Daniel Ionescu

Get ready for Zune HD versus iPod Touch in a battle set for this fall when Microsoft will take the wraps off of its first touchscreen portable media player (PMP), the Zune HD. Microsoft says this is the first PMP to combine a built-in HD Radio receiver, high-def video output, an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display, and Wi-Fi. But will it be good enough to steal the glory from Apple’s iPod Touch? [Read article]

Picture: Nokia

Nokia opened today the doors of its Ovi app store, making it available for an estimated 50 million Nokia devices globally. Customers can shop with their credit card or can choose to have charges added to their phone bill. But in the U.S., cutomers won’t have access to the Ovi Store until later this year. [Read article]

UPDATE: Nokia got back to me today with good news for some U.S. customers. If you bought an unlocked Ovi Store compatible Nokia device, you will be able to access the app store right now  from the Download! app.

Picture: Engadget

AT&T has been keeping quiet on its plans to adopt the Google Android platform so far. But with rumors that Verizon might steal its iPhone exclusivity and several high-end handset manufacturers already set to deliver Android phones, the wireless carrier is now on track to spread some Google love to its customers. [Read article]

Google introduced a refreshed look logo line for its services and a new Labs feature in Gmail that allows users to preview their inbox messages while the webmail service is loading. [Read article]

In the next few months four smartphones are going to battle it out. The Palm Pre, the iPhone 3.0, the BlackBerry Storm 2 and the Nokia N97 are all going for the crown title this summer. But which one should you choose? [Read article]

I’ve put together a comparison chart for the upcoming Palm Pre, iPhone 3.0, BlackBerry Storm 2 and the Nokia N97 so you can quickly check out  which one suits you best.

You’ve spent your hard-earned cash on a brand new smartphone. Now it’s time to put that money to work and turn your new acquisition into an entertainment powerhouse. The number of mobile entertainment apps out there is incomprehensibly large, and relatively few of them truly shine.

I’ve scoured the Web and found the best music, video, and gaming apps for your iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, or Symbian smartphone. Most are free, but for some — as you’d expect with top-notch entertainment — a price tag is attached. [Read article]

*Thank you to the PR guys at Slacker and Tapulous for their feedback.

When Palm Pre’s pricing and availability was officially announced earlier this week, one thing looked particularly unusual for a high-end mobile phone launch these days: an annoying mail-in rebate. But savvy shoppers can avoid the rebate roulette and can get better prices by shopping around. [Read article]

Now here’s an interesting rumor for today: an Apple enthusiast blog claims the new Apple iPhone will ship on July 17 according to their inside source. iPhone 3.0’s feature set also slipped out, which includes beefed-up storage and an OLED display. [Read article]