| Nokia has just unleashed one of the best speced handset ever today; the Nokia N8. The N8 is Nokia’s first Symbian^3 handset and also the only handset that packs so many advanced features: a 3.2″capacitive touchscreen, 12Mpix wide-angle camera (with Carl Zeiss optics and a Xenon flash), HDMI outpout, 720P video capture and decoding, Dolby Digital Plus decoding. All this for only €370 without a contract: Nokia N8. Connect. Create. Entertain. April 27, 2010
Espoo, Finland – The Nokia N8, Nokia’s latest smartphone, intuitively connects to the people, places and services that matter most. With the Nokia N8, people can create compelling content, connect to their favorite social networks and enjoy on-demand Web TV programs and Ovi Store apps. Available in select markets during the third quarter of 2010, the estimated retail price of the Nokia N8 is EUR 370, before applicable taxes or subsidies. The Nokia N8 introduces a 12 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash and a large sensor that rivals those found in compact digital cameras. Additionally, the Nokia N8 offers the ability to make HD-quality videos and edit them with an intuitive built-in editing suite. Doubling as a portable entertainment center, people can enjoy HD-quality video with Dolby Digital Plus surround sound by plugging into their home theatre system. The Nokia N8 enables access to Web TV services that deliver programs, news and entertainment from channels like CNN, E! Entertainment, Paramount and National Geographic. Additional local Web TV content is also available from the Ovi Store. Social networking is second nature to the Nokia N8. People can update their status, share location and photos, and view live feeds from Facebook and Twitter in a single app directly on the home screen. Calendar events from social networks can also be transferred to the device calendar. The Nokia N8 comes with free global Ovi Maps walk and drive navigation, guiding people to places and points of interest in more than 70 countries worldwide. Symbian^3 in action
Powering the Nokia N8 is Symbian ^3, the latest edition of the world’s most used smartphone software, which introduces several major advances, including support for gestures such as multi touch, flick scrolling and pinch-zoom. The Nokia N8 also offers multiple, personalizable homescreens which can be loaded with apps and widgets. The new 2D and 3D graphics architecture in the platform takes full advantage of the Nokia N8′s hardware acceleration to deliver a faster and more responsive user interface. Symbian^3 also raises the bar in performance by delivering greater memory management allowing more applications to run in parallel for a faster multi-tasking experience. Getting Qt for Developers
The Nokia N8 is Nokia’s first device to be integrated with Qt, a software development environment that simplifies the development and makes it possible to build applications once and deploy across Symbian and other software platforms. Nokia has also made the powerful and simple to use Nokia Qt SDK available, in its initial beta, to enable developers to start realizing the potential of Qt.
The only downside of this phone is Symbian^3, if it was running Maemo/Meego this would have be the perfect phone. Unfortunately S^3 is sonly a stopgap before Symbian^4 comes out later this year and it from the videos show the UI still seems to suffer from sub-par performance. Source: Nokia 
According to Brighthand the still unannounced T-Mobile myTouch Slide Android handset is finally going to debut in early-June rather than May. Nothing is said about the causes of the delay but I wouldn’t be surprised if T-Mobile is trying to adjust the released date depending on what the competitors are planning. The myTouch Slide isn’t going to be a super high-end Android device which means that marketing will be a bit tricky especially with the HTC EVO 4G and upcoming iPhone media blitz this summer. Source: Brighthand via Pocketnow 
Why is anybody surprised here? Doesn’t it make sense that Verizon is no longer going to carry the Nexus One now that the HTC Droid Incredible is out? According to previous whispers the Nexus One was supposed to launch on back in March but the date passed with no sign of the handset coming out. On the other hand the HTC Droid Incredible is now officially launch on Verizon at the end of the week and is more feature rich than the Nexus On (8Mpix camera and 8Gb of internal Memory plus HTC’s Sense UI). Why would anybody want a Nexus One on Verizon now? Source: Google via Engadget 
Clarity Consulting has just posted new article centered around a conceptual portage of the Comcast’s Xfitiny iPhone application to Windows Phone 7:
For many companies the first foray into Windows Phone 7 (WP7) may be in porting their existing mobile apps. It is tempting to simply transfer existing functionality, avoiding the additional design costs. Readdressing business needs and taking advantage of the WP7 platform can reduce cost and is essential to a successful re-launch. To better understand the advantage of new development lets examine a conceptual upgrade of Comcast’s existing mobile app.
