Finally, Nokia N97 Launching This Month

Nokia have announced that N97 will go on sale worldwide this month. No word on pricing yet for the 3.5-inch touchscreen handset, nor specific availability dates, but UK will apparently get it unlocked and SIM-free from Nokia in June 19.



SIM-free, the N97 is priced at around £500; that will be followed by a June 26th launch on the various carriers in the UK, with no word on pricing but a clear possibility of picking up the N97 free with a sufficiently expensive tariff. The N97 is already available to preorder in the US, priced at around $455 after discounts.

Your money gets you a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, S60 5th Edition OS, WiFi, GPS, HSPA and of course that 3.5-inch resistive touchscreen. However we’re also wary of the potentially low-powered CPU Nokia have fitted the N97 with; we’ll have to wait for the final model to see if that undermines the smartphone.

Official Nokia Press Release:

Nokia N97 mobile computer to begin selling worldwide in June

Espoo, Finland - The highly anticipated Nokia N97, Nokia’s flagship mobile computer, will begin selling in June in more than 75 countries. Along with a tilting 3.5″ touch display, QWERTY keyboard and a fully customizable home screen, the Nokia N97 will offer instant access to the full range of Ovi services.

“The Nokia N97 is an important step towards our vision of delivering a highly personalized Internet experience,” said Jonas Geust, Vice President and head of Nokia Nseries. “Fuelled by a multitude of music, maps, games, media and applications via Ovi, the Nokia N97 transforms the Internet into an experience that’s completely tailored to the tastes and interests of its owner.”

The Nokia N97 is Nokia’s first device to feature a personalizable home screen, which can be customized with a range of widgets which bring live information directly to the device. These widgets include key social networking destinations like Facebook and Hi5, news services like the Associated Press, Bloomberg and Reuters, as well as shopping and weather information. The Nokia N97 is the first device to ship with the Ovi Store, which offers easy access to applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services, and much more. Ovi Store has paid and free content from a range of global and local content providers and developers, including Paramount Pictures, Facebook and Qik, as well as a selection of Twitter applications.

Enjoy your upgrades
The beauty of this Nokia device is that taking it out of the box is just the beginning. As with any computer, people can constantly improve and refresh their Nokia N97 with new features, functions and fixes so they can do even more with the device. An exciting roadmap of new features and functions is planned to roll out in the second half of 2009.

Entertainment ensured
The Nokia N97 also has direct access to the huge catalogue of music in the Nokia Music Store. With multiple high-speed connectivity options and 32GB of storage (up to 48GB using a microSD card) it is possible to directly download and store tens of thousands of songs on the handset. And you can listen to your favourite music on the Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-905, which Nokia also launched today. This headset brings crystal clear sound, eliminates background noise, and is the ideal accessory for listening to music and making calls on the Nokia N97, as well as being compatible with a diverse range of other mobile and music devices.

High-quality images and video clips at 30 frames per second (fps) can be captured using the 5 megapixel camera with integrated Carl Zeiss optics. Images can also be geo-tagged to specific locations and shared instantly with friends or uploaded online via Ovi Share, Twitter or Flickr.

About Nokia
Nokia is a pioneer in mobile telecommunications and the world’s leading maker of mobile devices. Today, we are connecting people in new and different ways - fusing advanced mobile technology with personalized services to enable people to stay close to what matters to them. We also provide comprehensive digital map information through NAVTEQ; and equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.

Samsung I7500: Samsung's First Android Phone Out in June

Yes, you heard it right. It's not Samsung S8000 as previously rumored to be Sammy's first Android phone. It's the I7500 instead. Another full touchscreen handset from Samsung due to be out this June. The latest Android handset is definitely packing the best spec sheet any Android powered phone in the market has. Check out the stats:

* Android 1.5 OS
* Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dual-band UMTS/HSPA
* 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A CPU
* 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive OLED touchscreen display
* 5 megapixel camera with LED flash
* Wi-Fi
* Bluetooth
* GPS
* 8GB internal flash memory
* microSD slot
* 3.5 mm stereo jack
* Metal case, 11.9 mm thick



The Samsung I7500 will be available exclusively from O2 in Germany from June 2009. Pricing for the handset itself has not been announced, but the carrier has confirmed that no specific tariffs or service plans will be required; buyers will be able to choose any from O2’s range.

Official press release:

The Company’s First Android-Powered Mobile Phone

Samsung sets its leading position in Android, the mobile industry’s emerging operating system

April 27, 2009, Seoul, Korea - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leading mobile phone provider, today unveiled the I7500, its first Android-powered mobile phone. With a launch of I7500, Samsung became the first company among the global top three mobile phone manufacturers to unveil an Android-powered phone.

