The Next Generation Wireless Disclosure Act, as it is called, will have carriers publish details on their minimum 4G speeds, their coverage, and their network reliability. Eshoo wants to create a standard framework of what 4G really means, at least at this moment in time, and ensure that consumers understand what they sign up for.

The International Telecomunications Union (ITU) had originally defined true 4G as being a theoretical peak of 100Mbps, which only some LTE networks can reach. And so far, only LTE-Advanced and WiMAX 2 are formally certified as 4G. And although no consumer 4G connections ever reach this number in the real world where other factors can cause a large variation in speeds, the term was abused by T-Mobile and AT&T to mean significantly slower speeds that are essentially enhanced 3G networks.

T-Mobile was first to start calling its enhanced 3G network, dubbed HSPA+, as 4G. Following suit, was AT&T, which released several so-called “4G” devices earlier this year that did not even meet HSPA+/HSUPA speeds. The devices included the Atrix 4G and the Inspire 4G. Customers complaint of capped speeds only to get a response from AT&T that the device did not support HSUPA uplink speeds. This was dubious since HSPA+ support usually means support for HSUPA. The carrier later admitted that it was simply not enabled. Sadly for consumers, the Infuse 4G was the first “HSPA+ enabled device on launch” from AT&T after months of defining 4G as HSPA+ and already selling so-called 4G devices.

[via CNET]

Verizon has unquestionably been able to put up the fastest 4G speeds on its 4G LTE network, with the Thunderbolt, and now the Droid Charge. We will see as we do the full review of the Infuse 4G how its speeds stack up. We have high hopes for the Infuse, with its huge Super AMOLED screen, and super thin construction. But not all 4G flavors are created equally, and the proof will be in the speed tests.

The display and the slimline chassis are the two most obvious elements, and indeed the Infuse 4G is a combination of several well-esteemed Samsung devices of recent weeks. Just as on the Galaxy S II and DROID Charge, the Super AMOLED Plus – with its 50-percent extra sub-pixels – is eye-searingly bright, color saturated and clear. It may not run at qHD resolution but its WVGA is crisp and smooth.

Physical design is much in line with the Galaxy S II, a narrow slice of handset with only a slight lip on the bottom rear edge to spoil the lines. It’s plastic, but the build is sturdy and creak-free. Gone is the GSII’s physical Home button, to make room for an all-touch row of four Android keys – menu, home, back and search – while up next to the earpiece is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.

Unfortunately the Infuse 4G runs Android 2.2 out of the box – complete with TouchWiz – so there’s no Gtalk video call support to actually take advantage of that camera. We’ll have to wait for Samsung and AT&T to upgrade the smartphone to Android 2.4 before we can end our reliance on third-party video calling apps like Qik and Fring.

The 1.2GHz Hummingbird processor may not be the dual-core of the GSII but it’s still enough to keep Froyo moving swiftly. Android looks impressive blown up to 4.5-inches, though we can imagine the Infuse 4G will be too big for many users. We’ll have to wait to see how well AT&T’s HSPA+ network performs when we have more time with a review unit; previously we’ve not been as impressed as with Verizon’s LTE, though both carriers are pumping investment into boosting speed.

In all, we can’t really argue that Samsung isn’t on a roll right now. The Galaxy S II is a masterful flagship, the DROID Charge managed to skirt the line between LTE performance and reasonable battery life, and now the AT&T Infuse 4G is offering its own combination of that unique Super AMOLED Plus screen quality paired with a super-thin build. We’ll have to put it through its paces in a full SlashGear review to be sure it’s top-quality, of course, so for now enjoy the hands-on gallery and video from today’s launch.

Samsung INFUSE 4G unboxing and quick hands-on

DALLAS, May 5, 2011 — AT&T* and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S., today announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Infuse™ 4G.

Key Facts
• Exclusive to AT&T customers, the Samsung Infuse 4G will be the nation’s thinnest 4G smartphone at 8.99mm at its thinnest.
• Delivers the largest display in AT&T’s smartphone portfolio with a brilliant 4.5-inch screen featuring next-generation Super AMOLED™ Plus technology.
• Powered by a 1.2 GHz processor and the Android™ 2.2 platform, the Samsung Infuse 4G also boasts an 8-megapixel camera, and a $25 credit to download movie content from Samsung Media Hub.
• Pre-loaded version of Angry Birds features an exclusive hidden level for Infuse 4G customers.
• Samsung Infuse 4G will be available in AT&T company-owned stores and online at www.wireless.att.com on May 15 and will cost $199.99 with a two-year contract and no mail-in rebate. (Minimum $15 data plan required)

Customer Benefits
The Samsung Infuse 4G will be the thinnest 4G smartphone available in the U.S. and will feature the largest screen — at 4.5 inches — in AT&T’s smartphone lineup, and the largest touch screen on any Samsung phone. Powered by a 1.2 GHz application processor and running the Android 2.2 platform, the device delivers a brilliant display using Samsung’s next-generation Super AMOLED™ Plus technology which features 50 percent more sub-pixels for better contrast. The display also offers unmatched outdoor viewing quality, even in the brightest sunlight.

With the Infuse 4G, Samsung and AT&T are raising the stakes on pre-loaded content that is not available on any other device. In collaboration with Rovio, the Infuse 4G will feature a special edition of Angry Birds pre-loaded on the smartphone. Players can unlock a special “Golden Egg” level of the game, and once the special level is completed, users can register to win Samsung prizes exclusive to Infuse 4G users.**

The smartphone also includes an 8-megapixel camera/camcorder with auto-focus and flash that shoots HD video with incredible detail. A front facing camera is perfect for self portraits or video chat. Customers can also watch hit movies and TV shows from preloaded apps like Samsung Media Hub, U-verse Mobile and U-verse Live TV.

The first 500,000 Infuse 4G units sold will include a $25 voucher for consumers to get started on downloading content from Media Hub. With Media Hub’s progressive downloading feature, users can start watching their content almost immediately as the rest of the file downloads to the Infuse 4G. Plus, all Media Hub content can be shared among five Media Hub-enabled devices on the same account. The Infuse 4G also comes with a 2GB microSD card with preloaded trailers for upcoming summer movies.

Compatible with the Infuse 4G and other devices on the Android 2.2 platform or better, AT&T has also launched a new, fun app called JustUs. The app combines both social media and text activity from five favorite contacts into an animated wallpaper, keeping users better connected with those that matter most. Customers can download the app for free in Android Market today.

Quotes
“The 4.5-inch screen on Infuse 4G is enhanced further with Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus technology. Colors are rich and bright, even while outdoors in sunlight,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “When you juxtapose that with the fact that it’s the thinnest 4G smartphone out there today, it’s an incredibly compelling choice for our customers.”

“When you combine the powerful 1.2 GHz application processor with AT&T’s advanced 4G network, this device will truly be the fastest smartphone Samsung has ever created with AT&T,” said Omar Khan, chief technology officer & chief product officer for Samsung Mobile. “The Infuse 4G is our latest example of Samsung’s global leadership in Android platform smartphones. With every Android smartphone that we launch, we’re bringing something new and exciting to the market.”

Smartphone Portfolio
AT&T is a pioneer in smartphones and devices and expects to widen its portfolio in 2011. In January, AT&T committed to introducing 20 4G devices and 12 additional Android devices by the end of the year. Samsung Infuse 4G will be one of several new 4G devices that have been offered to AT&T customers in the first half of 2011.

Samsung Infuse 4G Accessories
To prepare for the arrival of the Samsung Infuse 4G in AT&T stores, the company has prepared a robust lineup of 14 fashionable and functional accessories including multiple case options, a vehicle mount and desk mount. All accessories are available in AT&T company-owned stores and online at www.wireless.att.com. For more details on the lineup visit www.att.com/mobilephones-news.

Key Specifications
• Android™ 2.2 platform
• 4G: HSDPA CAT 14 and HSUPA CAT 6
• 8.9 mm to 9.24mm thin
• UMTS 850/1900/2100
• GSM 850/900/1800/1900
• 1.2 GHz processor
• 4.5-inch Super AMOLED™ Plus screen
• 8-megapixel camera with HD 720p video camera and 1.3-megapixel front facing camera
• Virtual QWERTY keyboard
• Expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD card
• Text/Picture and Video Messaging support
• Samsung Media Hub, U-verse Mobile, U-verse Live TV, and Angry Birds

To learn more about the Samsung Infuse™ 4G, visit www.att.com/mobilephones-news, www.att.com/infuse4G or www.samsung.com/mobile.

“A smartphone generates 24 times the mobile data traffic of a conventional wireless phone, and the explosively popular iPad and similar tablet devices can generate traffic comparable to or even greater than a smartphone. AT&T’s mobile data volumes surged by a staggering 8,000% from 2007 to 2010, and as a result, AT&T faces network capacity constraints more severe than those of any other wireless provider,” reads the filing statement.

AT&T then goes on to say that the T-Mobile deal “will thus benefit consumers by reducing the number of dropped and blocked calls, increasing data speeds, improving in-building coverage, and dramatically expanding deployment of next-generation mobile technology.”

This surely explains why a bunch of new HSPA+ devices including the HTC Inspire 4G, Atrix 4G, and the Samsung Focus experience data speed throttling. The first device we reported experiencing capped data speeds was the HTC Inspire 4G. AT&T must have been trying to cover up their network deficiencies by claiming that the device was not enabled for HSUPA upload speeds, when the HSPA+ chipset of the device supports HSUPA. And most recently it happened again with the Samsung Focus.

[via Business Insider]

Updated after the cut with AT&T comment

It seems that, for one reason or another, AT&T doesn’t want its users to hammer the new HSPA+ network and so has been systematically blocking HSUPA uploads from each of its devices. The Focus was the one handset which didn’t have the artificial limitation.

Ironically, while it’s taken AT&T months to get this blip of success in their otherwise dreary HSUPA line-up addressed, it’s only taken days for a fix to emerge from WPCentral. AT&T is yet to comment publicly about the move; we’ll update if we get a comment.

Update: AT&T tells us that the accusations are incorrect: the Focus never had HSUPA to begin with. We’re not sure where that leaves users who, after applying the WPCentral tweaks, have seen significantly higher upload speeds following the installation of the NoDo update.

Update 2: AT&T suggests that, if users have rooted their Focus prior to the NoDo update and enabled HSUPA themselves (the hardware is capable of it, even if AT&T released the phone with it disabled) then that might account for the change in speeds observed after the update is installed.

The FCC Class II Permissive Change filing document is dated March 8, but Test Reports from the FCC were not sent back to HTC until March 23, which may partially explain the long delay of getting the HTC Inspire 4G up to speed. The filing approves HSUPA and HSUPA+ connections for the device.

HTC Inspire 4G users can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that an update is on its way that should uncap data speeds for the device to enjoy its true 4G potential. However, when exactly this software update may be released is still uncertain.

[via Android Community]

“We have a number of HSUPA devices today and we will have more HUSPA-enabled devices in the future—new devices and updates to existing models,” reads the statement received by BGR from an AT&T spokesperson. The statement is very vague and does not specifically mention the Inspire 4G or the Atrix 4G, but considering that these are two popular 4G devices currently have the most complaints on the lack of HSUPA upload data speeds, it may very well be addressing them with “updates to existing models.”

It is not clear why AT&T chose to limit these 4G devices to HSDPA while allowing the iPhone 4 to have HSUPA upload speeds. With the statement above, Inspire 4G and Atrix 4G owners may find some relief knowing that an update is likely coming that should release the capped data speeds on their devices.

[via BGR]

AT&T sources claim that the HTC Inspire 4G does not have HSUPA. This is contrary to what other sources from Engadget believe stating that it is very rare for an HSPA+ chipset to not support HSUPA. Sources from the site believe that a firmware update for the device would enable HSUPA.

If the latter claim is true, it is uncertain why the feature is not enabled. AT&T has yet to respond with further information other than their initial denial that the device was not capable of supporting HSUPA.

[via Electronista]

Of course, that’s probably because LG have readied at least one other Windows Phone 7 device for the North American market, the C900, which has been spotted with AT&T branding.  According to an earlier listing at the Bluetooth SIG, the C900 will come in three variants and be released in most territories.

Unfortunately the GCF isn’t saying much else beyond what bands the E900 supports, and so we’re still in the dark regarding a concrete launch date.  Most recently we’ve heard talk of Windows Phone 7 making its official debut on October 11th.

[via the::unwired]

“AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent jointly identified a software defect — triggered under certain conditions – that impacted uplink performance for Laptop Connect and smartphone customers using 3G HSUPA-capable wireless devices in markets with Alcatel-Lucent equipment. This impacts less than two percent of our wireless customer base. While Alcatel-Lucent develops the appropriate software fix, we are providing normal 3G uplink speeds and consistent performance for affected customers with HSUPA-capable devices.”

No timescale for the fix has been given, nor details on the exact nature of the problem or which “certain conditions” might cause its development.  Users in NYC, Central Jersey, Boston, Orlando, Seattle, South Jersey/Philly, Columbus, Cleveland, West Houston, Phoenix, Northern Colorado, St. Paul/Minesota, Suffolk County/Long Island, Quad Cities, South Jersey, Denver, Detroit Metro, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Fairfax and Minneapolis all reported seeing upload speed issues.

And, lucky for Cerevo, it’s the first digital camera to do so. The Japan-based Cerevo is happy with their new camera, which they’ve lovingly called the Cerevo Cam Live!. Owners will be able to livestream video from the camera, which will then be put on Ustream’s site, without having to upload from a PC or any other piece of hardware. Video will be streamed through the CIF, 352×288 reoslution, format, and the battery at a full charge will give you about two hours of livestream energy.

