Update: Other key specs include 240x320 on screen resolution (QVGA), 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM, quad-band support, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FM Radio, Digital Compass and G-Sensor.

HTC plans for the Tattoo to reach Europe in October, and the rest of the world in the months after that. It's possible the Tattoo could be cheap enough to cost nothing with a carrier subsidy/smartphone plan.

And hopefully a Sense UI update means it won't be as sluggish as we've seen in the past on the Hero. [HTC UK Tattoo Page and MobileTechWorld]

Premiering on the N97 Mini, the Lifecasting with Ovi feature lets you publish your GPS location and status direct to your Facebook account, all from the home screen.

As a reminder: the N97 Mini has a QWERTY keyboard and a 3.2-inch touchscreen (versus a 3.5-inch display on the only slightly larger N97). Stay tuned for confirmed U.S details. [Nokia]

Nokia's Sexy N900 Will Be €500 ($710) in October
Oh, just in case you were wondering what Nokia had to say about the N900 at Nokia World…not much we didn't already know. They confirmed the pricing and details we had heard last week. Specs include 3.5-inch resistive WVGA screen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Linux-based Maemo 5 OS, GPS geotagging, 5-megapixel camera, and full Flash support. Looks slick! And makes the N97 Mini seem kinda myeh…

The reasons weren't elaborated on, but I'm guessing Nokia is still straightening out deals with U.S carriers. It's also interesting that the news comes right after Apple officially sent out invites for its September 9 event that willl likely include new iPods and an update to iTunes.

Sorry Fin fans, you'll just have to wait. [Forbes]

Murtazin is more enthusiastic about some upcoming touch-screen Nokia phones, including models that don't have thumb keyboards yet will play in same space as the N97. We'll let you know what we hear. At this point, I think Nokia's still-in-development N900 is the one worth keeping an eye on. [Mobile-Review]

Samsung's Galaxy is a 11.9 millimeter-slim handset that features a 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen and 5-megapixel camera, and also comes equipped with GPS, Wi-Fi and and WCDMA support. Even more, the phone calls attention to the haptic feedback on its virtual keyboard, which is a first for a major touchscreen smartphone.

Because the AMOLED screen reportedly draws less power than the iPhone's TFT-LCD screens do, the Galaxy apparently has a longer battery life, making this—coupled with the haptic feedback—more mainstream-consumer friendly for those who have yet to purchase a smartphone. Although pricing and release dates are not finalized, the Galaxy will supposedly be available in Europe by the end of this month, and the rest of the world in the second half of 2009. [PC World via Talk Android]

Yes, even though North Korea's roads are empty, its people tragically impoverished, its Internet connectivity practically nil, the country will soon be getting a brand new mobile phone network. After a train explosion in 2004—thought to be an attempt on the dear leader's life—cellphones have been banned in North Korea with stiff punishments (some even say execution) for those caught with a phone.

But now, the Egyptian telecom giant Orascom will build an all-new network covering Pyongyang and other major cities. The contract is rumored to be worth around $400 million for Orascom, who has a lock on the rogue and semi-rogue state network business having also built Zimbabwe's network for Robert Mugabe. [The Inquirer]

Omega, a Belgian health products company that usually markets things like suntan lotion and wart treatments, is branching out into protective tech gadgets. It's E-wave chip, which attaches onto phones, allegedly offsets electromagnetic radiation and neutralizes the "heating effect" caused by electromagnetic signals. All tests to prove these claims seem to have been done by Omega itself.

In case you've run out of tin foil hats, this little device is now out in Belgium for $50. It'll be rolled out to the rest of the cellphone radiation fearing world in 2009. [Reuters]

The Hitachi Wooo W63H and Casio Exilim W63CA both came with 3.1-inch organic electro-luminescent screens and the ability to sync up with au BOX and Lismo Video (which lets you download full movies onto your handset). The Casio Exilim also boasts an 8.1MP camera, making it a pretty good point-and-shoot replacement.

Sharp Aquos' model beats out the Hitachi and Casio on screen size (3.5-inches), even if it's not OEL. While the battery life is probably shorter, those .4-inches could make a big difference if you're a big TV-on-the-cellphone watcher.

Sony Ericcson's re fashion phone kind of reminds me of the Nokia I owned in High School, only its interchangeable fashion plates are much nicer. Right now, you can buy soon-to-be-dated 007 and Fifa World Cup themed plates.

The Toshiba W65T is a sportsy slider that includes, along with the au BOX connectivity and LISMO movie viewing, a Wireless Music option and GPS.

The last three phones in the line up are, more simplistic fashion phones. I guess not everybody's enamored with a handset that has more features than you can shake a stick at. Though the Kyocera W65K, SE W64S and Panasonic W62P (left to right) eschew LISMO and au BOX, they still come with the Karada Manager.

Even if none of KDDI's lineup makes it outside the Land of the Rising Sun, some of these features will probably trickle to the States a couple years down the line. [au by KDDI via Gizmodo Japan]

This idea is fascinating, and I'd love to see it mature beyond the research stages, but Microsoft needs to be aware of something: it seems nearly impossible to write about this without sounding like you're penning erotic fiction. Take PCMag's sultry writeup:

In both tapping and rubbing, a voice coil, such as one found in a standard 3.5-inch hard disk drive, was used. To "rub," a long arm was mounted on the actuator, so that the arm would "swing" through a 30 degree angle or so. A nub was then mounted orthogonally to the arm, so the rubbing could be felt on the bottom of a user's palm as he rested it on the frame. Tapping was much simpler: all the users needed to do was to mount a "hammer" onto the head, so that its movement created a tapping sensation.

...