“Samsung is among the earliest members of the Open Handset Alliance and has been actively moving forward to introduce the most innovative Android mobile phone,” said JK Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of Mobile Communication Division in Samsung Electronics. “With Samsung’s accumulated technology leadership in mobile phone industry and our consistent strategy to support every existing operating system, I believe that Samsung provides the better choices and benefits to our consumers” he added.

The Samsung I7500 is a cutting-edge smartphone, featuring a 3.2” AMOLED full touch screen and 7.2Mbps HSDPA and WiFi connectivity, giving users access to Google™ Mobile services and full web browsing at blazing speeds.

The Samsung I7500 offers users access to the full suite of Google services, including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Calendar™, and Google Talk™. The integrated GPS receiver enables the comprehensive use of Google Maps features, such as My Location, Google Latitude, Street View, local search and detailed route description. Hundreds of other applications are available in Android Market. For example, the application Wikitude, a mobile travel guide, allows consumers to access details of unknown sights via location-based Wikipedia articles.

Based on Samsung’s proven product leadership, Samsung I7500 comes with latest multimedia features. The large and vivid 3.2“AMOLED display ensures the brilliant representation of multimedia content and enjoyable full touch mobile experience. Along with supporting a 5-megapixel camera and various multimedia codec formats, the I7500 also provides a long enough battery life (1500mAh) and generous memory capacity up to 40GB (Internal memory: 8GB, External memory: Up to 32GB) to enjoy all the applications and multimedia content. The phone also boasts its slim and compact design with mere 11.9mm thickness.

The Samsung I7500 will be available in major European countries from June, 2009.

Samsung Propel Pro Now Available from AT&T

The latest QWERTY contender from Samsung is now officially available from AT&T. The Propel Pro though sharing attention with five other new AT&T flagships will certainly hold its own. Looking good as an upgraded version of the original Propel, there could be no stopping this pro from hooking every imaginable WinMo smartphone-using segment.



Samsung's Propel Pro AT&T offering is at $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate on a two-year contract. For those on a tight-crunching economic-slowdown budget, the original Propel can still be had at $49.99 while supply lasts.

Specs at a glance:
* Slider form factor with QWERTY keypad
* 2.5-inch TFT display, 320 x 320 pixels, 65K colors
* Quad band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)/GPRS/EDGE connectivity
* Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA connectivity (850/1900/2100 MHz)
* Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard OS
* 3 megapixel camera with autofocus
* Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0
* MicroSDHC support
* 4 x 2.5 x 0.6 inches, 4.8 ounces
* Talk time: up to 6 hours, Standby time: up to 12 days

More of the AT&T Samsung Propel Pro offering here.

Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch

Full touch is an understatement when it comes to Samsung's 2009 style phone flag bearer, the S8300 Ultra Touch. Behind its 2.8-inch anti-scratch, anti-smudge AMOLED touchscreen is the upgraded TouchWiz user interface that's not only intuitive, but customizable, too. This 0.5-inch-thin smartphone also boasts a wide range of features, including an eight-megapixel cam, high-quality 30fps video recording, GPS navigation, geotagging, and 7.2Mbps HSDPA connection, among others. Now, if touchscreen ain't your thing, simply slide out the keypad and do things the good old tactile way.



Samsung S8300 specs at a glance:
* GSM GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
* 7.2 Mbps HSDPA connectivity
* Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
* 2.8″ 16M color, AMOLED touchscreen
* 8 MP CCD Camera, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
* built-in GPS
* FM Radio with RDS
* 80MB of on board memory
* microSD (TransFlash) card slot, up to 16GB
* Divx playback
* Stand by up to 350h
* Talk time up to 4h

Nokia E63: The Reasonably Priced E71 Sibling

You probably read some reviews already about the E63 or big brother E71. But nevertheless, here's my short take on the Nokia E63 after getting a brief hands-on with a friend's unit yesterday.

At first glance, the Nokia E63 looks like a phone meant for the young, easy-going, fun-loving, working yuppies -- that doesn't necessarily mean it's any less hardworking.

Even if the E63 doesn't look as striking as its QWERTY sibling, the E71, it doesn't look as smudge-prone and fragile. Its tactile keys are a treat to type message on. The only downside on the keypad though is its backlight, which is not enough for a big keypad. One can barely see the keys at the very bottom when using it in the dark.

It's a good thing the E63 has good battery life, as one will get carried away surfing the web via WiFi hotspots. Aside from having a rich landscape screen perfect for browsing, it supports Java and Flash, so you'll get your fill of silly YouTube clips on the go.