The best feature, though, is the fact that the Cam Live! will shoot videos in HD (1,280×720), WVGA (800×480), VGA (640×480), and “WEB” (320×240). And just in case you’re not a fan of options when you get done shooting a movie, or taking some snapshots, you’ll be able to let the camera upload to YouTube automatically. Physical feature wise, you’re still looking at a 9MP CMOS sensor, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 3G HSUPA, a MicroSD card slot, USB port, and a 2.4-inch LCD display. And while the original was only sold in Japan, Cerevo plans to go international with the Cam Live! starting this Summer.

[via CrunchGear]

Alternatively, the Airlife 100 can be had for €300 ($397) with a cheaper, €39 per month plan ($52).  Both plans seem to come with unlimited on-device data access, with the difference being the sorts of speeds you can expect: up to 10Mbps downlink on the €49 tariff, or up to 7Mbps on the €39 tariff.

As for the smartbook itself, that comes with 16GB of SSD storage, WiFi and GPS, together with a webcam and a battery HP reckon will last up to 12hrs.  For more, check out our hands-on preview.

HP Compaq Airlife 100 demo:

[via Carrypad]

HTC Legend unboxing:

Specifications-wise, the Legend marks some key changes over the Hero and some points where we wish HTC had been a little more forthright. The Legend has a 3.2-inch HVGA display, like the Hero, but this time around it’s an AMOLED panel rather than LCD. Similarly, there’s a 5-megapixel autofocus camera, but now it has an LED flash. Where the Hero used a 528MHz chipset, the Legend gets Qualcomm’s 600MHz MSM7227; a speed increase, yes, but short of the 1GHz Snapdragon on the Google Nexus One and HTC’s own Desire.

In fact, there’s a feeling that HTC are pushing the Legend into the mid-range market, rather than aiming for the flagship status the Hero once occupied. We can’t argue the strategy – however much we generally prefer faster processors – and nor can we argue what the Legend brings to its new tier. Most notable is the construction: gone is the Hero’s Teflon-coated plastic, with a new, unibody aluminum casing taking its place. HTC describes their latest design focus as “hidden power”, but with the Legend it’s anything but disguised: by carving the phone’s casing out of a solid block of metal, they’ve been able to do away with a separate outer shell and thus make the whole thing smaller than the smartphone it replaces.

The only plastic to be found is the camera surround – punctuated with holes for the speaker grill – and the battery compartment door, which doubles as the antenna. The row of buttons under the display are also plastic, and they’re the sole point on the Legend where the quality doesn’t feel 100-percent; instead they’re a little too clicky, a little too plasticky. Everywhere else is soft-touch and sturdy, and the Legend feels great in the hand.

Gone, too, is the Hero’s trackball, replaced by an optical joystick. It takes a little getting used to – stroking it from side to side to navigate homescreens or tabs – but once you’re familiar it actually feels more accurate than the trackball ever did. That’s partly because there’s less chance of sideways-slip when you press in to select. As before there are seven homescreen panes and a variety of HTC’s own widgets to fill them with; you can also save various “Scenes”, with layouts and wallpapers suited to different times of day or activity. Not all of HTC’s widgets are loaded by default – there’s a “Get more” shortcut at the top of the list, with things like a tip calculator and a “Daily Challenge” – and we’re hoping that means the company are planning to push out new examples periodically. Panning between panes is swift and lag-free, even if they’re loaded up with widgets, and of course there’s the new – and incredibly addictive – “helicopter view”, which shows Exposé-style thumbnails of all seven panes when you pinch-zoom on the homescreen.

HTC Legend video demo:

Since the Legend runs Android 2.1 and the newest build of HTC Sense, there are several software changes to be discovered. That includes the newer version of the Android Market, complete with screenshot previews, something Hero owners are still waiting for. Still, the biggest improvements are HTC’s own. Unlike the partial Exchange support in Android 2.1, the Legend can sync not only Mail and Contacts but Calendar entries as well. HTC’s own Mail app has had a makeover and now has useful tabs to show not only messages and conversations, but pull out messages from your preset VIPs, unread-only, those flagged, meeting invitations and those with attachments. Where Nexus One owners looking to use Exchange have often had to resort to third-party apps from the Android Market, that’s unlikely to be the case with the HTC Legend.

HTC’s Calendar app has also been tweaked, with a new Agenda view that pulls appointments and reminders into a single list, rather than demanding you navigate by month or date. You can also put an Agenda widget on the homescreen. The other big change, however, comes in how HTC now manage social networks; while the first-gen of Sense added Facebook, Twitter and Flickr updates to individual contacts, there was no way of seeing all recent updates from everybody. Only HTC Peep – their own Twitter client – had such a view.

Now, though, there’s Friend Stream, which pulls together all three services into one view (and a homescreen widget too). As with MOTOBLUR you can update your Facebook status and Twitter from one single point; like the various tabs for drilling-down through messages in the Mail app, Friend Stream has separate tabs for viewing status updates only, just photos or just links. Of course you can still view each contact’s updates separately, or just use Peep for Twitter, but we’re glad to now have the choice. Still, it’d be great to see HTC commit to adding more social networks to their roster, like Motorola have been doing; there are still plenty of people wanting MySpace and LinkedIn, for instance.

There’s also a new copy/paste system which links in neatly to Wikipedia, Google Dictionary and Google Translate. Tapping and holding on a word calls up a small magnifier window and highlights that word; letting go allows you either to drag extender bars to enlarge the selection, or tap to copy it, share it via whatever methods are installed (Mail, Messages and Peep as default, with the Legend automatically URL shortening if necessary), or pushing it over to the look-up services. There, three tabs offer dictionary definitions, various language translations and Wikipedia’s mobile site. Our only one frustration is that, once you’re in the look-up pane, you can’t then tap-and-hold to search for a word in those three tabs; it only offers you the ability to copy that text.

Optics have never been HTC’s strongest point, and the Legend’s camera isn’t a huge step up from that of the Hero. Daylight shots are actually pretty reasonable, with the autofocus quick to snap into order and pressing the optical joystick easier than trying to do the same with the Hero’s trackball. Less impressive, frankly, is the LED flash. HTC told us ahead of the Legend’s launch that they’re currently finding that LEDs can produce just as good results as Xenon flashes but, whether or not you believe that, like other LED-equipped phones we’ve tested it has a tendency either to wash out or under-illuminate the subject. There’s a definite sweet-spot, and it’s a narrow one; particularly frustrating are close-up shots and, as you can see from those in the gallery below, while the Legend was capable of producing a decent shot of a Nexus One while naturally lit, relying on the flash resulted in a seriously washed-out photo. To be fair this is something that affects most camera phones, so we can’t especially blame HTC.

Speaking of Flash, while we were led to believe that the Legend wouldn’t support Flash Lite – unlike the Hero – in actual fact the customized browser does indeed display Flash animations and games. There’s also multitouch support, for pinch-zoom (something not shared by Google Maps), and the usual tabbed browsing. Text-reflowing is impressively quick: a double-tap on a block of writing will automatically zoom in and instantly reflow the paragraph for single-screen reading. We’ve had no problems with flipping from portrait to landscape orientation, and complex websites have rendered with no errors as far as we can see. While the Legend’s display may not be as expansive as that of the Desire, the combination of reflowing, intuitive zooming and overall speed go a long way to overcoming that limitation.

In fact, speed is generally pretty impressive across the board. Our concerns at the relatively minor bump in chipset were founded on repeated complaints about the Hero suffering lag; that’s something HTC have obviously worked hard to code out of the Legend. There’s a little pause as you move between tabs in data-heavy apps like Mail – as the phone pulls out only those messages flagged, for instance, or with attachments – but otherwise it’s slick and smooth. Loaded up with push email, various social networking accounts and media, the Legend does an admirable job of keeping up, and that’s no small relief.

Call quality is good, though we miss the dual-microphone array found on the Google Nexus One. We had no trouble finding and sticking to an HSPA connection, either, with the Legend supporting up to 7.2Mbps downloads and 2Mbps uploads, network depending. Short-sighted, though, is HTC’s decision to limit HSPA/WCDMA support to the European/Asia Pacifit 900/2100MHz bands; while you’ll be able to use EDGE data in most places (the Legend is quadband GSM) you’ll have no luck, say, getting 3G in North America. We understand that’s probably to allow HTC to differentiate their global range, but it’s frustrating nonetheless. Of course, there’s also WiFi b/g (along with Bluetooth 2.1+EDR) for faster connections when you’re around a suitable hotspot.

Given our relatively limited time with the Legend, we haven’t had the opportunity to fully test out its power management. HTC quote up to 440 minutes WCMDA talktime or 490 minutes GSM talktime from the 1,300mAh battery, or up to 560hrs WCDMA standby or 440hrs GSM standby. From what time we’ve had, we’d expect this to be another case of a charge-nightly device, especially if you have push-email and social network updates turned on. One of HTC’s optional widgets is a 1×1 battery meter you can put on your desktop, which is a more telling way to gauge how much runtime you have left.

It’s saying a lot that, when we reviewed the Hero just eight months ago, we had to go pretty much back to basics to explain Android as a platform, but today there’s no such requirement. The standard music player is still uninspiring, and we’re hoping HTC turn their Sense amendments to that next, given Google themselves seem reluctant to do anything about it; still, we’ll take the FM radio they’ve added (which requires a wired headset in order to work) as a start. The jump from Android 1.5 on the Hero to Android 2.1 on the Legend is a sizeable one, though of course HTC are promising a reasonably imminent firmware update that should bring the Hero up to speed. That’s expected to include Android 2.1 Eclair together with many – but not all – of the new Sense functionality.

It’s a long-overdue release, and something Hero owners have been anticipating for some time; it’s also a moderate cause for concern for those considering the HTC Legend. As we’ve increasingly seen with manufacturer-modified Android devices – not just from HTC, but other companies as well – there’s a potential for delay involved when you start modifying the core OS. The Hero has been left languishing with Android 1.5 because of the effort its taken bringing Sense up to speed with newer versions of the platform, something initially tipped to be ready late last year.

HTC Legend durability test:

Now, as we’d say with any device, you should always choose a new gadget because it satisfies your needs now, today, out of the box, rather than because it may get some new feature however many months down the line. Still, one of the attractions of Android is undoubtedly its potential for upgrade and the relative speed at which Google are pushing out new iterations. HTC have again pledged to support the Legend with new firmware as and when possible, but it’s up to the would-be buyer to decide whether they’re willing to take the risk of possible delays.

Nonetheless, even if it remained as it is today, the HTC Legend is an impressive device. It no longer occupies the top-spot in HTC’s Android range – the imminent Desire will take that position – but it’s arguably more attractive and pocket-friendly than its sibling. HTC have made some clever, thoughtful enhancements with Sense – Friend Stream and the look-up functionality come particularly to mind – and in doing so they’ve improved on a core platform that already feels reasonably mature. Held up to the mid-range devices it’s being positioned against, the Legend feels a step up in build quality and design; enough, even, that we could well see it tempting some of the geeks who might automatically have plumped for the Desire or Nexus One. The Android landscape may have changed significantly in the months between now and the Hero’s launch, but with the Legend HTC have shown they still have what it takes to stand apart.

That would leave the unnamed new device as pretty much a BlackBerry Storm 9520 with a slide-up keyboard similar to the BlackBerry Bold.  Other specs include WiFi 802.11n – “100% support” insists the source – and a 360 x 480 display.  Software is expected to be BlackBerry OS 6.0, and – best of all – this isn’t going to be a Verizon exclusive; RIM’s first slider will be a GSM/HSPA device.

Of course, all this is unconfirmed by RIM themselves, and the origins of the image – which would be distinctly easy to recreate in Photoshop – are unclear too.  RIM have proved cautious with alternative form-factors to their traditional candybars – the clamshell Pearl Flip 8230 model has languished unchanged for some time now, and is in fact rumored to be end-of-life – and it took a hardware refresh and several software iterations before the touchscreen Storm was accepted.

As well as being small, the FP810/G3-mini apparently only uses 5W of power making it pretty frugal, too.  Of course, the number of simultaneous calls permitted will depend on your broadband connection and any limitations placed on the femtocell by carriers, but the promise of up to 14.4Mbps downlink and 5.7Mbps uplink rates with strong coverage has us drooling a little.

Press Release:

NEC to Launch New Femtocell Access Point from Ubiquisys

Enables operators to offer high performance, competitive pricing, low energy consumption

London 10 February 2010 – NEC Corporation (NEC) announced today the addition of a new femtocell access point from Ubiquisys, to its end-to-end femtocell solution. The NEC FP810 femtocell access point will be available to mobile operators in April 2010.

“One of the main concerns of mobile operators has been to understand the business case for femtocells. The launch of the NEC FP810 proves how we are meeting that challenge by providing mobile operators with a low-price, high-performance and low-energy-consumption device,” said Richard Hanscott, vice president, NEC Europe.

The NEC FP810 is a discreet size – eight centimetres – and delivers high capacity and performance: it is capable of up to eight simultaneous calls and supports HSPA (High Speed Packet Access). It consumes less than 5W of power which is below the EC code of conduct power consumption targets and up to three times lower than most commercially available femtocells.

“We have a proven track record with NEC in providing cutting-edge femtocell solutions to mobile operators and understand the challenges they face. Our collaboration with NEC meets these challenges by providing a low-cost femtocell solution with high performance and low-energy consumption,” said Chris Gilbert, chief executive officer, Ubiquisys.

