Though the Meizu M8 isn’t going to be as far from iPhone as we’ve all been hoping in its next few refreshes, the user interface seems a lot more polished than before. Can you say “So-fist-ti-cated”? The crisp high-definition icons seem to be only the beginning of it. We got a dock at the bottom of the screen that seems to say there’s going to be real multitasking. Meizume says it’s coming in August.

[meizume via engadget]

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]

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]

[phonenews via unwiredview]

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]

Many of us can’t live without social networking sites like Facebook, so trouble cellphone manufacturer Motorola has released the Moto Karma. It’s an entry-level mobile with HSDPA and a web browser. It also has a QWERTY keyboard and A-GPS. Doesn’t sound like an entry-level phone anymor, does it. The Karma has hit written all over it

The Motorola Karma will be available for AT&T customers on June 28. It’s $79.99 after rebate. Cheaper than the $99 iPhone 3G at least.

[via mobilewhack]

HTC is certainly no stranger to Android mobile phones, and now, they’ve just unveiled their latest one, the HTC Hero. It packs a 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen, 5-megapixel autofocus camera, Qualcomm 528MHz processor, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR + A2DP support, GPS, digital compass, accelerometer, quad-band GSM/EDGE, and dual-band 7.2Mbps HSDPA/WCDMA connectivity, but what truly sets this apart from the rest is the new Sense UI. This is HTC’s new GUI overlay similar to their TouchFLO 3D for Windows Mobile, but this time around, meant for the Android platform. There’s also Scenes which provides you with different customizable UI profiles whether for work or play. These two software enhancements add a whole new level of personalization and distinction to HTC Android phones that has been lacking in the past.

[product; bgr via cellphones etc]
More pictures and details after the break.

Likewise, the HTC Hero is the first mobile phone we’ve heard of being coated with Teflon for added protection. This new coating also provides a softer feel which helps for a better grip as well.

The price wasn’t mentioned, but it will hit Europe in July with Asian countries to follow suit in the following months. North America will be getting theirs at a much later date. Personally, I wasn’t much of a fan of either the T-Mobile G1 or the HTC Magic, but HTC’s definitely got my attention now with the Hero.

We’ll soon know if the TG01 Snapdragon phone will live up to its billing as Toshiba has released it for consumers redubbed T-01A, at the for NTT DoCoMo. Of course, the success of the T-O1A will set up the upcoming TG02 and TG03 quite nicely. The 4.1 touchscreen will give a decent WinMo 6.1 albeit a customized one. There’s WiFi, 3G and GPS and probably plenty of processing power with the 1GHz Snapdragon chip inside.

[via engadget]

J.Wong, the dynamic CE of Meizu has announced that users of the current 2G Meizu M8 will be able to upgrade to 3G for an additional $190 and $220 for the 8GB and 16GB respectively. No mention of the Meizu M8 3G MSR, and we’re expecting it to appear months ago. The good news above is that the screen should be way amazing for an “iPhone clone” at 720 x 480, and some forum posters there at Meizume are crossing their fingers on the possible AMOLED goodness.

[meizume via engadget]