"That's right folks an anonymous tipster has sent us shots of the highly anticipated BlackBerry Thunder. The Thunder also known as BlackBerry 9500 will feature a huge 360x480 touch display and will apparently run on OS 4.7. This device will be a great multimedia player and could bring CDMA carriers true iPhone competition. The Thunder will run a carrier music store which similar to the iPhone's iTunes store and will allow users to purchase songs from their device. The display on the Thunder most likely will be a glass surface similar to the iPhone. The BlackBerry Thunder will also feature a portrait media player for watching movies and videos taken with the handset. Well that's it for now..." via blackberrysync.com
"Unveiled back in February already, Samsung today announced the open market availability of the SGH-i200 Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard smartphone.Featuring triband GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 900/1800/1900 MHz and singleband UMTS/HSDPA at 2100 MHz (up to 3.6 Mbps) as well as Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (including A2DP), the i200 unfortunately lacks WiFi and GPS. On the back the i200 sports a 2.0 megapixel camera with face detection technology and smile-shot functionality; while on the front it has an additional VGA camera for UMTS video telephony. The non-touchscreen measures 2.3", supports QVGA resolution and includes a light-sensor.At a size of 116 x 50 x 11.8 mm, the smartphone weights - including the 1100 mAh battery - 102 gram only. According to Samsung, the device has a standby time up to 280 hours and a talk-time up to 3.3 hours.In addition to the typical Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard applications, the SGH-i200 includes Microsoft Office Mobile, Windows Live Messenger and ClearVueWithout a contract, the Samsung SGH-i200 is now available for 399 Euro." via theunwired.net
"The need for a better Calendar application on UIQ 3 can be justified by the availability of 2 alternatives, namely AquaCalendar and Agendus. Both are highly capable applications and packed with features. However, the boys who brought us DreamConnect felt the holes were not quite filled yet. The problem with these third party calendar replacements is the design. Look at Agendus for UIQ 3, for example. It was ported from the UIQ 2 version with no effort from the developer to improve on the design and follow UIQ 3 design philosophy. The DreamSpring Team, led by Malcolm Lithgow, now offers us DreamLife, a solution offering not only calendar and todo replacements, but contact management as well, in line with their philosophy in providing a complete solution for Life Information Management instead of Personal Information Management." Read more here:
"The Dare isn’t necessarily an upgrade to the Voyager, as both are targeted to different consumers. Unlike the Voyager, which has a large clamshell design with dual displays, mechanical QWERTY keyboard, 2MP Camera, and Mobile TV service, the Dare is much sleeker and sexier, with only one display, more robust user interface, multitasking, and 3.2MP Camera. It also comes on the heals of the release of the Samsung Glyde, which didn’t do so well under our testing last month. Not only is the Dare competing against those devices, but also with the Samsung Instinct for Sprint and Apple’s upcoming iPhone 3G for AT&T. The true winner here is the consumer, as they now have several options to choose from, with each new device trying to out-do the other." Read more here:
"As we’ve already mentioned, the model is based on Windows Mobile 6.1, but the manufacturer has made big software personalizations. Their main purpose is to facilitate the work of the user, by offering him navigation and menus that he is familiar with from the non-smartphones. The homescreen is divided in three tabs with the main one housing the clock, call log shortcut, messages and e-mails. The other two are intended for speed dialing and frequently used settings (like activating the motion sensor, the mouse cursor, Bluetooth and WiFi). Here, the interface is dependant on themes, in the same style as in Soul, but at least for now the rest of the menus do not change in the same way. The promised widgets, similar to F480, are not present in the prototype. Instead, there is a submenu with shortcuts where you can place 11 applications of your choice, by dragging.Similar interface, divided into tabs is not something revolutionary and we’ve seen it in the latest HTC models. OMNIA’s main menu, which is activated by the button on the right side or from the home icon on the start screen, is something absolutely new. It has large, beautiful icons and it looks like the menu of a regular phone. This feature gives you access to all functions and makes the standard Windows menu pointless. Some of the submenus, like the Phonebook and the alarms, have also been personalized, and all programs are united in a list. Still, most of the applications have kept their appearance, standard for a WM6.1 device." Read more here:
"When HTC unveiled the Touch Diamond in May, the company promised that it would be coming to North America later this year. The Canadian telecom Telus has announced it will be the first carrier on this side of the Atlantic to fulfill this promise by offering this Windows Mobile smartphone.Telus will launch a CDMA version of the Diamond later this summer for $150 with a 3-year contract. This model is often compared with the iPhone, and this relatively low price will help it compete with Apple's smartphone in Canada.This version of the Diamond will support EV-DO Rev. A high-speed networking, and this carrier is going to offer unlimited data plans like $15 per month for unlimited email and IM, or $30 for unlimited email, IM, and web browsing. More information is available on Telus' web site. An Overview of the HTC Touch Diamond This smartphone is an upgraded version of the very popular HTC Touch, and like its predecessor it doesn't have a hardware keyboard but instead is focused on its touchscreen.It runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro, but includes an updated version of HTC's overlay for this operating system that makes the device easier to control with a fingertip, rather than a stylus. Called TouchFLO 3D, this provides easier access to contacts, email, photos, music, weather and more.HTC has also added a web browser that's based on Opera, and a special version of YouTube is included.The Diamond has a VGA display, which is a much higher resolution than its predecessor, and a better 3.2-megapixel camera as well.It has 4 GB of internal storage but no memory card slot, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a GPS receiver." via brighthand.com
