We've already learned that the luxury handset sector ain't hurting even though the economy is (B&O notwithstanding), so it follows logic to see Vertu crafting a new line of covetable mobiles for the affluent. Reportedly, the Ferrari Ascent Ti collection will consist of three phones that all sport the iconic Ferrari logo along with a catchy paint job to further illustrate the automotive connection. The Nero will be all black, while the Rosso and Giallo will be red and yellow, respectively. Each handset features a scratch proof PVD and Ferrari-inspired themes / ringtones, none of which will really make 'em worth the asking price. Speaking of which, Vertu hasn't publicly disclosed a sticker just yet, but given that just north of 2,000 will be made, we'd say it'll be up there. Way up there.

[Via I4U News]

It's no secret that Texas Instruments has been pushing to get its technologies into more cellphones for awhile now, and considering that even Nokia reckons that HD recording capabilities in mobiles is but a few years away, it's not too shocking to hear what TI busted out at Mobile World Congress. Reportedly, the firm has unveiled "a chip to support cellphones with mini projectors and another chip that would let users record high-definition video on their phones." After showing prototypes in the past, TI asserted that it had chips "ready for production" for pico projectors that could be integrated into a variety of handsets, while the OMAP3440 -- which would let consumers capture HD footage on the same device that gives those thumbs a workout -- will be available in Q2 for handset makers to test out.

It's not ready for prime time just yet, but Texas Instruments (among others) appears to be getting closer to a projector that'll cram inside a phone with enough brightness and clarity to make it usable. How cool is that? Granted, this isn't a real phone here that we got to play with -- but it's phone-sized. You get the idea. Read on for the full pictorial!

Vertu has finally seen fit to bump one of its out of the ballpark expensive sets into the 3G world, welcome the Vertu Ascent Ti, 'bout time we say, bout time. Featuring a casing "forged" from solid titanium, a "floodlit" keypad, 4GB of internal storage -- and with the 3 megapixel autofocus cam, you'll need that space -- UMTS in the 2100Mhz range, and a design strikingly similar to all other Vertu handsets, so if you're in the market for Vertu love, now's the time to strike. We dig these handsets only because of the untouchable status the pricing scheme puts them in. Oh, and as per usual, no dollar details are listed, but they should be in the shops any day now.

[Thanks, Egor L]

If anyone doubted Texas Instruments' sincerity in taking the mobile projection world by storm, now would probably be a good time to start boiling some crow. Making good on its wishes to cram DLP into even the most minuscule of locations, the company will be demonstrating its newfangled DLP pico-projector to select media groups, and apparently, those interested in taking a peek better have a front row seat. The mini projector will supposedly "fit in your fingertips," but beyond that vague descriptor, we're not exactly sure about the hard measurements. Notably, it appears that TI's wee PJ could act as a standalone unit "or as an integrated component in a mobile device," which would definitely spruce up current smartphone offerings. Sadly, there wasn't an estimated timeframe as to when we'd (barely) see these devices crammed into cellphone enclosures, but it's just a matter of time before we're streaming live television shows and simultaneously beaming 'em up for all of the subway car to see.

Texas Instruments demonstrated its first processor to enable high definition (720p) playback on mobile phones yesterday at 3GSM World Congress. The OMAP3430, first announced last year, is the first in TI's series of OMAP 3 processors and also first to include support for the OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics standard for 3D acceleration. The 3430 gets the muscle to move your HD files and 3D gaming from its embedded ARM Cortex-A8 processor, but from the specs it seems that the video portion is only currently supporting up to 1024 x 768 (XGA) output via composite or S-video connections. Still, with this power available, sometime in the future your common cellphone will be playing back HD on the go or outputting video to a big screen HDTV. We previously expected to see handsets based on the technology this year, but while TI is shipping samples of the processors now, don't expect your HD-capable cell to hit stores until early 2008.

