Samsung to revise their device naming system for 2011

With the Nokia 500 being the first of Nokia's devices to follow their newest form of naming classification, now it appears that Samsung have seen fit to devise a new naming format of their own.

The fundamental name changes are as follows based on variations amongst the 'Wave', 'Omnia' and 'Galaxy' category devices. Each set of devices will be subject to grading, with the letters,'S', 'R', 'W', 'M' and 'Y'. The 'S' class being Samsung's crème de la crème, pretty much in line with how we see it now, any 'S' phone will effectively qualify as a flagship or the top device available within that category of device

It's important to add at this stage that each class of devices is also intended for a different price bracket and as a means of remembering the classes you can see which ones are likely to fetch more by words relating to the letter.

What that breaks down as is that after the 'S' class, comes the 'R' class, expected to be associated with words like 'Royal' or 'Refined', prices for devices in the range would be between €300 and €400. 'W' ties to the word 'Wonder' and fits the more middle of the road devices with prices between €200 and €300. Then we hit 'M', which stands for 'Magical', these mid-tier devices will retail between €130 and €200, and the final category is of course 'Y', which you should think of as 'young-minded'. These will be the entry level smartphones coming in at the €130 mark, tops.

The system also has one more set of variables to add to the mix, but stick with us. These new letters will sometimes be followed by the words 'Plus', 'Pro' or 'LTE'. 'Plus', as seen on the Galaxy S Plus, would promise enhanced attributes compared to it predecessor, or similar devices in it's class, but not enough to qualify for a device all their own.

The 'pro' devices, much like Sony Ericsson handsets, will guarantee the presence of a hardware keyboard, and the final extension is 'LTE', fairly self-explanatory with any devices following this convention, able to work on the 4G network.

It seems a simple and logical rethink and one that we can work with, what do you think, post your thoughts in the comments below.

Dell kills the Streak 5, delivers a brief eulogy

The device that was too big for a phone and too small to be a tablet has finally been put to rest. Dell’s website informs anyone still interested in the now deceased Streak 5 about its departure.

Unfortunately, I can’t find myself to agree with the “It’s been a great ride” part about the message on the website and Dell has itself to blame. Right from the confused form-factor to the outdated software and the high price, the Streak 5 was a recipe for disaster and Dell could have surely done better. If only they knew what they wanted it to be, a smartphone or a tablet.

Anyway, it’s not right to speak ill of the dead. You can visit the website in the link below to pay your last respects. Or, you know, buy something else.

Samsung Mobile announcing new product on August 29

Samsung Mobile is holding an event in New York on Monday, August 29 for a product announcement, for which they have sent out invites for the media.

Although the invite does not specify which product will be launched all clues point to the fact that it will be the Galaxy S II. First is the fact that the invite image has Galaxy S II in the name and then there is the large “II” in the image as can be seen above. It’s possible that the phone will be launched on multiple carriers simultaneously. Whatever it is, we will keep you informed about it.

Samsung to release 7 new droids, 2 tablets and 2 new Bada phones

As far as leaks go, they don't get much bigger than this. We just found specs sheets of no less than 9 upcoming Samsung smartphones and two tablets. The scoop includes the 7 new Android devices, two 7" Honeycomb tablets and finally two new Bada smartphones, one of which will be packing a 4" SuperAMOLED.

We start with the numerous droids:

The Samsung I9250 is the most interesting of the bunch. Sitting on the fence between smartphones and tablets, it features a 4.65" SuperAMOLED of HD resolution 1280x720, a 5 MP camera and runs on Android Ice Cream.

This will probably be Samsung's first droid featuring the yet unreleased version of the Google OS.

Samsung I9220 will make do with Gingerbread 2.3.3 and a 4.3" SuperAMOLED with the rumored 1280x720 (that's HD again) resolution, a 1.4 Ghz dual-core processor and an 8 MP camera. It's certainly another one worth keeping an eye on.

Samsung I9210 comes next with its Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread OS, a 4.5" WVGA SuperAMOLED and 4G support. This is probably the Celox that leaked a couple of days ago.

The I9210 has 16 GB of internal storage, 8 MP snapper with a LED flash on the back and a 2 MP front-facing camera on the front. GPS and Wi-Fi are covered as well as Bluetooth 3.0 and finally a 1750 mAh battery.

After this trio the Samsung I8150 is looking quite uninspiring with its 3.7" WVGA (480x800) TFT display, HSDPA support, 4 gigs worth of internal storage and a 1.4 Ghz single-core processor (much like the Galaxy S Plus).

However, with its Android 2.3.3. Gingerbread OS, microSD card slot and a 5 MP snapper with 720p video recording it makes up for one decently looking mid-range device.

Then we move into low-end territory with the Samsung B5510. The smartphone will reportedly come with a 2.8" display, and will run Android 2.2.2 Froyo.

Its CPU will be clocked to 800 Mhz processor and heavy texters will appreciate it for its physical QWERTY keyboard. The rest of the Samsung B5510 specs that have been unveiled include a 3 MP snapper, FM-radio, Wi-Fi and GPS.

We are back on the Gingerbread train with the Samsung S5360 and Samsung S5610. The decidedly entry-level duo comes with QVGA (240x320 pixels) displays - the unit on the S5360 measures 3" in diagonal, while the S5610 only has a 2.4" screen.

However the S5610 leads in the camera department, where it offers 5 megapixel stills to the S5360's 2 megapixel shots. Connectivity-wise, though, both should be doing well with GPS, Wi-Fi and HSDPA on board.

The story of the leaked tablets is much shorter. First, we've got the Samsung P6200 7-incher with Android Honeycomb, a SuperAMOLED 1024x600 display, 3 MP and 2 MP cameras (back and front) and HSDPA support.

The other tablet is the Samsung P6210, which is basically the same kind of deal, but with Wi-Fi support only.

