The latest version of Adobe Flash is stirring up some questions as to whether websites will actually be using it and which mobile phones will be able to support it.

What originally made Flash successful was that it used very little resources on computers, had very low requirements, and of course, it looked incredibly stylish. In terms of looks, Flash has been improving more and more with each update. The move from Macromedia to Adobe has further extended the features of the web platform. The only problem with Flash is that the better if becomes, the more resources it needs as well.

Apple has already taken a firm stand on support for Flash. Steve Jobs is vocal about not making the iPad support Flash since he feels that HTML5 would be the next big thing for web. On the Android home front, it has already been confirmed that the latest version of the Google mobile platform will support version 10.1 of Adobe Flash.

As for Windows Mobile it looks like Adobe has decided to skip the current generation and wait for the coming Windows Phone 7 OS. No word yet as to why Adobe has decided to go all out with the wait, but it appears that Microsoft’s early unveiling of the WP7 may have caused more problems since it has brought too much attention to the new OS. This has now left the Windows Mobile OS high and dry when it comes to general public interest.

On a technical note, Adobe has indicated that Windows Mobile does not have the necessary files (API) needed to run the new version of Adobe Flash. No word yet if the Bada and the Maemo will also get the new version.

Get to know more about the new Adobe Flash 10.1 system at Softpedia.

If there is one thing we would all want to know about upcoming new technologies, it is when these things will actually arrive. We already have a good list on our heads which companies are likely to suddenly pull a quick 180 degrees just to say that a device will be delayed, and Microsoft is a long term resident of that list.

This is why many of us took the news of a potential WP7 October release with a grain of salt. Even if the folks at Microsoft mean well, we all know the high likelihood that delays can happen –in some cases we even expect it. This is why recent reports regarding the upcoming Windows Phone 7 series device from Asus have not been surprising; some sources say that the device is due for 2011, not October of this year.

In any case, people will definitely be lining up for this mobile phone –if only for the new Windows Phone 7 operating system. So far, we have not seen a mobile platform that is as graphically impressive or intuitive as WP7 –even when compared to the Apple iPhone OS and the Google Android OS.

The difference in the systems are vast, while the iPhone OS and the Android feel a lot like miniature versions of desktop computers, WP7 delivers a very mobile phone-centric experience. The way menus and feature access is a great innovation in the field of user interface design.

It has been confirmed recently that the new OS will not be compatible with existing Windows Mobile phones and that development on the previous 6.X version will continue. This probably means that the older WinMo platform will be concentrating more on business markets as opposed to the general market.

Read more about the coming of an Asus-made Microsoft device at Mobile Choice UK.

Windows Phone 7 is confirmed to be heading our way this October. Microsoft and Asus will be delivering the very first MS branded mobile device and from what we have seen at the Mobile World Congress, the new mobile platform has plenty of promise.

The biggest promise of course is the fact that the new OS will change the way we use mobile phones. For now, the user interface is simply a very stylized reinventing of the touch screen user interfaces that we have been used to having on the Android and the iPhone OS. There are plenty of dynamic elements in the system, doing away with much of what was once static content. The new tiles system replaces widgets as the customizable areas of choice.

WP7 separates phone functions into several categories. First is “people”, which is where users get to send messages, make calls and keep track of their online contacts. Information here is synchronized with user accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking tools. You can even set a title to show the Facebook updates and Tweets of a specific person you are following.

Another category is Office. Right now, it is still pretty empty with only two existing tools; OneNote and SharePoint. So far, the interface looks impressive, though it would help a lot if the system was on a phone with a physical keyboard.

The Games category currently hosts the Xbox Live Games service, though the lack of existing game demos has yet to show the true value of this new addition. Other features that have also yet to become a standard of WP but are present in this phone are Zune and Bing.

For the rest of the news and features about the Windows Phone 7 series and its upcoming launch this October, go to Softpedia.

Windows Phone 7 may have stolen the show at the Mobile World Congress, but that still leaves plenty of other impressive devices that deserve time in the spotlight. No amount of media exposure has been missing for the devices listed below, but for a quick second look at some impressive Android smart phones, try the following:

It comes as to no surprise that our lineup of Android smart phones starts out with the HTC Desire. The device was originally considered for a basis for the Nexus One and carried the name Bravo. Sunday saw a new name and a slight new look for the device. The phone continues to carry a 3.7 inch AMOLED touch screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a 5 mega pixel camera with the ability to record videos on 720p D1. Leaked pages from Amazon Germany state that the phone is only 419 Euros.

