HTC says Android 4.0 ICS update coming in March to selected models:

Considering that the white HTC Sensation is shipping in Europe starting March 1st with Android 4.0, it might be no surprise that the Sensation series will be the first HTC phones to be updated to the latest Android version. Starting at the end of next month, the HTC Sensation, HTC Sensation 4G and HTC Sensation XE will be receiving Ice Cream Sandwich with the HTC Sensation XL receiving it shortly afterward.

Other HTC devices getting Android 4.0 sometime later this year include the HTC Rezound, HTCVivid, HTC Amaze 4G, HTC EVO 3D, HTC EVO Design 4G, HTC IncredibleS, HTC Desire S and HTC Desire HD. No precise date was given as to when the owners of these devices can expect the latest build of Google's open source operating system.

For those with an HTC model not mentioned, there still is hope that you could receive an update. HTC said that more models getting Ice Cream Sandwich will be announced in the upcoming weeks. Models like the HTC ThunderBolt are still not accounted for, so owners of that model should definitely be crossing their fingers.

Nokia 801 image leaks out: Lumia 800-like Symbian front-runner?

The Nokia 801 might be the last great Symbian smartphone, ending years of history, and it’s expected to be a very capable device. It’s rumored to succeed the camera-centric Nokia N8 and offer some impressive optics, and now an image has leaked out, allegedly showing the Nokia 801 in flesh.

The pictured handset is running on Symbian Belle, but the most interesting thing about is that it looks like a Nokia Lumia 800, or Nokia N9, if you wish - with the same curved screen and unibody construction. That confirms a previously leaked photograph allegedly showing the upcoming device.

If we listen to the churns of the rumor mill, the Nokia 801 would have a4-inch ClearBlack AMOLED display with a resolution of only 360 by 640 pixels. Hardware-wise, it should come with a 1.4GHz processor and 512MB of RAM. A 12-megapixel auto-focus camera with a dual LED flash (a downgrade from the Xenon flash we saw in the N8) and 1080p video recording will reside on the back.

How do you like this possibly last big Symbian-running Nokia? Stay tuned as we expect to see it at MWC in Barcelona kicking off in mere weeks.

Nokia N9 might dual-boot into Android 4.0 ICS soon:

The first and only MeeGo smartphone, the Nokia N9, might soon turn into an Android device. Well, if you’re into some hacking - Alexey Roslyakov of the NITDroid team has posted a picture of ICS running on the Nokia N9. The title is “progress” and even though it’s still just an early build with its fair share of issues, it seems that work is advancing.

The NITDroid team is also working on porting Android 4.0 to the good old Maemo-running N900.

Now, one thing that’s particularly great about the combination of a Nokia N9 and MeeGo is the combination of a device with no physical buttonswith an operating system that requires none. The handset also sports a fairly large 3.9-inch display, so you’d have some extra space for the navigational controls.

Finally, Roslyakov mentions that you can put your worries aside when it comes to MeeGo on the N9 and Android - both operating systems could run in a dual-boot setup in the future. Here’s to hoping.

Source: Alexey Roslyakov via TheVerge and Phonearena

Samsung Galaxy mini 2 leaks out; bigger screen, better resolution, faster processor:

Mobile World Congress is just a couple of weeks away now, and another handset has leaked ahead of show.

The Samsung Galaxy Mini 2 is the follow-up to the Galaxy Mini, and is another budget Android phone, GSMArena reports. So what's new? Well there's a slightly larger screen (3.3-inches, up from 3.14-inches), and a better processor. And while it won't come with the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android, it will have Gingerbread on board.

As well as the screen being slightly bigger, it has a higher resolution (up to HVGA from QVGA). The processor also gets a bump, from 600MHz to 800, and it'll have 3GB internal storage. The camera stays the same 3-megapixel effort though. Well it is a budget handset, so we can't expect too much.

