Sonim is back with another rugged handset at MWC this year with the XP3300 Force. The Force has one major feature going for it, the ability to offer the longest talk time of any cellphone in the world at 20 to 24 hours, or 20 to 24 hours of continuous GPS tracking, along with 800 hours of standby.

Sonim made this just as rugged as it’s other offerings, casting the Force in a fiberglass shell with 1.5 millimeters of Gorilla Glass over the display, all adding up to an IP-68-rated device that can survive a two-meter drop onto concrete, two meters of submersion in wastewater and temperatures ranging from 20 below zero to 55 degrees Celsius (-4 to 131 degrees Fahrenheit).

Are you eagerly waiting for the first 4G LTE phone from Verizon? We have some news. Verizon Wireless is set to unveil about a half-dozen 4G LTE smartphones at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show. This may be the first in line. The HTC Thunderbolt resembles the Desire HD, it’s just much more capable.

The device features a kickstand and Google branding. Verizon has refused to comment on the phone so far. It looks ultra sexy though, don’t you think?

Some mysterious hints of an upcoming Samsung handset, known only as GT-i9200, have appeared on the web recently. No pictures of the device itself, just pictures that the device has taken. That’s because the device is being used by testers to take sample photos. The handset may be the Stealth V and not a new Nexus S, which goes by the i9020 codename.

That’s about all the info we have at the moment. Technical information on the handset is unknown and even the photos have been down scaled for the web so we can’t even guess at the camera’s resolution. We do love a good mystery though.

Modu is offering what they are calling the “The Lightest 3.5G Touch Phone in the World”. It runs on Brew and goes by the name Modu T. This is the company’s first touchscreen handset that features a 2.2-inch display, GPS, FM radio, 2GB of internal memory and support for expansion via microSD cards.

It’s fully compatible with their ‘fy’ add-ons, which means you can add features to this device like a 5MP camera, sports kits to it for the exercise, and even a QWERTY keypad. It comes with Facebook and other social networking options as well.

Looks like Samsung is readying a new Android handset, the Gem, which also recently appeared in a leaked roadmap for Verizon. The entry-level handset has been listed in a buyer’s guide from Best Buy. The Gem is most likely a cheaper alternative to the Galaxy S-series Fascinate, which is due sometime in the next week or two at Verizon.

The buyer’s guide points to Android 2.1 along with TouchWiz 3.0 and Swipe for the virtual keyboard. The handset also has a 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, and a microSD slot.

The folks at Thanko are always thinking. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes bad. Their latest creation is geared toward those who need both a Bluetooth handset and a watch and don’t mind an ugly hunk of plastic on their wrist.

The Bluetooth Handset Digital Watch from Thanko features a large LCD display that will show your basic call information, the time, and battery status. To make/receive a call, just pull it off your watch and put it in your ear.

If you want a cellphone that’s more tough than smart, how about Samsung’s new Xcover E2370 handset? It’s basically only good for calls or the occasional text message, but it is fully rugged and IP54-certified for dust and splash resistance.

It also features an impressive 67-day standby time and 22-hour talk time. Not sure when or if it will be released over here, but the phone should hit Europe next month for just under $100.

Verizon and Pantech are almost ready to release a successor to the Razzle. The handset is dubbed the Pantech Jest. It’s a slider that sports a QWERTY keyboard and it’s expected to be launched very soon. The info is pretty detailed, so it seems legit.

No mention of price, but some specifications include that QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera, microSD card expansion up to 16GB, a 2.5mm headphone jack, Dedicated messaging key, GPS and VZ Navigator support.

If you live in the UK, pay attention. Nokia will be rolling out the X6V and the Nokia 5230V special edition handsets at Glastonbury. Nokia is going all out too. Kasabian and Kings of Leon are headlining the event and Nokia has also teamed up with Virgin Media to unveil the two devices.

Both will come pre-loaded with lots of V Festival extras including wallpapers and an application that lets you plan the weekend with a GPS-enabled map of each site. The Nokia X6V won’t cost you anything upfront, though you will need to pay £20 a month (£15 for Virgin Media customers), while the Nokia 5230V retails for £15 a month (£10 for Virgin Media customers).

Here’s something you don’t see everyday. A square Motorola handset from squaresville. This oddity is apparently running Android 2.1 with MOTOBLUR and is a QWERTY slider.

We have practically no details aside from the image itself. We know that it’s square. That much is obvious. We will hopefully learn more soon. And when we do, we will let you know. Any of you want a square phone?

LG’s first Windows Phone 7 handset, which was recently shown off at the Engadget Show, will apparently be called the LG Panther. Silly name, we know, but at least it isn’t the Pink Panther.

The rumored name comes from the UK site Best Mobile Contracts and while we don’t yet know if there is any basis in fact for this, we do know that LG likes weird names. And lets face it, many of you don’t care what it’s called, you just want one.

Huawei has a first on it’s hands with the new U8800 which is the first 3G/HSPA+ Android handset, capable of download speeds of up to 14Mbps. The Huawei U8800 will be powered by the Android 2.1 operating system.

It also sports a 3.8″ capactive touchscreen display. To use the full speeds, you will of course have to be on a network that supports HSPA+, of which there are currently zero in the UK. Huawei also has four other Android devices on tap, so they are looking to make a big splash here.

The ITG xpPhone is an unusual handset that runs Windows XP. We’ve been following this one for awhile and now we have word on its official pricing. The handset will retail from $439 to $659, depending on which operator you go with.

Yes, those are absurd prices, but then we are guessing that this isn’t aimed at those of us who like our gadgets to be cutting edge. Having said that, there’s some real interest in this thing. Go figure. Those prices are after conversion from Chinese, so if it hits the states, pricing may be different.

Years from now people will flock across the country in a new gold rush, exclaiming “There’s gold in dem dere hills” Why? Not because of shimmering veins of gold in the Earth, but because they know that rich people dropped their cellphones.

The Nokia 6700 Classic Gold Edition is a 6700 Classic handset with a limited edition 18-carat gold finish. It comes with special wallpaper to compliment the new look too. It will cost you €370 (or roughly $550). Save your money for Q1 2010. The rest of us will just wait until you lose it.

Nokia’s latest concept phone kicks things up a notch. The Nokia Unik was designed by French designer Clement Logereau and consists of 152 small tiles that allow the handset to transform itself. Well, you will have to transform it by adding new squares that are different in material and color.

The squares can be added after you purchase them from Nokia stores. Once they have your money, they come in metal, transparent and rubber. Yeah, it’s easy to see that this one will forever remain just a concept.