This project clearly highlights the fact that the Metro UI seems perfectly suited for media rich application specificaly tailored for mobile handsets. The need for endless pages of icons is thing of the past. 
Source: Clarity Consulting 
An interesting UA profile has just popped up on LG‘s server lately and if you take a closer look at it seems to indicate that the phone described in their is probably LG’s first Windows Phone 7 handset, the LG Panther, that we have seen unveiled by Engadget a couple weeks ago and shown in action several times since then. LG C900 has 3 soft keys (Back,Home, Search?) and 32bits WVGA (800×480) display, but is said to have a phone keypad (instead of keyboard) so there is a strong possibility that this C900 could be another unannounced WP7 handset. The Browser UA also confirms that it is a Windows Phone 7 handset:
Check out the XML UA here Update: there’s also an LG E900 Windows Phone 7 handset user agent here 
Still wondering how to install Android on the iPhone? Well, a detailed guide is now available if you plan to try Google’s OS on your trusty old 1st generation iPhone (iPhone 2G). The trick is to basically load of the Android files on the iPhone via a file explorer (iPhone Explorer), run Ubuntu in a Virtual Machine or you PC or Mac to install Openibot on the handset. Check out the video below for a step-by-step procedure:
Continue reading How to install Android on the iPhone → 
Here’s an HTC Droid Incredible review round-upand videos for the Week-end. The handset is officialy shipping next week on Verizon (April 29th)
First we are gong to start with PhoneArena‘s two part video review:
Continue reading HTC Droid Incredible review and hands-on videos → 
Reuters has reported yesterday that sources close to the matter are now saying that HTC is no longer interested in buying Palm’s assets after reviewing the company’s latest quarterly report. “There just weren’t enough synergies to take the deal forward,” said the source with direct knowledge of the matter, who declined to be named because the deal had not yet been made public.
I can’t say I’m surprised especially now that HTC is busy with Android and the upcoming Windows Phone 7 launch. As I said a few days ago I didn’t see a reason for HTC to acquire Palm. Both companies have different philosophies and cultures (US – Taiwan) it would have been extremely hard to merge them both together. Source: Reuters Here’s the latest walktrough video posted by Microsoft on the Windows Phone 7 Backstage website. This one shows the Email, Calendar and Events intergration in Outlook mobile in Windows Phone 7. You can also see some Powerpoint éditing in there too. Source: Microsoft Backstage 
Announced back in February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the HTC HD Mini is the company’s latest (and probably one of the last) Windows Mobile 6.5.3 handset to hit the market. Marketed as a slimmed down version of the HTC HD2 the HD Mini’s announcement was unfortunately overshadowed by Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 unveiling one day earlier. How does it stack up against HTC’s similar priced and speced Android devices especially now that we know that not a single WM 6.X device will ever be upgradable to Windows Phone 7? Time to review the HTC HD Mini. Continue reading HTC HD Mini Review: is it worth it? → Microsoft has posted a new video domonstrating the new Office Hub included in Windows Phone 7. The version shown in the video is obviously a new build compared to the one availalbe in the WP7 CTP emulator currently available. See how the Windows Phone 7 Office hub gives quick access to docs on SharePoint for dynamic document sharing, editing, and uploading.
