Steve Ballmer confirms a 'bunch' of Nokia Windows Phones will launch next week

- David Robinson  Oct. 19, 2011 at 18:00

Nokia has done its best to keep the details of its debut Windows Phone handset(s) under wraps, despite the growing number of rumours zinging around the web over recent weeks.

We're now taking it as a certainty that the debut WinPho Nokia will be unveiled next week at Nokia World, but Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer of all people may just have confirmed that Nokia will be revealing more than one new face at the event.

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HTC contemplating Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade plans

- Lewis Curdie  Oct. 19, 2011 at 16:00

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is kicking back in Ice Cream Sandwich town, but there’s still a great deal of uncertainty concerning which other Android smartphones will get the ICS treatment and when.

HTC, for one, is currently absorbing the Ice Cream Sandwich unveiling and contemplating how to go about the potentially buggersome process of updating its phones.

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Dell CEO: Android tablets can’t compete with iPad, Windows 8 might

- Lewis Curdie  Oct. 19, 2011 at 14:00

Dell seems intent on stepping on everyone’s toes at the moment. The US manufacturer released one of the first Windows Phone 7 handsets in the Dell Venue Pro, but it reportedly isn’t interested in Mango.

Now Dell CEO Michael Dell is being critical of Android tablets. Actually, that’s probably fair enough.

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Motorola RAZR landing in the UK on November 1

- Lewis Curdie  Oct. 19, 2011 at 12:00

One of the things that bothers us about Motorola is its lazy attitude towards releasing its wares over here in the UK. Phones like the Droid 3 simply never appear, while the likes of the Motorola Pro took almost a year to sail across the Atlantic.

But what’s this? The Motorola RAZR, officially announced last night, is scheduled to arrive in the UK in less than two weeks. What the f…?

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Jobs worked “intimately” on iPhone 5

- Lewis Curdie  Oct. 19, 2011 at 11:06

Well, this is quite a sombre story to start my news day with.

The iPhone 4S has defied all logic and whipped consumers into a senseless buying frenzy, despite boasting just a few modest enhancements over the iPhone 4.

Meanwhile, according to one of those analyst type guys, the iPhone 5 is more than just a twinkle in Apple’s eye. In fact, it’s the last thing the late Steve Jobs worked on.

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HTC Sensation XL: Pre-orders now open

- Phil Lavelle  Oct. 19, 2011 at 10:30

White phones are all the rage these day: not so much chavtastic as stylish and chic and available on a range of handsets from iPhones to BlackBerries to Androids.

And the latest, HTC's Sensation XL, is now up for pre-order at The Smartphone Centre - a fairly new addition to the sim-free scene.

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How sweet is Ice Cream Sandwich?

- Phil Lavelle  Oct. 19, 2011 at 10:00

It's here! As of 3am UK time, Google's latest OS dropped and became an official part of the Android arsenal.

We've had weeks of rumours and leaks and many of them have been spot on. There are so many new elements being introduced in the Gingerbread-Honeycomb lovechild, but here's our pick of the best.

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Samsung Galaxy Nexus touches down with Android 4.0

- David Robinson  Oct. 19, 2011 at 08:00

We all knew it was coming, but we're excited all the same to report that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus officially launched in Hong Kong in the wee small hours of the night, bringing with it Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

In the end, probably the biggest surprise was the name, as it turns out Google Nexus Prime was never actually on the table, despite the fact that we've been calling it that for months.

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Motorola launches 'world's thinnest' Droid RAZR smartphone

- David Robinson  Oct. 18, 2011 at 18:30

So Motorola has gone ahead and launched its Droid RAZR over in the US, a brand new 4.3in smartphone that's, ahem, razor-thin at just 7.1mm thick.

For that we'll have to wait another handful of hours, with the spotlight shifting from New York to Hong Kong and the unveiling of the Samsung Nexus Prime in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

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Nokia’s first Windows Phone handset coming to Italy in November

- Lewis Curdie  Oct. 18, 2011 at 16:00

A leaked pricing list from TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) suggests Nokia’s first Windows Phone handset will land in Italy in “Novembre”. I don’t speak Italian, but I’m pretty sure that’s November.

Unfortunately there’s no handset name to go on, just Nokia Windows Phone 7.5. Bah.

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RIM’s new smartphone OS is BBX

- Lewis Curdie  Oct. 18, 2011 at 13:00

Just over a week ago, we heard that an in-car entertainment system shown off at QNX Auto Summit Japan 2011 was compatible with iOS, Android and something called BBX.

