http://news.softpedia.com Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones Softpedia News en-us 2001 - 2009 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:35:29 GMT Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:35:29 GMT News http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10 http://www.softpedia.com/base_img/softpedia_logo.gif http://news.softpedia.com/ http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rumor-Mill-LG-Arena-Max-in-the-Works-128304.shtml South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics launched on the market, during the first quarter of the ongoing year, one of its most appealing touchscreen mobile phones, the LG Arena. The handset, which came to the shelves as a high-end feature phone, is now rumored to already have a successor under development in LG's labs.

According to a recent post on Cellpassion, a post on the Wi-Fi Alliance shows that a higher-end variant of the LG Arena has just received Wi-Fi certification. All that it is known for the time being about the handset is that it features the model index LU9400, and that it has received the Wi-Fi Interoperability Certificate on November 20, this year.

Based on the success the LG Arena already registered on the market, it would make a lot of sense for the South Korean handset vendor to think about delivering a better successor for the handset. However, it remains to be seen what exactly this phone will come to the market with in terms of display size, processor frequency, camera quality, software solution, and so on.

Since no details other than the Wi-Fi certification are known at the moment, the guessing area is opened to anyone, but we'll be waiting for additional info on the phone to surface before walking that road. However, it won't be a surprise if the said LG Arena Max will com... (read more)]]> Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:46:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rumor-Mill-LG-Arena-Max-in-the-Works-128304.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rumor-Mill-LG-Arena-Max-in-the-Works-128304.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Motorola-Backflip-Registered-Might-be-Motus-128172.shtml Mobile phone maker Motorola has been rumored a few times before to plan launching on the market a new Android mobile phone that would sport a landscape QWERTY keyboard that should hinge in reverse, and it seems that the day when the phone will be officially unveiled is nearing. To be more precise, the company is said to have registered in Europe the name 'Backflip', which is expected to be used for the said device.

The fact the Motorola secured the rights to use the Backflip name on the Old Continent might indeed be an indicator that it is getting ready to launch on the market another device, which was rumored already to be none other than the recently leaked Motorola Motus. The phone, which has been said to come to the market with about the same features and aspect as the Motorola CLIQ, might sport a very interesting mechanism, and the Backflip name would fit it like a glove.

The only problem with the device seems to be the fact that it might run under the Android 1.5 flavor of the operating system when launched, something that doesn't sound too appealing, considering that two newer versions of the operating system are already available on the market, namely Android 1.6 (Donut) and Android 2.0 (Eclair). However, the Motorola Motus / Backflip is expected to arrive on the shelves during the first qua... (read more)]]> Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:33:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Motorola-Backflip-Registered-Might-be-Motus-128172.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Motorola-Backflip-Registered-Might-be-Motus-128172.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-Hero-Might-Arrive-at-T-Mobile-USA-128072.shtml HTC Hero, one of the most appealing Android-based mobile phone the Taiwanese handset maker HTC Corporation delivered to the market this year, has been expected to make an appearance on T-Mobile USA's airwaves, but in vain. The wireless carrier already announced that it does not plan on launching the high-end device for its users, though it seems that this might actually be something that is about to change.

A job listing on T-Mobile USA's website points towards Hero Devices, something that, to be fair, makes us think at the much wanted HTC Hero. However, the job title is “Product Manager, Hero Handsets,” something that, in the end, might refer to other mobile phones than the popular HTC Android handset and its appealing Sense UI. Here's what the job listing states:

The overall market for mobile handsets is expected to experience rapid growth over the next several years as consumers continue to use mobile devices for an increasing portion of their communication needs.[...] These devices expand customers’ imaginations through outstanding experiences, and receive the highest levels of organizational support, including product development resources, marketing campaigns, sales priority and partner focus. At T-Mobile, we call these devices our Hero Handsets.
As Product Manager, Hero Devices,... (read more)]]> Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:27:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-Hero-Might-Arrive-at-T-Mobile-USA-128072.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-Hero-Might-Arrive-at-T-Mobile-USA-128072.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-and-Forever-A886-to-Come-to-Canada-128056.shtml Canadian mobile phone carriers are currently undergoing through a little battle over what 3G network is better than the other, something that, hopefully, will result in better services and phone offerings for users in the country. Bell and Telus have launched, at the beginning of this month, their 21Mbps HSPA networks, which was accompanied by a series of very appealing high-end devices, and are expected to soon release more such phones, while Rogers is also adding new handsets to its lineup to counterbalance the new offering from its competitors.

According to some of the latest news around the web, one should expect for at least two new mobile phones from Samsung to make an appearance on the Canadian market, one bundled with Bell's services, namely the Samsung Galaxy, while the other will surface on Rogers' airwaves, in the form of Samsung Forever A886. The former will boast Google's Android operating system, while the latter should be a simple device that sports Samsung's TouchWiz UI.

