iPhone 4.0.1 software update out, improves signal strength formula

What comes after iOS 4.0? Nope, it's not the iOS 4.1 but the iPhone 4.0.1 software update which has just been released by Apple. It comes along with some bug fixes as well as the highly discussed improved signal strength formula that is expected to magically solve iPhone 4's reception issues. Meanwhile, the iPad got a software update too - taking it up to iOS 3.2.1.

Everyone, even remotely interested in mobile phones, will tell you that iPhone 4 reception issues aren't caused by software bugs but are a result of the phone's faulty hardware. However, Apple are still mum on that matter (maybe today's conference will shed more light on the real problem and hopefully will offer some kind of solution).

Well, you can at least enjoy the "improved" formula that tells your iPhone how many bars of signal strength to display. There are also some other bug fixes brought by the iOS 4.0.1. The iOS 4.0.1 is only compatible with iPhone 3G (though that doesn't work particularly well), iPhone 3GS and the recently launched iPhone 4.

As for the iOS 3.2.1 software update for the iPad, the list of updates it brings is a bit longer. 3.2.1 is said to improve the Wi-Fi connectivity, stutter-free videos playback and video-out functionality will be more reliable (when using an iPad dock connector to VGA adapter).

Next up is the fix that should enable copying and pasting of single-page PDF attachments in Mail. Last but not least is Bing search option, which has been added to the Safari browser.

To get the latest iOS version just plug your iPhone or iPad to the computer and let the iTunes software do the rest.

Sony Ericsson Q2 results are out, sales increase by 25 percent

Another member of the Nokia Cseries of no-nonsense phones just leaked. And the photos were published by no other but Nokia itself. Apparently the guys supporting the Dutch website of the company were a bit too eager to publish the details about the handset and forgot that it's still unannounced.

Carrying one of those confusing names that have become Nokia trademark as of late, the C6-01 is a slight upgraded version of the rather popular C6. The new handset brings an 8MP autofocus camera and dual-LED flash, compared to a 5 megapixel snapper with a single LED on the first C6.

The back panel has also been redesigned, but that's about all the changes that Nokia C6-01 brings. Even the user interface of the C6-01 is Symbian^1, rather than the upcoming Symbian^3.

The Nokia C6-01 will be available in black and white versions and will cost about 280 euro at launch.

Opera Mobile 10.1 beta for Symbian S60 released

The Opera team has just released yet another beta version of their Opera Mobile web browser for Symbian S60-running devices. 10.1 beta comes several months after its predecessor and brings only a few novelties to the S60 users but those are interesting enough to make you give it a try.

Opera Mobile 10 beta for Symbian S60 devices showed up last November and now you can get to enjoy its successor, the 10.1 beta. Along with familiar features, such as Speed Dial, tabbed browsing, password manager, Opera Link and Opera Turbo, you now get the most recent version of the Presto rendering engine, the Vega graphics library and Opera's own Carakan JavaScript engine.

On top of that the latest Opera Mobile for S60 smartphones packs geolocation support (which will help diverse web services to offer you more relevant content depending on your current location) as well as improved kinetic scrolling, screen auto-rotation (from portrait to landscape mode) and virtual keyboard.

Apple calls an iPhone 4 press conference, iOS 4.0.1 closing in

It was about time. Apple got quite a hit by the wave of user discontent about the iPhone 4 antenna issues. It's been 3 weeks since the premiere of iPhone 4, but it is tomorrow that Apple will confess. Or not.

And this is all we know so far. Apple sent invitations to select press representatives for tomorrow's press conference. It will start 10:00 AM Pacific Time (6 PM European GMT) and will surly concern iPhone 4. Whether Apple will admit the issues, offer free bumper cases or start a recall campaign - nobody knows. But this sounds surely as the first step into the right direction.

Meanwhile iOS 4.0.1 beta is already available to developers and here is a glimpse of what we should expect.

