One of our sources has just let us know something pretty interesting. There has been a lot of talk surrounding Apple’s personal hotspot feature, specifically it’s capability of only supporting 3 wireless connections (as opposed to 5 like many other devices). Well, we have been told it’s all left to the carrier to decide. If a carrier requests it, five devices will be supported, but by default, it’s three.

Oh, and we’ve also been told iOS 4.3 will be available for download publicly at 10AM PT today. Fire up iTunes and get your update trigger-finger ready!

To Apple’s credit: it has consistently said that its Personal Hotspot feature would “support five connections.” It did this without ever actually specifying what type of connections those were. According to support documentation on the iPhone maker’s website, those utilizing the Personal Hotspot feature in iOS 4.3 will be allowed to share their phone’s internet connection with up to five devices, however, only three of them can be over Wi-Fi. Yes, it seems the other two connections will have to be made using Bluetooth and USB respectively. Most of the tech world assumed — present company included — that the five connected devices in question would all be suckling from the iPhone’s data connection via Wi-Fi. Which is, obviously, not the case. We can’t say we remember the last time (if there ever was a time) that we had five devices connected to a cellular hotspot device, but that’s just us. Is this a deal breaker for anyone?

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Today at Mobile World Congress, mobile processor juggernaut Texas Instrument held a press event to offer some additional details about its OMAP 4 and 5 processor lines. Greg Delagi, the company’s senior vice president and general manager, gave the keynote — which took place right on the showroom floor. He emphatically talked about the need to push the capabilities of “smart devices” forward while being mindful of the constraints battery technology puts on the industry. Both RIM and LG were brought on stage — the PlayBook and Optimus 3D both use the OMAP 4 platform — and they too heralded the headway TI is making with its system on a chip (SoC) OMAP processors. The company even has technology in place that will bring cost effective, power efficient gesture recognition and Pico DLP technology to a wider array of smartphones and smart devices; it works just like the Kinect. We have some video of the motion-based gesture recognition, in action running on prototype hardware after the break, along with some of Mr. Delagi’s thoughts on why OMAP is such an effective mobile processor.

Delagi was kind enough to give us 10 minutes of his time to talk about the OMAP platform and, more specifically, how it works in the mobile device arena. Mr. Delagi explained that his company’s chip is superior not because of raw processor clock speed — a common myth — but because of exactly how the chip is designed. OMAP 4 and OMAP 5 processors have six separate engines at their disposal. There is the general purpose processor, which is used for most tasks; the graphics processor, used for image display; a programmable DSP processor, which allows manufactures to keep a phone’s core processing capabilities up to the latest codecs (say H.265 came out, this codec could be flashed to the DSP); a display processor for handling the screen’s needs; an imaging and video accelerator, for doing exactly what its name suggests; and the ABE, or audio back-end.

TI uses some extremely advanced system management to power these systems up and down as your phone demands, to try and efficiently utilize every last bit of juice from your battery. For example, the IVA uses 273 milliwatts when running at full throttle. Delagi also noted that the motion-based gesture recognition technology — which you’ll see in the video below — could be added to LG’s Optimus 3D handset with almost zero impact on battery life and/or added cost to the manufacturer. Mobile processor technology is extremely complex, so it was great to hear someone talk so passionately and eloquently about his company’s solution.

A note about this gesture recognition technology: it has a range of 0-8 meters; it can be included in TVs, mobile phones, gaming systems, etc.; it uses no special sensors, just a camera; it has facial recognition capabilities (the example given was if you were trying to change the channel of your TV using gestures but were on the couch with others); and any device with an OMAP 4 or 5 processor can harness this built-in feature.

A firm named GlobalDirectParts has put together a fairly extensive, five-plus minute video showcasing what they claim to be parts from Apple’s next generation iPhone (referred to as the iPhone 5 in the video). We get a crystal clear look at the charging-port flex-cable and outer aluminum skeleton of the device. There are several key differences between the iPhone 4 parts and the new parts we are being shown — displayed side by side in the video — including the absence of several of the black, plastic strips on the casing. This new iPhone shell still has a micro-SIM card slot, which could mean several things: it belongs to a global CDMA iPhone, it is a slight retooling of the current GSM iPhone 4 (iPhone 4GS anyone?), or… it’s just a fake (that’s still an option too). At the beginning of the video, around 0:23, the company appears to have a fully assembled version of the device and leaves us with the following taunt: “more coming next week.” While this video is from an unverified entity, it looks legitimate enough to warrant mention. Hit the break to have a peek and make sure to weigh in with your comments.

UPDATE: It looks like this is indeed the real deal — the video has been removed from YouTube, likely at Apple’s request.

Thanks, Johnny!

Several days ago, we saw Google’s Andy Rubin pawing an unreleased Motorola tablet running Android 3.0… and we liked it. Now, to further whet your appetite, a tantalizing screen shot of Honeycomb’s 3D live wallpapers, along with some device specifications, have surfaced in Taiwan.

