Symbian 3.2 and 5.0 get a browser and navigation update

Nowadays taking care of its latest smartphones is mandatory for every manufacturer with any kind of long term ambitions. However releasing an update for three-year old smartphones, ranging from entry level phones to former high-enders, and showing their owners that they aren't forgotten should certainly earn Nokia some bonus points.

The Finnish company just announced through their blog that they will be releasing an update for their Symbian 3.2 and 5.0 platforms. There's a whole bunch of handsets running those - check out the lengthy list:
Nokia E72
Nokia E52
Nokia E5
Nokia C5-00
Nokia 6700 slide
Nokia C6-00
Nokia C5-03
Nokia 5230
Nokia 5235
Nokia 5250
Nokia X6
Nokia N97 mini
Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
Nokia 5530 XpressMusic
Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

The update will bring the new Nokia browser v7.3 to the aging phones, which should significantly improve their browsing experience. This is the same browser that owners of newer Symbian phones will get when the Anna update is released. The benefits of the new browser include improved performance, support for International Domain Names (IDNs) and also supports non-ASCII letters such as Arabic or Chinese.

The other major feature of the firmware update is the updated Ovi Maps app. The software offering free voice-guided navigation will go to version Ovi Maps 3 SR4 on Symbian 3.2 devices, bringing indoor positioning through WiFi, as well as travel and recommendation services such as those through Lonely Planet. Those with Symbian 5.0 devices will get Ovi Maps 3 SR6, adding public transport lines and check-in services to social networking sites.

The final good bit about this update is the addition of a set of emoticons to the listed devices, which can be used when sending MMS.

Nokia C6-00 and Nokia 5230 are already eligible for the update, while the rest of the smartphones will get it in the next few weeks. So make sure you have the software update autocheck switched on in your phone.

Nokia X7-00 review: The stealth xpress

Introduction

Dressed to kill and with a fresh coat of paint on the interface, the Nokia X7 is keen to show there's still fight left in Symbian. The screen is a definite high point and the stainless steel body is fashioned like a stealth jet fighter. Symbian Anna adds in features that have been lacking in the OS, closing the gap on the competition.

The Nokia X7 combines stainless steel and Gorilla glass into one seriously attractive package. It boasts stereo speakers (just two, rather than four as you might think looking at it) to justify its Xseries spot and an 8MP camera with 720p video recording.

The screen impressed us quite a bit as you'll see in our hardware chapter but that's not all we liked about the hardware. The software changes are not as far-reaching as we would have liked, but there are some key developments that that give Symbian a usability boost.

Here's the short version of what the Nokia X7 is about and what didn’t work out very well.

Key features

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
Penta-band 3G with 10.2 Mbps HSDPA and 2 Mbps HSUPA support
Stainless steel body 4" 16M-color AMOLED capacitive touchscreen of 640 x 360 pixel resolution; Impressive brightness and Gorilla glass protection
8 megapixel fixed-focus camera with dual-LED flash and 720p video @ 25fps recording; geotagging, face detection, smart zoom in video
Symbian Anna OS
680 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 256 MB RAM
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
GPS receiver with A-GPS support and free lifetime voice-guided navigation
Digital compass
microSD card slot (8GB card pre-installed)
DivX and XviD video support
Built-in accelerometer and proximity sensor
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
Stereo FM Radio with RDS
microUSB port
Flash and Java support for the web browser
Stereo Bluetooth 3.0
Excellent audio quality
Smart dialing and voice commands
Social networking integration

Main disadvantages
Symbian Anna is still catching up with Android and iOS
Uncomfortable volume rocker, SIM tray and microSD card slot
Camera lacks auto focus, oversharpens images
Relatively limited 3rd party software availability
No office document editing (without a paid upgrade)
Battery life is not on par with the best in business

Android Facebook update brings video uploads

The official Facebook app for Android has been updated to version 1.6, bringing with it the much-awaited option to upload videos directly from the app.

Fandroids can now share hilarious videos of their pets (and chums) just as easily as they can with photos of said pets and friends by simply tapping the camera icon next to the status update bar, followed by ‘Video’ to choose the clip they wish to unleash on the interwebs.

Neat, huh? Well, the good news is that there’s more. Now if you click on a link to a Facebook page from the news feed, it opens the page within the app itself instead of launching the Android web browser, thus saving valuable time for the busy social bees amongst you.

That’s about it. It’s pretty tiny update so there’s not much else to say really. It’s a manual download by the way, so it won’t install on its own if you thought wizardry was somehow back in fashion.

