MMCmicro card can store up to 12 hours of video for playback on mobile phones.

Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday it has developed a tiny, 2GB memory card for use in mobile phones, just three months after it announced a card with half of that capacity.

The 2GB MMCmicro card is about the size and shape of one key on a standard computer keyboard and just .04 inches thick. It can store as much as 12 hours of "mobile video," Samsung said, without specifying a format.

It can also transmit data quickly. A user can download three hours of mobile video, for example, in less than two minutes, according to Samsung. The cards can read data at 10 megabits per second and write at 7 mbps, the Seoul-based company said.

Both the 2GB and 1GB cards are expected to become available later this year, Samsung said. There was no word yet on pricing.

The sale of U.S. wireless communications licenses is projected to raise about $25 billion between 2007 and 2009, $7.8 billion higher than last year's estimate, according to President George W. Bush's 2007 budget released on Monday.

The Federal Communications Commission is slated to start selling 90 megahertz of wireless airwaves on June 29, an auction that Wall Street analysts have said could raise as much as $15 billion.

Those airwaves are expected to be used for advanced mobile communications like high-speed Internet and video services. Major U.S. wireless carriers like T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless are expected to bid in the sale.

The Bush budget estimated that $9.95 billion from wireless auctions would be received in the 2007 fiscal year, which starts October 1, 2006. It also expects almost $12.24 billion in the 2008 fiscal year that starts October 1, 2007.

Children can access internet porn via mobile phones due to a loophole in phone safeguards, Which? magazine says.

Youngsters are able to obtain codes for adult websites by paying for them using premium rate text messages, it claims.

Which? editor Malcolm Coles said: "There's nothing to stop children getting hold of hardcore pornography through their mobile phone."

Industry regulator Icstis said mobile phone companies and internet providers were responsible for age checks.

But a spokesman added: "The situation shouldn't be allowed to continue."

An auction of US airwaves that could be used for wireless video and high-speed internet access will likely go ahead in June, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said on the weekend.

Wireless companies are typically hungry for more airwaves to expand and improve their services. Companies like Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless, the two largest US carriers, are rolling out new products, like broadband and video.

"I think the commission still intends (on) going forward with the AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) auction in June, in this summer," Martin told reporters after an FCC meeting. "I anticipate that we are going to move forward with it, I don't have any other plans."

The FCC said in late 2004 that the sale could occur as early as June 2006.

Workers in the City should soon be able to get wireless Internet access even when outside the office.

The Corporation of London is poised to award a multi-million pound contract to build a wireless network covering the financial heart of the capital.

The Corporation's policy committee met on Thursday to assess the merits of three wireless operators — BT Openzone, The Cloud and Wicoms. According to those familiar with the process, the winning operator will be announced on Monday 23 January.

It is unclear at this stage how widespread the deal will be, but one report has claimed that the contract for constructing and managing it could be worth more than £10m.

The Corporation is following the lead of Canary Wharf, which last August awarded The Cloud a contract to deploy a Wi-Fi network over its estate. That network covered several underground retail spaces, restaurants, bars, gardens, promenades and other public spaces, but did not reach offices at 1 Canada Square, the tower at Canary Wharf.

Auckland, NZ - Vodafone has launched an attack at the heart of Telecom's business – it wants to provide fixed-line services to the business and residential markets using its mobile network.

In an application to the Commerce Commission, Vodafone wants the terms for connection with Telecom's network on a local level to be set, saying Telecom has refused to constructively negotiate for two years.

The application lays out a detailed plan for Vodafone to use its mobile handsets for two purposes, the existing one as a mobile phone, and as a fixed line within a short range of a designated "home". This would be similar to a cordless phone: up to 300 metres.

How much this would cost is not disclosed, but Vodafone confirmed incoming local calls would be free: "It is the receiving party who is prepared to pay for the benefit of mobility, while the calling party pays only the cost of a local call."

Cingular has launched the Cingular 2125 Smartphone in the US, which the company says, is the first Smartphone to feature the new Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system.

Touted as a "world phone," the 2125 weighs only 3.71 ounces; sports dimensions of 4.32l x 1.84w x 3/4t inches; and features Windows Mobile 5.0, Bluetooth support, GSM quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) international roaming, plus support for EDGE - the largest national high-speed wireless data network in USA.

Thanks to Windows Mobile 5.0 Cingular 2125 is upgradeable to the Messaging and Security Feature Pack, to be launched in the first part of 2006.

