Monday, April 5th

We started the week off with a pretty interesting leak from Verizon Wireless’ depths. Contained in an InfoDoc activation write-up, the HTC Incredible made a very distinct appearance. This is still one of those devices that’s insanely popular amongst Android fans, along with Verizon Wireless customers who are looking for a powerful new device. The sad thing is, though, Verizon still hasn’t officially announced the device. Hopefully, though, that happens soon.

And we can’t go a week without having some kind of Samsung news, now can we? Of course not. And sure enough, they came through for us. They were out and about, taking slides with them that show off the progression of their Bada Operating System. Familiar faces, like the Samsung Wave, made an appearance at the top tier of the chart, but there were a couple full QWERTY slide-out keyboard devices that definitely piqued our interest. Especially if we can get some Super AMOLED goodness on there, all for about $350.

Ah, the HTC Hero. The light of Android’s eye, so to speak. At least, it was back in July, when it was the flagship device to launch Android 1.5, and bring HTC’s Sense User Interface to the fold. Well, if you’ve got an HTC Hero, or one of its many derivatives, then you know you’re still on Android 1.5, even if the rest of the world is moving on. Luckily for you, though, HTC have apparently given the greenlight for the Android 2.1 roll out, which should begin April 16th. Keep your fingers crossed.

Tuesday, April 6th

There’s no doubt about the fact that Nokia is one of the most beloved wireless carriers around the world. Probably not so much in America, but definitely around the world. And how could it not be, with such stable devices like the E71 and E66? These work horse handsets are some of the most popular ones floating around, and now they’re getting better. Thanks to the wireless carrier’s own Ovi Maps service. The free, offline-enabled service is now officially available for the two handsets, and the best part is it’s completely free.

So, Verizon Wireless wants the iPhone. In fact, Ivan Seidenberg –CEO of Verizon Wireless– says that he and the rest of his wireless juggernaut is ready to carry the Apple banner right now, but he understands that it is Apple’s call. There’s still rumors flying around that Verizon Wireless will indeed get the new (or some kind of new) iPhone for their network in the future, but that’s a rumor that’s been living since 2007, and just won’t seem to die. Well, at least if Steve Jobs and the rest of the Cupertino-based company decide to bring their prodigal phone to Big Red, they already know they’re eagerly waiting for it.

Speaking of Android devices, looks like the Samsung Moment is getting an upgrade. At least, that’s what we’re supposed to believe with these latest unofficial photo shoot. Apparently, the Samsung Moment 2 is going to rock the same slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard as its predecessor, have Android 2.1, and feature Samsung’s infamous TouchWiz (3.0) interface. Other than that, there’s not much known about it. We do know that it’s going to be a Sprint exclusive, just like the original, so that should be some good news to Sprint subscribers out there.

Wednesday, April 7th

The HTC Desire is the Nexus One with some major improvements in the software front: namely, the use of HTC’s Sense User Interface. Other than that, the two devices are pretty much identical, with the exception of the switch from a trackball to an optical trackpad. In any event, the HTC Desire is one of those devices that many people are eagerly anticipating getting unlocked, so they don’t need to be shackled to any kind of service plan for another three years. Unfortunately for them, as of Wednesday, the handset was delayed yet again from hitting unlocked online retailers.

As for the Nexus One, it continues to make the rounds. This time around, it’s heading to France, thanks to Bouygues Telecom. The Android 2.1 superphone showed up on the company’s website, spouting off all the cool details about the handset. There’s no word on when it will be officially released, but our hat is tipped for later this month (like, the end of it), or even the beginning of May. After all, it has to launch on Verizon Wireless here in the States first, along with Vodafone across the pond.

Verizon Wireless has new devices coming soon, and they wanted to make sure that everyone in Verizon Wireless knew about it. The official slide that was passed around internally wasn’t meant for the public’s eye, but was entirely meant to calm the Big Red’s employees, as everyone is expecting new handsets soon. Of course, it could be the HTC Incredible, or a new BlackBerry device. Or, it could be Microsoft’s Project Pink handsets. We’ll find out soon.

Thursday, April 8th

Nokia wants to make sure that their Comes With Music service is heard by all of their Nokia fans out there, but right now, it’s not available in every country. That’s changing in a big way, as Nokia is not only launching the service in China, but now allowing for DRM-free downloads of music. This is a way for Nokia, as well as major music companies in China, to save money on pirated music. It seems like a last-ditch effort to us, but we hope it works nonetheless.

The HTC Incredible showed up again later this week, in two big ways: the first, a Best Buy screenshot that said the device would launch in their stores on April 29th. There’s still no word from Verizon Wireless about the device’s existence, but at this point, we can safely say it’s a done deal. And, if that wasn’t enough proof for you, the handset’s user manual also leaked, just enforcing all the debate. We’re now just waiting for Verizon to pull the plug on this blackout, so we can finally get some official word.

