"Opera Software today releases a beta version of Opera Mini 5 for Android smartphones, delivering web browsing through server side data compression by up to 90 percent before sending content to the phone. Similar to Opera Mini 5 for other mobile platforms, the Opera Mini 5 gives you tabbed browsing, Speed Dial, password manager and bookmarks. To download, simply visit m.opera.com/next with the Android browser or search for Opera Mini 5 in the Android Market. “Android users should not have to compromise when it comes to surfing the Web on their phones. Opera Mini will give Android users a fast and cost-efficient access to their favorite Web sites and services,” said Dag Olav Norem, Vice President of Products, Opera Software." via slashphone.com
"Sony Ericsson's current flagship handset, Sario, is to receive a software update in the near future, and not before time too. The handset has been dogged by reports of faulty software since shortly after it launched late last year. The news was announced on the Sony Ericsson Product Launch Blog and they surmised the main points of the update:
Support for WVGA video recording – The already great video recording will be enhanced to fit the wide screen format and hence resolution is also slightly increased to 864 * 480 pixles. (the preset size will still be VGA, user has to change to get WVGA)
Upload of pictures to Facebook – It will be possible to upload pictures directly from the picture menu you have on the home screen or from the Media UI.
Youtube video uploading – It will be possible to upload videos to Youtube directly from the Media UI.
Conversational messaging – “Conversations” will be nicely integrated in the messaging menu in order to easily find and inspire to more conversations with your friends.
DLNA support – The new software will support DLNA media server for easy transfer of audio and still pictures. (Note that video is not supported)
UI improvements – On top of above, several minor UI improvements have been done in order to optimize the user experience.
The Facebook application that is now available on PlayNow for free download will be included in the sw.
All in all it looks like a pretty decent update and hopefully here will also be stability issues addressed to to rectify some of the crashing and hanging that some users have reported over the months. Sony Ericsson are saying that this update should be available within a matter of weeks, but that local networks may need to give final approval in some regions so timescale may vary. The update itself will be avilable through the update client, check out www.sonyericsson.com/update for more details." via .mobile-review.com
"The fine gentlemen over at SlashGear have given us something we’ve been waiting to see for quite some time. (Well, at least a month and some change.) The HTC Legend marks the triumphant dethroning of the previous Android/Sense UI king, known as the Hero. SlashGear was first with the Legend’s unboxing, and now we’ve got a review to let us all know whether or not the handset deserves our hard-earned money. After all, just looking at that AMOLED display may not be enough, and did HTC update Sense UI enough to make the purchase worth it? Go find out!" Read more here:
You may find the screen surprisingly small – only 2.55 inches with QVGA resolution. The image quality is nice and since the touch technology is capacitive, using the display is a fun experience. In the software part we’ll see how the manufacturer has transformed the user interface so it is easy to use on a screen that small. All the keys on our prototype unit felt nice, with distinct enough click. All but the lock button, which lacked almost any travel, but we hope this is a flaw of our unit only. On the back you have a 5MP camera with autofocus and an LED flash, as well as the loudspeaker." Read moer here:
"Maybe I've got a metal fetish, but there's just something about handling cool metal that makes me fall in love with a phone. I started with the Nokia N93, then (in approximate order) Nokia E90, Nokia E61i, Motorola Z10 and now the N97 mini, built to Eseries standards by those nice folk in the Nseries team. And, as part of my attempt to do real world comparisons between the best the Symbian world has to offer and the best of the competition, I've matched up the N97 mini with the slightly larger, but similarly specced, also metal, similarly priced (£380) Motorola Milestone (known as the Droid in the USA)." Read more here:
"Sony is working on a pair of mobile devices that will be able to play games created for the PlayStation Portable and the original PlayStation console, according to a new report.One of these will be the long-expected PSP-phone, while the other will be a larger device designed to go up against the Apple iPad.At this point, information on both the devices is extremely sketchy. Nothing is known about their actual design, just what they are intended to do.The smartphone will be something like a PlayStation Portable that also allows users to make voice calls.The second model is going to be a mobile game console, e-book reader, and a netbook. It is not known if it will have the same tablet shape as Apple's iPad.Both these devices will be able to get games, music, and video from a new iTunes-like service that Sony is expected to unveil next month. Android? Maybe The gaming-oriented smartphone is reportedly being designed in cooperation with Sony Ericsson, a partnership created to bring Sony technology and expertise to mobile phones.This company will soon introduce its first model running Google's Android OS, raising the possibility that the PSP-phone could also use this free and open-source operating system.Whatever its design and specifications turn out to be, Sony's gaming-oriented smartphone and netbook-type device are supposedly going to be released at some point in 2010." via brighthand.com
"Today, we’re releasing a new version of our Facebook application for webOS. This application makes it easy to stay connected with your friends, share status updates, upload photos, check out your News Feed, browse your friends’ photo albums and profiles, get your upcoming events, and check your messages wherever you are. The app also integrates with other aspects of Palm webOS and Synergy, so you can instantly view Facebook info from the Contacts app, or use the Photo app to upload directly to Facebook." Read more inside..
