Opera today announces that its Opera Mini usage continue to increase every month, with an estimated of more than 23 million people using Opera Mini, a 12.1% increase from February 2009 and more than 157% increase from March 2008. Those users viewed more than 8.6 billion pages in March 2009. A surge of Opera Mini usage in Nigeria pushed that country into the top 10, displacing Germany.

The mobile Web is booming in Latin America. From March 2008 to March 2009, overall page views in the top 10 countries listed increased 673%. From March 2008 to March 2009, overall unique users in the top 10 countries listed increased 164%. From March 2008 to March 2009, overall data transferred in the top 10 countries listed increased 510%.

Is Motorola seriously planning to release this on China market? The unannounced Motorola W7 has just got China’s telecom certification (like FCC certification), featuring a slider form factor, quick access buttons below the display screen and a 2 megapixel camera. According to the source, the Motorola W7 is specially made for China’s 3G network, comes with a 2.2-inch QVGA display screen, secondary video call camera, microSD card slot and built in FM Radio receiver. It is certified on April-1st and will be available in May next month.

Truphone today launched Truphone 3.0, a major new upgrade to its mobile VoIP application for the Apple iPhone. Using Truphone’s integrated messaging tool that unifies all IM communities in a single place, users can now simply manage all their IM communication from a single page within the application, eliminating the need to constantly jockey between different applications or even different pages within an application. IM services currently supported include Skype, MSN Messenger, AIM, Yahoo! Messenger and Google Talk.

“Customers tell us they want three things: simplicity, quality and a good deal. Those principles drive our innovation, and Truphone 3.0 delivers on all three. We’ve dramatically improved our UI and account management tools. We’ve eliminated the need for compression by utilizing new advances in signal processing, making calls crystal clear. And, just as we always do, Truphone 3.0 sets a new benchmark in terms of quality and performance that competitors will have a tough time matching”, said Geraldine Wilson, CEO Truphone.

Today Tellme, a subsidiary of Microsoft, announced the first mobile voice service to combine content and communications, simplifying how people interact with their phones every day. Offering a one-touch access, you can just press one button, say what you want such as ‘call mom’ or ‘text Jim’ or ‘pizza,’ and results display on the screen.

Tellme will be available for free on Windows Mobile 6.5 phones in the Fall 2009 when the phones hit store shelves. Initially available in the Windows Marketplace for Mobile store, Tellme will also make the service available for free to mobile operators and carriers to embed ‘on-device’ for a voice experience right out of the box.

Europe and Taiwan must be rocking the latest HTC flagship cell phone already, now that April 2009 is almost done with us, but seems like HTC just can’t let the Touch Diamond2 hit the streets. We now have news that the high-end smartphone is ready to capture Malaysia too, according to a recent press release, and if HTC sticks to its words this time, Malaysians should be getting cosy with their Diamond2s by the middle of May 2009. The price falls in the same ballpark as the European and Taiwanese versions, going for about 2599 RM (roughly $722). We know you love your tech HTC, but can we have a go at it too?

Together with a new pre-release iTunes 8.2, iPhone 3.0 beta 4 is now available for iphone application developers. The iTunes 8.2 is a must for the new build. Apple announced the new iPhone 3.0 last month and will bring Cut, Copy & Paste, MMS, Stereo A2DP Bluetooth and Push notifications to all iPhone users. It should be available soon in Q3 this year together with a new iPhone 2009 announcement.

It was just yesterday that we found out how Apple and Verizon are cooking up a new iPhone for 2010 ready to run on Big Red’s CDMA network. And now this: Microsoft and Verizon are working on an iPhone killer. Or did everyone misunderstood the whole Apple and Verizon thing? According to certain sources Verizon is in talks with Microsoft about that whole iPhone killer. Codenamed project “Pink” the phone will be designed by Microsoft and it will come with lots of multimedia features and, of course, a large touchscreen. The new phone is going to run on Windows Mobile but it’s going to be a tweaked version. So what say you Microsoft? How are you going to explain to everyone else that’s using your OS the new phone? After all everyone knows that Microsoft will not develop an own phone right?

