While yesterday’s 2.0.1 firmware update for Apple’s iPhone seems to be providing users with an added level of stability and responsiveness, it looks like at least one subset of iPhone users has been left a bit less than satisfied. Some users that paid the requisite fee to have their Vodafone-branded handset unlocked for international roaming are finding that the 2.0.1 update is frying the unlock, rendering their phone useless without a Vodafone SIM. Some people have had luck with a full restore, but more than a few seem to be completely out of luck. Frustrated? We certainly would be, especially considering the considerable sum that the unlocking process commanded. We’re sure Vodafone / Apple will work this one out, but in the mean time we can add this to the list of iPhone related issues, failures, and glitches.

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So much for fairness, huh? It looks like O2 is joining the ranks of Optimus in Portugal (and perhaps Orange in other parts of Europe), planning to offer their version of the iPhone 3G on both post-paid and pay-as-you-go accounts. No details have been given in regards to pricing or feature options, but the sheer presence of a pre-paid option means that the iPhone itself will be available for purchase without a lengthy contractual agreement, setting the stage for rampant unlocking, modifications, and general lawlessness. Will AT&T be the only company to offer the iPhone without a pre-paid option? Seems unlikely, but with both O2 and Optimus/Orange jumping on the pre-paid wagon, it certainly makes you wonder.

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Take this for what you will, but one of our ninjas tipped us off to an iPhone ad currently being Portugal by wireless carrier Optimus, which is a subsidiary of Orange. According to the ad, Optimus is going to be offering the iPhone 3G with a monthly tariff on both post and pre-paid accounts. Yep, you read that one correctly. While AT&T has explicitly said that they will not be offering the new iPhone 3G with any sort of pre-paid options, it looks like other carriers are reserving the option to provide the handset without a lengthy contract. The ad doesn’t give any indication as to what we might expect the unsubsidized pricing to be, but we’re working hard to dig up that info. Unfortunately, we’re not expecting any miracles here on the US side of things, as AT&T has been very explicit about the contractual requirements of the iPhone agreements. Remember when the rest of the world was madly trying to import American iPhones? Things might be going the other way this time around.

Thanks, António!

We caused a little commotion when we posted the above shot last week. No it’s not a mock-up, dummy. But, there have been a flood of questions about the BlackBerry Thunder (remember, this is still a codename) so we’ll answer the most important ones for you. First off, yes there is a SIM card slot and it is under the battery of the device. Under the battery is also a microSD slot, so don’t expect it to rock a ton of internal memory out of the box. As far as release date is concerned, we’re still hearing Q3 of this year on Big Red. The cool part, though? It looks like the chip they are using supports almost everything. CDMA 1x, EV-DO, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, and HSPA. Any other questions? We’ll be here all day! Just drop a comment.

You all know the Thunder right? Well, looky looky who got a cookie. Yeah peoples, live shot of the BlackBerry Thunder right here. By just looking at the photo, we can see that almost every button on a traditional BlackBerry like the convenience keys are still there. Like we reported, there are only four physical buttons on the front and a large touch-screen. It is also coming to Verizon. Take a look at a larger shot after the jump and stay tuned for more information on it soon. Wow, we were almost spot on with our mock-up…

Wait, what? Motorola actually shipped a new product? Well, it seems so, because they just released the Motorola A1800 MING to the Chinese market. The phone is a hybrid CDMA/GSM device which runs on the China Unicom CDMA network. Hard specs are as follow:

• 2.4″ 240×320 display
• microSD slot
• GPS
• Handwriting recognition
• 3 megapixel camera with autofocus

Funny enough, on the CDMA side, the phone is only 1x capable and on the GSM side, only GPRS. Sad indeed. Wake us up when your 5 megapixel camera phones get autofocus. KthanksMoto.

Thanks, Cesar!

