Samsung I5700 Galaxy Spica gets official, packs 800Mhz CPU

Samsung I5700 Galaxy Spica, or Galaxy Lite, if you prefer, is official as it gets. Not only is the I5700 the fastest gun in the Android crowd with its 800MHz CPU, but it's also cheaper than the original Samsung Galaxy.

The CPU is interesting because the original Galaxy ran the 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A processor. But with 800MHz the Spica beats even the Acer Liquid, which until now held the crown for speediest CPU in the Android world - a 768MHz Snapdragon. Liquid still has a lead in RAM - 256MB - versus the 128 of both Galaxy phones.

The rest of the features are very close to those of I7500 Galaxy, save for the lack of internal memory and the camera. Galaxy Spica comes with a 3.2MP camera and support for microSD cards up to 32GB instead. The display is the same size at 3.2" (though the press release is mum about whether it's AMOLED and capacitive or not) as is the battery of 1,500mAh. The I5700 is a "Google experience" phone, so it's connected to Google's services.

The Samsung I5700 Galaxy Spica will be available in Russia in November for 1,4000 rubles (320 euro or 480 dollars). There's no word on availability in other locations but it shouldn't be long now.

Windows Mobile 6.5.1 screenshots appear, look more like it

The Windows Mobile 6.5 has been around for less than a month now but Microsoft are already busy preparing an update for it. Good for them as so far nobody is overly excited about their iterative OS upgrade. And from what the leaked screenshots suggest, the next version might actually be good for something.

The new screenshots show that the guys over at Redmond took touch-experience pretty serious this time.

he contacts menu has obviously been completely redesigned and the start menu button is moved to the lower end of the screen rather than the upper. As it seems, the tabbed interface has also been changed with tab indications moved to the top.

This version (be it called 6.5.1 or whatever) is what the 6.5 should have been in the first place. The petty excuse for an upgrade that was presented to us by Microsoft in the beginning of the month hardly delivered on any of the promises made but if any of those mockups are real, things seem to be going in the right direction.

Now what about an official confirmation and some availability terms announcement? With WinMo 7 coming next year it can't be too far away now, can it?

Motorola Zeppelin spotted, runs Android, has HDMI output

Motorola obviously are expanding their Android portfolio in all directions with China being one of them. The leaked images of a prototype called Zeppelin show a full touch phone with a 5 megapixel camera and dual mode dual SIM networking.

The new Motorola Zeppelin appeared on a Chinese (what else) website and show some intriguing features. The Zeppelin is supposed to have a 3.1-inch touchscreen with 480 x 320 pixel resolution, 5 megapixel snapper with LED flash, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, HSPA capabilities, FM radio and HDMI output.

Nokia taking on Apple in Court

Nokia have obviously had some grudges with Apple ever since the iPhone was introduced in 2007 and now they're even going to court. The reason - well, Apple have used some of Nokia's GSM, UMTS and WLAN patented technologies in all of the three generations of the iPhone, but they seem to be refusing to pay any licensing fees.

During the last two decades, Nokia has invested approximately EUR 40 billion in research and development and built one of the wireless industry's strongest and broadest IPR portfolios, with over 10,000 patent families. Nokia is a world leader in the development of GSM technologies and its evolution to UMTS / 3G WCDMA as well as wireless LAN, which is also demonstrated by Nokia's strong patent position in these technologies.

As far as we understand, the technologies in question are not a trade secret, but rather fundamental GSM, UMTS and WLAN standards, the establishment of which has taken Nokia quite some R&D time and resources. The use of these technologies has been licensed (for a fee) to all other mobile phone manufacturers since making a modern GSM handset is obviously impossible without using some of those standards (as Nokia claim).

So it's either Apple playing naughty here or their R&D department has come up with some exciting new technology that no one knows about.