It would make sense for Bell to add the Android-powered mobile phone to its offering, considering the fact that both Rogers and Telus have already made this move. The guys over at Mobilesyrup managed to snag the image that you can see attached to this article, in which the Galaxy can be seen beside the Omnia II and... (read more)]]> Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:28:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-and-Forever-A886-to-Come-to-Canada-128056.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-and-Forever-A886-to-Come-to-Canada-128056.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Sony-Ericsson-Already-Works-on-Pureness-2-128020.shtml Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson is reportedly getting ready to come to the market with a second version of its recently unveiled Sony Ericsson XPERIA Pureness handset. The device, as many of you might already know, has been announced to include a transparent screen, being the first handset of the kind in the world.

One should already be familiar with the fact that, although it sports a rather leveraged price tag, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Pureness does not strike in any way when it comes to the features that have been packed inside it. Beside the transparent screen and a rater futuristic external design, the phone also includes basic capabilities, in an attempt to keep the usage of mobile phones to a simpler level.

The same is expected to be applied to the upcoming sequel, it seems. According to Electric Pig, Daniel Mauritzson, the Sony Ericsson Pureness’s designer, already confirmed the fact that the second device is under development, while also stating that things will be kept simple once again: “He told us it’d continue the original’s mission of simplifying mobile phones, boiling them down to the very basic functions to act as a 'counterbalance' to feature-packed smartphones,” the news site notes.

No specific details on what the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Pureness 2 mig... (read more)]]> Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:25:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Sony-Ericsson-Already-Works-on-Pureness-2-128020.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Sony-Ericsson-Already-Works-on-Pureness-2-128020.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-to-Launch-Snapdragon-Based-Android-Phone-in-Q1-2010-127921.shtml HTC Corporation, the mobile-phone maker that delivered to the market the first handset running under Google's Android operating system, the HTC Dream (aka T-Mobile G1), is rumored to be ramping up for the launch of an Android-powered mobile phone that will boast a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor inside. Moreover, the said device is expected to become available for purchase sometime in the first quarter of the next year, at least on the Taiwan market, the handset vendor's homeland.

This is not the first time most of you might hear about the Snapdragon-powered handset from HTC that should run under Android. The phone already emerged into the wild as the HTC Dragon or Passion, and was rumored to come to Verizon Wireless's airwaves in the United States. However, although there have passed about two months since the first appearance of the handset, nothing has been announced officially yet.

The news on the possible Q1 launch of the device emerged via news site DigiTimes, which cited “industry sources” pointing towards the upcoming availability of the phone on the Taiwanese market. Moreover, it seems that other handset makers around the world also plan on delivering Android devices to the country, and that, while at the end of 2009 Taiwan will have around eight Android phones available, th... (read more)]]> Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-to-Launch-Snapdragon-Based-Android-Phone-in-Q1-2010-127921.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-to-Launch-Snapdragon-Based-Android-Phone-in-Q1-2010-127921.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-X6-Expected-in-the-UK-on-Friday-127902.shtml Nokia X6, the first mobile phone from the Finnish handset vendor Nokia that comes to the market with a capacitive touchscreen display, is expected to make an appearance on the UK market as soon as this Friday. It seems that Nokia UK has finally decided to unveil the launch date and the price tag the new Comes With Music flagship handset will come to the market with.

Those of you who already came across this device should know by now that it features a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display and that it also packs a 5-megapixel photo snapper with Carl Zeiss optics, as well as 32Gb of internal storage space. According to the guys over at slashgear, which also provided the hands-on video embedded at the bottom of this article, the new handset is supposed to become available via the UK retailer Phones4U for free with contract agreement that starts at a £35 ($58) per month.

“If you have an old Nseries Nokia you fancy trading in, you can knock £10 off that contract price and still take the X6 away without spending a penny on the handset itself. It’s also available to pre-order SIM-free online, at Nokia’s UK store, for a somewhat extravagant £449 ($746), though at time of writing we couldn’t find any sign of it,” the news site also notes. We also tried to find the pre-orde... (read more)]]> Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:46:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-X6-Expected-in-the-UK-on-Friday-127902.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-X6-Expected-in-the-UK-on-Friday-127902.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-HD2-s-Camera-Issues-are-Software-Related-127849.shtml The high-end HTC HD2, one of the nicest mobile phones that reached the market during the ongoing year, is reportedly suffering from some camera-related issues. The main problem is that the pictures taken with the phone's camera show a Pink/Purple hue. It seems that there are already a series of users who experienced these issues, yet HTC might soon offer a remedy for the situation.

But first things first. According to a recent article on mobiletechworld, when contacted about the problem, HTC responded that this would be a hardware issue and the devices that had it needed to be returned for repair. Here's what the response email from the Taiwanese mobile phone maker reportedly stated:

“Dear valued HTC customer, Thank you for your enquiry about your handset. This is a hardware issue and you can contact your re-seller to exchange the device for another one or contact us and we will send this device to be repair. If these steps have not helped, please let me know by responding using the link provided and I will be happy to check again for you.”