The NEC FP810 is powered by the Femto-Engine software from Ubiquisys which has patented Self Organising Networks (SON) capabilities that provide continuous spectrum monitoring, self-adapting radio resource management and integral optimised timing synchronization.

As you might have guessed from the photos, you’re not looking at a particularly advanced phone.  Still, you do get GPS/A-GPS, a microSD slot (to augment the 50MB of integrated memory), an FM radio and a 3.5mm headphones jack.

Design-wise it’s hardly inspiring, but considering Nokia have been stomping down on their prices recently so as to leverage their market share we’re expecting the C5 to be at the affordable end of the spectrum.

That HDMI port will apparently be used to output 720p HD video (or perhaps even higher).  There’ll also be a 3.5mm headphone jack while, under the hood, a TI OMAP 3430 Cortex A8 processor potentially clocking in at 800MHz should keep things running smoothly.  There’s also multitouch support and Motorola’s Crystal Talk DSP system for voice calls, and while right now it’s running Android 2.0, the expectation is that it’ll get Android 2.1 by the time it launches.

Since it’s a slate rather than a slider like the DROID, the Sholes is tipped to be even thinner.  Connectivity is apparently UMTS/HSPA – no word on bands – and we’d guess there’ll be WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS in there too.  Given how impressive the DROID turned out to be, we’ve got high hopes for the Sholes.

[via the::unwired]

The new Armani phone is a triband HSPA device, supporting the 900/1900/2100 bands, and will be available in Italy, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Russia, China and the UAE (Dubai).  It also has quadband GSM support, and measures in at a chunky 118.5 x 58.3 x 16.4 mm.

What Samsung haven’t revealed is official pricing, though Friday’s reveal did suggest that the SIM-free, unlocked version of the Windows Phone would come in at €700 ($1,301).  No word on specific release dates as yet.

Press Release:

GIORGIO ARMANI, SAMSUNG AND MICROSOFT
PRESENT THE NEW GIORGIO ARMANI – SAMSUNG SMARTPHONE

Milan, October 9th, 2009 – Giorgio Armani, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and Microsoft are proud to present the new Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone, the most elegant and functional mobile on the market. Giorgio Armani himself personally designed this stylish smartphone, as he did with the first Giorgio Armani Samsung mobile in 2007 and the Emporio Armani Samsung “Night Effect” mobile in 2008. In 2009, the new smartphone makes its debut with more powerful functions and superior usability. The next rendition of this style and technology partnership includes a Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, a unique two step tilt hinge form factor with both full touch screen and QWERTY keyboard hybrid, and a stunning 3.5 inch Ultra Brilliant AMOLED display.

The Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone is part of an innovative brand alliance of portable electronics and household products by Giorgio Armani and Samsung Electronics. This phone stands out due to the innovative blend of Giorgio Armani’s refined style and Samsung Electronics’ cutting-edge technology.

Giorgio Armani, President and CEO of Giorgio Armani S.p.A., commented: “Today more than ever, elegant dressing is part of daily business life. When Samsung asked me to design the new business and lifestyle smartphone I decided to use my fashion aesthetic to create it. I simply aim to create a smartphone which is not only an elegant tool but also functional and useful, perfect for today’s managers. The result is a unique smartphone perfectly suited to every moment of one’s business and private day. This is the Armani aesthetic – to combine beauty with function in a simple and timeless way.”

JK Shin, Executive Vice President and head of the Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics, said: “We are delighted to have reached another milestone in the collaboration between Giorgio Armani and Samsung Electronics. This latest-generation mobile masterfully combines our experience in technology with a design from one of the world’s best known designers, and the functions offered by Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system. What’s more, the Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone is a demonstration of our commitment to offering customers cutting-edge technology in our products, along with exclusive design and fashion.”

“Mobile phones armed with Windows Mobile bring together the best of the Web, the PC, and mobile phones so that people can connect instantly to the experiences they care about,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft Corp. “But people want more than just a useful device – they want a phone that offers design qualities that match their personality and lifestyle. The Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone we’re announcing today with Giorgio Armani and Samsung combines technology innovation and fashion to deliver a great mobile phone that also fulfills the desire for style and elegance.”

Designed to standout in the crowd

Like previous Giorgio Armani Samsung Mobile, the new device is designed by Giorgio Armani, reflecting his simple and graceful design philosophy. The unique two-step 30-degree tilt hinge form factor combines sophisticated design with exceptional usability. The phone also comes in a distinctive and elegant bronze gold color, which coordinates perfectly with Giorgio Armani’s suits.

Your mobile business partner

The new Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone offers always-on connectivity tools including 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 5.76Mbps HSUPA and WiFi access. With its unique form factor supporting full touch and QWERTY at same time, the phone provides a dynamic mobile internet experience through Push e-mail with Microsoft Exchange and full internet browsing.

The Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone comes with the new Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system. It’s one of the first phones available with the innovative Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, which will lead the way to a new generation of mobile services and applications. Windows Mobile 6.5 includes a new start page and dashboard that simply and intuitively displays key productivity features such as e-mails, text messages, missed calls, and calendar appointments.

It also includes a touch interface that provides quick access to the main functions of the smartphone. The free My Phone service, which is a newly added Windows Mobile 6.5 application, lets users access, manage, and easily run backups of the personal information contained in the device using a password-protected Web-based service. Synchronization and automatic backups guarantee users that their contacts, appointments, text messages, and other information is kept up-to-date and is always easy to retrieve if the phone is lost or when changing phones.

Work hard but play harder

To satisfy business professionals, who want to easily and efficiently manage their work and personal lives, the Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone offers the latest multi-media features such as a 5-megapixel camera, a music player and a video player supporting various types of multimedia formats. The phone comes with 3.5” ultra brilliant AMOLED screen for viewing videos and slide shows in high-resolution and with reduced power consumption. Furthermore, it offers 8 Gigabytes of internal memory and an extendable microSD slot up to 32GB to store multimedia content.

The Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone also offers GPS navigation, so users can get their bearings wherever work or life takes them.

The Giorgio Armani-Samsung smartphone will be available in Italy, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Russia, China, and the UAE (Dubai).

The Pulse has a 3.5-inch 320 x 480 touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera and GPS, together with HSDPA/HSUPA (7.2Mbps d/l and 2Mbps u/l) and Bluetooth.  There’s also the usual access to the Android Market, and Huawei have tweaked the phone’s homescreen with a new theme and five (rather than the usual three) panes.

Full specifications of the Pulse are here, and T-Mobile UK throw in a 2GB microSD card, a month’s trial of TeleNav turn-by-turn navigation, and Microsoft Exchange support.  No word on whether the Pulse will ever show up in the US, though.

Full specifications of the smartphone are unclear, but Archos did confirm that it would have a 4.3-inch 854 x 480 touchscreen (slightly smaller, but slightly higher resolution, than the Archos 5) together with using a faster, 1GHz ARM Cortex processor.  It also keeps its PMP-sibling’s slender build, measuring just 10mm thick, and a brief rear glimpse showed a camera lens.

No word on what sort of internal memory we can expect – though we’d like to think that Archos will offer the same 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flash versions as the Archos 5 – nor when the Archos Phone Tablet will drop.  Still, it certainly has potential as a MID/smartphone crossover device.

The MSM7627 has both a 600MHz applications processor, with floating point unit and L2 cache, and a second, 400MHz “modem” processor.  There’s also a 320MHz application DSP which is used for multimedia crunching, giving the Pixi the ability to handle full 30fps WVGA encoding and decoding, while a further 200MHz hardware-accelerated 3D graphics core supports OpenGL 2.0.

Qualcomm’s chipset also has integrated GPS and supports high-resolution cameras – though the Pixi’s 2-megapixel fixed-focus shooter likely won’t trouble it in that respect – and measures just 12mm x 12mm.  Interestingly for future GSM carriers (and international releases), the MSM7627 offers both EVDO Rev.A and HSDPA/HSUPA (7.2Mbps/5.76Mbps) connectivity, though we’re assuming the Sprint version of the Pixi will only have the CDMA elements activated.

For more on the Palm Pixi, check out our hands-on with the smartphone from last week.

[Thanks Tony!]

Of course, we’re not unused to the sight of any of these devices, and what we really wanted to know was how much they’d each cost.  Unfortunately Vodafone are keeping such details close to their chest, so right now you’re registering your interest rather than placing a true pre-order.

More on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 here, the LG GM750 here, and the Nokia E72 here.  As soon as we hear full pricing we’ll let you know.

Press Release:

VODAFONE UK LAUNCHES NEW HANDSET RANGE

- Pre-register and be the first in line for the Sony Ericsson XPERIA™ X2, LG GM750 and Nokia E72 -

Vodafone UK has announced the launch of three exclusive new smartphones from Sony Ericsson, LG and Nokia. Enabling Vodafone customers to divide their apps and work/life content, listen to music or take quality images, the handsets are sleek, practical, great for multimedia and packed full of features. Alina Lapusneanu, Director of Terminals for Vodafone UK & Ireland, said: “I am delighted to announce these excellent additions to Vodafone’s smartphone range. With exclusives from Sony Ericsson, LG and Nokia we are confident that Vodafone will be the preferred choice for customers seeking the latest smartphone.”

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA™ X2 combines both touchscreen and Qwerty keyboard brilliantly and is availably exclusively on Vodafone UK until 31st December. Like its predecessor, the XPERIA™ X1, this new smartphone is ideal for those who always need to be connected with its flexible desktop panels categorised for life: communication and fun, multimedia, business and internet. Users can also enjoy amazing multimedia with 3.2” high resolution touch screen and DVD quality, as well as an 8.1 megapixel camera with Photo light. Also, with great on-board functionality including Geo-Tagging and Motion Gaming, this handset provides for every occassion.

Key features include:
· Windows 6.5
· 8.1 MP camera with autofocus and flash
· View your favourite YouTube videos
· Microsoft Pocket Office and Exchange
· Touchscreen with slide-out Qwerty keyboard
· SlideView feature provides quick access to frequently used phone activities
· TV-out connector
· At least 10 panels to organise work & apps with more available online
· Available online and in selected Retail stores
· Pricing not yet confirmed

Pre-register at http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobile-phone/sony-ericsson-x2 to be the first to receive the Sony Ericsson XPERIA™ X2.

Customers wanting a similarly exciting device can now get the LG GM750 exclusively on Vodafone – LG’s first Windows Mobile 6.5 device. This handset is brimming with great applications including Facebook, Twitter, email and instant messaging on-the-move. The four homescreens allow you to divide your apps so you can separate your work and personal content. And thanks to Windows Mobile 6.5, everything’s fast, sleek and easy to use.

The large screen makes the most of the 3D graphics, 5 megapixel camera and easy-to-use GPS. All these features, not to mention fully loaded MP3 player, the LG GM750 manages to squeeze them all into a stylish handset.

Key features include:
· Windows 6.5
· 5 MP camera
· Inbuilt GPS navigation
· Pocket Office and supports Microsoft Exchange
· 3.0″ Touchscreen
· Four homescreens to divide apps, work/personal content
· Exclusive to Vodafone until 31 Dec 2009
· Pricing not yet confirmed.

Pre-register at http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobile-phone/lg-gm750 to jump to the front of the queue for the LG GM750.

The Nokia E72 cleverly combines work and play and follows on from the hugely succesful Nokia E71. A full Qwerty keyboard makes messaging a breeze so whether you’re sending a text, email or just updating your status profile on Facebook, the Vodafone exclusive Nokia E72 will cater for your requirements.

You’ll never lose your way again with inbuilt GPS and handy compass, all clearly displayed on the clear, large screen and with simple navigation keys. Users can use the GPS to find the best route with step by step directions or let the handset suggest suitable alternatives. The 5 megapixel camera with flash enables to snap flawless shots day or night.

Key features include:
· 2.36″ screen for great internet browsing
· Fast 3G connection for downloading your favourite YouTube videos or accessing your social network site
· 5 MP camera with one touch autofocus and flash
· Symbian OS version 9.3
· Inbuilt GPS
· Qwerty keyboard
· Vodafone colour exclusive on black device

Be first in line to receive your Nokia E72. Pre-register here:http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/mobile-phone/nokia-e72

All details can be found at www.vodafone.co.uk

Currently the only color option listed is black, though we saw blue and silver versions while at the launch event last week.  The Booklet 3G has a 120GB hard-drive, runs Windows 7 and packs WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth in addition to its cellular modem.

Processor is Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom Z530, paired with 1GB of RAM, plus there’s an accelerometer, HDMI output, three USB 2.0 ports and a battery Nokia insist is good for 12 hours runtime even in the real-world.  To be honest we’re more keen to see how much the Nokia Booklet 3G comes in at subsidized – and to see which carriers take a risk on it – but if you simply have to get one as soon as they’re available then preordering may be your best bet.

[via Notebook Italia]

Hands-on video after the cut

There’s also a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a dual-LED flash, as well as a TV output and support for video recording.  It also has a touch-enabled browser with Flash Lite 3.0 support, plus access to Nokia’s Ovi suite of software downloads, messaging and other services.

Other connectivity includes Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, A-GPS and a micro-USB port.  In the hand, we found the display felt little different to the excellent resistive panel of the N900, but the phone in general is pretty responsive.  For more, check out the video below.

Specifications of the two are roughly identical, bar their keypads. Each has a 2.4-inch 240 x 320 QVGA display, microUSB connector and 3.5mm headset jack, while wireless connectivity includes HSDPA/HSUPA, WiFi b/g, quadband GSM/EDGE and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR with A2DP stereo support. There’s also A-GPS, a 3.2-megapixel camera on the back and a VGA camera up front for video calls, together with an FM radio with RDS and a huge 1,500mAh battery that occupies a large portion of each phone’s volume. Also tucked inside the battery compartment is a microSDHC slot which will take up to 16GB cards; both phones have around 60MB of integrated storage.

