Nokia N97 release date

I've been watching this one closely. From the moment Nokia announced the Nokia N97 I've been eager to get my hands on one. The spec got me salivating. Check this out:

5.0 Megapixel Digital Camera with Carl Zeis lens and duel LED flash.

32GB Onboard Memory!!!

Wi-Fi Connectivity.

Assisted GPS.

HSDPA.

PUSH Email

TV-output, Video Player, and Video Recorder.

Full-Size slide out QWERTY Keyboard.

32GB onboard memory, that's amazing, even twice the size of the largest iPhone available. Apparently it will also be capable of accepting a 32GB MicroSD card too. Though initially only 16GB cards will be available.

One small gripe I have, is that Nokia have opted to use a resistive screen rather than a capacitive screen. For such a high end phone, it seems a silly decision, as it's sure to seem sluggish when compared with the iPhone.

It appears the N97 isn't going to hit our shores though until June. Carphonewarehouse and other sources are giving the date of June 23rd as the expected release date, but who know's what could happen between now and then?

I'm really keen to learn from anybody who's got a pre-production Nokia N97.

LG Viewty 8MP phone gets official announcement

LG have announced the new LG-KC910, an update to the successful LG Viewty that features an 8 megapixel camera. It's not the first 8 megapixel camera to be announced, but the new LG comes with some stunning specs that in many ways blows the competition out of the water.
More details of the LG-KC910 after the jump.

LG-KC910 overview
As you can see, the LG-KC910 (or LG Viewty II, as somepeople are calling it) is a touchscreen candybar phone featuring a user interface not dissimilar to that of the latest smartphones. Having a big analogue clock in the middle of a touchscreen seems de rigeur, these days, and the LG-KC910 is no different. Keeping up with the Samsungs, you could say!
More impressive, though, is the list of features. Just check this lot out:

• 8 megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach certified optics
  
• Auto-focus and manual focus
  
• Xenon Flash
  
• Adjustable ISO sensitivity up to 1600
  
• Image Stabilization
  
• Face tracking
  
• Smile detection
  
• Blink detection (yes, seriously!)
  
• aGPS
  
• Dolby Mobile
  
• DivX and Xvid movie playback
  
• 3" WQVGA touschcreen
  
• Wi-Fi
  
• 7.2Mbps HSDPA
  
• Video recording up to 120fps for slow-mo playback

Phew! That's one seriously long list of features. In fact, other than the ability to play the trumpet, I don't think there's anything they've actually missed out.
The LG-KC910 is, quite clearly, LG's new flagship handset, and looks set to take on the Samsung Omnia and Nokia N96 head to head. Whether it'll succeed or not will be dependent largely on how well these features are implemented, as LG are renowned for making phones with a superb feature-set, but with a poor user interface, making the features almost impossible to use.
We'll only know once we get our grubby hands on one, but fortunately we won't have to wait too long - the LG-KC910 Viewty II release date is set for October 2008, so just over a month until we find out. Source...

HTC S740 Smartphone Hands-on pics

newmobile.com has got the chance to try out the new HTC S740, a slim version of Touch Diamond with a QWERTY sliding keyboard. Different from what we saw in the press photos, the numeric keypad, shortcut keys design will not kept your thumbprint, although the phone LCD and back cover will still love your thumbprint on it. The HTC S740 will be available across Europe from September 2008. Check out the live photos here.

Key HTC S740 Product Specifications

• Size: 116.3 x 43.4 x 16.3 mm
• Weight: 140g with battery
• Networks: WCDMA/HSDPA: 900/2100 MHz for EU and Asia
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• Camera: 3.2MP, with the second VGA camera for video calling
• Operating system: Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
• Display: 2.4-inch QVGA screen
• Camera: 3.2 megapixel with fixed focus
• Internal memory: 256 MB flash; 256 MB RAM
• Memory card: microSD
• WLAN: 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth: 2.0 with EDR
• GPS: GPS/AGPS
• Interface: HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
• Battery: 1000 mAh
• Talk time: WCDMA: Up to 320 minutes / GSM: Up to 380 minutes
• Standby time: WCDMA: Up to 400 hours / GSM: Up to 280 hours
• Special features: Sliding QWERTY keyboard, FM radio, Google Maps, RSS Hub
• Chipset: Qualcomm MSM7225, 528 MHz

New Samsung a837 for hard hands

If you’re prone to damaging your phone due to silly mistakes, you probably will want to check out Samsung’s a837, which is able to take more of a beating than most phones. The a837 look set to compete with Verizon’s Casio G’zOne. This phone should be available for around $99 to $150 on September 15th, though it’s rumored that pre-orders can be made on September 1st. Specs of the phone include:

• Push-to-talk functionality
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dual-band UMTS/HSDPA (850MHz/1900MHz)
• Video Share
• AT&T Navigator
• Assisted GPS navigation
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• Conference calling with up to half a dozen participants Source...

AT&T brings the latest Nokia 6650

While Nokia’s 6650 hasn’t been officially announced for AT&T yet, users have spotted pictures of the phone plastered with the AT&T logo on Nokia’s site, though it seems that the page is no longer valid. That being the case, it’s probably a rather good indication that AT&T subscribers will be able to get their hands on Nokia's 6650 flip phone in either silver or red. Specs of the phone include:

• Symbian S60 3rd edition with Feature Pack 2
• 2.2-inch QVGA display
• 2 megapixel camera
• microSD card expansion
• aGPS
  

Source...

New Samsung BlackJack III Details

There have been whispers of the Samsung BlackJack III for some time now, and while there isn’t an official confirmation yet, the folks at Boy Genius Report are saying that this phone should be out on AT&T in October. Some of the phones features include:

* Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
* 3 megapixel camera
* 528MHz processor
* aGPS
* WiFi
* HSDPA

Source...