We assumed that was the name for RIM’s new smartphone OS, and – according to the Financial Post – that is indeed the case.

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Samsung to supply A6 chip for iPad 3?

- Lewis Curdie  Oct. 18, 2011 at 12:00

With the twenty-odd patent disputes currently being fought across the globe, it’s easy to forget that Apple is still one of Samsung’s biggest clients – second only to numero uno Sony.

As a result, Apple’s iGadgets are full of Sammy components. The ironing is delicious (a million bonus points if you get the reference).

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Coming soon: Gingerbread for Atrix, Xoom and Milestone 2

- Lewis Curdie  Oct. 18, 2011 at 11:00

It’s probably fair to say that Motorola Atrix users in our United Kingdom are a little miffed about being stuck on Froyo (Android 2.2). After all, the Gingerbread (Android 2.3) update has already been pumped out to Atrix users in the States.

Well, our guys – along with their Xoom and Milestone 2 cousins – are set to get a taste of delicious Gingerbread pretty freakin’ soonish. Rejoice!

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Drop it on concrete: Apple iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S II

- Phil Lavelle  Oct. 18, 2011 at 10:30

If you haven't got insurance or even a case, but have got an expensive smartphone, this video is likely to make you wince. A group of people experimenting by dropping both an iPhone 4S and a Galaxy S2 from various heights onto a hard floor.

Yep, we know you'll be asking the same question as we did: why? That one's easy enough to answer: it's been posted by a third party warranty company which obviously wants to show the worst case scenario and guilt-trip us into parting with our cash.

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Ice Cream Sandwich to include screenshot ability?

- Phil Lavelle  Oct. 18, 2011 at 10:00

Flash internet? No problem. iTunes syncing? Consider it done. Free apps? We've loads. Take a screenshot? Erm... computer says no!

And that's the way it has been for years. Android users may have felt they had a lead on iUsers by being able to do so much more on their handsets but taking screenshots - one of the most basic tasks - has been locked out on all but a few Android phones (such as Samsung's TouchWiz variants, and HTC Sense handsets).

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Motorola Xoom 2 to debut Ice Cream Sandwich?

- David Robinson  Oct. 17, 2011 at 19:00

So Android Ice Cream Sandwich launches late tomorrow night – well, 3am on Wednesday morning to be precise – and it's without doubt a huge moment for the platform, as it marks the tablet and smartphone variants of Android coming back under one roof.

It's also effectively Google's response to iOS 5, which has just surfaced on the new iPhone 4S. So with so much at stake we're a little surprised that the Motorola Xoom may again get the honours of bringing the new version of Android to the world, just as it did with Honeycomb.

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iPhone 4S smashes opening weekend sales records

- David Robinson  Oct. 17, 2011 at 18:00

Before the weekend we were speculating how the iPhone 4S was set to be Apple's biggest product launch in history, and that we could see as many as 3 million units being sold over the weekend.

Well, turns out we were wrong and Apple didn't manage to shift 3 million new iPhones. In the end it sold 4 million.

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Less than one fifth of Britons ready to embrace mobiles as wallets

- Lewis Curdie  Oct. 17, 2011 at 16:00

International consumer research guys Intersperience have quizzed 1,000 UK consumers about NFC, and the results are quite fascinating. Well, if you happen to like stats and that.

Security concerns are no great surprise, as is often the case with new technology, but apparently just 17% of respondents were happy with the idea of replacing their wallet with their mobile phone in future.

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Nokia launches Luna Bluetooth Headset with NFC goodness

- Lewis Curdie  Oct. 17, 2011 at 14:00

NFC is somewhat synonymous with contactless payments, but it’s easy to forget that there are a number of other uses for the technology too.

One of those uses is pairing devices, and that’s exactly the functionality that Nokia has incorporated in its intriguing Luna Bluetooth Headset.

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Siri ported from iPhone 4S to iPhone 4

- Lewis Curdie  Oct. 17, 2011 at 12:00

When Apple first demonstrated Siri at the iPhone 4S launch a couple of weeks ago, we were slightly confused. Was this a new feature of iOS 5, or something exclusive to the iPhone 4S? Of course, turns out it was the latter.

Rumour is that the iPhone 4S’ dual-core A5 processor is essential in order for Siri to function, but developer Steven Troughton-Smith – in conjunction with 9to5mac – has punched that theory right in the gob.

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