Well it looks like Samsung has finally confirmed what many suspect happened internally ages ago. Samsung is officially ending its support for Symbian. Not a real surprise considering the focus on bada. Anywhere check out a picture of the notice from the Samsung Mobile Innovator web site after the jump.

For those thinking of getting an additional battery for your Samsung i8910 HD, it may be a good time to look at some extended batteries from trusted third-party battery manufacturer, Mugen Power. They have two extended batteries on sale for the i8910, one with 1550mAh capacity and another with a whopping 3100mAh capacity. As the i8910 comes with a 1500mAh battery, both offer an improvement over the default offering.

For those looking at the 3100mAh battery though, it’s worth noting that given the size, Mugen Power provides a new back cover for the phone. This means your standard i8910 will be chunkier than normal with this battery. The sleek looks will inevitably be spoiled, but it seems like a great option for those who do a lot of travelling. Both batteries are in stock from the Mugen Power website right now. The 1550mAh battery will set you back $29.95, whilst the larger 3100mAh battery costs $96.95.

Andy (HyperX) has been doing some wonderful work on i8910 HD modified firmware. In his latest efforts he has been able to run 62 applications simultaneously, quite a feat! The latest build also has a staggering 194MB on boot. He is using the HX-V4-Speed-SE firmware. Check out the video of it in action after the cut.

Microsoft MIX10 is a conference for mobile devs that’s taking place right now in Las Vegas. The company’s upcoming Windows Phone 7 mobile operating systems has been garnering a lot of headlines and yesterday a few handsets sporting the new OS were shown off.

Handsets from Acer, LG and Samsung were shown and it was Samsung’s offering that interested me the most… mainly because it appears to be almost identical to the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD. Yes, Samsung has slightly changed the front three hardware buttons, but apart from that it looks identical to me.

Microsoft is dictating hardware requirements for WinPho7 that means handsets must meet/exceed them to qualify for use. These specs are as follows:

* 800×480 screen (320×480 to follow)
* 256MB RAM, 8GB flash storage
* 4-point multi-touch
* ARMv7 Cortex/Scorpion or better
* DirectX9 support by GPU
* Codec acceleration (probably on GPU via DirectX)
* 5 megapixel camera with flash and separate camera button
* Three hard buttons: Start, Search, and Back
* GPS, accelerometer, compass, light and proximity sensors

So it seems that Samsung will have to change a few things under the hood but apart from that it seems as if it will be closely based on the i8910 HD. However, Samsung may just be showing this as a prototype device and final hardware may look a lot different, but it’s interesting nonetheless. Personally, I wish Samsung released an i8910 HD with Android instead…

Update: Samsung is blaming Microsoft for the ‘hacked’ WP7 i8910 HD: “The launch was from Microsoft, not Samsung, and they used the i8910HD to demo Windows 7,” said a Samsung spokesperson. “It’s not yet clear whether existing i8910HD users will be able to upgrade to Windows 7 as this demo was a one-off.” [TechRadar]

Via Slashgear and Engadget.

Samsung has finally released its new firmware, dubbed I8910XXJB1 for the i8910 Omnia HD. This brings with it a number of improvements including faster performance, stability as well as kinetic scrolling. The update can be pushed through via the PC Studio 7, but remember to backup your phone first.

The web browser is reported to be faster and moves to full-screen automatically. HD video recording is still seeing skipped frames, so unfortunately there’s still no solid 24fps recording. Also, users are reporting very low C: memory after the upgrade (as low as 17MB). I haven’t had a chance to upgrade my handset yet, but I look forward to any comments from those who have below.

Skyfire has launched version 1.5 of its mobile browser for Symbian S50 5th Edition handsets (including the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD). The update brings full support for high-resolution screens, a new UI and finger-friendly scrolling (including kinetic scrolling). You can download the Skyfire browser here. Check out a video of it in action after the jump.

A big i8910 HD firmware update is expected to land during this month. The new update will offer faster web browsing, an improved graphics engine as well as kinetic scrolling. Anphase, the same person who wrote that 25 page quality control report, recently met with Samsung to talk about his issues and came back impressed with the company’s willingness to talk.

Samsung offered him a test unit with a preview of the new firmware on it. He’s documented his findings in a 10-minute video, which we’ve attached after the break.

The Desk Genie is an interesting mobile phone accessory. As the name suggests, the Desk Genie is a mobile phone holder that charges pretty much any mobile phone out there whilst also acting as a two-port USB hub and 8-in-1 card reader. It comes with a non-slip surface that holds your phone in one place.

