For example, the phone’s GPS would notice that you’re driving since it detects that you’re moving at 60 mph, so the phone would automatically notify anyone trying to contact you that you’re busy driving and can’t take a phone call or a text message. Users can also manually choose their best form of communication that they would like — similar to the Do Not Disturb feature in some cases.

The patent also discusses different tiers that you can set for your contacts. You can place your most important contacts in the highest tier, and put your acquaintances in lower tiers. Then you can automatically or manually set parameters based on each tier. There’s also an option to simply meet up if your phone’s GPS discovers that you and your contact are nearby.

Apple first filed for the patent in 2008, so the idea for the technology has been around for a few years. However, like any patent, this may never see the light of day. Although, if implemented correctly, it could come in handy for many users, especially those who are prone to receive annoying phone calls during meetings.

[via AppleInsider]

Hit the WhatsApp button and you can jump straight into your conversations; alternatively, there’s integration into the Asha 210′s phonebook, with the ability to start specific chats with people from there. Nokia also loads a YouTube app, throws in the SLAM easy photo transfer system we first saw last year on the Asha 205 “Facebook” phone, and the data-squeezing Nokia Xpress Browser.

Otherwise, there’s WiFi and a 2-megapixel camera, the latter using Nokia’s self-portrait feature which works around the absence of a front-facing camera by instead giving voice prompts to help you frame your face properly. There’s also Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and other email account support.

Nokia claims up to 46 days battery life on the single-SIM version, while the dual-SIM Asha 210 will last for up to 24 days, the company claims. The latter can flick between its SIM cards without requiring a reboot, too.

The Asha 210 will go on sale in Q2 2013, priced from $72. It’ll be offered in yellow, cyan, black, magenta, and white.

The physical similarities in design between Asha and Lumia have been increasing with Nokia’s more recent iterations, as the company plays on its distinctive color schemes. Asha phones are generally targeted at developing markets, but also the sort of low-cost prepay and SIM-free audiences who might currently be opting for a budget BlackBerry 7 handset.

That’s despite a history of well-esteemed QWERTY Nokia phones, with handsets like the E6 and the E7 finding favor for their tactile thumb-boards. Both ran Symbian, however, and came before Nokia’s transition to Windows Phone, an OS which has been poorly served by hardware keyboard devices.

Unfortunately, hopes that Nokia would deliver such a phone were all but dashed back at Mobile World Congress, when smartphone chief Jo Harlow told SlashGear that would-be users shouldn’t hold their breath for it. Though there remains a vocal group still asking for a physical keyboard, Harlow conceded, the actual size of that audience continues to shrink as touchscreen text-input improves.

For Nokia, that means the cost of developing a QWERTY Lumia is unlikely to see a return on actual device sales. Existing users of physical keyboard devices don’t necessarily upgrade to another phone with QWERTY, Harlow pointed out, and “we really don’t want to be on the wrong side of that movement.”

Nokia’s announcement of the new phone will be at 7am GMT (2am Eastern) on Wednesday, April 24.

The rear-touch controls will allow users to navigate through various content. They will be able to flip through pages in a magazine or an e-book, navigate through their music selection by skipping or replaying their songs, scroll around through web pages, and more. There are a ton of possibilities that can come with rear-touch controls, and most will be utilized in order to create a much more pleasant one-handed user experience.

While Google has just received its patent, and Apple had the patent since 2006, they’re still way behind Sony. Sony was the first to implement rear-touch controls in its PlayStation Vita device. The device utilizes the rear-touch feature in many games. The touch-pad is used in many games to perform tasks like lobbing grenades, performing silent kills, controlling the camera, selecting multiple targets, navigating through maps, and more.

Google will not be limiting rear-touch controls on just Android smartphones however. It says that it may bring it to its Android tablets and Chromebook as well. Hopefully Google follows through with implementing its rear-touch controls, unlike Apple. We could see the use of rear-touch controls be used in so many ways other than just flipping a page. Developers would probably have a field day with the feature, integrating it within their apps and their games for a much better user experience.

[via Patent Bolt]

WIth this device costing so little, it’s almost as if the company wants to earn their money back with bulk rather than margins – but it’s not as if they skimped on the quality of the device itself. Each of the things this device aims to be, it is. You’ve got a super tiny unit with a perfectly classic industrial design and the ability to make phone calls and texts. What more could the average mobile phone user want?

- Assuming they don’t want a smartphone, of course.

The Nokia 105 uses a one-piece keymat that’s both dust-proof and splash-proof – though you won’t want to be dunking this device in to your cup any time soon as it’s not exactly sealed for weathering otherwise. You’ve got a built-in FM radio for on-the-go tuning-in, Dual band EGSM 900/1800 connectivity, and a beastly 8MB ROM inside – unthinkable on a modern smartphone.

With this setup and the battery inside, you’ve got such a setup as to need only one charge every few weeks. Nokia quotes the Nokia 105 as able to withstand 12.5 hours of talk time or 35 days on standby – charge it and forget it! The whole device is 107 x 44.8 x 14.3 mm large, weighing in at 70 grams with its battery inside – and it’s got a replaceable battery as well, mind you, so if you need to leave civilization for a few months, you can just bring a few extra packs along with you – no worries!

