If you don't mind being a beta tester for a while you can now get in on the latest IM+. A whole laundry list of features has been added along with a rather nice looking dark theme available for use. SHAPE Services has pegged this as v6.2 and has taken the time to address a lot of user feedback with it as well as including a whole slew of bug fixes for notifications, contact lists, favorite lists and much more. If you're looking to give it a shot for all your instant messaging needs, you hit the source link to grab the install file just keep in mind, it is a beta.

Source: SHAPE Services

It looks like T-Mobile customers might not have too long to wait before they can get their hands on the HTC One S. Tmo is inviting members of the press to attend a launch party for the phone on the evening of next Wednesday, April 18. Recent rumors have pointed to a possible launch a week later, on April 25, so the timing of this event may give some weight to those claims. There'll also be a live performance by indie-pop band Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

The One S is the middle sibling in the HTC One range, with a 4.3-inch screen, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4.0. For a sneak peek of what to expect, go ahead and check out our full review of the European HTC One S. And you can be sure we'll be at the Tmo event next Wednesday to bring you full coverage of the US version of the phone.

If you are the proud owner of the HTC Rhyme, but have had a few gripes with the device's software, you will be happy to know Verizon will soon be pushing an update. Unfortunately this update will not be the one that brings Ice Cream Sandwich to the device, but HTC and Verizon have managed to squeeze quite a few changes in this one. Some of the changes in this latest update include --

Device Features

• “ Ringtones” has been replaced with “Edit Home” when the Menu key is pressed
• on the home screen.
• Updated signal strength meter to 5 bar Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI).
• Mobile networks no longer disabled when using Power Saver.
• Device is enabled with the Wireless Alerting System.

Device Dock Features

• Default applications in Dock Mode have been changed to “Phone” and “Calendar”.
• In-call volume control has been added to Dock Mode.
• “All Apps” option has been added to Dock Mode.
• Resolved issue of dock volume changing to 20%.

Applications & Widgets

• Device displays available music on the device and provides an option to purchase ringtones from the MOD application when a user is attempting to set a new ringtone through a pre-populated list.
• Mail shortcut now shows unread mail count

Verizon is set to push this update out "soon" so that means keep checking manually for the update, and be sure to let us know how the update goes for you! Full details about the new firmware, and update procedure are available at the source link below.

Source: Verizon Wireless

Vodafone UK has today announced a new budget Android phone aimed at aimed at Pay As You Go customers. The Huawei Ascend G 300. The Ascend G 300 is exclusive to Vodafone UK, and costs £100 when purchased with a £10 PAYG top-up. It's also free on all of Vodafone's 24-month service plans, which start at £15.50 per month for 100 minutes, 500 texts and 250MB.

And there's a reasonable amount of smartphone on offer for your money -- there's a 1GHz CPU inside, a 4-inch screen, 512MB of RAM and 2.5GB of internal storage. The phone ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and Huawei's custom UI, with an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich promised over the summer.

We've got Vodafone's presser after the break.

It's been quite some time since we last heard from the folks at Springpad, though they do have a good reason for it. They've been working on Springpad v3.0 behind the scenes and now they're ready to show it off to the world. Springpad for the uninitiated, allows you to save notes, look up products, places, movies and more all while keeping things nice and organized for you  in the cloud with the ability to share it all with others. Version 3.0 of Springpad is taking things to the next level with some new feature additions:

• Follow individual notebooks: by content and interest from friends and trusted sources
• Flexible sharing options: make notebooks private or public; and co-curate or collaborate with others.
• Enhanced filtering and organization: ability to tag, sort, and change views; find new notebooks via category and tag pages.
• Automatic enhancements and alerts: useful information like show times, price comparison and reservation links; alerts provide updates, price drops and offers for saved items
• Easy save options: new quick add bar; bookmarklet and browser extensions make searching and saving effortless.
• Universal access: web, retina optimized iOS and Android phones and tablets; offline support is available on all devices for all personal notebooks.
• Personalized notebooks: choose themes and accents

The app itself has been completely redesigned and in addition to all those noted changes, also includes a new explore feature that allows you to view content from other Springpad users who have found and shared interesting things from around the web. Check out the video above to get a better look and if you're looking for more info or the download link, you'll find it all past the break.

We love to see new devices available in new places, right? Motorola has just announced that they will be making the Defy Mini available to customers in Norway and Sweden. So what makes this phone special? Aside from the middle grade specs such as the 3.2-inch display, or the 600MHz processor,  this entry level device is a great, small rugged device. If you are looking for something that won't be hurt in the rain, can withstand your rock climbs, and maybe an occasional drop or two, this may be the phone for you.