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Enamored with the HTC Touch Diamond but think that the lack of a physical keyboard is a deal-breaker? We might be one step closer to your perfect handset. Shots of the HTC Raphael were revealed to the world leading up to this month’s Touch Diamond press event, but when the 6th of May came and went without a QWERTY version of HTC’s next generation handset, many left a bit disappointed. Thankfully, help is on the way. The HTC Raphael will be branded in Europe as the T-Mobile MDA Vario IV, and should hit the ground running sometime during Q2 of this year. The handset will sport WiFi, Bluetooth, Tri-Band GSM with HSDPA, GPS, 460×640 screen, 3.2 MP camera, 528 mhz processor, and a slew of other features. No word on whether TouchFLO 3D will be integrated, but the impression we got from HTC in London was that their impressive new Touch interface would be offered on a variety of devices, and we see no reason why the Raphael shouldn’t be one of them. No word on pricing or specific drop date, but given the tri-band GSM status we’re not holding our breath for an imminent stateside release. Seriously though, when has HTC ever offered tri-band devices in recent years? What happened to all high-end devices having quad-band EDGE and tri-band UMTS? 

[Via Engadget]

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In move that would be very welcome over here in the States, it looks like Orange France might be offering incentives to attract current iPhone owners to the next generation device. Apparently, the company is offering current iPhone owners a new 3G iphone for 50 Euros if they trade in their old device. Current users wishing to upgrade and hold on to their current handset can expect “generous subsidies”. Orange hasn’t released any official statement on the matter, so we’re not sure how widespread the incentive program may be, but if any other global iPhone carriers want to jump on the subsidy bandwagon, we’d be all for it.

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How fantastic is this? According to BB World, the BlackBerry 9000 aka BlackBerry BOLD will be making its way to Telecom Italia Mobile during the second week of July. It will also carry a hefty price tag; 450€ - 500€ in fact. That’s not the fantastic part though. According to their sources, the long awaited 9000 series debut will be marketed as the “BlackBerry GOLDFINGER” by TIM. The rebranding still has “rumor status” and we’re not entirely sure that TIM would do something like that, but we definitely think they should go for it. In fact, if they market the upcoming BlackBerry Thunder as the “BlackBerry Octopussy”, we’re moving to Italy. Note that the read links are in Italian.

[Thanks Stefano]

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There’s been a flood of news over the past couple weeks regarding the iPhone and carrier partnerships. Almost every single major carrier across the globe has chimed in, telling us what markets they’re going to bring the iPhone to. It’s actually gotten to the point we’re we feel we should list the announced markets up to today. Remember asking your best friend to pickup 10 iPhones during his trip to the U.S.? No more, people. No more. Here’s the complete list as of 05/16/08:

• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Canada
• Czech Republic
• Dominican Republic
• Egypt
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Ireland
• India
• Italy
• Jordan
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• Philippines
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• South Africa
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• Various countries in Latin America

Who’s planning to buy an iPhone when it’s finally released in your country?

The iPhone has recently seen price drops in a variety of countries including the UK. Apparently, said price adjustments caused a bit more of a rush amongst O2 customers than had been expected. As a matter of fact, O2 has run out of iPhones a good month and a half or so before the 3G iPhone is expected to drop. 8GB iPhones, done. 16GB iPhones, done. Apparently 02 is wiping its hands of the iPhone until the new model is issued, likely next month. Seems like quite the peculiar move, losing a month of iPhone sales that is. The iPhone is, after all, one of the most exclusive and fastest selling phones in the UK. Could this mean that the 3G iPhone may be released in the UK ahead of the US? Yeah, we doubt it too.

[Via Slippery Brick]

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In an announcement on Vodafone’s media relations page earlier this morning, the mega carrier let the cat out of the bag that it would be bringing the iPhone to market in ten countries later this year. Vodafone stated that it has just finalized a deal with Apple, but makes no mention of exclusivity in its announcement. Interesting. Certainly if the deal granted exclusive distribution to the carrier, it would have been mentioned. Here’s the full announcement which includes all of the countries encompassed by the new deal. Make sure you have a warm cup of coffee at hand because this read might take a while.

Vodafone today announced it has signed an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten of its markets around the globe. Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network.

