All of you Verizon Windows Mobile fanatics who are suffering from Android envy can cheer up. Verizon Wireless has just announced that it will be releasing the Samsung Omnia II, on December 2nd for $200 on contract (after $100 mail-in-rebate). Let’s review some of the specs, shall we? The Omnia Deuce II has a snazzy 3.7″ WVGA AMOLED touch-screen and will be running Windows 6.5; add to that Wi-Fi, EV-DO Rev. A, a 5.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Xvid and Divx video support, microSD card slot, and Samsung’s TouchWiz UI — a pretty nice package. How about it? Is this the handset you’ll be hoping to get for Chrismakwanzakah?

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So far, all of the Black Friday leaks we’ve seen haven’t been all that friendly to smartphone lovers, but according to our sources, Wirefly will be picking up the slack come Friday with the following deals:

Verizon BlackBerry Storm2: $0.99 for new subs / $29.99 for existing VZW customers (Friday only) followed by $9.99 / $49.99 until Monday

AT&T BlackBerry Bold 9700: $0 / $29.99 (Friday to Monday)

Sprint Samsung Moment: $79.99 / $99.99 (Friday to Monday)

If none of those phones catch your fancy, there are still some savings to be had as Wirefly will be waiving activations for AT&T and Verizon phones until Midnight on December 1st.

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Haven’t had your fill of Android handsets yet? Neither have we. T-Mobile just hit us up with a Samsung Behold II and here are some first impressions:

Physically the unit feels pretty good to hold, albeit a little cheap. The weight is good, but the choice of a glossy plastic makes it feel a little chintzy to us. The back cover has a certain depth to it and it’s pretty darn cool, but we can see it scratching really easily if you’re not careful. As far as the front of the device, the buttons are surprisingly pretty easy to press despite their intimidating layout, and the 5-way navigational circle is also pretty friendly. Now for what we don’t like…

Samsung needs to learn that it isn’t 1999 anymore, and re-skinning most of Android’s decent but not great UI elements isn’t a good idea. We literally feel like we’re in downtown Seoul when the display is on — neon blues, neon orange, neon yellow — all on a black background which really doesn’t make for the most appetizing phone interface. Additionally, you can no longer press the Menu key to unlock the display once you turn it on, you’re forced to press a dedicated unlock / lock key on the side of the phone. Awk. Ward. While the paper specs on the phone (capacitive screen, 5 megapixel camera, AWS 3G, etc.) are definitely competitive, at first glance, the user experience seems to be way too involved for the average user. It’s not friendly by any means and the price point of $199 seems borderline laughable with other devices available at this time. On and off T-Mobile.

Today Samsung officially announced the Galaxy Spica i5700, a wallet-friendly Android smartphone that we’ve been keeping tabs on since September. On sale now in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States with availability in the Middle East and Asia coming shortly, the Galaxy Spica features an AMOLED touchscreen display, 3.2 megapixel camera, DivX support (a first for Android), 3.5mm headphone jack and an 800MHz processor. Oddly enough, official pricing was omitted from the press release, but last we heard it was to go for around 350€ or $524 USD.

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T-Mobile Android junkies that aren’t digging the carriers current offerings from HTC might want to go through their desk, grab a Sharpie and circle November 18th on their calendars  for that’s the day T-Mobile has officially announced the Samsung Behold II will go on sale. Pricing is still a sekret, but we sincerely hope for T-Mobile’s sake that it will keep the price on this sucker really low, say under $199.99. For all we know that’s why pricing hasn’t been announced, they’re probably still negotiating the subsidy with Samsung. Hit the jump for the press release.

T-Mobile USA Launches the Samsung Behold II on November 18

Multimedia Powerhouse Joins Broad Selection of Android-Powered Smartphones for T-Mobile Customers

BELLEVUE, Wash., and DALLAS — Nov. 13, 2009 — T-Mobile USA, Inc., the wireless leader in offering the broadest selection of Android™-powered smartphones in the United States, today announced that the Samsung Behold® II will be available beginning Nov. 18. The full touch-screen Behold II is a multimedia powerhouse with fast Web and data supported by Wi-Fi® and T-Mobile’s high-speed 3G network.