Have a peek at the timeline below to see more Nokia releases from the past week, and stick with SlashGear in our massive Mobile World Congress 2013 tag portal for more action throughout the week!

BONUS: Nokia has created some wonderfully vibrant advertisements for their newest line of devices – here’s the spot made for the Nokia 105. Get your dancing shoes out!

The Nokia 105 is being shown as having been on for several weeks here at Mobile World Congress 2013, and they’re making it clear that they’re expecting this device to last for months. One charge, forget about it, charge again in weeks and weeks – no worries! This device comes in blue and black, and will be available extremely soon internationally.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see more information on the Nokia releases this week, and stick to our Mobile World Congress 2013 tag portal for more mobile action throughout the week coming up. This device is one of several Nokia releases that take a “Pure” Nokia experience and make it central to their smartphone release environment. Have a peek at the Nokia tag for more information as well – hands-on coming up quick!

With the Nokia 301 you’ll be working with Nokia’s renewed dedication to a pure experience across the board – this also meaning a great camera experience. You’ll be able to take several shots at once to get the best of three. You’ll be able to take panorama photographs. There’s a self-portrait assistant that speaks aloud to you to tell you when your camera is pointed at your face correctly.

This device works with NFC and a brand of connectivity called SLAM – with this you’ll be connecting to any device that has NFC inside. This connection is not limited to Nokia devices, and you’ll find that transferring photos is the first and most awesome element here and now.

Lots of rather strange features equal one especially advanced low-end device. Instead of simply upgrading the smartphone lineup with features galore, Nokia’s decided to bring the lower end of great and bring it up further – inexpensive will continue to be cool. Keep your eyes stuck to the MWC 2013 tag for more action all week long from Barcelona!

According to the IDC, Huawei’s strategy including the high-end Ascend lineup which continues through 2013. IDC also notes that Huawei has “demonstrated its innovative skills” with such releases as the (at that time) world’s thinnest phone with the Ascend P1. The Ascend Mate is also on the way here in 2013 with the world’s first 6.1-inch smartphone display.

You’ll also find Samsung and Apple right up on top of the smartphone market this fourth quarter of 2012, as it was expected, with a 29% and 21.8% market share respectively. Compared to these numbers, the third place entrant (Huawei) brings on a tiny 4.9%, while Sony and ZTE come in fourth and fifth with 4.5% and 4.3% respectively, the all-encompassing “Others” category gathering up the rest with 35.5% of the market total. This is all accounted for with a total of 219.4 million smartphones sold over the fourth quarter of 2012 all around the world, a 36.4% jump from Q4 of 2011.

As for smartphone sales recorded over the entirety of 2012, Samsung and Apple once again reign supreme with 30.3% of the market and 19.1% of the market respectively. Third, fourth, and fifth place may be surprises to you, on the other hand: Nokia, HTC, and Research in Motion (RIM, BlackBerry). Of course it’s only with less than 15% of the market between the three of them that they exist on the list, less that one percentage point separating each of them, but there you have it – they’re still up there!

[via IDC]

If you still don’t have service, sit tight, because the company claims that service should return for everyone at some point today. Even better is the fact that AT&T will credit those who were affected by the outage, so your next bill might be a little lower than it usually is. Paying less is always a good thing, even if you did have to deal with a service outage for the better part of a week.

Speaking to The New York Times, AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel spoke of the outage. “U-verse service has been restored for the vast majority of our customers affected by the outage,” Siegel said. “We expect any remaining customer issues will be resolved this morning.” Apparently, the outages were caused by a botched software update, so it seems that AT&T has fixed the issue and is definitely ready to move on from this sticky situation.

The outages affected many consumers in a number of different states, seemingly stretching across the south of the US. We’re glad to hear that AT&T is bringing U-Verse back for most today, but we imagine that the company has quite a few angry customers to deal with now. Were you one of the many who were affected by this service outage?

This bit of information doesn’t exactly bring us anything new on the device front other than what we learned about yesterday, but it does let us know that Amazon will be continuing on in their journey in the hardware world. With the Kindle Fire HD 7 and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 having been released yesterday, the company is set for another very possibly blockbuster holiday season. Both devices, along with a couple new ereader-specific machines, will be appearing in stores over the next few months.

Bezos also spoke about the fact that each of the Kindle Fire HD devices being offered this season will be showing Special Offers on their lockscreens. From this screen on each of the devices, you’ll have the option to either unlock to your normal user interface or head straight to a bit of media which you can then buy. Unlock your device or purchase The Hunger Games – your choice! Previous devices from Amazon have had the option of a lower price with Special Offers or a higher price for an ad-free model.

When asked why Amazon opted for only Special Offers versions of the devices this time around, he noted that “no one really buys the non-special offers version”. This plays well into the company’s assurance that a fabulous piece of hardware should also include a fabulous connection to media of all types as well. Check out the post “Kindle Fire is a Service” for more information on that situation.

