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Nokia takes Surge global with 6760
Nokia's North American product portfolio dude had mentioned in a recent interview that AT&T's Surge would end up seeing global duty, and sure enough, here it is. Known as the 6760 around the world (which complies with Nokia's typical four-digit naming scheme, by the bye), the phone's specs are basically identical to its Yankee cousin: 3.2 megapixel cam, 2.4-inch QVGA display, AGPS, S60 3.2, microSD expansion, and a side-sliding full QWERTY keyboard. "Typical Nokia" is not a phrase we'd use to describe the 6760, but here's the million-dollar question: can a phone clearly designed with AT&T's needs (and North America's needs) in mind sell elsewhere? Look for it to launch around Europe in this quarter for €199 (about $283) unlocked, with black, red, and white versions becoming available on a region-by-region basis.
Switched On: The last smartphone OS
Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Palm's webOS certainly faces strong competition as it vies for attention from manufacturers, carriers, developers and consumers. But Palm was able to knock out at least one ailing offering by making webOS the replacement for the old Palm OS. For others it may not be so easy. In fact, with the barriers to entry now so high and the commitment to existing operating systems so great, webOS may be the last major smartphone operating system launched for the foreseeable future. With webOS taking the baton from Palm OS, the number of major smartphone operating systems has stayed fixed at six. Three of them -- Symbian S60, Windows Mobile and Android -- are intended to be used by handset makers from multiple manufacturers, whereas iPhone OS, BlackBerry OS and webOS are used only on the handsets offered by their developer. Of course, even these "purebred" operating systems owe much to older platform technologies, with Android and webOS being built atop a Linux kernel, iPhone OS having its distant roots in FreeBSD, and BlackBerry and Android building on Java. The race to attract software to these platforms has ignited an arms race of development funds to both prime the supply pump and the promotion of app stores to lead the horses to he touch-sensitive virtual koi ponds.. Developing and maintaining a smartphone operating system is a serious and expensive undertaking that can consume a company. Producing the original iPhone caused Apple to miss the self-imposed ship date of Leopard, and third-party app support did not come until much later. Whatever Microsoft is planning in a major overhaul for Windows Mobile 7 has taken long enough to warrant the release of the interim 6.5 release that still leaves the company far behind the state of the art. WebOS development clearly took up a significant portion of the $425 million investment from Elevation Partners in Palm. And finishing a 1.0 release is just the beginning.
Nokia's Surge official on AT&T, ships July 19 for $79.99
We've known about Nokia's so-called Surge for months now, but at long last, AT&T has done its duty by making things official and giving us a price and release date to consider. The Symbian S60-based smartphone is aimed squarely at social media freaks, boasting a full QWERTY keyboard, a browser with Flash support (imagine that, right?), a pre-installed JuiceCaster app for easily updating your Facebook / Twitter status and a price tag that's sure to turn heads. For just $79.99 after rebate, you'll also get a 2 megapixel camera, AT&T Navigator, AT&T Video Share and the pleasure of handing over at least $30 per month for a required data plan (if you want the $50 rebate, anyway). If you're sold already, you can get yours on July 19th.%Gallery-67837%
Video: Nokia 6790 Surge / Mako gets a QIK onto the small screen
Having already given you the AT&T spec sheet and images on this new Nokia, the only things missing are launch date, price, and a bit of video. Well, a janky QIK video just made its way to YouTube claiming that Nokia's Mako is coming to AT&T in mid-July as the 6790 Surge. It should be "priced pretty well" but those details haven't been finalized. So if a quick messaging device running S60 beneath a 2.4-inch 240x320 pixel display with HSDPA data and 2 megapixel camera is enough motivation to prompt another mouse-click then by all means, click through for the video overview provided after the break. Stay cool, bye.
Funny-looking Nokia passes FCC with US 3G, possibly the Mako?
What does this look like to you? If you answered "most definitely not a phone," well, we're not so sure about that. In fact, we're certain it is a phone, considering that the FCC documentation identifies it as such. Even juicier, though, is the fact that the Nokia RM-599 (all Nokias get RM codes prior to their market model numbers and names) has WCDMA on Bands II and V, which would be just what the doctor ordered for use on North American 3G spectrum. Given the odd outline foretold by the ID label here and the radio specs, we're thinking we could be looking at the Mako for AT&T, which means it may have just cleared one of the last few hurdles ahead of release. Of course, we don't know exactly how it's doing in AT&T's testing labs -- that's another story altogether -- but maybe we'll see this sooner rather than later.
New Nokia Messaging beta adds IM capabilities, E75 gets first dibs
Nokia Messaging represents Espoo's premiere email experience -- so premiere, in fact, that the company eventually plans to charge for it on some of its devices -- and to help makes it just a little bit more awesome than it already is, they've now started adding in instant messaging capability. The new Nokia Messaging - E75 IM Beta (yes, that's the full official name) offered by Nokia Beta Labs rocks compatibility with Yahoo Messenger and Ovi -- more services are expected to be compatible in the future -- and appears to serve up pretty much all the features you'd expect of a modern mobile IM client, including background notification, multiple conversation management, status control, and chat log save capability. So far, only the E75's compatible, but Nokia's imploring folks to stay tuned to Beta Labs for updates on when they'll open it up to other devices.