In terms of design, both the E52 and E55 are relatively sober. With the exception of the oddly-textured battery cover and the control-key surround, the phone is pretty much all plastic. That adds up to a low weight of around 98g, plus slim dimensions of 116.5 x 49 x 9.9mm, but it does leave both phones feeling a little cheap. Hardware controls include a separate power button on the top of the phone, which is reasonably tough to press (as you’d probably hope), then a camera shortcut/shutter key, volume and voice-control keys on the top left-hand side.

Up front, aside from the eye-catching ‘board of the E55, there’s the usual Eseries control key layout. That means a large, square D-pad with central select key, nicely sized for thumbing, then two softkeys, send/end buttons, and two rocker keys in-between that offer Home, calendar, mail and back/delete shortcuts.

Since the E55 bears the more interesting keyboard of the two, that’s where we reached first. The concept is simple; the “half-QWERTY” ‘board pairs two letters to each key, and uses either predictive text or simply recognizing double-taps to manually pick between them. Being fans of full-QWERTY messaging phones, we were surprised to have so much trouble aclimatizing to the keys. Perhaps it’s the lack of differentiation between the buttons, the close spacing, or maybe just that our fingers are too trained to narrow numerical keypads, but we made constant mistakes. Changing between automatically-recognized words is also made tricky, as you have to reach up to the D-pad rather than bash at the + key in the lower-left corner as you would with a normal T9 phone.

In comparison we found it easier to type on the E52′s keys, simply because our fingers are already trained to use T9 and the buttons themselves are larger. It was also easier to type one-handed; with the E55, reaching across to the opposite row or squeezing in to the nearest row to the hand that’s holding the phone can be tricky, especially with the keys all the way down in the very bottom third of the candybar.

Still, with more use we imagine our speed on the E55 could have increased, and both phones have tactile, sturdy buttons with good feedback. That’s a relief, as Nokia are obviously intending them to be heavy on the messaging, preloading not only POP and IMAP clients but support for Exchange push email. We had no trouble using any of the three on the E52 and E55, which can be set to poll the email server at set intervals, when messages arrive (Exchange only) or when manually prompted. The 2.4-inch display is inescapably small, however, and with its QVGA resolution pales compared to other smartphones we’ve seen in recent months. S60 is obviously well placed to handle this, and menus and other dialogs are well-scaled, but it makes for frustration when trying to churn through an overloaded inbox. Very little of the body of an email shows on-screen without first scrolling down, and that can induce a pregnant pause while the phone either churns or grabs data from the server.

Web-browsing is also cramped, but it’s worth noting that both the E52 and E55 support accelerometer-led screen rotation, which does add a little more horizontal width (it also works to mute incoming calls or “sleep” alarms when you flip the phone over). The Webkit-based browser common to S60 devices has been updated to version 7.1, and is certainly faster than we’ve experienced on earlier handsets. Given the lack of a touchscreen and the small display, full webpages were less than pleasant to navigate (though, with patience, possible) but mobile-formatted sites whipped by. We also appreciated the fact that Nokia have used a transflective panel in both handsets, which means that outdoors and sunlight use is certainly possible.

In fact, both phones seem to prioritize everyday usability and reliability. Their cameras eschew complex flash assemblies and auto-focusing lenses in favor of a new “extended depth of field” (EDoF) fixed-focus lens. EDoF uses some nifty processing to eke better clarity out of a simpler lens assembly, and in decent conditions it works reasonably well. By “decent” we somewhat obviously mean bright lighting, since the LED flash is as mediocre as LED flashes in general always are, and lacking a macro mode they produce increasingly softer images when you get closer than a half-meter or so. Still, not having to wait for auto-focus to click into place does mean shots are taken very quickly, and even fast-moving subjects can be caught with little blurring.

The E52 and E55′s real strengths, though, is in their battery life. Nokia quote up to 8hrs GSM talktime or 6hrs WCDMA talktime, together with up to 23 days GSM standby or 29 days WCDMA standby. Alternatively the crisp-sounding music player – which is crying out for you to lose the included stereo headset and plug in a pair of your own headphones, at which point the quality is very good – should manage up to 18hrs playback. We found that with WiFi constantly turned on, together with push-email from an Exchange server, a few phone calls each day and some SMS messaging we managed close to five days of before needing to charge the battery, making the E52 and E55 excellent choices for those prone to forgetting to charge their cellphone. The freedom of being able to, say, go away for the weekend and not bother packing a charger takes some beating.  Not only that but voice call quality is excellent, both normally and when using the speakerphone.

Contrary to our original expectations, we preferred the Nokia E52 to its E55 sibling. The unusual keyboard on the E55 may find favor for those whose fingers aren’t already trained in T9 predictive text, but we struggled with the compact layout and frustrating symbol selection. Meanwhile the standard keys on the E52 made it perfect for the sort of one-handed use a slim, traditionally-designed handset is best for. S60 remains an uninspiring OS compared to much of what else is happening in the smartphone market, but it’s capable and, with Exchange support and a little patience, both the E52 and E55 could be both your business handset and your personal one, with the stellar battery life to span a whole working week without gasping for breath.

Video demos after the cut

The Nokia N900 also has, of course, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration, full Adobe Flash 9.4 support and a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, dual-LED flash and GPS geotagging.  A microSD card slot means you can increase onboard storage to 48GB, and Nokia estimate the whole thing will cost €500 ($712) when it lands in “select markets” from October 2009.

The N900 measures 110.9 x 59.8 x 18 mm (19.55 at its thickest point) and weighs 181g; more details at the official product page.  As for Maemo 5, there’s plenty more information promised at the official blog in the run-up to Nokia World.  SlashGear will be there bringing back all the information next week.

Nokia N900 overview:

Nokia N900 Interactions overview:

Press Release:

Maemo 5 injects speed and power into mobile computing
August 27, 2009

The new Nokia N900: Computer-grade performance in a handset

Espoo, Finland – Nokia today marked the next phase in the evolution of Maemo software with the new Nokia N900. Taking its cues from the world of desktop computing, the open source, Linux-based Maemo software delivers a PC-like experience on a handset-sized device.

The Nokia N900 has evolved from Nokia’s previous generation of Internet Tablets and broadens the choice for technology enthusiasts who appreciate the ability to multitask and browse the internet like they would on their desktop computer.

Running on the new Maemo 5 software, the Nokia N900 empowers users to have dozens of application windows open and running simultaneously while taking full advantage of the cellular features, touch screen and QWERTY keyboard.

“With Linux software, Mozilla-based browser technology and now also with cellular connectivity, the Nokia N900 delivers a powerful mobile experience,” says Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President, Markets, Nokia. “The Nokia N900 shows where we are going with Maemo and we’ll continue to work with the community to push the software forward. What we have with Maemo is something that is fusing the power of the computer, the internet and the mobile phone, and it is great to see that it is evolving in exciting ways.”

Designed for computer-grade performance in a compact size, Maemo complements Nokia’s other software platforms, such as Symbian, which powers Nokia’s smartphones.

“Just as Nokia continues to expand and diversify its device portfolio, so it is deploying multiple platforms to allow it to serve different purposes and address different markets. While we have seen continued growth in Symbian as a smartphone platform, Maemo enables Nokia to deliver new mobile computing experiences based on open-source technology that has strong ties with desktop platforms,” says Jonathan Arber, Senior Research Analyst in Consumer Mobile at IDC.

More multitasking with Maemo
The Nokia N900 packs a powerful ARM Cortex-A8 processor, up to 1GB of application memory and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration. The result is PC-like multitasking, allowing many applications to run simultaneously. Switching between applications is simple, as all running content is constantly available through the dashboard. The panoramic homescreen can be fully personalized with favorite shortcuts, widgets and applications.

To make web browsing more enjoyable, the Nokia N900 features a high-resolution WVGA touch screen and fast internet connectivity with 10/2 HSPA and WLAN. Thanks to the browser powered by Mozilla technology, websites look the way they would on any computer. Online videos and interactive applications are vivid with full Adobe Flash(TM) 9.4 support. Maemo software updates happen automatically over the internet.

Messaging on the N900 is easy and convenient thanks to the full physical slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Setting up email happens with only a few touches and the Nokia Messaging service mobilizes up to 10 personal email accounts. Text message or IM exchanges with friends are shown in one view and all conversations are organized as separate windows.

The Nokia N900 has 32GB of storage, which is expandable up to 48GB via a microSD card. For photography, the Maemo software and the N900 come with a new tag cloud user interface that will help users get the most out of the 5MP camera and Carl Zeiss optics.

The Nokia N900 will be available in select markets from October 2009 with an estimated retail price of EUR 500 excluding sales taxes and subsidies. The Nokia N900 will be displayed at Nokia World, Stuttgart, on September 2. More information on Maemo is available at http://maemo.nokia.com.

The netbook itself, loving called the Booklet 3G, is about 1.25kg in weight, and only 2cm thick with an aluminum chassis. We know it’s going to be using an Intel Atom processor, but as of right now we don’t know the exact details regarding which processor will be making its way into the Booklet 3G. The netbook also has a 10.1-inch glass HD-ready display, and has an HDMI output for HD video playback. The body has 3 USB 2.0 ports, and an SD card sot. Bluetooth comes standard, and there’s even a front-facing webcam to take care of all your video calling needs.

The video showcases some neat stuff, so we’ve gone ahead and embedded it for your pleasure. It looks like Nokia is working in the opposite direction as Apple, but let’s hope that Nokia is just as lucky in their new market as Apple was. From the looks of it, they might be on the right track. So stay tuned for Nokia World next week.

[images via Reuters]

Video demo after the cut

Other ports include three USB 2.0 connectors and an SD card slot, plus there’s Bluetooth and a front-facing webcam.  OS is Windows 7, at least going by the video below, and there’s integration with Nokia’s Ovi services including Maps for Ovi that uses the GPS and A-GPS, music downloads, VPN integration and more.  Nokia are also talking about a hot-swappable SIM slot, which suggests you’ll be able to flip between 3G connections without needing to shut off the Booklet.

Nokia are promising the full specifications and pricing for the Booklet 3G at Nokia World next week.  SlashGear will be there, and we’ll be bringing you all the details from the show; until then, check out Nokia’s demo video below:

Press Release:

Nokia Booklet 3G brings all day mobility to the PC world
August 24, 2009

Espoo, Finland – After more than 25 years as a pioneer and leader in the mobile industry, Nokia will bring its rich mobility heritage and knowledge to the PC world with the new, Windows based, Nokia Booklet 3G.

Powered by the efficient Intel Atom processor, the Nokia Booklet 3G delivers impressive performance with up to 12 hours of battery life, enabling people to leave their power cable behind and still be connected and productive. Delivering the rich experience of a full-function PC inside an ultra-portable aluminum chassis, the new mini-laptop weighs 1.25 kilograms, measures slightly more than two centimeters thin, and has the features one would expect from the world’s leading mobile device manufacturer. A broad range of connectivity options – including 3G/ HSPA and Wi-Fi – gives consumers high speed access to the Internet, including Nokia’s broad suite of Ovi services, and allows them to make the most of every moment and every opportunity.

“A growing number of people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility,” said Kai Oistamo, Nokia’s Executive Vice President for Devices. “We are in the business of connecting people and the Nokia Booklet 3G is a natural evolution for us. Nokia has a long and rich heritage in mobility and with the outstanding battery life, premium design and all day, always on connectivity, we will create something quite compelling. In doing so we will make the personal computer more social, more helpful and more personal.”

The mini-laptop also comes with an HDMI port for HD video out, a front facing camera for video calling, integrated Bluetooth and an easily accessible SD card reader. Other premium features include the 10-inch glass HD ready display and integrated A-GPS which, working with the Ovi Maps gadget, can pinpoint your position in seconds and open up access for a truly personal maps experience. The Nokia Booklet 3G also brings a number of other rich Ovi experiences to life, whether its access and playback of millions of tracks through the Nokia Music Store, or using Ovi Suite to sync seamlessly from your Nokia smartphone, to your mini-laptop, to the cloud.

The Nokia Booklet 3G will widen the Nokia portfolio, satisfying a need in the operator channel, and bringing another important ingredient in the move towards becoming a mobile solutions company.

Further information, including detailed specifications, market availability and pricing, will be announced at Nokia World on September 2. For more information on Nokia World, visit: http://events.nokia.com/nokiaworld/home.htm

However you do get HSPA 900/2100MHz together with quadband GSM/EDGE, along with WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and GPS/A-GPS.  HTC’s TouchFlo UI is also present, and as you can see from the image above it has a slightly tweaked appearance for its WM6.5 incarnation.  The zoom-strip from the Diamond2 and Pro2 is also present, and inside HTC’s old favorite, the Qualcomm MSM7225 528MHz processor, does duty with 256MB ROM and 256MB RAM.

Renders of the Mega were spotted back in August, and while we can’t exactly describe the 104 x 55 x 12.8mm handset as handsome, it does have a certain sturdy charm.  What remains to be seen is pricing; HTC CEO Peter Chou has previously suggested that their mid-range devices will carry roughly $300 price tags, pre-subsidies and discounts.

Your money gets you a 3.5-inch 320 x 480 touchscreen, HSDPA and HSUPA for up to 7.2Mbps uplinks and 5.6Mbps downlinks (network depending), and both WiFI and GPS.  There’s also Bluetooth 2.0, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and a microSD card slot, and Huawei are saying there’s also native Microsoft Exchange support.

