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Samsung Galaxy i7500 is the first mobile phone that the South Korean handset maker released to the market with the Google Android operating system installed on it. The handset is a rather attractive one, and voices around the Web point out that it is the best Android-powered device available on the market until the HTC Hero will arrive.

One of the first carriers around the world to release the handset is Bouygues Telecom, which put it on sale starting yesterday with a price tag of €89 ($125) upon the signing of a two-year contract agreement and after a €50 Web discount. Those who would like to purchase the handset free of contract will be able to do so as well, yet they will have to pay €429 ($605) for the phone.
Currently, the Samsung Galaxy is the third mobile phone to reach the shelves running under the Android operating system, and is the only such device from the South Korean phone maker. The company has been already rumored to plan releasing other Android phones in the near future, including a Samsung InstinctQ.

The Galaxy i7500, in case some of you might have forgotten, comes to the market with a 3.2-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display that boasts a 320 x 480-pixel resolution and support for 16 million colors, as well as a 5-megapixel photo snapper, 8GB of internal storage space, Wi-Fi, an HSDPA connectivity, a GPS receiver, and others more.
Another Samsung handset that could come to the market with Android is the SGH-T939 Behold2, which has been recently approved by the WiFi Alliance, and that is now suggested to run under Android while heading straight towards T-Mobile's lineup. There are no further details on the device, it seems, yet it shouldn't be too long before it will surface into the wild. However, until that happens, you can go for the Galaxy, which can be seen at Bouygues Telecom here.

BlackBerry mobile phone users in the United Arab Emirates recently received an official update for their devices coming from the wireless carrier Etisalat, but they discovered that the new software was, in fact, a spyware solution. The main issue with the “performance enhancement patch” that was sent to users via a WAP Push was the fact that it was reportedly draining the battery life from their devices, thus leading to the discovery of the malicious software.

As previously reported on the matter, the carrier accidentally sent the spyware software to its customers, and not on purpose. The software, which was capable of intercepting messages and emails sent from the BlackBerry device, was believed to have been developed for the surveillance of specific individuals. The app seems to have been created by SS8, a developer of lawful communication interception software.
Etisalat customers that have been affected by this situation have a series of options that will help them remove the malicious software from their BlackBerry devices. One of them can be found on the BlackBerry forums, and includes the downloading of a .zip archive that comes from Tbilisoft and the launching of a “Remove Registration.bat” file. According to some of those who tried it out, it works just fine. And it is also free.
Another solution for this problem comes from SMobile Systems, the company that delivers the only Antivirus/AntiSpyware solution for BlackBerry. Users can head to the company's site and acquire either the SMobile Security Shield or the Anti-Theft and Identity Protection software. The spyware should be removed from the device as soon one of these apps is up and running, and they will also take care of other malicious applications that are present there.
“The truth about smartphones is that they are used in the same manner as personal computers and are susceptible to the same threats. It has become clear that smartphone users need to proactively ensure their devices contain the necessary security software to protect not only their e-mail and messaging data, but also to protect their identity and the integrity of their mobile financial transactions,” Dan Hoffman, CTO of SMobile Systems, states, cited by blackberrycool.

Google Voice is a service that some Android and BlackBerry mobile phone users will be able to enjoy on their handsets starting today, according to Vincent Paquet, senior product manager for Google Voice and a co-founder of GrandCentral, cited by Cnet. Those who are already Google Voice users and also own a BlackBerry device or a phone running under Android should be able to benefit from the service directly on their mobile devices starting with a certain point today.

Google Voice, as many of you might already know, will enable users to get a single phone number that will ring home, work, and cell phones, while also offering them text transcription of voice mail messages.
The new application should offer smartphone users the possibility to make phone calls using the Google Voice number, which will be displayed on the receiver's device. In addition, Paquet says, they will also enjoy transcribed voice mail via the dedicated application and not through the phone's browser. Another device that will soon see the application is Apple's iPhone, though work on it is not done at the moment, it seems. For the time being, no time frame for the release of the solution has been unveiled, though Paquet has reportedly stated that Apple and Google are working together on the iPhone flavor of the app.
One of the most attractive features that Google Voice has been reported to offer users is number portability, though it seems that there are still some aspects that need to be covered. As for the new software solution, Android mobile phone users should be able to download it on their devices either from Google's mobile site or from the Android Market, yet it seems that BlackBerry users won't find it at the App World, and will have to search for it on Google. Those who would like to join Google Voice will have to apply for an invitation, and will be added to a waiting list. More details on this can be found on Google Voice's website.