Another Android smart phone from HTC is the Legend. This device is expected to be the successor to the HTC Hero. The phone will have a 3.2 inch AMOLED touch screen, a 5 mega pixel camera and a Qualcomm 600 MHz processor. The device has been confirmed for Netherlands through the KPN site.

Sony Ericsson has its own Android phones as well. The XPERIA X10 is one of the high end smart phones coming out soon with its 1GHz Snapdragon CPU and 4 inch touch screen. The device will have two follow up phones, the X10 Mini and the X10 Mini Pro. As one might guess from the names, the X10 Mini is a bit sized version of the X10 and the Pro is a second version of the X10 Mini but comes with a physical keyboard.

Get to know more of the major highlights and products showcased at the Mobile World Congress at Pocket Lint.

When Steve Ballmer went up onstage, everyone was so busy drooling over the impressive new Windows Phone 7 user interface that actually paying attention to the presentation of the finer aspects of the platform’s new features was totally out of everyone’s minds. Thankfully, some thoughtful souls took time to jot down some key notes and highlights for use to review.

Here’s a quick breakdown of all the cool new things WP 7 brings:

First off, this is not the old Windows Mobile OS. While the name change is superficial (Windows Phone 7 is not quite as catchy as Windows Mobile 7), everything else is fully functional. The stylish new operating system is based on the concept that the “phone is not a PC”. Accessing information, files, and other phone content has always been mimicry of desktop computer interfaces. Now, WP 7 delivers an entirely new user experience that will change the way you look at your mobile phone.

WP7 also introduces the new customizable Tiles. These, combined with the larger than life user menus make for an impressive presentation on your phone screen. Tiles are basically specialized widgets that can be customized to contain almost any kind of information. You can even sync it to a specific Facebook contact and get a live feed of their status updates. The large menus may look like they are oversized, but in practice, they look awesome. The bleeding effect at the edge of the page is stylish and reminds you that you can always pan around to see the rest.

Also new to Windows Phone 7 is the introduction of Xbox Live Games service for the mobile phone. Right now, there are no game demos out yet so it is hard to say how much of an actual benefit this is. MS has yet to release a game line up too.

Read more on WP 7 at the source

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All over the world there are a growing number of mobile internet users. It makes perfect sense actually. Despite the fact that the internet was once home to computer users who would spend hours in front of the screen, mobile phones have brought the appeal of the internet to people who still prefer to live their lives on the go.

Development of better data transfer technologies such as EDGE and 3G has made it possible to easily share and upload images and videos to social networking sites instantly. The fame of social networking sites such as Facebook and the micro blogging tool Twitter is growing each day. These have made the concept of going online more and more appealing to mobile users as it made users feel more connected to their contacts.

Another major factor in online usage is the downloading of content online. Applications have been a major part of smart phone usages. Applications are either functional or entertaining, often providing much needed functions such conversion and specialized calculations to providing customized information feeds. Of course, games are a regular application choice too.

The use of mobile phones for other purposes such as instant messaging and email has been present for so long. New to mobile phones is the attribute for map navigation and other functions. Augmented reality apps such as Google Goggles combine various online data to provide users with the right information.

Of course, this growing number of online users means that 3G networks are always being used a lot. In the US, many iPhone users have been complaining about the 3G service. UK’s Vodafone on the other hand, has been basking in success of having expanded and strengthened its 3G network as a preparation of the launch of the launch of the iPhone.

Read more about the details of online mobile usage from Mobile Today.

The Android operating system is the fastest growing operating system in terms of gaining market shares. This is mostly thanks to the platform’s impressive user interface, good choices of mobile phones and open source nature; as open source systems are able to attract more and more developers to create new applications and functions.

The Symbian operating system on the other hand, is slowly losing its grip on the market. Originally, the Symbian is a widely used OS (until now), but with its features and capabilities slowly dragging behind its competitors, fewer and fewer mobile phones are still using it. Right now, there are only a handful of significant smart phones that are using the OS (mostly from Sony Ericsson; the upcoming Vivaz and Kanna, as well as last year’s Satio). Other mobile phone manufacturers have been busy with either proprietary platforms or the Android and WinMo systems.

The big downer for Symbian came last year when Nokia announced that they would be using the Maemo operating system for the N-series of mobile phones. This announcement came shortly before Samsung announced that it would be focusing on the use of the Bada OS more and other systems less –leading to the inevitable rumor that Symbian was getting dropped completely. While both companies have expressed that they will continue to support and use the Symbian OS (especially Nokia), the fact that the OS needed to adapt to times was evident.

Originally, the Symbian OS was supposed to shift to open source sometime later this year. The plan has been moved much earlier in an apparent bid to attract more devs. Of course, this also means that we might see the Symbian and variations of it on other devices too.