However, following these reports, and the discussions that were taking place around the web on the matter, HTC came up with yet another response, this time saying that it is actually a software issue and that there might be a simpler resolution. Ac... (read more)]]> Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:53:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-HD2-s-Camera-Issues-are-Software-Related-127849.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-HD2-s-Camera-Issues-are-Software-Related-127849.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/AT-T-to-Get-the-Sony-Ericsson-XPERIA-X10-127660.shtml Japanese-Swedish mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson announced not too long ago its first handset powered by Google's Android operating system, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, and while no specific availability was disclosed, some new specs for the device seem to unveil what hasn't been said before. To be more precise, the XPERIA X10 is expected to become available in the US on AT&T's airwaves, based on the network frequencies the device supports.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 page on the handset vendor's website shows that this nice looking Android phone will come to the market with support for GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSPA 800/850/900/1700/1900/2100 network. Moreover, the specs page also notes that “UMTS HSPA 800/850/1900 only available for phones sold in Americas (except Brazil) and Australia. UMTS HSPA 900/1700 not available for phones sold in Americas. UMTS HSPA 1900/2100 available worldwide.”

While the UMTS/HSPA 800/850/900/1700/1900/2100 bands support suggests that either AT&T or T-Mobile might have the handset on their airwaves, the “UMTS HSPA 900/1700 not available for phones sold in Americas” line removes T-Mobile from the equation. No official details on a possible deal between AT&T and Sony Ericsson emerged until now, but one should know that Sony Style is already se... (read more)]]> Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/AT-T-to-Get-the-Sony-Ericsson-XPERIA-X10-127660.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/AT-T-to-Get-the-Sony-Ericsson-XPERIA-X10-127660.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-HD2-Will-See-Official-Windows-Mobile-7-Upgrade-127718.shtml In early October, Taiwanese mobile phone maker HTC officially announced the launch of HTC HD2, a high-end device that comes to the market with Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system. The handset sports a powerful Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon processor, as well as a large touchscreen display, poised to make it one of the most wanted Windows phones on the market.

However, Microsoft is known already to be working on a future release of the mobile operating system, namely Windows Mobile 7, which is set to arrive on the market in late 2010, and it seems that the HTC HD2 will also see an official upgrade to the OS flavor. “HTC will announce availability of Windows Mobile 7 upgrade for HTC HD2 as soon as Microsoft will officially announce Windows Mobile 7,” a recent post on msmobiles states (via htcpedia).

Those of you who might have followed the development of Windows Mobile 6.5 and of the supposedly future versions of the OS, should know already that a variety of leaked builds and cooked ROMs for existing Windows Mobile-based devices emerged into the wild. However, it seems that this won't be the case with HTC HD2, for it will see the software update from its maker itself, just as the HTC Touch Pro2 or HTC Touch Diamond2 saw their official Windows Mobile 6.5 ROMs (both were launched with ... (read more)]]> Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:37:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-HD2-Will-See-Official-Windows-Mobile-7-Upgrade-127718.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-HD2-Will-See-Official-Windows-Mobile-7-Upgrade-127718.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Omnia-2-on-Verizon-on-December-2-127590.shtml Samsung Omnia 2 is a mobile phone that has been long rumored to become available in the United States on the airwaves of Verizon Wireless. Expected to arrive for about two months now, the handset is finally said to be on its way to the market with the mobile phone carrier and should become available for purchase as soon as December 2 is here.

According to a recently leaked launch pack for the device, which emerged into the wild courtesy of Engadget, the launch day for the Samsung Omnia 2 has been finally settled, as well as the price tag the phone will sport when available. To be more precise, it seems that Verizon will launch the Omnia 2 for $199.99 upon the signing of a two-year contract agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

All channels should have the phone available the very same day, including the company's retail stores and its website. The good news here is that the Omnia 2 will arrive at Big Red with Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional operating system on board, which might explain a little the huge delay it has seen (the device was initially said to come with the 6.1 flavor of the platform).

The specifications list of Samsung Omnia 2 should be already well known by most users out there, including the fact that the phone should arrive with a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED display, a 5-megapixel photo snapper, and 8GB of internal memor... (read more)]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:41:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Omnia-2-on-Verizon-on-December-2-127590.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Omnia-2-on-Verizon-on-December-2-127590.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Motorola-Motus-Photos-and-Specs-Leaked-127515.shtml Mobile phone maker Motorola has been already rumored to plan delivering to the market a wider range of handsets running under Google's Android operating system, following the recent launch of Motorola DROID and Motorola CLIQ, and it seems that one of these phones is getting closer to becoming official. The Motorola Motus, which already surfaced in a leaked roadmap from the handset vendor, is the main character today.

