Been holding out getting a new smartphone while waiting for a Windows Phone 7 handset to come out?  Well, your wait just got shorter.  Microsoft has rolled out the release to manufacturing (RTM) version of their latest mobile effort, bringing the new OS all that much closer to hitting store shelves.

While it will still take a bit of time to integrate with their partners' hardware, software and mobile networks, there's still a solid four months before the end of the year.  That means, there's a good likelihood that a Windows Phone 7 device will come to market right in time for the year-end holidays.

According to Microsoft, the OS has been their "most thoroughly tested mobile platform" to date. Based on early impressions, it easily sounds like it could be the ace up their sleeve too, sending them right back into contention in the now-crowded smartphone space.

From what we remember, the new platform allows little space for firmware customization.  If that still holds true, then there shouldn't be much tweaks necessary (at least, for the OS itself) on the manufacturer's end, hopefully speeding up the integration process.

We know we're not alone in looking forward to Windows Phone 7 hitting the scene, so this is definitely big news.  Check out the announcement from the WP7 team at the link below.

[Windows Team Blog]



We're not sure how rugged a slim and sleek smartphone can be, but Motorola claims their latest device "has been designed to handle everything that life throws your way."  Called the Motorola Defy, it's a semi-rugged Android phone with a specs list you typically don't see in handsets marketed for their durability.

While the pleasant 59 x 107 x 13.4 mm frame isn't  rugged enough to survive hard drops onto concrete, it claims dust-proof and water-resistant qualities.  The screen is scratch-proof, as well, so typical clumsy handling (read: your regular use) should leave it unscathed.

Details of the Defy include a 3.7-inch touchscreen (480 x 800 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module with LED flash, aGPS, 3G (7.2Mbps HSDPA), WiFi, stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio jack, DLNA support, microSD card expansion (up to 32GB) and a 1540 mAh battery (rated at over 6.5 hours of talk time).  It comes with Motorola's CrystalTalk Plus, which uses dual microphones to better drown out background noise.  There's no word on the CPU, but it gets 512MB of RAM and a hefty 2GB of ROM.

It's running Android 2.1 (so, no full Flash for you),  but it will feature Motoblur 1.5 on top.  You'll get all the usual Android fare, including robust messaging, Google's suite of services and support for third-party apps.  Honestly, this sounds pretty good, especially when you factor in the water resistance.

The Motorola Defy will debut in Europe sometime in the fourth quarter.  No word on carrier, specific markets or pricing has been given.

[Motorola via Gizmodo]

Sony Ericsson announced its first TD-SCDMA smartphone, specifically directed at the Chinese market.  Called the Sony Ericsson A8i, the handset will be running China Mobile's Open Mobile System 2.0, a proprietary platform based on Android.

A quick look at the handset reveals a design aesthetic that's similar to what the company has done with both the Xperia X10 and X8.  It sports 117 x 59 x 14 mm dimensions and weighs 136 grams.

Details of the Sony Ericsson A8i include a 3.5-inch touchscreen display (854 x 480 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera, aGPS, 3G, WiFi, stereo Bluetooth, a 3.5mm jack, microSD card expansion (up to 32GB).  Battery is rated at 5 hours of talk time, with 260 hours of standby.

We haven't played with OMS 2.0 first hand, so we're not sure what it's all about.  From the sound of it, though, it inherits most of Android's messaging and overall smartphone capabilities, sans the bundled Google suite of apps.  Since it's a Sony Ericsson device, it comes with their usual set of multimedia software, paired with China Mobile's custom offerings.  There's also CNMB mobile TV on board.

The Sony Ericsson A8i is strictly for release in China.  It will be available in two colors (black and white) sometime in the fourth quarter.

[Sony Ericsson]

If there's anything we learned from the App Store, it's that there are innumerable ways to enjoy a zombie infestation.  Joining the iPhone's endless stream of undead treatments is Zombie Highway, a violently-amusing driving game with zombies galore.

You spend the game driving around post-apocalypse America in a car.  Instead of racing other drivers or avoiding obstacles, though, your goal is to just step on the gas, while zombies pop up from all over trying to stop you.

In Zombie Highway, you get seven varieties of the undead - from the skinny, underpowered ones to health-generating hulking types.  Evading them is easier said than done, as the mutants will literally work their asses off, trying to tip your car over.  They'll cling on to your vehicle, pilling in numbers, until you either manage to get them off or your car eventually topples to the side.

You can get rid of zombies by sideswiping them onto the many wrecked cars that litter the highway.  It takes more than one hit, though, as each zombie has its own health bar.  Fortunately, you've got an arms dealer friend riding with you, so you can use his stash of weapons to further damage your assailants.  New weapons are gradually unlocked the more you play.

