Taipei, Aug. 9 (CNA) Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC Corp. signed a deal with China UnionPay Co. on Tuesday to launch a smartphone in China that would allow mobile payments through the country’s only credit card network. The “HTC Stunning,” a 4-inch smartphone powered by Google’s Android operating system, will allow users to apply for mobile banking services such as remote bill payments and contactless payments, according to an HTC statement.

The world’s No. 5 smartphone maker will also work with Shanghai F-road Commerce Service Co. to introduce the services in China. F-road Commerce is a Chinese mobile application developer that tailors apps for financial institutions to offer mobile financial services on smartphones.

In January this year, HTC invested US$5.5 million (NT$159.6 million) in Shanghai F-road through its subsidiary HTC HK Ltd. “HTC believes that mobile payments will become an indispensable function for smartphones, and we expect to jointly establish a complete industry chain of mobile payments based on such a strategic alliances,” Fred Liu, president of HTC engineering and operations, said in the statement.

Currently, UnionPay cardholders can only make payments at about 40,000 contracted stores and can access 17,000 of the country’s automated teller machines (ATMs).

China UnionPay has 2.6 billion credit and debit cards in circulation in different countries worldwide. According to technology research company Gartner Inc., the number of mobile payment users worldwide will surpass 141.1 million this year, a 38.2 percent increase from 102.1 million in 2010. Meanwhile, worldwide mobile payment volume is forecast to total US$86.1 billion this year, up 97.5 % from US$48.9 billion dollar last year. [focustaiwan]

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Good news for you in UK, The BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 is now available for pre-order via Vodafone UK.  The smartphone is currently being offered for free on plans starting at 41 GBP (about $66) per month.  The Bold Touch 9900 comes with a 2.8-inch VGA touchscreen display, a 1.2GHz single-core processor, a 5MP camera with 720p HD video recording, a full QWERTY keyboard, HSPA, GPS, WiFi and runs on BlackBerry 7 OS. So what are you waiting for?

Here’s another upcoming Android MID from Onda, the Vi20W. The device will sport a 7.0-inch 800 x 600 multi-touch capacitive screen, a 1GHz RK2918 ARM Cortex-A8 processor, a 512MB DDR3 RAM, an 8GB of storage, a microSD card slot (up to 32GB), Flash 10.2 support, 1080p Full HD video playback support, 3G, WiFi, OTG function, an HDMI port and run on Android 2.3 OS. Pricing and release date are still unknown at the moment. [Onda]

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MioPad 6 is a new android tablet from MiTAC. It was previewed in the last edition of the Taipei Computer Application Show. Its thin enough (about 11.6 mm) and with a simple design and rational, and is equipped with an unnamed 1GHz processor. From the few reports that are circulating on the Net, it would seem that, despite the confirmed presence of a WiFi module for wireless connection, 3G connectivity is absent. This detail does not seem very convincing those who work in limiting, to some extent, the completeness of the tablet.

The company has refrained from providing official information. Are not known, therefore, more information about the technical specifications of the MiTAC MioPad 6, which should still be quite far from the likes of giants Galaxy Tab Samsung or Apple iPad. According to reports, the tablet should be officially launched on the market at the end of this month at an approximate cost of $ 380 equal to about 265 euros at current exchange rates. For these reasons, it is reasonable to expect that the rest of the technical specifications will be released shortly.

Few lucky Galaxy Tab 10.1 owners in New York will get the new software update today itself but for those who’re far away from New York, Samsung will release an over-the-air update. The OTA update will be released on Aug 5 and will bring loads of software enhancements, including the TouchWiz UX. Not only the interface will be overhauled but Galaxy Tab 10.1 will also gain other features like Live Panel, Mini Apps, Quick Panel, Media Hub, Social Hub and Photo Editor.

Some of the preloaded apps include Amazon Cloud Player, Kindle, Words with Friends and enhancements on the enterprise side with full support for Exchange ActiveSync v14, on-device encryption, Cisco VPN and Webex.

Users will be required to be logged into their Samsung account to receive the update notification.

[Sammyhub]

Although we’ve recently heard that Apple would not launch the iPhone 5 until late October, this may not be true. And, well, we’ll probably not know the real truth until the day Apple decides to officially announce its new smartphone. Meanwhile, we have enough rumors to keep us busy.

The latest rumor comes from BGR, which claims to have “confirmed information” “received from a reliable source at Canadian carrier Telus.” According to the info, Telus is planning to launch the new iPhone 5 in Canada on October 1. Theoretically, this could happen – although October 1 is a Saturday, and Apple has released its previous iPhone models either on a Friday, or a Thursday.

Anyway, assuming this launch date is accurate, the iPhone 5 will also be out in the US on October 1, or even earlier – since it wouldn’t be the first time when Apple intros a new iPhone in Canada only after launching it in the US. The iPhone 5 will come with iOS 5, and possibly some – if not all – of these other features: dual-core processor, more RAM, NFC, 8MP camera, and a larger display.

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Sharp has unveiled specification of the upcoming Sharp FX Plus. As the successor to the original Sharp FX messaging phone, the new handset comes equipped with a 3.2-inch HVGA display, a 600MHz processor, a 512MB of RAM, a 3-megapixel camera, an SD card that supports up to 32GB memory cards, Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS. The phone also features the Google Android 2.2 OS, the earSmart noise cancellation technology and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. No word on pricing or release date so far.

