Nokia 700 Zeta with Symbian Belle images leaked

Most Nokia news these days surrounds its Windows Phone 7 efforts, but the Nokia 700 “Zeta” reminds us that Symbian handsets are still floating in the pipeline. It looks like a nice phone for those who are looking for a simple smartphone without all the bells and whistles of the higher-end Android or Windows Phone devices out there. It is running Symbian Belle, the successor to Anna.

However, it doesn’t look like this will be a bottom-of-the-barrel device. Word is that it is equipped with a 1GHz processor, which is pretty much standard fare these days, 3.2-inch nHD AMOLED display (nHD is what Nokia uses for 640 x 360 resolution screens). The Nokia 700, or Zeta, is pretty lightweight at just 80g, and 110 x 51 x 10mm, so it’s pretty thin, but not the thinnest phone ever.

GSM Arena reports:

From the photo, you can see that the camera is a 5MP unit and has a LED flash. We can’t guess at whether or not it has autofocus though. Also, the Nokia 700 has NFC connectivity, which Nokia seems to be warming up to following the Nokia N9 announcement.

Other specs that the tipster managed to get out of the Nokia 700 (which as we speculated might be called N7) is that it runs Symbian Belle (an update to Anna) and packs Wi-Fi b/g/n. There’s also fast HSPA speeds (10.2Mbps or 14.4Mbps downlink and 5.76Mbps uplink). The battery was a 1080mAh unit.

We haven’t heard much about the Nokia 700 Zeta, so we can’t comment on release dates, pricing or regions/countries where it will be released. But stay tuned and we’ll share our findings as soon as we come across them!

Wireless Carriers Rejoice as Landlines Go Extinct

Telecoms offering wireless and wireline service are cashing in as a new Federal Communications Commission report reveals around 90 percent of U.S. residents own a cell phone and nearly a quarter have axed their landline service.

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The numbers are even higher among the younger set, with less than half of 25- to 29-year-olds saying they have a landline in their home.

The shift is bad news for landline-only services, but double-duty companies like AT&T and Verizon stand to turn a profit from the changeover.

A family of four, for example, can share a Verizon or AT&T landline for as little as $20 a month. Those same companies can charge upwards of $200 for that same family to get cell phones. Verizon currently leads the wireless pack in profit margins, followed by AT&T.

Consumers aren't just moving away from landlines, they're also demanding more than just voice service, and wireless companies are cashing in. Voice service charges declined to around $33 a month in 2009, from over $47 in 2004, but data and text costs jumped to $12 from just $2 over the same period.

The disappearance of landlines may also mean the extinction of phone books, or a move to putting cell numbers in them. That may also force cable, Internet and phone companies to increasingly focus on wireless service and broadband arms of their businesses.

In addition, some may shift to offering home phone service only through broadband Internet, such as what Vonage offers.

But these potential developments could spell trouble for rural areas, where it can be hard to find Internet or cell service. Less than seven out of 10 rural Americans have a choice of two or more wireless carriers and less than four out of 10 can pick from three or more, according to FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell.

"For 2008, these numbers were 62 and 29 percent respectively," McDowell wrote. "That said, we can and we must do better."

The FCC report is supposed to decide whether there is much competition in the wireless market in the U.S. Commissioners said that is unclear, and they want to see more competition so prices stay competitive, service gets better, and more people can have more options.

That competition will become increasingly important in areas that currently have one or no wireless carriers to choose from, especially as the need for wireless in those areas grows and landlines die, or in these instances, become the last places in the U.S. to find landlines.

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Verizon's LTE fastest, T-Mobile takes second place, while AT&T provides in rural America

PC Mag just finished its extensive annual test of the nation's carrier networks, and the results are in. After driving with six people for 6000 miles, and using 16 smartphones in the process, more than 140 000 tests were made in 21 major cities, with specialized software supplied by Sensorly, to measure the network coverage and speeds of Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, MetroPCS and Cricket.

Without going much into the details of it by geographical area, we'll just list what the tests found as an end result. When facts talk, marketing walks, so have a look at the charts below that say it all. Hit the source link, if you want a breakdown by region or city - the 21 test cities were Atlanta, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Charlotte, Nashville, Jacksonville, South Florida, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

The test devices were the LG Optimus C (the best Cricket had to offer), the Samsung Galaxy Indulge(MetroPCS), the HTC ThunderBolt (Verizon 4G), the HTC DROID Incredible (Verizon 3G), the Samsung Galaxy S 4G (T-Mobile), the HTC EVO 4G (Sprint), and the Samsung Infuse 4G with AT&T.

