May 9 - 2:35pm EDT   Rogers Wireless has quietly launched the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic on its network, becoming the first North American carrier to pick up the device. The bar phone sits in the mid range of Nokia's media phones and includes a column of dedicated music controls as well as a media player that supports AAC, MP3, and WMA; an FM radio tuner is also onboard, as is a microSD slot that holds up to 4GB of storage. [full story]

May 8 - 4:50pm EDT   Regardless of the movement towards permanent unprotected downloads in online music, digital rights management (DRM) is likely to persist and may also thrive in the near future, the Recording Industry Association of America said today at a Los Angeles media conference. The music organization's technology head David Hughes observes that nearly all strategies for offering paid music still require some form of copy protection to enforce the license agreements, which are often dependent on set times or play counts. [full story]

May 7 - 10:25am EDT   Matching internal leaks published in March, Fido today kicked off the launch of its UNO calling service. The feature closely mirrors T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home in the US and lets users save on cellular plan minutes and improve indoor reception by calling when within range of a Wi-Fi hotspot. Fido's implementation is likewise based on UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) and automatically bridges to or from the regular GSM phone network to keep calls active as the phone user roams into or out of coverage. [full story]

May 6 - 3:25pm EDT   Nokia's anticipated E71 smartphone could be ready as early as this week, according to tips handed to GSMHelpdesk. The Dutch site says the phone could be announced this Thursday and points to multiple online stores in its own country that already list the phone. The entries all point to the device being a major upgrade over the aging E61i with 3G Internet over HSDPA, Wi-Fi, and true GPS being its most prominent upgrades. [full story]

May 5 - 12:20pm EDT   T-Mobile today officially introduced its anticipated third-generation (3G) cellular service. Coming after company hints and unofficial tests, the network is now live in New York City and significantly improves both call quality and data access versus the current 2G network. Like other 3G services, T-Mobile's is seamless and allows supporting phones to automatically switch to 3G when they come within range. [full story]

May 5 - 11:30am EDT   Rogers Wireless is likely to soon pick up two very high-end handhelds for its network, according to observers spotting the additions at HowardForums. The Canadian provider's Hardware Upgrade Program list now shows an entry for the HTC Shift that suggests the company will be the first to offer the device as a carrier-locked option. The Shift is treated as a mobile computer by HTC and uses Windows Vista on a 7-inch touchscreen rather than a mobile operating system, using its 3G access for data rather than calls; a 40GB hard drive, Wi-Fi, and a front video camera are also standard. [full story]

May 5 - 8:55am EDT   Nokia intends to recapture some of its influence in the US market this year with a slew of new phones, the company's primary designer Alastair Curtis said in an interview published today with Finland's Helsingin Sanomat. The creator promises many new models within the "next few months" that are tailored to the needs of US carriers, ending a relative drought of devices in recent years. [full story]

May 3 - 6:50pm EDT   HTC's Touch Diamond smartphone has been all but completely revealed today through a set of photos leaked today by NewsMobile. The sequel to the original Touch is now known to earn its Diamond name through a subtle, angular geometry on the back that recalls Nokia's Prism lineup. The Diamond will also be narrower than the original, but will also be taller courtesy of dedicated Back and Home buttons alongside the control pad. [full story]

May 2 - 10:35am EDT   Rogers today confirmed one of two key rumors concerning its phone lineup for the spring by announcing it would carry the Nokia N95 8GB. The Canadian provider is the first in North America to officially stock the smartphone and takes advantage of the phone's 3G support for more than is possible on AT&T in the US, including Rogers' VISION two-way video calling service (courtesy of its front camera) and access to the carrier's music store and video streaming services. [full story]

May 2 - 12:05am EDT   Apple's iPhone is the most popular phone for browsing the internet, but data shows that the phone is one of the most popular for uploading pictures as well. Extracted statistics from popular photo-sharing site Flickr shows that more members use the iPhone to upload photos than other devices, but Flickr notes that there are some limitations on the data. ComputerWorld notes that Flickr's data has the iPhone surpassing the 5-megapixel, flash-equipped Nokia N95 in terms of percentage of users and that over the past year, the iPhone has steadily pulled ahead of the top Nokia and Sony Ericsson phones. [full story]

April 30 - 10:40am EDT   Nokia today rebuffed claims that its Comes With Music service will damage the company financially. The Finnish cellphone maker denies that the deal will force it to accept losses on music downloads and says instead that the service was created from the outset for profit rather than the unfair deal biased in favor of music labels, as suggested by earlier reports. [full story]

April 29 - 4:30pm EDT   T-Mobile's long-delayed 3G cellular Internet access will first be available as early as this week, says new information from BGR. The company's proprietary 1,700MHz service will reportedly become active on Thursday and should be available for subscribers in at least New York City; separate rumors also have the faster service available in Los Angeles and Miami in the near future. Other regional launches aren't yet known but should take place over coming months. [full story]

April 29 - 9:45am EDT   Finland-based cell phone-maker Nokia on Tuesday announced it will team up with ARC Transistance, the European automobile club network, to provide users of its phones with Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI). The service will be offered as an option with a subscription fee in Nokia Maps 2.0 and any newer Nokia software. Thanks to RTTI, drivers will benefit from shorter commutes as their phone's navigation systems will now be able to inform them of any timely congestion, construction or crashes in their way and re-route as required. [full story]

April 28 - 6:35pm EDT   Nokia's "Comes With Music" program, offering those who purchase Nokia phones nearly unlimited free access to a large music database, could cost the company more than it would make. The Register writes that Nokia would be responsible for footing the bill for downloads that exceed the estimated limit of 35 songs per user, charged wholesale per unit. The move reportedly pressured Ed Averdieck, former Managing Director of Nokia Music, to leave his position. [full story]

April 28 - 3:55pm EDT   The WiMAX Edition of Nokia's N810 Internet tablet may already have a price, an online listing suggests. Retailer Buy.com is selling the system for a price of $456, a reduction from a supposed list price of $479. Nokia has not formally announced the cost of the N810 WiMAX, and has in fact declined to assign a release date beyond a rough estimate of "summer." This is meant to coincide with the official launch of Sprint's Xohm WiMAX service. [full story]