After Google announced the Froyo earlier this year, which is a consecutive update of the well known open source mobile platform Android, there has been a number of rumors as well as a few official hesitations whether the flagship Android devices like sonyericsson’s XPeria X10 and Motorola Milestone. Since there was no response from the mobile phone manufacturers there were doubt among the Android users whether those devices were going to get the Froyo (Android 2.2) update since the update includes some crucial features for the smartphone users.

After the German telecom operator O2 gave some words that they will roll out updates for Motorola Milestone, the official confirmation of the update came a little bit later. Last week, Motorola has finally gave a schedule to update their Android lineup. Even though all the devices are not going the get the update for Hardware Limitations, the most anticipated update is finally coming to Milestone. It is sad to know that the update will not be available in all regions. But those who will be able to update their Android experience, I can say that, will be happy. Lets hope that everything that Moto announced, comes to be true as per the schedule.

Nokia has been trying to get the notice of the smartphone users with new and shiny devices with more and more performance oriented features. Since Symbian’s S60 has grown up with more robust user experience, Nokia has been releasing more phones of s60 platform, especially now with s60 5th edition that support touch screen.

The new product that the mobile phone giants has already launched in select locations is the X6. As it has been assumed, the x series has been a prototype of the recent n-series and xpress music handsets by Nokia.

Just like the N97, it has also got a 3.2 inch Touch Screen Display and 640 x 360 pixels – nHD resolution. I didn’t find any remarkable difference between the other recent phones by Nokia. It is apparent that the Phone will fail to draw user attention to the level the company is expecting.

Finally it’s here! The Google and Verizon prediction has came out to be true with the Motorola flavored Droid phone that will be available to the Verizon users in later this year, probably by the mid-December. It is apparent that Verizon is targeting the phone for the Christmas-day buyers.

So, what do you get with the Driod? Motorola has a clear explanation of everything it holds. It comes with a ARM Processor running at a speed of 550 MHz. Android is the platform and it supports CDMA 1X 800/1900, EVDO rev A network only (That’s for the Verizon users, you see). It has got a 3.7″; WVGA (480 x 854 pixels); 16:9 widescreen TFT display which is not much attractive though, except for the high resolution that will enable users to surf the net with more visible content at a time. Like most other modern-day phone, it lacks a physical keyboard but has the touchscreen full QWERTY virtual keyboard in the large resistive touch display.

Motorola Droid, homes the Webkit HTML 5 web browser and is expected to be loaded with in-browser Adobe Flash Player 10. Now with Flash 10, it’s a performance question whether the phone hardware will be able to accelerate the renderings of Flash 10 or will give us a poor display performance.

Well, the phone comes with a number of connectivity options like Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Wi-Fi b/g and Data Access facilities. I am just sick of thinking that why it doesn’t come with Wi-Fi a/b/g/n!! By the way, as local connectivity, we get micro USB connection with USB hi-Speed; Of the other features, Motorola Droid has got the similar specs for Camera, GPS and 3.5mm connctivity as like the HTC Hero.

Since it’s a Google Android phone, you will definitely get loads of Google apps pre-installed on the phone, along with the very good you-tube application and Google Maps App. It also comes with some of the Google services like Google talk, Google search etc built-in with the phone. Let’s hope it will meet the consumer expectations.

HTC has recently unveiled one of it’s series of great smarphones; HTC Hero is undoubtedly a device that will draw the attention of the gadget lovers. With a Qualcomm® MSM7200A™ processor running at the speed of  528 MHz running beneath the Google’s Android operating system, it is definitely going to hit the market.

What HTC tries to make special with the phone (In fact with all the most recent phones they released), have widgetized the home screen so that the users can stay in touch with the world of social networks and information without a worry. Accessing information like weather forecast or latest news will be just in the hopescreen, as well as the maps.

The other specifications include a  288 MB RAM, 8.128 cm TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with 320×480 HVGA resolution. The phone supports a network setup of UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (900/2100 MHz), GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz). A physical trackball will help you control the device more comfortably with that enter button in the middle. HTC Hero homes a internal GPS antennae, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with EDR. You can easily connect your device with a 3,5 mm Audio jack for high-performance Audio and/or use the HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one). Phone memory is expandable with microSD cards. So far the 5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus Camera has been reported very good in some user forums.