No word from the online store themselves as to when the Pulse is expected to land, but according to Dutch site Tweakers it’ll make an appearance sometime in October.  We’ll have to wait to see if that pans out for certain, but considering the price is quite a bit cheaper than, say, HTC’s Android range, the Pulse may be a surprise hit.

[via Unwired View]

Speaking to Pocket-lint, the honest CEO confirmed that the first-gen Modu would see a release in 2009 across Russia, India, the Philippines, Greece, Romania and parts of South America.  Meanwhile the Modu 2 would get a launch in different markets, with the two remaining on sale at the same time; the company have tipped the US, Japan, UK and Western Europe as prime targets for the reworked handset.

While no timescale for the new device – nor the carriers it may be offered on – has been given, Moran did confirm that the company expects to announce a new product at Mobile World Congress in February 2010.  The only confirmed specifications are 3.5G HSPA and the touchscreen, as well as the same dock connector – but a very different form-factor – to the Modu 1.

Early sales of that first phone have apparently reached around 1,000 handsets, with a full launch taking place in Israel come October 2009.  The most popular accessory jacket has been a digital picture frame, for displaying images.

That camera comes in at a lower resolution than the last figure – 8-megapixels – we heard, which will be a disappointment to some, but hopefully the rear-panel render (which you can see in the gallery below) will make up for it.  Other specs include a microSD card slot, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, GPS and A-GPS, together with a g-sensor, both ambient light and proximity sensors, and a 3.5mm headset jack.

There’s also dualband WCDMA/HSPA (900/2100MHz) and quadband GSM/EDGE, setting the Leo up for 7.2Mbps downlinks and 2Mbps uplinks, network depending.  ROM is 512MB and RAM 320MB, and the whole thing measures a skinny 121 x 67 x 11 mm.  That’s a little longer and wider than the Touch HD but a millimeter thinner.

No word on pricing, but the HTC Leo is expected to drop onto operators’ shelves in October.

Video hands-on after the cut

For a start there’s that 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED resistive touchscreen, plus either 8 or 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot.  The GT-i8000 has a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash and geotagging, face/smile detection, digital image stabilization and 15fps video recording.  Connectivity includes WiFi b/g, Bluetooth with A2DP support, a microUSB port, 3.5mm headphones socket and quadband 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/EDGE data.

Finally there’s an accelerometer, GPS, DivX/Xvid support, an FM radio with RDS, 800MHz CPU and a 1,500mAh battery, all squashed into a phone 118 x 59.6 x 11.9 mm in size.  In fact the only real drawback about the GT-i8000 is that it runs Windows Mobile 6.1, which even Samsung’s TouchWiz 2.0 UI can’t really save.  Still no word from either the Canadian or US carrier as to whether they’ll be offering the Omnia II GT-i8000.

[via Nowhere Else; via BGR]

Executive laps should be kept comfortably cool, too, with Acer Thermal Comfort technology, which apparently uses Intel’s Laminar Wall Jet system to create a cushion of cool air in-between the laptop and the user.  As for specifications, there’s the same mixture of Core 2 Solo SU3500 and Core 2 Duo SU9400/SU9600 processors, Intel GMA 4500MHD or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics, and up to 8GB of RAM supported. 

Connectivity ranges from standard gigabit ethernet, WiFi draft-n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, through to optional 3G HSPA.  The 13.3-inch Acer Travelmate 8371 Timeline is available in Europe now, priced from €619 ($880) pre-tax (see our Timeline 3810T review here), while the remaining models will arrive in September from €699 ($993) pre-tax.  Full specifications for the three Acer Travelmate Timeline models in the gallery below.

Release schedules for the nuvifone G60 have been something of a running joke over the past year, with the handset first tipped to arrive in Q2 2008.  It’s a quadband GSM, triband (850/1900/2100) HSDPA 3.6Mbps device, with WiFi b/g, Bluetooth, a 3-megapixel autofocus camera and, of course, GPS.  It runs Garmin’s custom software on top of a Linux core, with a 3.55-inch resistive touchscreen and up to 4hrs talktime.

As for the M20, that runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and has dualband HSPA (900/2100), WiFi b/g, Bluetooth and a 3-megapixel autofocus camera.  Its display is smaller, at 2.8-inches, still resistive, and there’s GPS for geotagging and navigation.  No prices for either device have been released.

The release ties into a preview piece from a Malaysian site [via GPSTracklog] published earlier this week, with more screenshots than you could hope for and, in the short time they had to play, generally positive feedback.  You can check out our hands-on with the two nuvifone models here. 

Press Release:

Garmin-Asus nüvifone™ Available for Purchase in Asia

CAYMAN ISLANDS & TAIPEI, Taiwan–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Garmin-Asus, a co-branded alliance between Garmin® Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) and ASUSTeK Computer Inc. (TAIEX: 2357), announced that the Garmin-Asus nüvifone G60 will go on sale in Taiwan on July 27, and in Singapore and Malaysia by the end of August. Also in August, the Garmin-Asus nüvifone M20 will go on sale in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.

“We can’t wait for our customers to start using a nüvifone,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and COO. “Our lives are all about location. The nüvifone is designed around that premise and that’s what differentiates it from the myriad of other phones on the market.”

“Whether it’s talking and navigating simultaneously, geotagging a photograph or navigating to an address on the web, the nüvifone seamlessly links navigation with other commonly performed activities,” said Benson Lin, Asus Vice President and General Manager of Handheld Business Group.

The Navigation Phone

The Garmin-Asus nüvifone series is a breakthrough product line that integrates navigation and location based services (LBS) like no other phone in the market today. It is ideal for those seeking an all-in-one, LBS-centric touchscreen phone, mobile web-browser and personal navigator. The nüvifone G60 and M20 have touchscreen displays that feature three primary icons – “Call,” “Search” and “View Map.” Customers can easily scroll through the other icons by swiping their finger across the displays, and a built-in accelerometer allows every screen to be viewed in either portrait or landscape orientation.

Navigate Wherever, Whenever

The nüvifone G60 and M20 come with preloaded maps of North America, Eastern and Western Europe, or specific Asia-Pacific regions. Since the maps reside on the nüvifone, customers will receive turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions to millions of destinations without accessing their carrier’s data plan. The nüvifone G60 and M20 utilize a real GPS receiver with hotfix, in addition to A-GPS (assisted GPS), so that customers always have directions at their fingertips, regardless of if they are in their provider’s coverage area.

Just as with Garmin’s acclaimed nüvi® product line, the nüvifone series has millions of preloaded points of interest (POIs) including hotels, restaurants and street addresses. The POIs can be easily accessed for turn-by-turn voice prompted directions. If a turn is missed along the route, the nüvifone G60 and M20 will automatically recalculate a route and get the user back on track. The nüvifone also offers a “Where am I?” feature so that users will know their exact latitude and longitude coordinates, nearest address, intersection, hospital, police station and gas station with one touch of the screen. And to help them find their car in an unfamiliar spot or crowded parking lot, the nüvifone automatically marks the position in which it was last removed from the windshield mount. The nüvifone comes with a unique suction cup mount cradle that fastens to the windshield and will also charge the device while it is being used.

Connect and Communicate

Although navigation is a key component of the nüvifone series, the devices do more than “just navigate.” Both the nüvifone G60 and M20 incorporate top-of-the-line phone capabilities with premium features such as 3.5G data connectivity, SMS text messaging, email, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and more.

The nüvifone G60 and M20 have a full HTML browser that customers can easily zoom in or pan with their finger, and pages may be viewed in either portrait or landscape. Users can surf the web on their phone via Wi-Fi or 3G networks, and the pages are presented similar to a PC browser.

Everything You Need

Customers will also enjoy the benefit of location-based services seamlessly integrated with nüvifone’s intuitive user interface and turn-by-turn navigation. Users can supplement the preloaded POI data with Internet enabled local searches and automatically navigate around traffic congestion while seeing the estimated traffic delay along their route. Other services include weather, gas prices, flight status, local events, movie times, Ciao!™and more (content pricing and availability may vary by country).

The nüvifone G60 and M20 include a built-in camera with auto-focus. The camera automatically geotags images with an exact latitude and longitude reference of where the image was taken. The user may then save the image so they can navigate back to the location or email the geo-tagged image to others. The nüvifone also provides direct access to millions of geo-located landmark and sightseeing photographs available through select picture sharing site, which are searchable and are sorted by the distance from the current location.

Specifications

nüvifone G60 nüvifone M20
2G Connectivity Quad-band GSM / GPRS / Edge 850/900/1800/1900 Tri-band GSM / GPRS / Edge 900/1800/1900
3G Connectivity 850/1900/2100 HSDPA 3.6 Mbps 900/2100 HSPA 7.2 Mbps
Other Connectivity 802.11 b/g WLAN, Bluetooth, HFP, HSP, AVRCP, A2DP mini-USB 2.0 802.11 b/g WLAN, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, HFP, HSP, A2DP, AVRCP, mini USB 2.0
OS Linux (closed platform) Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional (Upgradeable to WM 6.5)
Camera 3MP camera with auto-focus and geo-tagging 3MP camera with auto-focus and geo-tagging
Dimensions 112 x 58.1 x 14.6 mm 95.3 x 52.5 x 12.8 mm
Display 3.55″, 65K, anti-glare resistive touchscreen 2.8″, 65K, TFT with touch lens
Email POP3 / IMAP4 / SMTP Push / Enterprise / POP3 / IMAP4 / SMTP
Internet HTML browser based on Webkit platform OPERA browser, HTML, WAP 1.2.1/2.0
Messaging SMS SMS / MMS / IM
Talk Time Up to 4 hours 3G: Up to 3.5 hours / 2G: Up to 2.8 hours

Price and Availability

The nüvifone G60 will be available in Taiwan on July 27, and in Singapore and Malaysia by the end of August. The nüvifone G60’s distribution strategy for the Asia-Pacific market will differ by country. In Asia, it will be available through carriers and retail channels. The nüvifone G60 is on schedule for delivery in Europe and the United States in the second half of 2009, and additional details about pricing, availability and carriers will be announced in the coming months.

The nüvifone M20 will be available in August in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. The nüvifone M20’s distribution strategy for the Asia-Pacific market will differ by country. In Asia, it will be available through carriers and retail channels. The nüvifone M20 is on schedule for delivery in Europe in the second half of 2009, and additional details about pricing, availability and carriers will be announced in the coming months.

Additional information about the nüvifone product line is available at www.GarminAsus.com.

About Garmin-Asus

Garmin-Asus is a co-branded strategic alliance that enables Garmin Ltd. and ASUSTeK Computer Inc. to combine their complementary resources to develop world class LBS-centric mobile phones.

About Garmin Ltd.

The global leader in satellite navigation, Garmin Ltd. and its subsidiaries have designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications since 1989 – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin’s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin’s virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200.

About ASUS

ASUS is a leading company in the new digital era. With a global staff of more than ten thousand and a world-class R&D design team, the company’s revenue for 2008 was 8.1 billion U.S. dollars. ASUS ranks among BusinessWeek’s “InfoTech 100,” and has been on the listing for 12 consecutive years.

ASUS is a registered trademark of ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Garmin and nüvi are registered trademarks, and nüvifone and Ciao! are trademarks, of Garmin Ltd.

All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

From the outside, the Hero blends elements of both the device that have gone before it; the smartphone is size-wise more in line with the Magic, but with some of the angular style of the original HTC Dream (aka the T-Mobile G1).  It’s a thin handset, measuring 112 x 56.2 x 14.35 mm, and feels even thinner thanks to the sharp beveling of the edges.  Our review unit is white, but depending on carrier there will be charcoal and black versions of the Hero, each with the subtle brushed-metal display surround.  It’s a distinctive design, but not unduly dramatic, and while we’ve heard complaint about HTC’s persistence with the angled “chin” section this does make holding the phone and using the buttons and trackball more straightforward.

Up top there’s a welcome addition to an HTC Android device, in the shape of a 3.5mm headphones socket, while on the base there’s the company’s own ExtUSB port (which is compatible with standard mini-USB).  On the left-hand side there are surprisingly large volume controls, while on the back there’s the 5-megapixel autofocus camera (which still lacks a flash of any sort).  There’s no dedicated camera button, either.

Up front, there’s a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen running at 320 x 480 HVGA resolution, sitting above the usual six Android buttons: call, home, menu, call-end, search and back.  The trackball from the Dream and Magic is also present, and it lights up when you receive an SMS or phone call.  Above the display is the long, narrow speaker-grill, flanked on the left by an ambient light sensor and on the right by a two-color LED that flashes green to let you know a message has come in, and red when charging.  The whole handset is covered in Teflon, which HTC say will better resist scratches, fading and staining; its matte finish is a tactile and aesthetically welcome departure from glossy devices.

Prise off the back cover – something which takes a little bravery to do, as it’s a tight fit – and there’s a microSD card slot that can be accessed without removing the battery, together with the SIM slot and 1,350mAh Li-Ion power pack.  The whole thing weighs 135g.

On the inside, things are far more similar to HTC’s existing Android range.  The Hero has the same 528MHz Qualcomm processor, paired with 512MB ROM and 288MB RAM, as its siblings, together with 900/2100MHz HSPA/WCDMA supporting up to 7.2Mbps downlink and 2Mbps uplink speeds (network depending).  There’s also 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE; we’re yet to hear any announcement regarding a US-spec version of the Hero.  Other connectivity includes WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR with A2DP support, and of course USB 2.0, plus there’s A-GPS, a digital compass and accelerometer.

