Beating A Dead Horse: Symbian To Receive Updates Through 2016.

The general consensus amongst tech savvy consumers and even Nokia themselves was that Symbian was dead. Confirming this fact came by Nokia’s announcement earlier this year that the company was dropping Symbian as the official OS outright and moving to Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7. While Symbian faithful were no doubt upset, most people dying for another modern and quickly adaptable mobile platform were optimistic and excited. But it appears no matter how hard the forces of life try, Symbian just won’t die.

In a recent interview with Nokia Conversations blog China Edition, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop relented that despite the company’s move to Windows Phone 7, Symbian would continue to receive updates through 2016 — 2016! The decision to keep Symbian dragging along is likely to appease the lower-end market (sub 150 euros) that Symbian devices and Nokia have traditionally cleaned house in.

Still, considering the Symbian “Anna” update isn’t live 7 months after its initial unveiling should be a preview of what to expect — plenty of continuing delays for Symbian.

Video after the interview after the break…

Android 2.3.3 Update Now Rolling Out For Sony Xperia Play And ARC.

If a fresh set of 1′s and 0′s and new version number weren’t good enough, Sony Ericsson has packed a few treats into the new Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) update currently rolling out to Xperia Play devices — deeper Facebook integration.

Specifically, users will now be able to add Facebook calendar events to the local calendar on the device, “Like” currently playing music tracks, and of course share updates and images more easily thanks to dedicated Facebook share options throughout the OS.

But what good would an update be without more mundane bullet points?

• Improved battery life and WIFI stability

• Bugfixes

• Improved touch responsiveness

• Increased HD video recording performance (ARC only)

Let us know if you run into any issues…

Quad-Core Optimized Shadow Gun To Take Mobile Gaming To A New Level.

Android gaming is about to get a lot better. For proof, look no further than these new screenshots (albeit not actual live gameplay) of MadFingerGamers’ “Shadow Gun” — claimed to be the first game truly optimized for dual and quad-core processors. But the graphics aren’t the whole story. MadfingerGames says that the story behind ShadowGun will match the games mind blowing graphics.

The plot puts players in 2350 as bounty hunter, John Slade. The task is to find and bring to justice a scientist who has created mutants, cyborgs, and other humanoids which have more or less destroyed the world.

As we hinted above, the screenshots you see aren’t official screengrabs from live play. But Madfingers promises that the real eye candy will be just as nice when the game is officially released later this year. Here’s to hoping they’re right…

Temporary Fix For Today’s Skype Issues.

While the exact cause of today’s Skype implosion (Microsoft acquisition jokes aside) is unknown, a temporary fix has been offered by by Skype themselves that should at least get desktop users back online. It’s not too involved as it involves deleting a single shared.xml file, so even computer beginners should be able to follow along. With that said, we’re not quite sure how a single file located on multiple platforms could take down Skype on a global scale.

Instructions after the break…

Yahoo Mail Upgrade Brings Social To Your Inbox.

Like it or not, Google’s Gmail service is a seemingly insurmountable giant. With that said, there’s only so many ways to re-invent the wheel — in this case email in general — so many features you can add, and so many UI tweaks you can push out before the supply of creativity runs dry. But naysayers be damned, Yahoo is pushing ahead, and pushing Facebook and Twitter into your inbox…

Buzz Kill: Carriers Prevented Tethering From Debuting In WP7 Mango.

Carriers are a necessary evil. They bring us the wireless technologies we gadgeteurs use day in and day out, yet overcharge — double and triple charge too! — and at many times and offer sub-par service. Really it’s like a love hate relationship. Sadly, we have another example of carriers mucking with innovation and the gadgets that pack them in an attempt to grow their own pockets.

Matt Bencke of Microsoft took to the Windows Phone Blog concerning the lack of tethering in the upcoming WP7 Mango update. In short: Carriers artificially gimped Mango:

“I appreciate your pain around tethering (using your device as a modem) as this has been something that I’ve used in the past. Tethering, in the past was something that we managed independently of the Mobile Operators (e.g. AT&T, Orange, Verizon). In recent years, the Mobile Operators have now taken ownership of this functionality x-all platforms (e.g. our competitors as well as us). We are continually working with them and our OEM partners to enable this functionality for our devices, but at this time there isn’t an announcement that we’ve made in regards to rolling out this feature. Stay Tuned!”

Something is very wrong when a majority clearly and repeatedly requests a particular service or feature only to have the minority governing body reject said requests (or take advantage of them). Such is the sad state of the cellular world.

Mid-Range Samsung SPH-D600 Poses For The Camera.

The focus of our coverage usually deals with the high-end range of gadgets. Though we realize that not everyone wants, needs, or can afford such things. As such, we try to provide a nice little spread touching all price points. Case in point: The Samsung SPH-D600.

This little mid-range device won’t win any awards — 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, 480 x 320 display, 3.2-megapixel rear/VGA front-facing cameras, Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread — but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of your attention. Really, the only thing separating this D600 and your higher-end Android devices is a higher resolution display. With that said, we haven’t touched 480 x 320 on a high end device in many months. After moving from our qHD and Retina Displays to something like this, we’re wondering how being able to count every pixel didn’t get on our nerves.

Look for more information such as official name, release date, and pricing coming soon right here at GS!