BlackBerry Bold 9900 Now Available From Vodafone U.K.

Recently we told you that Vodafone U.K. had theBlackBerry Bold 9900 on pre-order but now the phone is available in Britain directly from the carrier. Interestingly, the pre-order page stated that the target delivery date was August 16 but it's always nice to grab a phone earlier than expected.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is free on pay monthly plans from £41 if you are willing to sign a two-year commitment with the carrier. If your answer is yes, you'll get a phone that features a 2.8-inch VGA screen, QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad, 1.2 GHz processor, 768 MB RAM, 8 GB on-board memory, microSD slot supporting up to 32 GB cards, five-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording capability, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 2.1,WiFi b/g/n, accelerometer, magnetometer, proximity sensor and a 1230 mAh battery. Of course, it runs BlackBerry OS 7.

Samsung: Yesterday's Lineup Rumors "Not Accurate"

Yesterday, we learned about what were supposed to be some of Samsung's upcoming Androids, including some models with very tantalizing specs like 720p displays. While only a little bit of detail was available for any given model, it was nonetheless a nice preview of what may be on the way from Samsung in the second half of 2011 and early 2012. That is, the information would be very interesting, were it true; Samsung has officially responded to the rumors, stating that "the details being cited are not accurate".

That Samsung is even commenting on these rumors is an oddity itself; smartphone manufacturers usually play their cards close to the chest, and if a little misinformation gets out there, it would generally only help to keep the real secrets secret.

Samsung doesn't seem to be denying the existence of the revealed models, but only that of some of the specs offered. We've been able to find evidence that at least some of those models are in-testing, so it's not surprising to see Samsung shy away from a blanket rejection of the rumors. The source was clearly close enough to Samsung to learn that these models are being developed, so how did he or she get some details wrong? The source could have been relying on information that Samsung's since updated; we'd certainly expect some specs to evolve during the development process. Then again, maybe they're spot-on and Samsung just doesn't want us knowing so.

What could be so out-of-the-park incorrect that Samsung would feel the need to comment on it? The only details that seemed extraordinary were the mention of 720p displays for a couple of the models, as well as the inclusion of Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Could the GT-I9250 be the next Nexus, and Samsung's response is somehow influenced by Google's reaction to the rumors? The last thing we need now is to muddy the already-murky waters here with additional guesswork, so we'll wait until future information on the mentioned models is revealed and we can confirm which specs were hits, and which were misses. 

Android Application Weekly 12 Aug 2011

n this episode of the Android Application Weekly we demonstrate some apps that will keep you entertained, backup your messages to Gmail, and see what kinds of food is available at various restaurants. To download these directly to your Android smartphone or tablet just take a picture of the QR-Code using Google Goggles or any other QR-Code scanner or click on the app title link to be taken directly to the Android Market. 

Bouncy Mouse – Lite and $0.99 full version 



Bouncy Mouse is an addictive puzzle game. The object of the game is to launch from one checkpoint to the next with the mouse’s tail. Collect as much cheese as possible before attacking the cat to beat that level. Use the mouse to bounce off of walls and other objects, but be careful to not bounce too far or you could end up losing a life.



Foodspotting – A free application



Having an Android makes it easy to find restaurants and places of business, but how do you know exactly what to expect? With Foodspotting you will be able to submit photos of great food so others will be able to see exactly what the restaurant offers. View other’s submissions to make sure the food is up to par for your particular taste.



Kii Safe – A free application 



If you have ever shown a photo of something on your Android to someone you know that as soon as someone has that smartphone in their hands they begin scrolling through all the other photos. With Kii Safe you can help to prevent anyone from viewing photos you would like to keep private. Just set up the Kii Safe app with a password, and in the Gallery just share a photo and select the Kii Safe icon. The photos will automatically be removed from the Gallery and stored on the Kii Safe app.



Skifta – A free application



Skifta is one of the best media players available for Android. As an officially certified DLNA app created by Qualcomm, the Skifta app has many codecs to play various types of video, music, and other media. If your Android is fast enough you can even play HD videos. Search through computers connected to your Wi-Fi network or select a network drive to play the media.



Backup To Gmail – No trial and $1.99 full version



The best features of Android are the integration of apps and services through Google, whether you are trying to find a place to go using the Google Navigation or syncing your Calendar. One feature that is missing is having the ability to back up your SMS, MMS, and call logs. With Backup To Gmail you will be able to backup all of your messages and call logs with ease. Just input your account information and Backup To Gmail will do the rest. There is even an option to restore in the event that you will need to reformat you Android.

HTC "Stunning" With NFC Actually Incredible S

A couple days ago, we heard about HTC's plans to release its first smartphone with integrated support for Near Field Communications. The first device to include the feature was to be the HTC Stunning, pegged for release in China to start letting its users conduct mobile transactions through the nation's UnionPay system. Funny thing is, it turns out that the Stunning is a phone we're already familiar with, and its misidentification was due to a translation issue.

Apparently, Chinese for "stunning", just like in English, isn't too far off from "incredible". So, what we heard was the HTC Stunning is actually just a hardware-refreshed Incredible S with an NFC transceiver and antenna.

The good news of this is that it makes it all the more likely that we'll see HTC bring NFC to smartphones for a Western audience sooner rather than later. For all we know, we could see this very same Incredible S start to replace the non-NFC version (along with the non-NFC Incredible 2). That may be overly optimistic, but it's almost a certainty that we'll be seeing it in one HTC handset or another soon. 

No New iPhone For September 7; Maybe October 7 Instead?

Getting a firm grasp on when Apple will launch itsnext iPhone is turning out to be more like catching a greased-up pig; just when we think we have it cornered-down, it squeezes away and, in a flash, is somewhere else already. We just heard thatSeptember 7 might be the date the smartphone gets launched. Today's collection of rumors says "no" to that date, and points to early October, yet again.

The rejection of September 7 comes courtesy of The Loop's Jim Dalrymple, who cites sources with knowledge of the release as informing him Applehas no such plans. He wasn't able to help us out at all with when the release might actually be, instead, but is confident it won't be September 7.

The latest rumor for an October launch isn't as solid as that dismissal of September, but TiPb believes that we'll see the next iPhone emerge very early in October. They're looking at October 7 as the most likely candidate, but don't offer much in the way of explanation for why they hold that belief. Still, there's no specific reason to think they're off-base here, so we'll keep that one circled on our calendars as one of the many, many possible launch dates we're considering.