Nokia and T-Mobile USA today announced the upcoming availability of the Nokia 5230 Nuron, a smartphone solution for the masses packed with applications, maps with turn-by-turn directions, and more. Operating on T-Mobile's blazing-fast 3G network, the Nokia Nuron offers dynamic Web browsing and rich experiences on a 3.2" touch screen. The device is also the first pre-loaded with Ovi Maps, a free turn-by-turn navigation solution from Nokia, and the first to have the Ovi Store pre-loaded, giving consumers access to thousands of compelling applications and games. The Nokia Nuron is expected to be available in the coming weeks exclusively from T-Mobile. "The Nokia 5230 Nuron is a great product of our collaboration with T-Mobile USA and provides consumers with more compelling mobile experiences as they navigate, watch video, play games and social network," said Mark Slater, Vice President, Sales, Nokia. "The Nokia Nuron offers U.S. consumers a unique and compelling mobile experience that caters to their everyday needs and enables them to connect to their passions with an affordable 3G touch smartphone." Read more inside..
"If Blackberry had never surprised you with its hardware design, it looks like they are trying to do something different than its usual BlackBerry style smartphone. Leak images of BlackBerry in slider form factor are posted on bbleaks, it is also a full touch screen phone to allow you using it without the hardware keyboard. Other than the touch screen + slider design, it is said to comes with optical touch pad, BlackBerry OS 6.0, 360 x 480 display resolution and built in WiFi." More photos here:
In the wake of the unveiling of Windows Phone 7, many are wondering if the smartphone they are using now will be upgradeable to this new operating system. According to a Microsoft executive, the answer is simple: no.Windows Mobile 6 and earlier gave device makers a wide range of options, but the next version is a major departure from previous practices, and Microsoft has set some rigid hardware requirements. Requirements that exclude every current model.Natasha Kwan, who is in charge of Microsoft's Mobile Communications Business in the Asia-Pacific region, made this clear in a recent interview: “Because we have very specific requirements for Windows Phone 7 Series the current phones we have right now will not be upgradeable.” Read more here:
"Today sees the unveiling of both a new device, the Nokia C5, and a new naming convention, Nokia Cseries (more on that later). The C5 is a smartphone packed into a feature phone body, boasting S60 3rd edition and a host of messaging and social networking features built in. It also boasts a bright 2.2-inch display and a 3.2-megapixel camera. It also comes packing free walk and drive navigation courtesy of Ovi Maps and is ready for messaging with Nokia Messaging built in. The Nokia C5 boasts a cool new feature in its phone book, where you can see your friends status updates directly from Facebook. You can also update your Facebook status easily and share your location with Ovi Maps 3.0. The homescreen will show off your favourite three friends for easy access to calling and messaging whilst Nokia Messaging enables you to keep in touch on IM using Google Talk or Windows Live Messenger. Storage is the mircoSD variety with support for up to 16GB cards – the Nokia C5 will come with a 2GB card in the box, plenty of room for storing music and with the built in stereo FM radio and 3.5mm AV connector, not to mention the Stereo IHF speaker, it should sound good too." Read more inside..