It's not terribly uncommon to see a manufacturer try to push a product (or platform) into every crevice of your life, and it seems that Texas Instruments is diverting quite sharply from its calculatorish ways of old and making an aggressive push to get that DLP logo slapped on everything you own. While we've seen (literally) the diminutive Microvision display do its thang here at CES, TI is hoping to steal that thunder away by talking up its forthcoming palm-sized DLP projectors. The "fully featured" Pocket Projectors, which are co-developed by OMAP, would weigh "less than one pound," use the .55 DLP chip, and could purportedly connect to handsets or PDAs to beam up that big(ger) screen imagery for a crowd to see. Unfortunately for TI, these devices are not (at least initially) supposed to be integrated units, which could easily get overlooked if those built-in alternatives can muster acceptable quality. Additionally, TI is hoping to get that DLP logo stamped on your brain even when you visit the cinema, as the company now has its technology in 3,000 theaters worldwide and is frequently throwing logo-clad splash screens onto the canvas during pre-show advertisements. So if you wonder why you're strangely drawn to the DLP sets during your next HDTV shopping trip, trust us, it's not the mirrors, it's the marketing.

[Via AboutProjectors]

As multimedia features typically associated with higher-end handsets -- music players, video cameras, 3D acceleration, and the like -- start to trickle down to the mainstream, chip suppliers are looking at ways to make the requisite chipsets mainstream, too. Enter TI's OMAPV1035 "eCosto" single-chip platform; with an ARM9 processor core, the 1035 will be manufactured using a 65nm process when it begins volume production in early 2008. Features include EDGE support (but no 3G in sight -- we question that logic for a multimedia chipset that isn't due for another year), 30 fps video streaming at resolutions up to 320 x 240, 3D gaming, and support for still cameras up to 3 megapixels. Just as long as we get an HSDPA version of this goodness, TI, we're with you one hundred percent.

As manufacturers gear up to ship second- and third-generation handsets with mobile TV support, it seems the lines between phones, televisions, and the TiVo in your family room will be doing a bit of blurring. Texas Instruments is demoing new functionality in its DTV1000 "Hollywood" (no, not that Hollywood) digital TV chipset this week that, when paired up with their OMAP2430 core, offers users DVR and picture-in-picture functionality -- both features usually reserved for more traditional tee vees. Also notable is that TI's solution requires far less buffer memory to get DVR working than other solutions, resulting (hopefully) in cheaper handsets. The software and hardware are available immediately to manufacturers for integration, setting the stage for retail devices some time in 2007; with any luck, that'll line up nicely for US entrants in the DVB game to get rolling.

As manufacturers cram an ever-growing array of multimedia goodness (music, mobile TV, and so on) into their consumer lineup, processor requirements grow significantly, spurring the gap between featureful dumbphones and true smartphones to grow ever closer. Sensing this, LG's ready to throw in the towel on trying to keep the hardware differentiated and is calling in TI to provide OMAP chipsets, commonly associated with smartphones, to power their latest generation of plain ol' handsets. While the switch probably doesn't mean much for the user experience, UI lag hangs like a black cloud over a wide variety of modern dumbphones -- we have our fingers crossed that moving to a more powerful platform will make it a thing of the past.

[Via The Wireless Report]

We all know that Qualcomm likes to play up its market dominance everywhere possible -- and we also know they've taken some heat for it in Europe -- so it comes as little surprise to us that would-be CDMA competitors in the South Korean market are raising a fit. Texas Instruments and Broadcom have appealed to South Korea's Fair Trade Commission, alleging unfair practices by Qualcomm in bundling its CDMA chipsets with application processors. Presumably, the argument is that manufacturers should be allowed to mix and match chipsets without taking a hit on cost and without losing their relationships with suppliers, and since Qualcomm lays claim to portions of virtually every wireless standard -- not just IS-95 and CDMA2000 proper -- the implications of this are fairly far-reaching. Qualcomm's Korean offices have been raided by investigators in the past on similar allegations so we're not terribly confident this tussle will change their attitude, but we can dare to dream.