Of course, what makes the Hero particularly special is the work HTC have done on its user-interface, under the auspices of their “HTC Sense” project.  Sense is the culmination of three years of UI work, that has taken in multiple iterations of TouchFLO 3D on Windows Mobile across the years.  Given that TouchFLO 3D could arguably be credited with keeping the aging Microsoft mobile platform as relevant as it has been for the past twelve months or so, that’s no small lineage.  Sense aims to take the basic Android OS and make it not only more visually appealing but functionally more immediate, bringing commonly-used services and features to the fore and, in no small way, making the fledgling Google platform more engaging “out of the box”.

HTC’s first, and perhaps most obvious way of doing that is through widgets.  Previous Android devices have had a few widget options – search, picture frame, music, etc – and those are still present, but HTC introduce fourteen of their own, along with five “toggle” controls for connectivity options.  These range from bookmarks and calendar, through a new mail app and messages app, to contact shortcuts, a Twitter app and a new weather app.  As for the toggle switches, they cover airplane mode, Bluetooth, GPS, cellular connectivity and WiFi, and present an easy way to lock-down the Hero or simply shut off a potential battery glutton.

To accommodate all this flexibility, HTC have increased the number of homescreen panes from the usual three to seven; you can switch between them with a horizontal swipe across the touchscreen in either direction, or using the trackball.  Your position in those panes is discretely shown by the arc at the base of the homescreen, which also has a direct shortcut to the phone keypad, main menu and widget control panel.  Pressing the home hardware button also takes you directly back to the center pane, so it’s always straightforward to navigate your way around.  HTC’s widgets share space with the usual shortcuts, which can be to apps, folders or bookmarks, and many of them have two different sizes to choose from.  The music widget, for instance, has a small, basic option which will fit on a pane with other shortcuts, or a larger version which shows more track detail, album art, and takes up a pane to itself.

Seven panes, then, can be occupied relatively quickly, but to get around that HTC have added Scenes support to the Hero.  Accessed by hitting the Menu button from the homescreen, Scenes basically allows for multiple layouts which the company expects will be used to differentiate between workday and social use.  As standard the Hero comes preset with the standard HTC, Social, Work, Play, Travel and “Clean Slate” (blank) layouts, which you can leave as-is or modify and save with your own names.  Each can have a different number of widgets, different wallpapers and other personalization.  Or, of course, you can ignore them altogether and focus on just one standard Scene; as with the slide-to-unlock, which can be replaced by the standard Android pattern lock, Sense is about giving you more options not taking them away.

Each widget generally acts as a gateway to its own app, too, so while they’re functional in their own right – you don’t have to leave the homescreen to browse through your Twitter message stream, for instance – you’re also one touch away from a more comprehensive experience.  To stay with Twitter, the client – called Peep – shows the full message list and allows you to post a new tweet from the homescreen, but tapping into the app-proper brings up separate panes in which you can view your “@” replies, direct messages and favorites.  It’s also linked into your location, so you can send geographic updates letting people know whereabouts you are, and there are options for update frequency (number of tweets to download, up to 250; frequency of updates, from daily through every 5mins and manual) and even a choice of photo host, picture quality and URL-shortening service.

Peep works well, spawning a little bird icon into the notification bar when there are fresh messages, just as you would get with a new email.  New messages have an easy photo upload button, which offers the choice of an existing picture from the gallery or to take a new shot with the camera then and there, and you can also tap the location button to tweet your geographical position as a link to a map, custom text or plain latitude/longitude.  Our one gripe is the seeming absence of any way to quickly paste in Twitter contact names, beyond physically typing them out; an “insert follower username” option would make this much easier.  Still, a long-hold on any tweet will bring up a menu for reply, send direct message, retweet, add to favorites or show profile.

A much-welcomed addition to an Android device is Microsoft Exchange support, and HTC have provided a new Mail app on the Hero to cater for it.  As you might
expect, it uses ActiveSync to wirelessly synchronize, and offer push-email from hosted Exchange accounts.  The Mail app also supports POP, APOP and IMAP, and can have multiple simultaneous accounts established; download frequency can be set from 5 minutes through to daily, plus manual, and you can choose how many days of messages you want on your Hero and the maximum size of each message (there’s an option to download the rest in each curtailed email).  Once set up, different accounts can be switched between via a drop-down menu at the top, while a sliding selection marker at the bottom of the screen takes you between three main views.  The first lists all emails by date and individually; the second threads together email conversations; the third lists only emails with attachments.

The most obvious comparison to be made is with Android’s native GMail app, also present on the Hero.  While the screen size devoted to messages in each app is different, both show at most seven email headers at any one time; GMail obviously conversation-threads as standard, and tags one message after another, while HTC Mail shows one email at a time with up/down buttons to flip between messages in a thread.  It’s arguable as to which system works better; those comfortable skipping down long conversations via touchscreen swipes will most likely prefer the GMail app, while the HTC offering does make it easier to get to the start of the next message.  Happily, since GMail offers IMAP support for their accounts, you can pick between the two clients depending on your UI preference; remember, though, that Mail won’t let you search the GMail server like the native app will.

Of course, the major difference is that Android’s GMail app has no homescreen widget, only a shortcut, whereas HTC Mail does.  You can choose to devote a whole homescreen pane (there’s no cut-down mini-widget, though there is a simple shortcut button) to Mail, and from there flip through the stack of emails, bin them, write a new message or go directly to the inbox.  There’s no HTML support in the widget, only plain text, but it’s certainly enough to see multiple lines of an email and choose whether it’s worth heading into the app proper to do anything about it.

The new SMS app works in a similar fashion, grouping messages by sender and presenting them in a conversation with icons – if present – from the contacts app.  HTC provide a number of quick-text inserts (such as “Where are you?” and “I’m running late”) together with the ability to easily attach pictures, video, audio, location data, a vCard contact file, vCalendar appointment, or to create a new attachment.  This latter option takes you to the camera, camcorder, audio-recorder or slideshow apps, allowing you to film a clip, etc, then attach it straight to an MMS.  As for the accompanying widget, this uses a Rolodex-style presentation to flip through the most recent messages from a contact on the homescreen, together with a shortcut to write a new message.

Moving to the Phone app, this can be accessed via the listing in the main programs menu or by pressing the shortcut button at the base of the homescreen.  It opens by default with your recent calls list overlaid with a number pad; tapping the buttons either enters the number or uses T9 to search through your contacts for a matching name.  Alternatively, minimizing the number pad shows the contacts list itself; the Menu button gives shortcuts to the contacts app proper, your full call history, favorites and speed-dials, as well as settings.  Call quality is fair, with the Hero relatively tenacious with a signal and no problems for either party with volume or noise.  The side volume keys adjust earpiece volume when in a call or ringer volume (down to vibrate and silent) otherwise; during calls the number pad is a button-press away, while the Menu button brings up options for speakerphone, putting the caller on hold, adding another party, launching the contacts app and muting the microphone.

HTC are proud of the work they’ve done with Sense when it comes to contacts, on the Hero called People, and they’ve good cause to be.  As with other apps, People is navigated primarily by a sliding bar at the base of the screen, which takes you from the full contacts list, to favorites (with the option to add a new favorite), to groups, to Updates and Events (more on this in a moment) and to call history.  The Menu button brings up options to add or delete a contact, view an entry, search through People, import from SIM and synchronize Exchange contacts

What elevates People above and beyond the standard Android address book is its integration with Facebook and Flickr.  By entering your login details for one or both, People automatically tries to match up contacts you have on those networks with entries in your address book.  Doing so pulls in their latest Facebook status update, photo galleries from both sites, their birthday and email address, and their avatar photo which is used as a contact photo.  If People can’t match them up correctly – we had a few different names in our lists, which confused it – then you can manually link profiles.  The “Updates and Events” tab shows any new changes from the two sites, such as upcoming birthdays and new galleries; tapping into an individual contact shows the same for just that individual, together with panes for any messages, emails and calls between you and them.

It all works surprisingly well, and is certainly a straightforward way to fill in contact photos and missing birthdays across your address book.  There’s little lag in updating, and by tapping your own entry at the top of the contacts list you can see your own Facebook and Flickr notifications, handling any unread messages, event invitations, friend requests and other alerts.  We wish – given the work HTC have obviously done on Peep – there was a way to link in Twitter accounts in a similar fashion to Facebook, but currently there is not.

Plugging the Hero into a PC brings up the options to either treat it as a mass storage device or to launch HTC Sync.  This latter app, available as a free download though only for Windows PCs, allows you to synchronize your Outlook or Windows Address Book (i.e. Outlook Express contacts) with the Hero, rather than using a wired ActiveSync connection.

Unfortunately HTC Sync doesn’t seemingly manage your calendar entries in the same way, which is a shame because the new Calendar app on the Hero is a generally pleasant way to get organized.  It defaults to a month view (as does the large homescreen widget; the small version has a single line of the next upcoming appointment) but offers day and event-list views via the Menu button.  There’s also a Calendars button, which allows you to switch between various different agenda sources: Outlook (wirelessly via ActiveSync) and any Google Calendars you might have.  These can be set to all simultaneously display (with different color coding) or toggled off to only show particular agendas.

If the Calendar is intended to organize your life moving forward, then HTC Footprints is more about looking back.  A feature of certain GPS-enabled Windows Mobile devices from HTC’s stable, Footprints basically allows you to snap a photo with the Hero’s camera, geotag it, and then add various details including phone number, website, a voice memo, star rating and notes.  Finally you can categorize it – shopping, dining, etc – and share them via SD card.  It’s a straightforward system, and if you regularly travel then it’s handy to make a note of favorite restaurants and the like, but we wish there was a simple way to share Footprint entries online with others.

Loading up content for the Hero’s media app is easiest done via a USB connection, and HTC supply a suitable cable in the box.  The smartphone mounts the microSD card as a removable drive, and you can drag and drop audio and video files straight across.  Files on the microSD card are automatically registered into the app, which is a basic though functional PMP.  There’s the usual shuffle, repeat and playlist functionality, together with sorting tracks by artist, album and other ID3 data, and you can also set files as the active ringtone directly from the mediaplayer app.  Audio quality from the built-in speaker is loud if not especially refined, but thankfully we’ve no complaints with quality via the 3.5mm headphones jack, particularly if you do the sensible thing and plug in your own headphones rather than those HTC supply.  During playback the volume keys control the music, rather than ringtone volume.

As for the impact of music playing in background on other apps, we noticed a very small amount of lag introduced, particularly when loading a data-heavy application such as a full inbox or lengthy contacts list.  Happily there was little impact on web browsing speed, with page panning and zooming as smooth as usual.  In fact, our general impression of the Hero’s performance has been very good, with the Sense modifications doing little to slow the smartphone down.

Turning to the browser, the biggest news here is the addition of multitouch support for pinch-zooming together with Flash playback.  The app is generally the same as on previous Android devices, only instead of zoom in/out buttons you can close and spread your fingers to manipulate the page.  It’s a far more natural way of browsing, and allows for much finer control, and frankly it’s about time an Android smartphone supported it (officially).  Double-tapping to reformat text works well, and the trackball steps neatly between links for when navigating more crowded pages.  Multiple browser windows can be opened, though we did experience a couple of odd moments where background pages were closed without warning.

As for Flash support, this instantly kicks the HTC Hero a step ahead of many other smartphones on the market.  Although there’s HTC’s usual excellent YouTube viewer preloaded on the phone, you can now stop by the full YouTube site and watch in-page streaming video too.  To be honest, the layout of the standalone app actually makes it more usable than YouTube’s site, but the Flash support comes into its own when you encounter in-page videos on news and review sites.  In our tests, only Vimeo videos failed to load, though connection speed also has a significant affect on overall browser performance when buffering footage.

Flash is more than just video, though, and so we stopped by some graphics and animation-intensive MySpace pages to see if we could overload the Hero’s browser.  Unfortunately not every element loaded; the music player many users have underneath their profile information was the most obvious error, telling us we needed an upgraded version of Flash.  Stepping over to a Flash game site proved disappointing too, with games taking very long periods to load and then usually proving uncontrollable in the absence of a keyboard or mouse.  It’s certainly possible that some titles will be better suited to the Hero than others, mind.

With pinch-zoom supported in the Android browser, it was a surprise to find that the same functionality didn’t work in Google Maps on the Hero.  Instead, you’re left with the same zoom in/out buttons as usual.  The Hero has the same Street View support as earlier Android phones, accessed by tapping and holding a point on the display and selecting it from the pop-up menu.  There are directions for driving and walking, but no voice-prompts so in-car use isn’t advised.

The Hero’s camera is a step up, offering 5-megapixels with autofocus though no flash.  It records both stills and video, toggled between with a simple on-screen button, and has basic white balance, brightness and flicker adjustment.  There’s also a self-timer and optional geotagging.  Photos are captured as JPEGs while video can be H.263 or MPEG4; once taken, they can be uploaded to Facebook, Flickr, Picasa or YouTube, or sent via GMail, HTC Mail, MMS or Peep (Twitter).  Quality, meanwhile, is reasonable though not likely to displace dedicated point-and-shoot digicams or some of the high-end imaging featurephones we’ve seen in recent months.  Still, it’s a welcome step up from the Dream and Magic.