HTC Evo 3D officially confirmed for July UK launch

HTC’s first glasses-free 3D capable Evo 3D is landing in the UK next month, the phone maker has confirmed.

The handset is the second with 3D media smarts to land in Blighty after the LG Optimus 3D. LG’s kit, which like HTC’s effort runs Android, finally went on sale last week some five months after it was first unveiled back in February.

Features of the Evo 3D include dual five-megapixel cameras to allow you to capture footage in freaky three dimensions, 3D playback on the 4.3-inch qHD screen with images that HTC claims “shimmer and dance with depth”. Of course, users can also still view footage in standard 2D high def.

Elsewhere, it’s home to a 1.2-gigahertz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor to keep everything ticking over super smoothly and the latest 2.3.4 version of Android (AKA Gingerbread) overlaid with the new 3.0 iteration of HTC’s Sense custom skin.

To ensure you’ve got plenty enough space for all your apps and videos, the Evo 3D offers microSD card support to allow you to expand its memory by up to 32GB.

UK carriers have yet to be confirmed, however, earlier reports suggested that Vodafone is on board already. Pricing is anyone’s guess right now, but we’d anticipate you’ll be grab it free from around £35 per month.

Nokia N950 teardown reveals a 12 megapixel camera

It seems FCC has gotten their hands on the developer exclusive Nokia N950 and they have managed to tear it apart and expose its internals for the camera, which has led to a rather interesting discovery.

It seems that the N950 is rocking a 12 megapixel sensor, unlike the 8 megapixel unit on the N9. Although Nokia did say it will be different they forgot to mention it will be better than the camera on the N9, even though the N950 is a developer device.Other interesting things that surfaced from the teardown are that the N950 has an LCD instead of an AMOLED display and a smaller 1320mAh battery compared to the 1450mAh battery on the N9, which would be fine for a developer handset.

Nokia N5 images leaks, powered by updated Symbian Anna

We have got our hands on some exclusive pictures of the upcoming Nokia N5. The device is based on an updated version of Symbian Anna, as can be seen from the revised interface and looks a lot like Harmattan on the N9.

The N5 will be available in black and white colored versions, with the white colored model having a lime green rear. On the front you can see the touchscreen display, which looks like it could be around 3.2-inch in size and call, end and menu buttons below it. The right side has the volume control and camera shutter buttons while the left side is left blank. On the back is a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and a loudspeaker below.

The source has confirmed that the N5 will be followed by N6 and N7, possibly with larger displays and higher resolution cameras. These phones will quite possibly replace Nokia’s current low-end Symbian touchscreen smartphones, which are still running on the archaic Symbian S60 5th Edition.

No more information is available on these at the moment but we will keep you posted.

Nokia will not return to MeeGo even if N9 turns out to be a hit, says Stephen Elop

Nokia announced the MeeGo-based N9 smartphone last week and so far it has received nothing but praise from everyone who used the phone. Even in our short stint with the phone, we were blown away by the design, build, display and the interface of the phone and are aching to spend more time with it.

You’d think after receiving such positive response Nokia would give more attention to MeeGo, which is partly the reason why the N9 got such a fantastic response in the first place. But it seems Nokia doesn’t want anything to do with MeeGo anymore.

In an interview with Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop confirmed that even if the N9 proves to be a massive success, there is no returning to MeeGo for Nokia. Nokia instead will be betting everything on Windows Phone 7 platform and Elop is confident that it will be well received.

Be that as it may, I personally think it would be foolish to abandon MeeGo completely. From what I have seen so far, people are now far more interested in the N9 than their Windows Phone 7 devices, that too without having used the device. But then again, a halfhearted support from the manufacturer won’t do MeeGo any good either. If they launch just a handful of devices then MeeGo would find itself in the same situation that bada and webOS is in today.

So in a way it is good that Nokia is supporting Windows Phone 7 completely. That way the platform will grow, which will be a good thing for its users as well as the developers. Still it’s sad to know that that sexy interface on the N9 will probably be never seen on any device again.

Nokia's first WP7 device codenamed Sea Ray breaks loose

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has made a surprise unveiling of the company’s first handset running Windows Phone 7, dubbed Sea Ray.

Speaking to the press during a recent presentation, Elop urged attendees to not take pictures as he took out the phone out his pocket and placed it on the projector for all to see.

But it seems Elop’s request was somewhat lost in translation, as one Hungarian blogger of Technet.hu continued recording and grabbed a short clip of the handset before it was inevitably cut short.

