet
^[4]

Follow us on Twitter^[5] and Facebook^[6], or get daily updates via email^[7].

Read more about Droid 2 Global, HTC Merge, LG enV Pro, Motorola Droid Pro, verizon wireless^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

Related News and Information

1. Verizon Motorola Droid 2: Leaked Photo Shows Slide-Out QWERTY Keyboard^[13]
2. Verizon HTC Smartphone: Leaked Photos and Specs^[14]
3. Motorola Droid 2 – Quadrant Benchmark – Fastest Android Smartphone?^[15]
4. Verizon Droid Phones: Second Motorola and HTC^[16]

References

1. ^{^} here (www.product-reviews.net)
2. ^{^} here (www.product-reviews.net)
3. ^{^} here (www.product-reviews.net)
4. ^{^} Cnet (www.cnet.com)
5. ^{^} Twitter (twitter.com)
6. ^{^} Join us on Facebook (www.facebook.com)
7. ^{^} via email (feedburner.google.com)
8. ^{^} Droid 2 Global (www.product-reviews.net)
9. ^{^} HTC Merge (www.product-reviews.net)
10. ^{^} LG enV Pro (www.product-reviews.net)
11. ^{^} Motorola Droid Pro (www.product-reviews.net)
12. ^{^} verizon wireless (www.product-reviews.net)
13. ^{^} Verizon Motorola Droid 2: Leaked Photo Shows Slide-Out QWERTY Keyboard (www.product-reviews.net)
14. ^{^} Verizon HTC Smartphone: Leaked Photos and Specs (www.product-reviews.net)
15. ^{^} Motorola Droid 2 – Quadrant Benchmark – Fastest Android Smartphone? (www.product-reviews.net)
16. ^{^} Verizon Droid Phones: Second Motorola and HTC (www.product-reviews.net)

A photo showing an internal Verizon document has recently appeared on Engadget, it looks pretty legit and talks about some of the upcoming smartphone launches they have planned for Q4 2010.

Sadly there is no sign of a Verizon iPhone, however there are four Android smartphones on their way, these are the Motorola Droid Pro, the Motorola Droid 2 Global, HTC Merge and LG enV Pro.

The Motorola Droid 2 was first revealed back in August, if you would like to find out more about this smartphone check out all of our previous Motorola Droid Pro posts here^[1].

There is quite a lot of mystery surrounding the Motorola Droid 2 Global phone, recent rumors suggested that it would feature a 1.2GHz processor, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a 5 megapixel camera, you can find out more here^[2].

The HTC Merge is a regarded as a mid to high-end smartphone, it features an 800MHz processor, 512MB RAM, Android 2.2, a 5 megapixel camera and a 3.8-inch display, for more details check out all of our HTC Merge-related articles here^[3].

Not too much is known about the LG enV Pro at the moment, therefore we will have to keep you posted as we find out more, so far rumors suggest that it will feature dual touchscreens, however this has not yet been confirmed.

As we find out more about these smartphones we will keep you posted, for fully detailed information check out the source link below.

Source: Cnet
^[4]

Follow us on Twitter^[5] and Facebook^[6], or get daily updates via email^[7].

Read more about Droid 2 Global, HTC Merge, LG enV Pro, Motorola Droid Pro, verizon wireless^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

Related News and Information

1. Verizon Motorola Droid 2: Leaked Photo Shows Slide-Out QWERTY Keyboard^[13]
2. Verizon HTC Smartphone: Leaked Photos and Specs^[14]
3. Motorola Droid 2 – Quadrant Benchmark – Fastest Android Smartphone?^[15]
4. Verizon Droid Phones: Second Motorola and HTC^[16]

References

1. ^{^} here (www.product-reviews.net)
2. ^{^} here (www.product-reviews.net)
3. ^{^} here (www.product-reviews.net)
4. ^{^} Cnet (www.cnet.com)
5. ^{^} Twitter (twitter.com)
6. ^{^} Join us on Facebook (www.facebook.com)
7. ^{^} via email (feedburner.google.com)
8. ^{^} Droid 2 Global (www.product-reviews.net)
9. ^{^} HTC Merge (www.product-reviews.net)
10. ^{^} LG enV Pro (www.product-reviews.net)
11. ^{^} Motorola Droid Pro (www.product-reviews.net)
12. ^{^} verizon wireless (www.product-reviews.net)
13. ^{^} Verizon Motorola Droid 2: Leaked Photo Shows Slide-Out QWERTY Keyboard (www.product-reviews.net)
14. ^{^} Verizon HTC Smartphone: Leaked Photos and Specs (www.product-reviews.net)
15. ^{^} Motorola Droid 2 – Quadrant Benchmark – Fastest Android Smartphone? (www.product-reviews.net)
16. ^{^} Verizon Droid Phones: Second Motorola and HTC (www.product-reviews.net)

References

1. ^{^} Rhapsody (www.rhapsody.com)

An au IS03 smartphone running the Skype Internet telephone application. (Mainichi)

Au, the mobile arm of telecommunications company KDDI, has unveiled a partnership with Skype Technologies SA that will put the firm's Internet telephone software on au's new smartphone, allowing users to make free calls to fellow Skype users.