Finally we have a couple of Bada devices to tell you about.

The Bada 2.0-running Samsung S5380 has a 3.2" display, Bluetooth 3.0, a 2 MP snapper, while the Samsung S8600 Wave III will come with a 4" SuperAMOLED display, a 5 MP camera, Bluetooth 3.0 and 3 GB of internal storage.

Well this is it folks. It appears that Samsung will have quite a lot of new devices to throw our way over the next few months and looking at the specs of some of them we cannot wait for their announcements to come.

Facebook Messenger now available for iPhone and Android – gives iMessage and Skype a run for their money

Facebook released today a brand new (separate) app, called Facebook Messenger for the iPhone and Android devices. It combines all of your messages into a single app and can be used to text your Facebook buddies via your profile or text message, via your carrier.

Also 9to5Mac have uncovered that the app (both for the iPhone and Android) has a top-secret video component to it, which would mean that the Palo Alto-based company is on route to rub shoulders with Skype (among others) by bringing cross-platform video calls.

Facebook Messenger aims to give you a better way of reaching your friends and contacts by unifying your entire correspondence with everyone (social network friends, email and phone contacts) into one single app. The Facebook Messenger is an extension of the Facebook messages service and you can send messages to your online friends, but you can also send texts to your acquaintances the regular SMS way.

Starting up the app brings you to a list, consisting of all your Facebook messages. To write a message to someone you just tap the compose icon in the top right corner and start typing the person’s name. If a person has more than one number to his/hers contact details the app prompts you to select which number to use. You can, naturally, just select Facebook messages and send an online message.

There’s added support for group conversations and a geo-tag option so you could let people know where you are.

This all looks swell and okay, but I just have to ask – iMessage anyone? It does look similar to the Facebook Messenger and add all the other details to the lot and it could easily step on Viber, WhatsApp, Tango and other services’ shoes. It seems a little underhandedly done by the big blue social network leader. But I guess in today’s technologically social times competition is tough, ruthless and has no regard for integrity.

Have any thoughts on the matter? Share them in the comments – we’d love to get your inputs.

Here are some direct download links to the apps – iTunes and Android. So far only the iPhone is listed as an iOS-supported device so iPad and iPod Touch users will have to wait a while longer. Facebook has put up an official page for the new service – check it out here.

Leaked promo video supposedly shows new Nokia WP7 phones

The Nokia Sea Ray may be expecting company - a leaked promo video shows off what is supposedly a Nokia phone powered by Windows Phone 7 and it looks different than the Sea Ray. Of course, it could be fake (though pretty well-made) or it could be some internal promo video.

Remember the first images of Nokia WP7 phone that turned out to be nothing but mockups? The video shows two models, one of which looks almost exactly like the mockups that leaked originally. The other model however is different from those and from the Sea Ray.

Here's the video in question:

We can't be sure that the origin of this video is Nokia (the tipster who sent it to MyNokiaBlog claimed to be from Microsoft, but sent the tip from an Ovi Mail account).

And even if it is from Nokia, we can't be sure if it's an actual device rather than a generic mockup for a promo video. The ending of the clip, which shows a futuristic device that is obviously intended for promo purposes only gives some weight to the second option.

Especially, if you compare this frame from the video with this Nokia-made mockup.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover is one sweet-looking rugged droid

Samsung has just unveiled the latest addition to their Xcover lineup of rugged phones and it is by far the most exciting to date. The Samsung Galaxy Xcover is an Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone with IP67 standard certification, meaning it's fully dust and water resistant, and it's also shock resistant so you won't need to worry about dropping it.

The Xcover series by Samsung have so far been only dumb phones with next to no functionality outside calling and texting, but this latest unit runs Android and aims to challenge the Motorola Defy and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active.

We don't have the full specs sheet yet, but we can confirm that the Samsung Galaxy Xcover has a 3.2 MP camera with LED flash that doubles as a flashlight, Wi-Fi, GPS, HSDPA up to 7.2Mbps and, finally, a 3.65" scratch-resistant display of tempered glass. Oh, and the phone can stay as deep as 1 meter under water for 30 minutes.

So far we know the phone will hit Germany in October, but unfortunately, nothing on its pricing. Man we can't wait to take this one for a ride.

4.5-inch Samsung Galaxy S2 variant spotted

Samsung looks set to unleash yet another iteration of its hot-selling Galaxy S2 smartphone with a larger screen on board, leaked snaps suggest.

Codenamed ‘Hercules’, the handset, heading to Canada’s Telus network, is reportedly home to a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display – 0.2 inches bigger than the version released in the UK and Europe.

More expansive display aside, the handset also appears to rock a smoother, curvier back this time around. This is evident in a separate T-Mobile (USA) branded unit spotted on TMONews, with a battery cover that looks to be fashioned from brushed aluminium rather than the original S2's plastic.

The rest of the device is believed to be unchanged. This would mean it still sports a 1.2GHz dual core SoC processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and an eight-megapixel snapper with HD 1080p recording capabilities.

Alas, we’re possibly looking at a variant meant only for our North American friends, who’ve had to wait a bit longer to get on board with Sammy’s best. On the bright side, Samsung is launching a new a white Galaxy S2 model in our shores next month, so at least there’s that to look forward

Apple iPhone topples Nokia in Q2 smartphone sales

Apple has dethroned Nokia at the smartphone summit with more units of its handsets sold in the second quarter than any other manufacturer, research firm IDC has revealed.

Cupertino cruised to pole position in IDC’s mobile phone tracker with Q2 sales of 20.3 million iPhones worldwide, relegating Nokia, which managed 16.7 million, to third place.

Samsung, which came second, was still the biggest winner with 17.3 million handsets shifted, representing a staggering 380.6 per cent increase from the same period last year. This was chiefly fuelled by the Android powered Galaxy S, which sold in excess of ten million units to date.