The tests found Verizon's 4G LTE network to be the fastest and most reliable in the major cities, with T-Mobile's recently upgraded 4G HSPA+ network taking second place. Verizon's 4G really delivered in Chicago, clocking 15.73Mbps on average. AT&T provided better performance in more rural areas, in terms of overall index, since despite all the 4G hype, its coverage is almost non-existent outside big cities for now, and this is going to change in the distant 2013. Sprint's situation is a bit different with its rented WiMAX network and CDMA standard, but it did well on the 4G test, coming third, while a traditional rural carrier like U.S. Cellular declined the tests of its network.

Last year we had AT&T taking the lead, while Verizon's LTE was still being built. Next year we will probably have different results with AT&T rolling out its LTE project, and Sprint possibly making a switch as well, whileT-Mobile gets folded into AT&T's network. For 2011, however, the facts are listed in the two tables below. As for pricing and data caps, that's a whole different comparison, with its own heroes and villains.

Google now activates 500,000 Android devices per day, on track to hit 1 million per day in October

On May 10th at the 2011 Google I/O conference, the search engine company announced that they were activating over 400,000 Android devices every single day. Today, via a tweet from Andy Rubin, the father of Android, pictured above wearing glasses, we now know that number is up to 500,000 per day, and more importantly it’s growing at a rate of 4.4% per week. Using some basic maths (500,000 x 1.044 and counting the number of times we hit the equal button on our calculator until it shows a number over 1 million, then adding that number to 26, the current week of the year we’re in) we’ve tabulated that by the end of October the number of Android devices being activated per day should equal just over 1 million. To put that number into some perspective, the first device to ship with Android, the HTC Dream (or G1 as it’s better known), shipped in October 2008.

We’re looking forward to seeing what future Android devices are going to come out during the second half of this year, hopefully more hardware packing near field communication (NFC) technology. Then in 2012 we’ll have to be wearing bibs when using our computers as we’ll no doubt be drooling over the quad core beasts that are going to be hitting the scene, likely with the added ability of recording video in 1080p. Besides the high end superphones, we’re also looking forward to seeing what type of device you’ll be able to get for less than $200. Today that buys you something with a 2.8 inch 240 x 320 pixel resolution screen, WiFi, GPS, and 3G, all running on a slow-ish processor. In 2012 we want to see 800 x 480 screens, Snapdragon processors, and possibly even HSPA+ access come to budget handsets. It’ll happen, it’s just a matter of when.

Anyway, how many of those 500,000 Android per day do you think are Honeycomb tablets? Five, six, nine? No seriously, ten?

Nokia brags with best-in-industry HTML5 performance on the N9 browser, downplays Flash support

The MeeGo-powered Nokia N9 comes with an all-new HTML5-enabled browser – a crucial piece of software for the Finns, who failed to deliver a contemporary browser in Symbian^3, at least before the Anna update. Maybe that's the reason why Nokia picked “the browser that doesn’t annoy me” motto for the browser in the N9 and to a certain extent it seems that the company has succeeded with meeting this goal. 

There are three ways of using the browser: you can just type in addresses, pick them from your bookmarks or tap a shortcut from the launcher. It supports pinch-to-zoom and double-tap to zoom, as well as increasing the font without affecting other elements.

But it's HTML5 where the N9 browser truly shines. With a score of 283 at one HTML5 test, it outranks all other mobile browsers and takes on some desktop ones. Luckily, it supports HTML5 videos and CSS 3D, but also other mobile elements of the specifications for HTML5 like motion and location awareness. CSS 3, Javascript 1.8, XHTML and XML are all supported as well.

But the biggest downer is thelack of Adobe Flash support. You'd have to completely rely on HTML5, which might be good in the future when the standard gets widely adopted, but currently a big part of the web is in Flash. Luckily, though, YouTube already delivers content via HTML5 and the N9 browser makes use of that. Check out the screenshots below and don't hesitate to share your feelings towards Nokia's decision to go Flash-less!

Pope Gets Social With Facebook, Twitter

The Vatican has integrated social media tools like Facebook and Twitter into its official news website, allowing the faithful more ways to navigate its news archives.

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The newly integrated official news website, news.va, will serve as a one-stop shop for news and information republished from L'Osservatore Romano, Vatican Radio, Vatican Television, the Fides news agency and other Vatican media outlets.

Users will be able to livestream papal events, and post links to Twitter accounts and Facebook walls of homilies, statements, and speeches from the site.

In announcing news of the overhaul, Msgr. Claudio Maria Celli recognized the value of the Internet and power of the social media as significant tools to keep the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and its message in the forefront of people's minds.

"I think we must educate the Roman Curia of what is the real meaning of communication," said Msgr. Celli, who will manage the portal. "Little by little, they will perceive that this is the real meaning to be present, to have relevance."

