HTC is about to launch a new Google Android-based mobile phone. These days, it seems more of a rule than an exception to leak information; this time about the HTC Droid Eris. At this moment, it seems that the HTC Eris will be launched onto the US market under this name exclusively by Verizon, however, we will not be surprised if we soon come across this HTC Android phone in other regions too. The HTC Android Eris does not run on Android 2.0, but will be introduced with version 1.5 and will be standard bundled with an 8GB microSD memory card. As a possible release date, 6 November has been mentioned.

Best Buy Mobile will pre-sell the highly anticipated Verizon Motorola DROID smartphone beginning today. The new Motorola DROID phone will land in stores November 6. The Motorola DROID is the first Verizon Smartphone running on Google’s innovative Android operating platform. Customers who purchase the Verizon smartphone at Best Buy Mobile can avoid the hassle of mail-in rebates with instant savings applied at the point of purchase. The Motorola DROID Verizon Smartphone will retail for $199.99 with two-year activation.

The GSMA, which represents the interests of the mobile communications industry, announce that the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2010 will be held 15-18 February, 2010 at the Fira de Barcelona at Montjuic in Barcelona, Spain. Under the theme of “Vision in Action”, the upcoming MWC 2010 will feature a world-class thought leadership conference, including visionary keynotes and insightful panel discussions; an exhibition with more than 1,300 companies showcasing cutting-edge products and technologies; an awards ceremony highlighting the most innovative mobile solutions and initiatives from around the globe; and a venue that facilitates mobile industry networking and business development opportunities.

Bringing affordability to the ultra portable notebook platform, Acer announced the new Acer Aspire AS1410 Notebook series. These new Acer notebooks integrate enough power for enjoying digital entertainment in a very sleek, stylish design for just $399. Just one-inch-thin and 3.08 pounds, these new Acer notebooks are sleek and light, but with a full-size keyboard. The full-sized keyboard is comfortable and easy to type on, particularly for taking advantage of productivity applications. The compact size of the Acer notebooks combined with a traditional keyboard comprises a convenient platform for frequent travelers and students.

Panasonic projector systems company, Unit of Panasonic North America, announced the debut of its newest LCD home theater projector with 1080p (1920x1080 pixels) native resolution: the Panasonic PT-AE4000U. Designed for home theater enthusiasts and audio video professionals who desire an immersive home entertainment viewing experience, the new Panasonic HD LCD projector delivers 1080p pictures with remarkable detail and clarity with 1,600 lumen brightness and 100,000:1 contrast ratio. The Panasonic PT-AE4000U 1080p high definition home theater projector is made in Japan and will be available in the United States in November from authorized dealers with an MSRP of $2,499.

TomTom announces the newest addition to its GPS navigation product line, the TomTom XL 340S LIVE. Following the success of Tom Tom’s LIVE Services on the premium TomTom GO range, TomTom brings LIVE Services to mid-range GPS navigation devices with TomTom XL 340S LIVE. The connected portable navigation device provides the industry’s best routing and helps drivers take control of their daily drive via automatic delivery of helpful features including: Local Search powered by Google, real-time traffic information, TomTom Fuel Price Service, TomTom Weather and Quick GPS fix.

TomTom announces that its TomTom car kit for the popular Apple iPhone can be purchased in Tom Tom web store and Apple online store. “With TomTom car kit for iPhone, we offer cutting-edge features which allow the most optimised driving and navigation experience with the Apple iPhone” said Benoit Simeray, Vice-president Mobile On-Board at TomTom. “It was designed with safety and quality in mind to offer iPhone users the best in car experience”.

Verizon Wireless and Motorola unveil the Motorola Droid, the first smartphone powered by Android 2.0. Motorola Droid features the brainpower and breakneck speed of a modern smartphone, designed to outperform where other smartphones fall short. High-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, customizable large screen, access to thousands of Android applications and hundreds of widgets and the best 3G mobile network in the country: Motorola Droid smartphone arrives on November 6 2009.

The Finnish phone manufacturer Nokia uses special types of operating systems for the different categories of their mobile phones. Besides the standard S40 software, the smartphones run on Symbian; a well-known operating system which also goes by the name of S60. Symbian was developed by a joint venture between Nokia and several other phone manufacturers. At the beginning of 2008, Nokia bought out the other participants and became the sole shareholder, which implies Nokia wants to get more out of the Symbian system. The Nokia N86 makes also use of Symbian S60.

• Read our full Nokia N86 review.

Garmin and TomTom had better beware now that Google focuses on developing its own Google navigation. Google is likely to expand its existing Google Maps application with its own navigation software. It is more than likely that this mobile navigation application will be available for free. The shareholders club of recognized GPS navigation manufacturers will certainly not be amused, to put it mildly. Google has already been investing in Maps for several years, and besides that, it provides Google Latitude; a relatively new service to locate GPS individuals on Maps. In combination with Google Ads, Google navigation is bound to become a big business success!