Tech News Roundup: White G1, Nokia 6260, No More iPhone...

Even though the economy is taking a bit of a downturn and everyone is starting to wind things down for the holidays, the tech industry is keeping busier than ever with all sorts of interesting doo-dash to dive into your wallet. Let's see what's going on.

For the more fashion-conscious among us, there is the new white version of the T-Mobile G1, which will launch this Monday. This is in addition to the existing black and bronze models and the white G1 will retail for the same $180 asking price. Google Android just got hit with a splash of snow.

Set to wow the multimedia-inclined is the Nokia 6260 Slide. It may not be quite as sexy as a N-Series smartphone, but the 6260 Slide gets loaded with an impressive HVGA display and a 5 megapixel camera. Look for it in Q1 2009 for 299 Euro.

If you've been looking to stay connected everywhere you go, you'll be glad to hear that the Dell Mini 9 is now available with 3G. No longer do you need to feel bound to Wi-Fi hotspots. The HSDPA upgrade costs $125, but you can recover $120 of that with a w-year AT&T data contract.

Turning our attention to security, Lenovo is instituting a feature that allows users to lock ThinkPad laptops with SMS. Dubbed Lenovo Constant Secure Remote Disable, this feature allows a user to send an SMS message from a designated phone using a designated key code and it will remotely lock down the laptop.

The unlocked and unbranded GSM verson of the HTC Touch Pro is still too rich for my blood, but you can go to Verizon to find its version on sale now as the Verizon XV6850. This HTC Touch Pro Windows Mobile smartphone appears to be the same as the one being sold through Telus and Bell. Look for it on Monday for $350 with a two-year agreement.

With the new Fido branding as a budget cellular provider, there's word going around that the dog will lose the iPhone next year. In this way, the only legitimate way for Canadians to get the iPhone will be through big brother Rogers Wireless. A sad day for Fido and Apple fanboys alike.

Turning to the automotive world, we are offered a good glimpse at the 2010 Mazda3 Hatchback. This redesign appears more streamlined that the current model and it'll be powered by the same 2.5L engine as the Mazda6i, giving you access to 167hp and 168 lbs-ft of torque.

Via

Nokia Launches Touch Screen Mobile Phone

Nokia Corp released details on its new Nokia 5800 touch screen phone. The new smart phone will compete with the iPhone model by Apple Inc.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has 8 GB of memory and is equipped with maps and satellite navigation. The multimedia phone will allow users to download music from the catalogs of Warner Music Group, Sony BMG Music, Universal Music and EMI Group.

The new mobile cell phone has all of the same features as the iPhone, except for the zooming navigation. Users can touch the zoom, but will not be able to zoom out by spreading their fingers on the touch screen.

Other features include built in GPS, 3G connectivity, and Wi-Fi capabilities for Internet. The mobile phone supports a full HTML Web browser and Flash Lite 3. The flash capabilities do set it apart from the iPhone.

The camera phone also features a 3.2 mega pixel camera with flash and tactile feedback.

Nokia needed a touch screen as other companies such as LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics and several smaller handset vendors have recently released their own touch screen phones.

Google's Android might eventually make me a cellphone user

The phone is called HTC G1, the Google mobile operating system is Android. But it all ends up being called Google Android.

Lifehacker does a software review (A Hands-on First Look at Google Android), Gizmodo the hardware review (T-Mobile G1 Google Android Phone Review), and T-Mobile offers an Emulator you can play with to get a feel for it. David Pogue of the Times does the overview: A Look at Google's First Phone.

Sniffing comparisons to the iPhone in these reviews elude me, but I've never been tempted by one. I'm such a proponent of open source that Apple's proprietary everything has been a must to avoid.

I don't own a cell phone -- which astonishes people who assume I'm a tricked-out geek -- but later generations of this one might convert me: A keyboard, browser and lots of familiar Google apps might tip the balance, when there are more network choices than T-Mobile and a robust collection of Android add-ons.