Someone anonymously sent Android Spin information about an upcoming HTC device that wasn’t mentioned in the infamous roadmap leak of December 2009. If their information is to be believed, then HTC will come out with a device called either the Scorpion or the Olympian, that it will be powered by an ARM Cortex based 1.5 GHz processor, and that it runs Android 2.2.

The weird part out of all of this is that this mysterious device is supposed to include WiMAX. The amount of people using WiMAX devices right now is so small, so insignificant, couple that with an entire industry is moving to LTE, and I’m simply left confused. But hey, it’s a rumor.

Qualcomm has confirmed that they’re working on 1.5 GHz Snapdragon processors, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is obviously working on a new version of Android, HTC is one of Google’s best partners, so we’re definitely going to see something turn up in the future that matches this rumour. Whether or not it lives up to the expectations you’ve set for yourself, or has the same model name that we’ve seen today, is a whole other story.

[Via: Engadget]

So those helpful people at the Met Office (weather forecasting, for our non-UK readers) have delivered an App for the iPhone that lets you check out the weather in lots of lovely detail. Well actually, the work was outsourced to a mobile developer, but that’s fine – because all the content is there, and that’s what we need to see!

In this case the content is weather data, including:

• 5-day weather forecasts
• National severe weather alerts
• Daily national and regional weather maps
• UK rainfall radar and satellite imagery
• Save and access your favourite locations

The best part, I suppose, is that the App is free – not always a good indicator of quality, but I think in this case it should be pretty reasonable.

Met Office Weather Application / £free [iTunes link]

[Via: TechDigest]

According to my buddy Ron over at 3d-display-info.com, PureDepth have announced that they have acquired a patent for Multi-Layer 3D OLED displays. PureDepth Multi-Layer-Displays (MLD) use two or more displays that are placed one in front of the other to create 3D effects. These 3D displays do not require glasses and provide real depth!

One of the markets the PureDepth are targeting are mobile devices, and OLEDs are becoming more and more popular in that market. Up until now PureDepth had only LCD related patents, but now they can work on 3D OLEDs, too – which is a pretty sweet bit of news!

If these guys can make 3D work (properly) on a mobile device, you are looking at the next generation of screen technology I reckon – time will tell, of course. You can check out more about PureDepth here.

[Via: 3d-display-info.com]

O2 has announced an exclusive sponsorship deal with Shazam which will allow it to deliver highly targeted ads for its Priority Tickets service to Shazam users. Customers will be served relevant ads for O2 (NYSE: TEF) Priority pre-sales based on the music they have tagged through Shazam’s iPhone application. The dynamic ads will be delivered using 4th Screen Advertising’s ad serving platform, Mpression.

In case you were wondering what O2 Priority Tickets is, its a unique offer for O2 customers which gives them the ability to purchase tickets for gigs at The O2 and O2 Academy venues up to 48 hours before they go on general sale. O2’s sponsorship of Shazam’s iPhone app means that customers will only see adverts for pre-sales which they might be interested in based on the artists or tracks they have tagged using Shazam. For example, if a Cheryl Cole pop song is identified and she’s performing at The O2 or one of the O2 Academy venues, the ad will promote the gig.

These relevant and contextual ads will be delivered using a variety of formats including standard banners and integrated links. Shazam’s iPhone app is free to download via the App Store.

It all seems fairly reasonable, and I think could be quite potentially, as long as the targeting is accurate, and not too intrusive.

Wow. Check out the rate of progress on the hardware accessories front – in this case Pico Projectors! Typically you might find connectivity between a mobile device and a pico-projector (be it iPhone, Android device, or other), but in this case, the device has its own DVB-T tuner!

The ADPP-450 Pro will have 800×600 resolution, can project images up to 150″, and will have a 200:1 contrast – nice! The LED based projector also has a built-in 4 Watt speaker and can accept A/V, VGA, USB and SD (not sure what file types are supported on the memory card and USB). It weights 390 grams. The battery is external.

Well it’s a cool box of tricks – if I can get my hands on one, I might even come back with a review on it!

[Via: picoprojector-info.com]

GyPSii and Telmap have jointly announced today a partnership to develop and introduce advanced location-based social networking as part of Telmap’s Mobile Location Companion.

As part of the cooperation, Telmap will introduce social networking and user-generated content, to the Telmap5 Mobile Location Companion using GyPSii’s Open API, OpenExperience.  Telmap5 will offer users access to all their networks of friends across social networks including Facebook and Twitter.  The integration with GyPSii’s Open API empowers Telmap5 mobile users to access and contribute location-aware content, sharing locations, read and post recommendations, videos, pictures, find friends, events, and places, geo-blog, and more — all in one app!

“The Telmap-GyPSii enabled offering is fully supportive of people’s desire to explore their surroundings and interact with friends around them not only while at home, but also while on-the-go,” said Oren Nissim, Telmap CEO.  “GyPSii and Telmap share a vision to offer operators the ultimate location companion they need in order to maintain their subscriber’s loyalty through an excellent solution and a superior user experience, and we are sure that this new cooperation will open up additional opportunities for operators to achieve just that.”

I’ve a feeling this won’t be the last location-related App that we see with social features – now GPS is common on devices, as are Apps generally, you can expect a melding/mashup of all sorts of data in the coming 12 months!