In case you’re not familiar, the Google Voice service lets you sign up for a free phone number that you can use as your universal contact number that acts as an online PBX, centralizing all your voice messages and forwarding incoming calls to the mobile devices you assign.

With the update today, Google Voice is adding two new groups of callers. The first is for the people already in your address book and lets you customize the experience for those callers. It also lets you screen anyone that’s not yet in your address book. The second is for anonymous callers, or those who are without a caller ID.

[via Google Voice Blog]

This isn’t the first time that Canonical has attempted to adapt Ubuntu to smartphones. It had previously tried to push Ubuntu Mobile, which ended in 2009, as well as Kubuntu Mobile and an ARM version of Ubuntu. Fans of the platform have designed several concepts for a mobile Ubuntu OS, one of which designed by Musl1m is shown above.

Canonical has also backed the Ubuntu for Android project, which brought the desktop experience of Ubuntu to Android handsets. It runs both Android and Ubuntu simultaneously and was first demoed to be fully operational on the Motorola Atrix 4G 2 at Mobile World Congress last month. It’s believed that Ubuntu for Android can be run on any Android smartphone as long as it has video-out, a dual-core processor, and at least 1GB of RAM.

[via PhoneRpt]

The HS1101 and the MBP2000PU Android Home Phones appear to be identical except in color. The HS1101 features a black glossy finish while the MBP2000PU is silver and white. Both phones offer a 3.2-inch 400 x 240 LCD display, a front-facing camera with video recording, and stereo 1.5-watt speakers that’s likely designed for video calls.

Apps can be downloaded to the phones through SlideMe, such as a Digital Answer Machine app that comes preloaded along with an Aldiko e-book reader app. The WiFi-enabled phones also have microSD storage, a micro-USB port, and headphone jack.

[via Android Community]

The slim set-top device is designed to sit on top of your television set and hooks up to it via an HDMI cable. The camera in the device features a 5-megapixel resolution and can digitally tilt, pan, and zoom. Given enough bandwidth, videos can be viewed in up to 720p resolution, while audio is 16KHz wideband.

The 802.11n WiFi connection supports download and upload speeds of up to 1Mbps and requires at least 256Kbps for both. Calls can be made to another person who also has a Biscotti TV Phone or has a smartphone, tablet, or computer that can use Google Talk.

Since Google Talk is a free service, this means no monthly subscription charges. You pay just one time for the device, which costs $199 and will begin shipping by the end of the month.

[via Engadget]

As a DECT handset, the SL910A is reasonably straightforward. A single connection to your landline, support for up to six handsets paired to the same base-station (and GAP compliance so they needn’t all be from Gigaset), 55 minutes of digital voicemail recording (plus the ability to record live calls to that memory, though not then offload them to your computer) and an integrated phonebook for up to 500 entries. Rather than punch them all in via the touchscreen you can hook up via USB or Bluetooth to your computer and sync your Outlook address book, complete with contact photos, which will flash up whenever there’s an incoming call.

Gigaset SL910A overview:

Alternatively the Bluetooth can be used to pair a headset and use it hands-free. The SL910A itself is solid – thanks to its metal chassis – but somewhat heavy, and the glass fascia and plastic buttons pick up finger and face grease very quickly. The battery is good for up to three days “standard usage” – up to 200hrs standby or 14hrs talktime – on a single charge, and the cradle itself is separate from the base station so you needn’t keep the phone near the wall socket.

Gigaset’s software looks a little like Android or another smartphone OS, but it’s really just a homegrown platform with a fancy UI. Three homescreen panes are swiped between, one showing the number pad, another a generic pane with clock, calendar, contacts and call list shortcuts, and finally one empty one that can have speed-dials assigned. Performance is hardly swift, with panes sliding at a somewhat sedate speed, but with no app support or anything more complex than birthday reminders that’s unlikely to frustrate too many people. Punching in numbers with the onscreen keypad is responsive.

Gigaset showreel:

Our biggest concern is that the SL910A feels a little like it uses a touchscreen for the sake of having a touchscreen. The benefit of a big display instead of physical buttons is the flexibility: you can serve up a lot of functionality in a straightforward way. However, the Gigaset lacks VoIP integration, such as Skype, internet access, even support for two landlines. It’s definitely eye-catching, but it’s hardly groundbreaking.

That makes the price – £139.99 for the SL910A and base-station, and £119.99 for extra handsets – even tougher to swallow. We’ll have wait until our review unit arrives to see if the Gigaset SL910A lives up to its futuristic billing.

The Huawei-Discovery Expedition phone will not only be able to take on all the elements, but will also include some other features that will come in handy for traveling and outdoor activities. Those include GPS, flashlight, compass, and G-sensor. Facebook and Twitter is also integrated in the phone to allow you to easily connect and share with friends while on your journey.

The rubberized exterior is black and bright orange and the two-inch 320×240 display is covered by Gorilla Glass. It also has a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera and lets you browse the using Opera Mini. The phone is expected to launch globally sometime later this year and you can bet it will be heavily promoted via all of Discovery’s media properties.