The Galaxy Mini 2 also has a new look, looking a lot less squat than the original. The official product code is GT-S6500, Jena, if you're into that kind of thing. There's no word on pricing or availability, but "Feb2012" is mentioned alongside the specs, so we presume Samsung will make the announcement at Mobile World Congress.

MWC kicks off on 27 February, we'll be there bringing you all the news as it happens. We're expecting to see apink Galaxy Note from Samsung, along with a slew of LG handsets, including a quad-core model, and another rocking Ice Cream Sandwich. HTC is also expected to out a quad-core phone, hinting this could be the year dual-core became passe.

What do you make of the Galaxy Mini 2? How does it compare to other budget Android phones? And what do you want to see at Mobile World Congress?

Apple to launch iPad 3 early next month:

Apple will launch the much-awaited iPad 3 at an event early next month, says an All Things D report. The successor of iPad 2 is reported to sport a more powerful processor and the much-hyped, Retina Display. The event is going to be held in San Francisco.

Apple typically releases its products annually. The iPad 2 was launched in March last year, therefore, the reported schedule fits in. According to the All Things D report, Apple will put the iPad 3 on sale a week or two later after the official announcement. The report, however, does not reveal the exact launch date. The iPad 3 is also reported to have an improved graphics processing unit, and a 2048×1536 Retina Display.

The iPad 3 release report comes days after an alleged leaked photo of the new iPad hit the Internet. The image, which hinted that the device is already under production, triggered all sorts of speculation regarding the new iPad 3. It's notable that the leaked photo showed very slight difference from the iPad 2, which means the image could be of a rejected prototype or even a fake one.

Another technology site The Verge reports that the new iPad will have double the screen resolution of the iPad 2 and would be one millimetre thicker. The device is likely to be powered by an dual-core A6 chip, and not quad-core as suggested by previous reports.

About 700,000 Android devices activated everyday:

Back in May it was 400,000. In June it went up to 500,000 and in July it was 550,000. Now Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Google, has posted on his Google+ profile that Android has reached 700,000 activations per day.

To clarify how they arrived at this figure, Rubin clarified that they only count each device once and if it connects to a wireless service provider. He didn't mention anything about devices that only connect through Wi-Fi or have been running on multiple custom ROMs.

Still, whichever way you look at it, it's still a big number and more importantly it's still growing. And although they did not managed to hit the 1 million mark that some predicted they would by October it seems it won't be long before they do.

Samsung Galaxy SIII could be set for May launch:

Previously the Galaxy SIII was rumoured to be arriving in April but according to South Korean website etnews.com the highly anticipated handset will be officially launched in May this year. While Samsung has confirmed that the device won't be arriving at the MWC this month it's been less specific with regards to a release date other than that it's set to be launched mid-year. May definitely seems a likely month and the company has already said that the phone is going to be officially unveiled at a special event close to its release, so that could still happen in April.

The report, if true, also sheds some light on the handset's specs. This new information suggests the Galaxy SIII will find itself with a case just 7mm thick (by comparison the Galaxy SII is 8.49mm thick), Super AMOLED display and a rear-facing 8mp camera as well as a front-facing 2mp camera. All this sounds quite plausible though previous whispers indicated that there was going to be a 12mp camera on the back. Another rumour fresh out of the mill is that the Galaxy SIII in addition to being quite the superphone is also going to have a waterproof coating.

Currently other rumoured specs include the entirely likely quad-core processor in addition to 4G LTE connectivity and 2GB of RAM. Ice Cream Sandwich is also on the list but it's hard to imagine Samsung releasing the handset without the latest version of Android. The speculation surrounding the phone is unlikely to slow down before the handset's official announcement and apart from the iPhone 5 it's sure to be the most hyped device of 2012.

Rumours aside there's not much doubt that the Samsung Galaxy SIII will be going head to head with the iPhone 5 this summer. Wasting no opportunity to take its shots at Apple Samsung's Super Bowl commercial for the Galaxy Note has already provoked a strong reaction, even if it is just a little bit over the top.