GSM-capable HTC EVO 3D goes official with specs and all

The global version of the next HTC's flagship - the EVO 3D - is now official along with its full specs. The 3D fever seems to be taken over HTC too and the EVO 3D packs a huge 3D S-LCD screen and it's capable of shooting both 3D stills and videos.

We were waiting for this since we met the CDMA EVO 3D headed for Sprint.

The global GSM version of HTC EVO 3D makes no compromises specs-wise - a 4.3-inch 3D S-LCD screen with qHD (540x960 pixels) resolution, Snapdragon MSM8660 chipset with a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, Andreno 220 graphics and 1GB RAM.


HTC EVO 3D

The camera department has also jumped on the 3D train featuring two rear 5 megapixel snappers capable of taking 2 megapixel 3D pictures and 720p 3D videos. As for the standard photos and videos - you get 5 megapixel stills and 1080p videos. There is also a dual-LED flash and a 1.3 megapixel video-call camera.

The connectivity is as premium as it gets - high HSPA speeds, Wireless N with DLNA support, GPS with A-GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, FM radio, HDMI port and 3.5mm audio jack. The GSM EVO 3D supports microSD cards up to 32GB and the only difference to the CDMA Sprint version is that its internal storage has shrunk from 4GB down to 1GB.


HTC EVO 3D

HTC EVO 3G runs on the latest Android v2.3 Gingerbread masked with the HTC Sense UI.

The Sprint's EVO 3D is scheduled for a summer launch, so we guess its GSM sibling will hit the shelves about the same time. There is no info on the price or 3G bands yet.

Motorola introduces the lower end ZN200, W396 and W388

Motorola is throwing three new phones today in the low-to-mid-range skirmish. Coming in three different form factors, Motorola ZN200, W396 and W388 all have shortish spec sheets to most likely be matched by a modest price tag.

Motorola ZN200 comes with quad-band GSM support with GPRS and EDGE connectivity options. Stereo Bluetooth and USB are also on board. There is also a 2 megapixel fixed-focus camera and a 1.9" 262K-color display with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels.


Morotola ZN200

The built-in memory of Motorola ZN200 is 30MB, topped with the microSD card slot, which supports cards with capacity of up to 2GB. Finally, the Motorola ZN200 comes complete with an FM radio and the CrystalTalk technology.

Motorola W396 is a clamshell and has two dual-band GSM versions. A 1.8" 65K-color TFT display with a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels is fitted on the device. USB, FM radio and Motorola's proprietary CrystalTalk technology are some of its other features. Data transfers are entrusted to GPRS only, as there is no support for EDGE. A microSD card slot allows expanding the internal memory by up to 2GB.


Motorola W396

The best parts about Motorola W396 are its compact dimensions of 95 x 45 x 17 mm and its weight of 88-94g. Yeah, you got that right - Motorola are still of two minds about weight.

Finally, the bar-shaped Motorola W388 has been around the web for quite a while, so its official announcement isn't much of a novelty. The most affordable of the lot comes with FM radio with RDS, USB port and a microSD card slot. Much like the W396, it will feature a 1.8" 128 x 160 pixel 65k-color display and will have two dual-band GSM versions with only GPRS support.


Motorola W388

The handsets will become available until the end of Q3 at an yet unknown price.

Nokia Supernova lineup includes 7610, 7510 and 7310

Nokia is obviously prepping a new lady-centric lineup called Supernova. The new collection will include Nokia 7610, Nokia 7510 and surprisingly Nokia 7310 which was initially rumored as 7310 classic. We remind you that as we already reported although the Nokia 7310 is still not officially announced, it's been spotted at several online shops available for immediate purchase.

The Polish Nokia website incidentally revealed the three new Supernova Nokia handsets which were later on removed. The great surprise was the mentioning of the Nokia 7310 Supernova, which was rumored (and even sold online) as Nokia 7310 classic.

The Nokia 7310 Supernova is based on the Nokia S40 user interface and sports a 2 megapixel camera, a 2.2-inch 16M color QVGA display, a built-in FM radio, stereo Bluetooth and a 3.5mm audio jack. The tri-band Nokia 7310 Supernova weighs only 83g and is currently on sale for around 145 euro (220 US dollars).


Nokia 7310 Supernova

The Nokia 7610 Supernova is obviously the flagship of the lineup. While it's still based on the S40 user interface, this slider packs quad-band GSM/EDGE support, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, a 16M color QVGA display, FM radio with RDS and a microSD memory card slot.


