USA: US Cellular announces the HTC Hero S, Wildfire S, and the HTC Flyer

US Cellular today announced two new HTC Android smartphones namely the HTC Hero S and the Wildfire S. You know what the Wildfire S already, it's the Hero S we want to know more right? Anyway, if you still are not familiar with the Wildfire S click here to check out the handset's specs. US Cellular also announced the HTC Flyer (click here for specs). With regards to the pricing of these devices, US Cellular is asking $199.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate), $79.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) for the Wildfire S, and $399.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate for the HTC Flyer all of which requires you to sign a 2-year contract with US Cellular. All of these devices are all tagged as "Coming soon", no exact dates yet.

PHIL: BlackBerry Bold 9900 officially gets pricing details from Globe

Three new BlackBerries were announced in the Philippines weeks ago. Recently, Globe officially outs the smartphone's official pricing and plans. According to PTB, the handset will be available in retail for Php 31,690. We already know what the specs of the handset is so head over the break to check out what Globe is offering the Bold 9900 when you tie it up with a plan.

The HTC Explorer announced - HTC's most affordable smartphone ever

HTC adds a new Android handset to their portfolio with the addition of the HTC Explorer. The smartphone will be targeted to the masses by making this HTC's most affordable smartphone to date. The handset will be available in the Q4 of 2011 in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and in Africa. HTC might have said that this will be there most affordable smartphone ever but they have not said anything about it's price. Anyway, head over the break to check out the device's specs.

Motorola announces the 4G LTE upgrade to the Motorola Xoom

Motorola has announced that the 4G LTE upgrade for the Xoom will be available starting September 29. For those who owns a Xoom you can head over to the upgrade page (here) to get that 4G LTE connectivity up and running on your Xooms.

Amazon unveiled the Kindle Fire tablet and now available for pre-order for $199

Amazon, yesterday, unveiled their very own Android powered tablet, the Kindle Fire. During the unveiling they also showcased and announced two other devices namely the Kindle Touch and the Kindle Touch 3G (but they are eBook readers so I won't be focusing on them). The Kindle Fire is now available for pre-orders for onyl $199 and should start shipping come November 15th. For those who wants to place their orders for the tablet head over to Amazon.com.

USA: LG Esteem announced by MetroPCS

MetroPCS has unveiled the LG Esteem. The handset is said to be the carrier's version of Verizon's LG Revolution and like the Revolution the Esteem sports 4G LTE connectivty with MetroPCS. The LG Esteem is being offered with a price tag of $249 (plus tax) come October 1st. For those who are interested in getting the Esteem head over to MetroPCS's online store.

Toshiba unveils the Thrive 7 Android-powered tablet

Toshiba have added another Android tablet into their existing portfolio by announcing the Toshiba Thrive 7. This will be the Thrive's (10-incher) smaller and thinner brother running on Android 3.2 Honeycomb. The Thrive 7 is scheduled to be available starting November of this year. Unfortunately, we don't have any pricing details about the tablet with its two variants, the 16GB and 32GB versions.

T-Mobile Nexus S is also getting the Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread update

T-Mobile's Google Nexus S is also reported that it has, too, received the Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread update, oh well it has to. The update is via OTA so you should receive a notification for a newer software available for your Nexus S. The update is also 17.2MB in size and should bring in bug fixes and some security tweaks.

Mozilla officially releases Firefox 7 - brings in performance enhancements

Firefox 7 is now available for download! Unlike most big numbered updates on browsers, Firefox 7 does not really bring ion a lot of changes. However, Mozilla promises better web browsing performance from FF 7. These enhancements include, faster new tab opening and clicking on menu items and buttons on websites. Also Mozilla promises that FF 7 "significantly reduces memory use" which means that the new version of Firefox manages memory usage more efficiently. Update your Firefox browsers now by clicking on the Firefox button > Help > About Firefox and install the new version. You can also download Firefox 7 from the official download page.

USA: T-Mobile announces availability of the HTC Radar 4G - coming "in time for the Holidays"

T-Mobile USA announced that the HTC Radar 4G will be coming to them, of course for their customers. The HTC Radar 4G is basically the HTC Radar with 4G connectivity with it. T-Mobile is saying that the handset will be available "in time for the Holidays" so that'd be a few months from now, if they are referring for the Christmas Season. No pricing details yet but if you wanna check out the smartphone's specs click here.