Source: Microsoft Backstage (registration required,so I uploaded the video to YouTube) Here’s another video from Cypress Technologythis time demonstrating the new Hover finger tracking capabilities of their TrueTouch capacitive touch panel. I’m not sure how useful this can be but I think I may have experience this so called “feature” on my HTC HD2 already. AFAIK (according to what I have heard during MWC10, not 100% sure though) the HD2 has a Cypress touchpanel and the damn thing is so sensitive that it can work through clothes! Yes put the HD2 in your pocket with the screen facing your leg and without shutting it down, you can bet that you’ll be calling contacts, opening apps without even touching the device. Cypress’s New Hover Detection for TrueTouch™ Touchscreen Solution Indicates Where a Finger Will Touch as It Approaches Screen
SAN JOSE, Calif., April 21, 2010 – Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (Nasdaq: CY) today announced support for hover detection for its capacitive touchscreen technology. The new feature, driven by Cypress’s TrueTouch™, enables smart touchscreen solutions that anticipate the touch of a finger and enlarge content such as points on a map or the font of tiny website links to make them easier to find and select. Hover detection changes the fundamental navigation functions on mobile devices by emulating “mouseover,” a feature well known in the personal computer segment for web navigation. The feature delivers easier, more accurate interface navigation for handsets, GPS systems and other mobile applications. A video demonstration of the hover feature is available at www.cypress.com/go/hovervideo. The video includes footage of a TrueTouch touchscreen recognizing a user’s finger as it approaches the touch sensor before the finger touches. A corresponding circle on the screen changes size to demonstrate how the application detects the user’s finger as it hovers above the screen. “Mobile phone manufacturers are looking for ways to differentiate their products, and features such as hover support and stylus recognition enable them to do just that,” said Dhwani Vyas, vice president of the User Interface Business Unit at Cypress. “Delivering a mouseover-like capability to the mobile phone space shows that Cypress continues to focus on creative features aligned with market demand. With so much emphasis on web content to the mobile handset, innovative navigation techniques are necessary to bring a familiar web-browsing experience to the user. Our customers are excited about TrueTouch because its flexible architecture enables them to continuously create and deliver value-added features.” Cypress recently announced highly accurate passive stylus support for a tip as thin as 1 mm, allowing users additional levels of accuracy and control for text entry, keyboard, handwriting recognition and other productive functions for mobile applications. A video of Cypress’s stylus support is available at www.cypress.com/go/stylusvideo. Cypress’s TrueTouch family includes single-touch, multitouch gesture and multitouch all-point offerings. Cypress was the first company to introduce multitouch all-point functionality, which can track an unlimited number of touches. This capability enables designers to create new usage models for products such as mobile handsets, portable media players (PMPs), GPS systems and other products, and has been in mass production since 2008. TrueTouch is the industry’s most flexible touchscreen architecture, which allows designers to implement differentiated features and make last-minute design iterations without board changes. Cypress’s high performance TMA300 multitouch all-point family provides best-in-class scan times for true multifinger touch and superior signal-to-noise ratio for the most demanding touchscreen applications. Additional information about the TrueTouch solution is available at www.cypress.com/go/TrueTouch. The flexible TrueTouch solution allows customers to rapidly develop leading-edge solutions without having to buy turnkey modules. They have a choice of using touch sensors (glass or film) and LCDs from preferred partners, and can develop innovative mechanical designs ranging from flat to curved surfaces of varying thickness. In addition, TrueTouch devices offer Cypress’s legendary noise immunity with patented capacitive sensing technology that enables flawless operation in noisy RF and LCD environments. Availability
Cypress is currently working with lead customers on hover support for the TrueTouch touchscreen solution. A hover support module is expected to be broadly available in the second quarter of 2010.