Commenting on Samsung’s phenomenal rise to fame, IDC said: "What originally began as a series of high-end smartphones has proliferated well into the mass-market, but has not strayed too far from its high-end roots.

"Moreover, its steady cadence of device releases and updates has kept Samsung's smartphones well out in front of the competition."

While Samsung reinvented itself as a genuine player in the market, Nokia saw its quarterly figures dip below 20 million units for the first time since 2009.

"Even as the company released new smartphones running on Symbian^3, demand for its products running on the aged Symbian platform has shifted to other devices," said IDC.

With Apple gearing up for the launch of its fifth-generation iPhone, Espoo’s only hope of regaining its place at the top now lies largely with the performance of its first handsets running Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, scheduled to drop later this year.

Samsung Galaxy S2 price cut on O2

O2 has cut the cost of the five million-selling Samsung Galaxy S2, in the latest of its blink-and-you’ll-miss-‘em weekend offers.

Under the terms of the promotion, O2 has cut £5 from its £32, £37, £42 and £63 per month deals for customers who sign up for a two-year contract before Monday August 8th

All contracts entitle you to a free phone, as well as unlimited texts and 500Mb of data per month.

Opt for a £32 per month contract and you’ll get 600 monthly call minutes, while £37 per month offers 900 minutes.

If you’re a heavier user, there’s the £42 deal with 1,200 minutes. And if you really, really like to chat,you can go for the no-nonsense £63 per month tariff which includes unlimited talk time.

In case you’re not familiar with the S2, it’s Samsung’s fastest-selling smartphone ever. And with good reason. With Android 2.3 (aka Gingerbread) out of the box, an eight megapixel snapper and a powerful 1.2GHz dual core processor, it’s many people’s choice for the best Android handset so far.

Huawei Vision: Premium Android goodness from Huawei

In Beijing earlier this week, Huawei unveiled its latest Android device and it promises to be one of their 'sexiest' smartphones yet. The Vision is a stylish droid that fits in at the upper end of the Huawei's smartphone portfolio and has a promising spec sheet that matches its sophisticated image.

The Vision will come running Gingerbread 2.3 and totes a 3D carousel UI, which is in fact a modified version of SPB's Shell 3D launcher. The device's construction consists of an aluminum alloy uni-body which measures just 9.9mm thick at its thinnest point and weighs in at a reasonable 121g. It uses a 3.7" capacitive display on the front and a 5MP camera with a single LED flash on the back, capable of 720p HD video recording.

Hardware is certainly capable with a single-core 1GHz MSM 8255-1 Snapdragon chipset, 512MB of RAM, 2GB of ROM, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, a microSD slot that can take cards up to 32GB, a microUSB 2.0 port, a 1400mAh battery, A-GPS, an FM radio, a proximity and brightness sensor and customisable back covers available in charcoal, silver or rose gold.

So there are a few omissions that need to be cleared up like 3G connectivity and screen resolution, but all in all it's a device not to be sniffed at with looks akin to an HTC Legend crossed with a Nexus S and hardware similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S, a competent device that aims higher than some of it's brand siblings for sure. If you're interested by the Huawei Vision it's coming to 'selected markets' in September of this year.

Samsung Galaxy S II Hercules spotted in Canada

Another one of the Samsung Galaxy S II variants has been discovered and it is making its way to the TELUS network in Canada. The picture below was snapped by MobileSyrup.com who attended a VIP event in Canada, where this phone was spotted.

Known as the “Hercules”, the phone looks similar to the standard Galaxy S II, Nexus S and the Infuse 4G. It was said to have a display bigger than the Galaxy S II and more in line with the 4.5-inch display on the Infuse 4G. The device will be running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 1.2GHz dual-core processor and could be the first dual carrier 42Mbps smartphone in Canada. It is also said to have an 8 megapixel camera on the back capable of recording 1080p videos and 2 megapixel front facing camera.

Since there has been no official announcement there is no price and launch date to report but we shall keep an eye out for them.

Orange Switzerland to unleash the Nokia N9 on September 15th

As you may be aware, the N9 is the swan-song device that represents the end of the Nokia/MeeGo marriage. A fitting end but still a sad one to be sure.

The N9 has received plenty of praise during its pre-release life from reviewers and industry types to boot. Even we have had the pleasure of being charmed by its unique user experience and its wonderful design.

But of course despite all the buzz surrounding its existence and its lifespan, it still hasn't actually been unleashed on the general public. One of a small handful to put a time to the release of the N9 however has been Orange Switzerland. Their online store quotes the N9's expected arrival from September 15. Wonderful news, especially to those who are MeeGo fans.

In case you're not fully clued up, the Nokia N9 is the latest and last MeeGo device from Nokia as they plan to turn their efforts into pushing Windows Phone 7 in a big way. This device will be coming to a host of territories but missing out on some pretty big markets, including the US and the UK, this news correlating with likely launch locations of Nokia's first WP7 device, an effective doppelgänger of the N9, the Nokia W9 Sea Ray.

With only hints of pricing, there's nothing more we can confirm at this time, but if you want to know more about the device there are a host of articles (linked throughout this post) on the N9 along with our hands-on which you can read here, some camera samples you can admire here and the full spec list which you can read here.

So are you one of the lucky Swiss citizens who plans on picking up an N9 or are you in the unenviable position of being stuck in a part of the globe where the N9 won't be showing its face, let us know in the comments.

The Nokia 500 is Nokia's first 1GHz Symbian smartphone

The Nokia 500 has just been announced as Nokia latest Symbian Anna smartphone. The new phone is based on the Nokia C5-03 specs-wise but refreshes some of the key features, retaining the reportedly affordable price tag.