Available exclusively from T-Mobile USA, the Behold II is the first phone from T-Mobile to feature a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen for crisper colors and wider viewing angles, which is paired with a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, zoom, flash, five shooting modes and video capabilities. Samsung’s intuitive cube menu also provides quick access to six top multimedia features: music, photos, videos, the Web, YouTube™ and Amazon MP3 for music downloads.

“With its first-rate multimedia capabilities front and center, the Samsung Behold II adds an exclamation point to T-Mobile’s already impressive Android lineup for the holidays,” said Wendy Piñero-DePencier, vice president, brand and calendar marketing, T-Mobile USA. “The combination of 3G speeds, its high-resolution touch-screen, and access to loads of entertainment features is sure to make the Behold II into a holiday hit.”

The Android-powered phone is equipped with Samsung’s innovative TouchWiz™ user interface for easy customization through movable widgets and one-touch access to commonly used features and applications. The Behold II offers three different home screens to organize multiple workspaces with favorite widgets and application shortcuts.

“The Behold II raises the bar to the next level to create a rich, customizable set of different user experiences,” said Omar Khan, senior vice president of strategy and product management for Samsung Mobile. “Combined with Samsung’s advanced AMOLED display technology, innovative TouchWiz user interface and the Android platform, users can create and enjoy a mobile experience unique to their needs.”

The Behold II features built-in Google™ mobile services, including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™, YouTube and Google Talk™, as well as thousands of applications and games available for download from Android Market™. The Wi-Fi-enabled Behold II also supports personal e-mail and corporate e-mail with Exchange ActiveSync, as well as instant messaging, and text, picture and video messaging. Additional features include assisted GPS, Bluetooth® 2.1, visual voicemail that allows for easier access and response to voice mail, support for up to 16GB of external memory, and includes a 2GB microSD memory card.

With support for T-Mobile’s rapidly expanding 3G network, Behold II customers can take advantage of a reliable wireless connection and fast download speeds when browsing the Web or downloading applications from Android Market. T-Mobile’s 3G network is currently available in 240 cities across the country. By the end of 2009, T-Mobile USA expects its 3G network to be available to reach approximately two-thirds of the U.S. population.

The Samsung Behold II will be available nationwide at T-Mobile retail stores, select authorized dealers and online at http://www.T-Mobile.com beginning Nov. 18, 2009.

In case you haven’t heard, the other day Samsung announced Bada, a new open source platform it hopes will enable its handsets to better compete with the likes of the iPhone and the entire Android line-up. Set to arrive in Q1 2010, not much is known about Bada other than that it features an intuitive touchscreen-based UI and will, for the most part, take the place of all Symbian S60 handsets offered by the Korean company. The handsets that will debut running Bada are also a mystery, but our Dutch friends over at Mobile Phone Helpdesk Europe were sent in a tip, and the handset you see rendered above could be amongst the very first. The fact anyone with the slightest Photoshop skills could whip this up aside, let’s assume for a minute what we’re looking at is real. Are you feeling it or not?

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We don’t think we need to go over what an insanely huge day today is for Canada, but in case anyone is feeling particularly thick, we’re going to spell it out plan and simple — Rogers is no longer the only HSPA game in Canada. Bell’s 21Mbps HSPA network has at long last gone live. As with any network launch, a few awesome handsets, data cards and a few Canadian-style rip-off plans have come along for the ride. So hit the jump and check out what’s new.