We’ve already seen Galaxy R (aka Galaxy Z) in all its glory and now Samsung has officially acknowledged the dual-core phone. Samsung refrains from outing the exact processor but previous evidences have proved that the phone runs on Tegra 2 processor. The 9.55mm thick phone sports a metallic finish and comes with a 4.19-inch WVGA Super Clear LCD, HSPA+ 21Mbps support, Android 2.3 OS, 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 720p HD video recording and 1080p playback support, TouchWiz UI with various Hubs, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, 8GB internal memory, up to 32GB microSD card slot and 1650mAh battery.

Samsung says the phone will be out by “end of July” in Europe but it seems the product is yet to reach the retail market. The phone will also be launched in South East & West Asia, Middle East Asia, and China.

Galaxy R Specifications:

Network: HSPA ＋ 21Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mb EDGE/GPRS Class 12
Processor: Dual Core Application Processor
Display: 4.19” WVGA Super Clear LCD
OS: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
Camera: Main(Rear): 5 MP, AF with LED Flash; Front: 1.3MP
Video Codec : MPEG4/H.263/H.264/H263.Sorenson/Divx/Xvid/VC-1
Playback : Full HD 1080p@30fps(Divx, WMV, MP4, H.264 B/P only)
Recording : HD 720p@30fps
Audio Codec : MP3, OGG, AAC, AAC＋, eAAC＋, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, WMA, WAV, MID, AC3, IMY, AAC(Mono)
Music Player with SoundAlive EQ, Music Recognition
3.5mm Ear Jack, Stereo FM Radio with RDS
Value-added Features: Samsung Apps; Samsung Kies 2.0; Samsung Kies air; Samsung TouchWiz; Samsung L!ve Panel UX
Social Hub: Integrated Contacts, Integrated Calendar, Unified Inbox; Basic: POP3/IMAP Email & Google Talk IM
Readers Hub
Music Hub
Game Hub
Voice Solution
Find My Mobile
Connectivity: Bluetooth technology v 3.0 ＋ HS; USB 2.0 HS; Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n; Wi-Fi direct
Sensor: Accelerometer, Digital compass, Proximity, Light, Gyroscope
Memory: 8GB Internal memory ＋ microSD (up to 32GB)
Size: 66.7 x 125.7 x 9.55mm, 131g
Standard battery: Li-Ion 1650 mAh
Talk Time: 580 min(3G)
Standby Time: 550 hours(3G)

Press Release
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a leading mobile phone provider, today announced the launch of the Samsung GALAXY R, its latest Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread) Smartphone. Featuring a lightweight, slim and sleek metallic design, the GALAXY R Smartphone delivers incredible performance thanks to its Dual Core processor, whilst including a range of features to conveniently manage your social and content experiences.

“The year 2011 is turning out to be a great year for Samsung as the leader in smart mobile devices. I am very pleased that the GALAXY R will boost our leadership and add up to the industry’s most comprehensive Android smartphone portfolio that we already have.” said Hankil Yoon, Vice President of Smartphone Product Planning Group in Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business. He added: “Consumers are looking for stylish, premium devices with high performance as well as long battery life, and the GALAXY R meets these requirements in every way.”

Refined Design meets Lightning Speed

The slim, chic casing is just 9.55mm thick while a sophisticated metallic finish enhances the device’s fashion credentials, making the device an essential fashion accessory. Even though the device is incredibly lightweight (weighing just 131g) and stylishly contoured, it still features a powerful 1650mAh battery with Samsung’s advanced power consumption technology – delivering 580 minutes of talk time and 550 hours of standby time.

Users can take high-quality pictures and film HD video before playing back the images on the device’s large 4.19” Super Clear LCD touch screen. Consuming less power than competing models while offering clarity and a wider viewing angle, the Super Clear LCD screen enables a comfortable mobile viewing experience – complimenting the device’s cool design with stunning visuals.

The Samsung GALAXY R is powered by a fast Dual Core processor, enabling seamless multitasking, faster webpage loading and an ultrafast power up. The high-power processor also delivers smooth HD 720p video capture and Full HD 1080p playback(Divx, WMV, MP4, H.264 B/P) at 30fps(frames per second). Lightning-fast downloads are enabled by an HSPA＋ connection, meaning movies, games and music can be downloaded quicker while on the move.

GALAXY R will be available from end of July in Europe and will be rolled out globally including South East & West Asia, Middle East Asia, and China.

[Sammyhub]

Expansys France has just exposed the white version of the Samsung Galaxy S II, both from the front and the back. Unlike in the UK, where the white S II should be released next month, in France it looks like it won’t be out until September (for the hefty price of €589,99). What’s really nice is that this Galaxy S II is completely white, unlike the white Galaxy S i9000, which only has the back cover changed (the front remaining black). We don’t know yet where else (except the UK and France) the white edition of Samsung’s Gingerbread flagship phone will be released. We’ll keep you posted. [UV]

We have heard that the Samsung Galaxy S II will finally come to used. Now, we have found the device appearing in FCC. The device comes with CDMA and WiMAX radios. The device design matches perfectly with the leaked and it has the right model number which is SPH-D710. The Galaxy S II will be 5mm taller and 3mm wider than Europe version.