Microsoft starts rolling out the Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) update

Microsoft has announced that they have started rolling out the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update to existing WP7 handsets around the world. Apparently said, its a roll out so it wont be available to everyone at the same time, so they need your patience on this. There are certain things you need to know most especially those who own a Samsung Omnia 7 model. Microsoft is saying that in some countries the Omnia 7 won't be getting the the update (maybe for now?). For more info about the update head over to the Update Central. Here is the US "Where is My phone Update" page to learn if your phone and your carrier is already starting to send the update and here is for the rest of the world. Click here to read about Microsoft's plan on how they are rolling the updates out.

USA: HTC Thunderbolt officially getting the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update

Verizon's HT Thunderbolt will officially receive it's much awaited Android 2.3 Gingerbread update. The update can be done OTA, and that's always good news. Of course, since this update will put your smartphone from Froyo to Gingerbread, a lot of new things and features comes along with it. For the list of things you should expect from this update head over over here. The update is coming before October comes so for those who owns an HTC Thunderbolt, you should be getting notifications about a new software that is available for your phone.

LG announces the LG Optimus XE

LG officially announces a new Android-powered smartphone in the name of the Optimus XE. The smartphone, although it is christened with a press release (in Korean), did not get an exact date when it will be available. Anyway, the Optimus XE is targeted to the high-end part of the market and gets high-end specs, of course.

Nokia announces that the N9 is now in transit to stores

Nokia announced that they have started sending the first stock of the MeeGo powered Nokia N9 to stores around the world.. The smartphone will be available in three different colors namely black, cyan, and magenta. The N9 will also be available in two variants the 16GB and the 64GB. Nokia gave an estimated retail price to the N9 which is at €480 and €560 for the 16GB and the 64GB, respectively. That price is before taxes and subsidies, which means that the Nokia N9 is not a cheap smartphone. For the device's specs click here.

HTC will host an event come October 6th - talks about music probably an unveiling of a Beats powered device?

HTC announced and have started sending out invites to their October 6th London event that is centered on Beats. Well, this event will and should unveil a smartphone powered by Beats. One smartphone that they might be showcasing during the event is the Sensation XE which was already announced a few days ago. The invite, as usual, did not provide much details aside from the time when the event will be happening. But, the HTC Runnymede or the HTC Sensation SL might be unveiled there, who knows.

USA: Samsung puts a launch date and price on the Galaxy WiFi 4 and 5 - October 16

Samsung finally gave the Galaxy WiFi 4 and 5 their price and date of availability in the US. On October 16th these PMPs running on Android will start selling in the US market for $269 (Galaxy WiFi 5) and for $229 (Galaxy WiFi 4). I have already posted stories about these devices, in fact these were unveiled a long time ago.  Take note that these devices when you buy them will be running on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread right out from the box. 

Skype for iPhone and the iPad updates makes video calling a little less shaky

Skype has updated their Skype for iPhone and Skype for iPad apps! They just announced this and have noted that this has been a very popular app to both the devices. Anyway, I won't be focusing on that but what the updated app brings in to the iOS devices.

Apple to hold a "Let's Talk iPhone" event in October 4th [Official]

I believe it is now safe to say that the next iteration of the iPhone is going to be announced and/or launched come October 4th. It is now official that Apple will be holding an event during the said day and is calling it the "Let's Talk iPhone" event. The event will start at 10am PT and will be held at the company's Cupertino headquarters. Also, let's expect the new CEO, Tim Cook, to be presiding over the event. Mark your calendars!

USA: T-Mobile USA also announces the HTC Amaze 4G also for $229.99

T-Mobile USA is on a role today and have also announced the HTC Amaze 4G. By the naming of the handset it does not seem to succeed over the T-Mobile My Touch 4G Slide but base on the handset's design and features, it seems it is. Anyway, it is officially announced after roaming around the internet with the device's leaked press photos. The specs you will be able to read below is very identical to T-Mobile's SGS II but of course with a bit of difference here and there. Head over the break to check out the HTC Amaze 4G's detailed specs.

USA: T-Mobile officially gives their Samsung Galaxy S II its specs priced at $229.99

T-Mobile officially announces, prices, and gives the full detailed specs of their version of the Samsung Galaxy S II. Although the Samsung US website already puts the smartphone up with a dedicated page, it is only now that T-Mobile USA officially gives us details about the phone. The announcement of the device also confirms previous reports that T-Mobile's SGS II will be sporting a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Head over the break to check out the device's official specs.

