Notwithstanding the fact that Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 devices are still getting Android 2.1 Eclair updates in some parts of the world, the company has now decided to upgrade the handset to Android version 2.3 Gingerbread.

The Sony Ericson spokesperson in India has confirmed this to ‘The Mobile Indian’, although the time of the launch of Gingerbread for Xperia X10 is still unknown. But, considering the timing of Eclair updates, it is expected to arrive later this year.

Xperia X10 has all the required hardware to successfully run Android 2.3 Gingerbread with its 1GHz Processor and 384 MB RAM, and the company will make all the necessary tweaks to make the new version of the software run flawlessly on the X10.

With the update, Sony Ericsson is also expected to add the ‘Facebook inside Xperia’ feature that was introduced during the launch of the new range of Xperia Mini handsets. The feature allows users to share, like and connect on Facebook in a faster and easier way through their mobile phones.

As of now only limited information is available related to details of improvements and changes that the new upgrade will bring to the X10, but that Sony Ericsson plans to upgrade the X10 soon will itself bring a smile to a lot of faces.

Internet on mobile devices, known as GPRS or General Packet Receiving Service, began with the evolution of mobile phones and especially with the adoption of 2nd generation or 2G mobile networks.

Being the first service to bring data to mobile phones, GPRS networks were able to transmit only a limited amount of data and therefore companies soon started to look out for alternative networks that would not require a complete overhaul of mobile equipment and would yet satisfy data needs.

A new system of data transmission was adopted in the year 2003. It is known as EDGE or Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution.

Although both these services deal with the transmission of data to mobile devices via mobile networks, there is still big confusion amongst users as to what these two things stand for.

To begin with, though both these technologies are related to the transmission of data to mobile devices, due to the advanced or evolved nature of EDGE, it is able to deliver far better data speeds to mobile devices and that too over existing 2G mobile networks.

GPRS offers slower download speeds of up to a maximum of 120 Kbps. On the other hand, EDGE offers speeds of up to 384 Kbps.

In simpler terms, the working of an EDGE connection is similar to that of getting things delivered using multiple channels. So the more channels there are, the more data can be transmitted. That is why EDGE, despite being just an extension of the 2G GSM telephony system, is able to provide faster data transfer rates.

Not only are data speeds increased on EDGE networks, data costs also go up very steeply when a user shifts from GPRS to EDGE.

Currently in India many cellular operators offer GPRS-only data packs that offer anywhere between 3-6 GB of monthly usage &#151 which is practically impossible to completely utilise using a GPRS connection &#151 for a monthly charge ranging from Rs 95 to Rs 150.

On the other hand, on EDGE networks prices across the country are not less than 1 Paisa per KB of data download with postpaid customers getting to download about 600 MB per month free.

Game fanatics around the world will soon rejoice as Ngmoco, a Japan based company, is all set to release its social networking website Mobage globally.

Mobage is a very popular service in Japan that allows users to connect with other people and play games. It is available across different platforms such as for personal computers and mobile phones.

With its global launch Mobage is expected to hit smartphones other than Android and iPhone, for which it is already available.

Ngmoco has opened membership for developers who can create applications in the Mobage Sandbox environment, which gives users a real world feel while the setup remains secure and protected from the outside world, making it better for developers to create applications.

“The company is now inviting developers to sign up for its Sandbox development environment, which allows developers to test and develop their games so they can become available on the Mobage platform. There are already more than 100 games on the platform, and more are in the works,” the company spokesperson said to Venturebeat in an interview.

Taiwanese handset maker HTC is the top Android vendor in the world, its chief executive officer, Peter Chou, has claimed.

While speaking at a recent Uplinq conference, he said the company shipped 25 million smartphones in 2010 alone. The conference was organised by Qualcomm in San Diego, USA.

Peter Chou also talked about the growth plans of the company as well as the development of HTC Sense. At the same time, he emphasised that the company remains committed to Windows Phone 7 so that users have a choice of smartphone operating systems.

He also talked about HTC’s Sense user interface and how it would make HTC devices more user friendly. With the new user interface animations are smoother than before and even the lock screen provides some useful information to users. The new lock screen looks inspired by the Windows Phone 7 user interface, in which live tiles give up to date information to users without requiring them to launch apps every time.

Sense user interface is important to HTC because it helps the company differentiate its products. Peter Chou believes that just the hardware was not enough and that Proprietary software was also required to make customer experience unique.

HTC and Onlive, a streaming video game service, have also entered into a partnership which will enable Onlive to provide streaming gaming services on HTC tablets and smartphones.

HTC sells a range of Android handsets in India including Desire HD (Rs 26,400), HD2 Black (Rs 26,650), and Legend A6363 Black (Rs 26,100). In fact, the first Android device, Dream, was also an HTC product.

Nokia has launched the C2-00 and X1-01 dual SIM phones for the Indian market.

Unveiling the new phones, Vipul Sabharwal, director sales, Nokia India, said, “We are very proud to present Nokia C2-00 and Nokia X1-01 that meet stringent quality standards and have set new benchmarks in the mobile internet and music space in the entry level dual SIM category.”

Both devices come with Nokia’s innovative services including Nokia Life Tools which provide consumers with a wide range of information covering healthcare, agriculture, education and entertainment.

Nokia C2-00

The Nokia C2-00 have the Easy Swap feature, which offers consumers the convenience of changing SIM cards without the need to turn off the phone or remove the battery. Just open the SIM door at the side of the phone and swap your SIMs.

With the Nokia C2-00, users can also browse the internet, read emails and enjoy instant Messaging with either SIM card.

At a whopping 32 GB expandable memory, the Nokia C2-00 lets you keep thousands of photos, videos and music files with you all the time. The intuitive Nokia C2-00 also remembers the settings for up to five separate SIM cards.

Nokia X1-01

Nokia X1-01 comes with loud sound and great music clarity, claims the company. According to Nokia, its jumbo battery delivers upto 36 hours of continued music playback. The in-built loudspeakers provide sound output at a whopping 106 phon.

Nokia X1-01 comes with 16 GB of memory support. Its music player allows consumers to select songs and create favourite playlists.

The device also allows users to personalise their dual SIM experience with their own SIM name, call or SMS settings, logo, ringtone or music. It remembers the settings for up to five separate SIM cards. It has an innovative ‘cost tracker’ application to help consumers control their calling expenses.

Nokia X1-01 also comes pre-loaded with Nokia Money to help deliver financial independence to entry consumers.