The Nokia 500 has a 3.2-inch capacitive screen with 640 x 360 pixel resolution and there's a 5 megapixel camera on the back. Connectivity is covered by 14.4Mbps HSDPA and 5.8Mbps HSUPA speeds, Wi-Fi (no N support here), GPS, a charging microUSB port and a 3.5mm standard audio jack. There's 2GB of internal memory and a microSD slot for adding more storage.

The Nokia 500 comes with exchangeable back covers in different colors (two extra supplied with the phone). Much like with the Nokia N79 back in the day, the Nokia 500 changes its wallpaper automatically to match the color of the back cover you put on it.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem the 1GHz CPU has improved the performance much. If you scrub to 1:31 m in the video, you will see the presenter scrolling the News Feed in the Facebook app. Well, we can clearly see some stuttering in the scrolling action.

The Nokia 500 will launch in black in Q3 with a white version coming in Q4 too. There will be six differently colored back panels at the launch in Q3. It's supposed to cost ˆ150 before taxes and subsidies. Sounds affordable for a smartphone alright.

LG promises OTA updates to smartphones, new customer care

The LG OTA updates app and remote assistance services got their debut in Korea and now LG is making it clear it will offer the same services widely to Europe, the Asia Pacific region and South and Central America throughout the second half of the year to its premium line of Optimus smartphones - the Black, 2X and 3D.

First off, customers will get the FOTA app - "firmware over-the-air" so they can get the most current updates for their phones wirelessly (as other makes offer them). This way LG Optimus owners will get software updates directly to their phones without the need to connect to a PC.

The remote call service will be region and operator-dependent and will connect users to a member of customer service through 3G or Wi-Fi, should a problem occur with their phones. Thus users won't have the need to necessarily visit an LG Customer Information Center or a service-station. This will be done through the pre-loaded "Remote Call" application.

Once the user is registered, LG's remote customer care assistants will get wireless access to the smartphone in order to quickly see what the problem is. Customer Information Center assistants won't get access to private information like emails, messages, pictures and calendars unless the customer has consented to it.

Both services will be made available in the second half of this year.

Apple and Samsung outstrip Nokia as top smartphone vendors in Q2

Q2 of 2011 is now almost over and the results are in for the smartphone shipments volumes. Just a week ago it became certain that Apple has surpassed Nokia in smartphone shipments for Q2 but now Samsung and HTC have released their numbers. Strategy Analytics confirm that Apple has come out on top with 20.3M shipped iPhones, Samsung is a whisker away with 19.2M in second place, while Nokia is the only Top 3 manufacturer to report a decline in year-to-year numbers with 16.7M (Q2 of 2010 - 23.8). Interestingly enough, HTC is probably at the fourth place with 12.1M smartphones shipped between April and June.

The only thing that stands between a certain fourth spot and HTC are the LG smartphone shipments results for Q2 2011. Since the manufacturer decided not to disclose the numbers and went with total phone shipments all we're left with is a guessing game. Still, some estimates point that LG plans to ship little over that 20M smartphones for the whole year so it couldn't have shipped more than HTC this quarter alone. We can't know for sure though. You can find HTC's detailed report here.

With the way the tides have turned in the last year, the smartphone market share has grown by 76.3%, which was reported by Alex Spektor, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics. The trend is that year after year smartphones will carve themselves a more important role in our lives.

Judging by the intense rumors of a 6 September iPhone announcement we could be looking at even more impressive Q3 Apple results.

LG Optimus 3D review: This summer, in 3D

 Introduction

The magical allure of the 3D magic is on a rise but manufacturers can hardly meet the demand for better and cheaper ways of 3D capturing and visualization. And while wearing glasses in the cinema may feel alright, wearing one to watch TV seems like too much to ask for the general public. In the 3D dawn, the consumer world is already looking for revolution. Surely, there are many reasons why the glasses-free 3DTVs can’t enter our homes yet, but luckily you can have such thing in your pocket.

And while the other manufacturers are still thinking on the idea, LG is taking the lead. The first ever mobile phone with 3D display - LG Optimus 3D - was announced back in February on the MWC and it is now available.

As a great move by LG, the Optimus 3D caught the competition off guard .Actually, the Optimus 3D holds so much power right now, that there is barely a phone that can't compete on all levels. Despite its key feature is the 3D screen and camera, it has everything to become a best-seller even without the 3D tricks - starting with the dual-core processor and latest-gen graphics, going through the capable camera and connectivity package, and the snappy Android Froyo (hopefully, soon to be replaced with Gingerbread).

No more teasing, here is the full feature list.

Key features
 
Quad-band GSM and 3G support
21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
4.3" 16M-color capacitive LCD stereoscopic touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
Android OS v2.2 Froyo with LG 3D UI
Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, TI OMAP4430 chipset
512 MB RAM
8GB internal storage
Dual 5 MP autofocus cameras, LED flash; stereoscopic 3 MP pictures, face detection and geotagging
1080p@30fps video recording, stereoscopic 720p@30fps videos
Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
GPS with A-GPS
microSD slot up to 32GB
Accelerometer, proximity sensor and an auto-brightness sensor
Front facing camera with video calls
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0
microHDMI port
Smart dialing, voice dialing
DivX/XviD video support
Office document editor
Innovative gesture controls
Adobe Flash 10.3 support
Dolby Mobile and SRS sound enhancement

Main disadvantages

No FM radio
Less than impressive camera performance
Very limited third-party 3D apps
Unimpressive with the screen's outdoor performance
Performance not quite as convincing as other dual-cores
No dedicated camera key

Motorola Atrix gets Android 2.3 Gingerbread update

Motorola has finally delivered on its promise of updating the Motorola Atrix to the latest version of Android. The Android 2.3.4 update is now available for Atrix users and can be downloaded from Motorola’s website.

