Simpler: Some notable improvements are coming that benefit all applications. Consistent roll-out of a “single tap” paradigm throughout the touch UI means no more “tap to select, tap again to action”. Navigating the UI just got easier. One-click connectivity benefits all network-aware applications, greatly simplifying the process of connecting to the Internet. New global settings allow you to configure platform-wide behaviour, for example managing transition between cellular and WLAN networks.

Faster: A new 2D / 3D graphics architecture takes full advantage of hardware acceleration to deliver a faster and more responsive user interface. This framework also opens the door to a whole host of new effects and transitions in the UI. In parallel the core data-networking architecture has evolved to accommodate the differing needs of network-aware applications. This improves the experience of using web-based services, whether uploading large videos fast or listening to internet radio on a jitter-free stream.

Better: Well, this list could go on for a while so I’ll just pick a couple of examples…

The Homescreen, starting point for all user interaction, picks up a few new tricks. Find that you can’t squeeze all the widgets you need onto one page, or want separate pages for personal and work widgets? No problem, in Symbian^3 the Homescreen will support multiple pages of widgets and a simple flick gesture to move between them. Want to show multiple email accounts or weather forecasts for more than one city? No problem, in Symbian^3 the Homescreen supports multiple instances of a widget. Widgets themselves gain the ability to extend their UI, popping up a larger window when selected.

Additional devices being announced at the show are the Nokia 1006, Nokia 7510 Supernova, and Nokia E63 for North America, shipping at the first quarter of 2009, and retailing at just $279 USD.  The Nokia E63 will be available in ruby red or ultramarine blue and purchased unlocked through various retail channels in the United States including www.nokiausa.com, Nokia Flagship Stores in New York and Chicago as well as a number of independent retailers and e-tailers.

A new Nokia Bluetooth headset has also been announced, introducing, the Nokia BH-904. Click “Read More” below for photo.

Further cementing Nokia’s commitment to the North American CDMA market, Nokia also introduced the Nokia 1006 – the latest CDMA device for AWS carriers, developed in Nokia’s San Diego product creation center. Ergonomically designed for on-the-go convenience, the Nokia 1006 is curved to comfortably fit a user’s face and hand, with a large, bright color display, and includes features like voice memo, speakerphone and a phonebook capable of holding 500 entries. The sleek device will be available in blue and silver.

At a press event today, LG USA President Michael Ahn showed a working demo of the device. It’s a surprisingly slim watch that has a touchscreen phone, 3G and Bluetooth capabilities. It also has a camera that can take photos and small videos.

Worn on the wrist, the phone looks like any ordinary watch displaying the time but when a call comes in, the screen changes. Just raise your hand a little closer to your mouth, press a button and you can talk into the watch through the speakerphone capability.

The watch phone is expected to go into production mid-year though the company did not offer any details on pricing.

More pics of the watch phone and a video:

Samsung’s F268 handset, now the “greenest mobile phone in the market today” was announced winner by the ‘Green Electronics: The Search Continues’ report. In the competition with the Samsung’s handset were Motorola  V9, Nokia 3110  Evolve, Sony Sony E3 2008 Announcements Ericsson C905 and LG KT520.

“At Samsung Electronics we take our responsibility to the environment very seriously and are committed to continually improving the environmental and social impact of our business,” said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung’s Telecommunication Business. “We are delighted to have got this result and aim to build on this success as we strive to make more products as green as possible and to proactively set up and expand a phone recycling system.”

The green F268 does not contain in it brominated flame retardant (BFR) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The PVC use has also been eliminated from the phone’s charger and headset and all the components are free from BFR.

Another unique feature is that Samsung F268 has a charger that comes with alarm to tell users to unplug their charger when their mobile phone is fully charged.

As one would expect, the phone also complies with all the Energy Star standards and abides by the strict energy-efficiency guidelines.

More specifications Samsung Louvre B7610:

• Quadribandes (850/900/1800/1900 Mhz), GPRS, EDGE et HSDPA (3G +) à 7.2 Mbps Quadband (850/900/1800/1900 Mhz), GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA (3G +) to 7.2 Mbps
• Touch screen 3.5 inch AMOLED display ((8.9 cm 8.9 cm) Resolution 800 x 480 pixels (WVGA) and can display 16 million colors
• 2 User Interface – Media and the Pro one, with a dedicated key to switch between HSDPA / HSUPA
• GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g with DLNA support, Bluetooth 2.0
• 5.1 MP camera with autofocus and LED flash
• Operating system: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• Dimensions: 11.2 x 5.8 x 1.6 cm 1.6 cm
• CPU 800MHz
• TV out
• 3.5 mm headset jack
• Divx/WMV/H.264 acceleration
• Bluetooth
• FM Radio with RDS
• 1GB ROM
• MicroUSB
• Memory: 1GB internal, 32GB support MicroSDHC cards
• Battery: 1500 mAh