Another nice photo shot on the HTC Click Android Smartphone

Leaked as HTC Click with Android OS this week, a vietnamese forum tinhte has a clearer photo of the entry level Android
smartphone. The big round pad at the middle does not look like a trackball. According to slashgear, the HTC Click share the same button layout as HTC Magic, but the track ball is changed to a Dpad instead. The HTC Click should feature the new Sense UI like the HTC Hero and could be released by Q4 this year.

New Google Maps 3.2 Adds Info Layers

Released for Symbian S60 and Windows Mobile phones, Google has updated its Google Maps for Mobile with version 3.2. The new version allows you to add many layers of information to your maps such as public transit, traffic condition, local search results, Latitude friend locations, Wikipedia and more.



Other than the layering feature, map search results can now be also displayed on the map as little red dots so that you could find the nearest location from the result map. To download the new version, you can visit this page, m.google.com/maps, from your mobile directly and follow the instruction.

full release note below

New features

* ayers: Layers (’2′ shortcut key) allow you to view locations and additional info overlaid on the map. You can add multiple layers or remove only certain layers so you control exactly what information you want visible on the map at the same time. Familiar info now available as layers include search results, Traffic (with new traffic incident icons and info), Directions, and Google Latitude. New available layers include My Maps (view-only), Transit lines (w/upcoming station departure info where available), and Wikipedia.
* Browse categories: Browse popular categories from the Search menu to search the map for businesses or points of interest by type. Category searches are currently available only for results in the US and China.
* Additional search results: When you search the map, Maps for mobile will now show you additional search results beyond the top ten results. The additional results will appear as “dots” on the map that you can select to see more info. As you pan the map, more search results will appear. Just zoom in to select a specific dot if there are lots of results for your search.
* My Maps: Add the My Maps layer from the Layers menu and sign in to your Google Account to access your custom My Maps created and edited from your computer. My Maps are currently view-only from Google Maps for mobile. You cannot create or edit your My Maps.

Signing in to your Google Account

You may sign in to to your Google Account from Google Maps for mobile in order to access certain features such as My Maps. By signing in, you will be able to use features like Google Latitude or to access info linked to your Google Account from other places outside of Maps for mobile such as My Maps.

Signing out: Sign out of your Google Account in Maps for mobile at any time by selecting the option from the main menu. Once you sign out of your Google Account, you will no longer be able to access any features that require a Google Account such as My Maps or Google Latitude.

Google Latitude: Google Latitude is an opt-in feature that requires you to both explicitly join and to be signed in to your Google Account. You may sign in to your Google Account to use features like My Maps, but Latitude will not be enabled until you explicitly choose to join it from the main menu. Similarly, you may turn only Latitude off from its privacy menu and still remain signed in to your Google Account to use other Maps features that require your account. If you sign out of your Google Account entirely from the Maps main menu, all features that require your account will no longer be available, including Latitude.

Fixed issues

* Symbian S60: E61, E61i, and E62 devices: Shortcut keys work properly using the standard numeric shortcuts. Previously, shortcut keys were not working as intended on these devices.
* Windows Mobile: Copy and paste has been re-enabled for most text entry fields (Search, directions, and user name)

Troubleshooting

* Symbian S60
o N82 and N95 devices: we strongly encourage that you back up your device and consider upgrading to the latest device firmware version (see http://nokia.com/softwareupdate). A very small number of users report experiencing a device hang during installation, and we haven’t yet been able to reproduce this in the lab or determine the exact cause.
o For some S60 3rd ed. FP2 phones (Nokia 5320 XpressMusic, 6210 Navigator, 6220 Classic, 6650, N78, N79, N85, N96, N96-3), you may need to set a default destination using the following steps: Go to Settings > Connection > Destinations > Options > Default connection. Select “Internet” (if you have it) or whichever APN group you want it to use.
* Windows Mobile
o If you install Maps for mobile to your memory card instead of your device memory, you may experience issues due to a corrupt memory card or files. Please try a clean install using these instructions if you experience errors during installation:
1. Uninstall Maps for mobile by going to Settings > Systems > Remove Programs > Google Maps.
2. Do a soft reset / power off.
3. Delete any remaining files under “\Program Files\GoogleMaps” (if installed in the internal memory) or “\Storage Card\Program Files\GoogleMaps” (if installed in an external memory card).
4. Delete any remaining files under “\Application Data\GoogleMaps” (if installed in the internal memory) or “\Storage Card\Application Data\GoogleMaps” (if installed in an external memory card).
5. After that, re-install the latest version from m.google.com/maps
o Some users may see scrambled text upon loading Maps for mobile the first time after installation. Please try rebooting your phone first and seeing if this issue persists.