ZTE Tania the company's Windows Phone 7 Mango device announced

ZTE has officially unveiled their own Windows Phone 7 Mango smartphone that is bound to be launched in markets soon. The device was showcased at the China International Communication Expo 2011. ZTE was not able to detail the exact date and price of the device but I am pretty sure its coming out soon, probably joining other Windows Phone Mango recently announced.

Huawei Honor officially announced packs a 1.4GHz single-core processor and Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread

A new Huawei smartphone that was previously seen in the wild, the Huawei Honor, was officially unveiled to the public. The handset might resemble another smartphone (but I ain't saying which one it is) packs a 1.4GHz single-core processor and runs on Android 2.3. Gingerbread. Huawei is saying that the smartphone is scheduled to be available in "Classic Black" in the Asia-Pacific, Chinese, Russian, and the Middle Eastern markets in Q4 of 2011. Other colors will follow once the phone is launched and unfortunately Huawei did not give out the price of the device. Head over the break to check out the detailed specs of the device.

Samsung announces the Samsung Omnia W their Windows Phone 7.5 smartphone

Samsung has unveiled the apparent successor to the Omnia 7 Windows Phone smartphone, the Samsung Omnia W which is running on Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) right out from the box. The Omnia W stil resembles and carries the design aesthetics of the Omnia 7 with a few changes here and there. The smartphone will be available in Italy in the end of October and will gradually roll out to other markets in Europe, CIS, Latin America, Africa, South East and West Asia. According to Sammy Hub, the Omnia W will be available in the Netherlands and Sweden in November for €449 and €369, respectively.

Samsung Galaxy S II LTE and HD announced for the South Korean market

Galaxy S II LTE HD

Samsung announced the Galaxy S II LTE in their own home turf. This is the same Galaxy S II LTE that they have unveiled a while back and it seems that Samsung have not made the device a bit different in their own market. Anyway, the Korean giant did not give details on when the smartphone will exactly be available in SK and so does it's price. Aside the the Galaxy S II LTE, Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy S II LTE HD, a cousin of the SGS II that is rocking an HD display, the HD Super AMOLED display that we saw with the Galaxy Note. Click here to check the Galaxy S II LTE's specs and jump over the break to check the Galaxy S II LTE HD's specs.

IND: Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray now available in India for Rs 18,995

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray has finally landed in India. The smartphone is already available over at Letsbuy.com for Rs 18,995 and is saying that they will be shipping the smartphone 2-4 working days after you order one. For the Xperia Ray's specs click here. If you want to head over to Letsbuy to place your order, click here.

UK: Samsung Galaxy R now available in the UK via Expansys for £409.99

The Samsung Galaxy R which was announced back in July (click here for the Galaxy R's specs) is now available in the UK thanks to Expansys. The Galaxy R is basically the cheaper version of the Galaxy S II which is attained by apparently getting rid of some innards here and there. The Galaxy R is not anything smaller than the SGS II in terms of screen size the specs (some) are still the same, what really makes the R different is the display used and the processor. The handset was also announced to be arriving in Europe and is already available in Sweden. Today, its the UK's turn.

Google updates the G+ iOS app now features Hangouts

When Google made their own social network out in public beta, they have updated their G+ Android app which brings in Hangouts and the renaming of Huddle into Messenger. Not to leave the iOS users behind, Google have also updated the G+ iOS app which also brings in Hangouts and Messenger into iOS users. In addition, the updated application allows you to send photos via the Messenger. The application is now available for download.

Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play rolls out

The Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play was reported to have started rolling out to usres. Aside from getting the stuffs from 2.3.4 Gingerbread, this update also brings in 720p HD video recording. I really don't know why this feature is not available with the phone right out from the box but anyhow, this is great news. The update also brings in the option which allows users to enable or disable the automatic brightness of the display.

UK: Huawie Ideos S7 Slim Android tablet is now available in the UK over at Clove

Clove UK have made the Huawei Ideoa S7 Slim available! This tablet was first seen back at MWC 2011 and we never heard about it, until now. Clove has two versions of the tablet in stock already. These two versions, the WiFi only and the 3G enabled tablets are priced at £238.80 (VAT inclusive) and £276 (VAT inclusive, respectively.