The new device has just emerged in a leaked photo, and there are also some specs on it available. It seems that Motus resembles a lot the Motorola CLIQ, having about the same design as the already available device, and also running under Android. The phone should feature support for AT&T and T-Mobile 3G networks, and is rumored to come to the market at a certain point in the first quarter of the next year, yet no specific details on this matter emerged at the moment.

As for the available specifications on the Motorola Motus, we can count the inclusion of Android 1.5 on it, the presence of Motorola's Motoblur solution, a side sliding QWERTY keyboard, and a 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A processor inside, coupled with 512 MB of ROM and 256 MB of RAM. Additionally, it will also come with a reverse flip keyboard and rear directional touchpad.

Motorola Motus' display, a touchscreen one, is 3.1 inch... (read more)]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:59:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Motorola-Motus-Photos-and-Specs-Leaked-127515.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Motorola-Motus-Photos-and-Specs-Leaked-127515.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Google-s-Self-Branded-Phone-Comes-in-2010-127321.shtml Search engine-based company Google has been rumored a few times before to plan launching on the market its own mobile phone, and now the same rumors have returned to the table. Although the company denied the existence of a self-branded device, claiming that it is only into the licensing software business when it comes to the mobile phone area, it seems that the phone is as real as it can be, and that it is expected to arrive at a certain point in 2010.

The said device is expected to run under the company's own mobile operating system, Android, and should prove to be a “super Android handset” according to techcrunch. The upcoming phone is expected to arrive on the market from one of the largest handset manufacturers in the world, yet it should bear only Google's logo on it, this is what some industry sources seem to have said. The Google Phone was initially expected to arrive on shelves before the holiday season, yet it seems that it will only be here in 2010.

Techcrunch also states that Google has partnered with one of the leading South Korean mobile phone makers for the development of the said handset, though there are no exact details on whether that would be LG or Samsung. However, the news site also suggests that LG is the most possible choice, given the fact that Samsung is working closely wi... (read more)]]> Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:43:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Google-s-Self-Branded-Phone-Comes-in-2010-127321.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Google-s-Self-Branded-Phone-Comes-in-2010-127321.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Leaked-Photos-of-Sony-Ericsson-Kurara-Emerge-127271.shtml Japanese-Swedish mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has been rumored not too long ago to be working on the development of yet another nice looking device, which is supposedly heading to the market under the name of Sony Ericsson Kurara. While we've already had the chance to take a look at the device, now a series of more images with it, as well as some specs on it, have emerged into the wild.

According to a recent post on GSM Arena, the new Sony Ericsson Kurara is expected to come to the market as a Satio's smaller brother. The device should be running under the Symbian operating system, while also sporting an 8-megapixel photo snapper with auto focus and HD video recording capabilities, not to mention LED flash, face detection, and smile shutter features.

Additionally, the available specs on this handset also show that the Kurara will come with the same ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz processor as the Satio, while also featuring PowerVR SGX graphics, though it will pack a smaller touchscreen display, only 3.2-inches. However, the RAM memory installed on the phone, as well as the user interface, are expected to be similar with the ones found in Satio.

The Sony Ericsson Kurara might come to the market as the Sony Ericsson U5, while including a 1200 mAh battery, along with Wi-Fi connectivity with DLNA, HS... (read more)]]> Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:09:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Leaked-Photos-of-Sony-Ericsson-Kurara-Emerge-127271.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Leaked-Photos-of-Sony-Ericsson-Kurara-Emerge-127271.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-to-Deliver-Brew-MP-Based-Phone-in-Early-2010-127214.shtml Taiwan-based mobile phone maker HTC Corporation, the largest vendor of smartphones running Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system and also the first manufacturer to have launched on the market a device powered by Google's Android platform, is reportedly gearing up for the release of a Brew MP-based device. The upcoming phone should be launched sometime in early 2010, as it has been pushed back from the end of 2009, it seems.

According to a recent post on DigiTimes, industry sources say that the handset maker decided to delay the original planned launch window for the high-end feature handsets that it planned on bringing to the market with Qualcomm's Brew Mobile Platform on board. Many of you might have learned before that HTC planned to launch a phone under the OS, and you might already know that the said device is expected to reach the US market via wireless carrier Sprint.

“The delays were caused by the Brew's relatively immature application service platform offering for telecom carriers, said the sources, noting that Qualcomm is currently cooperating with a number of mobile software developers to work on dedicated applications for the Brew platform including a Java virtual machine, customized wed browser, mobile community services, multimedia management and GPS services, among others... (read more)]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-to-Deliver-Brew-MP-Based-Phone-in-Early-2010-127214.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/HTC-to-Deliver-Brew-MP-Based-Phone-in-Early-2010-127214.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rumors-on-Palm-Takeover-by-Nokia-Surface-Again-127060.shtml Sunnyvale-based mobile phone maker Palm was rumored quite a few times before that the Finnish handset vendor Nokia would plan a takeover, and now the rumors have surfaced again. While nothing is yet official on the matter, Palm's shares went up by around 8 percent on Friday, courtesy of these rumors.