In a series of small tests, users were asked to experience a series of taps and rubs, and to determine which of a pair was strongest, and then which of a series was the hardest or fastest. The group was also asked to determine which taps or rubs felt the most natural.

The researchers determined that the softer taps felt more natural, while faster taps blurred into vibration. Interestingly, the "rubbing" technique that the researchers used couldn't actually generate enough pressure to feel natural.

Whoa, take it easy there, PCMag guy. This is just a research paper he's talking about — I don't even want to imagine what the first review of an actual product with this tech will sound like. [PCMag]

LG also touted its new relationship with DivX as fodder for future change in the industry (the Renoir contains software for converting files into DivX files, for viewing on the phone). DivX's Andy Glasson said HD recording in mobile phones is also something to watch next year. Glasson explained that his company is already working on H264 encoding and decoding technology that would make this kind of recoding possible.

Now, if they could just slap a Red 3K Scarlet or 5K Epic digital camera in a cell phone, I think we could officially label this development "progress." Until then, we wait. [Cell Phone Feeds]

With the national dominance of a few wireless carriers, there's little threat of this technology taking off, but the concept is exciting to consider. For example, open network bidding would make price comparisons between carriers a constant concern, rather than a one-off choice, at least in the pay as you go space. Conversely, it might also negate the need for smaller network to lease coverage from larger ones when their users roam, leaving that task up to the individuals.

That said, this might be one big paygo pie in the sky. Google has basically said as much, telling New Scientist "We file patent applications on a variety of ideas that our employees come up with. Some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't." [Patent via New Scientist]

The survey of 22,000 wireless customers from around the country did not touch on data quality, surprisingly, which is obviously a very important metric to factor in to a network's overall quality. Here are the complete results—with nary an AT&T or T-Mobile to be seen anywhere near the top.

Northeast Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest, with fewer customer-reported problems in dropped calls, initial connections and static/interference compared with the regional average.

Mid-Atlantic Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest for an eighth consecutive time, with fewer customer-reported problems regarding initial connections compared with the regional average.

Southeast Region: Alltel ranks highest in the region, with customers reporting fewer problems than the regional average in dropped calls and voice distortion.

North Central Region: U.S. Cellular and Alltel rank highest in a tie. U.S. Cellular customers report fewer problems in dropped calls, static/interference, echoes, voice distortion and late voice message notifications. Alltel customers experience fewer problems with dropped calls, initial connections, static/interference and voice distortion compared with the regional average.

Southwest Region: Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless tie to rank highest in the region. Sprint Nextel customers report fewer problems regarding initial connections. Verizon Wireless customers experience fewer problems with dropped calls, static/interference, voice distortion and failed voice message notifications compared with the regional average.

West Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest in the region, with customers reporting fewer problems in dropped calls, initial connections, static/interference, echoes and voice distortion than the regional average.

[JD Power via BGR]

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After signing up for the free account, users can choose between the basic free service with a 30 second ad tacked on, or skip the ad with a $.15 charger per individual message (there is also a $4.95 monthly and a $29.95 yearly plan). Then it is a simple matter of dialing 267-SLYDIAL then the number you wish to call. It could actually be a very handy service, although I would imagine that your contacts would catch on after awhile. [SlyDial via Webware via Lifehacker]

The company is also looking to build on its lineup of GSM phones with the tri-band HOP1803 and the dual-band HOP1810. Another notable release comes in the form of the HOP1808, which will feature dual SIM card slots for frequent travelers. Apparently, it will be similar to the HOP 1809, but it will lack 3G and add an FM radio tuner. Details are scarce at this point, but we do know that all the phones will be available in North and South America when released.

Press Release:

Hop-on Launches Six New GSM and 3G Phones Into the Market

The 'Anti iPhone' has brothers and sisters

IRVINE, Calif., June 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Hop-on, Inc.

(Pink Sheets: HPNN) announced today that it will introduce 6 new phones for distribution worldwide. Hop-on's new HOP1800 Series phones will range from a $125 PDA phone to the world's lowest cost phone for $10 in the US. These phones are built using high quality standards of components and manufacturing.

Peter Michaels, President and CEO of Hop-on stated, "Our new series of 1800 phones will debut into all markets worldwide. We will have market presence throughout the globe with our high-end technology PDA phone to our low end phone that is, well, that is really just a phone. Since the announcement of our $10USD 'Anti iPhone', we have had inquiries from distributors and carriers from over 30 countries."

Hop-on's new series includes the HOP1801 Smart Phone. This particular phone will be the lowest cost Smart Phone on the market. The HOP1803 is an Ultra Low Price GSM Tri band phone, and the HOP1805 is an Ultra Low Price cell phone for emerging markets. And the HOP1810 GSM Dual Band Camera Phone. All four phones will be available for distribution in North and South America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, supporting English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and more upon request. Available in North and South America are the HOP1808 Dual Sim Mobile Phone with Camera, Supported MP4/SMS/MMS/GPRS/WAP/FM Stereo with Bluetooth optional. The HOP1809 3G mobile phone with Camera, supported MP4 /MMS/ STK/ JAVA/ BREW/ SMS and Bluetooth. And finally the HOP1800, the Lowest Cost mobile phone in the world. This simple phone is a GSM Dual band with no display that features a Braille keypad.

Michaels further stated, "Since Apple is launching their new 3G iPhone next Monday, maybe I can talk to Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple and see if he'll buy our $10 phone and include it as a give away in their packaging. This way, if you drop your 3G iPhone in the water, you can use the backup to call Apple for anther $500 phone. They can call it the Back-up iPhone! Seriously, the launch of our new phones is an exciting time for Hop-on; we will penetrate the market worldwide in all price points. We look forward to this next phase of our new innovative phones."

[Hop-on]

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