The list of updates include an updated gallery application that allows you to aggregate all you pictures from social networking websites in one place, updated music player application, improved user interface with a simpler home screen design, a dock of icons at the bottom of the screen and the ability to organize applications into groups, location based recommendations from Yelp and Facebook, faster Webtop browsing with Firefox 4.0, full 1080p video playback support, ability to create groups of multiple email recipients, one touch conference call access, enhanced task management tools, enhanced productivity tools and the ability to dismiss notifications one at a time from the notification tray.

But perhaps the biggest new feature is the ability to sideload apps, which means you can now transfer apps locally to the device and install them by checking the ‘Unknown sources’ option in the settings menu.

The update can be downloaded from Motorola’s website and in some cases through OTA download on the phone itself.

Microsoft takes Marketplace to 19 more countries

Microsoft opened the gates to its application store last year when it launched Windows Phone 7 but so far it has been available only in handful of countries. Those outside these countries had to fake their location, which meant they could only download free apps from the Marketplace.

Now, however, the list of supported countries has been expanded with 19 new names added to the mix, taking the grand total to 35. If you are in any of the following countries, you can now download apps officially from the Marketplace:
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hungary
India
Japan
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Russia
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Taiwan

These are the countries where you can download your apps from. However, if you are more of a developer and want to submit an app, then you too have a reason to celebrate as Microsoft has also expanded the list of countries from where they are now accepting app submissions. The new additions include Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, South Africa and South Korea. In a couple of months, China and India will also be added to this list.

Apart from these changes, the Marketplace has also received other updates in the form of updated price tiers, App Hub localization, improvements to mobile in-app advertising, new private distribution of applications for beta apps and enhanced application management.

Samsung Gravity SMART review: Smarter direction

Introduction

Samsung Gravity has been a successful line of affordable, slide-out QWERTY messengers for T-Mobile for several years now. With the latest addition to the family, Samsung not only improves the package, but takes it in a whole new direction. Unlike its predecessors, which were feature phones, the new Samsung Gravity SMART, as its name suggests, is an Android smartphone.

The Gravity SMART is clearly aimed at the first-time smartphone users who are looking for a sensible device, which will deliver an Android experience at an affordable price. It is by no means a Galaxy S II, but it is not priced like one either. It packs a lot of droid functionality in a small, well-built package. Now let’s see what the Gravity SMART has to offer.

Key Features

3.2" 16M color, TFT capacitive touchscreen with 480 x 320 pixels resolution, multi touch
Full four-row, slide-out QWERTY keyboard with a customizable social networking key
ARMv6 800MHz CPU, 270MB RAM, 150MB of user-available storage
Android 2.2.2 (Froyo) with TouchWiz 3.0 UI
Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
Wi-Fi Calling enabled
Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, with hotspot functionality
GPS with A-GPS connectivity; digital compass
3.15 MP autofocus camera
QVGA video recording @30fps
microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth 3.0
microSD slot (up to 32GB, 2GB in box)
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
Accelerometer and proximity sensor
Web browser with Flash support
Smart dialing

Main disadvantages

QVGA-only video recording
No shutter key
No secondary video-call camera
No ambient light sensor
No dedicated video player app
Android 2.2 Froyo, instead of latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread

HTC Desire HD firmware update tweaks Wi-Fi then breaks GPS

HTC has begun rolling out a new over-the-air firmware update for Desire HD handsets in the UK and Europe.

Version 2.50.405.2 of HTC’s OS (not to be confused with Android) is a minor bump that fixes an as-yet-unknown bug and improves the handset’s Wi-Fi performance.

According to initial user reports from Twitter, the install, which is 19.8M in size, appears to have gone down smoothly. However, since then a small number of users on the xda-developers forum have reportedly noticed a faster draining of battery life since upgrading, while others are complaining that it is causing the handset’s GPS to malfunction.

The scale of the problems will not be known until the update has been pushed out a large number of handsets, so in the meantime, it’s advisable that you avoid installing until your network or HTC confirms that it is safe to do so.

If you’ve installed the update and have noticed any changes for better or worse, please let us know in the comments section below.

BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 UK pricing and availability revealed

If you are a BlackBerry faithful living in the UK, you are surely looking forward to the new Bold appearing on the shelves of your local cell phone shop. And now, we are not only about to give you the expected time frame of that happening, but we will also enlighten you on the pricing.

So here's the deal - if you pre-order your Bold Touch 9900 now, chances are it will be on your doorstep between the middle and the end of August. That's not too long a wait, so if you are interested, you might want to start saving.

Of course, you should be saving not for the handset itself, but for the contract accompanying it as all major UK carriers will be offering the Bold Touch 9900 UK for free. T-Mobile will require you to sign a £30.64/month contract , while on Orange, Vodafone and O2 will be charging you just over £35.We have no information of the length of the contracts yet, but 18 months for the more expensive ones and 2 years for the cheaper deal sounds like a pretty safe bet.

The only UK carrier that hasn't unveiled its Bold Touch 9900 UK contract plans is Three, but it has been confirmed that the handset will be available there, too, so we should know more soon.

If you are still unsure of whether the QWERTY-plus-touch bar phone works with the BlackBerry OS, feel free to check out our Bold Touch hands-on.

Apple's quarterly results are in, records sales and profits (again)

Another quarter, another record for Apple - Steve Jobs classified the fiscal quarter that ends in June as "best quarter ever". iPhone and iPad sales more than doubled and revenue and profit are through the roof.

Apple's fiscal quarter that ended 25 June saw a little over 20 million iPhones get sold - which means iPhone sales grew 142% year-over-year. This accounted for $13.3 billion in revenue, close to half of the $28.5 billion revenues in total for the whole company.

iPads did exceptionally well - with over 9 million units sold and a whopping 183% growth in sales, they accounted for $6 billion in revenue. Apple said they sold every iPad they've manufactured, so they've ramped up production. though they admitted that iPads are cannibalizing Mac sales, apparently they're hitting PC sales worse. Notably, there are now 100,000 iPad-oriented apps.

iPods are on a steep decline (even though they beat expectations), selling just 7.5 million units (less than the iPad) and chipping in with $5 billion in revenue. Half of the iPods sold were of the iPod touch vaiety and iPods overall control 70% of the MP3 player market. iTunes posted revenue of $1.4 billion, up 36% year-on-year.

