Just when you thought you were starting to understand Nokia, the company does something to put you back in your baffled state.  While this isn’t confirmed, we’re pretty certain this will definitely have you scratching your head: the Nokia C3-01.5, an S40-running dumbphone with hardware that could power a decent smartphone.
We’re not talking about entry-level 600MHz CPUs, either.  This rumored handset supposedly comes with a 1GHz processor, paired with 512MB of RAM.  Yep, puts my nicked and scratch HTC Hero to shame.

What would S40 do with that hardware, though?  I have no idea.  If this phone had a big touchscreen, it would have made sense for cranking through movies and other media files.  Instead, the phone looks like a reboot of the C3-01 Touch and Type, a candybar with an alphanumeric keyboard and a resistive touchscreen.
For the Nokia C3-01.5 iteration, the phone ditches the resistive panel in favor of a ClearBlack capacitive display.  No word on other details, though, but we’re assuming it will retain the same wireless connectivity (3G with HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth) and decent camera (5.0 megapixel).
There you have it — an S40 phone with beefy processing power.  We guess we’ll have to wait for an official announcement about the Nokia C3-01.5 before we can figure out Nokia’s rationale for the hardware decision.
[via DGui]

Two new LG smartphones get a formal announcement today.  Both targeted at the entry-level smartphone market, the duo consists of the LG Optimus Pro and the LG Optimus Net.
LG Optimus Pro

LG’s take on the QWERTY candybar form factor features a four-row QWERTY keyboard, a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display (240 x 320 resolution), a 3.1 megapixel camera, WiFi, aGPS, Bluetooth, a 1,500 mAh battery and microSD card expansion.  The Optimus Pro runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with muscle provided by an 800 MHz processor.    The appearance looks neat and tidy for what could have been a busy front panel, although build looks decidedly plastic from the product photos.
LG Optimus Net

The Optimus Net takes on a traditional touchscreen slab form factor (113.5 x 59 x 12.1 mm), with rounded corners and a compact profile.  Details include a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display (320 x 480 resolution), a 3.1 megapixel camera, WiFi, 3G with HSPA, aGPS, Bluetooth 3.0, a 1,500 mAh battery and microSD card expansion (up to 32GB).   It packs the same 800 MHz processor as the Optimus Pro, aided by 512MB of RAM.  OS is Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with a special social networking widget available right on the homescreen.
Availability
Both the LG Optimus Pro and the LG Optimus Net will hit stores before the end of the summer, although pricing is yet to be announced.  They will be available in both black and white versions, as well as a third color (called Titan) for the Pro (we’re not sure what kind of color Titan is, though).
[via TechCrunch]