Nokia 7705 Twist

Theb Nokia 7705 Twist is a cute swivel QWERTY phone. It comes with

• 3-megapixel camera
• 2.4-inch, 262K TFT QVGA screen EV-DO Rev. 0
  
• 2.5 mm headset jack
• Bluetooth
• HTML browser
• Built-in mirror
• “Post to Blogs” feature and Compatible with services including VZ NavigatorSM
• V CAST Music with Rhapsody
• V CAST Video
• Visual Voice Mail
• Mobile Broadband Connect and Corporate Email.

Samsung AMOLED 12M

Samsung, 12-megapixel cameraphone, officially announced its name - Samsung AMOLED 12M (SCH-W880). This has 12mega pixel camera and phone. AMOLED 12M is a two in one device.

Camera
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AMOLED comes with 12 megapixel, flash, 3-fold optical zoom, image stabilization, face recognition function and video recording (720p, 30 frames / s).

Connection
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AMOLED supports UMTS / HSDPA, has a 3,3-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display (800 x 480), the availability of slots for cards microSD, and, of course, the joys of life such as Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth.

Apparently, the device will be used interface TouchWiz. About the price of a camera phone is still unknown, but the timing of it for sale called - this is October of this year.

HTC Touch Diamond2 Applications and stuffs

The HTC Touch Diamond2 comes with plenty of preloaded applications - the essentials are already installed, which means you can start using it straight away. There's the regular stuff such as an RSS Reader, a YouTube application and a Streaming Media manager. The MP3 trimmer app from the previous Diamond is missing however.

As we've come to expect from HTC, their admirable Task Manager comes preinstalled. It blends in with the TouchFLO 3D interface seamlessly and is convenient for switching between open apps or stopping them (not that there's any shortage of RAM, but still).

The Task Manager is available, as always in the top right corner of the homescreen. You can also access it through the settings menu, which comes in handy since an application's close button replaces the Task Switcher button. This does hamper its task-switching ability a little and we'd have liked to see a more elegant solution to the problem.

The RSS Hub app is an RSS reader for staying up-to-date with the latest news and content at your favorite web places. The Streaming Media manager allows access to custom sources of streaming audio and video.

Another thing that has become a part of the HTC experience is the well-known Teeter game. The game is simple - by tilting the phone, you must guide a ball to an end point avoiding holes along the way. The graphics are polished and accurate vibrations each time your ball hits the walls of the maze make it very fun to play.

The YouTube application is here again. It offers a fluid, excellent looking interface - shinier than even the iPhone's.

Developers have had plenty of time to adapt their applications to WVGA resolution thanks to the Touch HD.

Another application is the rather handy Search software, capable of searching throughout applications and the whole file system. You have the option to set filters so that the application searches only in the places you need.

HTC Touch Diamond2 GPS

The HTC Touch Diamond2 features a built-in GPS receiver - it's the Qualcomm gpsOne chipset, which comes along with the Qualcomm 7200A platform.

The Diamond2 supports the Assisted-GPS technology, commonly known as A-GPS. It means you can download current satellite data over Wi-Fi or the 2G/3G network for a much faster satellite lock.

The Diamond2 comes with Google Maps. With a more advanced GPS app installed, the handset can easily replace your dedicated GPS navigation unit thanks to the large screen. Given the huge pixel count, a lot more of the map gets displayed on screen at the same zoom level.

Chipset sensitivity of the HTC Touch Diamond2 seems to be on the faster side when it comes to getting an initial satellite lock. Overall, we're pretty happy with the sensitivity of the gpsOne chipset.

HTC Touch 2 First communicator on Windows Mobile 6.5 1

High Tech Computer (HTC) has officially announced the launch of the smartphone HTC Touch2 (T3333) with a full touch screen control, which is one of the first products of this kind, using as an operating system platform for new Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional. In terms of functionality debutant refers to the apparatus of the middle class and, if it is relatively inexpensive, may well be a massive decision. The device is made in the form of an elegant design monoblock without alphanumeric keyboard and is equipped with a proprietary user interface TouchFLO.

This product specifications look so ...