Right then. Short and to the point. "Later this year" would indicate that this deal covers the 3G iPhone in relevant markets and the lack of mention with regards to exclusivity would be right in line with what we’ve been hearing lately. Whatever the case, expect the net flurry of iPhone news to pick up pace - if that’s even possible - as we draw closer to D Day. What’s funny is that TIM in Italy put out a press release this morning saying they will indeed offer the iPhone. “Telecom Italia announced today it has signed a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Italy later this year.” Go figure.

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• Radio - GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA
• Bands - Quad-band GPRS/EDGE: 800/850/1800/1900MHz
• HSDPA: 850/1900/2100MHz (praise the lord!)
• Expandable memory - microSD
• Display - HVGA Color LCD (480×320)
• TrackBall Navigation
• Camera - 2MP (Boo!)
• Wi-Fi - a,b,g
• A-GPS
• Battery - 1500mAh
• High quality material, high-end finish
• Software - 4.6

So there you have it — full specs on the much-awaited BlackBerry 9000. Ah, the carriers! AT&T, NTT DoCoMo, and Vodafone are indeed the launch carriers with AT&T having a U.S. exclusive and being the first carrier to launch worldwide. What would we do without our carrier ninjas? First yesterday’s document and now this! Shout out to y’all, you know who you are!

Right on schedule, T-Mobile has gone ahead and made the BlackBerry 8120 available to the general public. This model is the second ‘Berry compatible with T-Mo’s Hotspot@Home UMA calling service, joining the stable alongside the BlackBerry Curve 8320. Nothing crazy to report on the feature side, with the 8120 sporting Wi-Fi, a 2 megapixel camera, externally accessible microSD slot, and an "improved" SureType keypad. That said, it is the newest BlackBerry currently available in the States, so if cutting edge technology is your thing, you might want to hit the local T-Mobile store and swoop one up. Expect to pay $150 with a two-year agreement.

UPDATE: As a couple of you have pointed out, this is in fact T-Mobile’s 3rd Hotspot@Home device, not its 2nd as noted in the post. Thanks for the heads up!

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…Or at least all of the VoIP and mobile calling in the world. In a pretty big move this past week, Truphone has announced an agreement is now in place that will result in the acquisition of SIM4travel through an asset purchase agreement. Truphone will take over all of SIM4travel’s business operations, customers and network infrastructure. Why is this significant to us? It’s actually quite an interesting move on part of the UK-based VoIP provider, and soon we’ll no longer be able to refer to them as just a VoIP provider. Truphone CEO James Tagg:

"This completes Truphone’s GSM core network, allowing us to offer global mobile operator services. We’re already enabling customers to make low-cost Wi-Fi calls and soon we’ll be able to provide the added convenience of low-cost GSM calls too, all on a single, worldwide, Truphone SIM."

There you have it. A true marriage of technologies that are made for each other. SIM4travel’s Mobile Virtual Network Enabler (MVNE) platform will, in theory, provide a single-SIM solution that would allow Truphone customers to make low-cost GSM calls from anywhere in the world. Of course Truphone’s existing VoIP and MoIP services are already globally accessible. These guys seem to have some pretty big plans and it will be interesting to see how they unfold.

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Have you been waiting with bated breath for the results of the 700mh FCC spectrum auction? The dead silence is over. Reuters has announced that Verizon Wireless is the new owner of the 700mhz spectrum, also known as the "C" block. The company’s offer of $4.74 billion was accepted by the FCC, as the regulatory body moves to liquidate a large portion of the spectrum that has been used by analog television. With the upcoming move to all-digital broadcasting, the FCC had a bit of excess spectrum to get rid of. The auction has been hotly contested, and the Verizon win, which is actually a joint venture between Verizon and Vodafone, ensures that the 2nd largest American carrier will have significant room to grow in the coming years.

