After a spectacular demo of the new Windows Phone 7 series, just about everyone at the recent Mobile World Congress lost interest in looking at the new Windows Mobile smartphones unveiled in the event. Without any clear upgrade path to it from their current offerings, mobile phone makers who continue to make them might was well forget about releasing them as the new smartphones running the new OS is expected to arrive in time for the holidays of 2010.

OEMs can be a lot of fun. Taiwan's world leader in smartphones, HTC, plays it both ways as an OEM to many mobile phone brands in the Windows platform while offering some of those same models directly to consumers under its own name. When Google finally jumped into the mobile phone business with its first Nexus One smartphone running its own Android 2.1 Eclair, HTC was more than happy to dump its eagerly anticipated HTC Passion to have it rebranded as the Nexus One.

Every once in a while, the Big Five in mobile phones come up with a remarkable smartphone that's sheer gadget wizardry all the way, pushing the envelop as they say. One of them is the Symbian full-touchscreen Vivaz from struggling Japanese phone leader Sony Ericsson released only last March. It has, among other things, an 8 megapixel shooter that now firmly defines the minimum standards for flagship camera smartphones. 5-megapixel resolution cameras were the minimum last year, not anymore.

On the eve of the release of Windows Mobile 7, Microsoft introduces two weird phone handsets targeted at teeny-boppers interested in multiplying their list of friends faster than anyone can predict. The KIN ONE and its brother version cannot be ignored, for their looks and features are attractive, but considering Verizon's expensive prepaid plans, are they worth the money invested? It is a close call, for the college going crowd do not have that kind of money to spend. However, if you are saluted for your networking skills, then these phones will surely provide the technology to make you very productive.

Along with its recent announcement of the new Blackberry OS 6.0, Canadian Research In Motion (RIM) is releasing the update to its year-old Blackberry Curve 8520 - the Blackberry Curve 3G 9300. Using what is obviously the same hardware platform and sharing the same dimensions and screen size, design styling and QWERTY keyboard ergonomics of the older BlackBerry 8520 Curve, the new Curve comes updated with GPS, 3G and HSDPA. What sets it apart aesthetically from its older sibling is a chrome trim around its body.

Once upon a time you had to be rich to have your songs recorded properly. Studios were expensive and the process was time-consuming. No more! If you are a songwriter or singer who wants to record a demo or even a full album at home, you are living in great times. The excitement and satisfaction of hearing your music in all its glory are just a few pieces of amazing equipment away.