Tech Digest has the scoop on a tidbit of information that the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Music Store is launching on the first of November in the UK. The time, 7 AM GMT would mean 9 AM in Finland and 3 AM in New York.

I would be more hyped about it if I could have a subscription service in my hand that worked OTA, but this isn’t the case. You can only stream an unlimited amount of music on your desktop PC … boring!

Update: Nokia Official Press Release discussing this topic.

Word on the street has it that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is set to finally firm up all the rumors surrounding the search giant’s entry into the super-competitive mobile market. According to “sources,” The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google is planning to officially announce its plans for the wireless industry “within the next two weeks” – which means we’re looking for Google to spill the beans sometime in mid-November.

Speculation had Google planning a fully-branded and cheap smartphone based on a Linux mobile OS – then we heard that there would be no such phone from Google. Other rumors had Google developing mobile applications. More recent rumors had Google developing a Linux-based mobile OS for ODM (like manufacturersHTC, LG, and even Samsung) to use in a new line of mobile phones.

“In recent months Google has approached several U.S. and foreign handset manufacturers about the idea of building phones tailored to Google software, with Taiwan’s HTC Corp. and South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. mentioned in the industry as potential contenders. Google is also seeking partnerships with wireless operators.” And, we’re looking for T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) to take the Google Phone live in the US, with Hutchison 3 and Orange picking up the gPhone(s) for the European market.

The Google Phone should bring together the ever popular Google search engine, Google Maps, YouTube, and Gmail services into an open-source OS – unlike the iPhone, which already integrates these functions but limits them to Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s control (at least for now). That means development for the Google Phone will be open to the average Joe (as long as Joe knows how to code for a Linux environment).

We can’t wait for HTC and LG to launch their Google-powered smartphones. And, as long as we’re semi-speculating here, we’re hoping for a low-cost GPS phone with huge touchscreens. Fingers crossed….

Footnote: Don’t get worked up over that pic above – it’s a mockup/concept.

[Via: MocoNews]

This coming Friday we can look forward to the “Next Episode,” an event being hosted by Nokia (NYSE: NOK) UK. Mad.co.uk has some insight as to what will actually happen at the event. A new 60 second commerical will be preimered called “Playful Discovery.” It will air in 62 countries simultaneously as well as in movie theatres. Nokia’s Music Store which will offer tracks at 1 Euro a pop and albums for 10 Euros will be launching this Friday along with the new N-Gage platform. Rumor has it the N82 will be announced as well, but I’m hearing conflicting information. The N82 being the N95 in a candybar form factor and swapping an LED flash for a Xenon based solution.

You can read my review of the N81 here, which is quite negative, but don’t forget to check out what Ricky and Mark have to say about their review units. I do admit that after owning the N81 for a little over a week it has grown on me, but it still has some gripes, mainly that the camera is piss poor and the price tag is way too high.

Our autobahn-cruising friends in Europe just got a bit of good news from Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and T-Mobile (NYSE: DT). The duo has released official details on the rate plans that will be available for use with the iPhone when it’s released on November 9.

All three plans, sized from medium to large to extra large (what, no “small?”) will bring unlimited data, Visual Voicemail, and free T-Mobile HotSpot access. That’s right. German iPhone hopefuls can expect free WiFi access at T-Mobile’s 8,000 nationwide HotSpots.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with T-Mobile and can’t wait to start selling the iPhone in Germany in just a few short weeks,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Starting at just €49 per month, we think these three rate plans give customers the flexibility to experience all of iPhone’s revolutionary features at affordable and competitive prices.”

Check the chart below for pricing details for the German iPhone on T-Mobile.

[Via: Apple Insider]

Sure, it’s a Vertu. Sure, there’s a high-class aura about it. Sure, it’s covered (encrusted, if you will) in more precious stones than that Diamond iPhone we just mentioned. But, is it worth the price of a Porsche Carrera 997? Hardly.

The Vertu lineup of high-end (at least in price) mobile phones are already crazy expensive, but when you bling it out with more diamonds than a conflict-mine in Sierra Leone, you get a Vertu phone that’s supposedly worth $85,000. The special $85K Vertu phone is being shown off at Nokia’s new flagship store in Shanghai, China.

Right. We’d rather plunk down that $85 Large on a brand new Porsche Carrera 997 or maybe the new BMW M3 (with change to spare). But, then again, if you’re seriously contemplating an $85,000 mobile phone, you probably already have a garage full of super-exotics. In that case, just donate us that Aston Martin Vantage and call it a tax write-off, will ya?

Keep reading for more pics.