Nokia 7610 Supernova


The most interesting thing about the Nokia 7610 Supernova is the rumored capability of recording VGA resolution videos at the whopping 30fps - it's a rather unprecedented feature in S40 handsets as well as in most feature phones in general. The 7610 Supernova will also have a TV-out port to enjoy those presumably high-quality videos on your TV.

The Nokia 7510 Supernova is a clamshell boasting a primary 16M color QVGA display and a monochrome external display with a resolution of 128x160 pixels. Based on the S40 platform, it has a 2 megapixel camera (no auto focus), FM radio with RDS and a microSD card slot. The Nokia 7510 Supernova is again a quad-band device and the rumored specs further speak of Xpress-on covers support which is unusual for a clamshell. The blunt specs sheet is topped with a rather hefty weight of 124g.


Nokia 7510 Supernova

There's no word on expected pricing or availability since all the three handsets have not been officially announced by Nokia yet. We'll keep you posted on how it goes.

HTC Diamond, SE G700 and G900, Nokia N78 and 7310 - Market Update

Since there are several interesting phones coming out soon we decided to do a Market Update article just to let you know what to expect in the near future. There are some major releases that would turn many geeks wondering whether they should skip vacation this year and instead buy a new high-end phone.

HTC Touch Diamond
First off, battling for your hard-earned cash is the HTC Touch Diamond. Powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro, the HTC Touch Diamond packs a 2.8-inch VGA display and is extremely thin at 11.5mm. It has a built-in accelerometer which allows screen auto rotation - another feature that should have been on-board a long time ago. A GPS receiver, Wi-Fi and a 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera add to the lengthy specs sheet.


HTC Touch Diamond in stores now

The HTC Touch Diamond runs on a Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 MHz processor and has 192MB DDR SDRAM. Additionally, it has the sweet 4GB of storage memory (no memory card slot though). FM radio with RDS and a proprietary HTC mini-USB port are also on board along with Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR.

The highlight of the new HTC Touch 3D user interface will be the web capabilities - smart desktop-like rendering and superb touch navigation through web pages and hyperlinks. Besides Wi-Fi the HTC Touch Diamond will also make use of dual-band UMTS support plus HSDPA 7.2 Mbps.

Currently, the HTC Touch Diamond can be found online for about 480 euro (740 US dollars) before taxes and subsides.

Sony Ericsson G700 and G900
Next in-line are two new Symbian UIQ smartphones of conservative looks - the Sony Ericsson G700 and Sony Ericsson G900. The two phones have identical dimensions and feature the same 2.4" 262K-color QVGA TFT touchscreen displays.


Sony Ericsson G700 in stores now

Sony Ericsson G700 and G900 will be tri-band handsets with 3G capabilities. They will also sport stereo Bluetooth and 160MB of internal memory. The memory is further expandable through the built-in Memory Stick Micro card slot.

Despite the Symbian UIQ, the user interface is very simplified, taking after the standart non-smartphone Sony Ericsson user interface. Sony Ericsson G700 has a very convenient one-touch full organiser function accessible from the home screen, as well as a touch-controlled Notes application, while the G900 home screen is equiped with one-touch media functions. You can find our review of the Sony Ericsson G700 here.


Sony Ericsson G900 in stores now

The Sony Ericsson G900 sports a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with image and video stabilizer, while the G700 has a 3.2 megapixel camera with no autofocus, yet the image and video stabilizer are on-board. An intriguing feature of G900 is the ability to manually select the focus point when you shoot just by tapping on the display. Another feature Sony Ericsson G900 has over the G700 is the Wi-Fi connectivity. You can find our Sony Ericsson G900 review over here.

Sony Ericsson G900 costs about 340 euro (530 dollars) in the online shops, while the Sony Ericsson G700 is worth as little as 265 euro (410 US dollars). Those are both slightly more than the initial estimates.

Nokia 7310 classic
Nokia 7310 classic is a fresh addition to Nokia portfolio. It's so fresh that even Nokia haven't announced it yet. Still, the Nokia 7310 classic turned up in several online stores this week.