Dressed in all-black, Sea Ray is a slick, candy bar shaped kit not a million miles in the look department from the MeeGo powered N9 that was also revealed this week.

Judging by the clip, the screen is somewhere in the region of four inches and confirmed to be of Gorilla glass variety. The front, top and bottom of the phone are completely flat, but on the sides and the back it is slightly curved for comfort.

A rear-mounted camera is on board, which we reckon is at least eight-megapixels in resolution, with a Carl Zeiss sensor if we’re lucky, and appears to be accompanied by a dual LED flash.

A dedicated shutter release is also confirmed on the side. However, there’s no telling yet if it will have any front facing buttons, unlike the all-bare N9.

That’s all we could gather from ten seconds or so of footage. We’re not particularly wowed by it, but it looks to be a solid bit of kit nonetheless and we’ll reserve judgment until we get a proper look at it.

The good news is that it runs on the upcoming Mango iteration of WP7, which coupled with Microsoft’s strict hardware guidelines, should mean there’s enough processing grunt under the hood for gaming, multimedia and all that good stuff.

Nokia has also just announced that its annual Nokia World expo will take place in London between October 26th and 27th where we can anticipate Sea Ray will be officially launched.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo to arrive in Europe in July

We were starting to wonder whatever happened to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo. The phone was announced back in February at the Mobile World Congress 2011 along with the Xperia Arc and the Xperia PLAY and although the other two started selling months back the Neo somehow seemed to have got lost on its way to the stores.

Apparently that’s because of some delays in the production and supply chain but it seems all that is about to get sorted now. According to Sony Ericsson Italy and Netherland’s Twitter accounts, the Xperia Neo will start selling in Europe from the first week of July.

The Xperia Neo has a 3.7-inch touchscreen display with BRAVIA Engine technology, 8 megapixel camera with 720p video recording, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 1GHz Snapdragon processor and Adreno 205 GPU.

iPhone 5 coming in September, iPad with Retina display and more

The Apple WWDC event came and passed this month without an iPhone announcement for the first time since they launched the original 2G in 2007. Speculations about the launch date of the iPhone 5 (or 4S) have been circling around ever since.

New info brought to light by Bloomberg pinpoints September as the most probably time for the announcement and launch of the next-gen iPhone. Apple have a traditional September event, which however has so far been focus on iPods and music.

Bloomberg cites two unknown people, which are familiar with the next iPhone. It's no secret that a prototype iPhone "4S" (sharing the iPad 2's dual-core A5 chip) has been given to certain developers - so it really isn't hard to believe that the next iPhone is on its way to millions of inpatient fans. The question is only "WHEN?"

Bloomberg also shares that apart from the upgraded processor, the next iPhone will have a more advanced camera. This could mean improvement in the sensor, technology and so forth but doesn't exactly give out the resolution. Hopefully it will be an 8 MP unit with 1080p video capture.

There's also a rumor that the next iPad is being tested currently. It supposedly has a higher resolution display and that's about it. We've heard that one before about an iPad with a 4 times greater resolution (2048x1536). Remember, this rumor is based on graphics found in the latest iOS 5 SDK. We've heard rumors of next-gen iPad coming as soon as this Fall before but we've never thought there's much truth in it.

We're not done yet folks. It seems that a cheaper iPhone is in the works, intended for developing countries. That sounds ridiculous for a premium hardware manufacturer like Apple, but hey - we might as well pass the information. It isn't the first time we've heard of such nonsense.

Finally (yes, this is it) we've heard through the grapevine that Apple is thinking of "reinventing" the TV segment with its own iOS-wearing-big-screen-flaunting TV. Yes - an Apple HDTV with AirPlay, apps and all. AppleInsider claims a new product line is about to spawn. Though we find the idea of Apple's design and high-quality screens combined with the smart internals of a iOS device, we somehow doubt that Apple, the computer company, will be dipping its toes on the HDTV market.

Nokia N9 announced, based on the MeeGo platform

Nokia has just announced the MeeGo-based N9 smartphone at Singapore in Nokia Communications 2011. This is the same phone that was leaked a while back.

The new N9 is the first smartphone running on the Linux-based MeeGo operating system, jointly developed by Intel and Nokia. It uses a brand new interface design that uses a lot of swipe based gestures. The homescreen has three panels that you can swipe through. The first is Applications, where you will find all your installed apps. The second is events where you have all your notifications and messages from social networking websites on one screen and third is where you will find all the open applications in a grid of windows. You can pinch and zoom to select the number of applications you see at a time and then tap on one to jump right back to where you left off.

