Samsung Hercules confirmed as a T-Mobile Galaxy S II variant

The picture almost says it all: the Galaxy S II is coming to T-Mobile. Except it's slightly more complicated than that. According to TmoNews, you're actually looking the back of the new Samsung Hercules - a handset rumored to possess godly specs, which we already knew was heading to both T-Mo and Telus, and which is now confirmed as an honest-to-goodness Galaxy S II variant. It's similar to the original superphone in many respects, but it has a slightly larger 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen like the Infuse 4G, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor that's possibly a Qualcomm instead of Sammy's own Exynos, and a 42Mbps HSPA+ radio. The rounded corners of the back cover also look distinctly similar to the Within - the GSII variant coming to Sprint. You'll find full-frontals after the break, which also recall the design of the Nexus S. The only thing missing is any mention of NFC, which featured in the initial rumors, but this is still a hotch-potch of the best Samsung phones around and we can't wait for it to arrive.
source: Engadget

Huawei Vision shown off in 360 demo and video

The Huawei Vision, an upcoming high-end Android device, was just announced last week and while we were given detailed description of the phone's specs, we only had a couple of press shots to look. A phone's appearance is just as important as its specs for some people - I mean, who wants to spend money on a good device if it doesn't look great at the same time? So for those who are considering purchasing a phone based on its looks, Huawei has something just for you.

Huawei recently updated its Facebook page with a Huawei Vision demo that users can play around with to check out how the phone looks like from every angle. They've also updated its YouTube page with a video demonstrating the UI of the phone. One thing which I didn't notice from before is that the phone looks like it's running on a customized version of SPB Shell 3D for Android, which is one of the nicest looking Android UIs around - in my opinion. And it's not often you see it come preloaded with a phone.
source: Ubergizmo

Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro available now in the UK

If you're in the UK and are looking for a new, affordable QWERTY Android smartphone, Sony Ericsson may have the perfect solution for you, as it has just launched the Xperia Mini Pro there.

As of today, the new member of the Xperia family is available at Carphone Warehouse and Mobiles.co.uk, and can be yours for free on plans starting at $20 per month. You can choose plans from Orange, T-Mobile, or Vodafone.

Offered in either black or white, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro features Android 2.3 Gingerbread, TimeScape UI, a 3 inch HVGA multi-touch, scratch-resistant display, HSDPA, Wi-Fi (with hotspot capability), GPS, 5MP rear camera with 720p video recording, VGA front-facing camera, 512MB of RAM, and a 1GHz single-core processor.
source: Unwired View

Google Prepping Updated Android Search App

Minutes ago Google published a post to their Mobile Blog detailing an update to the Search app for Android devices. For whatever reason, the post has since been pulled, but not before Phandroid reader and screen-cap ninja Art preserved a copy to share with the rest of us. The new Google Search app features an updated interface simplified for use and more in line stylistically with Android Gingerbread and Honeycomb. Search suggestions are now grouped by type — web searches appearing first — and country-specific suggestions and results are now offered depending on location. You can delete history items with a long press or edit them before searching by tapping the arrow next to the item in the drop-down.

The update will be available for handsets running Android 2.2 or later, and should be hitting the Market any minute now.
source: Android Phone

HTC Puccini To Be Unveiled September 1st?

Apparently, HTC has been busy sending out invitations for a big September 1st event but is remaining tight lipped on exactly what will be unveiled. According to those that have received an invite (we're still waiting on ours) no device was mentioned. Seeing how HTC has yet to release a Honeycomb tablet this is leading many to assume this event could be centered around the launch of HTC's first 10-inch tablet, the HTC Puccini, that's been leaked all around the net lately. The device was originally rumored for a mid August launch but again, those were only rumors. Has anyone been holding out or excited to get their hands on this particular Honeycomb tablet?
source: Android Phone

HTC Bliss has mediocre specifications

The HTC Bliss might not make you a, say, blissful person upon purchasing one if you are looking to find the latest and greatest hardware underneath the hood. No sir, this puppy which is said to make its way over to Verizon Wireless will carry a Qualcomm MSM7x30 processor that clocks in at 800MHz – and on a single core to boot. There is the Adreno 205 GPU to help the processor out whenever it needs more muscle to process graphics, while Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread is there right out of the box so that you need not look out at the far horizon for a software update.