One of HTC Sense’s more impressive introductions is the new on-screen keyboard, and this is a real step up from what arrived on the HTC Magic with the Android OS 1.5 Cupcake release.  Obviously both portrait and landscape orientations are catered for, each with well-spaced QWERTY layouts and secondary pages of numbers and symbols, while those secondary characters can also be accessed by pressing and holding the relevant letter key.  As you do so, a preview of the character pops up above your fingertip, handy for ensuring you’re tapping the key you intended to.  There’s also auto-complete and auto-correct, with a list of words showing up above the keyboard as you type; you can either tap them or press space to select the current highlighted word.  Adding new words to the dictionary is also well handled; if you type a word the Hero doesn’t recognize, you can tap space to insert it or tap the word itself on-screen to not only insert but to add it to the dictionary for later use.  In all, the keyboard is a real pleasure to use and we had no problems building up a decent typing speed in either orientation, especially when holding the Hero in landscape and thumb-tapping with both hands.

Elsewhere, there’s the usual array of Android apps and options, including the Android Market for software downloads.  The BBC iPlayer app works well on the Hero, and of course you can add shortcuts to newly downloaded software onto the various homescreen panes.  We’re hoping HTC – or third-parties – release some more homescreen widgets, as we really like the instant ease-of-use they bring to the platform.

HTC supply a 1,350mAh battery with the Hero, 10mAh more than the Magic, but quote up to 420 minutes of WCDMA talktime or 470 minutes of GSM talktime (20 minutes more than its predecessor).  They also suggest up to 660 hours of WCDMA standby or up to 420 hours of GSM standby.  We didn’t have enough time to put the Hero through the sort of charge/discharge and use cycles we would have liked to; however, with regular use of messaging and browser, plus several calls and email regularly checking over a mixture of WiFi and 3G, we found the phone would last morning to night before needing a recharge.  This is certainly a handset you’ll be charging every night, but from our experience over the past few days it shouldn’t require the mid-day top-up many iPhone 3G users, say, report.

Back in our initial unboxing and overview of the HTC Hero, we tongue-in-cheek suggested that it could be the best Android smartphone to date.  Having spent more time with it, that cavalier prediction is looking highly accurate.  Android’s flexibility is, arguably, one of its biggest stumbling blocks; out of the box there’s little to guide a new owner through the platform’s capabilities.  By introducing Sense, however, HTC have made the Hero instantly usable, and they’ve done so not with the bare minimum of app investment but with a range of programs that offer up-to-date functionality like social network integration.

Best of all, HTC’s dedication to developing Sense and treating UI as a long-haul process rather than a short-term prettification exercise gives us hope that the few shortfalls and omissions we’re currently seeing in version one of the Hero will be addressed over time.  It’s reassuring to know that not only is the Hero a great smartphone but that it’s only likely to get better as HTC continue their tweaks.  It’s safe to say that, in the HTC Hero, Android has come of age.

The HTC Hero is available unlocked and SIM-free from Clove.co.uk, priced at £335 pre-VAT.  They offer international shipping.

HTC Hero unboxing and Sense UI overview:

HTC Hero media widget and Flash-capable browser:

The camera has an 8x digital zoom and LED flash, plus image stabilization, smile shutter and face detection.  It can also record VGA-quality 30fps video.  Meanwhile the smartphone supports  SMS, MMS, POP, IMAP and Exchange email, has a microSDHC card slot and a mini-USB port, plus a standard 3.5mm headphone socket.

The XPERIA X3′s display is listed as measuring 4-inches and running at 800 x 400 resolution, and we’re assuming it’s a capacitive panel as has been the case to-date with Android handsets.  No word on pricing or availability, but Expansys are accepting pre-order interest.  Check out a video demo of the phone’s UI here.

[via AllAboutPhones.nl]

More HTC Leo specs after the cut

There’s also quadband GSM/EDGE, dualband 900/2100MHz HSDPA and WiFi connectivity, together with Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, GPS, A-GPS and a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash.  Internal memory is 512MB of flash and 320MB RAM, while there’s also a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. 

Both light and proximity sensors are included, as is an accelerometer, and the 121 x 67 x 11 mm handset squeezes in a 1,230mAh battery which we can’t see lasting all that long.  “Leo” is just a codename for the device, which is tipped to arrive before the end of 2009.

[via Unwired View]

When it first launched, we described the TG01 as a phone of superlatives; that still stands true today.  Most obvious are its display – a full 4.1-inches of resistive WVGA touchscreen – and slender dimensions, measuring just 9.9mm thick.  Less obvious, but with no less appeal, is the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset inside, which at 1GHz well outpaces any rival device.  Into the 129 x 70 x 9.9 mm, 129 gram frame Toshiba also pour an accelerometer, WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, 2100MHz HSDPA and HSUPA, together with a microSD card slot and A-GPS.

Physical controls are minimal, with the power button (which also serves to lock the handset) halfway down the left-hand side, and the volume controls curiously all the way down underneath it.  we can only assume there wasn’t enough space at the top for their internal mechanics.  On the right-hand side there’s a camera shortcut key and a micro USB port hidden behind a fiddly tab; that tab must be open in order to remove the fragile-feeling plastic back cover.  Inside there’s the reset button, a 1,000mAh Li-Ion battery, SIM slot and microSD card slot.  The latter two require the battery be removed in order to access them, which is a frustration when it comes to the memory card.  Happily Orange provide an 8GB card rather than the usual measly 1GB or 2GB most carriers give out, so you may be able to escape changing it regularly.

In terms of software, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.1 does duty here.  It’s almost a rarity these days to be testing a WinMo device without HTC branding, and so we’ve been eagerly awaiting Toshiba’s own UI efforts.  As with HTC and Samsung, Toshiba have whipped up a more aesthetically pleasing overlay that sits on top of the more mundane OS; in this case, it’s a series of colored vertical bars that can be panned across, three to a screen, each offering various shortcuts.

If you think that sounds like a launcher, you’d be right.  As standard each bar shows three icons, though you can swipe up to show several more spaces to fit in more shortcuts.  Happily, despite carrier Orange’s – who hold exclusivity for the TG01 in the UK – reputation for unavoidable customization of handsets, here even their iconography can be junked in favor of your own shortcuts, whether they be webpage links, specific media files or apps.

Overlaid above the bars is a status box, which can be switched between various information panes.  As standard it offers links to unseen SMS, emails and phone calls, but it can also show the time, a calendar or be blanked altogether.  Unfortunately there’s no way to customize it with your own information, and nor is there any way to squeeze more than the default level of detail into the pane.  Given the scale of the display Toshiba have to work with, that’s a shame.  Down at the bottom of the screen, soft keys work in tandem with touch-sensitive buttons, the call/end on-screen buttons being smaller than we’d like and flanking menu and context-sensitive keys.  Underneath, there’s a home button and a back key, both touch-sensitive but lacking any sort of vibration-style feedback to let you know you’ve tapped them, and a strip which acts as the launch point for the on-screen D-pad.

This D-pad is summoned by pressing on the strip and dragging up across the display, bringing with it not only directional controls but a Start menu shortcut and Ok button.  Translucent, it can be dragged about the screen and used for navigating larger webpages instead of tapping and dragging.

With no silo for the stylus (and the one Toshiba providing being cheap and perfunctory at best), the company’s UI is thankfully finger-friendly.  It’s tough to describe it as attractive, though; the shortcut buttons are unnecessarily small, and the zoom-effect when tapped causes them to pixelate unpleasantly.  Pane navigation, too, is jerky, though it’s also quick.  The biggest drawback, however, is the depth of the UI, or rather the lack of it.  Where you can use a modern HTC Windows Mobile smartphone for day to day tasks without encountering the Microsoft OS, the same simply cannot be said for the TG01.  Every commonly-used app – whether messaging, contacts, calendar or phone calling – are standard WinMo fare.

That obviously loses the TG01 points on the aesthetic scale, but it also conspires to waste the span of its display.  Dialogs, menus and layouts that Microsoft designed for touchscreens half the size are left swimming on the Toshiba’s 4.1-inch panel, but more criminally the times when you’d really like something to be larger – a menu option, say, or an OK button – they’re still slightly undersized for a fingertip.  Yes, you can navigate sans stylus, but there’s always a pause before you tap as you line-up.

Happily Toshiba have loaded their own QWERTY keyboard onto the TG01, and that makes better use of the space.  Separate screens for a phone-keypad style layout, traditional QWERTY and numbers/symbols (the latter with seven pages of different characters) are on offer, together with auto-completion.  Some of the niceties we’re used to from other touchscreen keyboards aren’t offered, however; there’s no pop-up to show which letter your finger is pressing, and nor is there a comprehensive auto-correction to smooth over common mis-types.  The auto-completion is relatively comprehensive in its offerings, but they’re presented in an undersized list, again at odds with the screen space to play with.  Most criminally, though, is the placing of the space bar in the horizontal QWERTY layout, pushed all the way to the left of the ‘Z’ key and the same size as the letters.  When HTC can make a workable on-screen keyboard on the comparatively compact 2.8-inch Touch Diamond2, we’d expect at least the same from Toshiba.

Still, horizontal support in every app is something we’ve been asking HTC for repeatedly, and the TG01 brings it first time around.  Even the homescreen UI caters for it, re-orienting so that the bars can be readily paged through with the right-hand thumb.  Despite the 1GHz processor, though, there’s a curious amount of lag involved in screen rotation, with almost three seconds before the display catches up to how you’re holding the smartphone.  Similarly, waking the TG01 from standby is also a bizarrely punctuated affair, with the side-button requiring a lengthy press and then several seconds of screen blackness before the phone comes to life.

If we’re honest, we’d say it’s difficult to tell that this is a Snapdragon handset at all.  Once underway, apps generally move swiftly – the File Explorer is particularly swift to navigate between folders, something previous WinMo handsets have proved more sluggish at – but it’s not the overwhelming rush of immediacy we perhaps hoped for.  Third party software might coax more obvious performance improvements out of the TG01, and we were impressed by the trial of Orange Maps preloaded (its panning swiftness, at least, though we prefer Google Maps’ interface).

One area where you’d expect the TG01 to shine is media playback, both for its horsepower and the size of its display.  As well as the standard Windows Media Player you’ll find on every WinMo device, there’s a second app called Video Player and a third called Coreplayer.  All three do pretty much the same thing, offering a variety of codec support, but we wish Toshiba had picked just one app and given it a TG01-considerate skin.  Video playback is either in a tiny box in the middle of the screen, surrounded by control buttons swimming in unused bezel, or you switch to full-screen and are a couple of taps away from controlling playback. Again, the common refrain is “build your apps to suit your screen”, especially when you’ve inches to spare as on the TG01.

Still, in full-screen mode there’s enough space to really get into a video, even if the TG01′s ambient light sensor seems determined to cut out as much backlighting as possible.  That only serves to emphasize how glossy the display is, and the struggles in best positioning the phone will make you long for a kick-stand on the back.  Media files can be loaded either via microSD card or by plugging the TG01 into your computer; it shows up as an external drive, and you can drag & drop content across.  Alternatively Coreplayer has a YouTube viewer, though this pales in comparison to the well-designed and usable HTC version.

We’d recommend a set of Bluetooth headphones for use with the TG01, unless you’re a very careful user indeed.  Since there’s no standard 3.5mm headphone socket, you’re forced to use the Toshiba adapter or the supplied headset which both plug into the micro USB port on the side.  The adapter does, at least, have a microphone and control button, together with a socket for your favorite headphones, but both it and the Toshiba headset seem precarious and destined to snap, protruding as they do from the side of the phone.  What’s a wide device to start with gets even wider: almost 10cm across with the adapter plugged in.  Happily audio quality is decent, though the supplied headset is as uninspiring as such included accessories usually are.

Just as anticipated as media playback is Snapdragon’s impact on mobile gaming, and Toshiba and Orange load a demo of Need For Speed Undercover and Monopoly onto the TG01 to whet your appetite.  Compared to the usual Windows Mobile stalwarts of Bubble Breaker and Solitaire, that’s got to be a bonus; however a few minutes of play left us distinctly unimpressed.  Need For Speed Undercover seems to have been ported over from a non-touchscreen device with a much smaller display, as dialogs are tiny and require scrolling through rather than tapping to select.  Actual car control is done via on-screen buttons, which seems odd considering the TG01 has an accelerometer.  We had visions of holding the smartphone horizontally, iPod touch style, and tilting to steer, but NFS:Undercover is locked into portrait orientation.  It’s an uninspiring inclusion, and leaves the floor open for a third-party to hopefully deliver more impressive TG01 mobile gaming.

As we’ve already said, the TG01′s camera is a 3.2-megapixel unit with autofocus but no flash.  It will shoot both JPEG still images or 3GP or MP4 format video in a choice of QVGA or VGA resolutions, and there’s a dedicated camera button on the right-hand side of the phone.  Flipping the TG01 either to the left or the right will rotate the camera display accordingly, and there are on-screen buttons to lock focus (center-spot only, no selective tap-to-focus here) and switch between resolutions.  Tapping to start recording or snap a frame triggers a surprisingly loud musical jangle or camera shutter noise, which we couldn’t readily turn off.

Image quality is fair, though you’ll need decent light to get the best results.  Without a flash or LED light, indoor shots can be dark and lacking in detail, and night images are bordering on unusable.  Video quality is good, particularly in VGA resolution, though there’s no digital zoom (only in QVGA mode); we’d prefer recording to start as soon as you tap the camera icon, though, rather than take a few seconds.  Once you’ve finished, the TG01 gives the option to play the clip or send it via email or MMS (though not Bluetooth, and there’s no YouTube upload option).