It's worth noting that put together, desktop Macs and portable Macs accounted for less revenue than the iPad. Macs did experience a 14% increase compared to last year's quarter and Apple announced they're launching Lion today. Still, iOS devices have reached a total number of 222 million.

Anyway, Apple's net profit was a record breaking $7.31 billion, up from a "measly" $3.25 billion in the year-ago quarter, an impressive 125% increase Year-on-Year (YoY). Revenue broke a record too, reaching $28.57 billion, up from $15.7 billion in the same quarter last year (that's 82% up YoY). Gross margin went up YoY, from 39.1% to %41.7. For a while in after hours trading, Apple stock hit $400.

You can check out the full press release for more numbers or listen to the conference call.

Apple's COO Peter Oppenheimer said there will be a lot going on in the Fall and hinted at a product transition but didn’t say anything further. Now, there's an iPhone successor that should be coming out in the Fall and the rumor mill talks of new MacBook Airs and maybe even a new iPad. Apple assured that they're hard at work on iOS5 and iCloud though

WP7 Nokia W9 Sea Ray leaks again, confirms hardware keys

The first-ever in-depth footage of Nokia’s debut Windows phone has surfaced online, ahead of its anticipated release in September.

Check out the clip for yourself below

Codenamed Sea Ray, the handset was first glimpsed last month after images leaked of Nokia Chief Executive Officer Stephen Elop demonstrating it to the company at an internal event.

Today, we’ve got a bit more to go on, after a clip of unknown provenance was picked up on by the ever-on-the-money folks at WP Central.

Although, specifications for the handset remain shrouded in secrecy, we still manage to get a get a close enough look to determine that it'll sport three buttons beneath the screen - contrary to rumours that it'll be free of physical buttons entirely a la Nokia N9.

And even in the blurrycam footage, it’s fair to say that the Gorilla Glass screen looks uncommonly crisp – giving us high hopes that Nok Nok might actually pull this one off.

We won’t have too long to find out, either way. The Sea Ray is set to land along with a host of other Mango-based kits from Samsung, Fujitsu and HTC, in a few months time.

LG Optimus 3D not getting any Gingerbread love until October

We have some good news and some bad news for the LG Optimus 3D owners out there. The sad bit is that their beloved smartphone won't be getting the Android 2.3 Gingerbread treatment for at least a few more months. On the positive side, the wait might just be worth it as it will improve the 3D capabilities of the device quite significantly.

The Inquirer reports that they managed to get some of the LG tech gurus to talk about the Optimus 3D Android 2.3 update release date and they said it will be coming in October. That might seem like a pretty long wait as by that time 10 months will have passed since the launch of Android Gingerbread, but there will be something to make up for it.

The LG Optimus 3D will be getting the usual bunch of features brought by Android 2.3 Gingerbread plus one key addition - it will be able to convert regular 2D application to 3D as long as the app relies on OpenGL for its graphics. So if you've always dreamt of adding an extra dimension to your favorite games or apps this might be your chance.

Now we are not sure how good the feature will work as converting 2D content to 3D automatically sounds pretty hard, but let's give LG a chance here. We'll see what happens in three months, when the update is actually released.

LG Optimus Black running WP7 caught in the wild

We just stumbled upon an LG Optimus Black running the Windows Phone 7 OS and we are not quite sure what to make of it. It could either be a photo of an upcoming LG WP7 device, which uses the same chassis as the sleek Android, or maybe someone has managed to port the Microsoft OS on the existing Optimus Black.

However, porting WP7 to the Optimus Black seems quite impossible as that one has a TI OMAP chipset, while WP7 only supports the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets. It would take an enormous amount of effort to bypass that limitation (if at all possible) and, frankly, we don't think anyone will bother

That's why we believe that this here is one of the upcoming WP7 devices that should be announced this Fall. Considering how much we loved the Optimus Black exterior, we'd be pretty happy to see another version of it hit the market.

Of course, there's always the possibility that this is merely a WP7-skinned launcher, installed on the regular LG Optimus Black and its normal Android platform. There are plenty of launchers and skins on the Android Market, but we don't think we have seen one as elaborate as this. Plus, the source says it's genuine so we are really hoping they got that one right.

1GHz S40 Nokia C3-01.5 pictures surface, is the first of many

Today we got lucky! A new unannounced S40 Nokia handset with a 1GHz processor and 512MB RAM broke loose and we got a few shots to show you. The Nokia C3-01.5 is the first S40 phone based on the new hardware platform, but it looks exactly as its C3-01 Touch and Type sibling.

Just a month ago we heard about a new wave of S40 handsets coming up. We also encountered an interesting rumor about a new S40 handset with a 1GHz processor, 512MB RAM, a ClearBlack capacitive display and hardware QWERTY keyboard.

The Nokia C3-01.5 that we meet with today (quite a name, right) is not the rumored handset, but it probably comes from the same lineup. It’s a refresh of the already familiar C3-01 Touch and Type with the notable improvement of a 1GHz processor and 512MB RAM. The rest of the specs should be the same.

According to a few leaked documents, the new models that Nokia has in the works are the C2-01.5 (RM722), C3-01.5 (RM-702), X2-01/X2-03 (RM-709), X3-02.5 (RM775 or RM-776) and the X2-01.1(RM-717). As you can see all these should be upgraded versions of some old fellas.