"While at MWC I spent some time looking at the new Symbian^1 handset - the Sony Ericsson Vivaz and its sister device, the QWERTY equipped, Vivaz Pro. Over the next week or so we'll be featuring a number of Vivaz videos to give you a closer look at Sony Ericsson's latest Symbian handsets. In the first video there's a general overview of the hardware and the 'panel' powered homescreen, while the second video looks at some of the homescreen UI additions compared to the Sony Ericsson Satio. The Sony Ericsson Vivaz is a Symbian^1 handset (S60 5th Edition); it is due out in the next few weeks in a number of markets. Its sister device, the Vivaz Pro, adds a slide-down QWERTY keyboard to the feature list, but downgrades the camera to 5 megapixels. The Vivaz Pro will be available in select markets in April or May." Read more here:
"Appear at Engadget’s The Engadget Show, Microsoft’s Aaron Woodman is showing an unannounced LG prototype smartphone with the new Windows Phone 7 Series. The LG prototype has a 4-rows QWERTY hardware keyboard, 5 megapixel camera and is just slightly thicker than iPhone and Nexus One. There isn’t any details info on the Windows Phone 7 software walkthrough, but check out more photos at Engadget site." via slashphone.com
"Just released this morning (see my 'Install diary' below) is Ovi Maps 3.4 (build 91, if you're being fussy). This follows up the formal release of v3.3, which introduced the new interface and free worldwide voice navigation. In brief, Ovi Maps is claimed to be faster and more accurate, and, as reported below, Nokia certainly seemed to have made big strides in this area - v3.4 is hard to criticise in the performance department now. It also adds Wi-Fi positioning to the many ways location is determined, though it will take a while before Nokia's servers build up enough data for this to be useful. " Read more here:
"The latest update to Palm webOS is now arriving on your phone via an over-the-air update. The update is now available for customers on the Sprint network in the US and on the O2 UK, O2 DE, O2 Ireland, and Movistar networks in Europe. The update is expected to be available for Palm webOS phones on other networks soon. Highlights of the latest update include:
The ability to capture, edit, and share video: Not only can you easily shoot video footage from your Palm webOS phone, but you can also make quick edits and upload your footage to YouTube or Facebook (or send them via email or MMS) with just a couple of taps. See the video capabilities in action in the video inside.
Get more done faster: The Calendar, Phone, Messaging, and Email apps have all been enhanced with new features to simplify common tasks (many based on feedback from our customers). For example, in the Calendar app, you can now dial a number that appears in the subject of an appointment. In the Email app, you can now sort by date, sender, and subject. In the Phone app, the Call log offers more options to easily connect to a contact (such as via SMS). And there are some new shortcuts for zipping from one app to another (for example, moving from a chat view to a phone call with that person). You¹ll also see improved performance in these apps." Read more inside..
"The Pharos 565 is a ruggedized Windows Mobile 6.5 PDA with a full QWERTY keyboard, QVGA color touch screen, built-in GPS receiver, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, IrDA and RAW IR/SIR. The device comes with a powerful Marvell PXA310 624 MHz CPU, 512 MB Flash ROM, and 256 MB DDR SDRAM. The ruggedized Pharos 565 PDA is compliant with the International Protection Rating (IP54) standard and can resist a drop in a range of 4 ~ 5 feet. It includes the complete Office Mobile suite of applications. The unit is perfect for anyone who needs a complete mobile organizer, multimedia entertainment, and GPS navigation in a convenient, compact, and easy-to-use package. The package includes the 565 PDA, a long-life Li-Ion Polymer battery, AC adapter, USB cable, and the software you need to get started. Features
Windows Mobile 6.5
Compact, ruggedized PDA with a full QWERTY keyboard
Fast 624 MHz CPU with 512 MB Flash ROM and 256 MB SDRAM
Bright 3.5” TFT color display with touch screen
Built-in GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth for fast positioning and communications
Support traditional IrDA, RAW IR/SIR, serial RS-232, USB interfaces
Wondering why you couldn’t download the Skype for Windows Mobile from the company website? Skype has confirmed that it will no longer offer Skype for Windows Mobile, as it felt that the version is not offering the best user experience compare to Symbian and iPhone version. The company has posted a faq says, “We’ve chosen to withdraw Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile because we want to offer our new customers an improved mobile experience – much like the version that has proved so popular on the iPhone, and which is now available on Symbian phones. Our focus is on providing a rich user experience that allows you to enjoy free Skype-to-Skype and low cost calls as easily on the move as you do at your desktop. We felt that Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile were not offering the best possible Skype experience.” You will still be able to use the Skype service with your windows mobile smartphone if you have already installed though. You can also access the windows mobile download page manually by using the following URL http://www.skype.com/intl/en/download/skype/windowsmobile/" via slashphone.com