Update 16 July: iOS 4.0.1 is officially out the door.

The reception bars now make use of both a new formula and a new size. The first reports show that a full-bars situation is now a rare event. The bars are also a bit taller than before, which sounds like a clever mind trick.

The new reception bars • the redesigned Game Center

The Game Center has been redesigned too. It's now painted in green with yellow buttons.

Finally, there are some rumors of watermarking of jailbroken devices. If your iPhone 4 has joined the pirateland, it will have some watermark showing onscreen all the time. Don't worry just yet though, there's still no public jailbreak solution and it's all just a rumor for now.

BELLPERRE lets you design your own luxury handset

The Dutch manufacturer of extremely expensive mobile phones BELLPERRE announced its latest phone today. Giving unprecedented customization options the BELLPERRE phone (the company obviously found it too hard to come up with a proper name for it) also packs a few nice features.

The highlights of the specs sheet include a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, quad-band GSM and tri-band HSDPA connectivity, GPS and Bluetooth. The display measures 2.2 inches and sports QVGA resolution. There is also FM radio and an accelerometer sensor on board.

BELLEPERRE offer 125 genuine leather options for the back panel of their handset. From "modest classic leathers" like black buffalo or brown lizard to vibrant colors and textures like pink crocodile or red shark - it's all there. There is also 14 different colors for the ostrich leather, known for its durability and fine texture, but we doubt many people will go for it.

But of course those luxury phones are all about the exquisite materials. In this particular case we have a solid metal frame and steel buttons and owners might pick the finish themselves, choices being brushed steel, polished silver, 18K rose gold and 24K yellow gold.

BELLERPERRE didn't reveal the target availability or the pricing of their handset, but interestingly enough called it affordable. Yet we somehow can't see ourselves affording it without having to sell our cars.

Modu phone is now selling in UK, costs 130 pounds

Do you remember the modular phone announced back at the MWC 2009? It's been selling in some markets for a couple of months now, but now it lands officially in UK with several of its jackets.

Modu phone is one of the smallest handsets out there with 1.3-inch OLED screen and only 7.8 mm. of thickness. It comes with a small keypad, 2GB non-expandable memory and Bluetooth.

Modu relies on the expandable and exchangeable jackets witch can turn it into a photo frame, sport accessory, pedometer or just a fashion bar phone.

Modu will be sold exclusively by PurelyGadgets and costs 130 pounds (155 euro). Most of the jackets are priced on 30 or 40 pounds, while the photo frame goes for 80 pounds and the sport jacket is 50.

Opera Mini 5.1 final version pops up in the Android market

The Android version of the world's most popular mobile browser, Opera Mini has just received an update. So far Droid owners only had access to the beta version of Opera Mini 5, but now they are getting an updated feature pack and the chance to enjoy a final version at the same time.

The optimized Opera Mini engine allows cutting on mobile traffic usage by as much as 90 percent, which should improve speed and decrease data charges at the same time. The latest 5.1 version is also designed to consume less system resources, being more suitable to low-end and mid-range handsets, where hardware constraints are stronger.

Finally the Opera Mini 5.1 now gives the Android users the option to select it as the default browser. The Norwegian company hopes to match its success with the iPhone, who got its first official version not long ago. In the 24 hours following its release to the App Store, Opera mini registered over 1 million downloads topping the charts in every single country, where the Apple application store is available.

Windows Phone 7 promises seamless synchronization, security

With the Kin duo now gone for good, and the WinMo 6.5 market share bordering on insignificance, Microsoft have all their eggs in one WP7 basket. As it seems though they will do everything they can to make sure they stay on the smartphone market. Today they revealed more information about the Windows Phone 7 synchronization and remote access capabilities and those certainly look impressive.
Much like the just announced BlackBerry Protect, Windows Phone 7 will get you the full suite of services you'll need in case your phone gets stolen or lost. You get remote wipe so you can protect your valuable private information, plus you can locate your device wirelessly and hopefully get it back. A remotely activated ringer is also available to help you find the phone if you have misplaced it. Maybe Windows Phone 7 isn't quite as useful when you lose your phone as the recently announced BlackBerry Protect, but it still does a pretty great job at it.

