Fear not, Motorola still makes lame handsets, MOTO Klassic
We know what you’re thinking, the DROID and CLIQ are just too cool, I need something more lame. Well, Motorola has got you covered. Say hello the the MOTO Klassic. This new hotness oddness lameness clamshell will only be available in Korea for the time being but the specs are pretty mind blowing: blazing 2G connectivity, a 5 megapixel camera, external touch screen, and (brace yourself) an “espresso color keypad.” Truth be told, we weren’t completely sold on this one until we read about the espresso colored keypad. So put down those wallets DROID fans, you might want to just wait and see if this hot little number is coming to the good old U.S.A.
iPhone ready to make its way to ‘The Shack’ this month
We all knew that the iPhone was going to start hitting more third-party retailers at some point, but we just didn’t think it would be this soon. RadioShack, or The Shack, has announced that it will be carrying the iPhone 3G and 3GS in select stores in Dallas-Fort Worth and New York City at the end of this month. The company expects to have the iPhone available nationwide in 2010. So, for now, you’ll have to settle with Apple Stores, AT&T retail locations, Wal-Mart or Best Buy if you want to nab one. Come to think of it, there really is no shortage of suppliers so if you’re finally going to be eligible to upgrade or you want to pick one up on a whim, you can add another to the list of iPhone retailers to choose from. But just remember where all this Shack nonsense started, ok?
TELUS confirmed to carry the Storm2
Recently, TELUS issued a press release letting Canadians know that their handsets are now being offered through Black’s, the nation-wide digital camera chain. This news in itself didn’t interest us in the least, but for giggles we clicked on through to Black’s website just to see what handsets it was going to be offering considering the odd partnership. What did we see in the line up? None other than a TELUS branded BlackBerry Storm2. Unfortunately what you see above is all we have for now as this sucker has not yet been announced by TELUS, but we have a feeling that will change very, very soon.
Thanks, Tony!
Sony Ericsson’s 720p shootin’, S60 runnin’ Kurara leaks out
A year ago Sony Ericsson’s prominence was dropping faster than Kirstie Alley could pound back Quarter Pounders, but its most recent offerings have been successful in generating buzz in a way that the Japanese-Swedish phone maker hasn’t experienced in quite some time. Fast forward to today where pictures of the companies second Symbian S60 device have leaked out by way of Russia and again we have some buzz, this time about how its 8.1 megapixel camera might be able to record videos at resolutions up to 720p. It’s codenamed Kurara and is said to have a 3.5″ AMOLED display, but other than that we really don’t know anything about it, other than it’s likely to come sometime within the next 6 months. More pictures are available after the break.
Thanks to everyone that send this in!
AT&T gets FCC approval for purchase of Centennial Wireless
If you’re a big telecommunications company there is the hard way to add 893,000 customers to your portfolio — by working to provide hardware and services that people value and want — then there is the easy way. Cutting a check. Today, the FCC gave AT&T the final go ahead to purchase US wireless carrier Centennial Wireless for a cool $944 million. The acquisition will bolster AT&T’s presence in the midwest, southwest, and Puerto Rico, although we’re not sure how, if at all, it will impact their 3G footprint. Centennial’s stockholders will receive $8.50/share for their troubles and AT&T is saying it will have Centennial’s stores re-branded by January of 2010. Any Centennial customers out there excited about being folded into Ma Bell?
3G and Wi-Fi toting Dell Mini 3iX party it up with the FCC
It looks as if Dell’s Android handset is getting ready for prime time with AT&T as a new filing found on the FCC’s website has revealed the Mini 3iX. With both 850/1900 MHz bands of UMTS as well as Wi-Fi on board, the 3iX is likely to be identical to the Mini 3i which was unveiled in mid-August by China Mobile, the only difference being the aforementioned. If this is indeed the case then we’re looking at a 3.5″ 360×640 touchscreen display, 3 megapixel camera, A-GPS and support for Microsoft Exchange. The question is, will anybody even care?