"While we’re waiting for new phones like the X10 or the C6 to be announced, Nokia’s busy launching luxury editions of already-available handsets.Take the Nokia N97 mini Gold Edition for example, which has been unveiled today.The N97 mini Gold Edition is dressed in 18-carat gold and comes with apps like “ELLE 360Fashion”, which should help fashion lovers follow the latest trends and news.Other than that, the Nokia N97 mini Gold Edition has the same features the regular edition includes: 3.2 inch touchscreen display with 360 x 640 pixels, full QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, HSPA, GPS, Nokia Maps, 3.5mm headset jack, 8GB of internal memory, and a 5MP camera with autofocus and LED flash.Nokia N97 mini Gold Edition will be available across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. We don’t know when, but we do know the phone’s price: about €625 or $850." via unwiredview.com
"Life has come from the water. That's where everything has begun for us, so water seems to be a pretty natural place for Samsung to start a new beginning. Samsung has created a new mobile operating system to compete with the other big players on the smartphone market. Will it succeed? We don't know that yet, but we are dying to see what will become of the new bada OS, and how it will evolve with time. In Korean, "bada" means ocean, and the Samsung Wave S8500 is the first smartphone that will take you on a journey to bada’s depths. We sincerely hope that’s a place where beautiful and friendly creatures live and shine in a plethora of colors to create an immersive atmosphere. Still, we are not striking off the list the option of bada being a place where carnivorous sharks are swimming around you in a circle, anticipating your one wrong move so they can have a little snack. But we guess that all depends on Samsung’s devotion to create a rich platform and not just do a marketing trick by providing a “smartphone for everyone”." Read more here:
"The Marketplace update that Microsoft announced just a few days ago has been released today. Just launch the Marketplace app on your phone and you will recive the updated version. If this doesn’t work you can also uninstall the current version that is you your handset and download the newer one at mp.windowsphone.com. Here are the new updated feature included in this version:
World View: previously known as “geo selector”, the World View feature will allow Marketplace users to browse and purchase applications from different geographic catalogs. For example, a user in France could choose to browse the English US catalog, or a user in Canada could browse the catalog from Japan. All application prices will show up in the user’s local currency and Microsoft will be in touch with registered independent software vendors (ISVs) in the weeks ahead to provide step-by-step instructions on how to re-price their apps for all markets. Installation onto storage cards: a highly requested feature by end users, it will allow users to install applications downloaded from Marketplace onto storage card memory. This will solve a common pain point today where the main memory of the phone runs out after installing a few apps from Marketplace. Read more inside..
"Opera Software today releases a beta version of Opera Mini 5 for Android smartphones, delivering web browsing through server side data compression by up to 90 percent before sending content to the phone. Similar to Opera Mini 5 for other mobile platforms, the Opera Mini 5 gives you tabbed browsing, Speed Dial, password manager and bookmarks. To download, simply visit m.opera.com/next with the Android browser or search for Opera Mini 5 in the Android Market.
"The latest update to Palm webOS is now arriving on your phone via an 
"The Pharos 565 is a ruggedized Windows Mobile 6.5 PDA with a full QWERTY keyboard, QVGA color touch screen, built-in GPS receiver, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, IrDA and RAW IR/SIR. The device comes with a powerful Marvell PXA310 624 MHz CPU, 512 MB Flash ROM, and 256 MB DDR SDRAM. The ruggedized Pharos 565 PDA is compliant with the International Protection Rating (IP54) standard and can resist a drop in a range of 4 ~ 5 feet. It includes the complete Office Mobile suite of applications. The unit is perfect for anyone who needs a complete mobile organizer, multimedia entertainment, and GPS navigation in a convenient, compact, and easy-to-use package. The package includes the 565 PDA, a long-life Li-Ion Polymer battery, AC adapter, USB cable, and the software you need to get started.