Since this is a smartphone by HTC, it will rely on HTC's very own Sense user interface – albeit whispers on the grapevine has it that this will be HTC Sense 3.5. Yes sir, that's a good half version ahead of the current HTC Sense 3.0 that ships with the top of the line HTC Sensation and EVO 3D. No idea on whether Sense 3.5 will introduce a far better user experience or not, but this is where patience and its virtue comes in handy.
source: Ubergizmo

Nokia's Chris Weber promises US-centric push for Windows Phone 7 devices

Nokia's US prexy Chris Weber's been making the media rounds lately, talking up the company's Windows Phone near-future and offering a peek at the marketing blitz to come. In an interview with VentureBeat, Weber confirmed the death of Symbian and the N9's North American release, but was much less straightforward when asked about the WP7 launch, saying only that a US focus is paramount to the OEM's global success. The MS-blessed smartphones are set to debut "in volume" next year, at which point Nokia hopes to have ironed out its complex negotiations with carriers, bringing aggressively subsidized handsets to market. Nokia's chief also engaged in a bit of mobile OS grandstanding, touting Microsoft's live tile integrated approach as superior to the "outdated" app focus popularized by iOS and Android. And if you're wondering just how the OEM plans to differentiate its hardware in this cluttered wireless market, expect to see phones with an emphasis on "state-of-the-art imaging technology and battery performance." Here's to hoping Weber's words don't come back to haunt him when his bet goes live next year.
source: Engadget

Samsung Debuts the Galaxy R, A Mid-Level Android Phone

Samsung announced an addition to its Android smartphone line-up today, the Galaxy R.

Essentially, the phone is a step down in tech specs compared the forthcoming Galaxy S 2, though still a step above Samsung's most popular Android handset to date. It's a mid-level device, aimed at the in-between demographic comprised of those who don't want a feature phone, but aren't willing to spend lots of money for the latest high-end phone to hit the shelves.

The Galaxy R's screen, for instance, is a bit smaller (4.19 inches) and lesser in resolution (WVGA) compared to the S2 (4.3 inches, Super AMOLED). The R also comes with 8GB of on-board storage as opposed to the S2's 16 or 32GB options.

Compared to the first generation Galaxy, however, the R is an impressive update. The new phone sports Nvidia's dual-core Tegra 2 processor, a popular, powerful chip choice found inside handsets from multiple manufacturers. The R also comes with double the RAM of the previous generation at 1GB, which will hopefully be enough to keep memory-intensive apps running smoothly. And for smartphone shutterbugs, the 5-megapixel back-facing camera is capable of shooting 720p HD video.

For now, the phone is available only in Sweden, with North American and Asian releases to come soon. The company hasn't provided price details, but given the mid-level specs and the looming release of the S2, it's probably a safe bet that the Galaxy R won't cost over $200.

Check out the video below for hands-on footage of the Galaxy R.
source: Gadget Lab

HTCDev.com Shows Scribe Functionality on Honeycomb

It's looking more and more likely that the HTC Puccini, HTC's first Honeycomb tablet, will launch with the same Scribe support that the Flyer did. New photos have appeared on HTCDev.com, HTC's new developer portal, showing on-screen Scribe pen controls and doodles on top of Honeycomb. We're happy that HTC was able to successfully integrate this technology into a modern version of Android as we believe Scribe is one of the coolest things ever. Now, we just need them to actually announce the thing – it's already been leaked to no end. [via Android Central]
source: Android Phone

So, Is This Nokia’s Windows Phone! ???

Engadget had a post up today, that, you cannot say detailed, showed would be more relevant, what might be one of Nokia's up coming Windows Phone handsets. It's very difficult to tell if this is a case of creative editing, as there seem to be flashes of the original leaked Nokia rumoured phones mashed into the video. Just look at the stop frame shot I captured below. That's definitely from the original leaked images that were supposed to be Nokia's Windows Phone foray.

