While Android is sure enjoying the spotlight underneath that HTC Magic display, the LiMo Foundation is quietly building an army to rule the mobile realm once and for all. Dramatics aside, the Linux consortium did manage to secure another six members here at Mobile World Congress including Telefónica SA, Aromasoft Corporation, Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications, Marvell Semiconductor, Opera Software ASA, and Swisscom. Of course, all these formalities really mean nothing if the group can't manage to get a reputable handset out the door, so for now, we'll say "congrats" and "hurry up, why don'tcha?"

Swisscom's DVB-H-based mobile TV service, Bluewin TV, is now ripe and ready for public consumption, offering up a full 20 channels of portable entertainment to subscribers who pony up the 16 Swiss francs (about $15.40) per month. Coverage is said to reach about 44 percent of the Swiss population, while anyone roaming beyond those airwaves can still enjoy the service via Vodafone's live! portal over UMTS and EDGE networks. The only phone available at the moment appears to be the rather dusty Nokia N77, so we wouldn't be surprised if these lucky gals and dudes become some of the first in the world to enjoy all the benefits of the upcoming N96.

[Via mocoNews and MobileTechNews]

So there was a little rumor bouncing about yesterday which claimed that Swisscom would land the iPhone. Today, Swisscom confirmed the deal while saying little else. What's interesting then is what the rest of the rumor, started by the leading Swiss newspaper, Le Matin, had to say. Namely, the 3G iPhone will be on sale in Switzerland this summer (on sale in the US by June) offering 2-way video chats, mobile TV and GPS navigation all powered by an even beefier processor. That certainly sounds like the same 3G iPhone we're expecting to pop at WWDC now doesn't it?

[Via MacPrime, thanks Stefan R.]

Read -- Le Matin rumor
Read -- Swisscom teaser

So check it out, if this shot of a Swisscom ad flyer in the wild is legit, not only will our Swiss friends be able to sign up for an iPhone starting early next month -- they'll get a very special kind of iPhone, to boot. So special, in fact, that the screen will only be able to fit four icons vertically and three across. Here's what we don't understand: if this is fake, why would someone put so much effort into it and then bork the screen like that?

[Via Everything iCafe]

IXI Mobile looks to be shaking up its line of Ogo mobile messaging devices in a big way, today introducing the Ogo CT-25E, which the company says is the first in its new Ogo 2.0 family of devices. In light of recent developments, Swisscom will not surprisingly be the first to offer the handheld, which IXI is boasting will "do for Web2.0 what the original Ogo did for the first generation internet services." While we'll have to wait and see about that, the device certainly looks to be a step in the right direction, with a QVGA display, full QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth 2,0, and quad-band EDGE/GPRS connectivity, as well as some welcome PMP features, with a microSD slot providing some much-needed additional storage. If the device's integrated features are enough for 'ya, IXI looks ready to meet your expansion needs with its so-called OgoClips, which'll let you add everything from digital cameras to bottle openers (yes, bottle openers) to the device. Unfortunately, there's no word on an exact price or launch date for the new-and-improved Ogo, though you can check out plenty of pics of it and its various attachments in the gallery below.

Vodafone's tapped Toshiba to bring its latest music-oriented flip to market, answering the call with the TS808 shown off at IFA this week. The phone can't exactly be billed as high-end, sporting only a 1.3-megapixel cam and a meager 10MB of internal memory, but a miniSD slot helps restore some semblance of meaning to the external music controls and generously sized external display. Integrated stereo speakers, and of course, Bluetooth are also along for the ride on the phone, which is expected to launch on Voda-owned Swisscom Mobile this month.

[Via MobileWhack]