HTC Sensation Officially Announced; Packs 4.3-Inch qHD, Dual-Core 1.2GHz, and Gingerbread With Sense 3.0

HTC has made their new flagship phone official today and I was totally wrong about this being a Nexus device. The "Pyramid" has been officially announced as the HTC Sensation and after Vodafone and Qualcomm gave us hints as to what the smartphone would offer we now know everything. The Sensation packs a 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540 resolution) Gorilla Glass (Super LCD) display, a dual-core Qualcomm MSM 8260 1.2GHz CPU, 1GB of internal storage, an 8MP AF camera with a dual-LED flash and 1080p Full HD video recording, a front-facing camera, a microSD card slot (8GB in the box), 768MB of ROM, an aluminum unibody, a 3.5mm headphone jack, WiFi b/g/n / Bluetooth 3.0 support, DLNA, a 1,520mAh battery, an HDMI output, and Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" with the Sense 3.0 UI.

Yeah, that's quite the spec sheet and it's sounding like one of the best smartphones on the market right now. This smartphone will be hitting the UK, Germany, and other European markets in mid-May and, of course, Vodafone will be getting a short exclusive for the device. The company also announced the 4G model which will have HSPA+ and will hit T-Mobile USA later this Summer. If you're interested then there's a promo video below.


[Engadget]

HTC Incredible S Now Up For Pre-Orders On O2 and Vodafone UK

Mobiles.co.uk looks like they're now taking pre-orders for the Android based HTC Incredible S. You can choose between O2 and Vodafone and you can get it for free on a contract if you choose the right one. The website also mentions that it'll be shipping on March 3rd if you order one now. The decision is yours so just head over to the website if you're looking to pick one up.

[Unwired View]

Vodafone UK Releases the White BlackBerry Torch

Vodafone UK has just released their exclusive white BlackBerry Torch in the UK. This smartphone packs the exact same thing that you'll find in the black model but it's housed in a white casing which you may like. This is available right now for free if you want to pay £35 monthly. Check it out on Vodafone.

[Pocket-Lint]

O2, Vodafone, Orange, and T-Mobile All Ready To Launch the XPERIA Play -- This April!

O2 UK has just tweeted something great and you'd know about it if you followed them. They have just announced that they'll be launching the XPERIA Play in the near future - and they love their ad too. The price and release date are still unknown right now but maybe Sony Ericsson will be announcing all of those goodies on February 13th. Check out the tweet here.

Engadget also mentions that Pocket-Lint has said that Vodafone will also be getting the XPERIA Play. The more carriers, the merrier!

Update: Another Pocket-Lint post has just mentioned that both Orange and T-Mobile have mentioned that this will be available starting in April! Looks like they're on board as well! The only carrier left overseas is 3 UK.

[Engadget]

White Nexus S To Exclusively Hit Vodafone Worldwide

It leaked recently and now it's official. The white Nexus S will exclusively be hitting Vodafone and it'll actually be the only place in the world to get it. Of course, these model isn't really outstanding since it's only the back cover that's white but, hey, someone will want that. The exact release date for this (half) white model is still unknown, but it should be available soon.

[Slash Gear]

HTC Desire 2, Possibly "Saga", Spotted In Vodafone Germany's Inventory System

Coming from HTC Inside is what you see above. That's coming from Vodafone Germany's inventory system and it clearly shows the HTC Desire 2. Now we don't know what smartphone it will be but it'll likely get announced at MWC. What is very well could be is what we've heard up to this point as the HTC "Saga". That's the phone you see below which looks like a black Nexus One without a trackball and a front-facing camera. Look out for the announcement soon!

[Phandroid]

India Mobile Banking Gets Boost from Bharti Airtel and Vodafone

“Mobile payments will be the next step for delivering financial services to hundreds of millions of 'underbanked' people or those who are under-served currently, both urban and rural customers, especially in emerging economies," says Gerhard Romen, Director, Mobile Financial Services, Nokia.

Recently, mobile banking got a huge boost with Bharti Airtel and Vodafone announcing separate partnerships with State Bank of India and ICICI Bank, respectively. While Bharti Airtel and SBI have formed an exclusive joint venture, Vodafone has agreed to become a "business correspondent" for ICICI Bank.

While Vodafone manages over 1.5 million retail points for acquiring customers and servicing them, Airtel is present across 5,101 towns and more than 5,00,000 villages. That's a big deal considering that 51.4 percent of 89.3 million farmer households do not have access to any credit from institutional or non-institutional sources. 

Only 27 per cent of farm households are indebted to formal sources. Only 13 per cent are availing loans from the banks in the income bracket of less than Rs 50,000. 

There's money in the mobile

Vodafone Germany's Inventory System Shows the White iPhone 4; Best Buy Too!