Besides it will offer another valuable feature that should give it an edge against its competitors. Windows Phone 7 will support offer synchronization between all your Microsoft devices (those being your Windows PC, your Xbox and, of course, your smartphone). You can transfer everything from contacts to OneNote entries and images, allowing you to continue where you left off each time you alternate those gadgets. Cool right?

Microsoft are joining the high-end smartphone market with competition at its highest, but they sure as hell won't give up without a fight.

Samsung Wave sales reach 1M, Galaxy S keeps the pace

Today Samsung announced an important milestone for the first handset to run their very own Bada OS. The SuperAMOLED-packing Samsung S8500 Wave sales have exceeded 1 million units worldwide, just under four short weeks after its release.

It might not sound quite impressive if you compare it to the iPhone 4 sales, that reached 1.7 million in only three days, but remember that the first iPhone needed more than two months (74 days to be specific) to reach the 1 million milestone.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S sales totaled 300 000 in South Korea. Only one week after the 200 000th unit was sold by SK Telecom 100K more units have flown off the South Korean telecom shelves. Considering that there are plenty of Galaxy S versions available elsewhere we suspect that the Android-running superphone has at least matched (or maybe even exceeded) the Wave sales, despite being on the market for half as long.

Good days to be a Samsung shareholder, these seem to be.

BlackBerry Protect keeps your BlackBerry safe wirelessly

Security is probably the best reason to choose a BlackBerry handset nowadays. Even more so now, that RIM announced their new BlackBerry Protect feature. Allowing remote access to your lost or stolen BlackBerry, BlackBerry Protect gives you all the functionality you might need to act adequately on such unfortunate occasions.

With BlackBerry protect you can remotely wipe and lock your lost Berry, but it doesn't end there. You can also wirelessly backup your data and later restore it to another handset in case the first one is never recovered. Contacts, Calendar; Memos and Tasks; Browser Bookmarks and Text Messages can all be protected this way.

Locating your device is the next option that BlackBerry Protect gives you. Even if your device doesn't have a built-in GPS receiver, it can use the cell tower ID to report its whereabouts.

Next, thanks to BlackBerry Protect, you will be able to send contact info to the homescreen of a previously locked BlackBerry so it can be easily returned if found.

Finally, BlackBerry Protect adds a feature that would help you locate your phone within your own home if you happen to have misplaced it. Activating a loud ringer for one minute it would help your search greatly. Of course you could argue that calling your mobile from your home phone is just as effective but if you have it on silent, BlackBerry Protect is your only option.

BlackBerry Protect is still in the early stages of its development, but it will be available in a limited beta release later this week, before it eventually reaches the open public later this year. If you want to be among the first to have it, you should sign up for a BlackkBerry Beta Zone account and hope that you will be one of lucky members to receive an early invitation.

Here's another BlackBerry 6 OS demo video, looking good

BlackBerry latest touch mobile OS version 6.0 was made official a couple of months back and while we haven’t seen a real product out on the market running it, here comes a second demo video of the new UI. It surely looks nice, but whether it’s something to look up to, it would largely depend on the hardware they slap it on.

There's still no detailed changelog, but what's known so far is that the new version should deliver a new homescreen, pop-up context menus, fluid graphical transitions, a new WebKit-based HTML5-capable web browser, re-skinned media interface, multi-touch support (pinch-zooming) and all-in-all better thumbability. Universal search feature and heavy social networking integration to messaging are also available as seen from the following new video:
The new BlackBerry 6 OS should be out some time in Q3 this year and some older devices will be capable of upgrade. Still there is no info on the supported devices. Come on, RIM, spill the beans already.