Android was always intended to find its way into more than just smartphones and tablets, and Archos has taken Google’s advice. The Archos 35 is a compact, lightweight touchscreen radio, with stereo speakers and a 3.5-inch color display, offering both local playback of photos, music and video – there’s 4GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot to boost the total up to 20GB – as well as 50,000 streaming radio stations courtesy of the TuneIn app.

Build quality is a little on the plasticky side, but the benefit is that it’s surprisingly lightweight despite the integrated battery. Ports include a 3.5mm headphone socket and microUSB port for charging/syncing, while there’s WiFi b/g/n to get online. A webcam on the front can shoot stills and video, as well as be used with video calling apps, but they’ll need to be available in the unofficial AppsLib download store since there’s no Android Market access.

As for the Archos 35 Smart Home Phone, that looks like an Android cellphone but in fact is a DECT handset for use around the house. Nonetheless, it has a front-facing 720p HD camera for video calls (over WiFi), together with the Android browser and email client. It’ll also work as a remote control for the Home Connect radio and the Archos 80 G9/101 G9 tablets, useful if you’ve got the latter two slates plugged into your HDTV via HDMI to play back Full HD video.

Archos 35 Home Connect & Smart Home Phone hands-on:

Both run Android 2.2.1 Froyo with some custom apps. The Archos 35 runs a 1GHz OMAP3630 single-core processor, though it falls behind Froyo smartphones of the same speed in terms of real-world performance. As for the DECT phone, Archos isn’t saying exactly what processor is inside, but we were mightily unimpressed with both its responsiveness and its touchscreen performance. Considering basic Android handsets can get both of these factors right, we’re hoping Archos’ teething pains are down to these being prototypes rather than evidence of what we’ll see on store shelves come September.

An internet radio does make sense – at $149 we can imagine it being a neat addition to a nightstand, for instance – but the primary benefit of Android over, say, a chumby is lost since there’s no official Android Market access. That narrows its audience to those willing to either live with the preloaded functionality or to dig through unofficial app stores and sideload .apk applications.

Whether Android has a place on a $159 landline phone, though, is less clear-cut. The Archos 35 Smart Home Phone seems to be struggling from a crisis of purpose: is it a remote control, or a phone, or a tiny home tablet, or a PMP replacement? If it’s a remote then the fact it’s limited to only controlling Archos’ recent hardware is a significant shortcoming; if it’s a tiny home tablet or a PMP then the display is simply too small to persuade us to put down our existing smartphone.

The commercial was for the NTT DoCoMo SH-08C smartphone that has a kidney shaped wooden case. The phone looks cool and since the specs are on a photo in Japanese, I am not sure what it’s all about. The phone isn’t the cool part here though, it’s the commercial.

The ad agency went to the woods and built a giant xylophone that they set up running down hill. A wooden ball was placed at the top of the xylophone ramp and then pushed down. As it plunks down the hill it plays Bach’s Cantata 147 also known as “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desire.” The director of the commercial says that the music is completely made with just the ball and the wooden xylophone planks, though some levels were adjusted. Check out the video below to see the commercial.

[via CNET]

This kit also charges phones via their micro and mini USB ports. The “energi to go” battery pack will give around 14 hours of extra talk time on your device and should give you enough time to find a power outlet to charge up your device. Another useful feature is a LED indicator built-in to let its user know when the external pack is almost out of juice.

To be honest, we’re more familiar with Speakal as the providers of pig-shaped iPod docks than we know them for their computing expertise, but having a shrunken PC in a phone does make sense on some levels. Since it can handle calendar, email, SMS, faxes, contacts and call recording, together with offering the enterprise integration and support businesses require, it might be a cheaper alternative to buying a full PC for those who only use a tenth of its abilities.

There’s also a browser, and it’s possible to log in remotely and access data stored on the BTS8. No word on pricing at this stage, nor what sort of hardware Speakal are using.

Press Release:

Speakal Debuts New Phone/Personal Computer Hybrid

BTS8 combines Windows 7 OS with an office phone system to revolutionize business communications

On display at CES January 6-9 in the iLounge Pavilion – North Hall #4616

Culver City, CA – January 6, 2011 – Speakal, a company driven by its passion for sound, intelligent technology and innovative designs, is ecstatic to announce the BTS8, an office phone system that doubles as a personal computer. The integrated Windows 7 OS enables users to manage and record your phone calls, answer emails, and even video chat with the on board webcam via Skype. The 5” LCD display can be connected to an external monitor via VGA for enhanced visibility. Additional capabilities include fax receiving, SMS text messaging, media player, contacts management, and a calendar empowering the BTS8 to be the ultimate communications and multimedia powerhouse. You can even browse the web and reach your data remotely for optimal connectivity.

“BTS8 completely streamlines business communications and computing for the modern office” said CEO David Solomon. “Users are able to optimize connectivity and empower their phone with the advanced capabilities of Windows 7 while saving up to 90% of the power regularly used with a desktop PC” added Solomon.

Speakal is also debuting the DS910, a Bluetooth iPhone dock for users to make hands-free calls. It incorporates an easy to read LCD display, alarm clock, FM Radio, and a 3.5mm auxiliary input for other music sources.

