HTC launches first branded phones in China HTC is set to launch its first branded phones in China.  Two phones will be made specially for China Mobile,.  One will be a high-end device running Windows Mobile;  the other a mid-priced Android  model. Both will have touch screens.  Up to now, HTC has been selling phones in China under the Dopod brand name.  This marks two huge moves on the part of HTC:  one to establish the Taiwanese handset maker as a global brand, the other is to break into the mid-price handset market in China.  If HTC can keep up with demand, it stands to capture one of the biggest developing markets on the globe.

Vodafone cans tailor-made LiMo phone Things are not looking good for LiMo right now.  Vodafone has decided to ditch plans on development of a group of phones tailored to its Vodafone 360 social media and apps platform.  Vodafone’s pretty happy with the 100 or so handsets that support Vodafone 360 suite of services across several device platforms including Android.  The 360 app store, which now offers around 7,000 apps, will be part of the international Wholesale Applications Community.

Nokia Asks Consumers To Choose Its Next Phone In a bold move, Nokia is “crowdsourcing” its customer base to help determine its “ultimate concept phone.”    Since March, consumers have been putting forth their ideas and, currently, they would like to see a 4-inch capacitive display, open source operating system, unlimited multitasking, HDMI and 802.11 n/b/g WiFi connectivity, Dolby Surround Sound, an 8MP canera with 4x optical zoom and HD video recording. Can Nokia come up with a handset to meet consumer’s desires? We’ll see.

Center Stage:  Real Mobile Innovation That Drives Real Results; Why Developing Markets are the Ones to Watch The U.S. might be the trendsetter for enterprise, but it’s user-centric design and user-centric services that will improve the livelihoods of all people across the globe.  In this interview with Susan Dray, President of Dray & Associates, we get some insights into a user-centric mobile world where real change can happen in people’s lives.

The mobile chip ecosystem- an overview The appetite for multi-functionality in smartphone handsets makes the integrated circuits segment of the semiconductor market a hot place for innovation and development.  Read this great overview for more insight.