Smartphones

• Apple iPhone 3G – $99.95 / 599.95 (3-year contract / no strings attached)
• Apple iPhone 3GS (16GB) – $199.95 / $699.95
• Apple iPhone 3GS (32GB) – $299.95 / $799.95
• BlackBerry Bold 9700 – $229.95 / $599.95
• BlackBerry Bold 9000 – $249.95 / $599.95
• Samsung Omnia II – $199.95 / $549.95

Non-Smartphones

• LG Xenon – $89.95 / $289.95
• Nokia 2730 – $27.95 / $119.95
• Nokia 6350 – $49.95 / $249.95
• Samsung Impact – $79.95 / $279.95

Data Sticks

• Novatel Wireless U950 – $24.95 / $174.95
• Novatel Wireless U998 – $74.95 / $174.95
• Novatel Wireless X950 – $24.95 / $174.95

SIM Cards

• $0 / $5

As for price plans, not all that much has changed (the $6.95 SAF is staying for now), but Bell did introduce some iPhone specific plans which are as follows:

Combo 45 for iPhone

• 100 anytime local minutes plus 50 bonus local minutes
• Local Fab Five: Unlimited calling & text to and from five local numbers of your choice
• 500 MB of data for personal email, Internet browsing
• Unlimited local nights & weekends (9 p.m. – 7 a.m.)

Combo 55 for iPhone

• 300 anytime local minutes
• Local Fab Five
• 1 GB of data for personal email, Internet browsing
• Unlimited local nights & weekends (9 p.m. – 7 a.m.)

Combo 75 for iPhone

• 400 anytime local minutes
• Nationwide Fab Five: Unlimited calling & text to and from five local numbers of your choice nationwide
• 2 GB of data for personal email, Internet browsing
• Unlimited local nights & weekends (9 p.m. – 7 a.m.)

Combo 95 for iPhone

• 500 anytime local minutes
• Nationwide Fab Five
• 2 GB of data for personal email, Internet browsing
• Unlimited local nights & weekends (9 p.m. – 7 a.m.)

Now to sit and wait for TELUS’ day in the sun to see what, if any, surprises it has in store beyond what we already know.

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Motorola’s DROID might be the new darling of the Android world, but other manufacturers are still kicking about and pumping some great offerings. Yesterday Sprint pushed out one such device and that’s the Samsung Moment. It might not be benefiting from the insane amounts of hype that the DROID is enjoying, but it does have a 3.2″ AMOLED touchscreen display, sliding QWERTY keypad, 3.2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS, 256MB RAM and a speedy 800MHz processor running on top of Android 1.5. At $179.99 after a $100 MIR, the Moment comes in at $20 cheaper than the DROID, a price we can’t help but think Sprint is already considering slashing.

[Via Engadget Mobile]Read

As Bell and TELUS put the finishing touches on their Canada-wide 21Mbps HSPA network that is set to launch next week, press releases announcing their HSPA handsets are coming across the wire at a feverish pace. The latest to be announced is the Windows Mobile 6.5-powered Omnia II which is to be exclusive to Bell. Featuring a 3.7″ AMOLED WVGA display, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS and 7.2Mbps UMTS/HSPA connectivity, the Omnia II is definitely a nice device that will make many a Canadian happy. And so it should, as Canadian’s patriotism will be tested when they see it in shops as it has been designated the “Official Mobile Device of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.” Why? Because Bell sure earned that right after it spent an insane $200mm for the right to be the official communications sponsor of the games. Pricing and a specific release date have not yet been announced, but the Omnia II will be available starting next month. Oh, and just for the record, no, we did not edit in the photo of the curling rock. Bell actually seems to be under the delusion that people in Canada enjoy curling. Tsk, tsk.Read

We just got an an email from one of our connects and we’ve got some great new for all you iPhone-lovers. We’ve been told in just a couple hours, Canada’s TELUS will officially announce that its nation-wide HSPA network will go live on November 5th. Not only that, but on that very date, TELUS will start selling the Apple iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. The iPhone pricing structure for TELUS will be the same as it is for Rogers (and Bell, for that matter) with the 3G going for $99.99/$599.99 and the 16 and 32GB 3GS going for $199.99/$699.99 and $299.99/$799.99. Beyond that, TELUS doesn’t appear to be in any rush to come forward with specifics on its plan pricing and other handsets. All the presses hints at is “TELUS will offer a number of exciting new devices from HTC, Huawei, LG, Nokia, RIM, Samsung, and Sierra Wireless in time for the holidays, including some on an exclusive basis.” That’s more or less in line with the line-up we’ve already told you.