Speakal’s innovative 2011 lineup of lifestyle-oriented, intelligently designed technology solutions will be on display this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in the North Hall-iLounge Pavilion at booth #4616. To schedule an appointment, please contact Public Relations representative, Matt Shumate at mattshumate@maxborgesagency.com or 305-576-1171 x15.

For more information about Speakal visit www.speakal.com

About Speakal

Speakal Corporation is a privately held, United States company, based in Culver City, California that earned its worldwide recognition by delivering consumers unique product designs that combine intelligent technology, high quality sound, durability, and functionality. Established in 2008, Speakal was able to expand their reach and presence in the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East markets. Speakal continues to gain market share by introducing new audio product designs and diverse product lines that relate to the different end-users life styles and that hold special value for them. For more information, please visit www.speakal.com.

Red, black and white versions will be available when the TF-FN2000 goes on sale in Japan at the end of January 2011; Pioneer will also be offering extra wireless handsets. No word on pricing, nor whether international buyers will get a chance to express their love for boxy phones and retro graphics.

[via CrunchGear]

The sWaP has a 1.46″ TFT screen that is touch sensitive and the watch has a mini stylus for working that tiny screen. The watch comes in green, white, orange, pink, and black colors all with bands made from soft silica rubber gel with a smooth matte finish. One of the coolest features is the USB port that is on the end of the watchstrap allowing you to transfer data to and from the watch without needing any other cables.

The watch will work on all mobile phone networks in the UK except for 3. It weighs 65g, measures in at 205 x 45.5 x 17.52mm, and has a 240mAh lithium battery inside with up to 85 hours of standby and 160 minutes of talk time. The watch ships charged and ready to use with a set of earphones and a 2GB microSD card for storage. Other features include a video camera, still camera, FM Tuner, MP3 player, video player, and a calendar. The device can also connect to the web with WAP connectivity. The sWaP sells for £189.99 including VAT.

We’re still not entirely sure of the specifications – we’re guessing it uses a roughly 7-inch touchscreen – but it also seems that Rockchip might want to do a little more work on their Android build.  Several of the hands-on photos show the phone rotated into portrait orientation; not a problem with an Android smartphone, but less ergonomic when you’re having to flip your desk phone around.

It’s unclear whether that’s down to a limitation of the phone or something Rockchip actually wanted to include.  Either way, we can see it being a stumbling block for this “home media player” should any companies actually decide to pick up the reference design.

[via Cloned In China]

As well as the touchscreen – no word on size, but we’re guessing somewhere in the region of 7-inches – there are hardware shortcuts and a set of stereo speakers, together with a proper handset for making calls.  Full specs are in short supply, but we’ll presume Bluetooth and WiFi along with speakerphone functionality.

Unfortunately it seems Rockchip are putting their desk-phone idea out there as a spur to manufacturers to use their Android-capable chips, rather than testing the waters for launching it themselves.

[via MP4 Nation]

So what is a Super Phone? Today’s devices running processors around the 1GHz level are capable of HD 720p encode and decode of video and render graphics comparable to Sony’s PlayStation 2. Super Phones running dual core processors in the 1.5GHz to 2GHz range will be fully capable of 1080p encode & decode of HD video, capture 1080p video and capable of achieving console level 3D graphics.

LG announced at the end of last week that they would be aggressively releasing upwards of fifteen new mobile devices by the end of the year. Perhaps even more interesting was that the announcement explained that some of LG’s newest devices would be running NVIDIA’s mobile processor named Tegra, which puts them in this new category of Super Phone.

Tegra is best known currently as powering the latest Zune HD and more recently the Microsoft Kin, may it rest in peace. Those devices however ran the first generation of Tegra processor where the LG ones will be running Tegra 2.

It will be interesting to see the devices from LG that roll out packing Tegra as their CPU. I have tracked Tegra since I first started doing additional analysis of mobile processors just over three years ago. Back then Tegra was called the APX 2500 and ran a very impressive demo on a mobile device showing HD processing as well as graphically rich media and user interfaces. The SlashGear team ran some hands on video of this device back in 2008.

Since then Tegra has evolved and is in its second generation called Tegra 2.  From what I am hearing from OEMs Tegra 2 is gaining significant momentum in the super phone and tablet space. Qualcomm has been in the news as one of the leading mobile processors for these types of devices with their Snapdragon chip; however Tegra 2 is currently gaining with OEMs and ODMs due to its advantages in HD video processing, gaming, graphics capabilities, dual cores, multimedia features and current availability.   It is important to note that these devices from LG running Tegra 2 will be the first dual-core mobile phones on the market. All of this is taking advantage of the ARM architecture, which has provided an important foundation for mobile and touch computing.

These new classes of devices will be particularly interesting as Google rolls out Gingerbread (Android 3.0), which will be able to take advantage of the powerful processors that exist in Super Phones.  I fully anticipate that we will see a wave of these devices enter the market next year by any manufacturer who wants to stay competitive.