Much like most Nokia phones, the E63's interface is intuitive even for the first-time QWERTY users. And despite the hip facade, the phone underscores its business features -- Quickoffice, a pretty intricate calendar, and even printer support, among others -- by not having any games installed in the phone. The only source of entertainment on the E63 is its music player and FM radio that support your standard 3.5mm heads. These help boost the phone's otherwise thin sound quality. On the video front, the E63's two-megapixel camera yields decent photos, if you don't mind a little noise and no autofocus.

So, should you get the E63? If you've already got the E71, it's silly for you to get one. But if you're shopping around for a new phone, maybe now's the time to learn the QWERTY smart phone ropes -- especially since the Nokia E63's price tag is just as reasonable as typical mid-range phones in the market.

Specifications at a glance:
- Full QWERTY keyboard
- Touch sensitive Navi wheel
- 3.5mm audio jack
- 2.36" 320x240 pixels, 16 million colors QVGA display
- 120MB internal memory
- microSD memory card slot
- Quad-band GSM and dual-band UMTS with 3G
- Bluetooth with A2DP, Wi-Fi and microUSB
- 2 megapixel camera
- 432 hours standy, 11 hours talktime
- 113x59x13mm, 126g

Sony Ericsson IDOU: Digicam Killer?

You know the days of non-professional digicams are numbered when a sexy touchscreen phone with full MP3 player functions also comes with a 12.1 megapixel camera. And this, the IDOU does. But with the launch targeted at no earlier than mid 2009. Sony Ericsson isn't saying much more, except that the IDOU wields a complete arsenal of iPhone-class features, such as 3.5 inch full-touchscreen with 16:9 aspect ratio, a Symbian OS, and an elegantly minimalist design.




Specifications:

Network	GSM Quad-band phone capable of global roaming (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) UMTS tri-band global 3G (900/1900/2100 MHz)
Data	GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA 1.8 Mbit/s/HSDPA 3.6 Mbit/s/HSDPA 7.2 Mbit/s/HSUPA
Dimension	4.37 x 2.13 x 0.59 inches (111 x 54 x 15 mm)
Battery	Li - Polymer
Main Display	360 x 640 pixels, 16 777 216 colors, TFT
Display Size	3.50 inches
Touchscreen	Yes
Camera	12.1 megapixels Resolution
Video	Yes
Camera Features	Auto focus, Image Stabilizer, Video Stabilizer, Face Detection, Flash: Xenon, Digital zoom, Additional camera for video calls
Music Player	MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, WAV
Video Playback	MPEG4, RealVideo, WMV, H.263, H.264
FM Radio	FM Radio with RDS
Memory Slot	microSD/microSDHC
Smartphone OS	S60 over Symbian
USB	USB 2.0
WiFi	802.11b/802.11g
Bluetooth	2.0, Stereo Bluetooth
Phonebook	Capacity depends on system memory, Multiple Numbers Per Contact, Picture ID, Ring ID
PIM	Alarm, Calendar, Calculator, TO-DO, Notes, Converter, Unit Converter
Voice	Dialing, Commands, Recording, Speaker Phone
Email	IMAP/POP3/SMTP

Lenovo's Android OPhone Surfaced Once More

Lenovo's OPhone surfaced once more after dipping the Android waters last December, giving everyone their best glimpse yet at its China Mobile branding. Seems like an official release is just around the corner. Latest buzz is that the phone is on track for a launch this quarter. While some are speculating that it'll roll out immediately after China Mobile's other Android handset, the Dopod G2 (a.k.a. HTC Magic).

In addition, OPhone has a 5MP camera with auto-focus and flash, Wifi, microSD slot, TD-SCDMA(China's 3G standard) and CMMB(China's TV streaming standard).

Below are a few pics including a closer look at the phone's slightly familiar-looking UI in action.

Nokia 5800 Software Update Available for Download

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic touchscreen music-phone users can now download the latest software upgrade directly from Nokia. The updated software - which is a free download - boosts internet data access speeds and tweaks in-device searching and the onboard email app.



Other changes include speed improvements to the GUI and a new mobile dictionary with text-to-speech functionality for 38 languages. Nokia have also made changes to the 5800’s camera, adding a burst-shot mode for taking multiple successive photos while the shutter button is held down, together with allowing the front-facing camera to take still images.

Finally there’s a new updater app which allows users to either manually or automatically update the 5800 XpressMusic from the handset itself.

The new firmware is available to download from http://www.nokia.com/softwareupdate.