[Thanks, Stonewall]

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We’re not exactly sure that this type of service will be the next craze in the search engine world, but it is interesting none the less. One of the new services that Vodafone is showing off at this year’s CeBIT is a new approach to mobile search called Otello; not to be confused with Shakespeare’s tragedy, although it certainly could meet Othello’s fate. The premise of the service is an image search, but not the kind we’re used to. Rather than search for images online, Otello calls for users to utilize an image in order to perform a search. For example, a user can search by sending an image of Brittany Spears to a specified number via MMS and in turn, Otello will return details about her latest hillbilly tirades. Unfortunately, a live demo at the show didn’t exactly go as planned when German Chancellor Angela Merkel attempted to perform a search. Apparently when the Chancellor sent her own image as a query, Otello returned a message that she was not recognized. Whoops! Vodafone will have another crack at it next week when readers of the German tabloid Blid will be able to send photos tied to specific articles in order to receive bonus content on their handsets.

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According to an article this morning in the Kansas City Star, Deutsche Telekom is now an analyst-favorite to swoop in and save the day for sinking US carrier Sprint. It’s no mystery that Sprint would be an ideal target for a takeover; Sprint shares are dirt cheap, down almost 50% since the start of 2008. The dollar is dirt cheap as well of course and that is one of the many reasons analysts for Merrill Lynch are pointing their divining rods at T-Mobile owner, Deutsche Telekom. The Wall Street firm is speculating that continued woes may result in further price reductions at Sprint. Because T-Mobile is generally considered the best carrier option in terms of plan pricing amongst major US carriers, Merrill Lynch analysts believe further price slashing at Sprint would put unwanted pressure on T-Mobile to compete. As Sprint continues to lose subscribers and value, an acqusition may come sooner rather than later. No comment yet from Deutsche Telekom, currently the sixth largest telephone company with over 120 million customers globally.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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We found the references to TIM in /System/Library/Carrier Bundles/TIM_Italy.bundle

While we not-so-patiently await the arrival of HTC’s first entry into the UMPC market, Orange UK is taking matters into its own hands. The European carrier announced today that they will be selling a subsidized version of the HTC Shift beginning this March. The company is going to be selling the device for about 900 Pounds, which works out to about $1,765. Whoa. Orange is offering the Shift with an Orange SIM, service contract, and full service and support. That’s good news for anyone that was looking to utilize the device’s integrated HSDPA radio, but we think there might be more economical ways of getting a little Shift into your life. That is, of course, if HTC ever gets their act together enough to actually release the damn thing.Read

Feeling a little behind across the pond because you can’t get your GPS rockin’? TeleNav has just launched their GPS Navigator program directly with T-Mobile UK. It runs £49.99/year and includes the usual goodies like 3D maps, voice and on-screen turn-by-turn directions, and access to millions of business listings. And heck, if that’s not enough, I guess you could always ask them to sponsor your party…

Imagine a world where public advertising is actually something you are entertained by and interested in, as opposed to something you have become numb to and therefore rarely even notice anymore. Orange has enlisted advertising agency The Alternative to give customers what is probably the most entertaining public ad rig we’ve seen. Located in the front window of Orange’s Carnaby Street shop in London, The Alternative’s setup combines a large projected display with motion capture technology to suck in onlookers like nothing before. Passers-by can gesture at the screen to control its contents in order to play music videos, read news stories and more. Even people on the street who aren’t interested in the shop and who might have missed a new ad display will be reeled in. Anyone would be hard-pressed to ignore the person standing out front, flailing their hands around to see how fast he can virtually toss objects around the screen. It remains to be seen whether this great setup will spark sales in Orange’s shop, or simply spawn more loitering than a Kevin Smith film. Either way it’s a great use of technology and and an attention-grabber for sure.

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Who doesn’t love some roadmap action? A Symbian one at that! We told you we were pulling the wool off this whole Vodafone thing, and you can clearly see we’re serious. Check out the Symbian roadmap which extends all the way to Q4 of ‘08! There’s no mystery devices like on the Windows Mobile roadmap, but we can see the lifelines of the other devices we should help give us a heads up on when there will be new models. The Nokia E90 is set to be available until the end of Q3, the Nokia E65 should get faded out right before the Nokia Dora comes, and the Nokia E50 should already be gone. Little Nokia recap for you:

Nokia Dora

Nokia Liam

It was quite the day for Windows Mobile yesterday, wasn"t it? To visually show you how each device fits into Vodafone’s lineup, we’ve got the Windows Mobile roadmap for you right here to check out. Something interesting is the mention of a Windows Mobile "tablet" device with HSDPA around the middle of Q2. HTC Shift, anyone? There’s also a unknown HSDPA slider with Wi-Fi and GPS set to debut around the same time. 