We live in exciting times and it will be interesting to see how the hardware and software community takes advantage of these powerful mobile devices.

The update also includes the 3G mobile hotspot app together with an upgrade for the camera software that enables 720p HD video recording.  Unfortunately you’ll have to wait for your Droid Incredible to offer the firmware to you, since Verizon tells us there’s no way to artificially prompt it.  More information on the update process here.

[via Android Community]

Video demo after the cut

Electrolysis splits the browser UI process from the web rendering engine process, which apparently keeps app responsiveness high even when there’s plenty of page loading or JavaScript crunching going on in the background.  Meanwhile Layers – which will arrive in the Beta version of Firefox Mobile – will improve zoom, animation, video and scroll performance, including taking advantage of whatever hardware GPU acceleration might be present.

No word on when that Beta might be released, however, so for now it’s the Alpha – as with any such software, it might not be the most stable thing you could install on your smartphone.  You can download the new version of Firefox Mobile here, while the release notes are here.

There’s also an 8GB microSD card, 5-megapixel autofocus camera, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS, along with Flash Lite support in the browser.  HTC had tipped the Desire’s August US debut back in June, at the time only saying that a regional operator would be offering it.  For more on the Desire, check out our full review of the European version.

[via Android Community]

It’s unclear whether this is the state of play for all carriers or simply Bell Mobility.  RIM themselves did warn that upgrades would be subject to carrier certification and other testing, and as such be released “in the months ahead” rather than immediately, but with the Torch 9800 already running BlackBerry 6 the hope had been for an update program kicking in before the end of the year.

[via CrackBerry]

“Verizon Wireless has begun pushing an update  today to the DROID by Motorola (introduced November 2009) that will  allow customers to download Adobe Flash 10.1 via Android Market. Flash Player 10.1 provides access to millions of sites  with rich content including animations, casual games, videos, rich internet  applications, audio and much more.”

The news comes on the heels of the Android 2.2 Froyo update for the DROID, which recently began distribution OTA.  It brings the DROID up to date with the DROID 2, software wise, though the second-generation model does have Motorola’s MOTOBLUR social networking enhancements.

[via Android Community]

“Handheld electronic devices, such as smartphones, cellular telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) can provide a variety of different functions in a small package. For some functions, however, such as text entry for messaging and email it may be desirable to provide a specific type of interface, such as an alphabetic keypad, which typically would have a landscape orientation (as opposed to a portrait orientation). For other functions, however, it may be more convenient for the handheld electronic device to have a different orientation. For example, when holding a handheld electronic device during a telephone call it may be more convenient for the device to not exceed a selected width so that it is easily held by the user. Thus, opposing design goals (e.g. narrow width to facilitate holding, and relatively wide alphabetic keypad to facilitate text entry) may exist when developing such a multi-functional device.”

RIM describe several methods by which the two sections could be connected and hinged, not just the pull-out-and-twist system, but the theory is consistent: packing as much variation in task-specific input in as possible.  It’s not the first time we’ve seen devices attempt to offer numeric and QWERTY input, usually with some form of display hinge; the Samsung Alias 2, for instance, had a display that flipped between portrait and landscape, and used E Ink keys to change the keyboard layout.

What RIM’s patent would allow, however, is a physically compact device with very specific input methods, rather than a compromise between the two.  Whether they actually get granted the patent – or indeed ever use the ideas in a commercial handset – remains to be seen.

[via GoRumors]

Nokia US has already confirmed that the Symbian^3 smartphone will be showing up by the end of September, with their online store taking preorders at $549 apiece.  However, Electricpig has heard from Dolby – who Nokia worked with to put Dolby Digital Plus audio on the N8 – that the touchscreen smartphone is due mid-September in the UK.

Nokia World kicks off on September 15th in London, UK, so that would certainly all tie in neatly if the Finns could get in-store availability at around the same time.  We’d love it if they managed to get the shiny new N9 on shelves then too, but that seems a little too much to ask.

The total number of mobile apps downloaded during that time according other research firm was 3.9 billion. That is a whole lot of apps to be downloaded in only six months. The average price for a paid app for the same six-month period was $3.60.

The biggest app store for the period would have to be Apple’s App Store, but the research firm says that the Nokia and Blackberry applications stores are growing. The Android Market is also growing well despite some high profile problems with some apps.

That, he says, adds up to a reasonably appealing smartphone, and one which photos don’t do justice.  The display is good – though Murtazin criticizes Nokia’s capacitive multitouch technology, which he says is a software issue the Finnish company still hasn’t ironed out – and battery life and screen response is better than the N8.

Unfortunately, the one thing we’d really like to hear about – the C7-00′s 8-megapixel camera – is the one thing that’s not reviewed, with Murtazin citing the prototype status of the phone.  Still, he thinks it’ll be a “more balanced handset” than the N8, though still perhaps not enough to lead the market, when it arrives at the end of fall priced at an estimated €350 ($445).