Here's the official press release from Nokia:

Nokia releases a new software update for Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Update includes a wide range of new features and improvements

Espoo, Finland - Nokia has announced a software update to the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic to further improve the performance and add new functionalities to the device. The software update is immediately available for download on Nokia Software Update website (http://www.nokia.com/softwareupdate) free of charge (data charges may apply).

Improvements in the new software version include faster data download from Internet, improved e-mail experience, better search experience with in-device search. Many additional features are also included in the software update:

- Faster user interface and faster download times
- New camcorder features: second camera support for still image capture in addition to video calls, burst mode that allows people to take multiple pictures one after another without needing to repress the picture taking button
- Mobile Dictionary: built-in dictionary functionality with voice playback of words utilizing text-to-speech technology, support for 38 languages
- Application Update: with Application Update people can check for available updates for applications and update them directly in the device. Applications can also be kept up-to-date by setting the checking to automatic.

“The update includes great improvements in the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. As mobile devices become more and more advanced, additional features and new functionalities are easy to install to the existing device. We recommend people to take advantage of the new features and upgrade their Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, and get more from their existing device,” said Soren Petersen, Senior Vice President, Devices, Nokia.

Nokia regularly releases firmware updates for many device models and improves the overall experience by adding new functionality and improving performance.

About Nokia
Nokia is the world’s number one manufacturer of mobile devices by market share and a leader in the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of devices for all major consumer segments and offer Internet services that enable people to experience music, maps, media, messaging and games. We also provide comprehensive digital map information through NAVTEQ and equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.

LG GD900 with Multi-touch Transparent Keyboard Ready for CTIA 09

CTIA Wireless 2009 is getting ready to kick off in Vegas. Enough reason for LG to raise up the hype on its 13.4mm-thick GD900 handset which was first outed in Barcelona at February's MWC show. This time, however, the 7.2Mbps HSDPA slider with world's first transparent glass (not plastic) keypad will be functional, running LG's new S-Class UI on the 3-inch display. We know that the GD900 features vibrational haptic feedback and that the transparent keypad seems to double as a touch-sensitive mouse pad (like that touchpad on your laptop) when surfing the internet or navigating the UI -- it also seems to support gestures like writing "M" to launch the MP3 music player and multi-touch such as pinch to zoom on photographs.





The GD900 will launch in Europe and Asia sometime in May. No US release announced so we'll have to make the most of our time with it this week in order to clear up all the mysteries presented by the Korean press release.

LG KC910 Renoir: A Work of Art

The LG KC910 is all about pictures, hence the "Renoir" moniker. Yes, it bears a passing resemblance to the sleek LG KP500 "Cookie", but what the Renoir has that the Cookie doesn't is a stunning eight megapixel camera with autofocus and a xenon flash. It also comes with oodles of connectivity: 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Wi-Fi, and built-in GPS, which together allow you to geo-tag your works of art and upload them to the Internet.

Features:

• 8 Megapixel Camera
LG’s KC910 takes super-sharp pictures, thanks to an 8 megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach optics and a Xenon flash. ISO sensitivity, which determines how much light the camera’s sensor takes in, can be set as high as 1600, increasing the camera’s performance in dark conditions.

• Touch Shot
Users can select an object to focus on simply by selecting and touching a focal point on the phone’s 3.0-inch wide screen. After touching an area to focus, users can take a photo simply by removing their finger from the screen. This feature means that users will never miss a shot while searching for the right button to press or get a blurry image because of camera shake.

• Creative Shot Modes
The KC910’s shot modes include:
- Beauty Shot: Automatically removing spots and imperfections of people’s faces, Beauty Shot makes sure that faces appear bright and clear in photos. It creates more attractive looking portraits without the need to use Photoshop software.
- Art Shot: Unlock your creativity with its Art Shot mode. Create an artistic masterpiece with effects including, black & white, warm & cold exposure and more.
- Smile Shot: Automatically triggers the shutter when camera detects a smile
- Continuous Shot: Fires nine shots in rapid succession
- Panorama Shot: Allows the phone to take panoramic images
* The LG-KC910 also includes Face Tracking and Blink Detection

• Dolby Mobile
Dolby Mobile provides rich, vibrant audio as well as more powerful bass to the music listening experience. At the heart of Dolby Mobile is an integrated suite of audio processing technologies which includes:
- Natural Bass - provides clean, powerful bass extension without artificial side effects
- Sound Space for Headphones - adds spaciousness and impact to headphone listening from stereo content.
- High-Frequency Enhancer – reinforces the highs that often suffer when music and other content are digitally compressed

• DivX/Xvid Playback
The LG-KC910 also makes it easy to watch high-quality DivX/Xvid video right out of the box. The handset includes the popular DivX/Xvid codec, a portable format compatible with a large and growing number of devices and platforms. This means there is no need to specially encode videos for the phone, transferring video files is as simple as drag and drop.