Three things really stand out in the game: brilliant driving physics, aggressive zombie enemies and very crisp 3D graphics.  On the downside, sound effects are nearly non-existent - you'll likely just have as much enjoyment if you mute the damn game.

Overall, Zombie Highway makes for an addicting experience.  There's not much beyond the simple premise, but the execution is really engaging.  You can get it from the App Store for 99 cents.

[Render Paz Studios]

As the year goes forward, the line between tablets and smartphones is only bound to get even more muddled, with size likely playing the biggest difference between the two categories.  Take this just-announced ViewSonic ViewPad 7, a 7-inch Android tablet, fitted with complete phone functionalities.

While ViewSonic is mainly associated with LCD and plasma displays, the company has long been rumored to be at work on their own smartphone.  We guess the tablet is a logical  first foray into mobile electronics, as it's a considerably less mature market than the now-crowded smartphone space.

Details of the ViewPad 7 include a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen (800 x 480 resolution), a rear-facing 3.0 megapixel camera module, a front-facing VGA webcam, onboard gyro-sensor, WiFi, 3G (both for phone and data) and microSD card expansion (up to 32GB).  Hopefully, there's a way you can put this up to your face when making calls just like a real phone - that would be entertaining.

No word has been given about the tablet's innards (e.g. processor, RAM), so we'll have to see what kind of hardware it's packing under the case.   It's running Android 2.2 Froyo, along with the usual Google suite and a few pre-installed apps (such as an ebook reader).  Full phone features include standard voice calling, SMS, MMS and VOIP.

The ViewSonic ViewPad 7 will be part of the company's exhibit at the IFA 2010 in Berlin, which is slated to begin this coming September 3rd.  Review units will be available starting October, with UK pricing expected to be no more than £350 (around $540), including VAT.

[via Engadget]

Samsung has announced the newest member of the Wave family.  Running on the same Bada platform it introduced not long ago, the Samsung Wave 723 (model S720E) offers the same smartphone-like qualities as the earlier models, all while squarely positioning itself at the lower ranges of affordability.

Just like the Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro, both of which aimed to get the platform into mid-range users' hands,  the new handset seeks to further expand the home-brewed OS' customer base.  While scaling back on some features, it retains the same extensibility of Bada (via their own SDK), paired with TouchWiz 3.0 UI on top.

Details of the Samsung Wave 723 include a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen (240 x 400 pixels), a 5.0 megapixel camera module with LED flash, dual-band 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, a 3.5mm audio jack and microSD card expansion.  Phone dimensions are 109.5 x 53.9 x 11.8 mm.  Notable design cues include a metallic back panel and a flip leather cover.

While selling well both in Europe and Asia, Samsung says there are no plans to release Bada handsets in the US, primarily due to carriers' reluctance to take on another player to join the ever-growing list of smartphone platforms.    The Samsung Wave 723 is slated to come out in Germany beginning September, with other markets in  Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa following shortly after that.  Price is expected at 240 Euros (around $300) before taxes and subsidies.

[via Akihabara News]

Personally, I can't believe it took us this many years to come up with a phone model named "Epic."  I mean, that's like most epic name available for the taking, right?  With that said, the Samsung Epic 4G backs up the larger-than-life billing with  a feature set bound to endear itself to most power users.

Physically, the smartphone looks sleek, with rounded edges, curved corners and a glossy finish.  It's easily the biggest of the Galaxy S line (so far, at least) and will probably be tough to fit in most jeans pockets.  Like most hefty phones, though, it feels particularly sturdy, apart from having a great feel in hand.

Display is a 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen, with 480 x 800 resolution.  Sharpness, colors and graphics look downright fantastic, made even better by the wide viewing angle.   Before we forget, there's a horizontal slide-out keyboard too.  Thanks to the phone's size, it's got five full spacious rows of keys, making for extra-convenient typing.

As a phone, the Epic 4G makes for good calls.  While it's not epic, audio came through loud and clear, with just a tad of distortion creeping in every now and then.  Callers actually reported even better quality  than we experienced.  Speakerphone was a bit hollow, but had plenty of volume to go and was very usable in crowded environments.  Battery is rated at 7.5 hours of talk time.  With a phone this multimedia-heavy, though, expect nightly recharges.

Unfortunately, we never got a chance to test out the 4G function.  Feedback from other users have been generally positive, though.  Performance over 3G is great, with minimal YouTube buffering, even with HQ videos.  Streamed videos still didn't look perfect (there was some noticeable degradation), but local 720p videos played beautifully.  As you probably guessed, multimedia is a serious strength for the phone, with support for HD content, DivX and Xvid, and DLNA devices.  Music playback is similarly outstanding, with onboard 5.1-channel surround support.  Internal storage is a paltry 1GB, though, so better load up on those SD cards.