Oh Project Dark, you are a curious one. We here at BGR think we know what you’re all about, but it’s pretty hard to feel totally confident without some proof in the form of documents. Thankfully a leaked picture of some T-Mobile advertising which looks to be a part of Project Dark has emerged, and seems to more or less confirm what we’ve been saying for nearly a week. Right off the bat we noticed the tagline of “coverage you need, price you want and the handset you crave.” Gee, you think that could refer to a rapid 21Mbps HSPA roll-out, a $50 unlimited plan and handsets like the Behold II, Bold 9700, CLIQ and N900? We certainly do, but we’re more interested in something else. We’ve always thought that Project Dark had a single unlimited plan, but the mention of an “Even More” and “Even More Plus” rate plan has us a bit  confused. Sure, it makes sense and all to have a few different unlimited plans that offer up different things, but just what is it that the Plus plan includes? We haven’t a clue to be completely honest (although we are working on it), but perhaps — and this is nothing but us thinking aloud –  it could include some sort of long distance package that is meant to compete with AT&T’s GoPhone. Regardless, all will be solved soon (we’re hearing either this Sunday or the next), but for now we must tip our hats for T-Mobile for actually being able to keep its employees mouths shut. Bravo.

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We just got a heads up from one of our Northern connects that has to do with Bell, and let’s just say we think Bell subscribers are going to be thrilled with what we have to report. How does Bell’s entire lineup of devices for their HSPA network launch sound? We also grabbed pricing for y’all, too! The following prices are prices with 36 month contracts following by full retail pricing.

Thanks, J!

LG Xenon: $89.95, $289.95

Samsung Impact: $79.95, $279.95

Samsung Omnia 2: $349.95, $549.95

Apple iPhone 3G 8GB $399.95, $599.95 — probably $149 after in store rebates

Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB: $499.95, $699.95 — probably $199 after in store rebates

Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB: $599.95, $799.95 — probably $299 after in store rebates

BlackBerry Bold 9000: $399.95, $599.95 — probably $149-$199 after in store rebates

BlackBerry 9700: $399.95, $599.95 — probably $249 after in store rebates

Nokia 2730: $29.95, $119.95

Nokia 6350: $49.95, $249.95

There’s also 3 Novatel HSPA data cards launching, two will be HSPA+ 21Mbps compatible and one will be HSPA 7.2Mbps compatible.

The upcoming Canadian wireless entrant WIND has been pretty secretive about its plans other than the fact it wants to shake things up, but thanks to a tipster within the company, we might have just found out the handsets it will be launching its 3G network with. The first is the BlackBerry Bold 9700, the second is the HTC Snap, the third is the Huawei U8220, and the fourth is an unknown QWERTY slider from Samsung. Other than that, it’s alleged that WIND will start off with three n0-contract price plans, have no SAF, not charge clients for features like caller ID and voicemail as well as not bill for intra-Provincial long distance and all dealerships will be outfitted with Microsoft’s Surface. Sounds nice to us, but what do you think, Canada?

Thanks, Fil!

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As if there weren’t already enough reasons to get excited for the arrival of Bell’s HSPA network and the amazing handsets that it will bring with it, one of our Bell connects stepped up to the mound and delivered us this slider of a tip. It seems that Bell is really serious about having its customers love them, because it is going to issue unlock codes for its branded devices. Of course caveats apply, but they’re not all that out of the ordinary: your account must be active for at least one month, only phones purchased from Bell need apply, you won’t be able to ditch your contract, and you will be charged a fee. We’re not exactly clear on what the feel will be, but we’ve heard it might be as high as $250 dollars per handset. Obviously the cost of the official unlock doesn’t even begin to compete with third-party unlockers, but at least it will keep your warranty in tact. And no, we’re awfully sorry, but we’re not 100% sure Bell will unlock your iPhone. Hit the jump for a larger pic.

