Nearly three months after it first appeared online, the Nokia X6 has officially been released in the UK and will be available direct from Nokia’s website for £449 unlocked.

The phone, which we first reported in September 2009, has a 3.2-inch touchscreen that can display 640×360 pixels, 32GB built-in storage and a 5-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and a Carl Zeiss lens.

The rest of the features are pretty similar to the Nokia N97 although the X6 is powered by a 433MHz ARM processor, significantly lower than the rest of the competition.

We noted last time that the X6 might well be one of Nokia’s sexiest mobile phones yet but that ultimately, Apple “owns” the high end segment simply because it has a much better application solution in the shape of the App store.

The X6 is currently available at Phones4U exclusively and will be on sale on contracts starting from £35 per month. Interested N-series customers will be pleased to know that they can trade in their phones and get a £10 monthly discount.

Source: http://www.itproportal.com/

Spotify has expanded its mobile reach with a launch onto the Symbian platform – a potentially huge new audience spanning around half of the global smartphone market.

As well as a large range of Nokia handsets, the app will also run on a selection of Sony Ericsson and Samsung smartphones running the Symbian platform, such as the Samsung GT-I8910 Omnia HD and Sony Ericsson Satio.

To get Spotify’s Symbian application, users can either download it directly to their phones by visiting m.spotify.com through their mobile web browser, or by entering their phone number on the new Symbian information page to receive instructions via an SMS.

As with the other iPhone and Android Spotify offerings, the Symbian app is only available to those who are Premium, i.e., paid-up members of the service.

It has been difficult for Google to explain away the seeming conflict between Chrome OS and Android.

Saying that Chrome is for the Internet and Android for devices, requires a belief that users actually make the distinction.

Google’s Sergey Brin They don’t and Google knows it, but only co-founder Sergey Brin can say so.

In this case, it is the Emperor seeing his subjects’ new clothes. Or the profound lack thereof.

(And if you haven’t seen Chrome OS, here is our visual tour).

Following the Thursday’s Chrome OS announcement, Brin informally told reporters that the two operating systems were “likely to converge over time,” but offered no specific timetable.

His remarks didn’t seem important at the time and were briefly lost in the excitement of the new OS. Today, however, people who heard the remark realized Brin actually said something important. And it undermines the whole Chrome OS concept.

Brin cited the common Linux OS and WebKit browser heritage the two operating systems share as an example of forces driving them together.

During the presentation, other Google execs described a “perfect storm of converging trends” that somehow required it to develop and support two separate operating systems.

Maybe converging trends lead to converging operating systems? Could be, just ask Sergey Brin.

I had already wondered what the difference would be between Android and Chrome when installed on a netbook. Given the Chrome browser, wouldn’t Android do all the same things Chrome could do, plus run Android applications?

Isn’t that what users really want? A s opposed to an operating system only capable of running a browser and connecting to Internet-based applications?

It is easy to understand why Google wants to keep Chrome OS and Android separated in our minds: Chrome OS seems revolutionary, if a bit far-fetched. Android, by comparison, is the evolution of what are already doing.

In reality, Chrome OS is a subset of Android, Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. It’s the new Lite OS, faster and less filling.

However, merge Chrome and Android and you end up with Android.

It will be hard for Google to keep people from noticing what a good idea that is. An idea that in some ways cuts the legs right out from under a standalone Chrome OS.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/

The BBC is to launch a radio player allowing internet users to listen to more than 400 commercial and BBC stations.

Tim Davie, BBC director of audio and music, said today that the project would give web users access to more than 400 Ofcom-licensed national and local UK stations, in an initiative involving partnerships with the commercial radio trade body the Radio Centre, Global Radio and Guardian Media Group. Davie added that the move was a “first step” in the BBC forming such partnerships.

Global Radio is the UK’s biggest commercial radio company, owning brands including Classic FM, Capital, Heart and LBC. GMG Radio operates the Smooth and Real Radio station networks.

Due for launch early next year, The UK Radioplayer will be a pop-up console able to stream more than 400 national, local, community and student radio stations, offering a unique, constantly-updated live and on-demand audio service, according to the BBC.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Days after releasing the Symbian version of Opera Mobile 10, Opera has now announced the launch of the Windows Mobile version of it’s next generation mobile browser.

Opera Mobile 10 for Windows Mobile is the successor to version 9.7 that had been announced earlier this year. The latest version of the browser has received a completely revamped look and now looks similar to Opera Mobile 10 for Symbian, which in turn looks similar to Opera Mini 5 released a few months ago. Like we had mentioned in our Opera Mobile 10 review, Opera has confirmed that they are bringing in a unified look to its browsers across various platforms. For the same reason Opera Mobile 10 for Windows Mobile sports a very familiar look – should you be used to the Symbian version of the browser.

Opera has enabled a host of features in this beta including Speed Dial, tabbed browsing, a password manager and its very own web browsing compression technology, Opera Turbo. In fact, the review of the Symbian version is in most ways applicable to the Windows Mobile, since it’s visually and functionally similar across various platforms.

The new version of the browser will turn out to be quite a different experience for Windows Mobile users

Source: http://www.techtree.com/

The new PlayStation 3 firmware 3.10 update, set to be launched later this week, will have a Facebook application, Sony has confirmed, proving the leaked images of Facebook integration with the PS3 platform.

The update will allow the players to link their Facebook accounts to their PlayStation Network account providing them with an option to set auto updates of Trophy and PlayStation Store activity to Facebook News Feed.

Eric Lempel, PlayStation Network Operations director, commented in a blog post on Sony’s official PlayStation blog that the collaboration with the popular social networking website was only a beginning and the users can expect further new features in the future that will enhance their PS3 experience.