Nokia 7310 classic in stores now

Nokia 7310 classic is a S40 powered phone and features a 2.2-inch 16M color QVGA display, a built-in FM radio and music player, stereo Bluetooth A2DP, microSd memory card slot, USB connectivity, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The tri-band Nokia 7310 classic also sports a 2 megapixel camera and weighs only 83g. It can currently be found online for about 145 euro (220 US dollars).

Nokia N78
Nokia N78 is a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE Symbian smartphone with dual-band HSDPA support. The novelties are geotagging and the integrated FM transmitter, allowing music to be played on any FM radio (just like the Sony Ericsson W980 we reviewed recently). It also has a multimedia menu with the same Navi wheel known form Nokia N81. Nokia N78 uses S60 3rd edition, FP2 and has a 2.4" QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) TFT display with 16M colors. It offers A-GPS support, Wi-Fi, 70MB on-board memory, expandable via microSD slot.


Nokia N78 in stores now

Nokia N78 has a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics. It also records video in VGA resolution at 15fps but is still capable of playing VGA video clips at 30 fps. The connectivity set includes the mentioned Wi-Fi b/g with UPnP, microUSB v2.0, 3.5mm stereo headphone plug and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP stereo audio.

Nokia N78 retails for about 350 euro (540 US dollars) before taxes and subsides. This is just as much as the previously announced estimated price.

Nokia N96
And the final Nokia story for today is the pre-order appearance of the Nokia N96. Expected as the next Nokia uber-phone, the Nokia N96 is eagerly waited by many fans.

Nokia N96 is a quad-band handset with dual-band HSDPA support for worldwide coverage. It runs on S60 3rd edition, FP2 and has a 2.8" QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) TFT display with 16M colors. Other features of this true powerhouse include GPS with A-GPS support and geo-tagging for photos, Wi-Fi, the stunning 16GB of onboard memory, plus a microSD slot. If that feature pack doesn't grab your attention, hardly anything will.


Nokia N96 available for pre-order

Nokia N96 has a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics and powerful dual LED flash. It also records video in VGA resolution at 30 fps.The connectivity set sports Wi-Fi b/g with UPnP support, microUSB v2.0, DVB-H class C, a 3.5mm stereo headphone plug and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP stereo audio.

The Nokia N96 was expected in August but is now available as a pre-order item online for a price tag of 760 euro (1180 US dollars). According to the online retailer it will be available as early as July 31st.

Latest news extracts about GPS and wireless technologies

Why GPS and GSM news brought together?

What do they have in common? The only common factor is that both use HF radio signals for their operation. But there is more. Already today GPS is getting incorporated in GSMs(Europe), cell phones(USA) and mobile phones(UK) and this development is accelerating in a great pace. In only a couple of years (almost) all GSMs will have a GPS receiver incorporated. And not the poor performing GPS receivers as we know them now from our handheld devices. No, the GSM/GPS combinations must be able to locate themselves under the most difficult circumstances i.e. indoors, in parking garages, in urban canyons, in large buildings etc.

The market for these GPS receivers is so huge, compared to the market for handheld GPS receivers (a factor 200 or so), that every manufacturer will put all on all to make this a success.

We already knew the Global Locate A-GPS chip-set with over 20,000 hardware correlators integrated. This means that the hardware does a lot of the computational work. Acquires satellites with signals below -158dBm at a 100 times lower power consumption. Time-to-first-fix as low as 250 msec.

And SiRF sells its third generation SiRFStarIII chipset with the equivalent of more than 200,000 correlators. Weak GPS signals (up to -159dBm) can be processed and with that indoor GPS exists already. The SiRFSoft GPS architecture is portable to the market leading platforms such as Intel XScale and OMAPI. This means that the system can be incorporated in GSMs, cell phones, Smartphones, PDAs and other wireless handheld devices.


End September 2006 u-blox AG announced the u-blox 5 family of GPS and Galileo-ready single chips and chipsets featuring an acquisition performance of under 1 second. The new chips also feature SuperSense -160 dBm acquisition and tracking sensitivity, power needs of less than 50 mW and a footprint smaller than 100 mm2, making u-blox 5 receivers ideal for PDAs, personal navigation devices, cameras, cell phones, media players and other battery-operated portable devices. u-blox 5's ultra-fast acquisition time is due to its 50-channel architecture with over 1 million correlators and separate acquisition and tracking engines, capable of massively parallel searches.


Hundreds of millions of people will permanently carry a high performance GPS receiver with them, wherever they go. GPS and GSM go together.