In fact if you hit this link, you can compare it to the leaked images from May, of what might have been a Nokia WP device. We've seen various promo's, and videos, and Stephen Elop himself showing off prototypes, so is this the real deal? Well I think not, but others may differ, The actual differences in the first leak and this one, seem to go along with the idea that Nokia will provide a lower end handset for a larger market. Most people seem to interpret the idea of a low end handset as having less Windows Phone. More likely, Nokia will take their mass manufacturing expertise, and decrease their overhead, so that they can offer a device that takes advantage of the bulk nature of their business, and costs a lot less. Watch the video below, and tell me what you think, is this another optimistic folly by a film maker. If there is an ounce of truth to this, it may be a device destined for markets that do not have great access to the Windows Live services that are integrated into the OS. Perhaps the Tango update, will add more language and wider market support, looking to more divers markets that Nokia would like to place devices in. People seem to be reading, budget and low cost, as an abbreviated version of the OS?

The timing on all of this makes sense. Microsoft plans to release a single major update a year to Windows Phone. Mango is this year's upgrade, and is technically Windows Phone 7.1, even though handsets running the updated build will be labelled Windows Phone 7.5 phones. Apollo, Windows Phone 8, is not expected until late 2012 (in time for the holiday season).

So, if Tango was to come after Mango and before Apollo, to keep with the 'one big update per year' plan, Tango would have to be smaller, and more specialized, exactly what we are hearing.

And Nokia has always said that it had a deal with Microsoft to make changes to the Windows Phone operating system that went above and beyond what other OEMs had, so Tango could be what the two companies are cooking up together. Nokia will, of course, release full-featured Windows Phone handsets.

Speculation for speculations sake, possibly, the Idea though that Microsoft would cripple the OS with omissions to create a cheaper bit of hardware is unthinkable. I think people are jumping the gun on Tango speculation, there is no way MS would go backwards with the OS. More likely is that OEM's are going to produce phones that cost less and still run the OS.
source: HTC Source

Nokia: Symbian, S40 to take the exit out of North America

As Nokia gears towards the launch of their first Windows Phone 7 device, the Finnish giant has announced that it will be pulling their Symbian and S40 phones out of the North American market.

This information was relayed by the Nokia Inc. President Chris Weber in an interview with AllThingsD. According to him, Nokia will be out of the Symbian and S50 business in the North America when they launch their Window Phone 7 devices. Their focus will then be just on the new phones and their accessories. Nokia knows that this may be their last chance at a comeback and if that fails anything else won’t work either, as has already been proven by the mediocre success of Nokia’s other platforms in the North America.

As for the Windows Phone 7 devices, Weber mentioned that Nokia is putting a lot of effort and investment into them and the phones are being developed in and for the North America and will be sold globally. We hope for their sake that their efforts aren’t in vain.
source: GSM Arena

Droid Bionic Advertising already Popping Up at Citi Field

If you happen to find yourself at Citi Field taking in a Mets game, be sure to keep you eyes open for some fresh Motorola DROID BIONIC advertising. Or simply just open your eyes, as the place is apparently plastered with the hyped-up handset headed for Verizon at some unspecified future date. Not that we need to see any more images of the phone — a never-ending supply seems to be pouring in every day. But this is the first time we have seen an MLB mascot grace Motorola’s next Droid. Yep, that’s Mr. Met himself you see there on the 4.3-inch qHD display of the Bionic.
source: Android Phone

Sony Ericsson enlists hippies to unleash the flower power of the Xperia Arc

Is the screen of Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc really bright enough to make a flower bloom? Not something we considered while reviewing SE's flagship, yet the company's gone and answered that question anyway. Helping settle the score are a group of swank euro-hippies, who apparently have free access to building materials and dwell in a post-apocalyptic greenhouse. Using a metal contraption that hoisted eight arcs, the team of mavericks was indeed able to get the flowers to flourish under the gizmos' potent white light. Don't believe us? Espy that and the ensuing tears of joy after the break.
source: Engadget

HTC Mazaa given away to developers

The HTC Mazaa was originally leaked earlier this year, and it looks like it has resurfaced again, this time as a Windows Phone 7.5 device that's on Sprint's network. The phone was given away by Microsoft as part of the recent WPAppItUp competition for app developers. Seeing how it's been given away to developers, it looks like it won't be sold commercially but that's not a problem since it's not much different from other HTC WP7 devices right now, in fact it looks like the HTC Trophy.