“Palm shares jumped and its call volume surged to 9 times their normal level as more than 80,000 call contracts traded by midday on renewed takeover speculation,” is what Frederic Ruffy, option strategist at WhatsTrading.com, a Web information site, stated, according to a recent article on Reuters. Neither Palm nor Nokia have yet commented on the speculations, it seems.

However, some of you might already know that the first speculations regarding the possibility that Nokia may take over Palm have surfaced back in early 2007. According to Reuters, at that time Palm hired Morgan Stanley to analyze options, and was rumored to ask $20 per share. As of Friday, palms shares were priced at $12.34, after climbing 8.1 percent.

“The same speculation has resurfaced this Friday, one week before November options expiration,” Frederic Ruffy reportedly added. “A lot of the activity is in the Palm November call options with some investors opening new positions expecting additional ga... (read more)]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:38:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rumors-on-Palm-Takeover-by-Nokia-Surface-Again-127060.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rumors-on-Palm-Takeover-by-Nokia-Surface-Again-127060.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/WinMo-6-5-to-See-Office-Mobile-2010-Soon-127025.shtml Redmond-based software giant Microsoft is reportedly preparing for the launch of a new software for the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, the latest version of its platform for mobile phones. The new software is none other than Office Mobile 2010, which might not make users of a WinMo-based device wait too long before it becomes available for them.

According to some info in the Office 2010 FAQ, discovered by the guys over at mobiletechworld, the Office Mobile 2010 will come to handsets running under the 6.5 flavor of the OS. Moreover, the fact that these details have been already included in the FAQ can only suggest that the software solution is being prepared for launch.

Here's what they found:
How do I access Office 2010 from my phone?
You can access your Office 2010 files from your phone in the following ways:

Office Mobile 2010.
Office Mobile 2010 can be launched from your Start menu on any phone running Windows Mobile 6.5.4 You can also open Office file attachments within your e-mail or documents stored on your Windows phone directly.

Smartphone Web browser.
Publish your documents to SharePoint Server 2010 or Windows Live services, and access and view documents from your smartphone browser.5 You can access InfoPath forms via a full-featured mobile brow... (read more)]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:40:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/WinMo-6-5-to-See-Office-Mobile-2010-Soon-127025.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/WinMo-6-5-to-See-Office-Mobile-2010-Soon-127025.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/First-bada-Powered-Samsung-Phone-Leaked-126995.shtml Samsung bada is the operating system South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung announced only a couple of days ago to be included in its future smartphone roadmap, and now we've learned that the company is already working on a handset based on that OS. Moreover, a leaked image with the mobile phone also emerged into the wild, showing a rather interesting design.

Although Samsung officially unveiled that it would soon deliver to the market a new smartphone operating system, there are not too many details available on the platform, and December might bring along all the info that we need. The manufacturer is set to make an official launch of the OS at a December event in London, and there are great chances that it will also announce the first handsets that will sport the platform.

Until then, we only have the leaked photo with the device, which emerged into the wild courtesy of gsmhelpdesk.nl, and which shows that we're to expect a touchscreen handset. Based on the previous experience we have with Samsung's user interfaces for touchscreen devices-based on other platforms, we can only imagine that bada will also come with an intuitive UI, and that Samsung will make everything possible to deliver an enhanced experience to anyone who acquires one of these devices.

According to the news site, the first bada-b... (read more)]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:53:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/First-bada-Powered-Samsung-Phone-Leaked-126995.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/First-bada-Powered-Samsung-Phone-Leaked-126995.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Bold-9000-and-Curve-8900-See-Leaked-OS-5-0-0-348-126957.shtml Research In Motion's BlackBerry Bold 9000 and BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphones have just seen new leaked operating systems available for them. The fresh version of the system software platforms is OS 5.0.0.348, and there are some voices over the web suggesting that these might be the latest OS flavors the owners of a Bold 9000 or Curve 8900 can enjoy at the moment.

There are no exact details available at the moment on what has been included in the new platforms, but, considering the fact that the BlackBerry Bold 9000 hasn't seen too many OS leaks lately, the new version might bring around some nice goodies for them. However, they are still unofficial releases, though it might not be too long before the handset maker decides to deliver something officially.

Those who would like to try out the new platform on a Bold 9000 or a Curve 8900 should be able to find a few more details here. However, one should take all the necessary precautions before proceeding with the update. Being unofficial releases, the leaked OSes might come around with some glitches, and, if the update is not performed as it should be, the handset could be rendered useless.