For all you Storm users under contract with Verizon, there’s a new OS that’s going to arrive soon. In a recent internal Verizon memo OS version 4.7.0.141 is mentioned. The memo also says that the new OS is here and it should be available soon to all Verizon customers that own a BlackBerry Storm 9530. RIM is apparently working on an even bigger version, 4.7.0.201 for the same phone but until such version is available you should try out Verizon’s update. As always, make sure you backup before you start messing up that RIM phone. And make sure you tell us how you feel about the new OS!

FCC, that ever resourceful authority giving us insights on what to expect in the near future, has revealed a cell phone from Motorola destined for Verizon, the A4500 World Phone. Details revealed indicate a candybar form factor with a QWERTY keypad, WiFi, fingerprint scanner, microSD expansion, EVDO data speeds, stereo Bluetooth, and quad-band GSM world roaming capability. The Motorola A4500 will be a smartphone running Windows Mobile 6.1 and will also have a 2-megapixel camera, which seems to be added just for the kicks, we guess.

No news from either Motorola or Verizon’s front yet about the A4500, but we will surely tell you when that pops up.

They sure meant business when they said they wanted to sell 10 million of these babies and a CDMA version is a pretty good idea to reach that tantalizing milestone. But before you Verizon and Sprint subscribers get your hopes up, the new LG Cookie KX500 CDMA will only be available in the Asian market for now, although we can’t entirely rule out the possibility that it will pop up in the United States in the future. LG has carried over all the features that the KP500 is liked for, including the lovely 3-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR, widget-based UI, and an accelerometer with support for CDMA 1x networks instead of GSM.

The LG Cookie KX500 is expected to go on sale starting at the end of May for approx. $276 in the Asia Pacific regions.

Here are some live-pictures of the best clamshell, that even made Sony Ericsson - the W707 Walkman™, also known as Alicia

The W707 has 3.2-Megapixel camera, 240×320 pixels screen, Walkman player 3.0, aGPS and, of course, two external screens - 2 x 128×128 pixels. Second external screen has four plus one keys. With them you can browse your music, turn on the radio and watch the latest weather forecast. This amazing clamshell should be announced in July 2008 with launch date in October 2008, but for some reasons it was cancelled. Hopefully soon Sony Ericsson will announced nice Walkman™ clamshell like the beautiful W707 Walkman™.

Sony Ericsson has presented two new colours for the low-end gaming phone F305. They are: Raspberry Red and Tectonic Grey.

Sony Ericsson F305 is low-end slider, which has 2.0-Megapixel camera, 176×220 pixels TFT screen, stereospeakers and special gaming keys on the front. Phone also supports Memory Stick M2™ Micro™ cards and motion games.

In my opinion, the best new colour for Sony Ericsson F305 is Raspberry Red. In most coutries two new colours will be launched as special editions with strap in the box and special content in the phone (like pictures, ringtones, themes and preloaded games). Sony Ericsson is planing to release both new colours very soon.

A new compact flip phone has been unveiled by Samsung Electronics in cooperation with Metro PCS Corp. The sleek, compact flip design of the Samsung Tint makes it both durable and fashionable. The Samsung Tint includes grey and pink faceplates as a standard accessory to help match the user’s style.

Additional faceplates are also available in various colors. This handset also features customizable wallpaper, banner themes and fonts to personalize the visual experience on the Samsung Tint.

The Samsung Tint is equipped with a powerful feature set, including an integrated camera, SMS, MMS, email and IM messaging capabilities, advanced voice recognition, Bluetooth wireless technology and speakerphone for easy, hands-free operation.

For immediate access to family and friends, the Samsung Tint offers ChatLINK℠ a push-to-talk social networking tool that works like a walkie-talkie. Users can simply push a button and talk without dialing to individuals or groups with compatible phones.

With the Samsung Tint, MetroPCS subscribers will be able to navigate the mobile Web, download ringtones and graphics and interact with social networks without having to use a laptop or PC.

MetroPCS’ plans for its wide variety of other phones range from $30 to $50 per month and allow subscribers to talk all they want, 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week. Unlike most carriers, MetroPCS does not require a signed contract, which means that consumers can activate service without going through a credit check or paying a deposit.