"Openmoko, developer of the first open mobile computing platform today announced that on Friday, July 4, it will open the online store for purchase of the Openmoko Neo FreeRunner, a mobile device that the company says will help to enable ubiquitous computing for the 21st century. Shipping to customers will commence on July 7, 2008.The Openmoko Neo FreeRunner utilizes GNU/Linux and comes with core software for dialing, SMS and recording contacts. Openmoko will supplement these features with periodic downloads beginning with a software suite that takes full advantage of the phone's hardware platform. The new software, debuting at Linux world in August, will provide exciting new location based applications.Two versions of the phone will be available: 850MHz or 900 MHz Tri-band GSM to match frequencies in different countries. Black, oval-shaped and weighing 6.5 ounces, the Openmoko Neo FreeRunner features a 2.8" 480 x 640 VGA touchscreen, Wi-Fi (802.1 1b/g), AGPS, GPRS 2.5G, Bluetooth 2.0, two 3-axis motion sensors and comes with 128MB WSDRAM and 256MB NAND Flash." Read more inside..
"You may want to take this news with a grain of salt. I know the first time I heard this information I was skeptical. Then I heard it again, and again and again. And now that I've heard the same bit of news from multiple sources / informants / ninjas / tipsters / little birdies I can't help but believe it to be true. So to the best of my knowledge...the BlackBerry KickStart will sell on T-Mobile for $49.99! 50 bucks on a standard 2-yr contract and T-Mobile is apparently aiming for an early-September launch. We've known for a while now that the KickStart will be a low-cost entry into the smartphone market with a real consumer focus (lots of accessories and doodads to dress it up), but I for one wasn't expecting the low-cost to be quite that low. At $50 the KickStart becomes a Palm Centro killer and a viable option to all of those current feature phone users out there looking to upgrade but are not quite ready to endure the $100 - $200+ sticker that is typically attached to a full-blown smartphone. $50 is CHEAP. Let's hope this info holds true as it will mean GREAT things for RIM. As more photos of the KickStart have surfaced in recent weeks, it seems to me that people have become a little less excited about it. This pricing makes it a whole new ball game, so allow me repose the question... At $49.99, is the BlackBerry KickStart a Yay or Nay? Beauty or Beast? "via crackberry.com
"Engadget is reporting late today that Matias Duarte is now employed at Palm and is part of the team driving the design and UI of Nova, Palm's next generation operating system. Matias was formerly the Director of Design, at Danger where he was responsible for the user experience and interface design. He also held a similar position at Helio. According to his public LinkedIn profile, Duarte has been working at Palm since September 2007 and his own job description field is teasingly vague at quote "something new... :-)" Palm CEO Ed Colligan has been talking up Nova for a quite some time now. In the last quarterly conference call he enthusiastically remarked the new system software combined with the new "game changing hardware" designed for it, will usher in a "new era for Palm." The latest hints from executive comments point to a end of year developer unveiling of some kind, with products to follow in early 2009. " via palminfocenter.com
"According to latest reports, Samsung is preparing a new Windows Mobile smartphone, which seems to be aimed at those who leave Web Browsing to the Desktop, given that 3G, nor Wi-Fi is present in the handset. However, everything else you'd expect from a smartphone is still present - the specs are as follows:
Connectivity: Quadband GSM 850/900/1800/1900, with GPRS/EDGE support
OS: Windows Mobile 6.1
Screen: 2.8" QVGA - 320 x 240 touchscreen, with haptic feedback support
Camera: three megapixels
Memory: MicroSDHC slot - up to 4GB supported
Extras: GPS, Bluetooth and USB 2.0 connectivity, FM Radio
"Man, Motorola just can’t keep a lid on anything anymore can they? We’ve got a hold of a phone codenamed the “Napolean” and it’s a CDMA EV-DO Rev. A Q9 with full GSM world roaming capabilities. This even includes the U.S. 850MHz/1900MHz bands! Even though it’s Verizon branded and will launch on Verizon, we loaded in our AT T SIM and away we went. We’ve found the following specs on the phone so far: fingerprint scanner (seriously, on the back), Windows Mobile 6.1, EV-DO Rev. A, quad-band EDGE, 2 megapixel camera with flash, stereo speakers, 320x240 resolution screen, Wi-Fi, and a 1500mAh battery. The keyboard isn’t as good as the first Q9 or Q9m, and the d-pad is incredibly stiff and difficult to use. Sound sounded good though, and the screen seems to be the same as the original Q9s. We’ll keep diggin’, but in the meantime, take a look at a gallery, ok?" More photos here:
"Samsung i900 Omnia and HTC Touch Diamond might differ here and there in specs but no doubt we're talking fine top-of-the-shelf species. Never before have Windows Mobile powered devices been so rich in features without being coyote-ugly (another way of saying TyTN-bulky).It's been a year now since Apple iPhone is out and its ground-breaking user interface took the industry by a storm. Windows Mobile however still fails to pick up the gauntlet thrown by the iPhone so device manufacturers are creating their own customized touch interfaces that don't necessarily require a stylus to make the Microsoft OS a bit more competitive and much more intuitive." Read more here:
