Dell is finally in the mobile phone arena with this little smart phone called as the Mini3. The device has a 3.5” screen size and runs on Android OS. According to Dell it is “the world’s smallest Dell”. The phone is going to be released in China through China Mobile and in Brazil through Claro. Other regions will also have it from various telcos.

The smart phone sports a 3 MP camera which might look a little out of place since most modern phones nowadays have a 5 MP cam attached to their faces. A tiny stylus comes bundled with the phone for people with thick finger tips. The Chinese version they say will not have 3G or even WiFi. There is no 3.5 mm jack instead the mini USB has a mini USB to 3.5 mm connector for the job.

The screen res is 360 x 640. Mini3 has Bluetooth, mini USB and microSD slot. There is no QWERTY keyboard instead the device has an onscreen keyboard besides the usual handwriting recognition ability. The phone is sleek and impressive looks. More pictures can be viewed at the 163  Chinese website.

Samsung Behold II the very mobile phone we talked about some time back is all set for release on T-Mobile networks on 18^th November. The device runs Android 1.5 and is a smart phone by all standards. The device is expected to cost around $200 with a T-Mobile contract for a two years contract initially (rumored).

It sports the TouchWiz UI as is the norm in most Samsung smart phones of the day. It is thin, not as thin as the iPhone but still enough to attract Gizmo loving humans! A relatively new feature is the camera button on its side which is sensitive enough to feel half touches, for focusing only.

The N900 from Nokia announced in September 2009 at Stuttgart Germany has finally been released. The smartphone has all the features of any leading mobile phone of the day, GSM, HSDPA, WiFi, 3.5″  TFT touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, 32 GB internal storage with options for expansion via external storage, DLNA, 5 MP cam, Dual LED flash, video light, geo-tagging, digital compass,  A-GPS  etc etc. The most outstanding feature however, is the open source Maemo operating system running the device.

Maemo is a faster OS and supports running of multiple applications. Users can for instance surf the web and listen to music at the same time. The Maemo operating system  is similar to a PC’s OS. Best of all it is open source.

José-Luis Martinez who happens to be Vice President for N series devices said the following about the N900.

“The Nokia N900 has generated a lot of interest since its public launch in August, which has been reflected in the device preorders. What’s exciting is the Maemo software, which takes its cues from the desktop computer and offers a full browsing experience like no other handset. We believe the Nokia N900 will be a very compelling device for people who are passionate about technology.”

Well if that be the case then is the N900 going to pose a challenge to the iPhone? And what about the new entrant Android? Does the Android have another competitor? More infor on the Maemo is available at the Nokia Maemo website. The mobile phone info is at the Nokia website. Watch the Nokia N900 video review at Youtube.

The Google Android made by HTC, being dubbed as Droid Eris that is hitting the shelves on Friday 06 November 2009 is devoid of Data Tethering facility. Data Tethering allows smart phones to be connected to to laptops for fast Internet access on the go, like EV-DO. Verizon Wireless says high speed access for PCs/Laptops will come later.

How much later? Well Verizon has this facility lined up for the Motorola Droid which is poised to be released in 2010. Essentially this is a network specific feature also. Apple’s iPhone for instance has AT&T as its sole carrier, and so far they haven’t given Data Tethering, although it has been announced but is yet to come and no confirmed timeline has been laid.

Most smart phones of the day Blackberry for instance have this feature. Data services cost a bundle and tethering is an overlay costing even more depending on one’s carrier. So before you make the plunge, do some homework.

This mad race to get a share of Google’s Android doesn’t seem to end and now we have Sony Ericsson planning to go Android with its smart phone called the Xperia X10.

For the looks alone I guess SE gets a 10 out of 10. Very few mobile phones come this close to catching a gadget guy’s attention.

Code-named Rachel the gizmo runs on a 1 GHz Snapdrgaon processor which some say will make this phone the fastest in the Android category. Besides all other features which a smart phone of the day is supposed to have this device comes with an 8 MP autofocus camera and LED flash. Expected to be released in the first quarter of 2010 the device will run apps from Android Market and SE’s PlayNow arena.

More info is available at the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 website.

The race to make and release the ultimate eReader is on and spring Design has unveiled plans to market one by the year’s end. This device will run the world’s most anticipated OS, you guessed it right the Android. It has two screens a 6” Electronic Paper Display (EPD) and a 3.5” LCD. The device will have Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity for downloading those megabytes of books out there. Users will be able to make use of both screens at one time, browse the web via the LCD and read later on the EPD.

Memory extension takes place via an SD card, a headphone and a speaker is also provided. Besides all this it has a browser having bookmarking, security and history features and smart phone capabilities. So is this a tablet with smart phone features built in to it? What could be more awesome than this?