The HTC Mazaa doesn't offer anything new in terms of hardware (no front facing camera, massive display etc) but developers who managed to win the phone at the competition have reported that the phone is much faster than other WP7 phones. The speed improvements are probably due to optimizations that Microsoft has been working on for Mango, which is great news for WP7 users. Still no updates on when the Mango update will be released, but the availability of Mango developer devices can only mean it shouldn't be too long now.
source: Ubergizmo

Motorola FIRE Coming to UK Late September, But With Switch UI?

Just got a heads-up from the lads at Clove.co.uk about a forthcoming Motorola phone. It’ll be called the Motorola Fire and at first glance it essentially looks like Europe’s version of the Motorola DROID PRO or Motorola Titanium although this one is positioned for the mid-range market judging from preliminary specifications.

It has an exposed portrait QWERTY keyboard, a 2.8 inch display, a 1420 mAh battery, a 3MP camera, Android 2.3 and more. The hardware looks a tad different from the aforementioned variants, as well.

The hardware isn’t the total story here, though – it’s the software. While we’re looking at what we would normally refer to as BLUR, Motorola has tried hard to make everyone believe BLUR was no more. Instead, we were left with a nameless user interface.

Clove, however, is stating that there is a “Moto Switch UI” on-board. Motorola hasn’t officially outed a new name for their user interface, but Clove may have done just that for us.

This name hasn’t been used to market any other Motorola phone to date so we’ll remain wary of Clove’s listing, but rest assured we’ll be digging for more details regarding a possible stealthy installment of a new name for Motorola’s well-improved user interface. For those wanting to order, the Motorola FIRE will be available later September for £180 + VAT from Clove.
source: Android Phone

Motorola Milestone Plus Android Smartphone on Cellular South

Cellular South introduced the Motorola Milestone Plus, its first Android-powered touchscreen world phone optimized for both business use and personal needs. Powered by the Android 2.2 operating system, the Motorola Milestone Plus comes with a physical QWERTY keyboard for more efficient typing and texting. For better produtivity, the Milestone Plus also features full push corporate e-mail with corporate level security, unified calendar synching with additional work features, pre-loaded Quickoffice Mobile Suite for accessing and editing Microsoft Office documents on-the-go. Powered by 1 GHz processor and 4 GB of memory expandable to 32 GB, the Motorola Milestone Plus is available for $199.99 with a new two-year service agreement .
source: Trendy Gadget

Samsung Galaxy S II teardown by the FCC

The folks over at the FCC have already approved the Samsung Galaxy S II, but that does not mean they will be leaving the smartphone alone. No sir, the good people there took out their tools and decided to take the Galaxy S II apart – which is currently Samsung's fastest selling phone at five million units and counting, and even more interesting trivia is, it hasn't even been released Stateside yet. Well, what can you find inside the Galaxy S II?

Apart from the standard dual-core 1.0GHz Samsung Exynos Coretex A9 processor that everyone knows is trippin', you will also find an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor inside to help out with all of the multimedia processing and work. It also makes perfect sense for Samsung's flash memory to be included as they are the world's largest flash memory manufacturer.

