While there's no formal announcement from RIM, the company themselves just outed two new smartphone devices: the Blackberry 9380 and the Blackberry 9790.  A blog post today addressed towards the developer community, essentially, introduced the pair.

The blog post is actually about the company's new SDK, which include simulators that can help developers begin testing and optimizing of their apps for the two unannounced phones.  That means, beyond display details, there really isn't much information included, although you can get an idea based on how current phone releases have been going.

The Blackberry 9380 will be a compact touchscreen candybar running Blackberry OS 7.  Display is a petite 3.2 inches, with a 480 x 360 resolution.   The other handset, the Blackberry 9790, will be a QWERTY candybar with a tiny 2.4-inch display of a similar 480 x 360 resolution.   It also runs Blackberry OS 7.

From the sound of it, these will be entry-level devices -- RIM's best target these days after getting eaten up at the top-end of the smartphone battles.  That means, a lower-end processor (most likely 800MHz), the usual connectivity options and not much beyond the basics.  Expect these two to get formal releases in a short while, though, likely under their respective carriers.

[Blackberry Developer Blog]

While Songify is nowhere near being classified as a genuine music creation app, it does let you record your own somewhat original music.  Plus, it's fun and could make for hours of entertainment.

No musical talent?  Not a problem.  All you have to do is record yourself speaking and the app will take care of the rest, using some built-in algorithms that pitch-corrects and builds a melody around your voice recording.    Yep, your spoken word input goes out as a finished song.

To use Songify, you just tap the center circle and begin speaking into your iPhone.  Once you're done, select a music style and the app will take care of arranging your words into a backing track.  Results are mixed.  Some will be fairly listenable gems, while others are just plain bad.   While you aren't likely to come up with radio hits playing around with this thing, you're bound to have fun with what you turn up.

To give you an idea, the "songs" are, basically, your spoken track set to background music, with a few short clips cut off from the speech dropped in here or there.  You don't get any editing control, either, so you can't tweak anything if you come up with a brilliant idea for the ditty.   If you don't like a song, you can use the Re-Songify option which runs it through the algorithm once again.

Songify can be downloaded free, but only comes with three music styles included,  with other style packs available as in-app purchases.

[iTunes]

Despite having announced their first batch of Windows Phone handsets, Nokia has introduced another Symbian Belle device.  Called the Nokia 603, the smartphone packs quite a nice list of specs for a device aimed at entry-level users.

Details include a 3.5-inch ClearBlack capacitive touchscreen (640 x 360 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module (with 720p video recording), aGPS, 3G with HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC, 2GB of internal storage and microSD card expansion (up to 32G, with 2GB card included).   A 1GHz processor muscles the action, with the onboard battery juicing it  for up to 7 hours of talk time.

Symbian Belle runs at the Nokia 603's helm, along with a variety of preloaded apps, including Nokia Maps Navigation, a social networking client, webTV widgets and an NFC version of Angry Birds.    Clad in a slate form factor that measures 113.5 x 57.1 x 12.7 mm and weighs 109.6 g, it comes with replaceable  back covers that you can get in a selection of bright colors.

The Nokia 603 will be available in black and white (extra back covers are optional).   Release date is slated before the end of the year, priced at an affordable €200 ($275) before taxes and subsidies.

[Nokia]

Cricket Wireless has introduced another Android smartphone into their roster.  Called the Samsung Transfix (model SCH-R730), it's the carrier's third Android device from the Korean company.

Aimed at the entry-level crowd, the handset features a slider form factor that combines a small touchscreen display with a landscape four-row QWERTY keyboard.  Phone dimensions are compact at 4.5 x 2.3 x 0.57 inches, with a weight of only 4.43 ounces.

Details of the Samsung Transfix include a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display (480 x 320 resolution), a 3.2 megapixel camera module (no flash), 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and microSD card expansion (up to 32GB).  A modest 800MHz CPU provides the processing muscle, with a 1500 mAh battery delivering the juice (rated at just 200 minutes of talk time).

Android 2.3 Gingerbread is the OS of choice, likely with TouchWiz running on top.  As usual, you get the usual Google Mobile Services, along with Market access and some preloaded apps from the network.