MobileFun, a specialist retailer of mobile accessories, kindly sent over the Desk Genie for us to review. The device costs £14.99. MobileFun applies a small delivery charge on top of this depending on whether shipping is to the UK or mainland Europe. Click through to read our impressions of this charging desk stand.

The Desk Genie itself comes in a small white unmarked cardboard box. Inside the box you’ll find the stand itself, a manual, USB cable and a number of mobile adaptors that should fit a number of cell phones.

I didn’t find the manual to be very useful, it gives you instructions on how the Desk Genie can be used as a USB hub and card reader, but there is little information on getting started with charging your handset. You can have a look for yourself by downloading the instructions from here.

Inside the box you’ll find a number of different phone adaptors that should fit various mobile phones on the market. For a full list check out the MobileFun product page. The cable on the right side is what these adaptors connect to, this is then connected to the charging stand.

The stand itself is made from plastic and is L-shaped in design. The picture below shows the non-slip surface covered in its initial protective plastic, once removed it is black rubbery surface. The base holds a couple of USB ports on one side and the card reader on the other. You can’t see it here, but the front of the stand has a blue LED, which lights up when charging. It measures 59 x 102 x 106mm and weighs 95g.

The back of the Desk Genie has a mini USB port and DC power jack. The USB port is connected to your laptop or PC and the power jack is connected to your mobile, via the short cable described above.

One side of the base holds the 8-in-1 card reader. There are 4 slots here that should allow you to transfer files from a number of different formats including SD, MMC, MicroSD and M2 cards (the latter two without adaptors). We tested a couple of memory cards that worked without issue.

The other side holds two USB 2.0 ports that can be used as a hub for your laptop or PC. These ports can be used with USB memory sticks and Bluetooth dongles. This worked as advertised without any complications.

Set-up is straight forward, but one issue we had is that the power cable does not fit snugly into the port. The cable header is a bit too big and is restricted by the stand. You have to force the cable downwards to make sure it’s connected (even then it’s not snug).

Once it’s all setup it works as advertised. The Desk Genie is purely a charging device only, it cannot be used to sync to your PC, which is probably the main disappointment. Had you been able to power your device whilst having access it would have been an easier sell.

However, as a charging device it works very well and the addition of a USB hub and card reader is a nice touch. The non-slip surface also works, you can place your mobile in almost any position (maybe if you want to watch a video whilst travelling) and it won’t come off.

I questioned the use of this cell phone holder when I first received it, but as I’ve tested it over the last few weeks I’ve become increasingly fond of it. I have set it up with my desktop PC and it’s taken permanent residency there. It’s not one of those accessories that you think is a must-have but it is surprisingly practical. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by the Desk Genie, if syncing to your PC isn’t a priority than it comes recommended.

Many thanks to MobileFun for sending through this charging stand for review!

Now we’re talking, hopefully all of the ranting and petitions regarding the woeful i8910 HD support is starting to pay off. Samsung has officially confirmed that it will be releasing a new firmware update for the handset delivering a “faster, smoother multimedia experience.”

The new firmware will deliver faster web browsing (finally), an improved graphics engine as well as kinetic scrolling. Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

-Webkit update: A faster user-interface when online, for swift navigation of your favourite websites
-Graphic engine: An improved graphic engine, increasing the speed to access the multimedia content
-Kinetic scrolling: The addition of a kinetic scrolling system provides a superior full-touch experience

There’s no mention for proper 24fps HD video recording but we’ll take what we can get right now. The update will be landing in January 2010 via Samsung’s PC Studio 7 software. It will arrive first in the UK and then gradually rolled out to other markets. We’ll bring you our first impressions as soon as it does hit. Until then have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The bling amongst you will be glad to hear that Samsung has today launched the i8910 Omnia HD Gold Edition. The phone itself is unchanged but the company is justifying the premium tag by including a “luxurious new look inlayed with gold and a package of special accessories”.

The 16GB i8910 HD will come in two colours Champagne Gold and Luxury Brown, both of which are inlayed with 24 karat gold. The special accessory package includes a leather case, mini-cradle and TV-out cable. It will be available in select markets this month including Singapore, Germany and the Middle East.

“The I8910 HD Gold Edition demonstrates our vision to provide phones for every customer, while delivering functionality, style, usability and entertainment in each innovative device,” said Younghee Lee, VP of Samsung’s Mobile Communication Division.

Pricing wasn’t given but I wonder how many this will appeal to? Plus, I received a TV-out cable with my i8910 so the only real extras are the leather case and cradle. Personally, these new models look a bit garish to me and I much prefer the black one in terms of styling. It would also be nice if Samsung addressed some of the phone’s issues before looking to release new colours.