Sprint is also being rumored to be testing the HTC Hero, but if they do release one, this probably won’t be it. There’s still no date as to when it will actually hit the North America market, but it should be available this month in Europe with Asia to follow thereafter.

[engadgetmobile via cellphones etc]

Discovered in a bunch of pending patent applications, this first one is called “Event-based modes for electronic devices.” What this basically does is allow your iPhone to automatically adjust its setting based on your location and “life events”. So, what exactly are these “life events”?

[via unwiredview]
More details after the break.

Based on the patent application, “life events” can be any one of the following:

any location-based event (e.g., the device entering or exiting a specific geographical location, such as a country, or a specific type of location, such as a movie theater, etc.), any environment-based event (e.g., the device being subjected to a specific physical orientation, movement, temperature, sound, light, etc.), any calendar-based event (e.g., the device reaching a specific time of day, day of week, date, etc.), any usage-based event (e.g., the device being used for a specific function, for a specific period of time, the device’s battery having less than half of its capacity remaining, etc.), any news-based event (e.g., the device receiving information about a particular worldly occurrence, such as a weather forecast, news report, or sport score, etc.), and combinations thereof.

Another pending patent is called “User-programmed automated communications.“ This feature allows your iPhone to perform an appropriate action based on a particular event, location, caller and other similar conditions. Say, for example, it’s your wife’s birthday. This new feature will allow your iPhone to automatically send an SMS to your wife greeting her on her special day.

Last, but certainly not the least, there’s also a “Systems and methods for intelligent and customizable communications between devices” that’s also waiting for patent approval. Simply put, these allow you to set up your iPhone to respond accordingly and differently to your various contacts depending on your current situation and availability.

As you can see, these new iPhone features is all about automation, but being that these are all just patent applications, there’s really no guarantee that these will make it into the real world. These do, however, give us an idea of what to expect, and based on what we’ve seen so far, it sure looks good. How about you guys? What do you make of these iPhone features waiting for patent approval?

The Toshiba TG01 has already been launched in Japan albeit going by a different name, T-01A on NTT DoCoMo, and now, it’s Europe’s turn to get this Snapdragon-powered touchscreen handset this month. The launch is scheduled to happen on July 9 when we expect to get more details on its pricing. First unveiled in the early part of this year, the Toshiba TG01 will possibly debut on O2 in the UK. Granted that the upper hand went to the TG01 as far as speed was concerned when matched up with the iPhone 3G, it looks like the Toshiba TG01 now has a more capable rival in the speedier iPhone 3G S which should now be available in Europe as we speak.

[via slashgear]

We’ve heard about the mouthwatering features of the Nvidia Tegra chip and seen it go to work on the Zune HD. Now, get ready as we hear this versatile Nvidia Tegra chip also plans to invade smartphones before 2009 comes to a close. Both Samsung and Motorola are the ones currently rumored to be producing the Tegra-powered smartphones with Android as its possible OS. Apart from that, details are still pretty scarce at the moment. However, as far as its release is concerned, the early part of Q4 of 2009 has been mentioned as the likely period when we’ll see the first Tegra-based smartphone hit the market. With the entry of the Nvidia Tegra into the mobile phones scene, the competition is definitely shifting up to the next level.

[via unwiredview, the street]

Just last week we posted about the App Catalog hitting the 700,000 mark. Well, after close to a month of the Palm being out in the market, Palm’s app store has achieved a new feat by reaching 1 million downloads. That’s really pretty remarkable considering that Palm Pre sales have been so far crippled due to the lack of available, units and there’s only a measly 30 app available at the App Catalog for download. With such an impressive first month, we’re now more optimistic of the Palm’s chances in rivaling the iPhone and App Store with their brand new Palm Pre and App Catalog. Great job, Palm! Now set those new apps loose already so people can really have fun with the Palm Pre.