The gaming console market has witnessed a frenzied competition amongst it top players for increasing their market share and after Microsoft’s XBOX 360 integration with Facebook, it was only a matter of time that Sony came up with a similar update.

It has also been reported that the new firmware will have an update for the Photo app allowing easier viewing of images on the gaming console. The users will also be able to choose colors of their PlayStation Network ID and the PSN friends list according to their preferences.

Source: http://www.itproportal.com/

The Nokia N97 Mini launched a couple of weeks back and came in its shiny Cherry Black livery, which if we’re honest has more than a hint of copper brown to it. However, it’s time to start getting excited about the Nokia N97 Mini White Edition, as it’s popped up exclusively on Phones4u. Find out how to get your hands on a Nokia N97 Mini White Edition for free after the jump…

With its 3.2-inch screen, full QWERTY slide-out keyboard and 5-Megapixel Carl Zeiss optics camera, the Nokia N97 Mini White Edition is very much the same as the standard version but happens to come in a stunning crystal white livery.

As was suggested last week, the Nokia N97 Mini White Edition has popped up as an exclusive to retailer Phones4u and is tied to an Orange contract at the moment. This has us wondering if and when (and to whom) the Nokia N97 Mini Black Edition will be offered by, as we’ve still not heard anything about this handset.

You can get the Nokia N97 Mini White Edition for free and pay just £25 a month on an 18-month contract. For this, you’ll get the best looking Nokia N97 Mini around, as well as 600 minutes talk-time and 3000 texts a month.

So, thinking of plumbing for the Nokia N97 Mini? Let us know which version you like the best in the Comments below.

Resource: http://noknok.tv/

Interesting times for Xbox Live, the online service for the Xbox 360. This week saw a user record set, with more than 2 million users connected at once. As you may have guessed this total was hugely bolstered by Modern Warfare 2, with nearly half of the 2 million users playing Activision’s new shooter. No real surprises then. Actually what I’d love to see is figures for the game with the lowest number of players at any one point. Is anyone still playing Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts online for example?

Next week will also see the launch of Facebook, Twitter and Last.FM on Xbox Live. Expect those tweets and status updates to be dominated by Modern Warfare 2 then. I’ve been on the test service for these and while the integration isn’t quite as slick as I imagined – the need to login to separate applications means they all feel a little detached from the core Live offer – you can see the benefit if you are in between games or undecided what to do next.

Xbox owners then, what do you think? Your friends lists dominated by MW2 players? Any excitement about Facebook and co appearing on Live next week?

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

The device, which runs the Linux-based Maemo operating system, features a 3.5in touch-screen, slide-out Qwerty keyboard, fast web browsing and access to Nokia’s online app store, Ovi. Nokia said the N900 was designed to bring the desktop computing experience to mobile devices.

It has a powerful ARM Cortex-A8 processor and 1GB of dedicated application memory, which enables it to handle multiple apps simultaneously. It pulls in contacts from a variety of social networking sites, such as Facebook, and “threads” conversations by person, regardless of whether communication took place via email, text messages, chat service or through Facebook. The device boasts 32GB of storage, and can be expanded to 48GB using a microSD card.

Nokia dominates the mobile phone market, accounting for 40 per cent of all handsets sold worldwide. But it is wary of losing ground to the likes of Apple and Research in Motion, which makes the BlackBerry.

“The Nokia N900 has generated a lot of interest since its public launch in August, which has been reflected in the device pre-orders,” said José-Luis Martinez, a vice president with Nokia. “What’s exciting is the Maemo software, which takes its cues from the desktop computer and offers a full browsing experience like no other handset.”

The N900 will be available free on some networks, depending on contract and tariff, while a SIM-free device will set users back around £500.

Technology experts say the N900’s arrival will be crucial for the future growth of the Finnish mobile phone giant. Nokia is expected to use its Maemo platform to power an increasing number of devices in order to meet the growing needs of consumers to remain connected to the internet and their social networks at all times.

“Maemo will deliver the next generation of ‘computer-like’ experiences,” says Geoff Blaber, an analyst with CCS Insight. “The emphasis on rich visuals and multitasking is key. Multitasking will become increasingly important in a world where the phone is being used to access multiple functions, applications and services. It’s a challenge that Apple faces with the iPhone.”

Sources: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/

iPhone users got to lay their hands on the Adobe Photoshop.com Mobile and now it’s the turn of Android owners to explore this innovative software. The Android application offers users quick and easy image-editing tools, color adjustments and instant photo-sharing capabilities.

The photo editing application enhances the camera-phone experience by enabling users to browse for their photos online and on their Android device, right from the handset. Some of the functionalities that the Photoshop.com Mobile app offers include crop, rotate and flip.

“Adobe is excited to extend its digital imaging capabilities to Android phone users so they can take control of their growing collections of mobile photos. Photoshop.com Mobile is a great resource to edit, upload and share photos in a few short moments. It’s the perfect complement to the mobile phone cameras found on Android devices,” stated Doug Mack, vice president and general manager of Consumer and Hosted Solutions at Adobe.

With the Soft Focus filter, users can create a subtle blur effect and also carry out color adjustments such as exposure, saturation, tint changes and classic black-and-white. Further, users can also upload their edited photos from their mobile phone to their Photoshop.com account via an Internet-connected computer.

Owing to the Android API, new tab-based user interface allows users to view local and online content. Android users can also automatically upload pictures to Photoshop.com albums in the background, even when the Photoshop.com Mobile application is not running.

The Adobe Photoshop.com Mobile for Android application can be downloaded for free from the Android Market.

Source: http://www.mobiletor.com/