Engadget Podcast 152 - 06.26.2009: The Day the Music Died 2
Yes, that's the one and only MJ to open the podcast -- this one was recorded just shortly after the Engadget crew had learned the news. Join Josh, Paul, Nilay and special guest Chris Ziegler as they deny the Nokia N97, get angry at the HTC Hero, bargain with Windows 7, depress themselves over the fate of the netbook, and finally learn to accept the Zune HD's Tegra processor. We won't lie -- Engadget Podcast 152 was a struggle, but in the end we all learned a little something about life, love, and forgiveness. Update: Any further tasteless MJ jokes will be met with a swift ban. Be nice! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Guest: Chris Ziegler Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Billie Jean Hear the podcast 00:02:26 - Nokia N97 review: a tale of two bloggers 00:26:28 - HTC Hero running Android and Sense UI leaks from HTC's own website (updated, official, video) 00:30:28 - HTC Hero hands-on: Flash, keyboard and ruminations (updated!) 00:48:09 - Windows 7 official pricing announced, limited pre-orders start tomorrow 01:03:40 - HP Mini 5101 cleans up nice, shows the serious side of netbooks 01:05:15 - HP ProBook 4310s hands-on 01:10:25 - Entelligence: Netbooks, R.I.P. 01:22:50 - Zune HD has a Tegra processor, confirms official Zune podcast Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
Atom-based Nokia netbook reportedly on track for Q3 release
So much for Nokia and Intel keeping quiet on actual product announcements, huh? Just yesterday, the two mega-corps joined hands in what they called a technical collaboration, and while they wouldn't go into detail about what products would sprout from the partnership, it seems that Commercial Times has done the honors. Reportedly, Nokia has already ordered up a few machines from Compal and Quanta, two OEMs that are largely responsible for most every netbook on the market today. Not surprisingly, we're told that the Nokiabook will rely on one of Intel's Atom processors, and considering that the new wave of Atom chips aren't slated to land until 2010, you can pretty much put money on a N270 or N280 configuration. In related news, we're told that Compal will engineer a Qualcomm Snapdragon-based Nokia smartbook, though there's no word on what kind of OS (Symbian, perhaps?) will be included.
Nokia N97 review: a tale of two bloggers
Thomas Ricker and Chris Ziegler came away from their N97s with very different opinions of Nokia's premier superphone -- and they weren't afraid to let those opinions be known in a series of vicious verbal volleys. Head on over to Engadget for all the drama!
Nokia E72 prototype gets manhandled, torn asunder
If you stop to think, really, about how much we take pleasure in seeing pictures of phones get utterly dismembered, it's quite disturbing. So don't think about it, and instead hit up the read link for a gallery showcase copious amounts of a prototype Nokia E72 innards, ripped apart alongside an E71 (on the right in the image above) for comparative purposes. There's a very brief question-and-answer session just after the photos, but it's definitely not gonna keep you satisfied between now and its third quarter launch window.
Finnish mall rats take Nokia's WiFi positioning system for a test drive
Nokia is currently testing an indoor positioning system at the Kamppi Shopping Center in Helsinki that lets users triangulate their position from a series of WiFi transmitters on their Nokia S60 cellphone. The handset runs an app that allows users to pinpoint their location on a map of the mall, send SMS messages with their location to fellow shoppers, and find the shortest route to the Orange Julius (or its Finnish counterpart). Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen a company try to make GPS-like positioning viable indoors, but it may be the first that's expressly designed to enable your shopping addiction. We'll be keeping an eye out for further developments -- in the meantime, peep the video demonstration after the break.[Via Switched]
Nokia E72, 5530 XpressMusic get official
You'd think that Nokia would want to do a better job of building up such important product announcements with a long, drawn-out series of frustratingly unhelpful teasers, viral videos, and global PR campaigns, but instead, it turns out that the rumored E72 and 5530 XpressMusic have been officially unveiled at the company's Connection 09 event in Singapore. The E72 is arguably the bigger announcement of the two, succeeding the E71 by adding a whopping 5 megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack (thank goodness), integrated compass, 10.2Mbps HSDPA, and an optical navigation pad; it'll hit in the third quarter for €350 (about $489). Follow the break for video of the E72 in slick, polished, high-orchestrated marketing action. Next up, as we'd heard, the 5530 ends up being a small step down from the 5800 in the S60 5th Edition totem pole, offering just EDGE data without any form of 3G (though you've still got WiFi). It's got a 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash, 3.5mm jack, and a 640 x 360 touchscreen display. Like the E72 it'll be available in the third quarter; it'll retail for €199 (about $278) unlocked.[Thanks, nabs]Read - Nokia E72Read - Nokia 5530 XpressMusic
Nokia E72 leaks out in promo video form
