A few months ago, the best spec-ed S60 device was the N97... If the N97 was sold today, it would have been an instant winner, but by the time it launches in June, it risks being totally obsolete. The reason is that the best smartphone to date was shown at MWC…
Let's get straight to the specs to make my point:
- S60 5th Edition with TouchWiz UI
- 3.7" AMOLED Capacitive touchscreen, QHD (640x360)
- 8 MP Auto-Focus with LED Flash
- HD Video recording @ 24fps (1280 x 720p)
- DLNA & HD TV out (DLNA dongle needed)
- FM Radio with Dual Stereo Speaker & DNSe 2.0
- A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1
- Sensors: Proximity, Light Sensor, Compass, Accelerometer
- Dimensions: 123 x 58 x 12.9 mm
- Battery: 1500 mAh
- Connectivity: HSUPA 5.76Mbps and HSDPA 7.2Mbps
- Internal: 8GB/16GB with microSD expansion
- 3D interface & Samsung Mobile Widgets
That AMOLED screen is fricking awesome!!!
Check this out!!! That can’t be Symbian S60.
Samsung have completely changed the look with their TouchWiz UI.
Coolest feature is the 3D interface which allows to switch apps by flicking left or right. & you don’t really need to “touch the screen” – it’s capacitive like the iPhone.
Add a Xenon to that LED flash… & it would be the ULTIMATE PHONE!
I'm sold... Samsung have accomplished what Nokia couldn't dare imagine - exploit the full power of S60 in both hardware & software.
Samsung Omnia HD from Gizmodo on Vimeo.
Btw do you know what this is? The Wall of WOW! Go on, click on it... That's what stems from using the best display technology available (excluding laser TVs).
The Sony Ericsson Idou Concept
Sony Ericsson have showed a Symbian Foundation concept phone, still at the design stage, with a 12.1 MP camera with Xenon flash & a 3.5-inch 16:9 touchscreen. To be released in 2010.
The Symbian Foundation Platform is a new OS that will be launched this year - should be like S60 5th Edition FP1.
Since most manufacturers never release a product beforehand, the Idou seems to me like a desperate attempt by Sony Ericsson to garner much needed attention...
Windows Mobile 6.5
Microsoft announced a new version Windows Mobile at MWC, with a revamping of the interface towards a more touch-centric one.
Windows Mobile 6.5 Running on HTC from Gizmodo on Vimeo.
The new interface is pretty good with that vastly improved desktop which brings the most important functions within reach. 
The honeycombed menu does bring some freshness to that typical grid-like menu.
IE mobile has been revamped.
But if you look much deeper you'd notice that most of those changes are merely cosmetic, the underlying OS is still the same with almost no new features. Everyone thought that Microsoft would bring the Zune interface on WinMo, but it’s only the home screen that got a Zune-like scrolling menu, while WMP is still the same.
In all WinMo 6.5 doesn't really exploit the full potential of touchscreens. Microsoft have got it half-right. But when manufacturers are forced to build their own interface atop WinMo, then something must be certainly wrong. Till when will these manufacturers continue to pay for WinMo when there are free & open-source mobile OSes like Android & the future Symbian Foundation available.
HTC Magic – G2
Speaking of Android, HTC have unveiled a new Android-powered smartphone, the HTC Magic, nicknamed the G2, sold exclusively by Vodafone UK.
- Processor: Qualcomm® MSM7201a™, 528 MHz
- Operating System: Android
- Memory ROM: 512 MB, RAM: 192 MB
- Dimensions 113 x 55 x 13.65 mm
- Weight 118.5 grams with battery
- Display 3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 320x480 HVGA resolution
- Network HSDPA/WCDMA: 900/2100 MHz, Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds
- Device Control Trackball with Enter button
- GPS Internal GPS antenna
- Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
- Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g
- HTC ExtUSB (11-pin mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
- Camera: 3.2 MP camera with auto focus
- Battery: 1340 mAh
- Talk time: 400 min 3G, 450 min GSM
- Standby time: 660h 3G, 420h GSM
- Expansion Slot: microSD
- Special Features: G-sensor, Digital Compass
Android G2: HTC Magic Hands ON from Gizmodo on Vimeo.
Among the other big news, all phone manufacturers (except Apple) have agreed on a standard phone charger for all phones by 2012 - via microUSB. Their aim is to reduce power wastage, increase energy efficiency.
Adobe have announced that they will soon be releasing Flash 10 for a range of mobile devices, including S60, Android, Windows Mobile, Palm Pre & notably excluding the iPhone. That should mean these mobile devices will render Flash exactly like on your desktop. :)