P.S. Yes, we did notice that it looks like Bell will be carrying an HSPA-flavored Omnia II.

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding T-Mobile secret project, “Project Dark” or “Project Black” as others have referred to it. One of our connects hit us up to clarify what it exactly is (they called it Project Dark).

So, what is it exactly? Other sites have speculated that it’s not a new phone or promotion, but our connects briefing has given us a pretty clear understanding. First off, it is tied somewhat to handsets. Project Dark contains the launch of the T-Mobile BlackBerry 9700 as well as T-Mobile’s upcoming Android handsets like the Motorola CLIQ and Samsung Behold II. It also contains a very, very rapid expansion of T-Mobile’s 3G network, and we don’t mean UMTS. We’re talking 21Mbps HSPA, the same as what just launched in the Philadelphia market. We’ll keep digging but this is what we’ve got for you for now.

UPDATE: A few minutes after we first posted this story, a new T-Mobile connect came out of nowhere and sent us in quite a lot of new information. We have to caution that this information is not substantiated, but we feel that we owe it to our readers to share. Here it goes…

Project Dark is a pretty big thing for T-Mobile. Not only will employees be wearing new threads consisting of a black top and grey pants while they sell the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and two Nokia Nseries devices (the N900 and something else), but they’ll also be pushing something pretty amazing — a $50 all you can eat plan that includes voice, SMS, MMS and data. Apparently this plan will be called “Everything Unlimited” and is meant to represent T-Mobile’s new strategy which will essentially see it try and poach subs from various low-cost carriers. We’ve also been told that T-Mobile will be adopting a very Walmart slogan of “More for Less.” Okay, we’ve done our part, now what do you people think about this?

The Android-powered Samsung i5700 stopped by the Netherlands for a high definition photo shoot on Thursday. While specifications don’t seem to have changed since initial reports surfaced, man are we happy they toned down the color a bit. The European version of the Samsung Galaxy i5700 should run you about €350 as far as retail pricing goes, and since this isn’t a With Google handset, expect Samsung’s TouchWiz interface to make an appearance. But let’s be honest, we’re just happy we got the Behold II in place of this…

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Believe it or not, Christmas is but 11 weeks away which means that every single tech company on the planet is going to be lighting up our inboxes with press releases about their holiday offerings. The first company to do this for 2009 is T-Mobile. Apart from another chance to get us bloggers talking about the Behold II and the Motorola CLIQ, T-Mobile took the opportunity to introduce two new handsets and a limited edition collaboration piece. The first new handset is the Nokia 3711, a 3G clamshell affair with a 2 megapixel camera, GPS by Telenav, and stereo Bluetooth. The second is the T-Mobile Tap. Presumably made by HTC based upon its appearance, the Tap is an “affordable and attractive” full-touchscreen featurephone that, like the 3711 has 3G, a 2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth and GPS by Telenav. New in another sense of the word is the myTouch 3G Fender Limited Edition. With only 10,000 to be offered sometime this winter, the Fender myTouch 3G sports a “guitar-inspired wood-grain finish”, 16GB microSD card filled with a bunch of music and videos not a soul alive won’t delete, and *gasp* a 3.5mm headphone jack. What do we think, people?

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It looks like Samsung is all aboard the Android bandwagon now with another slick device, this time coming to Sprint. After announcing the Behold II for T-Mobile, Samsung is making the Moment official. Like most Samsung devices as of late, this one looks a tad bland but some of the features certainly make up for it: 3.2″ AMOLED screen, slide out QWERTY keyboard, 3.2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, GPS and a 800MHz processor, which is huge! If anything, that processor is the biggest thing this device has going for it. Now if only Samsung will change things up in its design department, it could have some serious winners. Still, at $179.99 with a two-year contract, you could do worse. Also lastly, Samsung’s OS-agnostic TouchWiz UI isn’t on here. That’s going to make this most like the fastest Android handset on the planet.