Looks like the E71 is about to be upstaged as Nokia's premier business-class smartphone -- someone in Espoo's just hit the corporate YouTube account with this promo video for an E72. Upgrades include a five megapixel camera, a relocated headphone jack, and what looks to be an optical mouse instead of a D-pad -- a welcome upgrade for click-happy S60. That's all we know for now, but we're digging for more -- check the video after the break.Update: The YouTube video's been pulled, but luckily the guys from IntoMobile snagged it. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung's B5100: S60, but it's no i8910
When we think of S60-powered handsets coming out of Samsung right now, it's pretty difficult to think of anything other than the mighty i8910 HD -- but just like Nokia, Sammy's got a full range of hardware it wants to put out to market, so you've got to fill in the lower-end nooks and crannies just as you would any other. And actually, calling the B5100 "lower-end" really isn't doing it justice since it's got a 3.0 megapixel camera and HSDPA of some non-US variety; it's just that when you put it up against one of the most impressive phones ever made, this thing simply pales. At any rate, it's not announced yet -- the FCC's just seen to it that pictures and the user's manual are now available -- so we'll hold back on not buying it until after it's available.[Via GSMArena]
Nokia N97 hitting 75 countries in June
If you had any doubt about the reach of Nokia, the world's leading mobile handset maker, then check this: Nokia just announced the simultaneous June launch of its flagship N97 in more than 75 countries. We already had hints of this for the US and Western Europe but it's good to have it official. And with N97 chatter on the uptick recently, we're expecting to see this 3.5-inch QWERTY touchscreen slider running S60 5th sooner rather than later.
Nokia N97 hitting 75 countries in June (updated)
If you had any doubt about the reach of Nokia, the world's leading mobile handset maker, then check this: Nokia just announced the simultaneous June launch of its flagship N97 in more than 75 countries. We already had hints of this for the US and Western Europe but it's good to have it official. And with N97 chatter on the uptick recently, we're expecting to see this 3.5-inch QWERTY touchscreen slider running S60 5th sooner rather than later.Update: Available June 19th for £500 sim-free in the UK or June 26th if you want it bundled with a contract. Anyone else seeing local launch dates?
Nokia 6730 Classic is a Vodafone exclusive
Like this thing? We hope you don't -- or if you do, we hope you're on Vodafone, because that's the only way you're going to get it, it seems. The Nokia 6730 Classic candybar is an interesting device in that Voda intends to launch it globally across its entire wireless footprint, bringing turn-by-turn navigation and S60 to a wide audience spanning multiple continents and target demographics. It's also got a 3.2 megapixel AF cam, the usual microSD expansion, and a 2.2-inch display, all launching next month for an undisclosed (but we imagine very reasonable) price.
Rumored Nokia 5900 XpressMusic is actually a lower-end 5530?
We were cautiously optimistic after seeing the alleged 5900 XpressMusic leak out a few weeks ago that Nokia was taking a keen interest in upgrading the plain-vanilla looks of its midrange 5800 to give it more of a premium feel, but strangely, it sounds like there might be very different forces at play here. Cellpassion says that it can "confidently say" that the silvery device here is actually a downgrade from the 5800 -- a model 5530 codenamed "Kenzo." Rumored specs include a 3.2 megapixel AF cam (same as the 5800), a lower-res QVGA display clocking in at 2.9 inches, 150MB of onboard storage, and -- here's the kicker -- no 3G or WiFi. It's said to be looking at a retail price under $200, which makes us wonder if this couldn't actually be the domestic Chinese version of a device that could launch in other markets with 3G and / or WiFi enabled. Just a guess, but here's hoping we get some concrete answers shortly.
Skyfire browser hits version 1.0 -- but not for BlackBerry just yet
Ironically, it could be argued that it's BlackBerry OS in most desperate need of a mega-capable browser right now, but to start off, Skyfire's tying up some loose ends and going gold with the Windows Mobile and S60 versions of its well-received app. Reflecting the impressive length, width, and girth of the WinMo version's private and beta periods, 1.0 is said to feature some key improvements around performance, battery drain, better navigation and a new search feature. The gold builds are available now over at Skyfire's website, and don't fret, BlackBerry folks -- we're told a public beta is next on the company's radar.
Google Sync now playing nice with S60
Google's been hard at work recently making as many non-Android mobile devices fully (well, at least partially) compatible with its cloud, and Google Sync has now moved to yet another platform. The S60 version of the client is now in beta, bringing contact and calendar syncing to a very large, very important new customer base -- and it's totally push, meaning users don't really have to do anything to keep their data in sync. Since it's still in beta, Google is recommending that users back up their phone before installing and using the software -- and we can personally attest to the value of backing stuff up before performing a fresh sync in any situation, so yeah, go ahead and do that. [Via Phone Scoop]
