Mobile

Mashable: If you didn’t think the Nexus S was real, perhaps these pictures of the purported device will convince you otherwise. Kudos to Engadget, which was the first publication to get pictures of the mythical successor to the Nexus One. As we reported earlier today, the device is built by Samsung and has a lot of similarities to the Galaxy S Android phone. According to multiple reports, the Nexus S runs Gingerbread (Android 2.3), sports a 4-inch AMOLED screen, sports a curved back, hosts a front-facing camera and will be available on T-Mobile. It’s expected to be announced at the same time as Google’s official Gingerbread announcement. ...

Firefox 4 Beta 2 has been released and you can download it in 10 languages on your Android or Maemo device. The new version comes with a wide range of fixes and improvements. The install size of Firefox Beta has been reduced by 60% (from around 43 MB to 17 MB). A new theme has been included in this version, that gives Firefox a fresh new look and the ability to easily share links with your friends from the Site Menu and the ability to undo closing a tab. Checkout the complete change-log below. ...

Mashable: A beta version of Google Instant is now available on many U.S. iPhone and Android mobile devices. According to the Google Blog, the Instant search option is presently on Android 2.2 devices, as well as iPhones and iPods running on iOS 4. As of right now, Google Instant is only available in English, although Google plans on adding more languages and bringing the service to other countries and devices. ...

Wall Street Journal: It looks like Steve Jobs may have something to be nervous about after all. Google Inc.’s Android platform has taken the lead in the U.S. smartphone market, according to several new reports by technology research firms. In the third quarter, devices with the Android operating system were installed in 44% of smartphones, while Apple Inc.’s iPhone came in second place with 23%, according to market research firm, NPD Group. RIM’s BlackBerry trailed behind in third place with 22%. One big caveat: NPD tracks consumer activity, but doesn’t measure corporate cellphone purchases. ...

Nokia C7 firmware is updated to 012.003 V1.06. The firmware is available for 059D9B9 : T-Mobile NL NL v1 Silver white 059D188 : 3 UK GB White\Silver v1 059D7V3 : Country Variant Sweden SE 059D9M6 : Country Variant Sweden SE Frosty Metal_COLOR 059F2S7 : Country Variant Finland FI MAHOGANY_BROWN_V1_COLOR 059F2S5 : Country Variant Finland FI CHARCOAL_BLACK_V1_COLOR 059F320 : Country Variant Bulgaria BG FROSTY METAL V1 059F3R5 : Country Variant Bulgaria BG CHARCOAL BLACK V1_COLOR 059F3Q4 : 3 DK DK Frosty Metal_COLOR 059F191 : 3 DK DK Charcoal Black The update is available via Nokia PC suite or Nokia OVI Suite. And you can also download it via OTA. ...

Nepali mobile network operator Ncell has installed the first 3G base station at the summit of Mount Everest, giving visitors, climbers and people living in the Khumbu Valley the ability to make calls and wirelessly connect to the Internet. To test out the new facility, Ncell also made the world’s highest video call at 17,388 feet. So far, visitors of Mount Everest had to depend on satellite phones to make calls, but now they can do so through a standard GSM, 3G-enabled network. “The coverage of the network will reach up to the peak of the Everest,” Ncell Nepal chief Pasi Koistinen said to reporters in Kathmandu on Thursday. ...

Well in time for the MeeGo Conference next month, Nokia has just started the rollout of the all new PR 1.3 firmware (v20.2010.36-2) for the N900. The update is available over the air (OTA) in the UK with other countries expected to follow suit tomorrow. It should also be available via Nokia’s Software Updater in the coming days, but if you can’t wait or want to flash your device to get a fresh start, grab the firmware images from here and get cracking. ...

Nokia released its first major firmware for Nokia C7 (RM 675) for all Versions. The new firmware should be available in a few days via NSU or OTA. There is no changelog, because it’s the first and initial firmware. This firmware is for RM675 for all countries and regions. you can check here your product code, if it’s available for you, too. or start your Nokia Software Updater (NSU).

Nokia would like the world to know that its upcoming smartphone, the N8, is finished. The first batch of devices has left the factories in Finland and China, and these N8s will soon end in the hands of customers all over the world. Many Nokia fans have wondered will there be further delays for the N8, and this is probably the best answer to that question. Recently, Nokia informed some of the customers who have pre-ordered the device they will be receiving it “during October,” as Nokia decided to “hold the shipments for a few weeks to do some final amends.” However, Nokia immediately clarified that the N8 is not being delayed, and now it proved it with the pictures of N8s leaving the factory. ...

Google began offering free turn-by-turn navigation with Android 2.0 in late 2009, and Nokia announced at the beginning of 2010 that Ovi Maps navigation would be free on all its future handsets. Today Microsoft announced that it is following suit with free turn-by-turn navigation for Windows 6.x and up phones, powered by Bing Maps. When getting directions with Bing, there will now be a “Navigate” button which starts the turn-by-turn voice navigation. The voice navigation feature was developed by the Microsoft Tellme team. ...