All the navigation in the UI is done using swipe based gestures. You can just swipe from different sides of the screen to move back and forth between applications or bring forth the list of open applications.

The N9 comes with a new web browser that is based on the Webkit 2 technology and has full support for HTML5. However, it seems there is no Adobe Flash support for now.

In addition, there is also a new version of Ovi Maps on offer, with free turn-by-turn voice navigation. The N9 will also have support for Dolby Headphone and Dolby Digital Plus built-in, a first for a phone. The phone will come pre-loaded with Angry Birds Magic (with NFC support), Galaxy on Fire 2 and Real Golf 2011

On the hardware side, Nokia N9 uses a polycarbonate unibody design with a unique outward curved touchscreen display. This is the first phone to not have any key on the front surface and everything is done using the touchscreen and the swipe gestures. The display is 3.9-inch AMOLED with a resolution of 854 x 480. The protective glass is made from Corning's Gorilla Glass.

On the back is an 8 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, auto-focus (thankfully!) and an LED flash that can also record videos in HD with stereo sound.

Inside you have 3G HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth v2.1, GPS, accelerometer, digital compass and 1GB of RAM. The N9 will require a micro SIM, just like the iPhone 4.

The N9 will be available in three colors, black, pink and blue and in two versions, 16GB and 64GB.

The N9 also comes with an NFC chip built-in. Nokia demonstrated it by pairing the N9 with an NFC-compatible Bluetooth headset simply by touching it to the phone. Touching it again unpaired the headset.

No pricing or launch date has been mentioned so far but looking at that beautiful hardware and the new MeeGo software, we hope it’s soon.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo snaps surface online

Photos of what is purported to be the as-yet-unseen Sony Ericsson (SE) Xperia Duo have appeared on the interwebs, giving us our first glimpse of the latest addition to SE’s range of Android powered smartphones.

Unearthed by Chinese site IT 168, the images show a handset with vast display real estate that suggests it’ll be a rival for the similarly under-wraps 'monster-sized' Google Nexus 3 in the screen stakes.

Also clear from the photo is that the Duo, which SE registered as a name towards the end of last year, is that it’ll feature just three physical buttons under what looks like an edge-to-edge screen.

Other than that we’re in the dark, with no specs mentioned in the article. But the fact that it’s called the Duo suggests that it’ll almost certainly feature a dual core processor of the sort that’s recently become de-rigeur on top of the range Android smarties.

If so that’d make it SE’s first Android kit to pack that kind of processing power, bringing the phone maker’s devices up to speed with LG’s Optimus 3D and the Samsung Galaxy S 2.

LG brings a dual-screen QWERTY droid like you've never seen

The Android-based LG phone you are about to see is a pretty standard smartphone until the moment you slide out the QWERTY keyboard. There you'll find another touchscreen right in the middle of it. Awkward, isn't it?

Ok, this is not the first dual-screen LG smartphone with strange design we meet. A few weeks ago we informed you about the US Cellular headed LG Genesis. As a comparison it had a rather uninspiring hardware, with even less useful second touchscreen (it could have been made as a slider, that way the

Anyway, this fella here still has no name and was shown at an event held by Orange and Kineto Wireless in London. It was about Kineto's Smart WiFi solution and this LG handset was part of the demonstration.

The device has a big enough capacitive touchscreen (most probably WVGA) and a second touchscreen in the middle of the QWERTY keyboard. The guys over at Pocket-Lint had only a couple of minutes with the gadget and they couldn't find any other purpose of the second screen except the dedicated 8 shortcuts (two of them were customizable).

The mysterious LG handsets was a T-Mobile USA branded device and according to a previously leaked roadmap it might turn out to be FLIP II or Maxx Q.

Nokia E6 is coming to America, available for pre-order at Amazon

Shortly after the Nokia X7 became available in the United States, the other Symbian Anna running creation from the Finnish giant made it across the Atlantic as well. Of course, we are talking about the QWERTY and touch screen equipped Nokia E6. You can now pre-order the successor of the highly popular line of E7X devices at the Amazon online store in the U.S.

The price for being one of the first to sport the latest and greatest Symbian creation is $446. Not too shabby for an unlocked, contract free, business oriented smartphone which supports the 3G bands of both local GSM operators (AT&T and T-Mobile).

As you can see in the picture, the shipping time of the Nokia E6 is estimated to be between one and two months. While we would have definitely preferred something more specific, we also managed to calculate that the U.S. availability of the smartphone will almost coincide with the launch of the BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 - RIM's latest offspring which has the exact same form factor. Yes, we know that the Nokia handset doesn't stand a chance against the berry in terms of popularity. It will however, provide the same functionality to those who want to be different.

