Latest Mobile Phone News

Verizon Wireless has formally lreleased new Samsung Intensity & Rouge mobile phones on their network. These mobiles phone have many good features that we expect from other message-centric mobile phones.

Intensity & Rouge, both mobile phones have slide screen and have QWERTY keyboards. People who sends a lot of messages will definitely like these phones. The Rouge has got a better screen than intensity and its screen has a 3.1-inch AMOLED and WVGA resolution The Samsung Intensity is less impressive and have screen size of 2.1-inch with normal LCD.

Samsung Rouge has a 3 megapixels camera with a bright flash. its has got a micro SD card slot that supports up to 16GB of memory. Though Samsung Intensity support internet browsing but it lacks the support for enterprise email where Rouge supports it. The Intensity got 1.3megapixels camera, microSD card slot.

Popularity: 14%

RIM’s BlackBerry Storm is now cheaper than ever at Verizon, as the giant US carrier has dropped its price to only $49.99 – on contract, of course.

Launched in the fall of 2008 (when it was priced at $200), BlackBerry Storm is the only RIM smartphone to feature a touchscreen display. The price cut is probably a sign that the new Storm 2 is on its way.

Rumored to be launched in October this year, BlackBerry Storm 2 9550 should come with a slightly changed design, as well as new features – including Wi-Fi and a more user-friendly touchscreen display.

Popularity: 5%

Not long after confirming the fact that it’s readying a new Linux-based smartphone OS, has just announced the upcoming launch of its own Application Store for smartphones.

The Application Store will go live on September 14 in the UK, France and Italy. After that, plans to open the Store in more than 30 other countries, including Spain and Germany.

For the beginning, supported handsets will include only the Samsung Omnia and Samsung Omnia i8910 HD. More devices will follow shortly – Omnia II i8000, Omnia Lite B7300 and so on.

“With the launch of the Application Store, Samsung will increase mobile phone sales and add value for its mobile customers through the availability of carefully selected applications,” declared Hosoo Lee, Executive Vice President of Samsung’s Media Solution Center.

Accessible at this address, Samsung Application Store will initially host more than 300 applications. By the end of 2009, Samsung expects over 2,000 apps to be available, from publishers like Handmark, Electronic Arts, Gameloft, Paragon SW, Capcom, Prompt, Com2us, Pearson Longman, Diotek, Bokan Tech

Popularity: 7%

A few weeks ago, we’ve stumbled upon some images showing a so-called Motorola A3300, said to be a Windows Mobile smartphone.

Well, the A3300 is a real device after all, and Motorola is getting ready to launch it in China, as A3300c.

The Motorola A3300c was recently showcased at a press event, apparently held by China Telecom.

According to Sina, the second largest Chinese carrier will soon launch the A3300c, although its price and exact release date are not known.

Feature-wise, Motorola A3300c offers the following:

•3.2 inch touchscreen display with 240 x 400 pixels
•Windows Mobile 6.1 (or maybe 6.5?)
•CDMA/EV-DO connectivity
•Wi-Fi
•GPS
•5MP camera with flash
No word yet if the Moto A3300 / A3300c will reach other countries beside China

Popularity: 3%

While still in development, the phones that became Samsung Jet S8000 and Samsung Omnia II i8000, were part of the line of products under the “Cubic” codename.

And they had one more sibling – Symbian based full touch handset – in their midst. Samsung M8000.

Well, today Tweakers.net had dug up some more info about this new high end Symbian phone. As you may remember, it looks very similar to Jet and Omnia 2.

According to Samsung M8000 UAProfile, the new Symbian handset is running on S60v5 OS, has 640×360px resolution touchscreen display and standard S60 Webkit browser.

Since it is part of the same “Cubic” family, other specs should be similar to those handsets and include that fast 800 MHz Samsung CPU.

Unfortunately, Samsung M8000 may never be launched.

If what I am hearing from Eldar is correct (and he mentioned this several times in his podcasts and personal blog), Symbian based Samsung Cubic has been cancelled, when Samsung has decided to change it’s strategy and not release any more high end Symbian phones.

Which, considering that other Cubic phones have been announced more then 2 months ago, sounds true.

Popularity: 6%

Well, it was inevitable. With all the leaks and detailed previews of Nokia N900 Maemo 5 internet tablet, all the surprise has been lost long before the start of Nokia World 09.

So today Nokia decided to make Nokia N900 and the new Maemo 5 OS official. Along with all the details we’ve been eagerly waiting for. Including official press pics, specs, price and even approximate launch date.

