Nokia introduced a new version of its widely popular Nokia Maps, an application for routing from A to B in an earth browsing experience that allows you to zoom in from the globe to a desired destination.

It is free to download from the website of the Finnish company but at this stage the amount of compatible phones is rather limited. These include a number of N-series models as Nokia N70, Nokia N72, Nokia N73, Nokia N76, Nokia N93i as well as the company's flagship Nokia N95, naturally. The owners of the two messengers Nokia E61 and Nokia E61i as well as those of Nokia E65 and Nokia E90 will also be able to enjoy the benefits of the updated Maps application. The only two devices outside the N and E series mobiles that support the new version are Nokia 6110 navigator and Nokia 6120 classic. We are yet to see if more phones are going to be added to this list by the Nokia developers.

The Nokia Maps application itself is improved by a new streamlined user interface and a data download counter to help tracking the used data. A highly appreciable GPS status indicator is the final extra in the new pack. Not a bad effort at all, having in mind that only about six months have passed since the initial version was released. The bad news is that voice turn-by-turn navigation is still charged, but with the new version the application is available free three-day trial. This should be fine for a user to put Nokia Maps application on a test and decide whether it does well and is worthy buying.

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Cricket customers needing a non-EV-DO handset in Nokia's standard candybar shape needn't look any longer.

So the Sharp device we thought Microsoft had accidentally leaked a day early yesterday actually looks nothing -- and we mean nothing -- like the actual handset, though what they ended up unveiling is still crazy cool.

 

Yeah, so this is how Sammy does up a dual-hinge flip in its domestic market. It looks a good deal like the U740 that we get over here -- in fact, if it weren't orange, it'd be a dead ringer from the outside -- but flip 'er open and you'll notice that the QWERTY keypad we get here has been replaced by a more traditional numeric type. The reason? Well, it seems the SCH-B6550 here does T-DMB mobile TV, so it'd make sense that users would want a convenient way of setting it on a surface and getting their couch potato on. Like the U740, the B6550 does 1.3 megapixels from its camera, but ups the display from 220 x 176 to full QVGA resolution. We're not sure how we feel about the orange, but then again, we're not sure how we feel about the original U740's champagne, either.

Today Sony Ericsson announced several interesting handsets. The highlight is Sony Ericsson T650 - the successor of the successful T610 midrange handset. The Sony Ericsson S500 is an innovative thin slider, while the Sony Ericsson T250 is a stylish budget solution with a complete metallic finish. The new handsets design is nowhere near the last lineup by the manufacturer and surely manages to impress by counting on classic looks and stylish materials.

The Sony Ericsson T650 comes with a stainless steel finish and full 3G support with video calls. At only 12.5 mm, the bar-shaped handset also boasts a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus. The 1.9" 262K color TFT display with a QVGA resolution, a scratch-proof mineral glass and an innovatively brighter colors and a wider viewing angle. Feature-wise it's got all that it takes to rank with all current mobiles - stereo Bluetooth support, USB and a Memory Stick Micro M2 slot. The T650 also comes with some nice illumination effects which are linked to on-screen animations.

Sony Ericsson T650

Today Nokia announced a whole bunch of new budget-oriented mobile phones. The new handsets are Nokia 1200, 1208, 1650, 2660, 2630 and 2760. They boast some spanking new features and thus show that the low-end mobile phone market is also a field that offers grounds for innovation.

Nokia 1200 • Nokia 1208

Both Nokia 1200 and Nokia 1208 are candy bar shaped phones designed for the emerging markets and thus lack most of the standard features you expect to see in a phone nowadays. Nevertheless, they do provide some interesting "extras". The call-time tracking function allows calls to be automatically ended after a preset limit in order to reduce costs to the user. The multi-phonebook allows several users of the same handset to have their own phonebook lists. Other functions of these phones are one-touch flashlight, localized languages, tutorial, etc. The difference between the two models is that Nokia 1200 comes with a monochrome display, while the Nokia 1208 is equipped with a color CSTN display. Nokia 1200 will be available for purchase in Q2 2007 at an estimated price of 35 EUR, while the Nokia 1208 will hit the market in Q3 2007 at price around 40 EUR.

Nokia can position this thing as a lower-end sibling to the 8800 if they so choose, but we've gotta be honest, this thing is shaping up nicely -- as in, "we'd rather have this one" nicely. These here are the first live shots we've spied of the rumored 8600 "Luna," a slider with a trick translucent cover and a shape that roughly mimics the older (and allegedly more expensive) 8800. For one thing, having S40 on here in its very latest incarnation is a huge boost to its lust factor, and the huge display doesn't hurt either. Let's hope the Carphone Warehouse has its wits about it and it really will be launching before too long, shall we?

Nokia E65 official pictures

Key features

• quad-band GSM and 3G support
• Wi-Fi with a dedicated scanner
• VoIP over Wi-Fi
• elegant design
• videos in MPEG-4 format with a CIF (352 x 288 pixels) resolution
• microSD memory card slot
• USB support
• 2 megapixel camera
• search option for the entire phone content

Symbian is back in the news this morning after another night of promiscuity. Having been spotted shacking-up with with LG and Google just yesterday, the Nokia bedfellow was just outed with this cutie, Samsung's new SGH-i400 smartphone. It's not the first Samsung S60 slider we've seen, nor will it be the last. In addition to some pretty bold "symbian OS" branding in the upper-right corner, the i400 brings a regular ol' 2 megapixel camera, dedicated MP3 key, stereo speakers, A2DP Bluetooth, MicroSD expansion, and support for full web browsing on its 2.3-inch "wide display." No word on a 3G radio here so we'll have to assume the worst (tri-band GSM/EDGE). We do know that it'll make its debut in Russia in July and then "other European countries" shortly thereafter. Hey Russia, welcome to Europe!