You can check out our preview of the Nokia E6 here. As always, your opinions are welcome in the comments section below.

LG officially launches the Optimus 3D, to go on sale in Europe first

After announcing it months back in January, LG has finally launched the Optimus 3D, their first 3D Android handset and what LG calls the world’s first tri-dual architecture smartphone.

The Optimus 3D uses dual-core processor, dual-channel memory and dual memory, which gives it the aforementioned title. The dual-core part has become common now among most new high-end smartphones but the Optimus 3D is the fist to use dual channel and hence dual memory, which LG thinks makes it better and we must say we agree with them. Dual channel memory is indeed better and will definitely produce noticeable improvement in performance in certain applications.

Another feather in Optimus 3D’s cap is the 4.3-inch WVGA 3D display that does not require any kind of glasses. The phone can also record 1080p videos at 24fps and 720p videos at 30fps, all in 3D through the dual 5 megapixel lenses on the back.

The Optimus 3D runs on a dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP4430 processor with Cortex A9 CPU and PowerVR SGX540 GPU. It has 512MB RAM (2 x 256MB) and 8GB internal memory, which can be extended via microSD cards. Unfortunately, just like the Optimus 2x, the Optimus 3D is running on Android 2.2 Froyo.

The Optimus 3D will go on sale first in Europe and then in over 60 countries over the next several weeks. No prices have been mentioned so far.

Nokia N8 to get a camera fix in the upcoming Anna update

Nokia N8 users will finally get the camera enhancements they've been waiting quite some time for. Nokia's Damian Dinning said in a tweet that there's an N8-specific update in the works which will add couple of features to the already brilliant camera of the N8.

 

What Mr. Dinning is referring to is the implementation of continuous autofocus to the N8. This will help you change the focus in videos dynamically. Another addition to the camera app is going to be the ability to shoot 30fps HD videos as opposed to the current 25fps clips. Those two features will be included in the upcoming Symbian Anna update for the N8.

Unfortunately, no further information on an exact date for the release of Symbian Anna is known. However, it shouldn't take Nokia long to release the over-the-air update, as devices like the E6 and X7, which have Symbian Anna out of the box, are already shipping.

If, however, you are eager to see how the Anna update will look and feel on your N8, BlogN8.fr has made quite an extensive video comparison between the current Symbian running N8 and the future Symbian Anna.

 

 

HTC Desire will not be updated to Gingerbread

Bad news HTC Desire owners, HTC has just announced it won’t update the original Desire with Android 2.3 Gingerbread due to insufficient memory. You are now stuck with Froyo forever.

Ok, this forever thing is overrated, but you surely won’t get Gingerbread via the official channels on your Desire. Here is the official statement:

"Our engineering teams have been working hard for the past few months to find a way to bring Gingerbread to the HTC Desire without compromising the HTC Sense experience you’ve come to expect from our phones. However, we’re sorry to announce that we’ve been forced to accept there isn’t enough memory to allow us both to bring Gingerbread and keep the HTC Sense experience on the HTC Desire. We’re sincerely sorry for the disappointment that this news may bring to some of you."

So, those guys worked really hard for a few months but they came up with nothing. It seems running Gingerbread on the Desire will compromise the Sense experience.

HTC Desire runs on a 1GHz processor, has 576MB RAM and 512MB ROM. HTC claims the memory is not enough. Well, HTC, the Wildfire S has a 600MHz CPU, 512MB RAM and 512MB ROM and it CAN RUN Gingerbread. Even though, the Desire has a higher resolution screen, it's still not enough to convince us HTC has done everything in its power.

We are sorry, Desire users, but it seems you will need to upgrade with a newer device or get some unofficial Gingerbread ROM.

Apple iOS 5 review: First look

Introduction

It's June again, time for Apple to make headlines. The WWDC is over and the iOS 5 and the iCloud are now official. It won't be before the fall though that the iOS 5 will officially launch.

However, Apple has given us a taste of the iOS 5 by releasing a developer preview soon after the announcement. We went on to update an iPhone 4 with the beta release and we are ready to share our first impressions.

But before we continue, let's take a look at the most important features to premiere on the iOS 5.
 
