Windows Phone HTC Titan Coming To Netherlands On October 4

The HTC Titan is a Windows Phone which will probably be the Taiwanese manufacturer's new flagship device running Redmond's new platform refresh, Mango. It was launched on September 1 in London and we had our hands-on with the phone in Berlin with the occasion of this year's IFA.

According to HTC Netherlands' Facebook page, the phone is expected to land on October 4, which is around a month from now. If the information is anywhere close to the truth, we should hear official wording from Microsoft really soon as Redmond needs to officially launch the refresh before OEMs can dive in and announce the hardware. The Titan sports a brand new camera which is better in low light conditions (eight-megapixels), a 1.5GHz processor and a huge 4.7-inch screen.

Source: Facebook

HTC Radar (Omega) Windows Phone Mango smartphone

HTC has finally introduced its first Windows Phone Mango smartphone, the HTC Radar (known as HTC Omega). The handset is a mid-range smartphone and is scheduled available starting early October in Europe.
The HTC Radar Mango smartphone is boasts a 1GHz single-core processor paired with Adreno 205 graphics, 512MB of RAM, and 8GB of onboard storage.

New Radar has a 3.8-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixel, GPS, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash and 720p video recording capabilities, a front VGA camera, an ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor, and a 1,520mAh battery. It is runs Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS.
As connectivity, there are 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1. Dimensions of HTC Radar are 120.5 x 61.5 x 10.9 mm and weights 137 grams.

Samsung Transform Ultra QWERTY Slider Coming To Boost Mobile

We first spotted Samsung's SPH-M930 earlier this summer. A QWERTY slider, it was badged for eventual arrival at Boost Mobile. While it's yet to make a formal appearance on the carrier, it looks like preparations are nearly ready to go for the smartphone to debut as the Samsung Transform Ultra.

The Transform Ultra will join the Samsung Prevail on Boost, making it the second Android option for the carrier. With the Prevail still on Froyo, this will be the first Gingerbread Android for Boost.

While the Transform Ultra looks like a mid-tier device, the specs we're hearing for it now are at least a little better than those we were expecting for the phone. It should have a three-megapixel main camera, as well as a VGA front-facer. Look for it to be powered by a 1GHz single-core Snapdragon and include a gigabyte of internal flash storage.

We're also told the Transform Ultra will debut Boost's new Mobile ID app, offering a service similar to Sprint ID on that carrier. We're not sure exactly when the Transform Ultra will be officially launched, or what Boost hopes to charge, but from the looks of things, we should learn very shortly.

Update: Expect the Transform Ultra to sell for about $230.

Nexus S updated to OS 2.3.6, finally brings fix for Voice Search bug but breaks Tethering?

Some Nexus S owners over the past few months experienced the Voice Search feature to occasionally activate on its own, which at times made the device impossible to use. A fix has been in the works since May and earlier this Google promised an update. Well, today is a day that these frustrated owners will celebrate.

Paul, from Google, noted on the huge thread on the support forum that “An over-the-air update is now starting to roll out that includes a fix for this issue. As with previous updates, it will take a few days to send to everyone”. Nexus owners on Bell, Rogers, TELUS are reporting this has already been pushed through to them. Check your Nexus for the update, it’s Android 2.3.6, Baseband I9020AUCKF1, Build Number GRK39C.

Update: Ruh oh. It seems reading over the comments and the thread on the Google support forum that there’s a new issue. Now that the Voice Search bug issue has been fixed, some users are reporting that tethering no longer works… so before you upgrade make sure you read over the comments. Paul from Google has yet to respond to the tethering issue.

                                                                                                                                      Source: Google

BlackBerry Curve 9360 and Torch 9860 now available

This almost is the end of the new BlackBerry releases in Canada, SaskTel today officially released the Curve 9360 and Torch 9860. The only remaining carriers are the new entrants (WIND, Mobilicity and Videotron) and Fido with the Curve 9360.
As for the Curve 9360 and Torch 9860, these both run BlackBerry OS 7 but are very different in regards to specs. The 9360 is an entry level Berry but is the only new smartphone that supports NFC capabilities, comes with a 2.44-inch display, 5 megapixel camera and an 800Mhz processor. The price ranges from the no-term at $349.99 to $49.99 on a 3-year. The Torch 9860 is a 3.7-inch all touchscreen device with a 1.2GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera that shoots 720p HD videos with a price tag of $549.99 outright to $99.99 on a 3-year… you can go ahead and grab one of these, or wait until “early 2012″ for a new RIM QNX-powered BlackBerry.
Source: SaskTel (1) (2)

HTC Android Updates Turn Your Phone Into A Spy?