Details regarding partner operators are not known as yet, but with EVDO and HSPA the choice will be wide and not restricted to a select few. However, Spring Design has hinted on shipping devices to a select few strategic partners, now who might that be?

We have heard about Nokia plunging in to the NetBook field, that was certainly a news maker, now it is Dell that plans to launch a mobile phone somewhere in 2010. This isn’t one bit surprising because we were always wondering why hadn’t Dell done this before? And now Michael Dell has unveiled plans to launch a smart phone for the US market. The announcement was made at the FiReGlobal a few days back by the CEO himself who went on to talk about the importance of a mobile device for the company’s ever bright future.

Much details aren’t known about the device, the specs and whether it will be Android based or will run on  Windows Mobile 7. Dell has a sizeable share in the PC market and a mobile device will not only augment its share but have a good impact on the overall business also. It has been made public that China Mobile will launch the device and rumors about AT&T might well be unfounded. Surprisingly the last Dell Mini 3i was also launched in China for China Mobile this time now they are setting the US market in the crosshairs.

Much has been written about the Android which is still to come in many smart phones, and still there are speculations as to how it will fair in comparison with the iPhone. Whether iPhone will have a competitor or not is still not sure but it seems all the top mobile phone makers are gearing up, teaming up and trying to make a device which will at least in theory threaten the iPhone market share. However, these are mere speculations, now we won’t give a verdict in fact we can’t till the time the actual Android based phones are unveiled, used and compared to the iPhone. Now Verizon is planning to release a device made by Motorola, running Android off course and using the all powerful Verizon’s network.

The device which is coming out by the end of October is being dubbed as the “Droid”. Not much details are known but it will use Verizon’s network and has an keyboard besides the touch screen ability. The OS version is 2.0 which they say is an improved and works better. The aim is to put all those things in it which the iPhone doesn’t have for example a  5 MP camera, ability to take pictures in the dark, a keyboard, run multiple apps, open development, interchangeable batteries, take pictures in the dark/less lit up areas etc.

The screen size is a cool 3.7”! and it uses a TI OMAP3430 processor which by far has been performing well in terms of speed and response. More info is available at DroidDoes.

October 2009 happens to be a very important month, somehow. We have Microsoft releasing Windows 7, Ubuntu releasing Karmic Koala and now it is HTC’s Android based Hero Smartphone hitting the shelves on 11 October in connivance with Sprint. The Hero is no ordinary phone, it is smart by all standards. Upon release and further use it will become clear how it fares against the iPhone, Blackberry or even the Windows Mobile 6.5 based devices. The phone has WLAN, GPS, a 5 MP camera, 3.2” screen, 2 GB memory (expandable via microSD card), USB support, Bluetooth, handwriting recognition, trackball, ability to sync with Google services like Gmail/Google maps, push email, music download from Amazon’s mp3 store and stereo Bluetooth to name a few.

It seems Android is going strong, if the media reports are anything to go by. We have Motorola’s Cliq coming out somewhere in November, Samsung’s Moment, and even Dell planning an Android based device in collaboration with AT&T, besides Sony eying the Android. As if all this wasn’t enough there is even talk of Google and Verizon teaming up for more Android based gizmos. This sounds really good for Google, things are looking up we guess. Dell’s party may also include T-Mobile. The buzz is that Google is coming out be a strong contender for iPhone, in the coming years off course. We are keeping our fingers crossed, everything takes time!

A research by Gartner, Inc has released that Android share will raise upto14 percent by 2012, making it the number two phone OS in the world (after Symbian OS). With Google being the maker of android, anybody can guarantee that Android will remain a success for a longer period of time.

The Gartner forecast gives Android such an enormous surge in popularity because of a variety of factors, but chiefly because of Google Inc.’s backing of Android and the range of cloud computing functions and related applications that Google will make available in coming years.

Continuing with this, we now have a new Samsung Moment Android phone (this time on Sprint) , after our last news on Biggtech of “Samsung’s Behold 2 to run android in its chest”.  The new moment Android phone includes all useful features like Wi-Fi, integrated GPS, a 3.2MP camera/camcorder, QWERTY keyboard and 3.2″ AMOLED touchscreen display.

What’s more

- 800 MHz processor

- 3.2 Megapixel Camera

- GPS Navigation

- 32 GB expandable memory

This is the second Android phone available on Sprint which also confirms its Sprint’s decision to be a member of Open Handset Alliance.

How to get it?

I know most of you can’t resist the phone by seeing it. Well right now, you can order the Moment by November 1 for $179.99 (excluding taxes) after a $50 instant savings and a $100 mail-in-rebate with a two-year service agreement. Pre-registration begins today at www.sprint.com/moment.