The IS03 Skype-equipped smartphone, which made its debut along with 18 other new au mobile phone models on Oct. 18, will be on store shelves in late November, while owners of its predecessor IS01 -- already on the market -- will also be able to install the Skype application. Au will also enable other existing models to use Skype next year. The software will use au's voice network rather than the data transfer network to provide better call quality.

The au rate structure will be announced later, though the firm plans to make Skype calls to PCs and other Skype-equipped smartphones in Japan free. However, customers will most likely not be able to use Skype to make calls to regular mobile phones or landlines.

However, Skype will not be exclusive to au phones, as Skype applications can be downloaded to both Apple's iPhone -- offered through SoftBank Mobile -- and NTT Docomo's Android-based phones. Both SoftBank and Docomo currently allow free calling through the software, but have said that they will have to reconsider should the service place increasing pressure on data networks or cut into regular voice calls.

As Skype usually uses data networks for voice calls, KDDI and other telecommunications firms had labeled it a "prohibited application."

However, "Skype is mainly a useful tool to keep in touch with family and friends living far away or in different countries, so it's a little different from the character of mobile phones," said KDDI Managing Director Takashi Takada, despite competition between mobile phone firms becoming increasingly focused on data communications.

With au's late entry into the smartphone sector, industry observers believe KDDI is trying to make up for lost time by trading call revenue for the ability to attract more customers with the new feature.

We'd told you back in July^[1] that Verizon would migrate away from unlimited data and toward a tiered model very quickly; turns out it wasn't quite as quickly as we'd thought, but as Ivan Seidenberg said last month^[2], it's still going down. We've now been tipped that the switchover is expected on October 28, and this is how it all shakes out:

• Smartphone owners will choose between $15 for 150MB with $0.10 / MB overage, or $29.99 for unlimited access. This stands in contrast to AT&T, which offers another 50MB (for a total of 200MB) at the $15 price level or 2GB for $25 with no unlimited option.
• As we've already seen with the MiFi-equipped iPad^[3], there'll be $20, $35, and $50 tablet plans for 1GB, 3GB, and 5GB, respectively, all with overage of $10 per gigabyte. There will also be a $80 plan for 10GB with the same overage rate.
• MiFi^[4], FiveSpot^[5], and integrated netbook / notebook modem owners will choose between $50 / 5GB and $80 / 10GB plans. The MiFi and FiveSpot will also have access to the tablet-centric $35 / 3GB plan as part of a 90-day promo. All of these plans have overage priced at 1GB for $10.
• Feature phones will need to choose between $1.99 "pay as you go" (though it's not clear what that means -- could be unlimited at $1.99 per day, but we really don't know), $15 for 150MB, or $29.99 for unlimited. The old $9.99 / 25MB option will be killed off.
• USB modem pricing remains unchanged at $39.99 for 250MB or $59.99 for 5GB. We'd say this means Big Red is strongly discouraging folks from buying these right now.

Notably, this is just 3G data pricing -- the company says it'll announce 4G plans closer to the launch of its 4G network. Existing customers can stay grandfathered on their existing plans if they so choose, just as AT&T's been playing it. Thing is, the fact that Verizon is preserving its unlimited smartphone option is a big deal -- it'll be interesting to see if it twists AT&T's arm hard enough to bring it back. Follow the break for Verizon's full internal Q&A.

[Thanks, Jay]

Update: We're being told that the $1.99 pay as you go option on feature phones is simply the current $1.99 / MB option. Thanks, anonymous tipster!

Q: Why has Verizon Wireless decided to introduce these new 3G data plans?

A: Customers want to get the most from their high-powered devices. The new plans give these customers more customized options for their wireless plans and devices to match their lifestyle needs.

Q: What are the new 3G data plan options?

A: Customers may choose from the following 3G Device Data plans:

3G Feature Phones -- $1.99 pay as you go or $15 monthly access for 150 or 150 MB ($15/150 MB overage) or $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.

3G Smartphones Plans – $15 monthly access for 150 MB ($15/150 MB overage) or $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.

3G Tablet Plans – $20 monthly access for 1 GB ($20/1 GB overage), $35 monthly access for 3 GB ($10/ 1 GB overage); $50 monthly access for 5 GB ($10/1 GB overage) and $80 for 10 GB ($10/1G overage).