The DROID X lasted the longest, at almost 8hrs solid, while the DROID 2 came in third place at just over 7hrs.  Despite its 5-inch display, the Dell Streak slotted into second place, at 7.5hrs.  Down at the lower end of the chart was the HTC Incredible, with an AMOLED panel and 4.5hrs of runtime, and Samsung’s Captivate and Vibrant (both Galaxy S family phones) with 4.75hrs.

Of course, this isn’t really scientific in purist terms: the phones use different batteries (as you can see listed in the results chart below), different processors and are running various versions of Android.  Google has made power saving and performance tweaks between software iterations.  They also tested the handsets in the web-browser, but because of the way the display technology works, AMOLED/Super AMOLED is more frugal showing black or darker colors than it is white (i.e. most webpage backgrounds).  Still, if you’re a web addict and you’re looking for a long-legged Android phone on which to surf while mobile, it seems LCD may still be the way to go.

First, a bit of background: Whenever I’ve gone to Nokia’s headquarters in Espoo, Finland (which looks like what would happen if you crossed an IKEA with an Apple store), I’ve been impressed by how humble, competitive, and damned smart the people are. Finland has some of the highest labor rates in the world, yet Nokia somehow manages to effectively compete with Chinese vendors on cost. Nokia is not just the largest handset vendor in the world, in most of the world the company retains a premium brand image – and in some areas Nokia has staggeringly high market share.

Nokia got this way by riding the GSM wave in Europe with durable, stylish phones that had wonderfully simple user interfaces. Nokia then built a supply chain and manufacturing capabilities second to none, and it pushed hard into emerging markets such as India, China, and Africa, where it maintains distribution advantages that rivals still have a tough time matching. Ever-conscious of creating economies of scale, Nokia split its line into three basic platforms: S30 for basic voice, S40 for mid-tier feature phones, and S60 for smartphones. However, with the strategy set, Nokia seemingly put its designers on auto-pilot.

Over the past ten years, Nokia has stood by while an entire generation of new form factors has passed it by; Nokia missed the clamshell, the thin trend, QWERTY messaging phones, and touchscreens. In each instance, Nokia half-heartedly introduced its own take on these designs a few years late, just in time to miss what’s next. The touchscreen feature phone has been around so long that, after dozens of iterations, LG actually has a uniform touchscreen UI, and Samsung decided to turn its RTOS (Real Time OS) into a smartphone platform. In contrast, the interface on the new X3 is just touch-enabled S40 without the benefit of a virtual or physical QWERTY keyboard. Nokia calls this “Touch & Type,” but that is misleading, as no typing is involved.

Nokia’s research indicates that consumers want to use their phones with just a single hand. That undoubtedly is what Nokia’s research subjects say when they are asked, but it does not necessarily translate to sales purchase behavior; touchscreen and QWERTY phones are strong sellers in nearly every market where they are introduced. Besides, I’ve been an analyst long enough to have seen this play out before; single-handed use was also Nokia’s rationale for disregarding clamshells back in 2002. Nokia has not learned from its mistakes, so it is doomed to repeat them.

The X3’s physical keyboard is another case of Nokia moving around buttons and using oddly shaped keys and then claiming that consumers will not notice. (The worst example of this was the 3650, which had a circular key layout. At the time, Nokia’s product manager explained that user testing did not indicate that this was a problem. Riiiiight.) Nokia did make the right decision to use hard SEND and END keys on the X3 Touch and Type, and including dedicated messaging and music buttons is also welcome. The X3 Touch and Type’s saving grace is its style and cost structure; most touchscreen phones are priced above its EUR 125 price point, and it is commendably thin with a metal (as opposed to plastic) back plate. The X3 Touch and Type further differentiates itself with a 5MP camera. In price-sensitive markets where Nokia’s brand alone is worth a premium and Nokia has significant distribution advantages, the phone should sell well despite its flaws.

However, it is disconcerting to see that Nokia’s troubles are not relegated only to smartphones, where the company acknowledges that it fell behind. After I had submitted this column, Nokia announced the 5250 – a full touchscreen Symbian ^1 smartphone due out later this year for just EUR 115 – less than the X3 Touch and Type. The user experience on resistive Symbian touchscreens is lousy, but the price is right, and it will put serious pressure on Samsung’s Bada, which thus far has only been used with premium hardware.

Nokia’s annual launch/developer event, Nokia World, is coming up next month, and I expect we’ll see Nokia announcing its first MeeGo device there, aimed at high end smartphones from Apple and Android licensees. It is not clear whether Nokia’s high/low approach in smartphones will be enough, but Nokia is behind the competition in mid-tier feature phones, too, and the X3 Touch and Type is not enough to catch up.

Video interview after the cut

Meanwhile, together with Microsoft’s plans for real-time gaming between smartphone and Xbox 360 users, there’ll be considerable integration between mini-games available for the handsets and their full counterparts.  Playing those mini-games – which will be priced at between $1.99 and $2.99, according to Milligan – will supposedly unlock features and extra functionality on the console version.

Unfortunately Milligan was less forthcoming on the possibility of Xbox Live chat conversations being held between 360 owners and Windows Phone 7 users, saying Microsoft had “nothing to announce now”.  Still, he’s confirmed that, while Twitter was one of the features we most missed during our technical preview of WP7, the company is working with a number of third-party providers to get the short-messaging service on handsets close to launch.