As the leaked pictures suggest, the retail names will probably stay the same. Nokia's product naming convention is obviously bound to get even more confusing.

We guess those S40 announcements should not be that far away in time. Nokia World in September, anyone?

Samsung starts rolling our Gingerbread update for Ace

Although the Gingerbread ROM for the Samsung Ace leaked months back Samsung never got around to releasing it officially. Until now, that is.

SamFirmware is reporting that Samsung has started rolling out the Gingerbread update for the Ace through Kies. The update for now is available in limited countries, namely, Russia and Poland but will be available in other regions soon.

As for the update, there is nothing much to report on it. It will update the Android version to 2.3.3 and bring the usual Gingerbread goodness to your Samsung Ace.

iPhone 5 delayed by processor problems?

The delay to the iPhone 5 has been caused by overheating issues, reports suggest, as Apple looks to avoid the unwelcome prospect of another antennagate-style PR disaster.

The next-gen iPhone was widely expected to drop back in June at the WWDC showcase, but failed to show. That prompted speculation that Apple was forced to postpone the launch due to component supply shortages stemming from the Japanese earthquake disaster.

However, according to Chinese site Sohu, whose story was picked up on by 9 to 5 Mac, that’s not the reason at all. Citing shadowy unnamed sources (aren’t they always?), it’s claimed that Apple has postponed the handset after discovering that the on board, dual core A5 processor overheats.

Apparently, the issue stems from the device’s compact dimensions which make it harder to keep the chip cool. Although the A5 is used in the iPad 2, the comparative hugeness of the device meant that the problem never came to light.

News of developments comes after Apple came in for unprecedented levels of criticism last year after a flaw in the iPhone 4’s design led to dropped calls and the coining of the term ‘antennagate’.

A second snafu on that scale could cause huge damage to the reputation of a phone maker. Not least its much-trumpeted claim that Apple kit ‘just works’.

Facebook rolls a Java app, now runs on most dumb phones

Facebook has started its figthback against Google and its Google+ project. The company has just released a Java-based version of its mobile application, which should extend its reach to just about every mobile platform out there.

The app is compatible with 2,500 Java-enabled phones and gives you access to the most popular features of the social network such as News Feed, Inbox, and Photos and it also enables you to upload photos and find friends from your phone’s contacts. The app should work on just about any platform that didn't have an app already.

Facebook has optimized their new application to use less data, so your cell phone charges don't go through the roof. What's more the company has reached an agreement with several carriers, which will offer free data access to this app for 90 days. That means that you won't have to pay for the data used by the Facebook app for full three months.

If you have a Java-enabled phone you can head to m.facebook.com and download the app right away. You can also get it at some of the popular independent app stores, including GetJar, Appia, and Mobile Weaver.

1.4 GHz dual-core Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo press shot leaks

Sony Ericsson seems to be having a hard time keeping their Xperia Duo upcoming flagship under wraps. We just got another press shot of the dual-core smartphone, along with some juicy rumors about its specs sheet.

According to the source, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo possibly uses the NovaThor A9500 chipset, which combines a couple of Cortex A9 cores with the Mali-400 GPU. It's basically the same deal that you get with the Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II, except that this time the CPU clock is even higher.

The other rumored scenario will see the Xperia Duo packing the Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon chipset, which is the one that powers the HTC Sensation.

And the best bit is that an overclocked version of one of the two most powerful currently available mobile chipsets isn't all the Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo can offer. The Gingerbread-running smartphone will also feature and impressive 4.5" qHD screen with the Bravia Mobile engine. The list continues with a 12 megapixel camera and and an unbelievably sounding 2500 mAh battery.

As you could imagine, it's way too early to talk about release dates or pricing yet. We are hoping, though that an official announcement will come in the next few weeks.

Samsung shows new WP7 phone that may be based on Galaxy S II

After the initial crop of Windows Phone 7 devices, there haven’t been that many new gadgets. At the Microsoft Partner Conference however, a WP7 Samsung that may be based on the Galaxy S II made a quick appearance. This could be theSamsung i937, a phone that's been in the rumor mill for a while now.

Microsoft's corporate vice president Steve Guggenheimer didn’t give away much - "it's very thin and light" is about all he said. Which is what you would expect from a Galaxy S II based phone.

The styling of the mystery Samsung WP7 phone was reportedly similar to that of the S II and featured the Home, Back and Search keys that all WP7 phones must have. The phone was shown at a distance, so it's hard to say if the screen was a SuperAMOLED Plus or not.

We could probably expect the new Samsung WP7 phone in time from Christmas when HTC, LG, Acer, ZTE and Fujitsu will be unveiling new Windows Phone 7 mobiles as well.

Nokia's plans don't seem to include any WP7 action for this year. Still, maybe all these plans for new phones from several companies will please Steve Ballmer.

You can watch the keynote here. If you want to skip straight to the Samsung WP7 phone's appearance, click on the Steve Guggenheimer mark (the keynote is over 2 hours long).

Google updates Android Market app on the phone

Google has face-lifted the Android Market app on the phone. The new design ditches the curvy lines of the previous version and uses a more functional squarish design. The new UI fits more apps and content on the screen at once and uses convenient side swipes for moving between different categories. There are also new categories in the Android Market app, such as staff picks and Editor’s Choice apps.

Also included in the new Market app are Books and Movies, which were separate apps before. Both these services are currently limited to the US but will be made available to select other countries soon. You can rent movies starting from $1.99 and then stream them to your phone or download them for watching later.

The new Android Market will be available to device running Android 2.2 and later and will start rolling out to all the supported handsets in the coming weeks.

Nokia E6 review: The E spirit

Introduction

Don't let your E71/72 smartphone read this. No, it won't have a heart attack or anything. But you don't want it suddenly feeling sad and useless. You certainly realize the E71/E72 duo is getting old and rusty. Like it or not, it's time to move on.

