"Even without Wave 525 Samsung has enough of entry level touchscreen models. Take the latest Corby 3G or its predecessors. The emergence of Bada shifts the priorities of the Korean manufacturer. Samsung will gradually move from proprietary systems to Bada. It means that Samsung Wave and Wave 525 together with several unannounced models are just first in the line and as Bada matures they will be complemented by an array of other devices on this Samsung signature platform. Wave 525 will be followed by its version with the keypad under the name of Wave 2 Pro (S5330). Both models will compete in the niche of entry level touchscreen phones, while the current Samsung solutions will move down. Among rival models we have touchscreen phones from Nokia and SE. The introduction of new devices in the Wave series shows that Bada is important for the company and the correspondent models will be aimed at the mass market. Wave 2 will be the prime example of the trend." Read more here:

"It is the first Bada model, which is a new mobile platform by Samsung, as the company calls it. Every now and then, Bada is considered to be an operating system, which is far from being true. Bada stems from earlier models and is close to them both in terms of ideology and hardware. The S8500, or the Wave, is based on the Samsung S8000 Jet. To a certain degree, both models have the same hardware platform – i.e. they share the same 1 GHz processor and have comparable amounts of inbuilt memory (the Wave has slightly more), although the wireless module and many other parts are different. However, in terms of software, the Wave is obviously a direct derivative of the Jet. Both models also have the same positioning – i.e. a sensor phone for those who seek a balanced solution that allows for video playback, music listening and Web browsing out of the box. Both are "all-in-one" solutions from Samsung's perspective. And quite successful, I should admit. The Jet was primarily marketed as a phone, which is faster and smarter than smartphones. With Bada, the situation is quite the opposite: the marketing department claims it to offer not phone but smartphone functionality. All that verbiage is not that important to end users, who care about what they get for their money. And getting the biggest bang for the buck is exactly what makes the Wave one of the most appealing sensor phones on the market." Read more here:

"Samsung is launching the Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro not only in Russia, but also in Germany, where the two new smartphones will arrive starting August. Also known as Samsung Wave 525 and Samsung Wave 533, the handsets run Bada OS – just like the Samsung Wave S8500. However, the 525 and 533 are not high-end. Feature-wise, the new Waves come with 3.2 inch WQVGA TFT touchscreen displays, quad-band GSM/EDGE connectivity (no 3G), Wi-Fi, GPS, social networking integration (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter), 3.5mm headset jack, 3.2MP cameras, and access to Samsung Apps. The Wave 533 also has a full QWERTY keyboard. In Germany, the Wave 525 and Wave 533 will have the same suggested retail price: €299 (that’s slightly more than the Russian prices)" via unwiredview.com

"Samsung’s quest on popularizing the Bada-powered Wave continues. All the Wave users are now able to get lifetime Route 66 voice-guided navigation for 30 euro. In addition they’ll get one-year free speed camera database updates. Samsung Wave comes with Route 66 navigation preinstalled but it’s only good for a 30 days trial period. After that all Wave phones can get a lifetime license for 30 euro. That 30 euro offer however only includes one country. The Western/Eastern Europe packages cost 40 euro, while a license for all Europe is priced at 50 euro. The license applies only for one Wave unit and can’t be transferred to another. It will last as long as you own this particular Samsung Wave. The additional bonus you get is the one year free speed cameras updates. After the free period it costs 6 euro per year per country (or 10 euro for the entire Europe). Route 66 may still not be free as Nokia’s Ovi Maps, but the price reduction is certainly a step in the right direction." via gsmarena.com

Crazysoft has an 'app idea contest' running in their Facebook page.
Here it is:

What kind of app would you like us to develop?
The best idea wins $cash!

Write your app idea on CrazySoft's Facebook wall and win!

Rules:
1) Write your short app idea on the Facebook fan page wall.
2) This contest lasts until 20 of August.
3) The best app idea will be decided by CrazySoft's creativity department.
4) The idea that wins will get the symbolic Paypal cash price of $200.

"ChangeWave's latest smart phone survey of 4,028 consumers shows an explosive transformation occurring in consumer demand – resulting in some major new winners and losers for second half 2010. The survey – completed June 24th – took a close-up look at consumer demand for the new Apple iPhone 4 and the HTC Droid Incredible, along with the impact these and other offerings are having on the rest of the smart phone industry. Among key emerging trends:

• Next 90 day projections show the most extensive growth in consumer smart phone sales ever recorded in a ChangeWave survey
• Big leaps forward for Apple and HTC are occurring at the expense of Motorola and RIM
• The accompanying transformation in mobile OS preferences is being led by a huge increase in demand for the Apple OS and an accelerating downturn for the RIM OS." Read more here:
  

"According to IDC in 2010 Samsung has the chance to lead in all areas in Europe as they already lead in the segment of usual phones. I mentioned before that Samsung first enters the markets important for the brand image and drive Nokia out to the developing countries, where cheap products are in demand. It is a fragment of the overall strategy. The primary objective of Samsung is to generate demand for its phones in the mature markets, because the behavior of its consumers is copied in developing countries 1.5-2 years afterwards. I think you know what it means. Samsung has a lot to offer in terms of cheap models, but they leave this area for Nokia at the moment. The average price of Nokia phones is around €64, when Samsung has a much higher parameter. If you can win earning money there is no need to lose it." Read more here:

Who would knew that the Samsung  Wave will sell this good. It’s not an affordable phone and since it’s the first Bada-powered device, my prognosis was not as nearly optimistic. Anyhow, the Korean giant announced that it has sold 1 million Wave units, which is an impressive figure considering the competition. Unfortunately, not that many third-apps are available for the Bada platform, though to be fair, Wave ships with quite a few apps pre-installed, ensuring a more than solid end-user experience.
 In related news, Samsung also said that is has managed to move 300,000 Galaxy S smartphones in its own backyard. The news comes only days after announcing that 200,000 units have been sold in South Korea. I would be interested to find out the Galaxy S global numbers. I’m sure it sells like hot cupcakes on a cold winter day in Scandinavia. From all of us at IntoMobile, Stefan knows best what I’m talking about, though two of our Canadian editors (James and Simon) can join in with their view of the cold winter, but I digress… It’s good to see Samsung going forward. Hopefully, we’ll soon see them launching the Galaxy S Pro around the world. I really like that keyboard and I’m sure I’m not the only one…" via intomobile.com

"Keep your eyes on the www.xda-downloads.com as it looks like something interesting may be brewing. While XDA developers is home to some of the questionably legal software for our devices (and outright thefts of OEM's proprietary software), it is also the home to many nifty little utilities that you may want for your phone. So an app store of hacks might prove valuable." Via Pocketpcthoughts