In related news, we learn that something new might head towards BlackBerry users out there. It seems that RIM is on its way to deliver BIS 3.0 sometime in... (read more)]]> Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:43:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Bold-9000-and-Curve-8900-See-Leaked-OS-5-0-0-348-126957.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Bold-9000-and-Curve-8900-See-Leaked-OS-5-0-0-348-126957.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/T-Mobile-to-Soon-Launch-Nokia-5230-126750.shtml Nokia 5230 is yet another music-oriented mobile phone from Nokia which is now said to be heading towards wireless carrier T-Mobile in the United States. The handset was seen a few weeks ago in a series of live images, and now it was spotted passing through the FCC courtyard, while sporting support for AWS 3G bands. Since T-Mobile is the only carrier to use those bands, the specs suggest that it will also be the only carrier to have the new Nokia phone added to its offering.

Even if this is only a rumor about this 3G-capable mobile phone heading towards T-mobile's lineup, it seems to be a rather solid one. According to the guys over at cellphonehits, the fact that this handset is the Nokia 5230 is suggested by the battery it comes around with (BL-5J, only present with Nokia's 5800, 5230, N900 and X6 handsets) and by the label localization drawing, which matches only the handset in question.

Additionally, the news site also came up with a long list of specifications for the mobile phone, which shows that it will include a 3.2-inch touchscreen display that boasts a 640 x 360 pixel resolution and support for 16.7 million colors, as well as dedicated keys for camera, volume, power, send & end, and menu, a 2-megapixel photo snapper with video recording capabilities, HTML browser, 70 MB of internal dynamic memory, ... (read more)]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:51:02 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/T-Mobile-to-Soon-Launch-Nokia-5230-126750.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/T-Mobile-to-Soon-Launch-Nokia-5230-126750.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Alleged-Photo-of-HTC-Dragon-s-Screen-Emerges-126719.shtml Verizon Wireless has just launched on its airwaves its first two mobile phones powered by Google's Android operating system, the Motorola DROID and HTC DROID ERIS, and now the rumor is that it is getting ready for the releases of a third such handset. The said Android device might be none other than the previously rumored HTC Dragon, which should include a 1GHz Snapdragon processor.

A recent post on BGR displays a phone screen image that supposedly shows the HTC Dragon, and says the image is legit. The one thing certain here is that the device in question is an HTC phone, and that it also runs under Google's Android OS. If real, the handset should become another high-end phone available for Verizon's users with Google's mobile operating system on board.

According to BGR, we should expect the HTC Dragon to come to the United States market sometime in mid-December. The handheld might arrive under the name of Passion, which emerged into the wild before, and one might be prepared to see it available for purchase on Black Friday, yet nothing official has been unveiled on the matter until now.

One way or the other, this handset should prove a great pair for the recently released Motorola DROID. The phone is expected to come with the aforementioned speedy processor, as well as a 5-megapixel photo snapp... (read more)]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:10:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Alleged-Photo-of-HTC-Dragon-s-Screen-Emerges-126719.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Alleged-Photo-of-HTC-Dragon-s-Screen-Emerges-126719.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-to-Focus-on-Android-with-Future-Handsets-126599.shtml South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung, the second largest handset vendor around the world, is reportedly getting ready to deliver to the market an increased number of devices powered by Google's Android operating system. In addition, the company is also said to plan leaving aside the development of Symbian-based handsets, and to plan launching a much smaller number of phones that run under Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform.

According to a recent article on telecomskorea, the South Korean maker will release a number of 40 handsets during the next year, 50 percent of which will be running under Windows Mobile. Compared to the last year, when 90 percent of Samsung's smartphones were based on Microsoft's platform, the drop is a significant one. By 2012, Samsung is expected to reduce the number of Windows Mobile-powered smartphones it delivers to the market to 20 percent.

Moreover, it seems that the handset vendor also plans on increasing the number of its Android-based smartphones to 30 percent of the entire 2010 production, which means that more than ten handsets will run under Android, a recent report from HMC Investment Securities, a Seoul-based brokerage firm, shows. As for Symbian-based mobile phones, Samsung is reportedly planning their exclusion from its offering in 2011.

[img=2]Durin... (read more)]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:02:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-to-Focus-on-Android-with-Future-Handsets-126599.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-to-Focus-on-Android-with-Future-Handsets-126599.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/TELUS-to-Carry-Motorola-MILESTONE-Storm2-126556.shtml Canadian mobile phone carrier TELUS is reportedly getting ready to launch on its airwaves two new and appealing handsets, the Motorola MILESTONE and the BlackBerry Storm2. The former has just been launched in the United States on the airwaves of Verizon, under the name of Motorola DROID, and comes with Google's Android 2.0 operating system on board, while the latter was released in more markets last month.

This is not the first time when the wireless carrier is rumored to plan on delivering to the Canadian users the new Motorola DROID, and the fresh rumors confirm what has been learned before: TELUS will launch the European version of the handset. Moreover, it seems that the version reaching TELUS' airwaves will include support for North American 3G bands (850/1900MHz), which should make at least some fans rejoice.