[bgr via cellphones etc]

Did you get a new iPhone 3G S from AT&T and is having a hard time activating it? Well, here’s a little consolation for all the trouble you’re getting with your brand new AT&T iPhone 3G S. Apple is giving away $30 worth of iTunes Store credit to compensate for the delayed activation of your newly acquired Apple mobile phone. They’ve sent out an email to affected buyers informing them of their plans. Qualified iPhone 3G S owners should receive an email from Apple on Monday telling that they now have $30 iTunes Store credit. Along the way, they more or less point the finger to AT&T as the culprit behind the failed activations. While we’re not exactly sure if AT&T is the only one to blame here, we at least applaud Apple for their prompt response to address the whole situation.

[via unwiredview]
A copy of the email is available after the break.

Dear Apple Customer,

Thank you for your recent Apple Store order. We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in your iPhone activation.

We are still resolving the issue that was encountered while activating your iPhone with AT&T. Unfortunately, due to system issues and continued high activation volumes, this could take us up to an additional 48 hours to complete.

On Monday, you’ll receive an email from Apple with an iTunes Store credit in the amount of $30. We hope you will enjoy this gift and accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this delay has caused.

Thank you for choosing Apple.

Sincerely,

Apple Online Store Team

The Palm Pre app store, the App Catalog, is still in its infancy and is certainly nowhere near the size of the Apple App Store, but apparently, they’re doing quite well on their own. In fact, despite the obvious lack of mobile apps to offer, they’ve already managed to amass 666,511 downloads as of June 17th. Given the steady rise of downloads everyday, that should make it around 700,000 today. That’s really quite impressive, but I honestly don’t know if they can keep this trend up especially if they don’t improve on their app collection. Nonetheless, these figures are quite encouraging. The Palm Pre is already considered a real thorn to the backside of the iPhone, and it looks like their App Catalog is also shaping up to be a serious threat to the dominance of the App Store.

[mobile-review via engadget]

Anyway, everything still needs to be confirmed, but if true, we’ll finally see how the Apple iPhone can truly stack up against the iPhone clones in China. Hopefully, Unicom won’t suffer the same fate as the carriers in Russia.

[reuters via unwiredview]

If you think the current crop of netbooks and MIDs are the most compact mobile computers you’ll ever see this lifetime, you better think again. The CTD Dragonfly is a “crossfolding” MID which promises to bring portability and ease of use to a whole new level. What you’re looking at is just a mock up, but Edward Bullister, an MIT graduate with PhD, plans to make this a reality some day. Apart from its very intriguing design, he plans to use a Moorestown chip underneath the hood with Windows XP as its OS. Provided, of course, that when this finally goes it to production, XP is still around. Anyway, those two specs are the most realistic goals at the moment for this device. Bullister admits that the dual-sided LED displays will come at a later time, and we’re not too sure how he will achieve his goal of providing “all day” battery life much more incorporate it in the slim form factor of the Dragonfly. Nonetheless, despite being a little too ambitious, we like where he’s taking this. After all, every successful gadget in the market today had to start somewhere, and dreaming is a pretty good jump-off point.

[via engadget]
More pictures after the break.

According to Juniper Studies, the mobile market will see a spike in low-budget phones 2014 improving upwards of 700 units or about 22% of the number this year. The iPhone, Palm Pre and other multimedia phones may get the headlines but Nokia will rest on its laurels with its continued production of low-end phones.

Techcrunch reports: According to Juniper’s report, of which you’ll find a summary in this free whitepaper, entry-level devices (Nokia’s definition for phones that sell for less than $60) accounted for 45% of total global shipments in 2008, which translates to 535 million units. However, Juniper also says ULC devices (ultra low-cost or devices selling for $5 on average) were only a fraction of those but growing in importance quickly. By 2014, Juniper forecasts low-cost devices to account for over 50% of all devices sold worldwide each year. Of the 700 million low-cost handsets expected to be sold in 2014, Juniper Research believes around 24% will be sold in Africa and the Middle East.