Pocket Picks round-up: 15th January 2011 - Vibrant non-update, iOS 4.3, Galaxy S2 rumours

Welcome back to the Pocket Picks weekly round-up.

This week has been mainly dominated by rumours, both exciting and excruciating, revolving around two of the biggest smartphone operating systems on the block - iOS and Android. But there’s also been time to squeeze in some info on network data caps and WP7 landmarks.

We also restart the app reviews, blooding in the new Windows Phone 7 section with the disappointing PSA Barcode Scanner and find a rather good news app for Android - News Republic.

While Three in the UK raises its data cap against the trend, T-Mobile has decided that it wants to join the bandwagon by cutting its data cap in half.

The cut from 1GB to 500MB won't affect those already with the network, but any new customers joining after the 1st of February will be rightly narked by the large reduction.

The shrink-wrap has barely been lifted from the Google Nexus S, but Samsung is apparently already preparing to release a handset that puts the ‘base’ Android model (manufactured by the company) to shame.

Rumours suggest that the Galaxy S2 will be Samsung’s first dual-core phone, coming pre-installed with the latest version of Android (2.3) and a huge 4.3” S-AMOLED Plus screen.

The expected date for announcement is at the World Mobile Congress in February, so we’ll keep you posted.

Developers had their first look at the upcoming version of iOS this week, which naturally means every tech blog had bits and pieces handed down to it concerning the new features.

One of the biggest new features to come out of the developer beta is the addition of gesture controls to navigate the OS, designed to cut down on all that needless tapping on the home button (which takes all of a second to do anyway, but still).

Here’s a nasty rumour. An unnamed insider at T-Mobile US has come out to reveal that the long-awaited Samsung Vibrant (the US form of the Galaxy S) update to Android 2.2 is being deliberately held back, not by the network, but by Samsung itself.

Allegedly, this is because the company wants more people to purchase the upcoming 4G-enabled Vibrant+, which naturally comes with the newer version pre-installed on the phone.

We’re not going to end on a dour note this week. Instead we’re going to mention that two of Google’s most beloved applications - Goggles and Translate - have received rather neat updates this week.

If you’ve been waiting for a babel fish (the Hitchhiker’s guide variant) to translate incoming messages instantly, or just want to solve a particularly tricky sudoku puzzle, then it’s well worth checking out the newer versions on the Android Market.