The Samsung Tint is available at all MetroPCS authorized dealers and company-owned retail locations. Visit MetroPCS’ website at www.metropcs.com for specific locations or to purchase the Samsung Tint and sign up for service plans.

Like there was a lack of all time classic games on the iPhone, Team17 is bringing Worms to the holy grail of your iPhone’s and iPod’s 3.5 inch touch touch screen. A blast from the past, 1995 to be exact, Worm is expected to hit the App Store sometime in the next month or so, during Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Worms would be a perfect example to showcase multiplayer and voice chat capabilities of the new iPhone OS 3.0 with a bit of nostalgia for those good old days.

The LG Versa hit the scene on Verizon Wireless’s network as the first slate-based touchscreen handset with swappable add-ons. The LG Versa gets its name for its versatility, changing from svelte touchscreen phone to messaging powerhouse to handheld gaming device on a whim. It’s definitely a unique form-factor and demonstrates that modular handsets have their place in the mobile world. But, does the LG Versa really work in the real world?

Keep reading for LG Versa specs and to see how it lived up to our expectations.

Photo gallery at bottom.

LG Versa

By LG (Available from Verizon Wireless for $199.99 with 2-year contract)

Specifications

• 1900/800 MHz CDMA
• 3G - EV-DO Revision A (Rev. A)
• 3.0-inch touchscreen display with 262K color, 480 x 240 pixels, ambient light sensor and proximity sensor
• 2.0 Megapixel Camera & Camcorder with Autofocus, Flash & Image Editor
• Virtual QWERTY Keypad & Detachable QWERTY Keypad
• Music Player for MP3, WMA, Unprotected AAC & Unprotected AAC+ formats
• External memory card slot that supports up to 16GB microSD
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• 2.5 mm headset jack
• Text, picture and video messaging with threaded messaging
• Support for a variety of Verizon services including: Mobile Email, Mobile IM, Mobile Web Email, My Verizon, VZ Navigator, Chaperone Parent/Child
• Mobile Broadband Connect Capable (tethering)
• Speakerphone and voice commands
• English and Spanish interface
• 4.16” (h) x 2.07” (w) x 0.54” (d), 3.81 ounces
• 1,100 mAh battery providing up to 290 minutes of usage time or 430 hours standby time

The LG Versa definitely lived up to our expectations for a non-smartphone. It’s not heavy on the power-user features, but if you start off with the mind-set that the Versa is a flexible feature-phone, you’re sure to not be disappointed. There are definitely more pros than cons, so we’re inclined to give the LG Versa a thumbs-up. Breakdown follows:

Design

Styling
The LG Versa is clearly cut from a different cloth. The handset doesn’t necessarily fit into any one single category of handset. It’s a slate-based touchscreen, but only until you attach its QWERTY keyboard wallet-thingy. It’s a messaging handset until you swap out the keyboard for a gaming module. Get the drift? We’re just going to consider the LG Versa a really versatile touchscreen slate…

As for industrial design, the LG Versa sports a minimalist design. The front face is uncluttered, offering users just three hard-keys from which to choose - Call, End/Power, and Cancel/Speakerphone. If that last button has you a bit confused, you’re not alone. The engineers tasked with making sure the LG Versa’s design is intuitive may have been taking “personal days” when LG decided to double-up a speakerphone and cancel button.

Faux-chrome and metallic-looking buttons wrap around the Versa, giving it a refined and classy look. The LG Versa gets bonus points for finishing the data-port cover and microSD card slot cover in a brushed aluminum “look” that lends to the Versa’s overall polished persona. And, we like the easily accessible volume controls and camera shutter button along the side of the Versa. The metallic-brown color scheme, however, may be a matter of personal taste - we don’t like it.

Build Quality/Material Quality
This isn’t a high-end handset. The LG Versa never pretends that it’s going to play with the big boys, and it’s obvious in the materials. While the LG Versa looks quite high-end, the extensive use of plastics is apparent in the hand. Build quality is still top-notch. Just because you use cheaper materials doesn’t mean you have to have a crappily built handset. LG knows how to make solid low and mid-range handset, and it shows in the LG Versa.