The official Nokia N900 specs include:

•Quad-band GSM EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA/HSPA 900/1700/2100 MHz
•Mameo 5 OS
•TI OMAP 3430: ARM Cortex-A8 600 MHz, PowerVR SGX with OpenGL ES 2.0 support
•Up to 1GB of application memory (256 MB RAM, 768 MB virtual memory)
•3.5” 800×480 WVGA touchscreen display
•5 megapixel autofocus camera (2584 × 1938 pixels), Carl Zeiss optics, Tessar lens
•Integrated GPS, Assisted-GPS, and Cell-based receivers
•Wi-Fi b/g, Integrated FM transmitter
•Micro-USB connector, High-Speed USB 2.0, Bluetooth v2.1
•TV-Out
•32 GB internal storage
•microSD card slot, up to 16GB
•Full QWERTY tactile keyboard, full QWERTY onscreen keyboard
•Mozilla based browser with full Adobe Flash 9.4 support
•Video playback file formats: .mp4, .avi, .wmv, .3gp; codecs: H.264, MPEG-4, Xvid, WMV, H.263
•Battery: BL-5J 1320mAh
•Dimensions: 110.9 × 59.8 × 18mm
•Weight: 181g
Well, I have to say I’m impressed. Just looking at the specs I’m almost starting to drool. That new Maemo 5 interface, true multitasking, full flash support, unconverted video playback…

If they managed to make N900 work at least half as well as it looks on paper, they better have some tight security at Nokia World 09. Because if I have a chance for some hands on time with Nokia N900, I just might be tempted enough to run away with it, and the rest of the show be damned…

Nokia N900 should start shipping in select markets in October, 2009 withestimated retail price of 500 EUR before taxes and subsidies.

Popularity: 8%

OK, we’ve heard more than once about a possible HTC Hero release via Sprint, but there wasn’t any proof to sustain this… until now.

The FCC has just approved the “HTC HERO200”, which has both CDMA/EV-DO and GSM connectivity, so it’s highly probable that this is the Hero which will come to Sprint in the near future (or maybe to Verizon? hard to believe).

So it looks like Sprint will soon have two Android smartphones – the Hero and the QWERTY-equipped Samsung InstinctQ.

Interestingly, last month the FCC has also approved the HTC HERO130, which features AT&T 3G connectivity. Could it be that both AT&T and Sprint will release the Hero? Let’s wait and see.

Popularity: 4%

Until now, we’ve found out that the Android-powered Huawei U8220 is coming to T-Mobile Europe as T-Mobile Pulse, but without having details about its price and release date.

Well, it looks like the unannounced Android smartphone will be available starting October this year. At least that’s what a report from Tweakers.net says.

The Pulse U8220 has just appeared on pre-order at a Dutch retailer’s website, priced at €257 (about $366) – free of contract, but locked on T-Mobile’s network.

Although resembling the previous photo of the Pulse, the images made available by the retailer seem to be showing only a reference design, so the final product may look different.

Here’s what we’ve got so far regarding the specs of T-Mobile Pulse / Huawei U8220:

* 3.5 inch touchscreen display with 320 x 480 pixels
* HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
* Wi-Fi
* GPS
* Microsoft Exchange support
* Bluetooth 2.0
* 3.2MP camera
* MicroSD card support

Popularity: 4%

Already available in US, LG Canada today announces the Keybo2 clamshell QWERTY messaging phone for Telus Canada. The Keybo2 comes with a full, compact QWERTY keyboard with large, widely-spaced keys and a 2.6” internal screen. Packed with features, the Keybo2 includes a 3.0 megapixel camera with video capture and adjustable features, TELUS mobile music with shuffle and repeat functions, and a Favourites key to quickly connect with most frequent contacts saved in the 1,000 entry Phone Book.

The LG Keybo2 also includes:

* Expandable microSD slot to store music, pictures and videos (up to 8GB card support)
* Picture and video messaging to share media and text from phone to phone or phone to email
* 99 customizable speed dial entries
* Available in black or pink

Popularity: 8%

We first heard about the Nokia 5900 XpressMusic back in May, when some images of it have appeared on the Web.

And although those images are probably fake, it looks like the 5900 does exist.

If we’re to believe the info found at Nokia Mobile Talk, the 5900XM will share many features with the Nokia N97.

For example, it will have the same CPU and RAM, the same 5MP camera module (plus camera drivers), and the same touchscreen display (3.5 inches with 360 x 640 pixels).

However, it’s said that the new phone will come with a redesigned UI – an update to Symbian S60 5th Edition, which may actually be S60 5th Edition SP1.

Nokia 5900 XpressMusic will be lighter and thinner than the 5800, and it might support SDXC cards (which have capacities higher than 32GB).

That’s about it for now. We’ll see soon how much of this is true.

Popularity: 3%

China Unicom seems to be ready to launch Apple’s iPhone as early as next month (September).