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The Android devices keeping piling on for T-Mobile. This time, however, it’s a non-HTC device. So, if you’re a big fan of Samsung and Android, you’ll have a lot to look forward to with the Behold II. While the phone doesn’t look as flashy as some of the others, Samsung is adding its own touch to this device with the TouchWiz UI over Android, so we’ll have to see just how that stacks up against HTC’s Sense and Motorola’s MOTOBLUR. If anything it will at least look pretty on its 3.2″ AMOLED screen. TouchWiz for Android will have the same layout as before, but with an additional cube menu that features items like YouTube and the Amazon MP3 store. Other features include a 5MP camera with flash, 16GB memory expansion, AGPS, 3G and Wi-Fi though there’s no word on UMA capabilities. Pricing details or release date aren’t available just yet, but we’ll keep you posted.

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The recent resurrection of rumors that Sprint is working with Samsung on a WiMAX-enabled phone may have just been trumped by news from Korea earlier today. According to a report from The Korea Herald, KT is planning to offer a tri-mode Windows Phone built by Samsung that will operate on the KT’s WiMAX network. The most interesting part — KT supposedly claims it will be releasing this handset before 2009 is through. Dubbed the Samsung Prism, the phone will be a triple threat, operating on WCDMA, Wi-Fi and WiMAX networks. On the far less interest-piquing side of things, KT is reportedly also prepping the 3G-ready LG Lilac. Super. So what does all this mean for us here in the US? News that Samsung is partnering with a carrier to develop a WiMAX-enabled phone that comes straight from a carrier is far more interesting than previous guesses from analysts. Of course logic suggests dictates that Samsung will be among the first manufacturers to build handsets for KT’s WiMAX network, but the time frame is what interests us. A Korean release in 2009 could mean comparable handsets might reach our shores as early as 1H 2010.

[Via WMPowerUser]

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You know as soon as you hear the name ‘Corby’ that you’re not in for the most exciting handset, but it appears that what was once thought to be a single device — the Corby S6350 — is actually an entire line. Early this morning, Samsung announced both the CorbyTXT B3210 and the CorbyPRO B5310. The CorbyTXT, available in Europe this month, touts a full-QWERTY keypad, 2 megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, and interchangeable faceplates while the CorbyPRO (available in November) sees the TXT’s specs and raises it a touchscreen, sliding QWERTY keypad, 3 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and 3G. No word on availability here in the Wild West but we have a feeling no one will be losing any sleep waiting for Sammy to ship these guys across the pond.

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This certainly doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but Sprint has finally made the Samsung Instinct HD official this morning. Best Buy first spilled the beans back in August and a steady flow of information has been trickling in ever since. When Sprint mentioned the handset in a newsletter to Premier customers two weeks ago however, it became painfully obvious the Instinct HD would get official soon enough. So feast your eyes, Sprint fans — the 3.2-inch touchscreen touting Instinct HD features a 5 megapixel camera, “HD” video playback via a TV-out port, “HD” video recording, the full Opera Mobile 9.7 browser, Wi-Fi, a proximity sensor, haptic feedback, an Ambient Light Sensor and an accelerometer. The handset will become available on September 27th through Best Buy and then on October 11th through Sprint channels. Pricing is set at $249.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate on a 2-year contract (rebate is instant at Best Buy). Anyone planning to dive right in or will you try to hold off until Sammy’s new Instinct sheds the early adopter tax?