Samsung Mobile Announces Samsung Comeback and Gravity2 for T-Mobile USA

Complete with full QWERTY keyboards, T9 predictive text and auto word completion, Samsung Mobile and T-Mobile USA today announced their latest text-friendly messaging phones



The Samsung Comeback, available in pearl white plum or frost silver cherry, is a stylish messaging phone with a unique side-flip that reveals its full QWERTY keyboard. The Comeback takes messaging to the extreme with access to E-mail and text, picture, video and instant messaging. A built-in 2-megapixel camera with digital zoom and T-Mobile’s 3G network allows users to send pictures or upload images to their favorite social networking sites. The Comeback also features a MP3 player and support for up to 16 GB of expandable memory.






Similar to the Samsung Gravity that launched last year, the Samsung Gravity 2 also features a horizontal, slide-out QWERTY keyboard and boasts a thinner, sleeker design. The Gravity 2 offers a pair of fun color options – berry mauve and metallic pumpkin, multiple messaging capabilities, a 2-megapixel camera and camcorder, a built-in MP3 player and expandable memory up to 16GB.

The Samsung Comeback are currently available at T-Mobile, the Gravity 2 will be available in August.

Sprint’s Samsung Reclaim M560 messaging phone pictured

Not long after releasing the Samsung Exclaim, Sprint is now getting ready to introduce another messaging phone made by Sammy, namely the Samsung Reclaim M560 (previously knonw as Samsung Chianti).

Apparently targeted at young mobile users, the Reclaim M560 is a slider with a full QWERTY keyboard.

According to Phone Arena, the handset also features a 2.3 inch landscape QVGA display, GPS, 2MP camera, and “environment friendliness.” A 3.5mm headset jack seems to be included as well, but we can’t be sure about this for now.



Samsung Reclaim M560 should be available from Sprint starting August 16, in two color versions: blue and green (as seen in the images above). The phone’s price is not known at the moment.

Telus intros the Motorola Rival; Fido gets the Nokia 1661

Already available in the US via Verizon, Motorola Rival a455 is a messaging phone that features a full QWERTY keyboard, a 2.2 inch display with 176 x 220 pixels, Telus Navigator, Bluetooth, 3.5mm headset jack, Music player, 2MP camera, 130MB of internal memory and MicroSD card support.

Telus sells the Motorola Rival for as low as $99.99 with a contract agreement for 3 years. The carrier offers buyers the “chance to win a day with Universal Recording artist Shiloh”, plus three Shiloh songs (for a limited time).



Fido’s new phone, the Nokia 1661, is a basic candybar that features a 1.8 inch TFT display with 128 x 160 pixels, FM radio and flashlight. The phone is available online – for free with a 2-yr contract, or for $55 on prepay.

Samsung Reclaim M560 announced by Sprint alongside green initiatives

Sprint and Samsung Mobile USA have just announced the Samsung Reclaim M560, touted as “the first phone in the US constructed from eco-friendly bio-plastic materials.”

The Reclaim is a messaging phone made from 80% recyclable materials and coming in two colors versions: Earth Green and Ocean Blue.

The phone’s features include a sliding QWERTY keyboard, QVGA display, Sprint Navigation with Search, access to corporate and personal email, Stereo Bluetooth, Web browser, 2MP camera with video recording, and MicroSDHC card support (up to 32GB).