What the FCC used to inspect here is a wee bit different from the smartphone that iFixit took apart – after all, Samsung's Galaxy range was designed to be different across regions and carrier specifications, so the board layout here is slightly different between other Galaxy S II models.
source: Ubergizmo

LG Enlighten does the entry level Android dance

LG is in the Android smartphone game just like Samsung and HTC, but their offerings hasn't really captured our imagination as much as we'd like. Well, don't let that deter you, as we are quite sure that LG will hit one out of the park sooner or later, but that day has not arrived yet with the entry-level Android powered LG Optimus Slider, which some have called it the LG Enlighten. If you're a sucker for model numbers, then expect the LG Enlighten to answer to the call of VS700.

Having already passed through the motions at the FCC a couple of months ago, it makes sense if LG is preparing itself to roll out this particular smartphone. We do know that the LG Enlighten will sport a 3.2″ touchscreen display at 320 x 480 resolution, while running off an 800MHz processor, carrying with it a 3.2-megapixel camera, 150MB of internal memory, a microSD memory card slot, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as Android 2.3 Gingerbread right out of the box.

Would you be picking up the LG Enlighten this coming August 25th as it arrives?
source: Ubergizmo

Samsung Hercules spotted?

The folks over at mobilesyrup recently took a photograph of an unannounced Samsung device at the Samsung Mobile concert last night in Toronto. Looking a lot like the Galaxy S 2, the phone features a larger screen but is missing the optical trackpad - a feature of the phone. In fact, it looks a lot like a cross between the Galaxy S 2, Nexus S and the Infuse. Seeing how there hasn't been any other Samsung phones announced recently, speculations have pinned the phone as the Samsung Hercules.

The Hercules has been rumored about earlier this year, but there hasn't been any news or footage about the device recently until now. The Hercules is said to features a large 4.5″ Super AMOLED display (480 x 800), Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a dual-core Qualcomm 1.2GHz APQ8060 SoC, NFC support, a thickness of 0.37″, 16GB internal ROM, 1GB of RAM, a microSD card slot (supports up to 32GB), an 8-megapixel rear camera, and a micro USB port.

When comparing the previously leaked illustration of the phone with the photograph, it matches up nicely - but to be honest it is a pretty generic design anyway, so that's not saying much. But if the recently spotted phone really is the Samsung Hercules, let's hope it's a sign of the phone's imminent arrival.
source: Ubergizmo

HTC purchases mobile backup service developer, Dashwire

While HTC is still under fire from Apple due to alleged patent infringement, it doesn't look like the Taiwanese manufacturer is letting those problems get in the way of its business. It has been recently reported that HTC has purchased a Seattle company named Dashwire. Known for developing a platform that lets users back up data created on their phones to the cloud, Dashwire will become a subsidiary of HTC. HTC will be integrating Dashwire's technology into its own HTCSense.com cloud services.

This means that HTCSense.com users will soon be able to have access to functions like accessing their phone's contacts, text messages, calendar entries, call log, photos, videos and voicemail messages - without having to check their phone - they can just use the computer. Text messages can also be sent and received in this way.

With the use of this service, it looks like your day won't have to be ruined if you do leave your phone at home one day. You'll still be able to use most of your phone's features without even having it by your side. Talk about useful. No word on when Dashwire will finally be integrated with HTCSense.com but we can't wait.

It's additional services like these that manufacturers should focus on providing, instead of changing the UIs and slapping bloatware onto a phone and calling it “customization” to differentiate its phones from another manufacturer's.
source: Ubergizmo

Koodo Nexus S Price Cut

Koodo Mobile has decided to drop the price of the Google Nexus S. This network carrier sells the Nexus S for only $350. For your info, the original price was $425. The Nexus S comes jam packed with the Google Android 2.3 OS, a 1GHz processor, and a 4-inch touchscreen display. This phone is only available when purchased on the Koodo Tab, or as an upgrade for existing Koodo customers. It is not available for outright purchase or as a gift order.
source: TechFresh