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Remember that mysterious LiMo-powered smartphone we exclusively showed you a week back? Well today it was made official alongside another handset as well as a new internet service, Vodafone 360. The two devices, manufactured by Samsung, have been dubbed the 360 H1 (the device we showed you) and 360 M1. The 360 H1 looks to be an all around solid device with a 3.5-inch OLED touchscreen display, 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, 16GB of internal memory, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HSDPA. The 360 M1, on the other hand, leaves a little bit to be desired but still packs a bit of a punch with a 3.2-inch touchscreen display,  1GB of internal memory (expandable by microSD), GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 and HSDPA. As for Vodafone 360 platform, what we previously told you was correct in that it incorporates more or less the same sort of social media approach as webOS and MOTOBLUR, but with a slightly stronger emphasis placed upon games, apps and music. Nothing too crazy, but it’s something we think every smartphone should have as we draw nearer to a new decade. Of note, Voda’s 360 services will also work on dozens of Nokia and Sony Ericsson handsets so if this new dynamic duo isn’t your thing, rest easy. Oh, and just one more thing… The H1 and the M1? H1 and M1? H1M1? A bit too close for comfort.

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Windows Mobile fans take note — 30 new handsets powered by your mobile OS of choice will supposedly be debuting before you again sing a drunken version of Auld Lang Syne. Benjamin Tan, senior director of the GCR Mobile Team Unit at Microsoft China, let loose the rumor that an avalanche of new Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets from HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Acer, Toshiba, HP and more will be released in the waning months of 2009. Carriers who have jumped on board this Window Mobile bonanza include AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone, NTT DoCoMO, Softbank Mobile,  SKT, Telstra and Telus. Bottom line: no matter where you are located or what you prefer in a smartphone, there will apparently be a Windows Phone to suit your needs in 2009.

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Is looks as though Samsung is brimming with excitement where the upcoming Omnia II and its preliminary carrier of choice, Verizon Wireless, are concerned. Way back in August, the Korean manufacturer popped up a preview page on its Samsung Mobile USA site and now we have a new, slightly less secretive preview of the handset that was just dug up by one of our eagle-eyed readers. The only listed specs for the time being are a hefty 1500mAh battery, an included stylus and a mic adapter of some kind, but we also get our first official marketing render of the sleek handset complete with its bizarre d-pad. The sleek handset is allegedly already listed in Verizon’s inventory system however, so all this info popping up on Samsung’s site might lead some to believe an official announcement from Sammy and Verizon is imminent. Fingers crossed, WinMo fans.

Thanks, Alan!

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Everyone here at BGR HQ is pretty grumpy this morning as a string of late night press releases issued by Samsung got us too worked up to sleep. Celebrating the sixth Samsung Mobile Solutions Forum in Taipei, Samsung gave a show of force that highlights exactly why the company is a worldwide chipset and components leader for mobile devices. To kick things off, two new 1GHz processors with 512KB L2 cache were announced. Not only do they consume significantly less power versus other processors on the market, but they are also capable of graphically intense 3D gaming and support 1080p output at 30fps using the HDMI 1.3 standard. Couple these with the OneDRAM memory chipset that clocks in at 166MHz and transfers data at speeds of up to 1.3GBps and a 512MB PRAM chip, and you have the potential for one seriously powerful mobile gaming platform.

So now we have the beginnings of the next generation in unstoppable high end handsets, but what else do they need? A screen and a camera, of course. Samsung’s new display technology integrates all of the controls for capacitive touchscreens into the display driver itself. Then with regards to cameras, Samsung combined a 5 megapixel CMOS image sensor with an image signal processor on a single chip, thus creating a system-on-chip (SoC) camera module that is capable of recording 1080p video at 30fps. Those of you who did not already kill your computers from excessive drooling will be pleased to note that all this tech isn’t too far away from the hands of consumers — most of these components are already under limited production and should enter into mass production effective Q1 2010. We can hardly wait.