HTC partners with Dropbox to give HTC smartphone owners 5GB of free online storage

HTC have announced a partnership with a popular online storage service, Dropbox, to give their smartphone owners a free 5GB online storage. That is apparently, twice than what Dropbox is offering if you sign up with them and use their service. This service will only be available on the latest HTC smartphones and one of those is the HTC Rhyme. Probably, this feature or service will be available on HTC smartphones with Sense 3.5 UI on them, in short that's the Rhyme.

USA: US Cellular's Motorola Electrify is now available for $199.99

US Cellular made the Motorola Electrify, their version of the Motorola Photon 4G (Sprint) sans the 4G connectivity, available for $199.99 with a 2-year contract. The current availability of the handset is only via the internet, so that means you won't be seeing the device being displayed over at US Cellular stores but should be available on their stores come September 26th. 

IND: BlacBerry Torch 9860 launched for Rs. 28,490

The BlackBerry Torch 9860 was officially launched in India for Rs 28,490. The launching of this BlackBerry India follows the other new smartphones from Blackberry like the BlackBerry Torch 9810 and the Bold Touch 9900. People in India should be able to see the device across the country.  For the specs of the Torch 9860 click here. 

Facebook to do a major overhaul on your profile by introducing the Timeline

Facebook introduces a new and a very overhauled Facebook profile, which they call as the Timeline. This was announced during Facebook F8 Conference and unfortunately, I was unable to watch it. Anyway, the Timeline will replace your old and boring Facebook profile. At least there is something Facebook did right here, agree?

Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update to be released in the "next week or two"

Smartphones running on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango have already been announced, the question now is, when till the update start rolling out to existing WP7 smartphones? Well, Microsoft announced that it should be pushed by next week or two. Of course, the updates will need to be first sent to the hardware manufacturers and if your smartphone is tied with a carrier then it will be going there too. But, next week or two is not bad at all, for as long as Microsoft sticks to that time frame. Anyway, read away about this announcement over at The Windows Blog.

LG Enlighten officially announced coming to Verizon in September 22 for $79.99

Verizon have done the honors in announcing a new Android powered and QWERTY packing LG smartphone. Today, the US' largest network announced the LG Enlighten which is bound to be available starting September 22 for $79.99 with a 2-year contract. The Enlighten is running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and, apparently, sports a sliding QWERTY keyboard. The September 22nd date is the phone's availability online and will hit Verizon stores in September 29th.

USA: AT&T's Samsung Galaxy S II will be available in October 2 for $199.99

Samsung unveiled the three Galaxy S IIs that will soon be available in the US in three carriers. Sprint is ahead of the pack by now accepting orders of their Samsung Epic 4G Touch for $199.99. AT&T, on the other hand have announced today that their Galaxy S II will be available starting October 2 also for $199.99 with a 2-year contract. AT&T did the announcing via Twitter.

HTC Raider 4G officially unveiled packing a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a 4.5" qHD display

HTC, in South Korea, unveiled a new smartphone to add into their Android powered smartphone portfolio. The HTC Raider 4G, which we saw back in May in a leaked photo, is finally and officially announced. The smartphone will be available over at SK Telecom soon and if rumors will hold water, we should be seeing this device over at AT&T. No word about pricing though and when it will be launched, exactly.

PHIL: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play officially coming to the Philippines in September 28

Techie got official word that the world's first PSP certified smartphone is coming to the Philippines in September 28. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, which was announced back in February, and its not only until today that we got news about the gaming smartphone coming in to Philippine shores. Pricing was not given so I believe we have to wait when the smartphone really arrives to Sony Ericsson stores for the pricing or hopefully SE will give out a press release.

USA: Newegg makes the Asus EeePad Slider available starting at $479 for the 16GB version

Asus's EeePad Slider has become available in the US courtesy of Newegg which says that they now have the said tablet in stock. The online retailer is offering the 16GB version of the EeePad Slider for only $479 and will ship it in 2-days for free. For the 32GB variant of the tablet Newegg is asking for $579.

Facebook overhaul - officially makes the ticker permanent, news feeds layout and more!