[via wmpoweruser]

T8788 doesn’t have the same ring to it, so we’re hoping for something a bit more catchy soon. As far as features go, they seem pretty slim at this point. If you think the device looks a little think in this angled shot, that would be because it’s featuring a landscape slider. However, you won’t find a keyboard under there. No, not this time. Instead, there’s a speaker. And, around the back? There’s a kickstand. Which pretty much means this will (probably) be HTC’s media device featuring Windows Phone 7.

There’s no word on a release date quite yet, but in truth, we’re not too worried about that right now. We’re just perfectly happy staring at it. We’re curious to find out how big that display is, along with its resolution. Make it big enough and sharp enough, we can’t wait to start watching our favorite movies on it.

[via Engadget]

Video demo after the cut

There’s also a microSD card slot – with a 2GB card preloaded – together with a Flash Lite browser, GPS/A-GPS, quadband GSM/EDGE and Android Market access.  Android itself has been tweaked with Dell’s own enhancements, and Quick Office, Facebook with integrated calendar and contacts, and Twitter will all be preloaded.

As well as the contract option, the Aero is available commitment-free for $299.99.  Dell say it will also go on sale through AT&T themselves imminently.

Update: We’ve spoken to Dell, and they’ve confirmed the Aero is still running Android 1.5 Cupcake.  They’re calling the OS a “superset” of Cupcake, however, due to their modifications:

Dell developed a tremendous amount of customization and features on top of cupcake to deliver the experiences that matter most to customers. Popular features Dell incorporated on top of cupcake include Microsoft email with Active Sync, handwriting recognition, one-click upload of photos to social sites. We’ve also pre-loaded popular applications such as Facebook with integrated phonebook and calendar, added a connection manager, and implemented Search on the device or web.

Additional benefits for the Dell Aero:

·         Dell Aero comes with an 8x zoom with on-device photo & video editing functionality

·         Asynchronous BT/Wi-Fi

·         Multiple widget support

·         Sync with Windows Media Player

·         Desktop Suite Syncing tool – includes syncing with iTunes (Non DRM)

Press Release:

Dell Creates Freedom, Style and Performance to Explore Life’s Biggest Moments on New 3.5-Inch Android Smartphone

NEWS:

· Dell’s first U.S. smartphone, the Dell Aero, is available today in a polished graphite finish at Dell.com/mobile, by phone at 1-800-308-DELL, and coming soon to www.wireless.att.com. Dell Chat representatives are standing by 24 x 7 to answer Dell Aero related questions.
· The Dell Aero is available for $99.99 with new AT&T* two-year contract†, and $299.99 without.

FREEDOM IS CALLING
Dell Aero, one of the lightest multi-touch 3.5-inch Google Android-based smartphones in the U.S., is designed to deliver a powerful, flexible, and entertaining experience in a stylish and compact design. Packed with today’s popular features, the Dell Aero will ship with Quick Office, Facebook with integrated calendar and contacts, Twitter and additional applications by Google, including YouTube and Android Market.

With AT&T’s Wi-Fi network, and the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network, today’s social media mavens can simultaneously make voice calls and Tweet friends, post Facebook updates, share pictures or browse the Web. AT&T has the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network with more than 20,000 U.S. hotspots.*

Dell is a member of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), a group of technology and mobile companies working to accelerate innovation in mobility. Together, the OHA created Android, the first complete, open and free mobile platform to provide people a rich, inexpensive and exceptional mobile experience.

QUOTES:
“The Dell Aero is built with a focus on style and performance to help people find new ways to connect with friends and express themselves socially supported by the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network.” – Ron Garriques, president, Dell Communication Solutions

DELL AERO FEATURES:
· One of the lightest Android smartphones in the U.S., on the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network
· Experience YouTube and other Flash content in nHD
· 5-megapixel camera with 8x zoom, flash, dedicated camera key and advanced shooting and editing capabilities
· Connect with friends with one-touch access to social networks
· Multi-task with GPS, plus hands-free conversations
· Wi-Fi access at more than 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots with qualifying AT&T service plan

DELL AERO SPECIFICATIONS:
· Android platform complete with Android Market and Dell user interface enhancements
· 3.5-inch (640 x 360p) capacitive multi-touch display with pinch-to-zoom functionality
· Quad-Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
· Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100 MHz)
· WiFi + Bluetooth
· 2 GB* on board user accessible Micro SD with expandable memory available up to 32 GB*
· Full HTML Browser with Adobe Flashlite
· GPS/A-GPS navigation
· POP, IMAP, Webmail and Microsoft Active Sync E-mail

Follow conversations in the blogosphere: #DellAero

The C900 leaked last week, though so far there are no definitive specifications for the handset.  We do at least know that it will support Bluetooth A2DP for wireless stereo – no great surprise there – and of course there are the obvious hardware details: a physical home button and touch-sensitive back and search keys, and what looks to be a well-spaced QWERTY keyboard.

[via Phone Arena]