Motorola DROID / DROID Eris now available in stores, online
Alright, fellas. It has been one heck of a journey, but today, the Motorola DROID and HTC DROID Eris are finally on sale to the general public. From what we’re hearing, stock levels are insanely high so it doesn’t look like many people that want one will miss the opportunity to take one home. If you’re in line, or at the store, or already snatched one and have made the trip home, shoot us in some photos in the comments and let us know how you’re liking the new Android lineup on Verizon, ok?
AT&T launching white BlackBerry 8900?
One of our connects just hit us up with this shot, and it would appear that RIM has a theme going on. Step 1: make successful handset in black, step 2: relaunch said handset in white. Almost a month after the vastly popular vanilla BlackBerry Bold hit the streets, AT&T and RIM are teaming up to bring you the WhiteBerry Curve 8900 sans color, or is it the presence of all the colors? Whatever. Now, the 8900 won’t have the sensual white leather back, but the white bezel looks pretty sexy to us; as a group that enjoys simultaneously eating Cheetos and text messaging we can’t say that we’re too upset about the omission of the white keyboard either. So what do you think? Is this the BlackBerry you’ve been waiting for? Actually, scratch that, this thing is already outdated. This is the BlackBerry you’ve been waiting for.
Thanks, Gabe Jr.!
Verizon HTC DROID Eris Unboxing: Part 2
One of our connects already did one for us, but there’s nothing like having a handset (and a box) in your own possession. Also what our guy reported seems to be spot on: this thing is thinner, lighter, and a lot more pocketable than Sprint’s HTC Hero. The only other change, we’re told, is that the DROID Eris has a proximity sensor on the screen. We’ll put together something more formal in a little bit, but in the meantime check out a couple photos after the jump!
DROID being released into the wild a day early?
Rumors are flying around the intertubes that Best Buy Mobile and Walmart are willing and ready to sell you your new Motorola DROID a day early. Grab your keys, hop in your mom’s 1986 Honda Civic, and go get em’ tiger. If you manage to commandeer a DROID today be sure to stop back here and let us know where you’ve had success, and you can always link to some pictures of your new toy in the comments. Otherwise, if you’re in the market for a DROID, are you going to be hitting a Verizon Wireless store tomorrow instead of DROID-chasing today?
Thanks, Brezy!
Google Dashboard launched
Ever wonder how much of your personal information you’ve willingly donated to Google over the past 11 years? Today, Google announced the launch of a new product to help you find out, and it’s titled Google Dashboard. The Dashboard allows you to view all facets of your Google life: Gmail, Google Calendar, web history, what mobile phones are syncing with your account, YouTube, and more. You can view your purchase history in Google Checkout, see that you have an Orkut account that you didn’t know about, and see how many people have called your Google Voice number. It’s a nice gesture but this is all the stuff we’ve voluntarily leaked to Google, we’re curious about the dirt the big G has managed to collect on its own! A video describing the new service is all queued up for you after the bounce.
Sprint gets BlackBerry 8530 love, too
Shortly after the official announcement for the BlackBerry Curve 8530 coming to Verizon, Sprint customers were asking, “When are we getting ours?” It looks like a Sprint version may be coming around about the same time as Verizon’s 8530. There is no date for sure, but a Sprint spokesperson said that it is definitely coming and will be packing Wi-Fi and EV-DO, too. The price point should be about the same as Verizon’s, we’d imagine, though we’re hoping they give some kind of incentive for grabbing one of these over a Tour, which can currently be had at Best Buy for $99. If nothing else, this could appease all the trackball haters. Let’s just change the hue on that puppy, alright?
Verizon announces the BlackBerry Curve 8530
We’re sure that most of you are sick and tired of all of this Verizon news (how do you think we feel having to write about it?), but they’re on a tear. Today Verizon announced that it will be carrying the BlackBerry Curve 8530 starting November 20th. To go for $99.99 on contract after a $100 mail-in rebate, the new Curve offers the following: full-QWERTY keypad, optical trackpad, 2 megapixel camera, GPS, dedicated multimedia keys, 3.5mm headphone jack, 256MB of app memory, 528MHz processor, EV-DO connectivity and last but not least, Wi-Fi! Yes, indeedy, Verizon is definitely looking like the front runner in the smartphone arms race of the 2009 Holiday Season.