The Nokia E6 will not take No for an answer. A super crisp VGA touchscreen, the finessed Symbian Anna, the strong messenger bloodline and the stainless steel armor are a tempting combination. The package will make long-time Eseries users feel right at home and cheer the upgrades.

Touchscreen or D-pad is not a decision you're forced to make. It will come naturally instead. Where the small screen won't allow the required level of touch precision, the D-pad will fill in. Five homescreen panes to fill with shortcuts and widgets will do better than the good old Active Standby with alternative setups for business and leisure.

Most importantly though, to even the most old-school of Eseries loyalists, touchscreen will be a fair price to pay for finally upping the screen resolution to acceptable levels.


Key features
 
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
Penta-band 3G with 10.2 Mbps HSDPA and 2 Mbps HSUPA
Symbian Anna OS
Messenger bar, stainless steel body, four-row QWERTY keyboard
2.46" 16M-color capacitive TFT touchscreen of 640 x 480 pixel resolution; Gorilla glass protection
680 MHz ARM 11 CPU and 256 MB RAM
8GB internal storage, 1GB ROM, microSD card slot
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
GPS receiver with A-GPS support and free lifetime voice-guided navigation
Digital compass
8 megapixel fixed-focus camera with dual-LED flash, 720p video recording @ 25fps; geotagging, face detection, smart zoom in video
Built-in accelerometer and proximity sensor
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
Stereo FM Radio with RDS
microUSB port, USB-on-the-go
Flash and Java support for the web browser
Stereo Bluetooth 3.0
Smart dialing and voice commands
DivX, XviD and Matroska video support
Social network integration
Office document viewer and editor
Excellent battery life
Excellent audio quality

Main disadvantages

Symbian Anna is still catching up with Android and iOS
The tiny touchscreen has no room for big fingers
Fixed-focus camera
Relatively limited 3rd party software availability

This phone seems to have almost everything - well, save for HDMI and an actual life-size touchscreen. But we're talking Eseries and the E6 is the business. It feels like Nokia really wanted to rekindle the magic. The E6 makes the E72 look like a routine, cursory attempt at an update. Where the E72 wanted quietly keep on cashing in, the E6 is keen to make a difference. A tall task indeed, considering the times.

Sony Ericsson Xperia ray lands at FCC, gets shot on camera

The Sony Ericsson Xperia ray found itself in the hands of the FCC, going through their full set of tests and more importantly for us, a full set of photographs that give us a better look at the phone.

As noted by Engadget, the device will have support for AT&T network thanks to the quad-band HSPA support but the lack of AWS band means it won’t work on the T-Mobile network.

If you have never heard of the Xperia ray, it is Sony Ericsson’s upcoming Android smartphone that was announced last month, having a slim 9.4mm body and just 100g weight. The device packs in a 3.3-inch TFT display with 854 x 480 resolution, 8 megapixel camera with auto-focus and LED flash and 720p video recording, 1Ghz Snapdragon processor and Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. The phone is slated to release sometime around August for around US $555.

For now check out the images clicked by FCC.

LG Optimus Pro leaks with a portrait QWERTY keyboard

The rumor mill just produced this - the LG Optimus Pro C660. It's a droid with a portrait QWERTY, with specs roughly similar to the Optimus One and at a bargain price too. The form factor is fairly rare but has been gaining some traction with the likes of the HTC ChaCha and the Motorola Pro.

The LG Optimus Pro C660 has a 2.8" screen with an unknown resolution and a portrait four-row QWERTY keyboard below it. The screen aspect ratio is 4:3, so QVGA resolution sounds likely - we doubt it will be a VGA screen for this kind of cash.

The Optimus Pro reportedly runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread on a 800MHz CPU with 512MB RAM. It packs a 3MP camera, HSDPA connectivity, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and an 1500mAh battery - al last-year's entry stuff. Supposedly, there's 150MB app storage but there's no info on any preinstalled microSD cards.

All these specs are unconfirmed so take them with a pinch of salt.

Still, if the €180 ($250) price proves correct, the HTC ChaCha will have some tough competition on its hands. Italian's chhain Mediaworld.it is rumored as one of the stores that will offer the LG Optimus Pro, but there's really nothing solid on availability yet - when, where, etc.

Galaxy S II 2.3.4 Gingerbread update leaks, you can try it now

The Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II is just about to get another firmware update, bumping its Android version to 2.3.4. What's even better, the updated ROM surfaced online a little early, so the most impatient among you can get it right away.

As the tiny version number change (2.3.3 to 2.3.4) suggests, this isn’t the most major of updates, but there is still plenty to look forward to. For one, the Galaxy S II will finally get Google Talk video calls enabled. Early adopters also report an improvement in battery life. The new modem drivers are also said to bring notably better reception for some.

If you don't feel like waiting for Samsung to seed this update officially, you can head this way to download the leaked ROM and follow the instructions in this PDF to install it.

However, you should bear in mind that will, most probably, void your warranty. Also installing the ROM might damage your device, so you should only proceed if you know what you are doing.

Galaxy S II breaks Samsung's records, sells 3 million in 55 days

Unless you were hanging out with the sherpas in the Himalayas you probably must have heard a lot about the Samsung Galaxy S II. To say it was well-received would be an understatement as almost everyone we knew had already got one or was planning on getting one. But now we have the official figures from Samsung and we know just how well they did. Unsurprisingly, they did very well.

The Galaxy S II went on to break Samsung’s own record and sold over three million units in the 55 days since its launch. That’s approximately 50,000 phones a day. According to Samsung, most of these phones were consumed by Europe.

If you think these figures aren’t all that impressive, you should know that the Galaxy S II is yet to go on sale in the US. Had it been international launch, the figures would have been much higher. But even at the rate at which it is currently going, it won’t take long for it to break the 10 million record set by Galaxy S.

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.