• Ability to work in networks WCDMA / HSPA (900/2100 MHz) and GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Processor Qualcomm MSM7225 CPU running at 528 MHz
• 512 MB of ROM memory and 256 MB of memory RAM
• Slot for removable storage standard microSD
• 2.8-inch touch screen TFT-display with QVGA-resolution;
• Integrated GPS-receiver
• Modules Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (A2DP) and Wi-Fi 802.11b / g
• 3.5-mm jack for connecting the headphone jack and HTC ExtUSB
• Mounted 3.2-megapixel digital camera
• Built-in media player, which operates the formats AAC / AAC + / eAAC + / AMR-NB/QCP/MP3/WMA/WAV/MIDI/M4A and WMV/ASF/MP4/3GP/3G2/M4V/AVI
• Lithium-Ion Battery 1100 mAh, a charge which is enough for 370 (WCDMA) / 440 (GSM) minutes of continuous negotiations, or 500 (WCDMA) / 370 (GSM) hours of autonomous operation in standby mode

Overall dimensions are 104 x 55 x 12.9 mm; Weight is 110 g.

HTC Touch Diamond2 Design

A side by side comparison to the original HTC Touch Diamond reveals that the Diamond2 has grown a few millimeters in every direction. The biggest difference is in height and thickness, at 107.9mm, the Diamond2 is visibly taller than its predecessor, which stands at only 102mm, and it's quite noticeably thicker at 13.7 vs 11.5 mm.

The front panel is dominated by the 3.2" screen of the exciting WVGA resolution. Riding on the immense pixel-to-inch ratio, the Diamond2 offers remarkable picture quality.

The Diamond2 has 22% more screen area than the first Diamond but it has 25% more pixels so the sharp and vibrant picture is even better than the original.

Above the display we find the earpiece, the ambient light sensor and the secondary video-call camera plus the LED status light.

Then at the bottom, we find four hardware keys and the touch-sensitive zoom bar.

The back key is a nice addition to recent HTC devices getting you one screen back wherever you are in the Diamond interface. Simple though it might sound it's a definite boost to user-friendliness.

The zoom bar has basically the same functionality as the touch-sensitive overlay of the original Diamond's scroll wheel. It can be used on images, web pages, messages, and doubles as a music control. We are delighted with the response of the zoom bar, which works like a charm in the image gallery.

On the left side of the Diamond2 we find the volume rocker, which is long enough but a bit to slim for our taste.

The bottom features the miniUSB port for connecting the data cable, charger and the headphones. The other thing to note here is the stylus compartment, which unfortunately isn't magnetic this time.

The stylus of the Diamond2 however is still active so it will wake the phone up automatically when pulled out.

The backside of the Diamond2, as we mentioned, is a lot plainer than the original Diamond. Considering that WinMo-fans are mostly into functionality, sacrificing some of the appeal in favor of practicality may be considered a good trade.

The only thing to see at the back of the Diamond2 is the 5 megapixel camera lens. There is no flash whatsoever, so low-light shooting with this handset is pretty much out of the question.

Opening the battery cover reveals the upgraded 1100 mAh Li-ion battery that powers the HTC Touch Diamond2. 200 mAh more capacity has are supposed to cover the larger and higher-res screen but as one might imagine it hardly does wonders.

It managed about 15 minutes of telephony, an hour of using the other phones features plus three days on standby, which is passable. When put under heavy pressure it can last for a day tops, but considering how things go with recent phones, that's perhaps OK.

The other thing of interest under the hood is the microSD card slot, which is at the right hand side of the handset next to the stylus. While you will need to remove the cover every time you change the card, the hot-swap support is all there.

HTC Touch Diamond2 Accessories

You get a one-piece handsfree but, considering the lack of a standard audio jack on the device, this is hardly an issue as you most probably won't be replacing the headphones.

The other included accessories are a miniUSB cable and a charger with a supplied adapter. It is certainly cheaper to make different adapters than different chargers.

Finally, the Touch Diamond2 retail box will welcome you with a quick start guide and a CD with the syncing software required - nothing you cannot download off the internet anyway.