It's not much but Vodafone Germany's inventory system has just hinted that something just might be on the way. The white iPhone 4 was spotted in their systems which could mean that the launch will be soon. Of course, it'll be available in 16GB and 32GB models but who knows if they'll actually ever be available. We heard that it'll be available in Spring but we'll see if that pans out to be true.

Update: Mac Rumors has just picked up an image of the white iPhone 4 (in 16GB / 32GB models) in Best Buy's internal systems as well. Apparently, the system says that it's on course for a February 27th launch date.

[Engadget]

Vodafone UK Lists White BlackBerry Torch As "Coming Soon", Exclusive To the Carrier

If you live in the UK and you've been waiting for the white BlackBerry Torch then you better be able to switch to Vodafone UK. It's up on their website (here) but it's still listed as "Coming Soon". This model will be exclusive to the carrier and ships with OS 6.0 along with the WebKit browser. We don't know exactly when the launch date is, but it should be in the next few weeks.

[Slash Gear]

Samsung i8330 Leaks Again, Still Headed To Vodafone

We've been hearing about the Samsung i8330 for about half a year now and it has yet to hit the market. Maybe it'll be announced soon though. The handset destined for Vodafone has leaked once again in between the iPhone 4 and the BlackBerry Torch. This is expected to have a Super AMOLED display, an 8MP camera with 720p HD video recording capabilities, a 1GHz CPU, WiFi 802.11n / Bluetooth 3.0 support, and the LiMo OS. This one should make an appearance at CES this week or at MWC next month.

[GSM Arena]

Vodafone Releases the HTC Desire Z For Free With the New Sense and All

Vodafone has just released their latest Android-based smartphone, the HTC Desire Z. This one features a 3.7-inch touchscreen display, a 5MP AF camera with 720p HD video recording, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a microSD card slot, WiFi / Bluetooth support, and version 2.2 of the OS with the new Sense UI. Check it out on Vodafone where it's available for free on select contracts.

[Phandroid]

BlackBerry "Pluto" 99xx's Battery Cover Gets Spotted In Vodafone Germany's Systems?

We definitely haven't heard about the BlackBerry 99xx (below) in a long time. Coming from the BlackBerry OS Forums is this leaked Vodafone Germany system screenshot (above). If you translate "Akkufachdeckel schwarz" that's actually "black berry cover". That's all well and good for now, but I know a few people who are still waiting for this one. Codenamed the Pluto, it's said that this smartphone from RIM will sport the Bold form-factor along with a touchscreen display. Hopefully RIM throw on a touchscreen onto this device as well.

[The Cellular Guru]

Vodafone To Offer Up the HTC Desire Z In the Future

People overseas should be rejoicing right about now. Vodafone will be launching the HTC Desire Z in the near future which already has great company since they already have the Desire HD. The Desire Z features a 3.7-inch WVGA display, a 5MP AF camera with 720p HD video recording, WiFi / Bluetooth / GPS support, a microSD card slot, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, an aluminum unibody design, the new 800MHz Qualcomm CPU, and Android 2.2 with the Sense UI.

[Phandroid]

Vodafone UK Releases the HTC Desire HD and the Nokia N8

Vodafone UK has just released two handsets that you might be interested in. The 12MP toting Nokia N8 and the HTC Desire HD, which I think is the better of the two. The N8 handset sports the new Symbian^3 OS, which still needs a bit of improvement but it's a great cameraphone if that's what you're interested in. The Desire HD, on the other hand, sports a 4.3-inch WVGA SLCD display, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 1.5GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, 768MB of RAM, WiFi b/g/n / Bluetooth 2.1 support, an 8MP AF caemra with a dual-LED flash and 720p HD video recording, and Android 2.2 with the new Sense UI.

[Boy Genius]

HTC 7 Trophy, 7 Mozart, and Even the 7 Pro Get Official!

Three more HTC Windows Phone 7 smartphones have just been made official. The first two are above, which we've heard before, it's the HTC 7 Trophy and the 7 Mozart. Both of these smartphones pack a similar  spec sheet, they both share: a WVGA LCD display, a 1GHz MSM8250 CPU, 576MB of RAM, 720p HD video recording, and 8GB of internal storage. The Trophy is said to be the most affordable WP7 handset though, so it features a 5MP camera on the back with an LED flash. This smartphone will be hitting a couple Vodafone overseas so you can look out for that one soon.

The Mozart, on the other hand, sports an aluminum body, a 3.7-inch display, and an 8MP snapper with a xenon flash. This one is going to be hitting Orange in the UK, France, Spain, and Switzerland along with Deutsche Telekom in Germany. You can scroll down for one more smartphone that is actually a new one!