 Apple iOS 5 new features:

Notifications - real time on-screen notifications, lockscreen notifications and pull-down Notification Center
iMessage service in the Messaging app enabling instant messages to other iOS users
Reminders - including location-aware options
Customizable notification sounds - email, voicemail and calendar alerts
Twitter integration
iCloud service integration
Enhanced Camera app - viewfinder grid, hardware shutter key
Integrated photo editing - crop, auto enhance, rotate and red-eye fix
Updated Safari - tabbed browsing (on iPad), private browsing mode, integrated Reader, Reading list and optimized performance
Dictionary lookup throughout the interface
Computer free operation - independent activation, OTA updates, iCloud backup and restore
Wi-Fi synchronization with iTunes with automatic operation
New features in the Mail app - Bold, Italic, Underline and Quote options, extended Search, mass Mark as Read/Unread and Flag setting, Add/Delete mailbox folders
Updated Calendar and Game Center apps
Newsstand app combining all of your magazine subscriptions
iPod player now called Music, has new icon
Separate Video app for iPhone
AppStore purchase history (already available for iOS 4 too)
New Storage management options (list and info of all installed apps)
Multi-tasking gestures for iPad
AirPlay mirroring for iPad
New accessibility options involving the LED flash and custom vibrations

Typically, there's still plenty of stuff missing and some of the things will probably never make it to the iOS. Here is a list of the things we continue to miss:
 
Still missing:

No Flash support in the web browser
No quick toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G
No Facebook integration
No proper widgets for the lockscreen
App folders still are limited to 12 apps tops
No DivX/XviD video support out of the box (though there're lots of players in the App Store)
No USB Mass storage mode for uploading content to the device
No haptics for the touchscreen
No Bluetooth file transfers to other phones
Contacts lack a swipe-to-delete or mass delete feature

Well, the list is notably shorter than last year's. It's debatable though whether Apple listened to the users or just filled their time with low-priority features that have been on the list for quite some time. Either way, some of the new stuff is quite good so let's waste no more time on introductions. Follow us on the next page where we start to explore the iOS 5 at close range.

Nokia is on route to posting next quarterly results at a loss

We already knew Nokia was expecting a lower profit in the second quarter of the fiscal year, but according to analysts, Nokia won't even make any profit whatsoever. According to a Reuters report, the mobile phone manufacturer will report a loss for this (Q2) and next (Q3) quarters.

Apple's iPhone and Google's Android are to be blamed for the current Nokia situation. Even at the market of lower-end devices and feature phones the Finnish company is losing ground to a tough competition coming from China.

However, the company should pick itself up and dust itself off for the Q4 by announcing its first batch of Windows Phone 7.5 powered devices at Nokia World in October. While there's no official announcement, Nokia and Movistar Equador have teamed up to offer an app competition. The winner will grab a ticket to London for the Nokia World event so we know both the place and month of Nokia's biggest event in the year.

Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread leaks for the Samsung Galaxy S i9000

The Samsung Galaxy S I9000 may have gotten Android 2.3.3 Gingebread just a couple of weeks ago, but by the looks of it Samsung isn't going to stop there, as a the latest version of Android 2.3.4 becomes available for the company's former flagship phone.

The peeps over at Samfirmware have managed to dig out a build with the name "XXJVP" which makes your Galaxy S update to the latest Gingerbread version available at the moment. This makes the Samsung Galaxy S become even at software level to the Nexus One and Nexus S.

It's rather unclear when the new firmware will be officially released by Samsung. The build dates back to June 3 and is now available at Samfirmware via the source link below.

HTC Desire to be discontinued?

The HTC Desire could be not long for this world, amid rumours that the Taiwanese phone maker has stopped production of what was arguably the original blockbuster Android phone.

Rumours that the handset is no longer being made stem from online phone retailer Clove, which claims it has been informed that no more [HTC Desire phones] will be coming in to the UK”.

The site stops short of saying that it’s heard that an end to production is definitely on the cards full stop, however. But to us and to TechRadar, which picked up on the story, Clove's disclosure suggests that time may be running out for the 16-month old handset that arguably did more than any other to bring Android to the mass market.

News of the imminent demise of HTC’s one-time wonder phone comes as month by month it's superseded by newer Android kits, not least its successors the Desire S and new additions to Sammy’s Galaxy range .

Leaked LG teaser pic shows new Optimus, could it be the Nexus 3?

A new LG teaser pic shows a mysterious Optimus device - the same as the recently leaked photo of the next Google Nexus. The best part is this info reportedly comes from an LG employee from the Indonesian branch and should be reliable.

Remember the leaked Nexus 3 picture? As the rumor has it, it is supposed to be either LG or HTC built. Today's Optimus leak suggests it will be LG's.