As you have probably noticed, the big one out is a microSD card. Without a card the HTC Touch Diamond2 is well short of adequate storage, so a trip to the nearest store will be a must for potential adopter.

HTC Touch Diamond2

The HTC Touch Diamond2 outdoes its predecessor with a larger and higher-res screen, a vastly superior camera and more RAM. The TouchFLO 3D UI has also been improved and now covers the underlying Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional OS from tip to toe. Sounds like a decent update with a keen eye on the competition too, which is getting stiffer by the day.

It is only recently that Windows Mobile fans are receiving the treatment they deserve after years of undeserved exile. The WinMo devices are no longer stigmatized as ugly bricks with awkward handling and HTC are one of the main agents of this change. The HTC Touch Diamond was one of the most complete devices and its stand-out styling earned it well deserved popularity.

Key features:

• 3.2" 65K-color WVGA display
• Latest TouchFLO 3D
• Qualcomm MSM7200A 528 Mhz CPU and 288 MB RAM
• Dedicated graphics chip (64MB RAM reserved for graphics)
• Quad-band GSM support
• 3G with HSDPA 7.2Mbps and HSUPA 2Mbps
• Wi-Fi and built-in GPS receiver
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• 5 MP auto focus camera with excellent image quality
• microSD card slot
• Touch-sensitive zoom bar
• MS Office Mobile document editor
• Opera 9.5 web browser
• Standard miniUSB slot and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• Teeter game
• Great audio quality
• YouTube client
• Excellent video playback

Main disadvantages:

• Fingerprint nightmare
• Average sunlight legibility
• Questionable build quality
• No TV out port
• No standard 3.5mm audio jack
• No magnetic stylus

iPod Touch Upgrades Hardware and Lowers Price

Apple has made several hardware enhancements to the iPod Touch while lowering the price point on all models.

The new iPod Touch will be available in 8GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions. All three versions will ship with the new iPhone 3.1 software update. The new 32GB and 64GB models are 50% faster than the previous iPod touch and feature much of the same technology behind the iPhone 3GS.

The other standard features: multi-touch display, 3.5-inch widescreen glass display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a built-in accelerometer and speaker remain the same. The iPod Touch will be priced competitively at $199.99 for the 8GB Touch, $299.99 for the 32GB Touch, and $399.99 for the 64GB Touch.

Apple Announces a Refresh of the iPod Nano

Apple announced a refresh to their iPod Nano product line. The new iPod Nano adds: a video camera, mic, speaker, FM radio with live pause, larger screen, pedometer, and anodized aluminum finish.

One of the more exciting new features is the FM Radio with live pause. According to Apple.com: “The new FM tuner lets you see the names of songs and artists. And two amazing features — iTunes Tagging and Live Pause — make listening to the radio nothing like listening to the radio.”

The new iPod Nano will be available in an 8GB Model for $149 and a 16GB model for $179.

Nokia Announces N900 Internet Tablet

Nokia has officially announced the forthcoming launch of the Nokia N900 Internet Tablet after weeks of speculation.

The N900 will be the first device powered by Nokia’s Linux-based Maemo 5 software platform, with the manufacturer describing the platform’s main purpose to address different markets despite the obvious dangers of marketplace fragmentation and perceived lack of development focus with the recent announcement of its Windows based netbook.

The N900 features quad-band GSM/EDGE, 900/1700/2100MHz UMTS/HSPA support, a 3.5-inch 800×480 pixel widescreen touch display, sliding QWERTY keyboard, 32GB of internal storage expandable to 48GB via microSDHC expansion slot, GPS/A-GPS support via internal transceiver, FM transmitter, TV output, Bluetooth 2.1 with stereo audio support, Wi-Fi radio and 5.0 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash.

Publish Post

The device also features the ARM Cortex-A8 embedded systyem on a chip which also powers the Palm Pre and iPhone 3GS, 1GB of application memory and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration.