Exclusive for TechGuRu readers! Specifications of Samsung Galaxy S 2, HTC Desire HD2, HTC Wildfire 2 and the HTC Desire 2!

Expansys, the online retailers, has apparently published specifications for not one, not two, but four unreleased smartphones. Of course MWC is just around the corner so this sort of thing isn't to be unexpected, but it's still a nice surprise. The handsets in question are the Samsung Galaxy S 2, HTC Desire HD2, HTC Wildfire 2 and the HTC Desire 2. Without further ado the specs are right after the read more link!

HP Introduces The TouchPad

It's running a previously unseed webOS 3.0 build and is just a smidgen smaller than the iPad, sporting a 9.7 inch display. It's just over one and a half pounds in weight and measures just under 14mm thick.

In terms of the actual specifications we're looking at a 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB (or 32 GB) of internal storage and all the usual wireless connectivity options. The initial version will support WiFi only, but 3G and 4G versions will be released later.

The demo of the TouchPad in action really presented it in a good light, full screen Flash video played back smoothly and webpages rendered about as well as they would on the desktop. The interface looked to really flow with things like notifications being unobtrusive whilst access to services like Twitter and Facebook was pretty effortless.

The real killer here though is the interplay between the TouchPad and the Pre 3. The TouchPad can handle calls, video calls (yes it has a front facing camera) and text messages when you aren't using your Pre 3. The interaction was extremely fluid and the ability to transfer content from one to the other (called 'Touch-to-Share') e.g. the webpage you are currently viewing looks, for lack of a better word, breathtaking.

There are other tablets out there of course, but ever since the iPad this is really the first tablet I've heard about that really feels like it's bring a new game to town. HP have really raised the bar with this one. Hit read more for a spectacular video!

HP Veer: Itsy Bitsy Power House

Don't let the small stature fool you though, like it's bigger brother the Veer is doing some serious business under the hood. Take the processor, for example, it's a 800 Mhz Qualcomm affair, not bad at all given the size of the handset and more than adequate for most tasks. The camera comes in at 5 MP just like it's big brother the Pre 3 and there are all the usual connectivity options e.g. Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.

The screen is obviously smaller, measuring a still respectable 2.6 inches with a 320x400 resolution. It was hard to see from the presentation, but given the size of the handset overall I'm left wondering how usable the QWERTY keyboard will be.

Given how popular itsy bitsy handset tend to be, just look at the likes of the X10 Mini, which got quite the following, the Veer could prove to be a pretty big hit for HP. Hit read more for a video!

HP Pre 3: 1.4GHz Qualcomm CPU, 3.6-inch WVGA, coming this summer

The first Pre breathed new life into Palm. The Pre 2, on the other hand, didn't exactly have the same luster and longevity. Here's to a decidedly Palm-less round three. The QWERTY slider with the all-too-familiar form factor has a 3.6-inch 800 x 480 display (a marked improvement over past Pres), 5 megapixel camera with AF and LED flash, 720p HD video, a front-facing camera for video calling, mobile hotspot, and webOS 2.2. Under the hood? A Qualcomm MSM 8x55 CPU running at 1.4GHz (!), 802.11a/b/g/n 5GHz, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, A-GPS, a 1230 mAh battery, HSPA+ and EVDO Rev A -- yep, it's a world phone -- and the same RAM as the Pre 2 (that's 512MB DRAM). It'll be Touchstone compatible, naturally, and will switch to Exhibition mode when docked to show pictures and upcoming appointments. There's some interesting synergy going on where the TouchPad tablet can take Pre 3's phone calls, and just touching the two devices together will let you share URLs (aptly titled touch-to-share). This one's gonna keep you waiting, though -- availability is this summer with both 8GB and 16GB storage options.

LG Optimus 3D previewed in remarkably convincing teaser video

We just saw a brief teaser video for the LG Optimus 3D a few days ago, but another, longer one has now also surfaced that shows just how much the phone's glasses-free 3D display can help you in everyday situations -- like practicing yoga. As explained by LG, some things are simply too complicated to be conveyed by a two-dimensional medium like a big screen TV, and can only truly be grasped by holding a phone and looking at a 4.3-inch screen while standing on one leg. See for yourself after the break. We really should send a message to phone manufacturers and stop covering these tiny little leaks of controlled information, but when it's a phone with dual cameras and a 3D display we're talking about, we can't help it. Every minute detail must be digested and analyzed. There's a fast-moving video awaiting your Sherlockian wits after the break, or you can hit the source link for a gallery of screen captures that highlight the construction details of LG's upcoming Optimus 3D. Look for it to stop being a fancy render and become a corporeal entity at MWC early next week.

LG confirms Optimus 3D for MWC 2011: glasses-free screen and 3D camera

We've had a feeling that LG was going to tackle 3D smartphones heads-on sometime in February, and after a spat of rumors today purported to be showing off the Optimus 3D (pictured above, viaPhandroid), the company's flat-out confirmed its Mobile World Congress debut. The Optimus 3D sports a dual-lens 3D camera, a glasses-free LCD display, and HDMI / DLNA for sharing on whatever 3D sets you have. A live demo will be at Barcelona, but whether that means we'll get to hold it in our own hands. Other specs? We'll have to wait and find out.

LG prepping Optimus 3D for February announcement?

Talk of 3D features in LG's upcoming G-Slate are becoming less and less implausible-sounding by the day, capped off this week with a couple of doozies: first off, Carphone Warehouse's Dutch outpost -- called simply The Phone House there -- briefly posted a teaser for an upcoming "Optimus 3D" Android smartphone, though the page has since been removed. Secondly, the world's tech media (us included) just received an invite to LG's shindig at Mobile World Congress next month where it teases a new Optimus model that takes us "into the new dimension." Pretty strong foreshadowing there, wouldn't you say? This should all work itself out in the next couple weeks -- but we're warning you right now, LG: if any of this stuff isn't glasses-free, we're expecting you to buy us all Guccis (fortunately, odds are good they're using that 4.3-inch glasses-free unit demoed at CES this month).

Nokia USA president is out, replaced by Microsoft vet Chris Weber as Elopocalypse continues

Conspiracy theorists unite: Nokia's replaced another prominent executive with a former Microsoft employee. In this case, it's the head of Nokia's entire US division that's being oustered, as 15-year Microsoft sales and marketing veteran Chris Weber replaces Nokia Inc. president Mark Louison effective immediately. Mark will "pursue new career opportunities" while Weber takes the reins, as well as the somewhat unenviable role of rejuvenating Nokia's smartphone brand in the United States. Still, we imagine he'll have plenty of help, as he'll be working very, very closely with his alma mater in the months to come -- and the designs practically sell themselves. PR after the break.

Nokia kills N9-00, its first MeeGo handset?

We've been hearing this one for awhile now, primarily around the Twitterverse thanks to Eldar Murtazin. Now Reuters has jumped in with a couple of sources close to the company claiming that Nokia has ended development of its first MeeGo handset, presumably the device pictured above. It's not all bad news though. Reuters tosses in a bullet claiming that the next MeeGo device could be unveiled this week, meaning Nokia's highly anticipated event on Friday or even at Mobile World Congress next week. Of course, Nokia has never gone official with any handset, only saying that the first MeeGo device will be a2011 event (after missing the planned 2010 launch). So really, this is a lot like saying something that didn't exist still doesn't exist. Nevertheless, it jibes with what we've heard that the N9-00 QWERTY slider (aka, RM-680 codename "Dali"), leaked with gusto back in August, has been scrapped as a consumer device with all emphasis now on releasing the N9-01 touchscreen slate, dubbed "Lankku" (Finnish for "plank" or "board") internally. Just another reason for "Nokia CEO" to continue trending on Twitter. No, really.

RIP: Symbian

This slide was just presented by Stephen Elop and Nokia CFO, Timo Ihamuotila, at Nokia's Capital Markets Day. Although there's no date listed, it's clear that Symbian -- a "franchise" OS that Nokia will "harvest" -- will be wholly consumed by Windows Phone on Nokia devices just as soon as Nokia and Microsoft can complete the transition. It won't be immediate, but it seems like 2012 will be the year that Nokia pulls the cord on life support. Regardless of the actual date, who in their right minds would invest their development time or consumer dollars in a smartphone OS that has no future within the company? One more slide showing the post-Symbian reductions in R&D spending after the break.

Nokia will be able to customize 'everything' in Windows Phone 7, but likely won't

Stephen Elop, in his financial and strategy briefing continuing Nokia's marathon Capital Markets Day, just posed an interesting rhetorical question: will Nokia be able to "customize everything" on Windows Phone 7 in order to differentiate itself? "Yes!" was Elop's ebullient proclamation, though he quickly pulled it back to say that Nokia likely won't make extensive use of this freedom to tailor Microsoft's OS. Instead, the company will be cautious and seek to maintain compatibility rather than pushing the boat out too far in tweaking the underlying software. That's a major shift for Microsoft, who forbade HTC from skinning Windows Phone 7 with Sense, something the Taiwanese company would surely have loved to do, and limited it to the introduction of a self-contained Hub. Now Nokia's saying it -- perhaps exclusively -- has been given the liberty to play around inside WP7 to its heart's content. We'll see how important that turns out to be whenever Nokia delivers its first device bearing its new smartphone OS. An insider tip tells us the current plan is to introduce such a handset by the end of 2011, potentially based on current hardware. Who's ready for Xbox Live on a future version of the N8?

Nokia posts video of Microsoft partnership announcement online

The video of their joint announcement of a Nokia-Microsoft partnership is up and ready for repeated consumption. For those of you just catching up now, Windows Phone 7 has become Nokia's "principal smartphone strategy," MeeGo is getting transformed into an experimental "learning" platform, and Symbian... well, maybe you should sit down for this one, Symbian's being killed off. There's more to the strategic alliance unveiled today, including the WP7 Marketplace subsuming the Ovi Store and some Bing and Ovi Maps interaction, so why not press play above and let the men in charge tell you about it?



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MCLAREN PRICES MP4-12C SUPERCAR FOR U.S.

In Europe, the McLaren MP4-12C will carry a starting price of €200,000 in mainland Europe and £168,500 in the UK. For the U.S., the MP4-12C will start at $229,000 plus $2,400 for destination in order to obtain this exotic supercar with a healthy pedigree. Hit read more for details.

Nokia and Microsoft enter strategic alliance on Windows Phone, Bing, Xbox Live and more

It's happened. We have been pointing out again and again. Former Microsoft exec and current Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has married his future and his past in the holy matrimony of a "strategic alliance." Windows Phone is becoming Nokia's "principal smartphone strategy," but there's a lot more to this hookup -- scope out the official press release just after the break. Microsoft's Bing and adCenter will provide search and ad services across Nokia devices, while Nokia will look to innovate "on top of the platform" with things like its traditional strength in imaging. Ovi Maps will be a core part of Microsoft's mapping services and will be integrated with Bing, while Nokia's content store will be integrated into (read: assimilated by) Microsoft's Marketplace. Xbox Live and Office will also, as is to be expected, feature on these brave new Microkia handsets. An open letter on Nokia's Conversations site, penned jointly by Stephen Elop and Steve Ballmer, sets out the foregoing details along with the following statement of intent:

"There are other mobile ecosystems. We will disrupt them. There will be challenges. We will overcome them. Success requires speed. We will be swift. Together, we see the opportunity, and we have the will, the resources and the drive to succeed."

Hit read more for a detailed list of important aspects within this partnership.

Exclusive: Nokia's Windows Phone 7 concept revealed!

Look what we've found! This is the first image you'll see anywhere of the early fruit of Microsoft and Nokia's budding new partnership. We have it on good authority that the technicolor phones on show are conceptual devices produced by the two companies. You shouldn't, therefore, go jumping to conclusions about retail hardware just yet, but hearts should be warmed by the familiarity of Nokia's new design -- the shape of these handsets is somewhere between its recent N8 and C7 Symbian devices and there is, as usual for Nokia, a choice of sprightly colors. The trio of keys adorning the new concept's bottom give away its Windows Phone 7 ties, but also remind us that the N8 and E7 are highly unlikely to receive any WP7 upgrade love. The best part about this whole discovery, however, might be that it confirms Steve Ballmer's assertion that the engineers of both companies have "spent a lot of time on this already." So, who else is excited about owning an Engadget-blue Microkia device?

Samsung Galaxy S II and 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab II confirmed for MWC, 4-inch 3D display, LTE-based cloud gaming coming later

Alright, we've just laid eyes on some internal Samsung documents and can bring you the official names and specs of the successors to the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab. Firstly, the Galaxy S II will tout a 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 Super AMOLED Plus display, a 1GHz dual-core Orion / Exynos processor, NFC, Bluetooth 3.0, and 24Mbps HSPA+ connectivity. All those stats were leaked earlier this morning, along with the image above, and we've once again seen the 8.49mm thickness for this device, although we now believe it is the measurement at its thinnest point -- it's likely that the S II will fatten up to 9.9mm, presumably to accommodate the camera module, one of the last remaining parts of smartphone construction that require extra girth (NFC being another). Hit read more to find out more about Samsung's as yet unreleased devices!