Skype for Windows Phone beta arriving soon?

Even though Microsoft acquired Skype quite awhile ago, the Skype app still has yet to make an appearance on Windows Phone. But if reports online turn out to be true, the wait could be almost over. Apparently Microsoft employees have been recently notified that a beta version of Skype for Windows Phone will be released shortly, and invitations will be sent out in the coming weeks. Assuming the rumors are true, it looks like Microsoft employees will be testing the app to weed out bugs before it is released to the public - so you can expect some images of Skype for Windows Phone to surface in the near future. Still no ETA for the arrival of Windows Phone Skype, but let's hope it will be sometime this quarter. Who's looking forward to Skype on Windows Phone?

Galaxy S Advance in live shots, Philippines price and date too

We have the first live pictures of the recently announced Samsung Galaxy S Advance, along with details on the expected price and release date. The price will be 22,990 Philippine pesos, which amounts to around $535 and the Galaxy S Advance is expected to be first seen at the MWC later this month and should become available in the Philippines, at least, around the same time. On the hardware side of things the Galaxy S Advance looks like a cross-pollination of the Galaxy S and the Galaxy S II. The curved screen does set it apart, though at 9.7 mm thick it is more an S than an S II. The specs are already well known but just in case you've missed them - the Advance has a curved Gorilla Glass 4" Super AMOLED display of WVGA (480 x 800), a dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 processor, a 5 MP snapper on the back with 720p video recording abilities and, upon launch at least, Android Gingerbread 2.3.6. Source

Samsung introduces engraved Galaxy Notes in South Korea

Apple certainly knows how to set a trend, and while Samsung might have received their latest blow in Germany and in Europe where court rulings are concerned, the South Korean company might have just irked Apple executives further by introducing an engraving service for each purchase of the Samsung Galaxy Note. Yes, I know, engraving your device (an Apple) is nothing new, but for Samsung to introduce something like this might just trigger more sales of the Galaxy Note than expected. Sure makes it far harder for a thief to sell a stolen device, is it not? Seems like the rest of the world has been enjoying the Galaxy Note for some time already, while those of us in the US are still waiting for AT&T and their February launch. Having said that, do you think the engraving service would be made available to us folks living Stateside when the Galaxy Note arrives? Makes for a perfect gift, actually, especially when you accompany the right kind of message with the Galaxy Note.

Nokia Lumia 710 now available in the UK and Canada, free with contract in the US

The Nokia Lumia 710 is in the news again. Nokia's midrange Windows Phone device saw its price cut by a cool 20% at T-Mobile yesterday, but today you can get it for free (provided that you have nothing against signing a new two-year contract with the magenta carrier of course). The free Lumia 710 can be had at physical Microsoft stores, the Microsoft online store, or Wirefly. In all three cases you'll be paying the best possible price for what is a very decent handset that comes with the latest version of Windows Phone, Microsoft's newest mobile operating system. The Nokia Lumia 710 has officially gone on sale today in the UK, at least according to Nokia's UK arm which tweeted as much. We can't find it listed as being in stock at any retailers at the moment, but it surely is in stock somewhere. So if you're in the UK and want to grab a Lumia 710 check with your friendly local phone retailer, or your preferred online avenue for buying gadgets – perhaps you'll be luckier than we were. The Nokia Lumia 710 will surely be available in every store in the UK in a few days, when everyone gets their first stocks, so don't panic if you don't find it today. The Lumia 710 is also out in Canada today, and apparently it should already be in Rogers stores (although it isn't listed online by the carrier just yet). This is the first Windows Phone to go on sale in Canada in more than a year, and it's exclusive to Rogers. You can pick up a Nokia Lumia 710 from Rogers for $49.99 with a three-year contract, $99.99 with a two-year contract, $149.99 with a one-year contract, and $254.99 without a contract being involved.

It's official: no Samsung Galaxy S III at the MWC

We've been hearing rumors that the Samsung Galaxy S III won't show up at the Mobile World Congress for a while now, but here comes the official confirmation from the horse's mouth. The launch of the hotly anticipated smartphone will happen later on with a separate Samsung-hosted event. They were vague when it came to when or where the event will take place, with the official info saying "in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product". We've heard that the Galaxy S III is slated for an April launch, but the validity of the rumor is questionable. A Dutch site is claiming a March launch instead. Samsung didn’t say what they'll be announcing at the MWC, but they promise exciting mobile products. According to the rumor mill, that means Windows Phone handsets and tablets. We're a little disappointed that we won't see the new Samsung flagship droid this month, but let's hope the wait will be worth it. Anyway, we'll be live covering whatever other hot gadgets Samsung has to show at the MWC. Source 1 • Source 2 (in Dutch)

NEC MEDIAS ES N-05D Android Smartphone

The NEC MEDIAS ES N-05D will be released in the Japanese market via NTT DoCoMo network in March 2012. Measuring at only 6.7mm thin, the smartphone features a 4.3-inch (720 x 1280) display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260 processor, a 1GB of RAM, a 4GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot and the Google Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread OS. Other important specs include an 8.1-megapixel CMOS camera with NEC's Exmor R for mobile engine, a 1,400mAh battery, NFC, a digital TV tuner, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. [Android Community]

Sony Xperia S to arrive in the UK only in March

Initial details had it that the Sony Xperia S could've be out in the UK in January. That didn't happen, and now we're hearing the smartphone will not be released in February, either. Sony has reportedly confirmed to Cool Smartphone that the handset would be launched in March and not earlier. Play.com is now saying the same thing, hoping to have the handset in stock starting March 6. Bear in mind that this is not a delay, since Sony never committed to a specific launch date for the Xperia S.

