Since RIM completely screwed the pooch on this one (you know, like, delays for seven years?), we’re going to try and make it up to you! We’re giving away 5 BlackBerry Bolds for your local service provider. The 5 we are giving away are: AT&T, T-Mobile Germany, Rogers, Orange UK, and PCCW HK. The winner of the AT&T Bold won’t get their unit until launch since all devices we’re giving away are purchased from the respective carriers. You’ve got to play to win they say. Not so much when you’re dealing with a BGR giveaway, though. To enter, just email us a photo of your current BlackBerry. The more damaged the BlackBerry is, the higher chance you have of winning. Get it? Also drop in a comment from the same email with what carrier you’d like. RIM made you mad by making you wait, they might have even had you think impure thoughts. Now you can lay back and relax, ’cause your good friend Boy Geezie and the rest of the folks at BGR are going to hook you up!

• Send pictures to blackberrycontest at boygeniusreport dot com
• Make sure you comment here in addition to sending in the picture. Also specify what carrier you want!
  
• You can enter as many times are you like, just make sure they are different BlackBerrys
• *Highly damaged BlackBerrys are a plus*
• We’re going to add all pictures to our world-famous gallery. If you don’t want your picture included (freak) don’t enter.
• We’ll run this until this Sunday, August 24th at 11:59PM ET
• The BlackBerry Bolds in the photo are not the units you will be receiving. You will be receiving a brand new Bold in box that is locked to the requested carrier.

UPDATE: Wow, we’ve got almost 200 entries already! But! You need to comment also, people.

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!

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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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?

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

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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Nothing like a good mystery for a Thursday afternoon, right? Some shots have emerged of a Samsung-branded device that looks to share more than a little in common with the current BlackJack. The device appears to be sporting Windows Mobile 6 Professional, complete with touch screen. In addition, the pictured device has an Orange-themed home screen, leading us to believe that it’s destined for that carrier’s European network. It also sports a front facing camera, indicating 3G HSDPA/UMTS connectivity. Care to share any more, Samsung? Samsung needs a BlackJack replacement like O.J. needs to get out of the news, so let’s hope this thing gets official rather quickly.

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HTC announced this morning that the TyTN II, aka Kaiser, aka Tilt, aka 8925, will be available in Europe starting in September from Orange, and T-Mobile will follow suit in October. This is great news for everyone that has been patiently waiting for AT&T’s American lauch. The phone itself hasn’t changed a bit. It still sports that nifty slide out keyboard design, Wi-Fi, GPS, HSDPA, Bluetooth, and much, much more. The Orange-branded device will come with that carrier’s Signature Series homescreen, with special one click access to various applications. The device will also be available direct from HTC, though the press release doesn’t specify a time frame for the direct release. Hit the link for the full run down, and keep your fingers crossed for a timely US drop.

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It looks as if T-Mobile in Germany, Orange in France, and O2 in the U.K. are going to be future iPhone resellers. The operators are set officially to announce the partnerships at the IFA trade fair in Berlin at the end of August, but not without a caveat: the carriers must hand over 10 percent of the revenues from the voice and data on the devices directly to Apple: a strong switch from the current phone subsidy used by most companies today. Each carrier appears to be signing the exclusivity agreement in hopes of attracting voice and data hungry users to their networks; one can be sure that Apple won’t be complaining, either. Now let’s see if the lucky Europeans get 3G in their iPhones…

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