The Epic has all the usual Android smartphone features, including numerous voice capabilities, robust messaging (SMS, MMS, IM, email and Exchange) and the usual suite of Google apps.  There's also WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and Samsung's TouchWiz 3.0 UI.

Camera is 5.0 megapixels and takes exceptional pictures, along with pretty good 720p video.  Even indoor shots, with help from the LED flash, were serviceable.  It also has a front-facing VGA camera and ships with the Qik video chat app.

Overall, the Samsung Epic 4G is heavy on the features and stands as one of the best multimedia smartphones with Android at the helm.  Price is steep, though, at $249.99, although you can get it from Amazon for $50 less.

You can say all you want about those Chinese knockoff phones, but they all have one very useful feature the iPhone doesn't: they work with dual SIM cards.  A new accessory, unimaginatively named Dual SIM Card for iPhone 4G with Back Cover, now lets you do the same thing with your genuine Apple-branded handset.

Available at USB Fever, the accessory uses a special adapter that goes right into your SIM tray.  This is connected to a two-SIM dock that's designed to sit flat on the back of your phone.   You'll need to use the included transparent back cover or a different case to hold the dual SIM assembly in place.

The contraption requires no jailbreaking, but is only guaranteed to work for iPhone 4 handsets with firmware versions 4.0.0, 4.0.1 or 4.0.2.  No extra software is needed, with both SIMs easily accessible from the SIM Applications menu.  You can also have it switch automatically between SIMs whenever the active one suddenly gets a very low signal.

It is, by no means, a sophisticated solution.  For one, it doesn't support dual-standby, so you can only have one SIM active at a time.  Plus, according to the sales page, it will take between one to two minutes to switch from one number to another.  For iPhone 4 owners traveling in other countries, though, this makes picking up and using a local prepaid SIM a considerably easier process.

USB Fever has the Dual SIM Card for iPhone 4G with Back Cover for $28.99 each, plus $2.99 shipping.  If you're a frequent traveler, it might be worth trying.

[USB Fever via Gear Diary ]

Seldom do we get hockey games on mobile platforms, so the release of 2K Sports' NHL 2K11 is a much welcome addition to the App Store.  With serviceable graphics, fun gameplay and in-depth realism, it's easily one of the most entertaining sports games on the iPhone.

Let's start with the shortcomings.  Most noticeable here are the unpolished graphics (nothing horrible but the resolution is blocky at best), lacking commentary and a sometimes questionable AI.  None of the above are really deal-breakers, since the game is so good even with those deficiencies.

Controls consist of an analog stick for player movement and three onscreen buttons for a variety of in-game actions .  Strength of passes and shots are determined by how long you hold down the corresponding buttons.  Actions of the buttons will sometimes depend on your position relative to other players, so the body check button can deliver either a simple poke or a hard body check.  All the controls work well, adding plenty of depth and strategy to the way you play the game.

Possibly the best thing in NHL 2K11 is the amount of options, which rival what you can find in an actual home console title.  You can change a load of things, such as difficulty, camera angles, in-game rules and a whole lot more.  Considering this is the franchise's first iPhone game, it's mighty impressive.

You can play quick games or a season mode.  For the latter, it works like a real console game, complete with the ability to load entirely new rosters, make trades, enforce salary caps and fiddle with other off-court factors.

If you've ever hankered for a hockey game on the iPhone, 2K Sports NHL 2K11 is easily the best one available.  It's a veritable bargain too, priced at only $1.99.

[2KSports]

Russian blog Mobile Review has another Nokia scoop.  This time, it's a full preview of the unannounced Nokia C7 and they have what looks like a fully-functional prototype to play with.

According to the tech blog, the upcoming smartphone isn't that far off from the Nokia N8 (which, incidentally, they also leaked).  Aside from running the same Symbian^3 OS, it also shares much of the specs, with some of the meatier hardware features simply downgraded or removed.

Details of the C7 include a 3.5-inch AMOLED screen (640 x 360 resolution), an 8.0 megapixel camera module with LED flash (compared to the 12 megapixel with Xenon flash of the N8), Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi, 8GB of onboard storage (half of the N8's), microSD card expansion, a 680MHz processor, 256MB of RAM and a 1,200 mAh battery.  An HDMI output is notably absent.

Plenty of pictures of the handset are posted over at Mobile Review.  From what we can tell, it looks to have a sleek, compact slate form factor, with that easily-discernible Nokia aesthetic.

Rumored for release between October to November, the Nokia C7 is expected to be priced at around €350 before taxes and subsidies, which is around €100 less than the N8.  They also mentioned a slide-out keyboard version called the C7-01, reportedly slated for 2011.

[Mobile Review via Unwired View]