Nokia X7 smartphone: 4-inch AMOLED screen, 720p video and updated Symbian software

Nokia has officially taken the wraps off its new X7 smartphone – an entertainment and mobile gaming focused unit that packs a 4-inch, 16:9, AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 8 megapixel camera and 720p video capture into nicely chiseled stainless steel casing that's less than half an inch (11.9 mm) thick. Along with the (also freshly announced) QWERTY keyboard equipped E6, the X7 is the first Nokia device to run on the updated Symbian "Anna" platform which introduces a raft of enhancements including new icons, improved text input, faster browsing and a spruced-up version of Ovi Maps.

Though the 4-inch screen size trumps some of the obvious competition, the X7 still seems a little light on pixels with its 640 x 360 resolution. The 8 megapixel camera is enhanced by a face recognition software and a dual LED flash, with 2x digital zoom available for still images and 3x digital for video.

Under the bonnet there's a 680MHz CPU with 256MB RAM (the same as current Symbian^3 phones) and the phone will ship with an 8 GB microSD card (supporting up to 32 GB), includes GPS receivers, an accelerometer for screen orientation and gaming and supports internet tethering.

Here's a run-down of the Nokia X7's key specs:

• Size: 119.7 x 62.8 x 11.9 mm
• Weight (with battery): 146 g
• Screen size: 4"
• Resolution: 16:9 nHD (640 x 360 pixels) AMOLED
• 16.7 million colors
• Capacitive touch screen
• Orientation sensor (Accelerometer)
• Proximity sensor
• Ambient light detector
• Integrated GPS, A-GPS receivers
• Ovi Maps with free car and pedestrian navigation
• Wi-Fi network positioning
• Accelerometer for correct orientation of display
• Talk-time (max): 6 h 30 min (GSM), 4 h 30 min (WCDMA)
• Standby time (max): 450 h (GSM), 450 h (WCDMA)
• 8 GB microSD card included, support for up to 32 GB with an external MicroSD memory card (with hot swap)

Bluetooth 3.0

Micro USB 2.0 connector and charging

3.5 mm Nokia standard audio connector

FM Radio

Dedicated graphics processor with OpenGL 2.0 enables 3D graphics

Java games

Handwriting recognition for Chinese

Flash Lite 4

Camera

• 8 megapixel camera
• Fullscreen 16:9 viewfinder with easy on-screen touch controls
• 3rd generation dual LED flash
• Face recognition software
• Focal length: 4.3 mm
• Aperture: F2.8
• Zoom up to 2x (digital) for still images
• Zoom up to 3x (digital) for video

Video

• Video capture in 720p 25 fps with codecs H.264, MPEG-4
• Shoots 16:9 videos in HD
• Settings for scene, video light, white balance, color tone

No U.S. wireless carriers have been announced for the Nokia X7 or E6 at this stage, but Three in the UK has picked up the X7 with a release expected in coming months at a price in the €380 range.

Nokia has also announced that the Symbian Anna update will become available as standard on for Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia C7 and Nokia C6-01 devices.

HTC sensation 4G takes HTC flagship mantle

HTC has unveiled its new flagship smartphone – the HTC Sensation. Powered by a 1.2 GHz MSM8660 dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and runningAndroid 2.3 (Gingerbread) the HTC Sensation is designed with multimedia in mind. Packing a 4.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) touchscreen display, Sense 3.0, front-facing VGA camera, and 4G capabilities, the Sensation shares many of the features of theEVO 3D, minus the 3D.
The Sensation also ups the ante with a curved unibody aluminum body and a higher resolution 8-megapixel rear-facing autofocus camera that can shoot 1080p video at 30fps. Captured video can also be trimmed on the phone before uploading. For downloading videos, the Sensation's HSPA+ capabilities promise speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps, and a new HTC Watch video download service, that will also be found on the company's upcoming Flyer tablet, makes its first appearance in a phone.

Features include a customizable active lock screen that constantly updates social media, photos, weather or stock updates, which can then be viewed by waking the display. The lock screen also serves as the launchpad for jumping to the phone's most-used features. For example, the camera can be launched right from the lock screen in a single motion to give users the best possible chance of capturing the action.

The Sensation comes with 768 MB of RAM and 1GB of internal memory, but HTC has thrown in an 8GB microSD card to help with all that video your service provider hopes you'll be downloading on the device. The phone weighs 148 g (5.2 oz.) and at 11.3 mm (0.44 inches) thick, comes in slightly thicker than the iPhone 4. However, the Sensation's 4.3-inch widescreen display is almost an inch bigger than the 3.5-inch display of Apple's device.

iPhone 5 release expected by the end of end of June 2011

iPhone lovers are waiting anxiously for the next iteration to Apple’s signature that is assumed to be a revolutionary Smartphone. People are getting crazy about it. The reports of new iPhone 5 has brought many questions with it as when it will be going to release; what features it has; what is new in it and so on. Recent reports reveal that we can expect new iPhone in the last half of June 2011.
Another thing of which we are already aware is Apple has no plans to release iPhone 5 at Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2011. The conference focuses more on the software aspect than Smartphone itself. The conference is planned to start from June 6, 2011 and it will offer the previews of iOS 5 and Mac OS X Lion. One speculation that why Apple is not keen to announce its iPhone 5 at the conference is perhaps, the substantial delays from Sony in providing the new iPhone 5 camera modules to Apple.


We are still in doubt about the releasing date of iPhone 5 for the fact that a July iPhone 5 release stands against the fall timeframe of the iPhone.
So, we have to wait and see when Apple releases the new iPhone 5 officially.