The screen shot taker describes the tablet as “light” and pontificates that the hardware is ready for launch; it is now waiting on Google to finish baking Honeycomb. The Motorola tablet, according to the gentleman who had a close encounter, has a 1280 x 800 display, NVIDIA Tegra 2 T20 processor, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, 2 megapixel front-facing camera, a microSD card slot, and 32GB of built in storage.

The tablet will be available in both a 7-inch and 10-inch form-factor and should come with three different wireless options for on-the-go connectivity: UMTS, CDMA, or LTE.  Sign us up.

[Via Engadget]

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It’s been awhile since we’ve heard anything about the Motorola DEFY; a rough and rugged Android handset we first told you about in August that was announced just last month. But that all changes today. T-Mobile has announced, via Twitter, that the 3.7-inch scratch-resistant, touchscreen device — which also boasts a 5 megapixel camera with flash, DLNA support, FM radio, Wi-Fi Calling, and GPS — will be available for $99 with a 2-year contract starting on November 3. Not a bad little device for a c-note — especially if you’re one of those people who are unusually rough on electronics.

[Via TmoNews]

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Recently, T-Mobile released a statement detailing how it would handle customers who utilize more than 5 GB of data per month on their mobile devices. The statement reads:

Beginning on October 16, T-Mobile will begin to reduce data speeds when a customer reaches 5GB of usage in a billing cycle, in accordance with T-Mobile terms and conditions. This change should only affect extreme data users (less than 1 percent) and is being made to ensure that all subscribers receive the best Web performance available by limiting the number of extreme data users on our network.

The majority of T-Mobile customers should not be affected by this change. The new 5 GB threshold limit, which is equivalent to approximately 125,000 yahoo.com page visits, is enough bandwidth to satisfy most customers’ Web and data needs.
If a customer happens to reach the 5GB limit, they will receive a free text message informing them their data speed will be reduced. Customers will continue to have Web browsing capabilities but at slower speeds, which will be determined by their device type. Once their new billing cycle begins, data speeds will no longer be restricted.

Customers can track their data usage through My T-Mobile, MyAccount, or the SIVR.

Any T-Mobile users out there eclipse 5 GB of data per month on a regular basis?

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Via a press release, Samsung proudly announced that they have sold over 5 million Galaxy S branded handsets since the device’s launch back in June. As Samsung writes: “The GALAXY S has been a phenomenal success in the global smart phone market, recording global sales of over 5 million units including more than 2 million units in the United States and more than 1 million units in Korea.” Samsung plans to launch the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab today in Japan.

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Today, Nokia announced that the ever-efficient Swype keyboard will be coming to Symbian S60 5th edition devices. The software keyboard, which is currently being launched as a limited beta, supports the N97, N97 mini, X6, 5800, and 5230 Nokia handsets. As Nokia explains: “Swype and Nokia have been hard at work to deliver a limited beta release to Nokia S60 5th edition device owners. Your feedback will be valuable to us in the coming weeks, and we are especially interested in how well Swype interfaces with the many types of applications you use every day.” If you are interested in getting Swype on your S60 device, hit the jump to see a quick video followed by the download link.

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Today, prepaid cellular provider MetroPCS launched a new add-on to its cellular plans titled Mas Mexico. Mas Mexico provides “unlimited voice and text messaging plan to connect MetroPCS customers with friends and family in Mexico for $5 per month—taxes and regulatory fees included.” The new calling feature applies to landlines only, but users can text message all the mobile devices they would like. Hit the bounce for the full press release.

[Via PhoneScoop]

MetroPCS Unveils ‘Mas Mexico’ Service

Mas Mexico is an unlimited voice and text messaging add-on offering connecting MetroPCS customers with friends and family in Mexico for $5 per month–taxes and fees included.

Dallas — MetroPCS Communications, Inc. today announced the launch of Mas Mexico, an unlimited voice and text messaging plan to connect MetroPCS customers with friends and family in Mexico for $5 per month—taxes and regulatory fees included. This new calling feature enables MetroPCS customers to call the landlines of their loved ones in Mexico for a low monthly fee without the constraints of annual contracts. Along with unlimited calling, Mas Mexico also provides unlimited text messages to mobile phones in Mexico at no extra cost.

The Mas Mexico calling feature is an add-on to MetroPCS’ Wireless for All(SM) service plans introduced earlier this year. With the unlimited, no annual contract service, MetroPCS provides predictable, affordable and flexible service plans for consumers with no hidden costs or charges. Mas Mexico joins the Unlimited International Calling family of affordable features which connects people to more than 100 countries worldwide.

“MetroPCS is committed to finding innovative ways to deliver unparalleled value to our customers, and Mas Mexico meets the growing needs of consumers who are looking for an affordable way to stay connected,” said Roger Linquist, president, CEO and chairman of the board of MetroPCS. “The mobile phone is an integral part of our customers’ lives and a vital way for them to maintain the important relationships with family and friends they don’t see often. Mas Mexico helps bridge those long distances by providing a valuable feature at a low price.”

Mas Mexico details:

* Available to new and existing customers with tax and regulatory fee-inclusive (tax inclusive) rate plans of $50 and above. * Available on Family Plans with tax-inclusive rate plans of $50 and above (prior to discount). * Existing subscribers with tax-exclusive plans must convert to a tax-inclusive plan before purchasing the feature. * Available at all MetroPCS retail stores and participating authorized dealers. * Limited-time offer ends December 31, 2010.