I promise, that inside this post, there will be no comparison between these new stuffs in Facebook and what Google+ has in their own site. I will just be talking about the new things you should and/or already have on your Facebook profiles and on your Facebook Homepage. Today, Facebook have pushed to all their users (if not, then most of their users) a new overhauled Facebook site. They overhauled the homepage (top news), photos on news feeds, and the ticker. Actually there are a lot more minute changes within Facebook.

Google Chrome updated to 14.0.835.186 - brings in an updated version of Adobe Flash

Short post: Google updated Google Chrome to version 14.0.835.186 which is here to bring in an updated version of Adobe Flash Player. The Flash Player update is said to address a "zero-day vulnerability". Anyway, update your Google Chromes now by clicking the Settings button (wrench icon) > About Google Chrome > and wait for it to install the latest version. You can alos do a manual install by downloading it from the official Google Chrome page.

USA: Verizon's Droid Incredible 2 now gets Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread

The HTC Droid Incredible 2 received it's Android Gingerbread update 2 months ago, today, the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread is already making it's way to your Droid Incredible 2. The support page of the smartphone over at Verizon's website still says "Coming Soon" but Android Central is saying that it has already been pushed out. Either way, it is coming.

Google updates Google+ Android app - gets rid of Huddle and welcomes in Messenger

Along with Google's announcement that their own social network, Google+, is now at it's public beta phase, the search giant also made enhancements to their Android app and mobile web app. The most noticeable improvement, if that term is correct, in the latest version of the G+ Android app is the removal of Huddle and it being replaced to Messenger. Also, they have added Photos in the app.

UK: HTC Sensation from O2 starts getting the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update

Ok, before I start talking about the O2 update, let me first talk about a bit of history that I was unable to record here on TechPump regarding the HTC Sensation's software updates. Last month, T-Mobile USA have started pushing the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update to their HTC Sensation 4G. By that time, the same update was also pushed to unlocked version of the HTC Sensation in Europe. So, today, O2 UK have started pushing out their Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update to the HTC Sensation they sold.

AUS: Vodafone Australia will exclusively offer the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray starting September 28

Sony Ericsson announced that the Xperia Ray will exclusively be offered in the Australian market via Vodafone Australia. Starting September 28, Vodafone is expected and should start offering the smartphone which will be available in various plans that will fit your budget.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo starts receiving the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update

Sony Ericsson promised that Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread will be pushed to all their smartphones come October of 2011 which was announced together with their introduction of the SE Neo V. According to reports, users from Northern Europe and the Netherlands have said that they have started receiving the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update for their Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo.

Google puts the Google + Project out of the field trial phase and it now enters public beta - open sign ups!

Google just announced that the Google + Project exits field trial phase and now enters public beta. In short, Google+ is now open for sign ups, yes without invites! Google lists over a hundred improvements on the newest social network and the 100th is the stepping into beta. So, for those who have been waiting for this time to come, then this is the day you have been waiting for. Head over to the Google+ homepage and sign up and enjoy!

HTC announced the HTC Rhyme coming to Verizon in September 29

During HTC's New York event, the Taiwan based company have announced their latest Android powered smartphone which is due to be launched over at Verizon come September 29, the HTC Rhyme. Verizon will be offering the smartphone for $199 with the usual 2-year contract. So what's new with the Rhyme? Well, one very noticeable improvement on this smartphone to all the other HTC Android powered smartphones out there is the fact that this runs on HTC's newest Sense, version 3.5.

Alleged Samsung Galaxy S III specs leaked

Specs of the successor to the Samsung Galaxy S II have allegedly been leaked. Of course, it is still too early for these details to be running out into the internet but I will take it keeping my mind open to the fact that these specs are still and are not confirmed by Samsung itself. When the Galaxy S II landed on Earth and got reviewed by techblogs, they have one common ending, they thought that the Galaxy S II is the most powerful and the most advanced smartphone to ever come to this planet. That is all thanks to the superphone's specs and if your mouth watered the time the SGS II was announced and launched, then I think your jaws will completely come off your face if you read the (alleged) specs of the SGS III.

Google launches Google Wallet turning your smartphone into your wallet

Google officially launched the app that will turn your Android smartphone into a wallet, the Google Wallet. The application works with your smartphone that has the NFC technology (Near Field Communication) allowing you to tap your phone in order to pay when you need to pay. If you are a Sprint Nexus S 4G owner, then good news, because the first version of the application will be rolled out to all Nexus S 4G.