We had high hopes for the TG01′s performance as a web browsing device, and were disappointed to see that Toshiba failed to offer anything other than the basic Internet Explorer Mobile 6.  Having been spoilt with Opera Mobile on HTC devices, we didn’t hold our breath with for IEM6; however, with a few tweaks (primarily to ensure you see desktop webpages, rather than their mobile versions) it’s actually pretty usable.  Rendering is quick and, once you’ve trained yourself to tap firmly on the resistive touchscreen, dragging around pages is impressively smooth.  There’s also Flash support, so YouTube video loads in-page and plays with no issues, though some sites did warn us that the version of Flash offered was insufficient for their content.

Try to get more in depth with webpages, however, and the cracks begin to show.  Zooming is handled by the touch-strip at the bottom of the phone, and is jerky and counter-intuitive, while tapping a block of text will only zoom in to a certain, not-quite-enough point and fails to re-format it as you’d find on Mobile Safari on the iPhone.  The touchscreen is not as finger-forgiving as we’d like, either, which can make selecting links frustrating, and there’s no tabbed browsing as you’d get in rival apps.

As a phone, the TG01 puts in a decent performance, with reasonable sound quality for both parties and a clear, well-spaced dialer app.  WinMo6.1′s ready integration with Exchange  means the contacts app can be speedily filled; alternatively, Google Sync brings any contacts (and appointments) in from their service.  One minor frustration is trying to get to a number pad mid-call, such as when navigating automated menus; this requires a couple of taps, rather than being an upfront option.

As for battery life, runtimes were never going to be superlative when you consider the size constraints involved.  Standby times were reasonable, but the combined impact of the large display, processor and wireless connectivity meant we needed to recharge the TG01 nightly.  Turning off push email made a significant difference, as did throttling back the CPU, though we considered that to be contrary to the nature of the handset.

Just when you think, though, that Toshiba rushed the TG01 out with the barest possible tweaks, they surprise you with an unexpected feature.  Included in the box is a micro USB to USB port adapter, meaning the smartphone supports USB Host: plug in a thumb-drive and its contents show up in File Explorer; add a USB keyboard or mouse, and you’ve turned your TG01 into a MID of sorts.  In our experience the functionality works as long as the device you’re connecting doesn’t require specific drivers or software.

So equipped, the Toshiba TG01 gets something of a new lease of life.  We already know that Snapdragon is enough for basic netbook functionality – Qualcomm and their hardware partners have already been showing off reference designs – and with the right software the TG01 could make for an interesting mobile work or blogging platform.  It won’t replace a laptop, certainly, but for keeping up with email and even basic document editing in Office Mobile (which includes Word, OneNote, Excel and PowerPoint mobile clients) the addition of a keyboard and mouse bypass the frustrations of the on-screen ‘board.  Again, it’s Windows Mobile 6.1 that proves the biggest sticking point, and with no Windows Marketplace for Mobile yet (it will arrive on WM6.1 by the end of the year, we’re told, but by then Orange will have made Windows Mobile 6.5 available for TG01 owners) it requires users to go out and find the productivity apps that would make this a viable MID-style platform.

Ironically, then, it’s not some speedy third-party who have stolen Toshiba’s thunder, but the company themselves.  In their rush to get the TG01 to market, they’ve lumbered it with an aging platform and a UI with all the allure of a poorly fitting suit.  Snapdragon and the biggest display on a Windows Mobile phone on the market should be irresistible draws, but the take-away impression of the TG01 is of a device half-hearted in its delivery and frustrating in its execution.  You can’t really ask for a better head-start than a 4.1-inch touchscreen when it comes to finger-friendliness, but pokey, inconsistent iconography leave you scraping at the TG01 with a fingernail.

Windows Mobile 6.5 could solve many of the Toshiba TG01′s woes, and we’re pleased to hear that Orange will be delivering upgrades to the new OS once it’s available.  We’re just not sure we could live with the TG01 experience as it stands until then.

The Toshiba TG01 is available in the UK on Orange now, priced from free on new qualifying plans.

Unboxing and UI overview video:

In the box there’s the Pro2 itself, a spare stylus, wired stereo handsfree kit, a case with magnetic closure (though no belt clip or loop), a USB to ExtUSB cable and an AC power adapter. Our full unboxing video is further down the page; you can find our first-impressions with the Pro2 here. In terms of connectivity there’s 900/2100MHz HSPA/WCDMA and quadband 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE, together with WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with A2DP support.

HTC’s hardware keyboards have won no small number of fans over the past few years, and we were relieved to find that the Pro2 certainly delivers on that count. The screen section clicks out with a firm, solid slide, revealing a well-spaced QWERTY layout. As well as a dedicated number row there are shortcuts for messaging, SMS, internet and the wireless connection manager. Key travel is good – for a portable keyboard – with a quiet though tactile click leaving no confusion as to whether a button has been pressed. The whole ‘board is backlit, and despite the metal trim on the screen bezel the weight balance in your hands is excellent.

In a welcome comeback from earlier devices, the Pro2′s display also tilts once it is fully-opened, up to around 45-degrees from the horizontal. There’s a little wobble in the friction-fit hinges, though the display itself stays put no matter how long it’s extended. Here, though, the weight balance of the Pro2 is not quite ideal, with the smartphone having a tendency to rock back slightly as the curved back-plate and heavy screen section make themselves known.

The other controls pale in comparison to the keyboard, with the main row of four under the screen – call, Windows, back and end-call – small and with hard to read legends. As with the Diamond2, sandwiched between display and keys is a touch-sensitive zoom bar, used in the Pro2′s browser and image viewer. It allowed for a less-jerky zoom than we found the Diamond2 capable of, though we’d still like to see it implemented in more apps. Why can’t we slide through tabs in TouchFLO 3D with the zoom bar, enlarge text in the messaging app or fast-forward through media playback?

As for the screen, at 3.6-inches that gains a welcome 0.4-inches over the Diamond2 (though is still 0.2-inches less than the Touch HD) with the same WVGA 800 x 480 resolution. Colors are bright and well-saturated, and the active backlighting – which adjusts brightness in accordance to ambient conditions – seems to have more scope for change than on previous HTC phones we’ve used. The Pro2 uses a resistive touchscreen, which will obviously have its detractors among the capacitive-camp. In this case it requires a firm touch or tap, harder than on the Diamond2, and lacks some of the glass-like stiffness of the Touch HD. One side-effect of this is that you’ll have to support the back of the phone while tapping the folded-upright screen, otherwise it rocks backward. Still, it proved accurate and usable, as well as reluctant to accidentally respond when held to the face during calls.

Call quality often gets dumped to the bottom of a smartphone review, with other, glossier features getting the attention. In the case of the Touch Pro2, however, it deserves equal billing: this is an excellent device for voice calls. The earpiece is full-bodied and clear, while the microphone does an excellent job; callers had no problem hearing us. HTC have also included their latest speakerphone technology, “Straight Talk”, activated by flipping the phone face-down. Do that, and the Pro2′s speakers and dual microphone array click into action, using noise-cancellation technology to maximize sound quality. Cellphone speakerphones often turn out better suited to acting as a music loudspeaker than for hands-free calls, but the Pro2 does an admirable job keeping things clear and very loud. Meanwhile software tweaks make adding participants into conference calls is far quicker than on rival handsets, while taking part in third-party calls (admittedly not something we do that often) has its own dedicated scheduler with time and PIN reminders together with an on-screen “call” button. The oversized volume controls are easily accessible, and there’s a handy microphone-mute button just below the camera.

As for that camera, it comes in at 3.2-megapixels with autofocus but no flash. Like earlier HTC cameras, you can selectively focus by tapping a point on the preview screen; shots are taken relatively quickly, and there are a range of settings – white balance, exposure, etc – that can be tweaked, together with basic effects such as sepia and negative. Image quality didn’t impress as much as with other recent HTC handsets, looking a little more grainy than we’ve come to expect, while video shows the usual cameraphone proclivity to blurring and smearing when shooting fast-moving subjects. Unlike other platforms, Windows Mobile lacks any sort of quick-upload feature for either stills or video footage, something we wish HTC had carried over from their Android devices as part of TouchFLO 3D.

What you do get with TouchFLO 3D is a far more integrated Windows Mobile experience than on any other Microsoft-based device – bar the Diamond2 – to date. Contacts are linked into recent calls, messages and emails, while the calendar gets promoted to its own homescreen tab. There’s still the occasional Windows Mobile 6.1 dialog – adding a new calendar entry, for instance, or if you want to load anything but the most basic contact details to the address book – but this latest iteration of TouchFLO 3D is the best yet at hiding the ugly underlying platform. In fact, it’s not even Windows Mobile 6.5 that presents the most challenge to TouchFLO 3D: it’s HTC’s own Sense UI as seen on the recently-announced HTC Hero Android smartphone. HTC have already admitted that Sense as on the Hero is the culmination of three years of TouchFLO development, and we’re hopeful that this new platform returns the favor and hands back some of the gloss to upcoming Windows Mobile devices.

Internet access on the Pro2 is courtesy of Opera Mobile, and as ever it’s a slick method of browsing. The same push-page system as on the Diamond2 – where you can have the smartphone cache recent versions of a webpage on a preset schedule, for speedy access even without a connection – is present, while the Google search box is on the internet tab in TouchFLO 3D thus cutting out an extra tap. Considering its proficiency, some of the standard settings for Opera are confusing; we’d suggest increasing the number of simultaneous tabs from the default three, together with changing the “minimum overview zoom” figure under “Adaptive Zoom” to 70 to 100-percent. The latter will allow you to select links without having to zoom in first, something eminently possible with the Pro2′s expansive display.

The Pro2 also has GPS, which works as you’d expect from previous smartphones. Google Maps with Latitude support, satellite views and directions is pre-installed, while the QuickGPS app is used to speed up satellite acquisition times. We found the phone a little slower than others to fix its position, and the tougher touchscreen made smooth map panning a little trickier, but the hardware keyboard made tapping in addresses far quicker than trying to do so on-screen (especially when trying to walk at the same time).

Media functionality isn’t the focus of the Pro2, but that doesn’t mean it’s incapable. As well as the usual Windows Mobile media player there’s HTC’s own audio and video playback, together with a decent range of supported formats. AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, MIDI and M4A audio is accommodated, as is WMV, ASF, MP4, 3GP, 3G2, M4V and AVI video. The Pro2 actually makes for a neat desktop video player, with the tilting screen ideal for hands-free viewing; it’s also compatible with HTC’s TV Out cable, meaning you can pump out footage (or, if you want to stick it on expenses, PowerPoint presentations) to a TV or projector. Sadly there’s no such cable included in the box, while another odd omission is the FM radio you find on the Diamond2. HTC have been accused of failing to software-enable an otherwise present FM radio module on previous handsets, so we’re not sure whether this is a technical limitation or a case of jaded product positioning.

The Pro2 isn’t without flaws, and one of the most frustrating is the lack of a 3.5mm headset socket. HTC still maintain that this is reserved for their consumer range of devices, but in our experience business customers are just as likely to want to plug in a wired hands-free kit of their choice (or enjoy a few MP3s on the commute into work) as anybody else. The omission is compounded by the fact that HTC don’t bundle the ExtUSB-to-3.5mm-jack adapter with the Pro2, a miserly touch considering this is effectively their Windows Mobile flagship. The included headset is reasonable, but only in terms of what you might typically find bundled in with a smartphone.

Perhaps the missing socket is a casualty of space shortages, but the upshot to that isn’t a compact handset. At 116 x 59.2 x 17.25 mm (4.57 x 2.33 x 0.68 inches) and 187.5g (6.61oz) this is a hefty chunk of smartphone; you can carry it in a front trouser pocket, certainly, but you’ll definitely know it’s there. HTC have attempted to save some weight with a plastic back cover, but it ends up being the cheapest-feeling aspect of the Pro2 and frustratingly can’t be easily removed without first whipping out the stylus. At least the microSD card slot is accessible without then needing to remove the battery.

That battery needs to share some of the weight blame, being a considerable 1,500mAh Li-Ion pack. HTC quote up to 510 minutes GSM talktime (390 WCDMA) or up to 500hrs GSM standby (750 WCDMA) and the Pro2 can certainly stand up to some heavy use. Left to its own devices it happily sat for a full week in standby, chewing through less than half its charge, while over the course of two days of heavy internet and messaging (over 3G and WiFi) with occasional short calls it still had power to spare at the end. If you’re regularly let down by the runtime on your iPhone, Palm Pre or T-Mobile G1, it’s safe to say the Touch Pro2 will prove a revelation.

Target market for the Pro2, then, is clear. Windows Mobile’s excellent integration with enterprise-friendly Exchange servers, together with the phone’s strong voice call support, lag-free Qualcomm MSM7200A 528MHz processor and capacious 512MB ROM (with 288MB RAM) add up to a resolute business device that should also satisfy the heavy-duty message addict. The QWERTY keyboard on the Pro2 is among the best we’ve tested on a mobile device, and if you do as much email sending on your smartphone as you read messages then you’ll likely find your productivity gets a welcome kick.

The payoff to all that functionality is the heft of the device and the overly-sensible Windows Mobile operating system. TouchFLO 3D does its best job to date of hiding the aging platform, but we’re very much looking forward to seeing WM6.5 make its appearance. Similarly, while resistive touchscreen technology may have come on in leaps and bounds from its spongy heydays, we’d still love to see some of HTC’s capacitive magic from their Android range cross over to their Windows Mobile line-up.

Lengthy battery life, broad functionality and a surfeit of input methods win the day, however, for the HTC Touch Pro2. Handsome, though perhaps lacking the instant style-appeal of Apple or Palm’s latest devices, it’s a solid business buy and a strong contender for anybody prioritizing text-entry when mobile.