Cellphoneforums have posted that official Nokia software is available to update the firmware on your mobile phone. Before you read on, just make sure you follow instructions step by step as doing something wrong does have the potential to break your phone. With the software being official, I decided to check out the Nokia.com website and sure enough, it is there. Excellent, time to check out my N73 and see what’s on offer. From doing a quick check on my phone of *#0000# I see that I am on V 2.X. A search of the product code on my phone shows I can upgrade to version 3.0638.0.0.1. To upgrade it is a matter of checking the current version and your version and then downloading the latest version from the website for your phone. There are 2 ways to download the latest firmware. The first is OTA (over the air) and the second is a download to your PC so you can transfer it over. My Nokia N73 does not allow OTA, so I will need to download to my PC and transfer via USB.

Some good news is that the upgrade process is fairly simple. If your phone is branded (locked to a provider) then it might not update. However, the software that updates your phone will tell you if this is the case to prevent you from bricking it.

Why do you need to update your firmware? The latest firmware fixes bugs in earlier releases. My N73 has a few quirky things about it and the reason for my upgrade will be to test to see if it fixes it from freezing from time to time while doing too many things at once. Other reasons are upgraded applications and different connectivity.

Let us know if you run in to any problems with the updates.

Updating can be done via Nokia

On the Go Solutions have pics of unboxing a HTC X7500. A quick run down of specs show this device to have a vast array of features and well worth looking in to. Included in the box is a travel charher, sync cable, stereo headset with mix, stylus, battery and case. It is supported on GSM networks (AT&T 1900Mhz, Cingular 850/1900Mhz and T-Mobile 1900Mhz.

Technical Specs
* Windows Mobile 5.0
* 624 MHz processor
* 3.0 MP Camera
* 256 ROM / 128 RAM
* Built in GPS Receiver
* 8 GB Hard Drive
* MP3 Player
* 3.0MP Camera
* Width: 3.85 inches
* Length: 5.25 inches
* Thick: 0.63 inches
* Screen: 5.0 inch TFT
* Weight: 12.6 oz
* Battery: 2200mAh
* GSM Unlocked
* HSDPA: 850/1900
* UMTS: 2100
* Quad-band Phone
* 850/900/1800/1900
* GRPS/EDGE
* Bluetooth v2.0
* WiFi 802.11 b/g
* Mini SD Slot
* Internet Explorer
* Pocket Outlook
* Pocket Excel
* Pocket Word
* Pocket Office
* Pocket PowerPoint
* Media Player
* DirectPush Mail
* Pocket MSN

Pictures of the unboxing event can be found at the link below.

Via: OnTheGoSolutions

The Neonode N2 has been introduced and is a touch screen phone and media player. The device has no buttons and it controlled only though the touch screen. The touch screen has a virtual keyboard that can be made visible for typing SMS messages and searching or adding contacts. The memory is provided by MiniSD which stores all your music, contacts etc… If you want music on the device then drag and drop it on there. The device is a nice size and allows full operation with one hand. The touch screen uses its own patented screen technology and rather then it actually being a touch screen, it uses smalls beams of light across and down the screen which creates a grid. When a beam is crossed it can translate that in to a location on the screen. The N2 appears to be a good solution and competitor to the iPhone. I do not know if it is multi touch at the moment, but with a screen technology as it is, then that will keep people happy for a while.

On the media player side of things, a 3.5mm regular headphone jack is available which allows you to use any regular set of head/ear phones with the device.

Via: Gizmag

The HTW S116 is a solar charged mobile phone. Having one of these around could get you out of trouble. All you need to do is sit it in daylight for 40 minutes and you are good for 20 – 25 minutes of talk time. According to one source, the phone can even get a small bit of power from regular lights if it is dark outside.

The main problem with solar energy is that the phone will not charge while in a pocket or bag and its a bit of a pain having to carry it around facing the light source. However, the idea kind of works. I still think a seperate solar charging unit is the better option although you could argue that you probably will not end up carring that around with you. It’s really up to personal choice in the end.

As well as having solar charging capabilities the phone has a 1.3 megapixel camera, external memory card slot and a QVGA screen which measures at 320 x 240 pixels.

Via: Unwiredview

The Q1 Ultra from Samsung is an updated version of the older Samsung Q1. New features from the old non ultra to the new ultra are integrated thumb buttons, smaller form factor and it weighs less. Resolution is 1024 x 600 pixels and it has a 60Gb disk. Connectivity is provided by Wifi, Bluetooth and HSDPA. The OS running this device is Windows Vista Premium.

Via: Engadget

The iPhone is due to be released in June 2007 over in the US. A number of accessories are already being devised such as a screen protector for that huge screen which will no doubt scratch easy. Other accessories to be launched is a bluetooth headset, pictured above and will be compatible with other bluetooth models of phone.

I have mixed impressions of the iPhone and wonder if the high price will still allow it to sell. Most of the phones I have used only last between 12 and 18 months before they start acting up. It will be interesting to see if the iPhone will last longer then 18 months under daily usage.

Via: EverythingiPhone

For those who use camera phones, you might notice that you do not always get a decent shot with the camera. Devices are becoming one over the last few years with features like cameras, mp3, internet, email and more all converging in to 1 device. However, the camera although it could be 2 – 3 megapixels does not always deliver what you want. This can be for many reasons such as lighting, distance, stability, digital zoom and more. Digital Photography Weblog have created a 13 step guide to creating the best possible photos from your camera phone. It is well worth a read. The titles are below, and please click through to read the full article as it is worth it.

1. Well lit subjects
2. Get Close
3. Keep it Still
4. Edit images later
5. Dont Throw Away mistakes
6. Avoid Using the Digital Zoom
7. Experiment with White Balance
8. Take loads of Shots and Experiment
9. Follow Rules of Composition and then Break them
10. Keep Your Lens Clean
11. Observe Camera Phone Etiquette
12. Rename your Images
13. Use the highest resolution possible on your camera phone

Via: Digital Photography Weblog

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RSS has become an efficient way of reading information from many sources on the internet but by keeping them all in the same place. pRSSReader is a great peice of software written for Windows Mobile which allows you to download your latest feeds to your Pocket PC. An extra bonus feature about this software is that it is free at the moment. It is compatible with Pocket PC 2002 up to Windows Mobile 5 but unfortunatly now with Smartphone Edition. No doubt an update will happen soon to sort this as it would make sense to have the smartphone edition connect via GSM to get the RSS feeds.

Features built in allow you to manage your reads, cache images with in feeds for reading on the road, prozy support, summaries and more. For full details, follow the link below.

Via: pRSSReader