Source: Cypress Thanks Kal9El Wow, looks like Cypress Technology has finally made possible what everybody has been dreaming of: Native support for thin styluses on a capacitive touchscreen. As you can see in the video, TrueTouch support stylus input from a stylus as thin as 1mm made of any conductive material. It would be interesting to see what Microsoft‘s decides to do in the future with Windows Phone 7 given that the new OS now natively supports Cypress TrueTouch panels. Hopefully OEMs will choose this technology on their phones so developers will start building apps/games that support stylus input. This can also be a blessing for Enterprise users who require stylus-input in their applications. Cypress Introduces High-Precision Stylus Support Accurate to 1 mm for Capacitive Touchscreen Mobile Handset Market
SAN JOSE, Calif., February 15, 2010 – Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: CY) today announced highly accurate passive stylus support for capacitive touchscreen technology. With a 1-mm accurate tip, Cypress’s TrueTouch™ touchscreen solution is poised to transform the stylus market for the next generation of capacitive touchscreen phones, allowing users additional levels of accuracy and control for text entry, keyboard, handwriting recognition and other productive functions for mobile applications. For example, stylus accuracy enables users to enter complex Asian characters and to point to ever-smaller icons used in today’s mobile phone user interfaces. A video of Cypress’s stylus support is available at www.cypress.com/go/stylusvideo. The video includes footage of a TrueTouch touchscreen accurately tracking a signature written with just a standard No. 2 pencil. Cypress is demonstrating the new stylus capability for touchscreens, as well as peripheral and mass storage controllers and precision motion sensing technology for handsets, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from February 15-18 in Hall 1, Booth 1F53. Stylus support has been traditionally limited to resistive touchscreens, which require the user to apply pressure on a multilayer screen. This type of screen is vulnerable to scratches and exhibits poor visibility in sunlight. As a result, many mobile device manufacturers have moved to capacitive touchscreen technology. One limitation to further adoption of capacitive touchscreens however has been the lack of stylus support or, at best, having to use a large 3- to 4-mm stylus designed for large icon selection. Cypress’s highly accurate passive stylus solution makes it even more compelling for end customers to adopt capacitive touchscreens. “The unprecedented level of accuracy of our stylus support will enable us to transform a broad range of markets,” said Dhwani Vyas, vice president of the User Interface Business Unit at Cypress. “Watching the video, you can clearly see the system level performance our TrueTouch technology delivers. TrueTouch combines the best of both worlds: 1 mm stylus support accurate enough to draw detailed characters, such as in traditional Chinese, along with the multitouch capability, transparency, scratch-resistance and all-around durability of capacitive touchscreens. I’m proud of the technical achievement of our team, and think many potential customers will be excited about this new capability.” Cypress’s TrueTouch family includes single-touch, multitouch gesture and multitouch all-point offerings. Cypress was the first company to introduce multitouch all-point functionality, which can track an unlimited number of touches. This capability enables designers to create new usage models for products such as mobile handsets, portable media players (PMPs), GPS systems and other products, and has been in mass production since 2008. TrueTouch is the industry’s most flexible touchscreen architecture, which allows designers to implement differentiated features and make last-minute design iterations without board changes. Cypress recently announced its next-generation high performance TMA300 multitouch all-point family. This controller provides best-in-class scan times for true multifinger touch and superior signal-to-noise ratio for the most demanding touchscreen applications. Additional information about the TrueTouch solution is available at www.cypress.com/go/TrueTouch. The flexible TrueTouch solution allows customers to rapidly develop leading-edge solutions without having to buy turnkey modules. They have a choice of using touch sensors (glass or film) and LCDs from preferred partners, and can develop innovative mechanical designs ranging from flat to curved surfaces of varying thickness. In addition, TrueTouch devices offer Cypress’s legendary noise immunity with patented capacitive sensing technology that enables flawless operation in noisy RF and LCD environments. Availability
Cypress is currently working with lead customers on stylus support for the TrueTouch touchscreen solution. A stylus support module is expected to be broadly available in the second quarter of 2010.