Cricket calls the Samsung Transfix an "outstanding messaging device."  We're not sure if getting a physical keyboard qualifies anything for that billing anymore, but we'll take it.  Price is $179.99 without a binding contract.  It should be available now, both online and in Cricket-branded retail stores.

[Cricket]

The force is strong with AT&T.  Well, the Android force that is.  The company just announced five new smartphones running Google's mobile OS, bring up their total to 19 for the year.  The new handsets consist of: Motorola Atrix 2, Samsung Captivate Glide, AT&T Avail, Pantech Pocket and Samsung Double Time.

Motorola Atrix 2

While this one doesn't shake boots the way the original Atrix did when it launched, it is still a pretty impressive number.  Details include a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen (960 x 540 resolution), an 8.0 megapixel camera module (with LED flash and 1080p HD recording), a front-facing camera, HSPA+, WiFi and 1GB of RAM.  It will remain compatible with the Lapdock 100.  Availability is slated for October 16, priced at $99.99.

Samsung Captivate Glide

Another sequel, this QWERTY-packing successor to the Samsung Captivate brings a few nice things to the table.  Details include a 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, an 8.0 megapixel camera module (with 1080p video recording), a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, a Tegra 2 dual-core processor, a sliding QWERTY keyboard and HSPA+ connectivity.

Samsung Double Time

Taking on an uncommon landscape clamshell form factor, this one features two 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreens -- one inside and one outside.   Other details include a full QWERTY keyboard, a 600MHz processor and 260MB of RAM,

Pantech Pocket

An odd-looking device, the Pantech Pocket sports an unusual square profile.  Details include a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen display (800 x 600 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module (with 720p video recording) and a 1GHz processor.  It will hit stores on November 6th, although there's no price yet.

AT&T Avail

Made by ZTE, this handset will be part of AT&T's prepaid roster.  Features include a 3.5-inch display, 512 MB of RAM and a 5.0 megapixel camera.

[via Gizmodo]

Verizon has announced a new smartphone from Samsung, the first in the carrier's roster to have both an LTE radio and a physical QWERTY keyboard.  Called the Samsung Stratosphere, the handset appears to be geared towards mid-range business users.

Clad in a slider candybar form factor, the phone features a five-row landscape keyboard and a 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen.  Because of the wide dimensions, both the keys and the display look spacious, making it ideal for both extended messaging and browsing sessions.

Details of the Samsung Stratosphere include a 5.0 megapixel camera in the rear (with LED flash), a 1.3 megapixel camera module, aGPS, WiFi (with wireless hotspot up to 8 connections), 4G, 3G, Bluetooth 3.0, DLNA and microSD card expansion.  A 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird provides the needed processing muscle.

It runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, along with the usual range of Google Mobile Services and Samsung offerings (e.g. Samsung Media Hub).  Since it's being aimed at business users, it comes with plenty of features for the suit-and-tie crowd.  Aside from the "most comprehensive mobile implementation of Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync," it comes with Cisco AnyConnect VPN, data encryption and mobile device management (via Sybase Afaria).

The Samsung Stratosphere will hit Verizon retail stores beginning October 13.  Price is $149.99 after a $50 rebate with the usual two-year contract.

[via GadgetLab]

T-Mobile has officially announced two new smartphones into their roster.  Called the LG MyTouch and LG MyTouch Q, the pair of T-Mobile exclusives come aimed at entry-level users.

Both handsets run Android 2.3 Gingerbread, along with the usual suite of Google Mobile Services.  Since they're looking to snag first-time smartphone users with these things, they come with a number of custom services designed with novices in mind, such as a Set-Up Wizard, a Tips Widget and a Genius Button for voice commands.

LG MyTouch

Details of the LG MyTouch include a 3.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a 5.0 megapixel camera module with 720p video recording, a front-facing videocam with Qik preinstalled), HSPA+, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 1GHz processor and microSD card expansion.  It will be available in two colors, black and white, with release date pegged before the holidays.  No pricing has been announced.

LG MyTouch Q

Details of the LG MyTouch Q include a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a slide-out horizontal QWERTY keyboard, a 5.0 megapixel camera module with 720p video recording, HSPA+, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 1GHz processor and microSD card expansion.  Like the keyboard-less counterpart, it's slated for availability before the holidays.   It will come in a different pair of colors, though: gray and violet.   No pricing has been announced.

