While we’ve seen and heard about the Nokia N97 mini several times before, Nokia has refraned from officially taking the wraps off the device. Today, however, at Nokia World in Stuttgart, Nokia’s Anssi Vanjok has finally made the phone official.

The phone itself features a 3.2-inch touch screen, a QWERTY keyboard, social networking integration and built-in Lonely Planet guidebooks, among other things.

Price wise we’re looking at €450 (about $640) but Mr. Vanjok is positive it will be free with a contract in several different markets with it’s made available next month.

via engadget

Tags: announcement, Cell Phones, Mobile News, Mobile Software, n97 mini, Nokia, Nokia World, official, social networking

Earlier this week we showed you what was supposedly a leaked Zune HD Best Buy display stand that said the device would be hitting store shelves on September 18th of this year. That was only added to the fact that Amazon.com had Zune HD up for pre-order the same day giving us a hint at the device’s price.

Well today, Microsoft soft has come clean and let us know that the Zune HD will in fact be hitting retailers on September 18th in 16GB and 32GB models for $219.99 and $289.99 respectively.

What’s more is, not only has Amazon re-listed the device for pre-order but Microsoft, Best Buy and Walmart have done the same.

Read (Zune.net)

Tags: 16GB, 32GB, confirmation, microsoft, Mobile News, MP3 Players, official, pre-order, release date, Zune HD

Earlier this month we let you know that an official Google Voice app was released for the BlackBerry along with Android powered handsets, but what about the iPhone?

Well, it seems that there was a Google Voice app submitted for approval up to 6 weeks ago where it was then rejected. But wait, what? Below is a quote from a Google spokeperson to TechCrunch:

“We work hard to bring Google applications to a number of mobile platforms, including the iPhone. Apple did not approve the Google Voice application we submitted six weeks ago to the Apple App Store. We will continue to work to bring our services to iPhone users - for example, by taking advantage of advances in mobile browsers.”

We’ve seen apps rejected by Apple in the past, but an official Google one? What is the world coming to?

via Gizmodo

Tags: app, App Store, Apple, Apple, Cell Phones, Google, Google Voice, iPhone, Mobile News, Mobile Software, official, rejected

It’s official folks, the Pre has just been launched by Sprint and, as we were all expecting, the hot Palm phone is going to arrive on Saturday, June 6. It will be available in Sprint stores for $199.99 after $100 mail-in rebate, with a two-year contract. The phone will also be available in Best Buy, Radio Shack and Walmart locations so you should have no problems getting one. Well that’s not true, is it? Probably we’ll see lots of lines and we can only hope Palm is ready to supply enough handsets.

Sprint is ready to offer a device that comes with “operating system that redefines the experience of living and working wirelessly.” I bet the competition will be monitoring closely the Pre’s performance.

Dan Hesse, president and CEO of Sprint said:

The argument that you need one phone for work and another phone for play, or that you have to make compromises between business and lifestyle productivity, is over. With Pre, compromises of the past are history.

The Pre will apparently run on the “most dependable 3G network” in America and it will save customers up to $1,430 over two years in comparison with AT&T’s and Verizon’s similar plans. A Sprint Everything Data plan will be required and we’ll wait for you to tell us more about that 3G network and eventual savings.

webOS is the hot new platform we were waiting to see. webOS will come with Palm Synergy, a new feature which will offer you everything in a centralized view: personal and professional calendar, contacts, e-mail and more. Palm Synergy will feature linked contacts, layered calendars and combined messaging. webOS will let you open as many applications as you want. Multi-tasking is now available and you’ll have no problem switching between your favorite apps.

Ed Colligan, Palm’s president and CEO said:

Pre is truly a new phone for a new web-centric age. We’re a mobile society, and we want our people, calendars and information to move with us. With Pre’s exquisite design and the unique webOS software, running on Sprint’s fast broadband network, we’re changing the perception of what a wireless phone can be.

Unfortunately the Touchstone will not come in the box. You’ll get a regular charger but I am sure that everyone will want to test out that inductive charging technology offered by the Touchstone. The Touchstone charging dock and Touchstone back cover for Pre will also be available on June 6 for $69.99

Sprint will offer some of its own applications on the Pre too. You will be able to run Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV or NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile Live on this phone.

Last, but not least, Sprint will offer access to Palm Pre users to its Now Network. According to Dan Hesse:

Sprint’s Now Network brings you America’s most dependable 3G network, the largest push-to-talk community, and in selected markets Sprint is the only national carrier bringing 4G to life in 2009. The Now Network is more than just a physical network – it’s also data plans that are all-inclusive, eliminating fear of data overages and a perfect fit for Palm Pre users.

So what do you guys think? Anxious anyone? Apple, the ball is in your court now!

via Press

Tags: Everything Data, official, Palm, Palm, pre, Sprint, Sprint, Touchstone

Standing by their belief that touch is the way of the future, HTC has announced three new cell phones catering to every segment of the touch-frenzied consumers of today. Of the three, the HTC Touch Viva, which we have already talked about, turns out to be the perfect product for any budget-minded consumer, with a few sacrifices in its specifications compared to the other splendid devices that HTC has announced lately. The Touch Viva’s design is reminiscent of the original HTC Touch, a proven winner, but with a few improvements at the expense of losing some. This smartphone is powered by a TI OMAP 850 processor running at just 201MHz helped along by 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM, although the touchscreen TFT display still manages to be generous at 2.8 inches with a 240×320-pixel resolution. All the usual connectivity options seem to be included with Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi in 802.11b/g flavor, and network support is limited to quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz frequencies. The Touch Viva also gets a bump up to Windows Mobile 6.1 compared to the original Touch and gains TouchFLO 3D instead of just good old TouchFLO. A 2-megapixel camera is also added as an afterthought along with microSD support.

The HTC Touch Viva will be available starting next month.
(more…)

Tags: Cell Phones, HTC, official, Opal, Touch, Viva