These aren't likely official announcements, but Gigabyte has a pair of new GSmart handsets making the rounds in Ukraine news outlets.  The two smartphones, which run Android OS and Windows Mobile respectively, are the Gigabyte GSmart G1305 Codfish and the Gigabyte GSmart S1205 Cougar.

The Codfish comes with Android 1.6 at the helm and measures 116 x 56.8 x 12.4 mm.  Handset details include a 3.2-inch touchscreen display with HVGA resolution, a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, 256MB of RAM, quad band GSM/tri-band HSDPA, WiFi and aGPS.  As with all phones running the open source OS, it will come with Google's suite of apps pre-installed.  On paper, this sounds like it can stand up to most Android devices currently out.

The lower-end Cougar, on the other, will get Windows Mobile 6.5, paired with a 416MHz processor and 128MB of RAM.  Not much details are known, although features include dual SIM card support, a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, quad-band GSM connectivity, WiFi and aGPS.

From the pictures, both the Gigabyte GSmart G1305 Codfish and the Gigabyte GSmart S1205 Cougar don't look half bad, especially considering that the company will likely price these near the bottom of the smartphone ranges.  No confirmed release dates nor pricing details, though.

[via Unwired View]

Nokia just put an official stamp on the new Cseries, with the first phone rolling out of the gate being the Nokia C5.  Unlike most new smartphones, there's no touchscreen and no QWERTY keypad here - just a regular candybar with a T9 keyboard layout.

At first glance, it looks nothing more than one of the Finnish manufacturer's seemingly-endless inventory of basic feature phones.   Begin using it, though, and you'll be surprised to find that it's running Symbian S60 3rd Edition.  Yep, it's a full-fledged smartphone for people who prefer a more traditional aesthetic.

Details of the C5 include a 2.2-inch LCD with QVGA resolution, a 3.2 megapixel camera module (with autofocus), aGPS (with Ovi Maps 3.0), a 3.5 mm audio jack, microSD card expansion (up to 16GB), stereo speakers and an FM radio.   It comes with HSDPA connectivity, but drops WiFi.

Since it keeps the hardware simple, the device has managed to remain both slim at 12.3mm and light at only 89 grams.  It's looks like one sturdy piece of work, too, with a body built out of mostly steel parts.  Battery life is very generous, as well, with a rated talk time of 12 hours.  Other features include Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger and a new phonebook with Facebook integration.

Along with the release, Nokia has announced a new naming convention for their phone models - one letter and one number.  The letter will indicate the type of phone (music-centric, camera-centric, etc.) while the number will refer to the market class it's aimed at.  Sounds like a long overdue change.

Intended as an entry-level smartphone, the Nokia C5 will be available for €135 (minus tax and subsidies).   Release is slated for the second quarter of the year.

[Nokia Conversations]