benqmobile.com:

[photopress:BenQ_Siemens_E61_title.jpg,thumb,alignleft] Music is in the air! With this attractive multimedia phone, you can add the matching soundtrack to your life. Designated music-player keys on top of the phone give you instant access to your favorite tunes.

Features:
Versatile music player
You never have to be without your favorite tunes again! Listen to MP3 and AAC(+) audio files via the phone’s integrated high-quality music player.
Special music keys
Operate the E61’s music player via the special keys on top of the phone. That way you have instant access to the sound library of your mobile.
VGA camera
An integrated VGA camera with 4x digital zoom lets you hold on to your life’s coolest moments forever.
Hands-free operation
The E61 features complete hands-free operation through the internal microphone and integrated loudspeaker. Now you can make calls without using your hands.

[photopress:Pantech_Curitel_PT_L19003.jpg,thumb,alignleft] Today akihabara published some photos of the new Pantech&Curitel cell phone model named PT-L1900. This is the first phone with installed full digital Amp Chipset, which gives it features like 11 acoustic modes, a 7 band equalizer and 3D stereo sound… With 128Mb of internal memory it is a nice place to store your mp3’s.

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[photopress:Toshiba_HDD_poster.jpg,thumb,alignleft] The info of a new 4GB hard drive cell phone has leaked out recently. The official announcement is expected sometime around March, but photos of the phone and promotion materials are already in the Net.
The specs include a 2.4-inch LCD, 3.2 megapixel camera, and Bluetooth. It looks like I’m going to say bye-bye to my HP 735

[photopress:kng_ipod_dock_dj.jpg,thumb,alignleft] A Japanese company KNG, which specializes in customer electronics and accessories, has presented on the CES a couple of new dock station for iPod, as AVING says. The design of DJ and Robot is pretty cute, plus the guys are moving with the iPod’s featuring music. If only I had an iPod

[photopress:gigabeatLarge.jpg,full,alignright]Just announced! The Toshiba Gigabeat S Series Portable Media Center offers a vivid 2.4″ color display and an extended storage capacity, so you can take your favorite digital media with you. Download recorded TV shows from TiVo Series2 or feature-length movies from movie studio Web sites, and then watch them on your Portable Media Center or a TV. Listen to music and download album art from online music providers. Tune into your favorite FM radio station with the unique FM tuner feature. Create impressive photo shows set to music, or enjoy interactive gaming with integrated audio for Microsoft Xbox 360™. Available Spring 2006.

Features
Compact dimensions with up to 60 gigabytes (GB) of storage space
FM radio tuner
Extended battery life (20 hours of audio and up to 5 hours of video)
Familiar Windows Mobile software navigation
Compatible with popular media file formats, including .wmv, .wav, JPEG, and MP3
Media download from Media Center PCs
Recorded TV download from TiVo Series2
Audio integration with Xbox 360
Available in Metallic Blue, Piano Black, and Piano White

Accessories

Earphones
Power adapter
USB cable for PC synchronization
A/V cable and output
Carrying case

Specifications

Display: 2.4″ QVGA (320 x 240) LCD screen
Storage: 30 GB or 60 GB hard drive
Battery hours: 20 of audio/5 of video
MPU: Freescale i.MX
System requirements: Microsoft Windows Media Player 10

Toshiba

As per techdirt article, Verizon starts Wireless music download offering that would let you transfer songs to your phone if you bought them online (for $1/song) or let you pay twice as much if you really, really, really needed the song immediately and wanted to download it directly to your phone over the air. That wasn’t that surprising, as everyone had pretty much expected it.
However, PCS Intel is claiming that signing up for this program on your phone might have some nasty side-effects that could interest some anti-trust lawyers. It’s using Microsoft technology to handle copy protection, and apparently if you upgrade your phone to support Verizon Wireless’ music store you will no longer be able to play MP3s on your phone. Basically, the new phone software proactively stops any attempts at playing MP3s — which PCS Intel claims was part of the agreement Microsoft made with Verizon Wireless. If they were going to do this, then they wanted the phones to be exclusively set to play Microsoft’s format. If true (and some additional support would be nice) that should set off quite a few anti-trust alarm bells somewhere. PCS Intel claims to have an internal memo from Verizon Wireless discussing this issue, and saying that should anyone complain, they’re to be given a refurbished phone with older firmware, but that users are not to be warned ahead of time that an upgrade will wipe out their MP3-playing abilities. If this is true, it looks bad for both Verizon Wireless and Microsoft.

In my opinion, it is not only weakness of Verizon’s, but of all the “campaign cells for $1″, where a provider imposes his services on the subscribers. Actually, you mustn’t be a Tech Guru to update firmware with a USB-cable. Thanks to Google it is not a problem to find one in the Net.

PS On the picture (left to right): Microsoft Corporation Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates, Palm, Inc., President and CEO Ed Colligan and Verizon Wireless President and CEO Denny Strigl announce a strategic alliance to expand the Smartphone market with a new line of Treo Smartphones from Verizon Wireless at a press conference in San Francisco, Sept. 26, 2005.