Samsung Reclaim has no paper-made user manual. Instead, a virtual manual will be accessible at this address



Sprint will sell the Reclaim starting August 16, for $49.99 with a 2-yr contract agreement (after a $30 instant rebate and a $50 mail-in rebate). According to Sprint, “$2 of the proceeds will benefit The Nature Conservancy’s Adopt an Acre program, which supports land conservation across the United States and protects some of the world’s most beautiful and important natural habitats.”

The Samsung Reclaim will also be available at Wal-Mart, but only starting September.

Apart from announcing the new Samsung phone, Sprint has also unveiled several environmental initiatives. For example, the carrier plans to reduce paper usage by 30% during the next 5 years. To learn more about Sprint’s green plans, you can visit this website.

HTC Touch Pro2 details appear at Sprint’s website

Although it wasn’t released in June, as rumored, Sprint’s HTC Touch Pro2 is getting really close to an official announcement.

Some of its specs have appeared at Sprint’s official website, so we can hope that it won’t be long until the smartphone is launched.

As expected, Sprint’s Touch Pro2 is not too different from T-Mobile’s one, and neither from the European version.

Also known as HTC Rhodium, the Windows Mobile 6.1 handset comes with a 480 x 800 pixels touchscreen display, sliding QWERTY keyboard, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3.2MP camera, and “international quadband” – meaning that it has both GSM and CDMA connectivity.



No word yet about the price of HTC Touch Pro2 from Sprint. However, you should know that the carrier is currently selling the first-generation Touch Pro for $299 on contract.

CDMA Motorola W562 surfaces; headed to China

The same day when Motorola unveiled the pictureless MOTO W403, we’ve spotted another new Moto phone, namely the W562.

Unlike the W403, Motorola W562 is a CDMA handset that will be soon launched by China Telecom.

The phone appears both at Motorola China’s website, and at the Bluetooth SIG (where it’s said that it could reach not only for Asia, but also the Americas and Europe).

The W562 is a candybar with a decent design and external music controls (resembling Nokia’s XpressMusic phones):



Its specs include:

* 2.4 inch TFT display with 176 x 220 pixels
* 3.5mm headset jack
* Bluetooth 2.0
* Music player
* USB
* 2MP camera
* WAP browser
* 64MB of internal memory
* 910 mAh battery
* 113 x 49.4 x 14.2 mm
* 87 grams

The price and release date of Motorola W562 are not known

Samsung to launch Android phones priced at “well under $100″?

Today, during the announcement of Sprint’s eco-friendly Samsung Reclaim in the US, a Samsung official said that, by next year, Android touchscreen phones would be available “for well under $100.”

According to the New York Times, the statement was made by Casey Ryan, product manager for the new Reclaim phone at Samsung.

Now, we don’t know if he was talking about free of contract phones, or subsidized phones, but it’s probably the latter case. Which is still great – an Android phone sold for, let’s say, $50 on contract would probably be an instant hit.

Exact details about the upcoming cheap Android devices were not given, so I guess that we should wait for 2010 to see what it brings.



At the moment, the cheapest Android phone on the US market costs 149.99 with a 2-yr contract agreement (the T-Mobile G1).

Nokia N86 NAM to ship on August 22 for $499

Announced by Nokia last month, the N86 8MP NAM will be available in the US a bit later than expected: starting August 22, when the phone’s black version will ship to retailers.

The good news is that the N86 8MP will be sold for $499 – a price lower than the one Nokia has previously announced ($558).

As you probably already know, N86 is Nokia’s only 8MP camera phone. Camera aside, its features are kind of similar to the ones of Nokia N85, including a 2.6 QVGA AMOLED screen, GPS, Wi-Fi, and a 3.5mm headset jack.
Nokia N86 NAM

At this point, no US carrier has announced its interest to sell the Nokia N86 8MP, so US customers will have to buy it unlocked, at the price already mentioned ($499).