According to International Business Times, the carrier has bought 5 million “WCDMA standard iPhones” from Apple, paying about 10 billion yuan (1.463 billion US dollars) for them – 2,000 yuan ($292) per unit.

A final agreement with Apple hasn’t been reached yet, but China Unicom plans to sell the 8GB iPhone for 2,400 yuan ($351), and the 16GB iPhone for around 4,800 yuan ($702). So it looks like Chinese customers won’t be getting the iPhone 3GS, but the older iPhone 3G – since an iPhone 3GS 8GB was not announced (although there are rumors about it).

Or maybe China Unicom will sell the iPhone 3G 8GB alongside the iPhone 3GS 16GB? We’ll see.

Reportedly, the iPhones will be sold via Carrefour, as well as through various large retail outlets owned by China Unicom. As already mentioned, the first batch of Apple’s smartphones should reach China in September.

Popularity: 3%

About two months ago, a Huawei representative said that the company would launch an Android smartphone via T-Mobile Europe in Q3 2009. That smartphone should have been the Huawei 8230, officially announced not too long ago.

However, it looks like T-Mobile has another Huawei Android handset prepared, namely the Huawei 8220.

The 8220 has just received a Wi-Fi Interoperability Certificate, and it appears to be named T-Mobile Pulse. Whether or not this has replaced the 8230, or it’s going to be launched together with it, remains to be seen.

The Wi-Fi certificate doesn’t say anything about Android, but the Huawei 8220 is almost certainly an Android phone – Gizmodo Brazil says so and also has a tiny picture of it

According to Giz, the Huawei 8220 has the following features:

* 3.5 inch touchscreen display
* Wi-Fi
* Bluetooth
* 3MP camera
* 256 MB of internal memory, expandable up to 16GB

If both mentioned Huawei phones come to T-Mobile Europe, the carrier will have four Android handsets in its line-up this year (the G1 and G2 Touch included).

Popularity: 4%

We are pretty much aware that mobile surveillance has been growing by leaps and bounds and seeing a special software made for the iPhone or the iPod Touch to act as a medium isn’t really surprising. And now, videoNEXT unveils a trio of mobile video apps which should come in handy for consumers which operate on 3G or WiFi networks where available.

The three mobile video apps from videoNEXT are:

* CAVU FREE – allows users to directly connect to IP cameras (Axis and Panasonic BB & BL Series) and monitor them remotely. Cost: None.
* CAVU – connects to any of videoNEXT’s SKM video management solutions (SKM-Cirrus, SKM-Stratus and SKM-Altus). Provides a live camera matrix; live full screen video with pan, tilt and zoom controls; playback of recorded video from any camera; a real-time alarm/event log with video playback; and alarm acknowledgment. Cost: $19.99.
* CAVU PRO – includes features of CAVU, plus multi-server capability. It uses the iPhone’s camera to stream live video back to any SKM-video management system. CAVU PRO also offers GPS position tracking on Google Earth maps and allows the use of pan-tilt-zoom pre-sets. Cost:

Already known to be among the pioneers in providing surveillance software and security featured solutions, these new additions should be a big boost to the security efforts needed by industries that require a different level of security.

Popularity: 3%

After being launched in countries like Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam (in July), the Samsung Omnia 2 i8000 is now ready to conquer many other markets around the world.

Samsung has just announced that the new smartphone would be available in 20 new markets, starting this month. Australia, China, the UAE, Netherlands and Turkey are among the countries where customers will be able to buy the Omnia 2 this August.

In case you don’t know them yet, the main features of Samsung Omnia 2 are:

* Windows Mobile 6.1
* Large 3.7 inch AMOLED touchscreen display with 480 x 800 pixels
* Tri-band HSDPA (900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz)
* Wi-Fi and GPS
* Opera 9.5 browser
* 3.5 mm audio jack
* 5MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash and DVD-like video recording
* 800 MHz ARM processor

The smartphone uses Samsung’s TouchWiz 2.0 UI and is upgradeable to Windows Mobile 6.5.

Popularity: 8%

Back in June, HTC’s CEO Peter Chou stated that the company plans to sell 1 million HTC Magic phones by August.

August has come and, surprise, HTC has sold more than 1 million Android Magic phones worldwide – since April 2009, when the Magic (pictured below) was first launched through Vodafone.

In addition to announcing this, HTC has also unveiled that it wants to focus on mid-end smartphones for the rest of the year. According to Peter Chou, mid-end handsets will account for about 50-60% of the company’s shipments in the second half of 2009.

Said mid-end smartphones should have a retail price of about $300. Most probably, the Android-powered HTC Click will be among these upcoming devices.

Popularity: 4%