For more information on the Mas Mexico calling feature, please visit MetroPCS’ Website at www.metropcs.com. For the latest updates on services and promotions, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MetroPCS.

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Get those credit cards ready, Nokia fans. According to a notice reportedly sent out to several US distributors, Nokia’s first Maemo phone is scheduled to hit Nokia distribution centers on September 27th — just under two weeks from today. Assuming the communique is real and Nokia can manage to stay on target, we could see the N900 begin to ship to customers via distributors within the first few days of October. Though it’s not a surprise, the lofty $650 MSRP is sure to leave a sour taste in some mouths but if you want to be among the first to own a T-Mobile 3G-ready Maemo 5 handset, the early adopter tax is unavoidable. Hit the jump for the alleged notice to distributors.

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Let’s face it — annoying, stale and overused references to a “desktop experience” aside, the N900 is probably one of the most exciting things to happen to Nokia in years… At least for technophiles. In a nutshell, Maemo 5 is the first fresh new OS to find its way to a Nokia smartphone since S60 3rd Edition first found its way to Fred Flinstone’s phone back in the stone ages. S60 3rd is still rocking relatively hard where global sales are concerned of course, but even the most avid Nokia fans will reluctantly admit to being bored with it at this point. S60 5th Edition is just more of the same and until Symbian^4 struts its stuff, Maemo is apparently where it’s at. The N900, Nokia’s first Maemo-powered smartphone, will drop some time in October so until then all we can do is watch painfully loud promo videos and yearn for the day when Nokia’s new kit finds its way to our pockets, and hopefully, our hearts. Video after the jump.

Our favorite Finnish phonies haven’t exactly been building a mystery in the months and weeks leading up to today, but the countless Nokia fans waiting for Rover to sit and stay have cause for celebration nonetheless. Behold… the Nokia N900! Nokia’s first Maemo 5-powered handset — in fact, it’s the company’s first Maemo-powered phone, period — is indeed looking like a beauty in its official press renders. Specs are exactly what we’ve known for quite a while:

• Maemo 5 OS
• 3.5-inch WVGA (800 x 480) resistive touchscreen display
• 110.9 × 59.8 × 18mm, 181g
• Portrait-orientation sliding QWERTY
• Mozilla-based browser, full Adobe Flash support
• ARM cortex A8 processor
• 32GB internal memory
• 5.0 MP Carl Zeiss camera with dual-LED flash, auto-focus and sliding cover
• MicroSDHC support up to 16GB
• FM transmitter
• Quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA 900/1700/2100, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP
• GPS
• 1320 mAh battery

The N900 will launch in “select markets” in October with an expected retail price of €500. We’re still expecting it to drop with T-Mobile here in the US of course, but no word on whether or not we can look forward to an October release. Anyone excited to see it on display next week at Nokia World? We know we are. In the meantime, hit the jump for a couple of marketing videos including one that shows off great features like multiple desktop support and a Palm Pre card-like task switcher.

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Well apparently that Finnish blog Puhelinvertailu opened up the flood gates as a bunch of people spent their Saturdays nights/Sunday mornings combing through Finland’s trademark database for anything Nokia-related. Much of what was found, such as a laundry list of trademarked handset names, falls into the “who cares?” category. Yes, Nokia trademarks names like Exx and Nxx so it can use them down the road. There were a few trademarks of interest uncovered however, namely a trademark for “Xseries” — meaning we now have two possible names for new lines of Nokia handsets. If we had to wager a guess: Cseries will encompass handsets that would have previously fallen into various numbered ranges (ie boring) and Xseries will cover Nokia’s upcoming line of Maemo 5-powered handsets (ie not boring). Again, that’s just speculation of course. Trademark miners managed to dig up mention of some other possibly-interesting tidbits as well, such as “Nokia Money”, a potential new platform for mobile financial transactions, and Booklet, a possible name for Nokia’s upcoming line of netbooks/smartbooks. Hopefully at least some of the products behind these trademarks will be covered by whatever Nokia plans to unveil at Nokia World.

Thanks, CanisMajor!

Read (Xseries)
Read (Nokia Money, Booklet, etc)

RIM announced on Wednesday the impending release of the latest version of its BlackBerry Enterprise Server. BES 5.0 will offers a slew of new features that make the BlackBerry experience for enterprise users that much more pleasurable. Among the user-side benefits discussed:

• Retrieve corporate documents behind firewalls
• Add, read, rename and delete folders on the handset and have those changes be applied to the desktop email client
• Create rules within the inbox to filter email and have those changes be applied to the desktop
• View attachments in calendar entries and meeting requests
• Download and store emails and email attachments onto microSD cards

Over-the-air updates will also be easier for both administrators and users alike. We’ve been seeing and hearing about BES 5.0 forever so it’ll be nice to finally see it come to market, albeit about a million years behind schedule. We’ll surely see all of the details ironed out at WES so stay tuned, BES users.

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