While the latest and greatest cell phone bells and whistles may spur lively party conversation, a new national survey shows that the majority of consumers actually prefer basic personalized options and good old fashioned personal service over fancier techno-fare. Jitterbug announced the results of its survey conducted by Kelton Research showing that consumers of all ages tend to have a preference for personalized cell phone features and services and share a strong dislike of cell phone service contracts.

Wirefly, the online leader in one-stop comparison shopping for cell phones and wireless phone plans, announced the Top Ten hottest cell phones for summer travelers this season. The BlackBerry Curve, Palm Centro and BlackBerry Pearl are among the most popular choices. All three models showcase the features consumers are craving – converged functionality, a selection of attractive colors, and features tailored for enhanced productivity and convenience on the road.

Synaptics, a developer of human interface solutions for mobile computing, communications and entertainment devices, announced that its ClearPad and ClearArray solutions provide the interface on the LG Secret (model LG-KF750), the third model from the successful LG Black Label Series cell phones. The LG Secret introduces additional multimedia features to the Black Label Series such as an advanced 5.0 megapixel digital camera and advanced graphical user interface (UI) that takes advantage of Synaptics' intuitive ClearPad touchscreen technology.

A select group of BART riders is helping to launch a first-in-the-nation technological trial that will allow participants to walk up to any BART fare gate with a specially-equipped Sprint wireless phone and pay for their ride by tagging the cell phone on a reader located on top of the gate. Once through the gate, the 230 trial participants can hold their specifically-equipped Sprint cell phone up to certain Jack in the Box and Sprint “smart advertisements” on BART station walls and download either directions to the nearest Jack in the Box restaurant or content from Sprint.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of Mobile Device Market Trends in 2008 to their offering. The objective of this report is to identify the rising trends in the global mobile device market in 2008. The research material in this report is based on our strategic research and consulting projects conducted in 2007 on the major mobile operators and handset vendors in Asia (particularly on Korea, Japan and China). In addition, interviews with professionals in the industry, including mobile service providers were used as a reference for carrying out a comprehensive market analysis.

A recent survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, an infoUSA company, fielded by international data collection and panel specialists Research Now, revealed that Smartphones (excluding iPhone and RIM Blackberry) were the most returned electronic technology products of the holiday season, with slightly more than one-fifth (21%) of Smartphone buyers returning their purchase to the retailer.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of “NFC-Enabled Phones and Contactless Smart Cards 2008-2018” to their offering. Near Field Communication (NFC), by which electronic devices communicate if held within a few centimeters of each other, is underpinned by global ISO specifications. It has attracted the attention of the largest telcos, transport companies, banks and others and new trials are frequently announced all over the world.

The worldwide mobile phone market experienced an expected sequential downturn in shipments following a busy holiday quarter. According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors shipped a total of 291.6 million units during the first quarter of 2008 (1Q08), down 11.6% from the 330.8 million units shipped during the previous quarter (4Q07) and up 14.3% from the 255.0 million units shipped during 1Q07. While the first quarter results are in line with IDC's 2008 forecast, concerns over the economy may negatively impact handset purchases as the year progresses.

Ron Risman, the owner of CameraTown, informed us about CameraTown’s latest project; the world's first photography portal for the Apple iPhone. Digital photography is hot and changing almost every week. New products like high resolution digital SLR cameras, entry-level compact cameras, photo printers or top quality pro lenses are introduced by the top of the digital imaging industry. Those Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users who want to be informed by the latest news need to check out this new Photography portal for Apple iPhone. This year is promising lots of interesting new products; the DLSR camera is absolute the product to look out for. New products will come up later on this year!

Mobile Linux is well poised to take on the surging smartphone market according to “Mobile Linux: Google and Motorola Hold the Short-Term Keys to Success,” from the Strategy Analytics Handset Component Technologies Service. Mobile Linux offers an attractive package in terms of customization, cost, developer community, time to market, security and multi chipset support to handset manufacturers and mobile operators, according to industry analysts Strategy Analytics. This report evaluates the current status of the mobile Linux market and assesses the impact of recent initiatives by industry players in the mobile Linux arena.