The handset you see above is headed to Sprint in the USA and it's called the HTC 7 Pro. This features a 3.6-inch WVGA touchscreen display, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 16GB of internal storage, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, 512MB of ROM, 576MB of RAM, a 5MP camera with an LED flash and 720p HD video recording, and a 1,500mAh battery. Unfortunately, if you're going to wait for this one you better be patient. This one isn't expected to launch until the first half of 2011.

HTC 7 Mozart and 7 Trophy: Engadget
HTC 7 Pro Gets Official For Sprint: Gizmodo

HTC Desire HD Hitting Vodafone UK On October 14th, Pre-Order One Now

As expected, the HTC Desire HD with its Froyo and Sense UI self has just hit Vodafone but you can only pre-order it for now. It'll be available on October 14th for free if you're willing to spend 35 pounds monthly for 2-years. You'll have to wait a little bit longer for the unlocked version though, that's coming in late October. If you want to pre-order one right now then head over to Vodafone.

[Slash Gear]

Vodafone UK Should Be Getting the HTC Desire HD Soon

Vodafone UK looks like they'll be getting the Android-based HTC Desire HD soon and that's great news for everyone. This smartphone will be one of the best on the market, well, when it hits the market. The Desire HD features a 4.3-inch WVGA touchscreen display, an 8MP camera with 720p HD video recording, a 1GHz CPU, 768MB of RAM, Bluetooth, GPS / HSPA support, WiFi, and version 2.2 of the OS with the Sense UI. Look out for it!

[Unwired View]

Vodafone Announces the Android-Based 945 and the 553 Smartphones

Vodafone has just announced two of their upcoming smartphones, the 945 and the 553. The first one is the higher-end of the two (pictured above) since it does have the higher number. The Vodafone 945 features a 3.2-inch WQVGA capacitive touchscreen display, HSDPA connectivity, a 5MP camera with a flash, WiFi / Bluetooth support, GPS, 300MB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, and Android 2.1. This handset will be available in silver and black.

Vodafone has also announced the 553 (below) and this one features a 2.8-inch touchscreen display, a 2MP camera, Bluetooth support, an FM radio, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Opera Mini 5 browser, and a microSD card slot.

Prices for either phone are still unavailable but they should be available for the holiday season.

[Unwired View]

Is FiOS Slowdown Related to Possible Verizon Restructuring?

Verizon's apparent slowdown of further FiOS construction could be driven by any number of good reasons, including new skepticism about the financial return, alternate approaches to achieving the same goal, or perhaps other required uses for cash flow.

The need to start shifting free cash flow to dividend payments to minority partner Vodafone, or even a more-drastic reshuffling, such as a merger between Verizon and Vodafone, are possible drivers as well. Vodafone is a significant 45-percent minority investor in Verizon, and just about everyone has been expecting some adjustment of the relationship at some point, with the options including each company buying out the other, although a change in the majority ownership status is not inconceivable.

But a full-fledged merger also might be on the table.

"People familiar with the matter say there are three options being considered by the two sides," the Telegraph reports. The first is a full merger of Vodafone with Verizon Communications; the second would be for Verizon Communications to begin paying a dividend to Vodafone; and the third would be for both companies to sell their respective stakes in Verizon Wireless either to each other or to a third party.

It is that second possible outcome that suggests Verizon might have other needs for its free cash.

In fact, some observers have suggested Verizon Communications would prefer to buy out Vodafone's stake in Verizon Wireless. But analysts say selling the Verizon Wireless stake is not an option for Vodafone because it would result in a giant tax charge as well as deprive Vodafone of about 30 percent of its total annual revenue.

While they are “not aware of any increases in market concentration from such a merger that would raise serious antitrust issues at the U.S. Department of Justice,” a deal that is structured to give Vodafone control over all of Verizon's assets, including landline, would raise national-security questions, though.

source

24 Carriers, 3 Handset Vendors Launch 3 Billion User App Initiative

A new consortium already including 24 global mobile service providers, Sony, Samsung and LG are creating a new applications community, allowing developers to create apps working across networks serving three billion people.

The new "Wholesale Applications Community" is a recognition of the role application stores now playing in fostering new applications and a great deal of the value of mobile broadband services.

América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, China Mobile, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, KT, Mobilkom Austria Group, MTN Group, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, Orascom Telecom, Softbank Mobile, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor Group, Telia Sonera, SingTel, SK Telecom, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, VimpelCom, Vodafone and Wind, as well as Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson are founding members.

Whether directly or indirectly, by design or by default, the new development community will compete with the Apple App Store as well as other app stores being created by Google and other device and application providers.

The real carrot for developers, if the initiative can iron out any number of important details, is access to a potential audience of three billion mobile users. In practice, discrete markets will be smaller, limited by natural language communities, for example. But it is an ambitious initiative showing access providers are not interested in forfeiting their roles in the application ecosystem to other handset or application providers.