[T-Mobile]

LG has announced its first smartphone with an HD-capable display.  Called the LG Optimus LTE, it packs a display panel that can show 720p videos in full detail.

Unveiled in Korea, the handset wears a 4.5-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen as its main attraction.  With a native 1280 x 720 resolution, you no longer need to send your HD movies to your TV for viewing -- you can watch it here with no loss in quality.

Details of the Optimus LTE include an 8.0 megapixel rear camera with 1080p video recording, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing videocam, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, HDMI, DLNA,  4GB of internal memory, microSD card expansion (maximum 32GB, 16GB card pre-installed) and a 1,830 mAh battery.  As the name suggests, it comes with 4G LTE support, along with the usual set of wireless connectivity features.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread runs at the helm, along with LG's slightly modified custom UI and the usual suite of Google Mobile Services.  No word on any special software that comes pre-installed, but we're guessing some video-based multimedia apps and HD games will be thrown in.

The LG Optimus LTE will be released in Korea under two wireless carriers: SK Telecoms and LG U+.  Price is 899,000 Won (around $750).

[via LG Newsroom]

Apple finally made the new iPhone official.  Proving most of the predictions wrong, the iPhone 4S doesn't prove to be a great departure from the last generation of the handset.  Heck, it doesn't even get a new number next to the name.

The revamped handset bears what can best be described as incremental hardware upgrade to the popular iPhone 4.  While the specs bump don't sound all that impressive, the performance numbers should, making for a beefy, albeit non-flashy, upgrade all the same.

The iPhone 4S doesn't change much in the design and general feature set.  Here are the major changes, though:

• A new processor.  It upgrades to Cupertino's latest A5, the same dual-core chip delivering muscle to the iPad 2.  According to Apple, this will account for 7x faster graphics processing, speedier iOS performance and significantly enhanced results on the gaming front.
• HSPA+.  No 4G radio on the iPhone 4S, but it does support HSPA+ on AT&T's network.  Those getting it on Sprint and Verizon, however, are stuck with the same 3G speeds as the phone's previous iteration.
• World phone.  It will have both CDMA and GSM antennas, allowing frequent travelers to use their iPhone 4S anywhere in the world.
• New camera.  The new iPhone gets a beefier 8 megapixel camera, a notable upgrade from the previous version's 5 megapixel shooter.  The module comes with a backside-illuminated sensor, five Apple-designed lenses (compared to the iPhone 4's four), and full 1080p video recording.
• Siri.  One of the most heavily-rumored features during the lead-up to the announcement is Apple's new voice-activated digital assistant.  Called Siri, the software is exactly what it sounds -- a kind of voice-activated search feature that can understand human questions and pull out answers from various data sources.  Beyond search, it can do other "assistant-like" things, such as read your SMS messages.

The iPhone 4S will launch October 14 under three carriers: AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.  Price is $199.99, $299.99 and $399.99 for the 1GB, 32GB and 64GB versions, respectively.

[Apple]

The Samsung Stratosphere hasn't been officially announced.  We're guessing they won't need to, since Verizon just went ahead and sent out the full specs to the guys over at Droid Life.

According to the blog post, Verizon is billing the handset as a "mid-tier" option, which sounds pretty sweet for a smartphone packing a 4-incher out in front. Not just that, it packs a landscape slide-out QWERTY, too, adding another conundrum to our ever-growing list of smartphone options.

Details of the Samsung Stratosphere include a 4-inch capacitive Super AMOLED touchscreen (480 x 800 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera in the rear (with LED flash), a 1.3 megapixel video cam out front, 4G, 3G, WiFi, mobile hotspot (up to 8 devices for 4G) and microSD card expansion (4GB preloaded, up to 32GB capacity).  Muscle is provided by a 1GHz CPU, paired with 512MB of RAM.

The phone will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread with TouchWiz on top and the requisite load of Google Mobile services.  According to Verizon, the phone should appeal to consumers looking for a "mid-tier option… with fast web browsing and messaging capabilities."

No exact word on pricing, but we should know soon, since the Samsung Stratosphere is slated to launch on October 6.

[via Droid Life]