Yesterday saw attention return to the issue of how companies use your smartphone to gather data about you and your activities, with news of a lawsuit accusing Microsoft of surreptitiously gathering location data. HTC looks like it's the next one to take the hot seat, after the discovery that recent updates to the EVO 3D and Sensation have the smartphones recording a host of information about your phone's status.

Under the guise of "User Behavior Logging", the new software for the HTC pair looks at things such as what apps you've installed, which you've been using, and builds statistics revealing how you use your Android. There's some concern that carriers or HTC could be using this data to identify rooted devices, letting them deny warranty service, but no hard evidence supporting such claims.

Some digging-in to the new code has uncovered where this information goes, but since it's to one of Amazon's cloud servers, it's hard to identify just what company is watching.

While all this may send privacy advocates into a tizzy, it's not outside the range of surveillance you consented to in order to use the phone's software, so technically HTC is on solid ground. Would it have been too much trouble to mention this added functionality in the release notes for the update that installed it, though, instead of hiding away any disclaimers where few users will read them?

Source: XDA-Developers forum, InfectedROM

Samsung's Galaxy S WiFi 3.6 Is An Android Smartphone, Sans Phone

The just-announced Samsung Note is one of those devices that makes pigeonholing hardware into a nice, neat category a real challenge. With its 5.3-inch screen, should we stop considering it a smartphone, and more a tablet? That handset is just one gadget out of many that walks the tightropes between traditional product families. There's another just-revealed Samsung that fits that profile as well, but for a different reason altogether.

Samsung's Galaxy S WiFi 3.6 looks like your average Android smartphone, but lacks a cellular radio, for both voice and data. Like the iPod touch, you'll have to rely on WiFi access points in order to get the device online. That limitation aside, the GSW isn't much different from other Galaxy S models - calling it just a "media player" would be a gross understatement. There have been what look like some cost-cutting measures made, like the fact that the main camera has an only two-megapixel resolution. In spite of that, there are also some relatively progressive features, such as the inclusion of a front-facing camera, making the hardware a bit of a contradiction. As you can guess by the name, the handset has a 3.6-inch screen; it will also pack a 1GHz TI processor and arrive running Gingerbread.

Who's the Galaxy S WiFi 3.6 for? Maybe you're a die-hard BlackBerry or iPhone user but still want to check out the world of apps available for Android. You don't need another expensive data plan to worry about, and maybe you'd rather not pick up a used smartphone on Craigslist? If that sounds like you, think about giving the GSW a look-see. It will launch in the UK in 8GB/16GB versions for what works out to $242/275.

Source: Mashable

HTC reveals two new Windows Phone Mango devices, 4.7″ Titan and 3.8″ Radar

Somewhere along the line, HTC figured out that there are two kinds of smartphone users: those who need a screen over four inches, and those who don’t. In all seriousness, though, with the announcement of their latest two Windows Phone 7 devices, both of which ship with Mango out of the box, they are appealing to two very different demographics.
The HTC Titan, which has a 4.7″ Super LCD display at a somewhat lackluster 800×480 pixel resolution, is also equipped with a 1.5Ghz single-core processor, 512MB RAM, 16GB internal storage (and no microSD card) as well as an 8MP back camera and 1.3MP front camera. Fashioned out of a single piece of aluminum, it bears a resemblance to the HTC Desire, with a maximum width of 9.9mm, and to the Sensation, with its removable aluminum backplate. Easily the standout Windows Phone in HTC’s retinue, its thinness tries to offset the massive size of the screen, and seems to do so pretty effectively.