"The G810 is no slouch in the specs department. It sports the same Qualcomm MSM7200 processor as the i-mate Ultimate 9502 and HTC TyTN II, running at 400MHz. It has 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM, and has a microSD/HC expansion slot for added memory. The screen is 2.8" and is unfortunately only QVGA resolution. It's a quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900) phone with triband UMTS (850/1900/2100) with HSDPA/HSUPA. That said, it works fine in the US on AT&T or T-Mobile. It also has assisted GPS, WiFi b & g, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, USB 2.0, and FM radio. The rear camera is 3MP with auto focus and LED fill light, and the front camera for video calls is VGA resolution. Powering all of this is a 1530mAh battery." Read more here:
"Zeus Quest is a funny adventure game. Your character is Zeus, the boss of Olympus that returned to earth to save the planet. FEATURES: * Play over 50 different places on the Greek islands. * Interact with many funny characters from the Greek Mythology. * Play many mini games. * Day - night conditions and hidden extras. * Translated into 6 languages. * Brilliant high resolution cartoon graphics. * Compatible with most of the platforms and phones. " More photos of this GREAT game here:
"A great proportion of current smartphone shoppers have already set their minds on the iPhone 3G, says RBC Capital Markets. The investment bank says it ran a survey of some 3,600 members of its Technology Adoption Panel in the aftermath of June 9th's 3G announcement, and found that of those planning to get a smartphone in the next 90 says, 56 percent wanted the new iPhone. RBC notes that this contrasts with a study conducted in March, in which only 35 percent were expecting to buy a new iPhone. In the June results, another 25 percent said they expected to buy a 3G "sometime in the future," more than twice the amount of a similar figure from March. Interest in Apple smartphones is also said to be at least twice that for any other company, including rival Research in Motion, whose BlackBerries attracted only 23 percent of the TAP group. The lower shop price of the iPhone was cited as the main reason for interest, favored by 67 percent of the potential buyers. 3G broadband came in second at 63 percent, while 47 percent chose GPS, 35 percent picked enterprise e-mail, and 20 percent wanted third-party software.More broadly significant may be that the number of people wanting to buy any smartphone has jumped by 10.5 percent, a figure which may reflect a larger potential market. The iPhone's TAM (Total Addressable Market) share is expected to shoot from its 2007 amount of 0.3 percent to 1.7 percent in 2009." via electronista.com
"ACCESS today announced the launch of a beta version of its NetFront Browser Widgets community site, where users can download and try free widgets for mobile devices. Widgets provided on this site can be used after users download and install a free beta version of NetFront Browser Widgets Player, which initially is compatible with Windows Mobile versions 5.0 and 6.0 Professional edition.Widgets are mini applications displayed in small GUI windows on the screen of a handset or consumer electronic device.They can be accessed without having to open the handset’s browser, automatically acquiring and displaying the latest information from the Web. The NetFront Browser Widgets community site provides a variety of widget applications such as maps, weather forecasts and games.“ACCESS will begin providing tools for developers to create their own widgets in the near future,” said Toru Arakawa, CEO, president and co-founder of ACCESS. “By providing a platform for interchange among users and developers, ACCESS will facilitate the development of innovative content based on NetFront Browser Widgets, as well as contribute to the ubiquity of widget culture.”The NetFront Browser Widgets community site is available in English and Japanese at the following URL: http://www.access.co.jp/nfbwc/. A widget player for smartphones using Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition and Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard Edition is planned for the future." via slashphone.com
"We’ve seen Opera 9.5 and Mozilla 3 roll out in the past month. We were really expecting for the mobile versions of these two great browsers. While Fennec from Mozilla will be available somewhere in September, Opera Mobile 9.5 Beta will be launched on July 15th. Simply go to the official site, download it and try it on your mobile.While we have already seen Opera 9.5 mobile versions to work on the HTC Touch Diamond for example, that wasn’t the official Mobile 9.5 release. The guys at Opera want to deliver a browser that will fit with all smartphones out there, which might take some time. So go ahead and try it. It’s a great browser and it simply has to do good on any mobile phone. And in case you were wondering, yes it will be both Symbian S60 and Windows Mobile compatible." via mobilewhack.com
Facebook, Gmail notifier, Orkut, vTap and Yandex.mail notifier are the first new mobile applications ready for you via fring! Thanks to our recently released fringAPI, developers have started creating all kinds of mobile games, tools, services and apps all available via the fring catalog of fringAdd-ons. How do you get it? To get on with fringAdd-ons, restart fring --> go Options --> settings-- > manage add-ons select the ones you want and your favorite apps will be always-on and always mobile via fring Note: 1. fring Add-ons are available for fring on Sony Ericsson - UIQ (More --> Settings --> Manage channels ), Windows Mobile and Nokia Symbian 9 devices. 2. you'll need fring’s latest version - get it here.