On big gripe is the keyboard module. Too much fake leather and hard plastic for our tastes. The hinge is a major sticking point. We’d have liked to have seen smoother hinge action.

Modules

All that refined style goes out the window when you snap on the modular QWERTY keyboard add-on. Finished in a questionable brown “pleather” type of material, the keyboard module is an unsightly contraption. Sure, it’s got a comfortable (and quite usable) QWERTY keyboard and informative external display, but we can’t concentrate on anything other than how quickly the Versa can go from refined to ridiculous.

To use the keyboard module, you take off the Versa’s battery cover and snap in its place the keyboard module. It would be nice to be able to swap modules without having to deal with battery covers, but the way the Versa mates with its modular add-ons is still impressive. Once attached, there’s no wiggle, no creaking, nothing that would indicate that the LG Versa didn’t come from the factory with a QWERTY keyboard attached. Plus points for that.

but we haven’t had a chance to try it out. The gaming pad module is much slimmer and doesn’t hurt the eyes as much as the keyboard module, and it slides away to save space when not in use. If the keyboard quality is any indication, the gaming pad should be fairly tactile and comfortable in the hand.

UI

Not a smartphone
The LG Versa isn’t a smartphone. It’s a touchscreen handset, yes. But a smartphone it is not. To it’s credit, the LG Versa’s touchscreen isn’t half bad. It’s a resistive-based touchscreen so you’ll get a bit of that dreaded touchscreen “squish,” but screen-presses are accompanied by vibration feedback that lets you know when you’ve pressed hard enough.

You’ll be hard pressed to use the Versa to handle your business emails in a timely manner, but if all you need to do is quickly check your email inbox once a day, as you sit in rush hour traffic, the Versa works with Verizon’s mobile email service.

The web browser is decent. It won’t compare to any phone with “smart” as part of its description, but the Versa’s web browser does the job. You’ll want to make sure you’re rocking the QWERTY keyboard module if you plan to do any sort of URL typing, otherwise you’re just asking to be annoyed. Again, this isn’t a smartphone so don’t go expecting it to do anything at the smartphone level. Instead, let’s concentrate on what the LG Versa does well.

GPS Navigation is only possible through Verizon Navigator service and requires the GPS module that has yet to be released. We’re not big fans of for-pay GPS navigation services, but seeing as how the Versa isn’t going to be installing Google Maps for Mobile anytme soon, we suppose VZW Navigator is an acceptable compromise - but just barely.

Media
The Versa is a multimedia handset. With a large 3.0-inch touchscreen display throwing out 262K colors in a 480 x 240 pixel field and a microSD card slot, the Versa is ideal for watching videos or listening to music. The Versa’s “Media Center” handles all your music, video and pictures, allowing you to download and browse Verizon’s extensive media catalogue. The “My Music” application takes care of all your music-listening needs as well as any other bundled music player. Still, we’d have liked to have seen the “My Music” music playback controls integrated into the “Media Center” application.

Camera
The camera is better than just decent. You have 2.0-megapixels worth of image sensor ready to take from-the-hip shots of your friends and family that works quite well. We’d say the LG Versa’s 2MP camera beats out the iPhone’s 2MP camera in most cases. It has real-deal auto-focus and a flash, both features the iPhone’s camera has lacked for years. And, with a dedicated shutter-release button, the LG Versa wins over the iPhone for usability. Ever tried taking a self-pic using an on-screen shutter button? Not easy when the phone’s display is turned away from you…

Plus points for a highly usable camera on the LG Versa.

Overall

Pros

• Extremely versatile
• Slim and sleek in slate-form
• Well thought-out camera controls and interface
• Big and bright touchscreen display
• Great battery life
• Solid construction, even when mated to the keyboard module (the keyboard module itself is another story)
• Comfortable and very usable keyboard (when attached)
• Great media integration

Cons

• Chintzy materials - we expect more for $200 (especially on contract)
• Unsightly keyboard module
• Odd combination of a Cancel/Back button with a Speakerphone toggle
• Have to take off battery cover to swap modules
• Ugly keyboard module (did we mention that already?)