• Slow-motion Video Recording (@ 120 fps)/ Fast-motion Video Recording (@5fps)
LG-KC910 can record QVGA video at up to 120fps, which allows it to catch every detail in slow motion, making it perfect for capturing fast moving objects, such as those at sporting events. The LG-KC910 can also handle the opposite extreme, slowing recording down to 5 fps to record very slow-moving objects with a time lapse effect.

• A-GPS/Jogging Buddy
LG KC910 supports A-GPS ensuring that users always know their exact location. The handset also offers the ultimate convenience for exercise enthusiasts by using the advanced GPS technology. Whether walking, running or jogging, KC910’s Jogging Buddy provides up-to-the-second information including distance and time, and keeps an exercise log for you.

• The latest 3G Networks/ Wi-Fi
With HSDPA connectivity at 7.2Mbps and seamless connections through Wi-Fi, users can browse the internet at very fast speeds.

• Personalized Widgets and Active Flash UI
Users can choose widgets with customizable settings to appear on the idle screen. Widgets are easily added by dragging them from the menu bar. The widget screen is oriented vertically and users can scroll through widgets with the flick of a finger. Users can choose from a variety of colour options for the idle screen. With its online widget function the KC910 provides instant access to information like weather forecasts on its idle screen. Real time weather data from carriers’ online services will help users be prepared for unexpected weather.



Specifications:

General
2G Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network: HSDPA 2100

Dimensions
Width: 107.8mm,
Height: 55.9mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight: 114 g

Display
Type: TFT touchscreen, 256K colors
Size: 800 x 480 pixels, 3.0 inches

Memory
Call records: 40 dialed, 40 received, 40 missed calls
Card slot: microSD (TransFlash), up to 8GB

Data
GPRS: Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
GPS: Built in GPS Reciever
HSCSD: No
EDGE: Yes
3G: HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
Bluetooth: Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
USB: Yes, v2.0

Messaging
SMS, EMS, MMS, Email

Browser
WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML

Imaging
Camera 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus,
Video(VGA 30fps, QVGA up to 120fps)
Xenon flash; secondary VGA videocall camera
Camera geo-tagging, face, smile and blink detection

Multimedia
Java MIDP 2.0
MP3/MPEG4/AAC/DivX/Xvid player
Ringtones
Type: Polyphonic, MP3
Customization Composer,
Download: Yes
Vibration: Yes

Other Features
Organiser
Document viewer (DOC, XLS, PDF)
TV-out
Voice memo
Built-in handsfree
T9

Battery
Type: Standard battery, Li-Ion
Stand-by: 264 hrs
Talk time: 3 hrs

Treo Pro Now Available from Sprint

Today, Sprint users will be able to get their Palm fix with the launch of the Palm Treo Pro. The latest Treo Pro will be available at $299.99 before a $100 mail-in rebate which is contingent upon the choice of an Everything Plan or data plan of $30 or more. As far as specs, you’re looking at Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, a full-QWERTY keypad, 2.5″ touchscreen display, 2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS and EV-DO Rev. 0 / Rev. A connectivity, but at this point you must have already known that. It’s no Pre, but it should be the closest thing we can hold on until P-Day.

Palm Treo Pro Specifications:
Bands: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100
Dimensions: 114 x 60 x 13.4 mm
Weight: 133g
Display: TFT touch screen, 65K colours, 320 x 320 pixels, 2.5 inches
Memory: microSD (TransFlash), up to 8GB, 100MB built-in user available memory, 128MB RAM
Processor: Qualcomm MSM7201 400MHz
Data: GPRS, Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA
Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth: v2.0 with A2DP (+ Infrared port)
USB: microUSB
OS: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Camera: 2 MP, 1600×1200 pixels, video
Others: Built-in GPS, 3.5mm stereo headset jack, Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh, Stand-by up to 250 hours, Talk time up to 5 hours

More details about the Sprint Treo Pro can be found here.

Will Palm Pre be Gadget of the Year?

Is it too early to call Palm Pre as Gadget of the Year? Will all the buzz this amazing device is creating including topping the latest T3 Top 100, I wouldn't be surprised at all. Dubbed as the real iPhone killer, Palm Pre topped the list despite being only announced a month and a half ago.

Surprisingly, the iPhone has dipped out of the top ten this year, with the Toshiba TG01 taking its place; in fact, there are no Apple products in the top 10 at all.