Source: Motorola (1), (2)

Motorola Mobility has announced a new budget handset for the Chinese market, the Motorola XT390, which will be sold on China Unicom, the country's state-owned mobile operator. The XT390 is a 3.5-inch Android 2.3 smartphone with an 800MHz CPU, 512MB of RAM and dual-SIM 3G connectivity. Aesthetically, it's very much a smaller version of the Motoluxe, the company's entry-level offering for Europe.

Motorola and China Unicom aim to offer the XT390 at a 1000 yaun (~$160) price point in the weeks ahead.

Source: Motorola Mobility

On the left is April 10, on the right is April 8 (April 3 is below)

Fun story about the HTC One X battery life. I've seen it be one of the worst performers (thanks to a since-squashed server-side bug), and I've seen it be one of the best. In addition to reviewing phones, we often end up as guinea pigs, using hardware that's barely had time to let the glue dry, or software that's not quite final. In the case of the HTC One X, it's been both. The hardware is solid. I've got no concerns about that, save for maybe scratching the camera lens. 

The software we're running on our review unit actually is a tick above that of the retail units. I'm not sure if that's causing some disparity. But more than that, my usage case is going to be different than yours. My network is different than yours. I am not a normal user. 

That said, I've been pretty impressed with what I'm seeing after three weeks of use. 

When I'm at home, working, I'm on Wifi. And that's for a good chunk of the day. Not every day, though. So when I'm running around town, chasing after the kids or doing errands, I've been on AT&T. I'm pretty heavy on Twitter (and I'm back on Seesmic, since it finally updated for the HTC One X), Facebook and Google+ throughout the day. Browsing, too. And because the One X has that excellent camera, I've been taking more than my fair share of pictures (which I've got auto uploading to Google+ when I'm on Wifi). 

So there's your macro view of how I roll. And I'm getting well over 12 hours of use between charges. Hell, I'm getting well over 15 hours on a single charge. It's a little ridiculous when I stop to think about it, and it makes me want to pick up the phone and use it some more.

We're going to have to see how this changes once we get the AT&T version of the One X here in the states. For one thing, it'll be using the dual-core Qualcomm S4 processor instead of NVIDIA's Tegra 3. For another, it'll have LTE data in some locales, and presumably it'll have some fine-tuning for AT&T that this European GSM version won't (though they do share the same radio frequencies, so maybe that'll just be in our heads).

That doesn't change the fact that when the One X battery is drained, you'll be needing a charger. No swapping batteries. So keep that in mind. But once we get it on AT&T, it'll be an interesting experiment, to be sure.

For more impressions, hit up the official HTC One X battery life thread.

We all want a battery that lasts days between charges while we use the heck out of it, but common sense tells us that's just never going to happen. Battery tech is slowing getting better, while screens get bigger and brighter, and networks get faster and use more juice. Other internals like chipsets and processors help in the battery life department, but it's pretty much a given that if you use your Android hard, you'll need to charge it at least once a day. In a pinch, some phones may go two days, but for the most part this is true for all smartphones. B = SF² (my new theory, where battery = screen size times fun factor squared. I call it Jerrytivity. Don't sue me Apple.)

A couple of famous Englishmen once said you can't always get what you want. But you do get what you need. Hopefully, that last part is true for you. It is most of the time for me, and I need about 12 hours out of my Android phone. If I can't get that, I just can't use that particular phone. Usually, it isn't a problem.

What about you guys and gals? How much life do you need from a phone for it to be usable? Vote in the poll, and let it fly in the comments!

In the process of reviewing the HTC One X, CNET UK flagged up a potential build quality issue. On four different review units, they reported that pushing down on the edges of the screen caused it to flex and produce a series of discoloured pixels on the display. Going back to the Creative Director at One & Co, HTC’s design consultancy, they received the response, “we would never let that ship.”

So that would mean retail units shouldn’t be affected, yes? Well, no. See, I purchased a shiny new HTC One X on Three UK, and should I press down on the edges of the screen, I see exactly the same as CNET reported. HTC haven’t confirmed anything either way, but based on my retail unit alone I’d say that there’s little point in denying it.

A more important question should be, should you worry? Is this a reason to not buy the phone?

Any kind of design flaw is not exactly welcome, especially in such a high end, expensive device as the One X. But you have to press -- really press -- on the sides of the screen to replicate this yourselves. How many of us do that in general day-to-day use? Apart from this one time, in the name of research, I am pretty much sure that I won’t be doing it again. Neither will you guys most probably. The HTC One X is exceptionally well made, so much so that perhaps some have been looking for reasons to score it down. After all, how many of us have done something like this whilst trying out a new phone for the first time?

This is really a non-issue. If you’ve already bought a One X, or are planning on doing so, don't worry and enjoy it. I know I’m enjoying mine a whole lot, and that’s all that matters. Oh, and don't forget to check out our extensive review as well, just in case you need a little help deciding. 

Source: CNET UK