The move aims to modernize and personalize the Vatican, which many view as an outdated bureaucratic institution with little relevance to their everyday life. The Holy See, following suit of other prominent officials, will reportedly Tweet messages to his flock.

The announcement comes on the heels of other media efforts by the institution, like the debut of a Facebook page dedicated to late Pope John Paul II's beatification, the launch of a YouTube channel and the creation of the "Pope2You" mobile app.

While the new website shows the Vatican embracing mobile technologies, the Pontiff has expressed concern over social media in the past. Earlier this year, Pope Benedict said that online media provided "unprecedented opportunities for establishing relationships and building fellowship," but warned Christians to favor real-life relationships over these temptations.

"It is important to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives," the pope cautioned.

Still, to be "relevant" as the monsignor suggests, the Vatican has little choice but integrate technology. As mobile means and social interactions become ingrained in everyday life, the Catholic Church will likely follow in order to remain part of the conversation and not be left behind.

The 83-year-old pope, who writes all his speeches in long hand and is described as technology-adverse, is set to launch the site from the Apostolic Palace with a click of a tablet device on June 29th, which is the 60th anniversary of his ordination into the priesthood.

The church-related news aggregator and social media hub will initially carry stories in English and Italian, and reportedly, there will Spanish, French, German and Portuguese-language versions launched over the next few months.

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Windows Phone 7 Mango may not require physical buttons

Last week, we finally saw a mockup of the Nokia Sea Ray WP7 handset, and were mildly intrigued to see that there were no physical buttons on the front of the phone. The prevailing theory at the time was that the photos didn't represent finalized hardware, and that the function buttons would be added later. Now, it seems that WP7 may be taking a cue from Android and moving to not require physical buttons at all. 

The news comes from Eldar Murtazin, a Russian blogger who has had a track record of breaking big news, namely that Nokia and Microsoft were making the deal for Nokia to exclusively use WP7. This time, Eldar is saying that with the WP7 Mango update, manufacturers will no longer be required to have physical function buttons on the front of a device. 

This seems like an odd move by Microsoft, because physical buttons cause far fewer accidental presses than virtual buttons. It's also strange because the move to virtual buttons was a necessity for Google, because manufacturers couldn't agree on what order the menu, home, back and search buttons should be placed (or even if there would be a search button), so virtual buttons make a more unified experience for users. Microsoft already had hardware requirements in place so all phones have the same back, Windows, and search buttons in the same places. 

'Apple is in big trouble,' tech expert holding an iPhone says

Apple might be the second-largest company in the world with a market cap of over $300 billion, but if you take the words of NBC's Today Show Gear and Technology editor, Paul Hochman, it's in serious trouble. 

Hochman, holding an iPhone, spoke at the Forward with Ford Futuring and Trends Conference:

"Apple’s in big trouble. They’re sitting on piles of cash, but they are sitting on a closed system. In biology, in history, a closed system never survives."

At the same time, he lavished praise on Ford for picking an open system, one which allows an external device like both an iOS or Android one for communication and even apps. Conversely, General Motors which opted for a closed system doesn't allow upgrade of the hardware locking you down into using the same device even when it fades out of relevance after a couple of years. This argument certainly holds ground as the lifespan of a car is usually much longer than the one of a phone, but do you agree with Hochman's comments on Apple? Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments below.

Steroidal 1.4GHz version of the Samsung Galaxy S II to be launched in time for the next iPhone

We've got another rumor now that Samsung is planning an improved version of the Samsung Galaxy S II around the time the next iPhone launches in late August or early September. 

After Eldar Murtazin's musings that the Apple-Samsung legal kerfuffle is actually over the next high-end phones of Samsung, which will supposedly feature an edge-to-edge display, faster chipset and so on, we have Asian sources telling that Samsung is prepping a 1.4GHz sequel, which might not even be included in the Galaxy line, but get an altogether unique name of its own.

While this could just be a version with the NFC capabilities unleashed, and overclocked chipset, we'd rather hope it's going to be more than that, since a few MHz more alone is unlikely to sway the next iPhone buyers enough, provided that it will also sport a dual-core chipset - Apple's A5 - capable of Full HD 1080p video recording. 

Still, Samsung is not new to the overclocking game, given the 1.2GHz Hummingbird in the Infuse 4G, or theSamsung Galaxy S 2011 Edition, which features a 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor. Or, alternatively, the sources might mean the Samsung Galaxy S II Mini, which is listed with 1.4GHz chipset as well, but then they say the rumored handset will be external to the Galaxy line. We'll see how this plays out, the possibility that this is something new and fresh is always exciting, but we shouldn't be raising our hopes too high until we know more.