Droid Bionic gets friendly with its future roomate for Mr. Blurrycam

We know, we know - you're ready to be done with the Droid Bionic. After all, we've been lusting after this monstrosity guy for nearly eight months now, so is all of this building up to be a major disappointment? We're just as eager to find out as the next person, but here are some new images of the real deal to (hopefully) tie you over a bit longer. We've seen shots of the Motorola XT875 up close and personal before, but this is the first time it's been spotted snuggled up next to another phone. Hanging out next to the Samsung Droid Charge, the Bionic's slightly larger appearance lends credence to reports that it has a 4.5-inch display. A few other cosmetic features that stick out - quite literally, we might add - are the tapered back that bulges halfway up the phone to accommodate the camera, and the beveled edge around the perimeter. As already expected, the microUSB / HDMI port on the bottom right side for Webtop access can easily be discerned. Will this be enough to whet your whistle for another few weeks? If not, we hear there's another Verizon device inbound that you might be interested in.
source: Engadget

Nokia N9 countdown page goes live, 49 days to launch?

Google's powers of awkward PR translation may have been right on the MeeGo-money, judging by this countdown page for the N9. The Swedish site, which just went live today, has begun its 49 days and counting creep to the Gorilla Glass-clad handset's eventual overseas debut. We'd previously heard whispers of an impending September 15th release pegged for the OEM's backyard, but we'll err on the side of Nokia's official launch clock. Head to the source to watch this tantalizing tease of time ticking by.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
source: Engadget

If the South Rises Again, They Will Have Android in their Pockets

With nearly every analytics firm offering their own take on platform leaders in the US smartphone market, Mobile ad agency Jumptap has turned their attention in a slightly different direction. Most surveys will tell you Android holds a confident lead as the top platform in the nation, but just how does that lead breakdown across the states? The results are somewhat surprising.

Android held a dominant lead in the southern and southwestern states, while iOS was the platform of choice for those in the northeast and mid-west. New England ranked particularly high for iOS users, while New York stood out as the sole territory where BlackBerry still reigns supreme.

Jumptap's findings give Android the lead in the US with a 38 percent share, but iOS showed stronger figures than others have reported with 33 percent of the market. Given that the study is based off of ads served by Jumptap's network, the results should be viewed in terms of general trends rather than an actual representation of smartphone sprawl.
source: Android Phone

Samsung Conquer 4G set to raid Sprint on August 21st for $100 on contract

We've known about the Conquer 4G for a while now, in spite attempts to keep it under wraps. Sprint finally came clean on the existence of the handset today, announcing the milestone 25th 4G capable device for the its network -- the first in that category to hit the market at under $100. The Samsung-manufactured smartphone will hit the market on August 21st for $99.99 (plus a two-year year contract and after mail-in rebate, naturally). The Gingerbread handset packs a 1GHz processor, a 3.5-inch display, and front- and rear-facing cameras.

Press Release:
Sprint Makes it More Affordable to Experience 4G with the Aug. 21 Availability of Samsung Conquer 4G

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., and Dallas – Aug. 5, 2011 – As the first national wireless carrier to launch the groundbreaking data speeds of 4G, Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced with Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States1, Samsung Conquer™ 4G2. The launch of Samsung Conquer 4G, Sprint's 25th 4G-capable device, marks Sprint's first 4G smartphone to launch at less than $100 enabling Sprint customers to experience industry-leading features without breaking the bank.

Samsung Conquer 4G will cost just $99.99 with a new two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade and after a $50 mail-in rebate via reward card3 (pricing excludes taxes). It will be available in all Sprint retail channels, including Web sales (www.sprint.com) and Telesales (1-800-Sprint1), beginning on Aug. 21. Visit Sprint Community for more information.

"The price of Samsung Conquer 4G makes Sprint's 4G speeds accessible to more customers than ever," said Fared Adib, vice president-Product Development, Sprint. "We are proud to deliver this dynamic device at a great value without sacrificing must-have technology. Our customers can really do more for less when this ultra-affordable 4G device is paired with the great value of our unlimited data calling plans."