Here's a rundown of the Palm Pre specifications:

Operating system
* Palm® webOS™

Network specs
* 3G EVDO Rev A

Display
* 3.1-inch touch screen
* 24-bit color
* 320x480 resolution
* HVGA display

Keyboard
* Physical QWERTY keyboard

Email
* Microsoft Outlook® email with Microsoft® Direct Push Technology
* POP3/IMAP (Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, etc)

Messaging
* Integrated IM, SMS, and MMS

GPS
* Built-in GPS

Digital camera
* 3 megapixel camera
* LED flash
* extended depth of field

Sensors
* Ambient light
* accelerometer
* proximity

Media formats supported
* Audio Formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV
* Video Formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264
* Image Formats: GIF, Animated GIF, JPEG, PNG, BMP

Wireless connectivity
* Wi-Fi 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, 801.1x authentication
* Bluetooth® 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support

Memory
* 8GB of user storage (~7.4GB user available)
* USB mass storage support

Phone as laptop modem
* Bluetooth tethering

Connector
* MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed

Headphone jack
* 3.5mm stereo

Palm® Touchstone™ charging dock
* Compatible

Dimensions
* Width: 59.5mm (2.3 inches)
* Height: 100.5mm (3.9 inches)
* Thickness: 16.95mm (0.67 inches)
* Weight: 135 grams (4.76 ounces)

Meanwhile, here's the latest: Palm Pre Webcast

Sprint and Palm will hosting a Palm Pre Webcast on March 12. Wednesday morning there was a bit of a Palm Pre false alarm when Sprint announced the March 15 availability of the Palm Treo Pro. The one-letter difference in the product names can be oh-so-misleading. However, I received a very enticing e-mail in my inbox and looks like we might indeed be getting some Palm Pre news soon.

On Thursday, March 12, Sprint and Palm will co-host a Webcast centered around the Pre, complete with a demo by Fared Adib, vice president of Sprint Device Operations & Logistics, and Matt Crowley, product line manager at Palm. According to the e-mail, they will also highlight three key differentiators that make the Pre a "standout in the smartphone device category."

The Webcast starts at 11 a.m. Pacific on March 12, with 20 minutes scheduled for the presentation and 20 minutes allowed for questions and answers. It's not clear whether Palm and Sprint will release any new information or if it will be just heating up what was already out there.

Nokia N97 to Hit the Market this March

Nokia’s latest touchscreen N97 is said to hit in March this year. It’s a touchscreen like 5800 Xpress slapped on a Nokia N Series mobile. May not be attractive as you might imagine it, but when Nokia does it, you get a shiny piece of beauty that is the N97. A full QWERTY keyboard slides out from under the 3.5 inch touchscreen so you can conveniently type at a whim.



So what else is packed inside this killer phone? Aside from the 3.5-inch 640×360 touchscreen display with tactile feedback, it also comes with a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss glass lens, HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, 32GB internal memory upgradeable to 48GB via microSD (a space of about 12,000 tunes), and support for additional storage of up to 16GB via microSD. And introducing SoLo or Social Location, a social networking cum mapping software. SoLo sends your location to friends using GPS where you can attach pics and videos. It does lack DVB-H technology that’s found in the N96, I’m sure most users wouldn’t mind that small feature for the N97’s existing feature set.The Nokia N97 could so far be the best N Series yet.

Nokia N97 and iPhone Duel



Look & Feel

The Nokia N97 measures 117.2 (L) x 55.3 (W) x 15.9mm (D) compared to the iPhone 3G's 115.5 (H) x 62.1 (W) x 12.3mm (D); the N97 weighs 150g compared to the iPhone 3G's 133g. All pretty similar. The N97 obviously has the slide out QWERTY keyboard and features a tilting touchscreen, whereas the iPhone 3G is a single, static unit.

Screen

The iPhone 3G's 320 x 480 3:2 ratio screen is eclipsed by the Nokia N97's true widescreen (16:9) 640 x 360 pixels. Both measure 3.5 inches diagonally. Nokia definitely wins on this one, as not only will TV/DVD based widescreen movies fill the whole screen, but there's more resolution.

Camera

Again, the N97 wins hands down on the camera front, offering five megapixels, Carl Zeiss Tessar optics, and a LED flash / video light. Yes, video. The N97 will shoot video at DVD quality (30fps). The iPhone 3G, by comparison, has no video functionality and a paltry 2MP camera with no flash or focus.

Multimedia

Both handsets are heavyweights when it comes to consuming multimedia content, with both phones loyal to their companies' services - the iPhone 3G obviously has access to a huge range of content via the iTunes Store, with all other content having to go via iTunes. The N97 has access to the Nokia Music Store.

