Mobiles reviews

The Symbian^3 powered Nokia N8, which we had a chance to go hands-on with in June, is now available for preorder from Nokia's Italian web store. The N8 is priced at 469.00 EUR ($608) and it is expected to ship in September. The Nokia N8 features a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, a 12 megapixel camera with xenon flash, and even HDMI-out for outputting video to an HDTV. The phone was originally announced in April. Read the full story here.

Today LG launched the new Optimus Z Android smartphone in the South Korean market. The Z features mobile TV support, a 5 megapixel camera, and a WVGA resolution touchscreen display. Read the full story here.

Today Motorola released its second quarter financial results for 2010. Motorola's mobile devices segment saw a 6 percent decrease in mobile sales. Read the full story here.

An Android application, available in the Android Market and developed by Jackeey Wallpaper, has reportedly been stealing information from millions of users and sending it to a website based in Shenzhen, China. The unnamed app was discovered by mobile security firm Lookout and has reportedly been downloaded 1.1 to 4.6 million times. According to Venture Beat, the software then sends private information, such as your SIM card number, browsing history, voicemail password, and subscriber identification, off to www.imnet.us, a site owned by a Chinese resident. The breach of the Android Market gives some weight to Apple's strict application approval process. Read the full story here.

According to the Wall Street Jorunal, an Apple spokesperson has said that Apple is investigating reports of problems with the iPhone 3G after it has been upgraded to Apple iOS 4. Users are reporting that their devices are running slowly after the upgrade, and some have noted battery life and excessive heat issues, as well. Apple currently offers no simple way to downgrade one of its smartphones to an older OS version. Read the full story here.

Today Best Buy and Clearwire officially announced Best Buy Connect LLC, a subsidiary of Best Buy, will offer 4G WiMAX plans using Clearwire's 4G network. Best Buy will begin to offer 4G services in 2011, where WiMAX is available, in tandem with the 3G services it currently provides. Pricing for the plans has not yet been announced. Read the full story here.

Apple is investigating reports that its latest mobile operating system, iOS 4, causes problems for iPhone 3G owners, after receiving numerous complaints on its support forums and technology blogs.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has registered the BlackPad.com domain, potentially tipping its hand as to the name of the frequently rumored BlackBerry companion tablet it is expected to launch. The name has been associated with the BlackBerry tablet project for some time, which lends merit to the possibility it will be used. Read the full story here.

According to HTC China's website, the Android smartphones that the company recently announced its intent to ship in China will all run Android 2.2 Froyo from the start. Two of those devices, the Desire and the Wildfire, are available in other markets and are already expected to see their own Froyo updates this quarter. Read the full story here.

Palm has released a new beta version of its webOS Facebook client, version 1.2.30. Added features include photo tagging support, news feed filters, inline comments, and landscape viewing - in addition to overall speed improvements and bug fixes. Read the full story here.

Today HTC reported its second quarter 2010 financial results. The firm reported large revenue growth during the quarter, as well as a big increase in unit sales. Read the full story here.

Today JD Power and Associates released its 2010 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Performance Study Volume 2, and it ranked T-Mobile USA as the top wireless carrier. The study also found a few more compelling industry tidbits. Read the full story here.

Today Verizon Wireless and Samsung announced the SCH-u460 Intensity II, a feature phone with a horizontal sliding QWERTY keyboard. The device is priced at an affordable $49.99 with a 2-year contract and $50 mail-in-rebate. Read the full story here.

Today Research in Motion (RIM) released a beta version of BlackBerry App World 2.0. The new App World sports carrier billing, credit card payment support, BlackBerry ID, and more. Read the full story here.

Top Five Manufacturers will Continue to Hold More Than 75 Percent Market Share During Next Five Years Read the full story here.

O2 UK has added the 32GB version of the Dell Streak to its line-up of Android devices, including its little sister, the 16GB Streak. The device is an Android-powered smartphone tablet-like device that runs the Android 1.6 OS and features a large 5-inch touch display, WiFi, 3G data connectivity, and built-in GPS. The Streak is available for free on a 40GBP ($62) voice and data plan. Read the full story here.

From its Twitter account today, Samsung U.K. said that it will begin pushing out the Android 2.2 Froyo update at the end of September to all networks. It's unclear if this means U.S. networks or just those in the U.K., however. The official tweet said: "We've seen a lot of Q's about the Froyo update; it's currently in development & will be released for all networks at the end of September." Read the full story here.

Verizon today released the Samsung Intensity 2, an eco-friendly phone with a slide-out keyboard, for $50 with a two-year contract.