" Facing some tough criticism that RIM’s outlook on revenues and profits seem a bit soft, and with the 3G iPhone coming out soon, the BlackBerry-maker made some pretty bold statements today during its earnings conference call, claiming that its strongest time period is still to come. Some details from the call: On the Outlook: In Q2, revenues are expected to fall between $2.55 and $2.65 billion, and net subscriber additions are expected to hit about 2.6 million. Earnings per share for the second quarter are expected to be in the range of $0.84-$0.89 per share diluted. “This will be our strongest second-half ever,” said Jim Balsillie, RIM’s Co-CEO. “It’s a busy time.” On the BlackBerry Bold: There have been some rumors that there may be delays for the high-end device, which has such features as tri-band HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, one gigabyte of memory, a microSD card slot, a topnotch display and faster processor. The rumors weren’t addressed, but the company said: “As we disclosed in May, it will be available this summer with specific launch dates depending on the various carriers. It’s performing well and meeting all the requirements we have with carriers.” Investments: The company said they are investing in a lot of areas. It’s launched a TV campaign to increase brand-name recognition, and they have built two new R&D centers, one in Germany and another in Florida. Together, the two have almost 500 employees, but they have the ability to ramp up to 1,000. On where the market is going: Balsillie: “The market is hollowing out. There’s cheap, cheap, cheap phones and then there’s smartphones connected to a platform.” He said that the game is changing so fast that it’s to time for hyper growth, even if it means sacrificing the company’s margins a bit. “I’m pretty sure we are doing the right thing. Sometimes there’s trade-offs, and sometimes we can’t have our cake and eat it too.” On the iPhone: An analyst asked, is there much overlap between RIM and Apple’s customer base? Balsillie: “Nah, nah, nah...” via moconews.net
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"ACCESS today announced the launch of a beta version of its NetFront Browser Widgets community site, where users can download and try free widgets for mobile devices. Widgets provided on this site can be used after users download and install a free beta version of NetFront Browser Widgets Player, which initially is compatible with Windows Mobile versions 5.0 and 6.0 Professional edition.Widgets are mini applications displayed in small GUI windows on the screen of a handset or consumer electronic device.They can be accessed without having to open the handset’s browser, automatically acquiring and displaying the latest information from the Web. The NetFront Browser Widgets community site provides a variety of widget applications such as maps, weather forecasts and games.“ACCESS will begin providing tools for developers to create their own widgets in the near future,” said Toru Arakawa, CEO, president and co-founder of ACCESS. “By providing a platform for interchange among users and developers, ACCESS will facilitate the development of innovative content based on NetFront Browser Widgets, as well as contribute to the ubiquity of widget culture.”The NetFront Browser Widgets community site is available in English and Japanese at the following URL: http://www.access.co.jp/nfbwc/. A widget player for smartphones using Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition and Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard Edition is planned for the future." via slashphone.com
"We’ve seen Opera 9.5 and Mozilla 3 roll out in the past month. We were really expecting for the mobile versions of these two great browsers. While Fennec from Mozilla will be available somewhere in September, Opera Mobile 9.5 Beta will be launched on July 15th. Simply go to the official site, download it and try it on your mobile.While we have already seen Opera 9.5 mobile versions to work on the HTC Touch Diamond for example, that wasn’t the official Mobile 9.5 release. The guys at Opera want to deliver a browser that will fit with all smartphones out there, which might take some time. So go ahead and try it. It’s a great browser and it simply has to do good on any mobile phone. And in case you were wondering, yes it will be both Symbian S60 and Windows Mobile compatible."
" Facing some tough criticism that RIM’s outlook on revenues and profits seem a bit soft, and with the 3G iPhone coming out soon, the BlackBerry-maker made some pretty bold statements today during its earnings conference call, claiming that its strongest time period is still to come.