N8 - Preview :: First Look

Introduction

We were almost starting to suspect mobile phones of giving up and playing soft. They seemed unstoppable you know. They went from 5 to 12 in no time and there was nothing to suggest that digicams will ever get a timeout for a much needed breather.

Nokia N8 official photos
Surprised or not, the game is back on and Nokia are pulling the big guns out. The N8 is the new wannabe king of cameraphones. Fat numbers on the specs sheet and all that shining armor, the new Nseries flagship is hitting hard and playing tough.
The Nokia N8 has two massive tasks on its hands: beat digicams at their own game and bring Symbian back to its past glory. The hardest thing perhaps is to tell which one is harder. But if anyone should be trusted to perform a seemingly impossible stunt, (still) market leaders Nokia are a safer bet than many.

Nokia N8 at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 10.2 Mbps, HSUPA 2 Mbps
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar
• Dimensions: 113.5 x 59.1 x 12.9 mm, 86 cc; 135 g
• Display: 3.5-inch 16M-color nHD (360 x 640 pixels) AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
• Memory: 16GB storage memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 32GB)
• OS: Symbian^3
• CPU: ARM 11 680 MHz processor, 3D Graphics HW accelerator; 256 MB RAM
• Camera: 12 megapixel large-sensor (1/1.83”) autofocus camera with xenon flash, geo-tagging, face and smile detection and built-in ND filter; 720p video recording@25fps
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, microUSB port with USB host support, 3.5mm audio jack, GPS receiver with A-GPS, HDMI port
• Misc: Accelerometer, DivX/XviD video support, Stereo FM radio with RDS, FM transmitter, 720p TV-out, Flash support in the web browser, anodized aluminum unibody, proximity sensor, scratch-resistant display
• Battery: 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery

As you see the hardware is all there – there’re not too many devices out there that can match the Nokia N8. Some will understandably frown at what looks like unimpressive CPU clock speed and scarce RAM. Just remember that it’s the performance to be judged here and not the sheer numbers.
Different platforms have different needs so we’ll only know if Symbian^3 can do without a 1GHz Snapdragon after we’ve seen the N8 in proper action.

Nokia N8 at ours
A full physical is due starting right after the break.

Samsung I8700 Omnia 7 and Focus join the WP7 arena

Samsung's first Windows Phone 7 devices are now official. I8700 Omnia 7 puts the Galaxy S power into a Wave-ish body and seals it with Microsoft's new mobile operating system. The AT&T Focus shares the same specs as Omnia 7, but comes in a rounded plastic body, and will be AT&T US exclusive.
Samsung Omnia 7 and Focus share the 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p camcorder, 8GB internal memory and 1500mAh battery. Surprisingly, Samsung has used 1GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon processors instead of their own proprietary 1GHz Hummingbird CPU.


Samsung I8700 Omnia 7
Expectedly, the Omnia 7/Focus duo packs every connectivity option you may need - 3G with HSPA support, Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 and FM radio. There is also a 3.5mm audio jack on board.
The biggest surprise is that the Samsung Focus has a microSD card slot. Omnia7 lacks that and we’ve always though that all Windows Phones 7 phone will do without one.

There is still no info on the Omnia 7’s RAM, but the Focus will rely on 256MB RAM and 512MB ROM.
There is no info on pricing and availability for the Omnia 7 yet, but we expect it to launch on a similar price as the Galaxy S before the end of the year.
The AT&T Samsung Focus will hit AT&T US network on 8 November.
Source 1, Source

HTC goes all in with 7 Surround, HD7, 7 Trophy, and 7 Mozart

HTC was the biggest player in the Windows Mobile game and they plan on staying at top in the age of Windows Phone too. The Taiwanese company announced no less than 4 WP7 devices today, all of which will be available in time for the holiday season.

HTC HD7

Probably the most interesting of the bunch is the HTC HD7, which leaked earlier today. Coming with a 4.3" WVGA screen and a 1GHz CPU, it's basically an HD2 with a different OS. The rest of its key features include a 5-megapixel camera, capable of 720p video recording, 16GB of internal storage and a kickstand on the back.

HTC HD7

The available RAM stands at the very impressive 576 MB, while the connectivity options include anything from Bluetooth to Wi-Fi 820.11 n. Even the hefty weight of 162 grams can't turn us off the HTC HD7.

The HTC HD7 will be available thought T-Mobile in the US, while in Europe O2 and Movistar should get it. SingTel should be the first Asian carrier to get the phone.

HTC 7 Surround

Moving on to the HTC 7 Surround, we see a funky sliding out speaker and another 5 MP shooter, capable of doing 720 video. Come to think of it, the only thing that sets the HTC 7 Surround apart from the HD7 is the smaller (but definitely not small) 3.8" display. Not that we could have expected great variation given the insanely high minimum requirements of WP7.

HTC 7 Surround

The HTC 7 Surround will come to AT&T in the US for 200 bucks on a contract, while Telus will distribute it in Canada at an yet unspecified price. No word on European availability yet.

HTC 7 Mozart

The HTC 7 Mozart comes with the best snapper of the WP7 gang. It is able to capture 8 megapixel stills, HD video and has a xenon flash to assist its low-light capabilities. The 7 Mozart also packs an exquisite aluminum unibody, which will potentially attract a lot of customers.

HTC 7 Mozart

A 3.7" WVGA LCD screen and a slim 11.9mm waistline are the other key features of the 7 Mozart. Its internal storage is limited to 8GB, though.

The HTC 7 Mozart will hit Europe though Orange and Deutsche Telecom, while Telestra should offer it down under.

HTC 7 Trophy

The final HTC announcement for today is the 7 Trophy. It should be the most affordable of the bunch, though the Taiwanese company hasn't revealed any details just yet. Its WVGA LCD touchscreen measures 3.8", while its camera does 720p videos and 5 megapixel stills.

HTC 7 Trophy

The HTC 7 Trophy will arrive to SFR and Vodafone in Europe and Australia.

HTC also has plans of releasing a fifth WP7 phone - the hardware QWERTY-rocking HTC 7 Pro. Unfortunately that will only come in CDMA flavor and won't see daylight until next year.

WP7 Dell Lightning goes official, renamed to Venue Pro

Dell's also joined the Windows Phone 7 party today with the announcement of Dell Venue Pro. It's a portrait slider with full QWERTY keyboard and 4.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen.
Dell Venue Pro was previously rumored as Lightning. Despite its official status we still don't know all specifications beside the obvious - 4.1" capacitive AMOLED touchscreen with Gorilla Glass, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 8GB internal memory and 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p video recording.

Dell Venue Pro

The rest of the specs are still unclear, but we think it's more than enough to deserve your interest.

Dell Venue Pro will be T-Mobile exclusive into the USA, but in Europe you will be able to find it from various carriers and retailers. As usual the Venue Pro will be released for the holiday season, while the pricing, plans and specific availability are yet to be announced.