Cingular's 2125 incorporates features such as a TI OMAP 850 200 MHz Processor with 64MB SDRAM / 64MB Flash ROM; 2.2-inch QVGA; 64K Color TFT Screen; Windows Media Player 10 Mobile; stereo headset jack; 1.3 Megapixels Camera with Camcorder; support for audio formats including MP3, AMR, AAC, WAV and WMA plus for MPEG-4 video streaming; mini-SD expansion card slot; Infrared and Mini-USB connectivity; and a 1150mAh Lithium-ion battery.

New massively multiplayer pirate adventure game makes maiden voyage on the Nokia SNAP Mobile service

Espoo, Finland - Nokia, the leader in mobile communications, announced today the launch of the massively multiplayer adventure game, "Age of Piracy", expected to be available later this year on selected Java-enabled cell phones through Nokia SNAP ( Scalable Network Application Package ) Mobile service. Set in the 17th century on the Caribbean Sea, "Age of Piracy" delivers swashbuckling fun in a world of deceit, collaboration, trade and looting on the waters off the shores of the Spanish Main. And in a mobile game first, "Age of Piracy" debuts a rich European comic graphics style with saturated colors and satirical humor.

''Age of Piracy' not only strengthens our massively multiplayer title lineup on the Nokia SNAP Mobile service platform, the depth of the game world is unbeaten by the Java games out there today" said Lisa Waits, head of Nokia SNAP Mobile. "The unpredictable plot paired with rich community features will have gamers begging for more - which we can deliver to them with our ability to upload new missions and game content on the go."

"Age of Piracy" indulges gamers in the fantasy of playing fearless pirates and merciless traders on the unpredictable Caribbean Sea. Head-to-head sea battles, chatting with pirate mates and battle rankings add to the thrill of this treacherous voyage. Gamers have the choice to develop their swashbuckling careers in single or multiplayer modes. Player-to-player trading, special missions to earn fame, chatting and mobile industry first rich comic graphics style round-out the unforgettable gameplay experience of this buccaneer bonanza.

Getting a computer on every desktop is so yesterday.

Microsoft's newest mission is pushing for a Mobile PC for every person. These are not run-of-the-mill laptops or desktop replacements. Microsoft is aiming for broad, general acceptance of a whole new category of carry-everywhere, always-connected computing devices with batteries that last all day long.

In fact, the software giant told hardware makers Tuesday to expect 100 million of these highly mobile PCs to sell by 2008.

The ambitious one-mobile-PC-per-person goal may be achievable sooner than you might expect, Microsoft executives told attendees of the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference.

Vietnam Power Telecom (VP Telecom), Siemens, and Swiss-basedNexus Telecom AG, announced today the successful live deployment of Siemens Next-Generation IP-based Voice and Multimedia services and Nexus Telecom’s Billing Solution, NexusDBS 5.0. The system has been deployed on the latest Siemens SURPASS NGN (Next Generation Network) Soft Switch HiE9200. The highly sophisticated and flexible NGN billing solution from Nexus Telecom enables VP Telecom to provide single end user bills for any combination of its services including fixed telephony, VoIP, leased line, WLL, voice/videoconferencing, PC to PC calls, PC to phone calls, VPN, internet access and internet exchange services. The three parties‘ strategic partnership allowed VP Telecom to quickly achieve its immediate business goals while ensuring a long term flexible business model.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nexus Telecom’s billing solution was customized and installedat VP Telecom headquarters in Hanoi, and designed to process over 5 million Call Records per day, extensible to 10s of millions of CDRs per day as market requirements demand. Nexus will continue to provide support and maintenance as required.

“After careful evaluation of competitive solutions, we chose Nexus Telecom to implement our carrier grade NGN billing solution based on their long-term experience, competitive pricing and strategic relationship with Siemens. With the Siemens/Nexus solution, VP Telecom can now position itself as a market leader, and contribute significantly to the continued modernization and industrialization of the country” said Mr. Hoang Minh Thai - Deputy Director of VP Telecom.

“We are pleased to conclude a successful deployment of our NexusDBS billing solution at VP Telecom, especially as they are aligned with the latest technologies from our strategic partner, Siemens. This opportunity to fully integrate our billing solution together with SURPASS NGN services at VP Telecom fully demonstrates our commitment and ability to execute our strategy quickly, efficiently, and costeffectively” said Alain Giger, Managing Director of Nexus Telecom.

View: Nexus Telecom

A Pocket PC remake of the popular classic, "X-Com: Enemy Unknown", is in the making and is now available for download as a beta release.

With nine diverse landscapes, eleven types of enemies and over forty different weapons, it sure looks like a lot of fun. The home page is in Russian, but even if you don't understand a word of it, it's not hard to navigate your way around and find the download link. If you manage to give this game a spin, be sure to let everyone know what you think.