Indian Samsung Galaxy S Gets Android Gingerbread [Update]

The Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for the popular Samsung Galaxy S has been leaked at the end of March and it even managed to hit a couple of smartphones in April before Google halted the roll-out.

According to reports, Indian Samsung Galaxy S smartphones are getting the official Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread update via the KIES software. The platform refresh -- DDJV -- will install Android 2.3.3 on smartphones with several improvements and bugfixes and we expect other regions to follow (while hoping that nobody will halt the roll-out process this time). 

Update: Turns out that Galaxy S smartphones in Hong Kong are getting their Gingerbread treats too, according to Samsung HUB and this time it's JV5. 

Source: Twitter 
Via: Samsung HUB

Nokia Starts Shipping the E6, X7, First Symbian Anna Phones

On April 12 Nokia launched the E6 business oriented smartphone and the X7 as the first Nokia phones to ship with Symbian Anna aka PR2.

One and a half month later the Finnish manufacturer announces that the E6 and Nokia X7 are now shipping: E6 in Europe, Eurasia, Asia/Pacific, as well as the Middle East and Africa and X7 in Europe, Eurasia, China, India and other Asia/Pacific countries. If you already own a Nokia N8, E7, C7 and C6, Symbian Anna should be available for your smartphone in the coming months.

Source: Nokia Conversations
Via: My Nokia Blog

Motorola Droid 3 Shows Up In Verizon's System, Launch Close?

A rumor based on a leaked Verizon screenshot just recently disappointed telling the world that the upcoming Motorola Droid 3 will not ship with Google's latest and greatest Android 2.3 Gingerbread mobile platform. 

Following the principle according to which "there's more where this came from", a similar screenshot fully confirms the fact that the upcoming Motorola smartphone is indeed in Verizon's system, meaning it's being prepared for a launch -- June maybe, as rumored. 

According to NenaMark, the Droid 3 is powered by a 1GHz processor (probably a dual-core Texas Instruments) and PowerVR SGX540 GPU with confirmed qHD (960x540) screen of around four inches in diagonal. Recently some of these specs were confirmed by anonymous sources and some more: dedicated HDMI-out port, eight-megapixel main camera, front facer and no LTE-support. 

Source: AndroidCentral

Microsoft Making $5 Off Every HTC Android, HTC Doesn't Disclose

Last year we head some reports that Microsoft is cashing in $20-$40 off each Android smartphone soldand more recently a new amount is being speculated, in another context. Last April, Microsoft announced a patent agreement with HTC under the terms of which Microsoft will receive royalties for every Android smartphone HTC ever sells. 

According to some calculations, the amount could be as high as $5 per HTC Android smartphone sold. Extend that to approximately 30 million units and Microsoft cashes in a nice amount of $150 million. That's HTC only and according to reports, Redmond is seeking similar settlements with other OEMs manufacturing Android smartphones looking to cash in anything between $7.50 and $12.50 per unit sold. 

U.K.'s Guardian reached out to HTC for a confirmation of the alleged information and, after a first reaction of "oh, that sounds far too high. I don't think we'd be paying that" HTC followed up with an official statement: "Last year, HTC and Microsoft did announce a licensing agreement for Android handsets. Such agreements are not unusual in the wireless industry, and as is the case with all such agreements, HTC does not disclose financial terms". 

Silenzio stampa as you can clearly see but even if that royalty fee would be $1 per Android sold, that would make Redmond around $30 million richer. The amounts might as well go to R&D, other divisions, Nokia or simply to the piggy bank. Clearly Google's Android "open source" platform is more profitable for Microsoft than its own Windows Phone at the moment -- and in order to be equally interesting financially Microsoft would need to sell around 10 million Windows Phones, as the license for the Redmond mobile platform is rumored to be around $15. 

Source: Guardian, Asymco, Microsoft

Dual-Core Face Off: Optimus 2x vs. Galaxy S 2 (Video)

Here's the comparison you've been waiting for, filmed by guest Editor Craig Gillispie: a comparison between the hottest dual-core phones on the market right now, the LG Optimus 2x and the Samsung Galaxy S 2. We run benchmarks, compare web browsing performance, determine which has more RAM upon bootup, and compare the time it takes each to launch certain applications.




As you can see from the below spec comparison, the Galaxy S 2 looks better on paper, with a faster-clocking CPU, a big battery, better 1080p video recording in terms of framerate, a higher resolution front-facing camera, plus it has more storage. What really matters is day-to-day speed and usability. In this video, you get to see which device comes out on top when compared on a wide variety of metrics.