Read the full article »

With the ITU’s recent certification of WiMAX technology as a 3G standard, we speculated that Sprint (NYSE: S) would be somewhat off-put by the fact that their 4G “baby” wouldn’t be seen in the same light anymore. Afterall, people like to put titles on services and technologies, and bigger numbers mean better stuff (a BMW 328i doesn’t evoke the performance of a 335i – just as 3G doesn’t sound as “high-tech” as 4G). Sprint had been touting their XOHM WiMAX service as the next-gen 4G network for the US, and they’ve spoken up about how they feel about WiMAX getting the “3G” label.

Apparently, Sprint is still committed to the WiMAX ecosystem that they’ve been culturing for the past several months, and they want the world to know that it’s not just about how many G’s you have, but how you use it. In other words, Sprint is publicly announcing that their 3G WiMAX network will still be leaps and bounds beyond current 3G technology – just like a multi-lane freeway will allow higher traffic flow (at the same speed limit) than a two-lane highway, WiMAX will provide considerably higher throughput than current 3G tech. The 3G title has little to do with performance.

“I think we spend entirely too much time talking about the Gs,” said Atish Gude, Senior VP of Sprint’s mobile broadband operations. The point is that Sprint’s  service is still slated to blow our mind when they finalize their infrastructure build-out. We’re waiting, Sprint. Bring it on!

[Via: Infoworld]

How do you improve on the iPhone? Add 3G? GPS? Maybe some A2DP Bluetooth support?

Nope. Apparently, you encrust your Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone in about $40,000 worth of diamonds. Amosu’s gone and slathered the iPhone with 420 diamonds, totalling 5.65 carats and set in 18k white or yellow gold, with a choice of white, black or pink sapphires. They are pushing their Diamond iPhone as the “the first diamond Apple iPhone.” It was just a matter of time before the diamond-encursted-mobile-phone craze hit the iPhone.

If you just gotta have the latest and greatest, covered in diamonds and tackiness, rummage through your couch for some spare change – you’re going to need it. This sucker costs $41,225.

[Via: JustAMP]

It looks like AT&T (NYSE: T)’s top competitor to their AT&T Tilt (HTC Kaiser TyTn II) is that much closer to hitting Yankee shores. The E-ten Glofish M800 Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional phone has just gotten the “go ahead” from the FCC.

E-ten recently teamed up with Arima to push out faster and badder WinMo smartphones, and it looks like they’re right on target. The E-ten Glofish X800 was the first WM6 device from this partnership, and the Glofish M800 basically adds a slide-out QWERTY keyboard (and some thickness). We last heard about the Glofish M800 earlier this month, but we had no idea it would already garner FCC approval.

With a 500Mhz CPU, 2.8 inch VGA display, quad-band (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM radio with tri-band (850/1900/2100Mhz) HSDPA/UMTS, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, GPS, 256MB ROM/64MB RAM, and 2 megapixel camera (with front-facing video-call camera) – all powered by the venerable Windows Mobile 6.0 OS – the E-ten Glofish M800 is poised to take a serious swipe at the HTC Kaiser (as well as the AT&T Tilt in the US). As we mentioned previously, the HTC Kaiser/AT&T Tilt has a hand up on the E-ten Glofish M800. The AT&T Tilt has AT&T’s support, so we expect the AT&T Tilt to have a bit of an edge – at least in terms of mind share.

FCC

Sprint Mogul users will be glad to hear that their precious Windows Mobile 6.0 QWERTY-slider just got a ROM update from HTC. The new Sprint Mogul ROM is available from HTC’s support page and gives you the following benefits.

• Improved Bluetooth compatibility and performance.
• Corrects keypad function when using On Demand.
• Corrects Alarm so it will ring when device is charging.
• Corrects several Sprint (NYSE: S) Music performance issues like fast-forwarding.
• Enables Sprint Music store to function on early production devices
• Adds new Sprint start up and sign off screens

Remember, ROM updates like to wipe all your data clean – so make sure to backup all your data before you jump to the updated ROM.

Download the Sprint Mogul ROM here.

[Via: WMExperts]

No, it’s not the BlackJack II – that would be the Samsung SGH-i617. This here piece of kit is the Samsung SGH-i780 GPS and WiFi-equipped Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional smartphone.

The Samsung i780 launched yesterday in London and hasn’t looked back since. With HSDPA (3.6Mbps), WiFi b/g, and A-GPS, the Samsung i780 is sure to keep you connected and informed anywhere you go (as long as there’s at least a GSM network handy). It’s slim, black, and has a full QWERTY keyboard to supplement its 2.55-inch touchscreen. Just how slim? How’s 13.3mm?

It’s just too bad that this impressive WinMo6 smartphone is a tri-band (900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM jobby, otherwise we’d be all over this thing like white on rice. Pricing and availability haven’t yet been announced, but we’re expecting more details by year’s end.

[Via: Unwired View]