Samsung Conquer 4G is built on Android™ 2.3 Gingerbread, powered by a 1GHz processor and offers Sprint ID and the blazing-fast Sprint 4G speeds on America's Favorite 4G Network4. It features an enhanced 3.5-inch touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash and zoom and 1.3-megapixel front facing camera enabling video chat while on-the-go. Other key features include:

Dual-Mode 3G/4G device – dependable 3G nationwide coverage and turbo-charged Sprint 4G speeds where available

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and GPS capable

MicroSD card slot that supports up to a 32GB memory card (2GB card included)

3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capable, supporting up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices on the Sprint 3G or 4G networks

Stereo Bluetooth wireless technology

Access to more than 250,000 apps through Android Market™

"Samsung Conquer 4G delivers the latest Android experience with best-in-class features, including a fast 1GHz processor, dual cameras for video chat and 4G network speeds, at an exceptional value," said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile. "Conquer 4G continues Samsung's commitment to delivering a quality smartphone experience at a variety of price points."

Sprint ID delivers a variety of apps, widgets, shortcuts, ringtones and wallpapers designed to meet users' specific mobile needs and interests in just a few simple clicks. Sprint ID packs are free to download with an Everything Data plan and users can download five at once – including E! (keep up with your favorite celebrities), Green (tips to live a greener lifestyle), MTV Music ID (mobile music experience), and Socially Connected (keep connected with friends on-the-go). To see all Sprint ID packs, visit www.sprint.com/sprintid.

Samsung Conquer 4G requires activation on one of the Sprint Everything Data plans plus a required $10 Premium Data add-on charge for smartphones. Sprint's Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM includes unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $69.99 per month plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge – a savings of $39.99 per month vs. Verizon's comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and 2GB Web, or $9.99 per month vs. Verizon's 450-minute plan with unlimited text and 2GB Web. The Mobile Hotspot option is available for an additional $29.99 per month supporting up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously (pricing excludes taxes and surcharges).
source: Engadget

HTC posts record sales (again), getting itself something nice (Dashwire) to celebrate

While the top three smartphone makers (Apple, Samsung, and Nokia) garner most of the press, HTC is quietly becoming a juggernaut. IDC's number five just posted yet another month of record sales, hitting $1.56 billion - almost twice what the company moved in July of last year. To celebrate its continued meteoric rise, the Taiwanese manufacturer has announced it plans to acquire Dashwire, the cloud services company behind the awesome brilliant Awesome Drop, for $18.5 million. The only question is, how long HTC can keep this growth up? After all, common sense says what goes up, must come down - just ask Nokia.
source: Engadget

HTC EVO 3D Premium Extended Battery Replacement

HandHelditems has started selling the new HTC EVO 3D premium extended battery replacement. This extended battery will provide additional talk time and standby time for your power hungry smartphone. If you are interested, you can purchase this extended battery replacement for only $18.99. Each purchase comes equipped with a free HTC EVO 3D's back cover.
source: TechFresh

Samsung Galaxy S II available in the US (unlocked, but will work on AT&T and T-Mobile)

While the Galaxy S II has already made an appearance at Samsung USA's website, the handset hasn't been officially released Stateside yet. However, if you want to buy it before any carrier gets the chance to launch it, you can do it now thanks to Newegg.

The retailer is selling the Samsung Galaxy S II unlocked for $649.99. This particular version that's available at Newegg has 16GB of internal memory, and comes with quad-band GSM (850x900x1800x1900) and quad-band UMTS (850x900x1900x2100) connectivity – hence it's compatible with AT&T's and T-Mobile's networks (although you'll have 3G only on AT&T). Go here at Newegg to order the S II now.

You can also buy the new Android Gingerbread smartphone from Newegg Canada for the same price, in case you don't want to get it from Bell or Virgin Mobile.

All the major US carriers should start offering the Galaxy S II subsidized later this month, under different names – for example, Verizon may call it Samsung Fascinate II. We'll obviously let you know when official details are unveiled.
source: Unwired View

Samsung website mentions GT-S8600, could be the Wave III

One might think that Samsung has forgotten all about its bada OS but that may not be the case. According to some evidence found on Samsung Russia website, there might be three bada phones in the pipeline, waiting to be launched.