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung announced not too long ago a new device that would be added to its Windows Mobile-powered device lineup, while also being included in its Omnia series, namely the Samsung Omnia II. The new handset comes to the market as the successor of one of the best selling, touch-enabled mobile phones running under Microsoft's operating system, the original Samsung Omnia smartphone.

As anyone can easily imagine, the new device comes with a wide range of improvements over the previous version, not only in what the hardware it packs inside is concerned, but on the software side as well. For starters, we should mention the Windows Mobile 6.1 platform that will come on the device, but that will be upgraded to the future flavor of the OS, 6.5, which is expected to land on the market sometimes in September this year.

The new mobile phone also includes an ARM 1176-based S3C6410 mobile application processor at 667 MHz, along with quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, tri-band UMTS/HSPA (900/1900/2100MHz) with HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps, and HSUPA up to 5.76 Mbps connectivity options, as well as WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.
The Samsung Omnia II also sports a 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED touchscreen display that boasts a 480 x 800-pixel resolution and the Advanced R-type tactile feedback feature, as well as aGPS capabilities and an FM radio with RDS. A 5-megapixel CMOS auto focus photo snapper is also present in the package,

offering users the possibility to record videos at 30 fps with up to a 720x480-pixel resolution. The camera also comes with geo-tagging, face detection, smile shot and dual power LED, and is coupled with a secondary front-facing camera that enables video calls.
The Samsung Omnia II measures 118 x 60 x 11.9 mm, though we should admit that the design is a rather attractive one. The phone includes 2, 8, or 16 GB of internal memory, as well as a microSD memory card slot for additional storage space. The device should land on the market sometimes towards the end of the summer – beginning of fall, but, until you will be able to grab it from a store near you, check on the entire photo gallery available here.

Apple described the device as the fastest and most reliable iPhone yet, citing key OS 3.0 features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS (available later this year), Spotlight Search, but also device-specific enhancements like a built-in digital compass for instant navigation, built-in Nike + iPod support and new accessibility features, including VoiceOver.
However, there are many other features that are typical of the iPhone 3G S. For those looking to make a comparison between older-generation devices and the new iPhone 3G S, we’ve put together a list of features that are specific for Apple’s latest iPhone model. So, here it is.

iPhone Stereo Headset
Although you can use this accessory to listen to music, watch videos, and make phone calls even on an iPhone 3G, volume controls (the “+” and “–” buttons to adjust the volume) can only be used on the iPhone 3GS.

Video
Video features are available only on iPhone 3GS. Apple’s latest iPhone model is the only one capable of capturing video, although all iPhone models boast a camera.

MMS with video
Since iPhone 3G S is the only one that does video, multimedia messages containing video can only be sent from this particular iPhone model. Picture MMS is supported on both iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S. Unfortunately, Apple has left 2G users out in the cold this time around.

See which way you’re facing
Another iPhone 3GS-only feature is enabled by an extra piece of hardware – the digital compass. With this built-in gizmo, the iPhone 3G S offers detailed driving, public transit, or walking directions to its user, and even shows current highway traffic conditions, or finds businesses in the area and calls with a single tap.
Voice Control
This feature lets you make phone calls and control iPod music playback by using voice commands. Simply tell your iPhone 3G S what to do and it will comply.

Percent battery display
Just like with older iPhone models, the battery icon in the upper-right corner on the iPhone 3G S’ screen shows the battery level or charging status. However, only on the 3G S, you can also display the percentage of the battery charge.

Publish video
If you have a YouTube account, you can publish videos directly from iPhone to YouTube. You cannot publish videos longer than ten minutes to YouTube from the device.

Nike +
On the iPhone 3G S, you can use Nike + iPod settings to activate and adjust settings for the Nike + iPod application.

Accessibility
In addition to the many capabilities that make the iPhone easy-to-use for everyone, iPhone 3G S boasts accessibility features that have been designed especially for users with visual, auditory, or other physical disabilities. iPhone 3GS accessibility features include VoiceOver (borrowed from Mac OS X), Zoom, White on Black, Mono Audio and Speak Auto-text.
That’s pretty much everything the iPhone 3G S has that older iPhone models don’t. We hope this piece proves helpful in your decision to buy a specific iPhone model and, if we’ve left something out, be sure to include it in your comments.