Both can play a wide variety of audio formats, but the N97 manages WMA on top of MP3, AAC, eAAC and eAAC+.

Both play variations of the MPEG4 video format, but the N97 also supports Windows Media 9 and Flash Lite/Flash Video via the Internet browser.

Navigation

The iPhone 3G utilises A-GPS and Google Maps, plus any third-party applications which use geo-location data, while the Nokia N97 has A-GPS and an electronic compass and uses Nokia Maps.

Google Maps offers 3D views of selected cities, driving, limited public transport and walking directions.

Nokia Maps offers multimedia city guides and navigation services, voice-guided car navigation, pedestrian-optimised guidance.

The N97 wins on navigation functionality, as the Nokia Maps system does seem to offer a wider range of options, however individual usage will vary depending on location.

Communications

Both phones offer HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity. The N97 has the full Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP implementation whereas the iPhone 3G has only basic Bluetooth.

Web Browsing

Both handsets offer full access to Internet web sites, but the Nokia N97 offers support for Flash Lite 3.0 and Flash Video, so will be able to render pages more fully than the iPhone which doesn't. It's not immediately clear from the specs whether the N97 offers in-browser Java support, the iPhone 3G doesn't.

Operating System

The initial Nokia N97 specifications don't explicitly mention which operating system is being used, but I presume, as an NSeries phone, it's Symbian-based. The iPhone 3G uses OS X.

Storage

The iPhone 3G comes with either 8GB or 16GB of fixed storage with no external expansion. The Nokia N97 comes with a whopping 32GB of internal memory plus up to 16GB of microSD expansion.


Applications

iPhone 3G users have access to the standard range of useful applications plus a host of free and pay-for applications in the iPhone App Store via iTunes.

Assuming no restrictions, users will be able to install Symbian-based applications onto the Nokia N97.


Pricing & Networks

Pricing and networks have not yet been announced for the Nokia N97, thought it's expected to have a pre-subsidy price of €599 (about £465).

Conclusion

Technically, the Nokia N97 beats the iPhone 3G in nearly every area - screen resolution, camera, web browser, video capability, storage - but of course it's an ewer handset.

Don't be surprised to see Apple announcing a third generation iPhone soon.

There's a lot of buzz surrounding the N97, and rightly so, but will its superior specs beat the "I want one" iPhone factor?

Time will tell. Do you want your phone to be Apple-flavoured or Nokia-flavoured? And what about the price - both are going to be fairly hefty and/or require a serious contract.

Excerpts from Palm Pre Launch

I'm an avid Palm fan since Palm IIIc, my very first Palm PDA. And now, Palm is coming back with a bang with their new Palm Pre smartphone. Congrats to the Palm Pre team for a very impressive launching last January 8, and we're glad to see that PALM IS BACK!


John Rubinstein, Executive Chairman takes to the stage and shares with how he ended up at Palm, filled with humorous snippets on his life. on touches next on the mobile market, its past, present and future. He says it needs more than just a great phone in addition to great applications, so he leads us on in building up the anticipation on what is possibly the Palm Nova.


With the right phone and right platform, combining power and flexibility to handle various types of data and moving between the data with a flick of a finger. Ed Colligan, President and CEO of Palm now takes the stage.

Ed goes on about how their design team thinks, placing fingers over buttons. It is a nice trip down memory lane on how they competed with pen and paper instead of the Apple Newton when they first rolled out the Palm Pilot. One of the main questions asked would be, "How do we simplify the lives of people?" and "How can we make the technology invisible?"

Palm's DNA is mobile - pure and simple. There will be cool stuff coming up today, but beforehand we have a little bit of history lesson in terms of design perspective. Ed takes us a trip down memory lane on how they helped people manage their lives more effectively by synchronizing their data with the Palm Pilot.

Unfortunately, the advent of other mobile devices like cell phones, MP3 players and Palm Pilots led to a whole bunch of devices, which ultimately resulted in a convergence device in the form of a smartphone - the Treo. The Treo was a watershed model at that point in time, and unfortunately, we do have a similar problem in a different form - all our stuff are on the Internet as we blog, Twitter and poke ;)

With different websites holding different information across all places. Smartphones of today browse information from place to place, but it is still not converged. Information is everywhere, and Palm aims to bring all those information in a seamless manner, integrated automatically into your pocket.


Palm will start with a brand new platform from the ground up that will redefine the center of our access point to the Internet. The default thinking of this platform is to connect to the cloud of every application designed for this platform. It is the new palm webOS!