Apple launched iPhone OS 4.0 on Thursday, and they did it with 7 tentpoles holding up their circus. The biggest announcement (at least in the phone department) is the fact that the latest upgrade to Apple’s mobile Operating System includes multitasking. A simple double-click of the Home button now brings up the applications tray, which showcases recently used apps, and you can switch back and forth on a whim. Multitasking made easy, by none other than Apple. Consider us unsurprised.

Friday, April 9th

When it comes to Windows Mobile, there’s only a few handsets out there that actually stand out. One of them is the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2. And, for the lucky owners of the device out there, Microsoft and Sony Ericsson have finally released a much needed update for the handset. This will officially push you into the realm of Windows Mobile 6.5.3, so keep your arms open wide, and accept the future, ladies and gentlemen.

AT&T is changing gears in a big way, starting in the next couple months. They want you to Rethink Possible, because the second largest wireless carrier in America is no longer focusing their energy on being a wireless carrier behemoth. Instead, they want to be a jumping off point for progressive, innovative lifestyle. We have no idea what that means, exactly, but hopefully AT&T will start to clarify their position soon. Furthermore, we just hope this means they aren’t going to forget about their tower upgrades. We still need service, folks.

Research In Motion is trying to find ways to change the game, it seems. According to a lot of insider chatting, it seems the manufacturer of the BlackBerry line of handsets has their eyes set on something completely different for them: a tablet. According to rumors and leaks, it seems that the Canada-based organization has recently purchased some 8.9-inch displays, for what can only be a tablet. These things are meant to sync with their BlackBerry counterparts, and be specifically designed for owners of BlackBerry devices. AT least they’re keeping it in the family.

Speaking on the announcement, Francois Mahieu, Director of Devices for Orange UK, said: “We’re extremely excited about being the exclusive UK operator to offer Comes With Music on the Nokia 5800. We are always looking for ways to remove the barriers that stand between our customers and the things they love and believe that by offering this service, we are able to do just that.”

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People can choose from estimated four million tracks on the local Nokia Music Store catalogue, comprising a diverse range of major and independent labels carrying both international and local content across genres from jazz to blues, to hip hop, soul, funk, pop, indie, grunge and even kids and soundtracks from movies.

Asian music from artists such as Sing Shi, Huang Jing Lun, Liang Wen Ying, Rainie Yang, Da Mouth, Khalil Fong are available with Comes with Music, among others.

Nokia Comes with Music devices comes with one year subscriptions of using Nokia Music Store. You can download unlimited number of free songs from the music store, and keep the songs in your phone or computer after the subscription is ended. Nokia Comes With Music is already live in the United Kingdom and on the Nokia N96, Nokia N95 8GB, Nokia 5310 XpressMusic and will be available on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic later this year.

Once a track captures your attention, you can add it to your wishlist to buy later or purchase it immediately for download to your device without having to download the same song again on your computer. You can also transfer purchased songs via your PC to compatible Nokia devices.

Individual tracks will cost 1.00 EUR per track and 10.00 EUR per album in Austria, and 1.50 CHF per track and 15.00 CHF per album in Switzerland. All music on the Nokia Music Store can be purchased through a variety of payment options, including credit cards and pre-paid vouchers.

The United Kingdom was the first market to offer Comes With Music in October 2008 and Singapore and Australia are expected to launch later this quarter. Comes With Music offers one year of unlimited access to the entire Nokia Music Store catalogue and customers can keep all the music that they have downloaded at the end of the year to continue enjoying their music collection.

Carphone Warehouse will be the exclusive UK pre-pay channel offering the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic ‘Comes With Music’ edition.

Comes With Music will also feature a tremendous selection of independent music, courtesy of deals with The Orchard (NASD: ORCD), Beggars Group, IODA, the Ministry of Sound, PIAS and Pinnacle. These companies join Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group in supporting Comes With Music. Nokia has also secured music publishing rights from CELAS on behalf of EMI Music Publishing, GEMA on behalf of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, SACEM on behalf of Universal Music Publishing, as well as the MCPS-PRS Alliance.

The United Kingdom will be the first market to offer Comes With Music with sales planned to start on October 16, 2008.

Carphone Warehouse will be the exclusive UK pre-pay channel offering the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic ‘Comes With Music’ edition. People who buy the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic ‘Comes With Music’ edition will have unprecedented freedom to find and listen to music from a diverse catalog, including international and UK artists.

Tero Ojanperä, Executive Vice President and Head of the Nokia Entertainment and Communities business, said: “We believe that Comes With Music will transform the way people enjoy music. With unlimited music access for a year, you can enjoy your favorite artists or delve into new genres without having to worry about individual track or album purchases.”

Warner Music Group content will also now be available through the Nokia Music Store. The Nokia Music Store is available in Australia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden and the United Kingdom and is expanding to additional countries.