Many industry watchers argue that software ecosystems now present one of the biggest hurdles to mobile platform owners looking to combat the mobile juggernauts that iOS and Android have become. BGR has been covering the issue for years, and in November 2010 we said that absent apps were a huge barrier for Microsoft as it re-entered the mobile space with Windows Phone. Now, nearly a year and a half later, the Windows Phone platform is being taken a bit more seriously by mobile developers, however the issue of ...

Nokia announced on Wednesday that it has officially sold its 1.5 billionth S40-powered cell phone since the first S40 device — the Nokia 7110 — was released in 1999. A 21-year old Brazilian woman made the historic purchase in São Paulo, the company said, noting that the woman purchased a Nokia Asha 303 from a Magazine Luiza store. “We are incredibly proud to reach this milestone,” said Mary McDowell, Executive Vice President for Mobile Phones at Nokia. “Having 1.5 billion Series 40 de...

Images of what appears to be the unannounced Nokia C2-06 have been leaked by Hackintosh India. Judging from the photos, the C2-06 will be a new S40 device with a slider form factor that’s capable of accepting two SIM cards at the same time. A dual-SIM phone is a good option for frequent travelers, or for two people that want to share a single device with two phone numbers. The device appears to have a low resolution touchscreen as well as a slide-out full alphanumeric keypad. Given the lack of amenities...

Following up on the 105 Damascus the company launched last month, Mobiado announced Tuesday that a new ultra-high end model has been added to its portfolio. The Classic 712 Stealth was inspired by stealth military aircraft and is built out of glass bead-blasted “aircraft aluminum” and sapphire crystal. The case is then anodize coated and adorned with hand painted sapphire crystal buttons. In terms of specs, the 712 Stealth features quad-band GSM and triple-band WCDMA (2100/1900/900), a 2.2-inch QV...

Luxury phone maker Mobiado today announced a new addition to its portfolio of exotic cell phones. The Mobiado 105 Damascus, hand-forged using a hot-forging technique that dates back to 1700 AD, certainly does its predecessors proud. The result of the forging technique used to build Mobiado’s new handset is called Damascus steel and it was used to build swords renowned for their strength and sharpness. The 105 Damascus won’t cut you, though it will definitely carve its way deep into your bank accou...

If you’re one of those people who look back nostalgically at the old T9 keypads, Nokia just may have the device for you. Today, Nokia introduced the C2 Touch & Type handset. As Nokia explains:The Series 40 device promises best-in-class communications, with Quad band phone calling, and both 3G/HSPA and WiFi internet connectivity. It comes with Nokia messaging 3.0, the latest incarnation of Nokia’s email, instant messaging and the Communities client offering Facebook and Twitter access. The device ...

You know we are big fans of Vertu handsets around these parts, and Mr. Frank Nuovo certainly isn’t sitting in the UK counting iPhone sales while doing nothing. Vertu has, in Vertu tradition, silently announced an updated model in their lineup and it is the new Vertu Ascent for 2010. Picking up on almost all of the previous phone’s shortcomings (save for the S40-based OS, of course), the new Ascent features quad-band 3G, GPS, preloaded maps for navigation, a 5 megapixel camera, and will come in 8GB...

If you’re a fan of low-cost messaging phones with a social twist, prepare to lose your mind, for Nokia today announced three such devices in the C3, C6 and E5. The most basic of the bunch is the C3, which just so happens to be the first Symbian S40 device to ever feature a full-QWERTY keypad. It offers a 2.4″ QVGA display, 2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Ovi Chat, Ovi Mail and support for microSD cards up to 8GB. It will be be available in golden white, slate grey and hot pink in Q2 for 90€ ($122 US...

DigiTimes is reporting that mobile giant Nokia plans to forgo Symbian V2 and release Symbian V3, complete with multitouch functions, in the second half of 2010. Perhaps even more exciting than that, was what Digi’s sources had to say about Symbian 4: “Symbian version 4 is believed to be based on the Qt cross-platform application development framework developed by Trolltech. The Qt will allow software developers to develop application software supporting Symbian and Maemo platforms simultaneously.&...

Although it’s having a bit of a hard time looking after its own finances, that didn’t stop Nokia from splurging on some gold and subsequently gilding the crap out of one of its most popular phones in the 6700 classic. Come Q1 2010, 370€ ($546 USD) will be the magical amount of money one will have to part with in order to get their hands on the 6700 classic Gold Edition. Of course it might be wise for one to spend the same amount of money on something more capable like a smartphone, but let’...

It’s not quite as intriguing as any of the devices featured at Nokia World this morning, but Nokia and AT&T have just announced a new entry level S40 flip phone dubbed the Nokia Mural. Bearing a striking resemblance to Motorola W series phones of old, the Mural is a clam shell feature phone that would make 2002 proud. Spec highlights include 3G with HSDPA connectivity, integrated IM and email, dedicated external music buttons, a 2.2-inch QVGA internal display, a 2 megapixel camera and microSDHC supp...

News flash: Nokia managed to keep a pair of handsets a secret leading up to official announcements at Nokia World! Alongside the oft-talked about N97 Mini, two previously unknown music-centric devices, the X3 and X6, became official — but we’ll get to them in a moment. The N97 Mini, as we’re sure most of you know by now, can be summed up pretty quickly: Slightly smaller than the N97, tilting 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen display, sliding QWERTY keypad, 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss len...

That rumored imminent announcement has come sooner rather than later as Nokia has made the rugged 3720 classic official today. The press release was light on the specifications but did confirm that the 3720 classic will be IP54 certified for water, dust and shock, and will feature an Integrated LED flashlight, 2.2-inch display, 2 megapixel camera with flash, microSD card slot (ships with 1GB card installed) and extended battery life. The Nokia 3720 will be available later this summer in a variety of colors f...

As much success as Nokia has had — and still has — in emerging markets, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume the Finnish company’s lineup is already jam-packed full of durable handsets. That assumption, at it were, would be wrong. Say hello to the company’s first water and dust resistant handset, the Nokia 3720. With IP54 certification, the 3720 will also be shock resistant if and when it drops (wink, wink) some time in September. Beyond that, our guess is that we’re looking ...