The Palm webOS was built on industry standard Web tools, so if you know HTML, CSS and JavaScript, you can develop an application for this platform - it is that simple. As we've mentioned before, value is in the software so it will be interesting to see how it goes up against the Android marketplace and the Apple App store.



The Palm pre aims to help you stay ahead of the game, and it looks like an iPod touch in some manner, complete with a digital camera behind. The design is nature-inspired, but it looks a wee bit thicker compared to the iPod touch. You get EV-DO Rev. A, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS navigation, Stereo Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, 8GB of internal storage with a fast processor to help you keep up to speed, relying on TI's latest OMAP processor. 3.1" SVGA display at 320 x 480 resolution with multi-touch capability, with a gesture area located around the center button.

The Palm Pre comes with a whole bunch of other sensors, external volume controls, a 3.0 megapixel camera with an LED flash, DSP software to help you take great looking photos and an external speakerphone. The back also features a removable battery - take that, iPhone! :P

A microUSB 2.0 connector is included for charging with a USB 2.0 port for data transfer. You also get a 3.5mm headphone jack, a ringer switch and power button on the outside.



The Palm Pre also comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and it comes in an ergonomic curve just like the Nokia 1006. It functions as a phone whether opened or closed, and it is smaller compared to the iPhone, BlackBerry or HTC device. It just weighs 4.8oz and the room erupts in laughter and applause as Jon takes a swipe at Apple.

Matias Duarte shows off the software that is running on the Palm Pre. The webOS UI takes on Palm's legacy of simplicity, where the main screen shows status items on top with your favorite programs located at the bottom. It takes a simple tap to open the application, and your contact list features a photo beside the name. Flicks with momentum are the way to go when you scroll through your contact list. Touch a contact and more details will be shown on the display at your fingertips.

Touching the gesture area will make it light up and open up a whole new world of gestures. For example, going back in the list will require you to flick back just like turning a page in the book. Basic navigation requires simple gestures, doing away with the need for buttons. Since gestures are used, southpaws don't need to be worried about its button placement and what not.


The four application buttons found on the original Palm Pilot and Treo are retained in webOS, albeit it requires more advanced gestures at the gesture area. You wil need to hold down at the gesture area and flick it up to the display without removing your finger, where the classic four virtual buttons are shown and you get to choose from one of them by letting go.

The calendar is also synergized with Google Calendar and others based on color codes. The calendar also compresses free time with accordion folds with the amount of time shown, so you won't be caught unawares by a future event later in the day.

Synergy in email also comes in just a single list, and you can view all your folders of a single account or your favorite folders at the top of the screen. There is also an All Inbox folder that lets you check all your mail, and email functions just like what you get on the desktop, supporting attachments, images, etc.

Synergy will help search through your contacts across all different accounts, bringing that information to your fingertips, making life much easier. If those contacts are not found it will look for email addresses in your corporate Exchange account and incorporate it.

As with your contacts, email and calendar, all your IM lists are also consolidated into a single account. Threaded SMS has been merged with the IM mode to make this one fluid experience. Not only that, Palm has gone the extra mile, allowing you to send messages via SMS instead of IM within the same conversation thread with a simple touch, so you don't have to worry about how to reach the person. We totally love this concept.


The web browser comes up just like how it looks like on the desktop, and it uses multi-gestures as used in the iPhone and iPod touch when it comes to zooming in and zooming out. Just like your contacts, you can open many web browser cards simultaneously.

Web browser cards are equal citizens with other cards in the "deck", the auto rotation works even when it is in card browsing mode. The webOS show has finally come to a close, and we're totally impressed.

If you're annoyed about receiving text messages from someone sticky, those alerts will appear at the bottom of the display in a ticker form while you're busy working on the main screen. The icons can be dismissed to a lower right hand corner if you want to. They can be dismissed by flicking outside the display on the dashboard.

Music controls are pretty intuitive as it runs in the background on the dashboard. The completely open design allows developer to write virtually anything, and the possibilities are endless!


Jon introduced the Touch Stone accessory. You plug it to a power outlet and place your Palm Pre on it for wireless charging, with magnets holding it in place. Cool!

Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint will be offering the Palm Pre with Sprint, making it the first US provider to make it available to customers in the US. Sprint is the EXCLUSIVE provider for the Palm Pre, so you will find Sprint's exclusive content on it.

Availability will in the first half of 2009 as they are still in the certification process.

Palm's CEO points out that Palm developers will use existing Web Dev. tools, so the developer base is be huge. The Palm Pre will rely heavily on connectivity.

I want my Palm Pre!