Facebook Disables Apps, to Beef Up Security

Facebook shut down a large number of third-party applications, as the company looks to solidify its platform and increase its security measures following a plague of cyber-attacks worldwide.

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The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company's law enforcement system responded to an influx of spam complaints, and disabled several applications. The apps ranged from lower-level applications with small number of daily users to several larger apps like Goodreads, Photo Effect and Social Interview.

Facebook engineers said its new security system is designed to give spam reports more weight.

"We turned on a new enforcement system yesterday that took user feedback much more heavily into account," the company said in a blog post. "This resulted in a number of applications with high negative user feedback being disabled or having certain features disabled."

People complained the apps excessively posted on users' walls and news feeds, prompting Facebook to disable them.

"The numbers were high enough to cause a real loss of trust in applications, which can impact the entire platform," the company said. "Where we have failed is not providing enough feedback about negative engagement metrics to developers before needing to take this action."

These new security measures may be linked to Facebook's "Project Spartan" mobile venture. Project Spartan, an optimized website for Apple's Safari browsers, allows Facebook to create an app that runs through the Internet, rather than through the App Store.

By taking this route, Facebook bypasses Apple's strict control of its platform. The company, which hopes to attract customers to use the iOS-optimized website, is reportedly solidify its platform before it releases its own applications that run exclusively through Project Spartan, rather than Apple's App Store.

Facebook's increase in security measures may also be a response to the global hacking epidemic of the past two months. Hacker groups LulzSec and Anonymous have breached companies like Sony, Nintendo, Sega and Fox News, while also gaining access to government agencies like the Senate, NATO and the CIA.

Facebook, with over 750 million users, may be a prime target for these malicious groups.

The social networking giant has taken steps to beef up its security. In April, Facebook unveiled new tools designed to counter security issues and misbehaviorlike online bullying. It also instituted "social reporting," which allows users to notify the site of offensive photos and wall posts, including profiles, pages and groups.

The following month, the website signed a deal with "Web of Trust," a Finnish startup company that scores website safety. The service, which rates websites based on user reviews, calculates a link's score, advising users whether or not it is safe continue to the website.

Disabling apps may help Facebook pursue Project Spartan, or help prevent it from being the next target of a major cyber-attack.

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HTC Thunderbolt getting Android 2.3.4 update, Skype Video on June 30th

HTC Thunderbolt owners, here’s a piece of good news for you. Your LTE-enabled smartphone will get the Android 2.3.4 update on June 30th! And while that’s great news for itself, there’s more — aside from the latest flavor of Gingerbread, the software upgrade will also bring video calls, including GTalk and check this, Skype Video. Yep, we’ve been waiting this for quite some time now and had to rely on other apps like Tango to beam our ugly faces to the unlucky recipient on the other side of the line. No more, he or she will soon be able to “enjoy” the sight using the familiar Skype interface. That said, I do expect to lose a contact or two from my Skype list in the next few days, but hey – something’s gotta give.

Bear in mind, June 30th is not the official date and has been confirmed by neither Verizon nor HTC. However, we have a reason to believe there’s some merit in this story and we’ll definitely keep our ears on the street and get back to you as soon as something new pops up. Stay tuned…

89% of world's tablet based digital traffic comes from the Apple iPad

How many ways can you divide data into bite sized morsels for the public to digest? The gang at comScore have come up with what they call the Device Essentials analytics service. The study uses "census-level information from tagged web page content" to break down digital traffic by device, and it is a fascinating chart to study. According to the firm's first report, the Apple iPad dominates digital traffic globally with a whopping 89% of tablet produced traffic.

In some countries, the Apple iPad is close to having the highest percentage of non-computer digital traffic. For example, in Canada where the Apple iPhone accounts for 34.6% of such traffic, the iPad is the source of 33.5%. In Brazil, the iPad actually leads, accounting for 31.8% of digital traffic in that country while its stablemate, the iPhone, is responsible for 21%. The opposite is seen in Singapore. There, Apple's touchscreen device produces 51.9% of the non-computer digital traffic versus only 21.6% emanating from Apple's tablet.

While the iPhone produces the most non-computer digital traffic in most countries, the tables are turned in the U.S. where 35.6% are produced by Android phones and 23.5% by the Apple iPhone. When it comes to tablets, though, the iPad dominates, leading in all 13 countries included in the survey. In the U.S., Apple's tablet had a commanding lead over Android tablets with traffic shares of 21.8% and .6% respectively.

Another interesting stat brought up by comScore is the fact that 47.5% of iPhone internet traffic comes on aWi-Fi network while 21.7% of Android traffic is routed over Wi-Fi. 91.9% of traffic sourced from the Apple iPad was Wi-Fi based while that figure for Android tablets is 65.2%