Android phones from Nokia will be launched at MWC, End of the Month

Menurut laporan dari Wall Street Journal, ponsel pertama Nokia yang berbasis Android akan dirilis bulan ini juga, tepatnya di acara Mobile World Congress, yang akan digelar di Barcelona pada tanggal 24-27 Februari mendatang.

Nokia X alias Nokia Normandy dirumorkan memiliki spesifikasi berupa prosesor Snapdragon dual-core 1GHz, layar 4 inci WVGA, RAM 512MB, memori internal 4GB, slot microSD, kamera 5MP (ada juga laporan yang menyebutkan kamera 3,2MP fix focus), baterai 1.500mAh, dan dukungan dual-SIM. Nokia X juga disebut-sebut tak disematkan layanan bawaan Google dan digantinkan dengan dari Nokia seperti Nokia Store, Nokia Here, dan lainnya. Perangkat ini kabarnya Dual SIM dan memiliki enam pilihan warna.

Android Market Accepts Only Apps Under $200

It seems that Google will not allow developers to add to its Android Market applications that will cost more than $200. As many of you might already know, the search engine's app store for the mobile handset operating system has been opened for paid apps only about a week ago.

From what we've heard, the priciest application that can be found on the Android Market at the moment is the “I Am Richer” software from Mike DG, which has a similar concept with the one that was spotted a while ago on Apple's App Store, called “I Am Rich” and coming from Armin Heinrich.

Some of you might also know the fact that the first app was priced $1,000, although it did almost nothing, and that Apple banned it from its portal. Google is seemingly a little bit less restrictive with the applications it allows on its Android Market, although we already learned that there are certain rules that apply to harmful programs or to those that include explicit content.

On the other hand, the price of the new app is not as high as the one seen on Apple's Store had. But that might have other explanations as well, like the effects of the recession, though it seems that actually the $200 price tag is the highest Google permits organizations to charge.

“Prove your wealth to others by running this app and showing them the mesmerizing glowing crystal,” the description of the software says.

Google might have left the app on its Android Market due to the fact that these are sorted out through mechanisms such as the rating system, and good applications are expected to rise up to the top, “the same as good YouTube videos do,” says Google. “We check applications for compliance with the Market Content Policies and Terms of Service (in order to remove malware, adult content, spam, or profanity),” the company adds.

Samsung Preps Three Android Phones and One LiMo Device

According to the latest news on the Web, the Korean mobile phone maker Samsung plans on releasing during the on going year three new handsets that would run under Google's open-source Android platform. At the same time, the cell phone manufacturer will also launch at least one device sporting the open-source LiMo Linux software.

The news regarding the company's plans for this year has been confirmed by a senior executive from Samsung. The fact that the Korean company will come up to the market with at least three new devices that are based on the Google platform can be seen as a move against Apple's dominance on the mobile phone market.

Last week, Samsung announced that it would not come to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona with any Android-based handsets, but also stated that it was working on such a device, which would be launched on the market sometime during the second half of 2009. The company confirmed at that time the fact that the device had been delayed, after being originally slated for a spring release.

Won-Pyo Hong, Samsung's head of product strategy, also let slip the fact that the company might be working on a LiMo-based device, if not more of the kind, as well as on a number of Android handsets larger than three, yet it is unclear whether the company will launch its devices on the US or on the European market for the first time.

If Samsung releases a LiMo-based handset, then it will extend its lineup to a number of five operating systems, among which we can count the Symbian platform, running on the UltraTOUCH and M7600 phones, and its own proprietary OS, as well as Windows Mobile and Google's Android platform.

Last week, six new operators announced plans to deliver LiMo-based handsets in 2009, which would include Verizon Wireless, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, SK Telecom, Telefonica and Vodafone. At the Mobile World Congress held these days in Barcelona, Spain, ten LiMo-compliant handsets are showcased out of the 33 currently available.