Apple’s iPhone is a very successful phone and is really a popular gadget of the time. Alongside the hardware features what makes is special is it’s powerful user interface, the iPhone platform. Google’s android, however, has been trying to overdo and compete the iPhone and it’s first attempt has received much admiration from the tech savvy people around the world.

Google, the internet giant, has been working to make Android a success and has been working in partnership with well known operators. Along with their present venture with T-Mobile and Sprint, recently they have came into partnership with Verizon which was considered to be a ‘unusual’ partnership; yet earlier this month, after working for 18 months, they are about to bring two mobile phones in Verizon USA network running Google’s Android mobile operating system and announces to continue the venture to make Android a more mature mobile operating system and expect to equip the platform in more smartphones. The company spokesmen, however, kept a secret about their partnership with the actual hardware manufacturer. But there is a rumor around that Motorola and HTC may work on the Android phone’s.

Smartphone industry has grown in a large proportion and may be Google has chosen Verizon keeping the huge number of subscriber, even though Verizon do not have a good history of feature-rich phones for their subscribers.

Google will be glad to continue it’s efforts in making Android a better mobile platform. Let’s see if Android could put a deep imprint in the smartphone market in these recession days.

Touchscreen phones are just popular now a days. While there are a number of handsets that are equipped with touchscreen technology, Palm, O2 and several other PDA brands lead the consumer market. However, Samsung and very recently Nokia had boomed their presence in the touchscreen market. I came across the Stylish 8-Mega Camera Phone with Full Touch Screen

Seoul, Korea, October 2, 2008 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading provider of telecom systems and mobile phones, today unveiled a very slim full touch 8-megapixel cameral phone Samsung Pixon. The phone will available in October to consumers who want to easily capture and share life’s unexpected moments anytime, anywhere they desire.

Ever seen something and thought, “if only I had my camera with me”? Many people experience those perfect moments that cry out to be captured – a beautiful, astonishing, indescribable or unexpected moment that should be kept and be shared with friends and loved ones. Capturing those moments has never been easy simply because people don’t walk around with their cameras on all the time.

Missing those perfect moments will become a thing of the past thanks to the new Samsung Pixon.

Photos featuring friends and family doing funny things or having funny things done to them, bumping unexpectedly into a celebrity or a pet doing something hilarious were all moments which were difficult to capture before because getting a camera out and switched on always took so long. Now all of these will be wonderfully easy to capture because the Samsung Pixon is as good a camera as a standalone camera.

Being the world’s slimmest full-touch 8-megapixel camera phone, the Samsung Pixon boasts a 13.8mm slim design as well as many other great features. Not only does the outside look just like an actual camera, the Samsung Pixon also takes pictures like one with its x16 digital zoom, auto-focus, fast-shutter, face detection and geo-tagging.

Yet, the Samsung Pixon is even better than an actual camera as it also comes with a 3.2 inch full-touch screen and integrated Photo Browser which allows fantastically easy photo sharing and viewing.

The Samsung Pixon will completely satisfy those who are tired of camera-phones which look like cameras but have only a passing resemblance to a camera’s functions.

Geesung Choi, President of the Samsung Telecommunications Business, said Samsung is a company which constantly tries to innovate to improve consumers’ lives, to make things easier and more fun.

“Now everyone will be able to ‘get their pics on’ so much more quickly and easily. For the first time you will have a camera on your phone capable of delivering the quality of image of a regular camera. The big benefit is not just the ease with which people will now be able to capture and share camera-phone shots, but the quality of those shots when taken,” President Choi added.,

The Samsung Pixon will be available first in France in mid-October and soon to be available in most of European countries and Asian countries.

Please visit www.thephotographicadventuresofnickturpin.com for further information.

About Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2007 consolidated sales of US$103.4 billion. Employing approximately 150,000 people in 134 offices in 62 countries, the company consists of four main business units: Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business, and Telecommunication Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

Samsung Pixon

Product Factsheet

Network

GSM/GPRS/ EDGE Quad Band (850/ 900/1800/1900 MHz)

HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (2100 MHz)

Display

3.2” 240×400 262K WQVGA TFT LCD

Camera

8-megapixel camera with Auto focus

Digital zoom (X16)

Dual Power LED Flash

ASR (Advanced Shake Reduction)

WDR (Wide Dynamic Range)

Face Detection, Smile Shot, Face Link (face tagging),

Geo-tagging, Auto Panorama Shot, Photo memo

Photo Browser (Accelerometer Sensor, Tilt and flip,

Sorting by Face/Time/Color/Folder)

Value-added Feature

Online Widget (News, weather, stock, etc)

Video

Video recording & playing (MPEG4, WMV, DivX, XviD)

30 fps D1 (720 x 480) & 120 fps(QGVA) high quality video recording

Slow motion video playing

SRS (Surround Sound System) Virtual 5.1CH

Audio

Music Player (MP3, AAC, e-AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA)

FM Radio with RDS

DNSe™ (Digital Natural Sound engine)

Connectivity

Bluetooth v.2.0 / USB 2.0 HS

TV Out connection

Memory

Internal Memory: 200MB External Memory: Micro SD

Size

107.9 x 54.6 x 13.8 mm, 121g

Battery

1000 mAh

- Talk time: 3h 40min

- Standby time: 290h

Samsung has recently released its newest smartphone based on S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack2. Samsung I7110, is here to show a combination of features and performance. It aims at the highest level of power efficiency and platform security. It has got a 2.6” AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) screen which will have a stunning experiences for you in navigation, multimedia, and connectivity.

So what’s in the phone? I7110 is a Symbian OS V9.3, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 with a large 2.6″ QVGA display. It supports a broad range of network with 3.6 Mbps (900/2100) HSDPA, EDGE / GPRS (850/900/1800/1900). Multimedia features include a 5 Megapixel CMOS with AF and LED Flash and some extras like Smile Shot and Blink Shot.

The video player is capable of playing DivX, H.263, H.264, WMV, MP4, and RV formact while the camera supports 30fps VGA/120 fps QVGA video recording. Music player has native support for mp3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, RealAudio. Also, you get a FM Radio with RDS

It has got loads of extra features alos. There is a GPS Navigation: Pedestrian & Driving, Geo-tagging, Optical Mouse, Accelerometer and more importantly FM Transmitter. The memory is expandable upto 16GB.

With these and the coming phones, Samsung has shown a keen interest in the s60 platform. While Nokia leads the s60 way, it is good for the consumers to get alternative brands equipped with the latest s60 operating system.

Earlier this year, nokia has launched the already very popular 5800 XpressMusic. Nokia has introduced the touchscreen technology for the first time wheras Sony Erricsson and many other competitors had touch screen from ages ago.

So, why is such a long delay in delivering the technology? Did Nokia had a master plan? Over the year Nokia has enhanced the Symbian Operating System. And now it seems that it has grown as a giant competitor of other mobile operating platforms. Since the launching of Nokia’s nSeries smartphones, Symbian OS is becoming increasingly popular among the mobile users for its easy usability and great features. Now, when all the already known features are in a great package like the 5800 xpressmusic, it has become the craze.

Currently, I am reviewing one of them and will write about the whole shortly.

Wow! I have been busy and away from the Nokia updates and I’ve missed a lot. Now when I come back I am really amazed to know that about a month ago Nokia has revealed its smallest Bluetooth headset BH-804. It has a genuine aluminum case, slim lines with cutting edge technology; but what makes it more attractive is its compact size which makes it a stylish accessory to any mobile device supporting bluetooth headset specifications.

It offers superior audio quality and the latest audio features that includes digital signal processing (DSP) for background noise cancellation with the use of which users can have a crisp, clear conversations while on the go. The Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-804 has two user-friendly buttons making managing basic call functions and volume level easy.

Nokia has announced it to be launched by the end of the year in select markets and later in other markets.

Intel is researching on a technology that will help mobile electronics users to use free energy from the environment. If their research succeeded it could let users of mobile phone and laptop devices users to use the devices for as long as there are any chosen energy source available.

Renewable energy is not a recent area that scientists are working on. Presently, scientists have been able to implement energy from sunlight to run devices like electronic calculators or wrist watches. Now, they are looking forward to have the energy powerful enough to use on cellphones and laptops.

Intel is actually looking at multiple sources like energy generated by moving the phone’s trackball or the radiation of cell phone or TV signals spreading out there in the streets. So, what is intel actually looking for is to run a device for indefinite time without charging the battery. How nice it would be.