3G Netbooks/Notebooks Built-In Plans – $50 monthly access for 5 GB ($10/1 GB overage) or $80 monthly access for 10 GB ($10/1 GB overage).

MiFi 2200 and Five Spot Mobile – $50 monthly access for 5 GB ($10 /1 GB overage), $80 for 10 GB ($10/1G overage) or as part of a 90-day promotion $35 monthly access for 3 GB ($10/1 GB overage).

Q: How do these data plans fit in the overall competitive landscape for wireless?

A: We emphasize that our network is unique and personal to each customer. Each device is designed to meet a wide range of needs for a variety of customers, from the stay-at-home mom to the traveling executive. These new data plans correspond with that emphasis and are another step towards giving customers options that will make it easier than ever to stay connected. With customized data plans, customers can get the most of their wireless investments.

Q: Will the data pricing change for 3G USB modems and PC cards?

A: No. The pricing for 3G USB modems and PC cards will remain the same – $39.99 monthly access for 250 MB ($0.10/MB overage) or $59.99 monthly access for 5 GB ($0.05/MB overage).

Q: Will there be any changes to the Prepaid Mobile Broadband structure?

A: No. Prepaid Mobile Broadband plans for 3G USB Modems, Mobile Hotspots, Netbooks and Notebooks Built-In will remain the same, which include:

$15/Day for 100 MB

$30/Week for 300 MB

$50/Month for 1 GB

$80/Month for 5 GB

Q: Why did Verizon Wireless eliminate the $9.99/month data option for the 3G Multimedia phones?

A: Verizon Wireless is launching a variety of new Feature Phones throughout the rest of the year. These devices will have text, e-mail, and full multimedia capabilities. While we always encourage our customers to choose a data plan that complements their new phones to avoid unexpected data charges, we also wanted to give our customers the option to choose pay as you go pricing.

Q: What happens to existing customers?

A: After careful evaluation of their data usage, existing Verizon Wireless customers can migrate to the new data plans at any time.

Q: What is happening with 4G?

A: Verizon Wireless will commercially launch our 4G LTE network in 38 major metropolitan areas, covering more than 110 million Americans, by the end of the year. In addition, we are launching 4G LTE in more than 60 commercial airports coast to coast – both the airports within the launch areas plus airports in other key cities. In subsequent years, an equally aggressive growth plan will result in full nationwide coverage in 2013. We expect the initial devices to be USB modems for laptop connectivity. We expect to offer LTE consumer handsets in mid-year 2011.

Q: What will your 4G data pricing plan structure look like?

A: We'll offer more information on the data plans for our 4G devices at launch.

Q: Does Verizon Wireless' decision to update the 3G pricing structure coincide with the fact that you're concerned with data volumes on the new 4G network?

A: No. We're focused on offering our current customers using 3G devices with more customized options for accessing the data they need when they need it.

References

1. ^{^} back in July (www.engadget.com)
2. ^{^} Ivan Seidenberg said last month (www.engadget.com)
3. ^{^} MiFi-equipped iPad (www.engadget.com)
4. ^{^} MiFi (www.engadget.com)
5. ^{^} FiveSpot (www.engadget.com)

A few days ago Microsoft^[1] did a reboot of their mobile phone strategy with the launch of Windows Phone 7^[2]. Microsoft for the past few years have been watching from the stands as Apple^[3] and Google^[4] have built up a dominant empire around their mobile phone operating systems. That’s probably why Microsoft is taking a page out of Apple’s book when it first launched the iPhone.

Electronista is reporting that an employee has revealed that Microsoft gave away 100 Windows Phone 7^[5] smartphones to AT&T^[6] employees during an event in Minneapolis. It isn’t clear whether this was just a regional giveaway or a national one, but the employee did state that it was an attempt to get AT&T employees familiar with Windows Phone 7 before they are released in stores on November 7th. Apple took a similar approach when it first launched the iPhone^[7] in 2007. To help spread the gospel of the new phone Apple gave an 8GB iPhone to all of its full-time professional and retail workers.

Read more at Electronista^[8].

References

1. ^{^} Microsoft (www.geek.com)
2. ^{^} launch of Windows Phone 7 (www.geek.com)
3. ^{^} Apple (www.geek.com)
4. ^{^} Google (www.geek.com)
5. ^{^} Windows Phone 7 (www.geek.com)
6. ^{^} AT&T (www.geek.com)
7. ^{^} iPhone (www.geek.com)
8. ^{^} Electronista (www.electronista.com)

References

1. ^{^} View all posts in Malta News (gozonews.com)
2. ^{^} No Comments (gozonews.com)
3. ^{^} www.vodafone.com.mt/blackberry (www.vodafone.com.mt)