There is nothing beside those leaked pictures, but we think it's a good start. HTC is manufacturer behind the Nexus One, Samsung made the Nexus S and it seems now is LG's turn to bring us the Nexus 3.

The picture is posted on a forum by a user that works for LG Indonesia, so this sounds quite reliable. So, LG, it's your turn. Let's hope you won’t let Google down on this job.

EVO 4G gets Gingerbread update, breaks Netflix support

Sprint recently announced that they will be updating their first 4G handset, the HTC EVO 4G, to the latest version of Android this Friday and just as they promised the update is now available to download to anyone who’s willing to manually check.

According to the official changelog, the 2.3 update brings with it some bug fixes to the Gmail and messaging application along with the usual Gingerbread goodness.

However, we are also hearing reports of compatibility issues with the Netflix application after updating. Netflix has acknowledged this issues and is currently investigating it. So if Netflix playback is important to you, you might want to hold on to the update till the official fix comes out.

Could this be the GSM version of HTC EVO 3D?

HTC showcased the EVO 3D back in March, which was their first phone capable of recording images and videos in 3D. That phone, however, was intended for Sprint’s CDMA network. But HTC may just have a GSM version of the EVO 3D up its sleeve.

Pocketnow.com came across these images on HTC’s website. The one on the extreme left is the one that they initially announced, the one in the middle that was put up on HTC’s website but later pulled and the last one that appeared on HTC’s developer website and the one that we are going to talk about.

Notable differences between this and the others include a lack of circles around the keys below the display, which were exclusive to the HTC phones on Sprint's network. Along the side, the volume control button, camera shutter button and the 2D/3D mode switch have been redesigned. On the back the camera lenses don’t have the red surround and the window for the LED flash has a different design.

It’s also running an older version of Sense but if you look carefully at the icons you can see that it’s because the screen does not belong to the phone but it’s just pasted there from some other HTC phone. The EVO 3D has a qHD display which makes the icons look smaller with more gaps between them as is evident from the other two phones but this one looks more like the one on phones running WVGA screens.

All this point toward the fact that this slightly redesigned handset might just be the GSM version of the EVO 3D. If this is true it won’t be the first time HTC has done this. They created GSM versions of existing CDMA phones before, for example, the Desire HD is virtually a clone of the EVO 4G. Perhaps this could be the Desire 3D?

Cheap iPhone Nano to 'launch in 6-18 months', says analyst

Apple will enter the mid-range phone market in the next year and a half, a market analyst predicts, as it looks to head off the challenge from keenly priced Android smartphones.

According to Peter Misek of Jeffries, checks his company have conducted “increasingly point to a launch [of a low-cost iPhone] within the next 6-18 months”.

Misek claims that the handset, which tech types have provisionally dubbed the iPhone Nano, could sell for as little as $300 (not much shy of £200 ) while still allowing Apple to maintain a respectable profit margin.

Rumours that Apple would shed its ‘premium product at a premium price’ policy in favour of a more inclusive, mass market approach to smartphones have been rife for years.

However, they have gained fresh momentum in recent months, as Android has usurped Apple’s iOS operating system as the world’s largest smartphone platform as measured by shipments in the last quarter.

The unofficial ‘Nano’ sobriquet stems principally from the fact that the cheaper phone is expected to be a more compact bit of kit than earlier iPhone iterations. To keep costs down, Apple is rumoured to be planning to recycle components from earlier iPhones.

Sony Ericsson ST18i Urushi leaks again, pics galore

Sony Ericsson is preparing a new intriguing smartphone – the ST18i codenamed Urushi. It’s expected to be a smaller version of the Arc, running on the same hardware but packing a smaller 3.2-inch display.

Today we got a batch of photos of an upcoming Sony Ericsson device – the previously leaked ST18i. According to our tipster, its codename is Urushi and it runs on the same hardware as the Xperia Arc – a 1GHz Snapdragon chipset with a Scorpion CPU and an Adreno 205 GPU.

The Urushi’s display is a 3.2-inch display with the whopping resolution of 854x480 pixels and the proprietary Bravia Mobile engine. The phone runs Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread with the typical Sony Ericsson customizations and has the same camera as the Xperia Arc - an 8 megapixel snapper with 720p recording and a LED flash.

The handset is supposed to launch in September. We guess the official announcement should happen soon.

Acer Windows Phone 7 handset revealed

Acer has officially unveiled its first ever Windows Phone 7 smartie, the imaginatively named W4, at the Computex expo this week.