Source: Cypress Thanks for the tip Kal9El 
Cypress Technology yesterday announced that their TrueTouch capacitive touch panel is now natively supported in Windows Phone 7:
Cypress Announces That Windows® Phone 7 Series Includes Native Support for TrueTouch™ Touchscreen Solution
SAN JOSE, Calif., April 22, 2010 – Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (Nasdaq: CY) today announced that the TrueTouch™ touchscreen solution is natively supported in the soon to be released Windows® Phone 7 Series mobile handset platform. This support allows handset manufacturers using the Windows Phone 7 Series to implement exciting capacitive touchscreen interfaces without the need for developing external drivers or custom software development. Announced in February, Windows Phone 7 Series offers a fresh approach to phone software, distinguished by smart design and truly integrated user experiences. It takes a fundamentally different approach to phone design, with dynamically updated “live tiles” that show users real-time content directly. It also includes “hubs” that bring together related content from the web, applications and services into a single view to simplify common tasks such as reading, editing and sharing documents all in one place. “Cypress is proud to see the TrueTouch solution selected for native support within this exciting new platform,” said Dhwani Vyas, vice president of the User Interface Business Unit at Cypress. “Of the many touchscreen products available, none offers the advanced features and flexibility of TrueTouch. The interface within Windows Phone 7 Series enables manufacturers to take advantage of these attributes quickly and seamlessly. This software support, coupled with our broad family of devices, is going to significantly reduce time-to-market for the next generation of capacitive-touch-enabled Windows Phone 7 Series phones.” Cypress recently announced its next-generation high performance TMA300 multi-touch all-point family. This controller provides best-in-class scan times for true multi-finger touch and superior signal-to-noise ratio for the most demanding touchscreen applications. Cypress has also recently demonstrated advanced functions such as 1 mm stylus and large touchscreen support. Additional information about the TrueTouch solution is available at www.cypress.com/go/TrueTouch. The flexible TrueTouch solution allows customers to rapidly develop leading-edge solutions without having to buy turnkey modules. They have a choice of using touch sensors (glass or film) and LCDs from preferred partners, and can develop innovative mechanical designs ranging from flat to curved surfaces of varying thickness. In addition, TrueTouch devices offer Cypress’s legendary noise immunity with patented capacitive sensing technology that enables flawless operation in noisy RF and LCD environments.
Source: Cypress 
Another day goes by and another Windows Phone 7 application pops-up. This one is called Pillbox ans is an open-source (yes!) application that helps users track the médications and interface directly with Microsoft’s HealthVault. The application only took two weeks to be developed.
With Pillbox, you can check off when medications are taken, and easily get more details on those prescriptions. You’ve got easy easy access to contact information for the doctors and caregivers in your social circle. You can even leave notes about a patient for doctors and other caregivers. All of this data would be stored and shared across multiple devices using Microsoft HealthVault. As a general rule for good user experience, we tried to avoid lengthy data entry on the phone. Prescriptions, schedules, and contacts in Pillbox would all be set up in HealthVault on a desktop computer.
Head over here for a video demo and grab the source code right now. See, this what Microsoft is aiming for with Windows Phone 7′s launch this fall; a boatload of applications. Via: Twitter 
HTC has just released an OTA firmware update fixing a rather important bug affecting the recently released HTC Legend. The bug in question prevented third-party application to have access to the camera functionality of the handset. The results was that several applications on the Android market were unavailable to the HTC Legend users (QIK, Google Goggles etc..).
Update – HTC Legend Firmware Over The Air (FOTA) update
In our commitment to providing you with the best user experience, we are pushing out a new firmware update to your phone to enable apps that use the camera. Your phone will receive a notification of this update when it is made available. Simply press OK to accept the update via a data connection such as Wi-Fi or GPRS/3G. After installing the update, you can confirm a successful update by confirming the Software Number (From the Home Screen go to MENU> Settings> About Phone> Software information> Software number). The new software number after the update will be 1.31.405.4 for an HTC phone. Note? We recommend using a free Wi-Fi hotspot or an unlimited data plan to apply this update. If not, standard data connection charges may apply.
Android has finally been ported to the iPhone and so far it looks like it works without much of a problem according to the video posted below (the iPhone’s hardware buttons had to be remapped to make the OS usable). Currently it Openibot only works on the first gen iPhone and can be downloaded directly from here . For more information and instructions just head of here.
Continue reading Android on the iPhone → 
Google has just updated Google Maps for mobile to version 4. on to bring Voice activated Search on Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 handsets. Unfortunately this implementation is currently a buggy mess on some HTC handsets. To activate the voice search the user has to press on the call button of the phone and this is where things crap out. The call button is by default assigned to the call function of the phone so instead of voice search half of the time you’ll get to see the Dialer poping-up (or the app will crash). Nice job Google. You can download this version by going to http://m.google.maps with you phone. Source: Google | |
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