The model numbers for the three devices are GT-S5360, GT-S7250D and the GT-S8600. Out of these three, the GT-7250D has previously been discovered in the bada 2.0 SDK where it was identified as the Wave725 and said to have a HVGA display, a first for a bada phone.

The other two are yet to be identified as bada phones but if you look at their model numbers it’s not hard to imagine which OS they might be running. The S8600 in particular looks interesting as this could very well be the Wave III that is expected to be announced soon.

Other details are very scarce right now with only what seems to be a mock-up of the Wave725 discovered in the SDK (pictured above). Hopefully we will be learning more about these devices from Samsung at IFA this September.
source: GSM Arena

Samsung Galaxy S II Hercules spotted in Canada

Another one of the Samsung Galaxy S II variants has been discovered and it is making its way to the TELUS network in Canada. The picture below was snapped by MobileSyrup.com who attended a VIP event in Canada, where this phone was spotted.

Known as the “Hercules”, the phone looks similar to the standard Galaxy S II, Nexus S and the Infuse 4G. It was said to have a display bigger than the Galaxy S II and more in line with the 4.5-inch display on the Infuse 4G. The device will be running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 1.2GHz dual-core processor and could be the first dual carrier 42Mbps smartphone in Canada. It is also said to have an 8 megapixel camera on the back capable of recording 1080p videos and 2 megapixel front facing camera.

Since there has been no official announcement there is no price and launch date to report but we shall keep an eye out for them.
source: GSM Arena

HTC Once More Reports Record Sales

For the fourth straight month, HTC is reporting record sales with revenues of $45.11 billion. However, July's sales did show a slowdown in growth after April saw $38.7 billion in revenue, May recorded $40.6 billion, and June topped out at $45 billion. Overall, revenue is up 83 percent from July of last year, though only a 1 percent increase over last month. High sales have no doubt been the result of a booming Android smartphone business that should see six to eight new handsets from the company in the third quarter of 2011 alone.
source: Android Phone

HTC Acquires DashWire, More Cloud For Your Buck?

DashWire is a specialist cloud service, that offers online backup for Mobile Phones, directly from your phone, with or without the assistance of a mediate device like a PC. It works with all of the major mobile platforms, Blackberry, Symbian, Android and Windows Mobile, and lets you backup all of your phone info to the cloud, providing access to those backups any where you have a data connection. DashWire recently acquired a whole hep of patents from Intellectual Ventures, Dash Wire's service is pretty simple, backup SMS, Text, phone state, data on your phone to the cloud and make it accessible everywhere. News today that HTC have bought DashWire, adds another dimension to what services HTC may be able to offer. There's plenty of speculation that HTC may incorporate the service, as an add on into HTC Sense, and hopefully that will happen. What's more likely though is that the intellectual property that DashWire owns is another arrow in the quiver, in HTC's on going patent wars.

"Similar to the established market players - including customers that Intellectual Ventures has recently announced - emerging technology companies like Dashwire realize they need effective IP strategies in order to stay competitive within the surging mobile market," said Joe Chernesky, VP and general manager, global licensing sales at Intellectual Ventures. "We work with customers of all sizes to help them gain access to our patent portfolio, including allowing them to acquire patents that they can use in counter-assertion to defend their business from aggressors."

I hope this means that HTC will bring some of the features talked about above, right onto the phone's they produce, the DashWire tech supports a lot of OS's, and would be a boon to HTC if they could integrate it into Sense. What's more likely is that HTC are securing more IP that they think may feature in future updates, features that they have not even thought about yet. Somewhere, in the darkest caverns of the OEM world, the devil is the patent that you don't own, or legally can't contest. An acquisition like this is not mainstream consumer news, but the repercussions are. These patents, and the battle that goes on around them, can determine what hardware you can purchase in what country, and it can vary due to the legal system in each country. The preferred outcome here, is that HTC can incorporate some of Dash Wire's cloud services into their devices, the likelihood is that HTC are just acquiring patents to give them a more secure footing on the world market. Legal leverage is what it's all about, and it's a world away from your next Smartphone.!!!
source: HTC Source