Better iPhone camera rumoured, LG launches two Tempo smartphones, and Microsoft says June will be important for Zune lovers

It's been a busy couple of weeks over on Pocket Picks where we track what's going on in the world of app stores, handsets and all things mobile non-gaming.

Of course, with only three weeks to go until Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, the iPhone rumour mill is getting up to warp speed. One concerns the likelihood that the 'new' hardware will up the device's current lowly camera, which a higher resolution, auto-focus model. Other mooted tweaks include doubling of the phone's memory to 256MB, increasing the processor speed to 600MHz, and offering expanded flash memory.

The other ongoing issue that's feeding into the debate is the release of the iPhone 3.0 SDK, due in a couple of weeks in terms of consumer software. Some developers have been suggesting that the beta version is rather unstable, causing apps to crash and iPhones to be restored.

The 'Cupcake' 1.5 SDK upgrade for Android phones seemed to be fairly straightforward however. It was automatically squirted down to T-Mobile's G1 users - providing them with a new software keyboard, video recording features, as well as smoother UI. Unfortunately though many apps needed to be updated before they worked properly.

Thankfully owners of the new G2 phone - released exclusively via Vodafone in Europe and Asia - got Cupcake out of the box. Vodafone was obviously keen to show off the phone's capabilities, as it did with this sponsored video.

Surprisingly though T-Mobile - which is the G2's exclusive distributor in the US - got a camera upgrade on its version: 5MP compared to the standard 3.2MP.

There are plenty more Android phone launches planned over the coming months with the likes of Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson working on their own designs.

The weirdest Android phone we're hear of however is from Spanish outfit Geeks'Phone. It's planning an device which will offer root access so you can hack around with the hardware and software to your heart's desire. Only thing is Geeks'Phone don't yet even have a website up and running, perhaps casting some scepticism about whether its 3.2 inch resistive touchscreen phone boasting a 600 MHz processor, GPS, Wi-Fi and 3G (all for 300 euros) will get past the vapourware stage.

The more traditional world of phones also continues to roll on with Acer launching the first examples in its Windows Mobile 6.1 and touchscreen equipped Acer Tempo Smartphone range. The DX900 is an interesting dual-SIM unit - one is rated 3.5G for data, the other is 2G for voice. The X960 is less flashy but offers decent features and build quality at a reasonable price. Neither are particularly exciting however.

But we would be excited if Microsoft ever turned its Zune media device into a phone. Despite more rumours about this, we remain to be convinced Redmond wants to get into a head2head with iPhone, especially as it's already ahead by 30 million. Still we have been promised that 'June 2009 will be an important month for Zune lovers'...

Aside from phones, the other continuing hot spot for the industry remains the application store. Vodafone announced it would be allowing content developers a global 'single point of access' to its 289 million accounts. Quite what this will actually mean in reality it's difficult to comprehend. We suggested it would be a squashy blancmange compared to Apple's App Store being a rod of steel.

Handset manufacturers are working on their own application store stoo. Nokia's Ovi will be the big future launch, but quietly, quietly Samsung has been testing its own version for UK and German users.

Figures from mobile application distribution and monitoring experts, Distimo, suggested the top paid app on the store is Spb Pocket Plus which costs £26.82/$34.60 and has been downloaded 139,025 times. The maths means it's generated over £3 million in revenue. Believe that if you will.

In terms of hot apps that we've reviewed this week, for some reason, there's been a lot from news organisations. Thomson Reuters released its News Pro for iPhone, while Handmark released Express News World Edition - a customisable news reader - for Android. Other apps we enjoyed include Weather Bug Elite (£0.59/$0.99) and the free Trailers International, both for iPhone.

But let's leave you with some homework. What the hell is a femtocell anyway?