Read more about the Symbian operating system going open source on Times Online.

Texting has become a very important method of communicating with our friends and loved ones. It is cheap, fast and in some instances, more reliable that voice calls (especially when you are spelling out specific instructions or information). According to a recently published report from the Mobile Data Association, the total number of text messages sent each hour within the UK reaches up to a total of 11 million.

The information was compiled from data submitted to the MDA by various UK based mobile phone operators and reflects the message sending rate of the UK for 2009. At 11 million per hour, that gives out a total of over 200 million messages sent each day.

By that number alone it is easy to see how much we rely on mobile phone technology for our everyday tasks. Of course, the prevalence of services that allows users to send Tweets and Facebook updates through SMS also played a large part in the increasing number of messages being sent.

So is this good news?

There is nothing right or wrong with the increasing number of messages being sent during a given time; and judging from the trends in the mobile industry, we can predict that this upward growth curve will continue to increase as more and more ways to utilize text messaging becomes available.

Even the number of multimedia messages (MMS) being sent is increasing. This is further encouraged by newer mobile phones that make shooting images and sending files a whole lot easier.

Should you cut down on the messages you send each day? There is no reason not to. So far, it has yet to be proven if mobile phone signals are actually harmful. While compulsive text messaging may be a sign of bigger problems, you should not stop yourself from forwarding that funny message to your friends.

For more hard numbers from the MDA, head straight to Softpedia.

The acceptability of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) appears to be growing among mobile telecommunication carriers. As at the last count, the new evolution used in countries of the world for the deployment of 4g technology already have a “yes” vote from Fifty One carriers spread across Twenty Countries of the world.

According a release from the Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), “HSPA operators throughout the world continue to report strong traffic and revenue growth with mobile broadband services. LTE is needed to accommodate the anticipated continuing huge traffic growth for data, and to fully address the mass market. LTE will further boost networks throughputs significantly, reduce latency, improve spectrum and deliver operational efficiencies and performance, for the next step in the user experience.”

The report has it that Sixty Six mobile phone services operators are on the verge of migrating to HSPA+. It is expected that speed will be boosted, capacity raised and users will be able to experience a better airwaves. As expected, year 2010 which is fast becoming the year when most mobile companies will unleash speed and efficiency, will likely be the year of commercial launch of the Long Term Evolution by Nineteen mobile carriers.

Some of the countries where the Fifty One Carriers who have pledged commitment to the Long Term Evolution are: Norway, Philippines, Armenia, Australia, Uzbekistan, The United states of America, South Africa, South Korea and a host of others. It is hoped that with the present growth and acceptability rate of THE among carriers all over the world, the spread will likely become faster even before the commercial launch. The figure released by the Mobile Suppliers Association also emphasize that Long Term Evolution has witnessed a 96% rise in acceptability over a period of Eight months. It is suggested that you visit the Mobile Suppliers Association website for more detailed information on this.

Internet browsing on the mobile phones is the order of the day, as smart-phone users love every second of their constant online connectivity with a gadget that keeps them connected to the world wide web. However, according to a survey report by Strategy Analytics, the growing mobile browsing would soon be causing data jams and blockades.

This was forecasted by Strategy Analytics in their report titled “Global Handset Data Traffic Forecast for 2001-2013”. As per the forecast, the mobile phones would cause no less than a colossal 2.2 Exabytes, 84% of which will only be attributed to internet browsing, and which does not account for browsing from wireless PC cards and other wireless devices. To gather an idea of the kind of data amount that we are talking about here, it is equivalent to a mind-blowing 120,000 year time of movies with DVD picture quality.

According to Nitesh Patel, the senior analyst at the Strategic Analytics, the data traffic growth contributed by mobile phones is expected to increase significantly, as the use of smartphones and other cellular devices with features that allow users to engage in social networking activities and web browsing is gaining more popularity and finding access with more and more people. This would be significantly larger than the kind of increased traffic intensity currently caused by a scattered strength of laptops and notebooks.

Strategic Analytics have warned mobile phone operators of the possible consequences of the mighty traffic surge. As per David MacQueen, the director of the Wireless Media Strategies service, the mobile phone customers who like to engage in heavy data-oriented activities such as downloading, streaming audio and video, using various web applications and social networking services can potentially affect the performance of mobile phone networks.

Another director of the service, Phil Kendall remarked that it is up to mobile phone network operators to overcome the problem by managing the data traffic through tools like data compression, particularly of streaming audio and video, and to use the Wi-Fi capabilities effectively for the purpose. He also expressed that the pricing could also be used to relieve some pressure off the peak hours of data traffic activity.