McQueen chief designer for Givenchy has designed a range of mens suits cut to fit the carrying of mobile phones and handsfree cables without disrupting the line.

NEC is calling its DB4000 the most compact design from NECs engineers to date.

The phone weights 99 grams and is 89ccs in size. It features a new SMS facility which allows users to set up their own dictionary of customised words and phrases.

NEC Mobile Phones head of marketing Andy Press said:

With one in two men owning a mobile phone we believe its high time tailors re-evaluated the function of the suit and took a proper acount of todays technology. Mobile phones have become a fashion accessory as well as a vital business and social tool.

We are sure high street designers will adopt the concept for everyones benefit said Press.

Content partners in this trial will be local and global content providers such as Bridge Financial News Reuters VS-Com and Orktopas.

Services to be trialled include access to stock information and indices foreign exchange prices news e-mail and games. The trial will run for three months to develop a deeper understanding of technical and market issues as well as understanding how services can be better tailored and offered to meet the needs of the mobile internet environment.

By combining the internet and mobility the Mobile Information Society will change the way we work and communicate today said Hannu Karavirta MD of Nokia (Malaysia).

The program lets staff connect to the company computer network while they are out to access data such as stock availability order status and customer credit limits and can also enter business transactions to and from mobile phones.

Called Q the 89-gram handset has an integral e-mail client enabling access to regular e-mail services through standard internet e-mail protocols.

Other claimed features apart from access to internet services are dual-band operation 14.4 kbps data and fax predictive text input personal organiser and vibrating alert. Benefon also says the Q is the first WAP phone enabling location-based services through support of the Smart Location Server by Hewlett-Packard. Benefon Q will be available in production quantities in the summer. Developer support for Benefon Q will be provided prior to general availability.

The S35i is aimed at the business user. The C35i is for social use. The S35i includes a WAP 1.1 browser and integrated modem. The S35i has Intelligent Typing. The built-in dictionary recognises the words the user is trying to spell.

The S35i also comes with voice dialling and voice memo function calendar appointments page e-business card calculator and currency converter.

The C35i is the companys first consumer WAP 1.1 phone and has entertainment features such as Picture Messaging and Calling Faces. Picture Messaging allows the user to send images instead or in addition to text messages via SMS.

Calling Faces adds face icons to names in the address book. On an incoming call the screen will flash with the chosen face. Additional entertainment features include games and a ring tone melody composer.

Weighing 110 grams the C35iis available in six colours has a standby time of up to 180 hours and a talk time of up to 300 minutes.

They will be on sale in April. Siemens is aiming to increase its sales of mobile phones by 600 per cent in two years to 60m units.

Deliveries of the high-speed network will take place during the spring. Nokia has already supplied Radiolinja with a GPRS core network solution in September 1999 for pre-launch trials.

GPRS is an essential stepping stone towards next generation mobile networks said Radiolinja GPRS project manager Elina Pitkanen.

We wish to develop our GPRS based data services as at the same time this brings preparation for the next generation of mobile services she said.

SE and Ericsson are working together to create mobile internet products to create on-line stock brokerage business solutions over Ericssons forthcoming range of WAP phones.

The development will target functions that enable clients to buy and sell stocks and derivatives via HQ.SE stock quotes price alerts and access to analyses and financial news.

HQ.SE is a natural strategic partner because its a strong player in the finance sector said Thomas Thard senior business advisor at Ericsson Business Consulting.

The GPRS data network is being developed alongside BTCellnets existing digital GSM network. It uses the existing radio base stations linked to a new network based on packet technology. Pricing structures could charge usage on a subscription basis or on the volume of data sent and received.

Coverage will be exactly the same as for BTCellnets GSM coverage. GPRS is an international standard operated as part of GSM and therefore it will be possible to use GPRS when roaming on other networks.

The GPRS network is only activated when data is being transmitted. The user retains a virtual connection to the computer network throughout the day.

The user dials the number required and the network connects the call allocating a circuit between the two parties until the call is ended. With packet technology the user will log into a data network or an internet service provider and then send and receive data as and when required throughout the day without having to redial.

The GPRS network means the user can be always bconnected and always on-line to a data network.

There is no need to repeatedly dial in and log on to check e-mails. GPRS handsets and data cards will operate at speeds five to ten times faster than on current GSM networks. Faster devices are being developed for the future.

A first trial group of 100 customers are now able to use a Nokia 7110 to transfer money between accounts pay bills check balances of savings bank and mortgage accounts value ISA portfolios and examine their 10 last transactions.

This goes well beyond text message banking services currently on offer said Woolwich chief executive John Stewart.

In future our customers will be able to manage their personal finances wherever they are in the world. This is really anytime anywhere anyhow banking.

Vodafone UK chief executive Peter Bamford added:

This is the first example of mobile banking over WAP in the UK.

At the time of going to press the network declined to pre-release details of its strategy. But it involves plans to develop and market the high-speed GPRS system and bring out a raft of new data product services.

The WAP service is likely to be linked to the BTCellnet Genie web site to allow owners of the Nokia 7110 and a new Motorola WAP phone to browse the Genie site downloading text-based information and services. Once the GPRS system is implemented it will mean mobile users can browse the internet at speeds currently only available to users of PC-based ISDN lines.