Ever wanted to get a behind-the-scenes look at carrier’s sales figures? This is your chance, folks! Regarding enterprise sales, this is how it breaks down. The BlackBerry Pearl is tied with the BlackBerry 8700 for the #1 spot on Vodafone’s sales list. The BlackBerry Curve 8310 has an impressive 15% of the sales, and we’re guessing that since the 8700 and 8100 have been out for so long, they’re lower priced which should account for the Curve coming in behind them. After the Curve, it’s the BlackBerry 8800 with 12%, and the Nokia E50 (non camera version) with 7%. How do you like them apples? If you want to check it for yourself, you can check it after the jump!

We told you there are devices, as in plural, remember? The second exclusive Palm handset we’ve got the info on is codenamed the Palm Wanda. Think of it as a cross between the Palm Centro and the HTC Touch. No, like really, look at the backside on that thing! It looks to be a standard affair, running Windows 6.1, well, Standard. Hit that with a tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio (boo!) and some UMTS/HSDPA action, and you’ve got a Palm Wanda. A 2 megapixel camera, QWERTY keyboard, and GPS are also not left out of the equation. Vodafone said it themselves, this is the successor to the Treo 500v! You know we roll, after the jumpage!

Nope, we’re not talking about a tree here! It looks as if the HP Silver won’t be the only HP handset sporting some HSUPA action. You now have a pretty decent line, with the Standard version, and now the Professional one making the rounds. The HP Oak sports a nifty slide-out QWERTY keyboard with a traditional number pad on the front, in addition to integrated GPS and Wi-Fi. We’re not really judging here, but it looks like you might have some difficulty with that 1010mAh battery. Release date? Thought you’d never ask! September, guys. It’s a long way to go, and ₤260 couldn’t come soon enough. Whittle the HP Oak, so to speak, after the jump!

• title: hp oak

Ch-ch-check it out, y’all! The Nokia Dora in door numero uno! This bad beast is the successor to the Nokia E65. Improving on a bunch of missing features from the original version, you’ll now be able to enjoy things such as GPS and a 3.2 megapixel camera. You’ve also got a front-facing video call camera, Wi-Fi, a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio with UMTS/HSDPA (3G bands are not specified), and you got your standard Bluetooth. Last thing? How about a 320×320 display. Sound good? We’re all looking at a Q2 release, and you can expect to shell out ₤280 for it on Vodafone. As usual, the full goods are after the break!

• title: nokia dora

This looks like the first BlackBerry Pearl 2 Vodafone’s going to get, and you shouldn’t have to wait much longer. We’re hearing rumblings of a…yeah, right! It’s right on the slide, and it’s a January release date! This particular model in the BlackBerry Pearl lineup is one we told you about, and that’s the BlackBerry Pearl 8110. This particular model incorporates GPS, but not Wi-Fi. Nothing looks out of place here, so you should fine the regular quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio in there, along with a 2 megapixel camera, SureType, and everything else. There doesn’t seem to be a price listed which is a little strange given the release timeframe, but we’re guessing it won’t hurt your pockets too much. Just remember what’s around the corner chaps…

• title: blackberry 8110

If you don’t feel like dropping some serious coin on one of the other Vodafone devices we’ve showed you, this little Windows Mobile phone might be just up your alley. Set to be priced at ₤120, it doesn’t skimp on too many of the necessities. You won’t find 3G here, but you will get Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, GPS, a full QWERTY keyboard, 1.3 megapixel camera, and a decent 320×240 display. The only issue? You’ll be waiting until September to get your grubby mitts on this sucker right here! Check it out up close, after the jump!