You can check out Telmap here and GyPSii here.

Sygic Mobile Maps for iPhone has got a major update. It is bringing a whole UI reworking to its users free of charge – sweet! It is traffic-ready and the traffic info system will be gradually launched to the regions during this quarter. Additionally, it supports speed camera or road incident sharing between the app users and much more – such as:

• Fresh new look and feel of the whole application
• Natural scrolling through menus with no buttons needed
• Pinch to zoom the map
• Dynamic menu animation
• Optimized music playback during navigation
• iPhone-like keyboard
• Contacts integration enhanced by means of utilizing 1400 common abbreviations for address segments across 24 languages
• Policetraps community – share mobile and static speed cameras and get warnings updated in real-time. Sign up on policetraps.com or report anonymously. Tap the bottom part of the navigation screen to report speed cameras or incidents
• Traffic info icon is already present in the main menu – it will be activated at the moment of launching the service, availability and launch time depends on region
• Useful indicators – network signal, battery status, GPS signal strength icon and time – now present throughout the menu on top right panel
• New instruction voices added
• The address input within the country simplified by means of skipping the country name input field – the user can still decide to take the step back if he/she happens to be in different country compared to the last route
• The app is ready for Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Local Search and Sygic is awaiting the green light from Google. The weather information feature is also ready and awaiting activation

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Well I know I’ll be checking it out in my Local iTunes store (the UK)!

Sygic Mobile Maps (UK & Ireland) / £29.99 (but update is free if you already have the App) [iTunes link]

I am constantly on the lookout for the ultimate Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iPhone case – I’ve seen and tried lots of pretenders to the throne, but I think finally I might be nearing the end of my mission. Why? Well, the Knomo Sleeve for iPhone 3G and 3GS (retailed by Mobilefun) is a pretty good effort!

Here’s the promo material:

This luxurious leather sleeve is designed exclusively to fit an iPhone 3G. Hand crafted using the highest quality soft full grain leather and finished with a velveteen interior, it allows full access to headphone jack, sleep/wake button, silent switch and volume control. It provides the ultimate protection for the iPhone 3GS / 3G.

• Custom designed to fit the iPhone 3GS / 3G
• Luxury handcrafted genuine full-hide leather case
• Slim and smooth design makes it easy to slip into pocket
• Full access to headphone jack, sleep/wake button, silent switch and volume control while still in cover
• Leather exterior and velveteen interior

The case is snug to begin with, but loosens up slightly over time. As alluded to above, there is a neat effort by Knomo to cater for the volume control without removing the device from the sleeve (you also have access to the headphone jack and on/standby button):

Obviously the case has quite a luxury feel to it too – leather works well in the construction of the case, and if you’re looking for something to inject a bit of class in to your range of iPhone accessories, this might be the case for you!

You can get the Knomo Sleeve for iPhone 3G and 3GS from Mobilefun for £25.00 – a bargain! There are also other iPhone accessories available from Mobilefun, who claim to have the largest selection in their store!

As an apparent answer to all those Nexus One customers who have been complaining that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) is taking too long to respond to customer service emails/inquiries, Google has rolled out a new Nexus One customer support hotline. Now, instead of just emailing the traditionally closed and uncommunicative search giant, Google is offering Nexus One owners and soon-to-be users a phone number that they can call to talk to a live person. Combined with the Google’s decision to lower the Nexus One return fee, it seems Google is looking to boost the Android phone’s flat sales.

Here’s Google’s statement on the matter:

“By design, we focused initially on providing the best possible customer support through our on-line channel, and our experience in the four weeks since the Nexus One launch enabled us to significantly enhance that on-line support offering. We have been able to address a large majority of customers’ inquiries successfully through on-line support, in combination with phone support from our partners, HTC and T-Mobile (NYSE: DT). That said, our approach with our new consumer channel is to learn fast and continue to improve…Live phone support from Google, combined with an optimized on-line support experience, enables a superior Nexus One customer experience.”

Starting today, Google will field all your Nexus One customer support questions through their new toll-free phone number. If you’re in the US, just dial (888) 48NEXUS (63987) between 4 a.m. and 7 p.m. to talk to a real, live person. If you’re thinking about calling to get technical support or in reference to your T-Mobile service, you can find phone numbers here.

Google’s Nexus One sales have been fairly flat since the Android phone was launched earlier this year, but things may change with Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s decision to reduce its early termination fee. The Nexus One maker has been getting some bad press surrounding the Nexus One’s $350 early return fee – something Google calls their “equipment recovery fee” – and has even drawn an official inquiry by the FCC. It’s not clear why, exactly, but Google has announced that it has dropped the fee for returning a Nexus One down to $150.

Still, the drop in fees doesn’t make the Nexus One a cheap smartphone to return. Google’s new $150 “equipment recovery fee” rides on top of T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s $200 ETF fee, so it’s still going to cost you a pretty penny to give the N1 back to Google. If you return the phone within 14 days of purchase, you’re free and clear of the penalty. But, should you return the phone after 14 days, you’ll be stuck paying Google’s fee in addition to T-Mobile’s ETF.

Check out Google’s new Nexus One terms of sale here.