HTC Reveals Android 4.0 Rollout For Sensation XE To Begin “Early This Year”

We learned back in November that HTC was planning to deliver Ice Cream Sandwich to their dual-core lineup sometime in 2012 only problem was — when exactly? 1st quarter? Q2? Heaven forbid towards the end of the year… Well, today we finally have a better idea of when HTC plans to update some of these confirmed devices, starting with the HTC Sensation XE. In a reply to a user on Twitter asking when his newly purchased Sensation XE would be receiving the Android 4.0 update, HTC’s official Twitter account replied that the device would be receiving ICS “early this year.” Okay — so it’s not much but we’ll take anything at this point. After seeing what HTC plans to do with Android 4.0 melding it into their Sense UI, I know it’s not the popular opinion round here, but I, for one, am pretty excited to see what HTC comes up with.

Samsung P3100, P5100, and i9300 get Wi-Fi certified – two tablets and the Galaxy S III?

As we approach the Mobile World Congress which will be held in Barcelona at the end of February, more and more of you are starting to wonder what Samsung will have in store for us. After all, they didn't show anything really new at CES, so it's natural that MWC will be where Samsung will choose to launch its new top of the line devices. As we found out not long ago, the Galaxy S III may not get a MWC unveiling unfortunately. That hasn't stopped what could be the Galaxy S III from getting its Wi-Fi certification. The Samsung GT-i9300 did, and this may turn out to be the Galaxy S III (after all, the original Galaxy S has the model number i9000, the Galaxy S II is the i9100, and the Galaxy Nexus is the i9250). We can't be sure just yet, but at least it does closely follow Samsung's model number logic. Also getting Wi-Fi certified were two tablets, the P3100 and P5100. Other than the fact that they're tablets (signified by the “P” in the model numbers), we don't know anything about these devices either. Still, we hope that they will get shown at MWC. Judging from those model numbers (which are all we have to go on right now), we may see two variants of the same size device (perhaps a lower-end and a higher-end version), or two tablets with similar specs but different screen sizes. We're betting on the latter, taking into account Samsung's love of many different tablet sizes.

Samsung Galaxy Y Duos and Y Pro Duos now available in Europe

Officially announced in December as Samsung's first dual SIM Android smartphones, the Galaxy Y Duos and Galaxy Y Pro Duos are now starting to hit the shelves across Europe. In Greece, Wind is selling the Galaxy Y Pro Duos for €139 (about $181). In Russia, both new handsets are available as of today. The Galaxy Y Pro Duos costs 9,990 RUB (about €252 or $330 - and yes, it's a big different from the price for the Greek market), while the Galaxy Y Duos can be had for 7,990 RUB (€201 or $263).

Samsung Galaxy S3 shows up for WiFi certification?

We've already heard rumors about the next Samsung Galaxy S3 phone being codenamed the GT-i9300, and now it looks like we've got more fuel to add to the fire. A phone with the very same model number, GT-i9300 recently made an appearance on the WiFi Alliance's website, showing that it had gained WiFi certification. While there's still no way to confirm if this phone is actually the Galaxy S3, its WiFi certification can only mean one thing: we're one step closer to its official unveiling. Of course, there's a chance that we could be wrong and the GT-i9300 might be something else. We'll just have to wait and see.

Rogers LG Optimus 3D Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread update will be out tomorrow

The long awaited Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for Rogers' LG Optimus 3D is finally due to arrive tomorrow. It will become available to download on LG's Canadian support site (so we're assuming it won't come over-the-air directly to your phone, rather requiring a computer to perform the installation). New customers who'll buy an Optimus 3D will get it with the latest software version preloaded, so they won't have to go through the hassle of updating as soon as possible. After the update, your LG Optimus 3D will run Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread (software version V20). The update brings enhanced HSPA+ network speed (from 14 Mbps to 21 Mbps), improved video playback and video recording, better battery life during music playback, upgraded sound quality when using a headset (be it wired or Bluetooth), faster camera loading and switching time (now one second, compared to 2.5 in the past), and better 3D depth with 720p. New in the update are a 3D video editor with the ability to create new projects, 2D to 3D and 3D to 2D conversion for both videos and images, 2D to 3D conversion for OpenGL-based games, and video stabilization support for both 2D and 3D. These new features obviously come alongside all that's generally new in Gingerbread compared to Froyo, its predecessor.