According to a recent article on BGR, the Motorola MILESTONE will be exclusively available on the mobile phone carrier, at least for a limited time frame. As for the release date for the handset, early 2010 is the launch window, and nothing more specific emerged at the moment. However, it seems that TELUS and Motorola are gearing up for an announcement in the near future, and we might learn more on this at that time. Until then, we should mention that multi-touch capabilities will come with the hands... (read more)]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:39:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/TELUS-to-Carry-Motorola-MILESTONE-Storm2-126556.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/TELUS-to-Carry-Motorola-MILESTONE-Storm2-126556.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/OTA-Update-for-DROID-and-DROID-ERIS-on-December-11-126512.shtml Mobile phone carrier Verizon Wireless delivered to the market its first handsets powered by Google's Android operating system on November 6 (the Motorola DROID and HTC DROID ERIS), and it seems that its focus on the OS and the devices that bear it won't stop here. According to the latest new around the Internet, the wireless operator already plans on delivering Over-the-Air updates for the two phones, and they should come around about a month from now, on December 11.

A recently leaked internal document from Verizon shows that the Motorola DROID comes to the market with quite a few issues and that the three companies involved, namely Google, Motorola and Verizon, are already working on solving them. The said document contains a number of five pages with problems the device has, and, although their existence might seem annoying, it’s a rather good thing that they are being taken care of.

When it comes to the new HTC DROID ERIS, the list of issues seems even longer. Considering the fact that these are Verizon's first two Android-powered mobile phones, one would have expected them to arrive with at least a smaller number of issues. However, since they are both slated for a December 11 OTA fix, we're sure that users will enjoy an improved experience from that day on.

However, nothing is y... (read more)]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:53:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/OTA-Update-for-DROID-and-DROID-ERIS-on-December-11-126512.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/OTA-Update-for-DROID-and-DROID-ERIS-on-December-11-126512.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rumor-Mill-Microsoft-to-Takeover-RIM-126381.shtml Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion has been rumored quite a few times before to be on the verge of being taken over by Redmond-based software giant Microsoft, and now the same rumors made it back to the headlines. The basis is a very simple one: RIM has seen its shares falling recently, and that would lead towards a possible takeover, in case they continue to fall.

If you were wondering why RIM is doing bad, you should know that some of the latest reports on the mobile phone market have shown that the recent launch of Motorola DROID on Verizon's airwaves have affected the sales of the Canadian maker's handsets. The smartphone market in registering increased competitiveness and it seems that RIM is one of those affected by this state of facts.

According to National Bank analyst Richard Tse, there are great chances that RIM would attract some of the largest industry players around the world. “We can’t help but think that Microsoft could be one of many suitors,” Tse states, noting that RIM is not one of the marginalized mobile phone makers, but that it might attract those who want to enter the smartphone market.

“Sticking with Microsoft, sure Windows Mobile 7 is on its way but wouldn’t RIM be able to offer what they’ve strived to get beyond their OS and Offic... (read more)]]> Sat, 7 Nov 2009 10:35:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rumor-Mill-Microsoft-to-Takeover-RIM-126381.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rumor-Mill-Microsoft-to-Takeover-RIM-126381.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/LG-to-Deliver-Snapdragon-Based-Android-Handset-126378.shtml South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics has already made a move into the Android side of the smartphone market, with the launch of LG GW620, which is also known around the Web as the LG Eve. However, it seems that the company does not plan to stop only here, but that it will come to the market with yet another such device in 2010, this time a more powerful and probably more appealing one.

According to the latest news around the Internet, LG stated that it plans walking the same road that Acer and Sony Ericsson walked with their Android-based mobile phones: it will pack the handset with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The XPERIA X10 from Sony Ericsson will come to the market next year with the powerful 1GHz processor inside, while the Acer Liquid is already available for purchase, only that its processor has been clocked lower.

In case the reports pan out, we might soon see the handset vendor coming to the market with one of the speediest mobile phones powered by Google's Android operating system. However, there is also a downside here, namely the fact that LG is reported to plan launching the phone in its home land market only, and that the device is expected to land only in the second half of the next year.

Even so, there are great chances that it will be released on other markets too, ... (read more)]]> Sat, 7 Nov 2009 10:03:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/LG-to-Deliver-Snapdragon-Based-Android-Handset-126378.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/LG-to-Deliver-Snapdragon-Based-Android-Handset-126378.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Telus-to-Bring-Motorola-DROID-to-Canada-126293.shtml Canadian mobile phone users might soon have the chance to enjoy a wide range of Android mobile phones available for purchase in the country. Rogers has already delivered three of them, the HTC Dream and Magic and the LG Eve, while Telus is already known to have snagged an exclusivity deal on the HTC Hero. However, the latest rumors around the web suggest that this carrier might have also launched the Motorola DROID, which is set to arrive to the market today, on Verizon's airwaves.

