Apple iPhone 4 users, if your device is still in the throes of the dreaded "death grip" and you have been dropping signal bars left and right, don't worry. It seems that the first batch of free bumpers from Apple have shipped and some iPhone 4 owners have received e-mailed confirmation from the Apple Store that their bumper is on the way.

If you haven't yet taken advantage of Apples offer, you can still receive a free bumper or case. As we reported, the process is simple. Download the iPhone 4 Case Program app from the App Store. If you purchased your handset before July 23rd, you must request the case by August 22nd. If you bought your iPhone 4 after last Friday, you have 30 days from the date of your purchase to make a selection from the choice of bumpers or cases. Phones bought after September 30th will not qualify for a free bumper/case. If you purchased your own bumper from Apple before the program was announced, you are not out of luck as Apple will give you a refund. And once you have received the bumper or case, you should be able to hold your new iPhone 4 any way you heart desires without dropping calls or losing signal bars. You have to love it, a low tech solution to a high tech problem.

The Galaxy Q is expected to launch with Android 2.2 out of the box, a 1GHz Hummingbird processor under the hood and quad-band GSM / tri-band 3G support. The 3 inch multi-touch display will be Super AMOLED with resolution of 720 x 480 pixels and the camera will be 8MP with LED flash and HD video recording. There will also be a front facing 1.3MP front-facing camera. To go after the BlackBerry nation would require strong messaging capabilities and the Galaxy Q will have a physical QWERTY keyboard and an optical keypad. The phone will have 16GB of internal memory expandable with the use of the microSD slot that accepts up to 32GB in additional space and a 1500mAh battery is expected to power the model. Will BlackBerry fans make the switch, or will the upcoming 9800 Slider keep current 'Berry users right where they are?

News Orange will offer sub 100 euros Android phones by Christmas has jolted manufacturers, especially those who have used Android to differentiate themselves

Google strategy in the mobile market is clear: to get its Android operating system on to as many handsets as possible, and to gain revenue from mobile advertising and applications in the mass market in the process.

And Android's growth since its launch at the end of 2007 is astonishing.

Analyst IDC reckons Android, currently fourth for share of the smartphone market, will be the second biggest platform developer, behind Nokia’s Symbian system, by 2013, by when global smartphone shipments will have reached 390 million units.

Android handsets are already selling 160,000 per day, according to Android cofounder and Google vice president Andy Rubin.

Network operators are rushing to make real this democratisation of smartphones, and to see data revenues leap down the value chain.

The number of Android handsets available from them is expected to double to around 60 by Christmas, and make their hurried way into lower price brackets.

Orange said recently it will bring €120 (£98) Android devices by Eastern manufacturers LG, Huawei, ZTE and Gigabyte to market by then, available on prepay for half the price of most current Android models.

But with such democratisation comes commodotisation, inevitably, to the rising alarm of incumbent manufacturer brands that have caught a ride on Android’s coattails recently.

Make no mistake, Android saved Motorola’s handset business. It has given Taiwanese firm HTC a critical headrush and might afford the likes of Sony Ericsson jolts of new life.

The concern for these manufacturers, however, is they lose their edge as fast as they discovered it if Android becomes a leveller, and not a differentiator.

The giant leaps certain manufacturer brands have made with Android, particularly since Motorola’s Dext appeared last September, could be made pigeon steps immediately.

As one well-placed industry source summed up: “For a manufacturer just making Android phones right now, it is a scary place to be. There is this really fast wave of commodotisation coming.

“The Orange announcement is just horrible. It instantly drags the value out of the handset market; far too quickly.

“The basic Android interface is good, really strong. And for €120, you get that branded as you like. But it’s not just Android – it’s capacitive touch, WiFi, GPS, and a five-megapixel camera. For €120. I can see how Google wins. But if you are Motorola or Sony Ericsson, or whoever, enjoying that little lease of life Android has brought you, then it’s frightening.”

Market polarisation

There is a sense the middle ground in handset manufacturing is disappearing fast, and that the market is split between those who sell on price and those whose brand and engineering can demand a premium.

CCS analyst Ben Wood explains: “There is concern about a race to the bottom, here. We’re reaching eye-watering price points on Android.

“The old mid-tier that manufacturers like Motorola and Sony Ericsson used to reside in, trading handsets for £150-£250, has almost evaporated. We have this polarised market with low-cost smartphones coming in at under £150 and premium devices from Apple and BlackBerry for over £300. That middle ground has gone.”

The issue for part of the old guard is they are being squeezed from both sides. They cannot compete on price at the low end with these manufacturers from the East, and they struggle to match the brand kudos of Apple and BlackBerry within the premium smartphone market.

“In the Android space, companies like Samsung and LG are very good at building volume devices cheaply, and it also plays into the hands of Chinese manufacturers like Huawei and ZTE. It’s less good news for the likes of Sony Ericsson and Motorola. We’re going to see margins squeezed to the point it doesn’t make sense for them to compete at that level,” remarked one manufacturer source.

UAE telecoms regulator describes BlackBerry as "national security threat" by exporting and handling data offshore

The UAE could move to restrict or impose stricter monitoring of BlackBerry devices and applications after the area's telecommunications regulator said the technology poses a national security risk.

The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) said BlackBerry devices were introduced to the UAE in 2006 before the introduction of the Safety, Emergency and National Security legislation in 2007 which regulates the use of BlackBerry applications in the UAE.

As such, TRA said Blackberry currently operates outside the jurisdiction of national legislation and is the only device operating in the UAE that immediately exports data offshore and is managed by a foreign, commercial organisation.

The TRA statement reads: As a result of how BlackBerry data is managed and stored, in their current form, certain BlackBerry applications allow people to misuse the service, causing serious social, judicial and national security repercussions.

"Like many other countries, we have been working for a long time to resolve these critical issues, with the objective of finding a solution that safeguards our consumers and operates within the boundaries of UAE law."

Acer Android powered Stream confirmed for Expansys with Many New Features packs 1Ghz CPU and 5Mp camera recording HS Video 24Fps@720p and all that in a Superb AMOLED Capacitive touch screen and 2GB internal memory expandable with microSDs up to 32GB + 2GB internal = 34GB . Also its has New Feature Wireless Video Streaming which is Similar to the Wi-Di Technology (Wireless Display) works with any compatible device or HDTV. Don't forget the HDMI and the Wifi (802.11 N) Support away better than the (b/g)

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