Somewhere along the line, HTC figured out that there are two kinds of smartphone users: those who need a screen over four inches, and those who don’t. In all seriousness, though, with the announcement of their latest two Windows Phone 7 devices, both of which ship with Mango out of the box, they are appealing to two very different demographics.
The HTC Titan, which has a 4.7″ Super LCD display at a somewhat lackluster 800×480 pixel resolution, is also equipped with a 1.5Ghz single-core processor, 512MB RAM, 16GB internal storage (and no microSD card) as well as an 8MP back camera and 1.3MP front camera. Fashioned out of a single piece of aluminum, it bears a resemblance to the HTC Desire, with a maximum width of 9.9mm, and to the Sensation, with its removable aluminum backplate. Easily the standout Windows Phone in HTC’s retinue, its thinness tries to offset the massive size of the screen, and seems to do so pretty effectively.






The Radar is more along the lines of a typical Android device, and bears a close resemblance to the HTC Flyer in design aesthetic. With a slightly slower 1Ghz processor and a 3.8″ screen, also at 800×480 pixels (though a regular, not Super, LCD), the Radar is aimed at a more budget-friendly consumer. It’s got 512MB RAM, 8GB internal storage and a 5MP camera, while its front shooter is only VGA resolution. The device is made entirely of aluminum, and has a removable bottom plastic piece which exposes the SIM card slot; the 1520mAh battery is not removable. It’s also slightly thicker than the Titan at 10.9mm, but should be a very solid device. Again, availability is not known, though it should be out by the end of the year.
These new devices will ship with Mango, as stated, but certain functionality has not been baked in yet, like Skype integration and native Twitter support, which should come in a future update. A nice bonus is that both of these devices are “4G” certified, which means they are capable of maximum download speeds of 14.4Mbps.

Windows Phone 7 Mango OS Will Release September 15th?

Now that the first Mango phones are being announced, it would make sense that Microsoft would officially announce the release of the OS shortly thereafter.
Well, a few signs point to the middle of this newly-minted month as the fruity operating system’s official release date, though that is not necessarily the date that carriers will start pushing out the upgrade to their respective devices.
A well-known company who has released apps across multiple platforms, including WP7, stated in an email to WPCentral, that ”(Our) Windows dev team has just learned that Mango is delayed until September 15th.” While there were rumours that Mango was to be released today, September 1st, nothing was set in stone.
The big question on everyone’s mind, however, is not when Microsoft will make the OS official — they ostensibly did that already by announcing last month the code was ready — but when carriers like Rogers, Telus and Bell will have the updates ready to go for their devices. The NoDo update, which was released earlier this year and brought copy-and-paste support among other things, took a few extra weeks to cross the border into Canada, but eventually the updates arrived without a hitch.
Users of devices like the HTC Surround, Samsung Focus and LG Optimus 7 are eagerly awaiting the features that will bring Mango to feature parity with iOS and Android, including multitasking support and Twitter and Windows Live Messenger integration.
WP7 users, sound off and let us know which devices you’re using, and how eager you are to get the Mango update (if you haven’t already hacked your device to get it!)
                                                                                                                               Source: WPCentral

Sony Ericsson Reveals 1.4GHz Xperia Arc S

With the IFA ramping-up in Berlin, we're bracing for a ton of new on new smartphones to roll in. One of the first to be announced is a hardware bump to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, the new Arc S.

If you're already familiar with the Arc, all you need to know about the Arc S is that it will be slightly faster. SE is swapping-out the 1GHz Snapdragon the Arc came with for a 1.4GHz model. That makes for a 40% speed increase on paper, and SE says that you can expect real-world performance to amount to about a 20-25% speed-up; that's not world-shattering, but it's a decent bump that should help keep the handset relevant.

The Xperia Arc S is sticking with the Arc's 4.2-inch FWVGA "Reality Display", 512MB of RAM, and 8.1-megapixel Exmor camera. Like the other new Xperias we've heard about, the Arc S will have SE's latest software tweaks, like Facebook inside Xperia, and a 3D sweep panorama mode that lets you use the phone's 2D camera to generate 3D images for viewing over HDMI on compatible displays.

           Look for the Arc S to be available in five colors when it comes out this October.

Source: Sony Ericsson