It seems that the high-end Android 2.0-powered mobile phone has great chances to reach Canada as soon as Q1 2010, or, at least, this is what a recent post on themobileninjas suggests. It seems that Telus might have exclusive distribution rights on this handset too, and that it will release the North American HSPA version of Motorola DROID, which hasn't been announced officially yet.

In case the rumors pan out, Canadians will certainly have a great handset to enjoy on the carrier's airwaves, as DROID comes around with a 3.7-inch touchscreen display that boasts a 480 x 854 pixel resolution, a sliding QWERTY keyboard, a 5-megapixel photo snapper with dual LED and auto focus, Bluetooth connectivity, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g capabilities, a GPS, Micro USB, a 550 MHz processor, and a micro SD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB of additio... (read more)]]> Fri, 6 Nov 2009 19:21:02 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Telus-to-Bring-Motorola-DROID-to-Canada-126293.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Telus-to-Bring-Motorola-DROID-to-Canada-126293.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Alleged-Image-of-Sony-Ericsson-Kurara-Emerges-126222.shtml Japanese-Swedish mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson is reportedly getting ready to launch more new devices on the market. The company has just announced the upcoming availability of its first device powered by Google's Android operating system, namely the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, and now we learn that it might soon come up with another appealing touchscreen-capable device, the Sony Ericsson Kurara.

The new handset has just emerged into the wild, and some images with it are also available, with no exact details on when the phone will actually be released on the market, nor on its specific name or on the price tag it might feature. However, Kurara might only be a codename, as it happened with a wide range of phones from Sony Ericsson, and the phone might be officially unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2010, which is slated for kick off in February next year.

When it comes to the specifications list of the fresh handheld, rumors has it that it will run under the Symbian S60 5th Edition operating system, while sporting a 3.5-inch touch-sensitive AMOLED display. The mobile phone is also reported to come as part of the joint-venture's Entertainment Unlimited line-up, something that is in a way confirmed by a small inscription on the handset's back, which reads “HD.”

Other specifications... (read more)]]> Thu, 5 Nov 2009 14:09:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Alleged-Image-of-Sony-Ericsson-Kurara-Emerges-126222.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Alleged-Image-of-Sony-Ericsson-Kurara-Emerges-126222.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-X6-to-Hit-the-UK-on-November-12-126179.shtml Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia announced not too long ago a new X Series range of mobile phones, in which it has already included two devices, the Nokia X6 and Nokia X3, and now we learn that the former might arrive on the UK market as soon as November 12 is here. At least this is what Expansys shows on its website on Nokia X6's page.

The new mobile phone from Nokia is one of the already popular ‘Comes With Music’ devices, and UK users will enjoy the unlimited music downloads features of the service (the Comes With Music offering includes unlimited music track downloads for a period of 12 months). As many should already know, users will be able to use the tracks even after the service period is over.

Expansys, which more than often is the first to show on its website handsets that are to come to the market, has the Nokia X6 listed with a price tag of £529.99, or about 605 Euros. Considering the capabilities of this phone, the price might not seem too high in the end, especially to music enthusiasts, who will enjoy 35 hours of continuous music playback with this phone.

Other specifications include a 3.2-inch touch sensitive display that boasts a 360 x 640 pixel resolution, a 5-megapixel photo snapper with Carl Zeiss optics, Dual LED flash and video recording, a slim body (only 13.8 m... (read more)]]> Thu, 5 Nov 2009 11:16:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-X6-to-Hit-the-UK-on-November-12-126179.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-X6-to-Hit-the-UK-on-November-12-126179.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-N900-Gets-More-Solid-Release-Dates-126142.shtml Espoo, Finland-based mobile phone maker Nokia unveiled a few months ago its first handset powered by Maemo 5, the Nokia N900 Internet Tablet, and ever since enthusiasts have been waiting for the device to become available on the market, though the company failed to deliver it until now. However, it seems that the wait might finally be over in about ten days or so from now, as the phone is rumored to make an appearance in the US on November 14, while hitting the shelves in the UK on November 16.

The Nokia N900 was originally expected to hit the market sometime at the end of October, yet the Finnish mobile phone maker delayed its release for a couple of weeks. Some of the previous reports of the device pointed towards mid-November as the launch date for the N900, and now the handset can be admired on NewEgg, which shows a November 14 release date for it. In case this proves true, United States mobile phone users will only have nine days more to wait for the N900 to become available for purchase.

As for the other parts of the world, the Nokia N900 is said to be put on sale in the UK as soon as November 16 is here, according to Pocket-lint. Moreover, some price details on the handheld also emerged, and they can be seen on Omio. It seems that the Maemo 5-based phone will come to the UK market for free on select two-y... (read more)]]> Thu, 5 Nov 2009 08:31:00 GMT Softpedia News - Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-N900-Gets-More-Solid-Release-Dates-126142.shtml Rumours about mobile phones http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-N900-Gets-More-Solid-Release-Dates-126142.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Arghire)