Samsung Giorgio Armani with Windows Mobile 6.5

What do you get when you borrow some styling inspiration from the Nokia N97 mini and a little more inspiration for the HTC Touch Pro 2? What if you were to add in a huge dash of prestigious class and slap on a clothing label? It seems you end up with the new Giorgio Armani phone from Samsung.
This isn’t the first time that Samsung and Armani have teamed up to produce a premium handset, so the naming scheme could prove to be a little confusing. The design style of the smartphone will also make you do a double-take too.
Powered by Windows Mobile 6.5, the Samsung Giorgio Armani smartphone gets a large 3.56-inch OLED display, a powerful 5-megapixel camera, a full QWERTY keyboard, 8GB of internal memory, WiFi, and GPS. You’ll also notice that the display goes on a tilt, just like the AT&T Tilt 2 and Nokia N97.
Naturally, there’s a premium to go with that Armani branding. On the bright side, there are no Swarovski crystals to jack up the price even further, but do expect to drop over $1000 to get your hands on this Beverly Hills-worthy handset.

Palm US announces Pixi while UK waits for Pre

The second Palm webOS device has been announced Stateside, while we still wait for O2 to get the Pre into stores. The Pixi is a more traditional 'candybar' style phone with QWERTY keyboard.
The second webOS device is mostly a redesigned form factor, but Palm has added some new features, such as integration of LinkedIn and Yahoo! to complement existing services like Facebook.
The rubberized, scratch resistant, back cover is changeable - and a range of limited-edition covers will be available following the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York from the 10-17th September.
Palm has made it clear that they're not giving any indication of a release in Europe yet, but they do plan to do so and will announce more details later.

T-Mobile plan huge non-EU roaming price hikes

At the same time as everyone was talking about the proposed merger/joint venture between T-Mobile and Orange, news was coming out about a series of eye-watering price hikes for users roaming outside the EU, taking effect in late October.
With the EU introducing price capping on voice, text and data charges when roaming within member states, What Mobile has become used to the fact that roaming costs outside the EU are usually increased to compensate.
T-Mobile has now jumped on the price-increase bandwagon, with new costs that take effect from the 26th of October.
Calls made or received in Andorra, Faroe Islands or Switzerland will rise from 55p to £1 per minute.
USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand will rise from between 55-75p per minute to a new cost of £1.20 per minute.
Other countries, with charges ranging from £1.30-£1.40 per minute will rise to £1.50 per minute.

Motorola launches DEXT Android phone with MOTOBLUR

Motorola is back - and it's Android that is likely to save the day। The first handset (of four, if all the rumours on the Internet are true) also sees the launch of MOTOBLUR - a service that will collect content from a range of online services, including Facebook and Twitter, seamlessly and instantly।

This is it - the DEXT (released in the USA tonight as the Cliq). It's the first Android handset from Motorola, and could well get the handset manufacturer out of the wilderness. No, scratch that, WILL get them out of the wilderness.
The stylish looking device has an impressive spec, from the integrated QWERTY keyboard to the 5-megapixel autofocus camera first seen on the ZN5 cameraphone. There's also the usual array of features, like GPS, Wi-Fi and 3G.
But the most interesting aspect, and one that wasn't widely reported before the launch, is MOTOBLUR. The concept is simple enough, and isn't totally unique, but the video below shows how easy it is to collect content from a range of online services and social networking sites - without having to worry about who used what.
Like the INQ Mobile handsets, the DEXT will also keep contacts updated with status updates and profile pictures, and collect details from a range of sources - including your personal and private emails. Naturally, the DEXT is geared up to work with any, or all, of the Google services on offer; mail, maps, chat etc.
The DEXT will be launching exclusively in the UK on Orange, with exact details on availability and pricing to be revealed at Motorola's UK event on the 15th September. We will be there and you'll be able to read more on the website then - and in the next issue of the magazine on sale 1st October.

LG announces first Android phone; LG GW620

LG has announced its first Android device, an upgraded handset based on the design of the, non-Android, LG GW520. It will be released in Q4 of 2009.
Like the GW520, the GW620 is aimed primarily at first-time smartphone customers. It is one of many Android powered devices LG intends to bring to market throughout 2010.
The phone has a 3-inch touchscreen with slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The rest of the specs are due to be announced soon - but we suspect that they will match, or improve upon, the specs of the non-smartphone GW520 on which it is based

Basic4ppc Celebrates 1 Million Downloads!!

Erel Uziel founder and CEO of Basic4ppc said: We are glad the hard work is finally paying off. Now that Microsoft is due to launch the mobile market place this autumn. Basic4ppc will be an ideal tool for developers and small businesses who want to sell their original application online. Uziel also mentioned that this is due to the fact that the distribution of applications developed in Basic4ppc environment is royalty free without any restrictions."

Ruggedized Windows Mobile devices

One of the major advantages of Windows Mobile as a technology platform is the large amount of choice it affords in terms of both software and hardware options. Microsoft has actively fostered a lively ecosystem of developers, system integrators, chip manufacturers, device manufacturers, mobile operators, and others to meet the specific goals of end-users.