It will be the first handset from the Taiwanese computer maker, which has only recently been revealed by Microsoft as the latest company to get onboard the growing family of Windows Phone 7 manufacturers, to run the upcoming Mango OS refresh.

Standout features include a reasonably-sized 3.6-inch WVGA touchscreen with 480 x 800 resolution, a five-megapixel rear-mounted snapper with autofocus, a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 chip to keep things running buttery smooth and 8GB of internal storage apps, multimedia and whathaveyou.

It’ll also sport range of connectivity options including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. But more importantly it'll have DLNA support too, which means it will be able to stream content wirelessly onto other DLNA supported devices.

No word yet on when the handset will drop or if it will even go on sale in these shores. The Mango update is due for rollout this autumn, though, so it’ll most likely be a Q3 release.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro UK preorder price revealed

Sony Ericsson (SE) has unveiled the pre-order price for its relatively under-hyped Xperia Pro Android smartie, for just a penny shy of £350.

Despite being announced at the same time as the Xperia Play and the Xperia Neo back in February at the Mobile World Congress - both of which have since hit store shelves - we haven’t heard so much as a pip from SE regarding the Pro. Until now that is.

The London based Japanese-Swedish venture has quite unexpectedly updated the Pro’s information page on its online store with a UK price set at a rather reasonable £349.99.

According to the site, the handset will be in stock this month but gives no specific date, although it can be pre-ordered right away.

Standout features include a 3.7-inch TFT display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine technology and scratch-resistant coating, a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 and an eight-megapixel snapper with an Exmor R sensor, LED flash, autofocus, image stabilisation, geotagging and HD recording to boot.

Sliding action

It is also home to a slide out QWERTY keyboard that takes advantage of a so-called Type and Send feature for fast messaging, and Smart Keyboard text prediction software that’s triggered automatically when the keyboard is slid open.

Elsewhere there is Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread, which comes topped with SE’s bespoke UI and preinstalled with an array of Google’s main apps and services.

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP and USB, as well an HDMI port and DLNA support for streaming HD content onto other devices. Internal storage is a paltry 320MB but can be expanded by up to 32GB via the microSD slot.

For that price it seems like a no-brainer to us if you’re in the market for a brand new smartie. Contract prices have yet to be announced so if you’re not of mind to pay the full amount from the get-go, stay tuned for more information.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 comes to the office, makes calls

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 has just arrived in our office and, boy, do we have some news for you. It turns out that the Honeycomb slate takes on from where its 7” predecessor left off, and brings native telephony capabilities to an even larger form factor.

Yeap, we are talking regular GSM network phone calls and even some video-calls if you wish. There’s no dialer on board, but you can either get a 3rd party app from the market (as we did), or use your contacts list for initiating calls.

Much like with the 7” Galaxy Tab, you can either use the built-in microphone and speakerphones, a handsfree plugged into the 3.5mm audio jack, or a Bluetooth handsfree for calling. Pretty cool, eh?

But of course telephony is not why people would go for the Galaxy Tab 8.9. The reason why people would probably choose the ultra-slim tablet is the great mix of portability and functionality that it offers. Despite being as powerful as its larger competitors, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 comes in a shell that’s way more portable and easier to handle (due to the reduced weight and unbelievably slim waistline).

Anyway we shouldn’t be getting ahead of ourselves here. We’ll see if the Galaxy Tab 8.9 will manage to live up to the high expectations when the review is created

Apple confirms iOS 5 & iCloud for June 6th, no iPhone 5?

The new iteration of Apple’s iPhone and iPad operating system and its much talked-about cloud services offering will be officially unveiled to the world next month, the tech giant has revealed.

Seasoned Apple watchers will know that the company never ever gives advance notice of what its press events will bring the world. Typically all we're usually given to go on is a cryptic press invite, which may or may not contain clues about the products about to be showcased.

So it’s somewhat seismic that Apple has today issued a release telling us exactly what’s due on June 6th at the Worldwide Developers Conference and that Steve Jobs will be centre stage as compere.

Perhaps tellingly, however, there’s no mention of the iPhone 5, which is normally the star of Apple’s June beanos. That’s led to some to speculate that rumours of a delay were bang-on. Although for our money, it could just mean that Apple may just be keeping schtumm to at least retain a smidgeon of its mystique and stoke further speculation about the phone over the next week.

Details of what iCloud offers remain very thin on the ground right now. But according to Tech Crunch, its key features include an all-new, Android-style notification system and interactive widgets.