Read (1Ghz low-power processor)
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One of our ninjas just blessed us with a look at a portion of AT&T’s Windows Mobile road-map for the rest of the year. Quickly glancing at it we can see that the AT&T Tilt 2 will obviously launch in October, and refreshingly, the Samsung Epix and Samsung Jack will be getting upgrades to Windows Mobile 6.5 courtesy of upcoming maintenance releases. What’s more exciting, however, are the HP Obsidian and LG Monaco launches. While not brand new to the world, it’s nice to know that these Windows Mobile business-focused handsets will finally see the light of day come November. We know October is going to be full of 6.5 handsets like the Tilt 2 and Pure, and November shows no signs of slowing down either. Here’s a quick refresher on specifications for the LG Monaco and HP Obsidian and a larger shot after the break:

HP Obsidian:

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100MHz)
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Wi-Fi b,g
• QWERTY keyboard
• microSD slot
• GPS
• 3.5mm headset jack
• Windows Mobile 6.5

LG Monaco:

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100MHz)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Wi-Fi b,g
• Slide-out full QWERTY keyboard
• GPS
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera

Thanks, Feech!

As is well known, Sprint and Clearwire are slowly pushing forward on their ever expanding 4G network. Mirroring a report from back in June of this year, Sprint is once again said to be working on a WiMAX-enabled smartphone that will support both 4G and 3G connectivity. Just as current CDMA mobile phones switch switch between 1xRTT and EV-DO, the new handset will manage WiMAX and EV-DO signals in a similar manner. The big question is not whether or not Sprint will make such a smartphone, but which OS will this new handset run? Analysts suggest that Android will the platform of choice with Samsung as the manufacturer supplying the necessary hardware. This rumored 4G/3G smartphone will reportedly launch when Clearwire reaches the 100 million subscriber mark in the US, a goal expected to be achieved towards the end of 2010.

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In the run up to the launch of Windows Mobile 6.5, manufacturers and carriers are trying to tantalize fan bases with new and exciting products. Unfortunately there really hasn’t been anything we would deem “wow worthy” up to this point (announced officially, that is), though Samsung seems to think its short-term strategy is all that. First off, Sammy finally got around to announcing the OmniaPRO B7330, a low-end full-QWERTY number with a 320×320 display, 3 megapixel camera, FM tuner and 7.2Mbps HSDPA/2Mbps HSUPA connectivity. Second, it announced that the OmniaLITE B7300 will ship with WinMo 6.5 as with all Omnia models shipped after 6.5 goes live. Third and lastly, Samsung announced that later on in the year at a time not specified, Samsung will release WinMo 6.5 upgrades for the Omnia II i800, OmniaPRO B7320, and OmniaPRO B7610 alongside “a set of customized strategies to differentiate and expand sales of each model by appealing to a broad spectrum of user groups.” We haven’t a clue what Samsung has in mind in terms of customization, but we do have this nagging feeling that it won’t exactly knock anyone’s socks off.

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Ah, the Samsung Instinct HD. We know practically everything about it short of when it is going to launch and how much it will cost. A gaffe from Best Buy last month led us to believe that the Instinct HD would be dropping no later than the 26th however, and now an alleged internal Sprint memo has seemingly confirmed this. Okay, technically the memo says the handset will be launched on the 26th and available on the 27th, but what’s one day, really? Packing a  3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen display, 5 megapixel camera with video capture, Wi-Fi, accelerometer, HD video-out, visual voicemail and a “PC-like web experience”, the Instinct HD is expected to go for between $99 and $149 on contract, meaning it will compliment Sprint’s new Any Mobile, Anytime plan in terms of affordability and features. Hit the jump for the full text from the alleged internal memo.

Short Description of Product:

The Samsung Instinct HD is the premium follow up to the award-winning, record-selling Samsung Instinct. The Samsung Instinct HD is designed for people who want a stylish and cutting edge touchscreen phone with enhanced multimedia features, accelerometer and a 5MP camera with Hi-Res viewing and TV out capability.

Full Description of Product:

The Samsung Instinct® HD is the fastest, most advanced model designed in the Instinct portfolio of Samsung touchscreen phones. The Instinct HD includes an accelerometer that syncs to the user’s movements to create an intuitive experience that engages the senses in an extraordinary way. The Instinct HD is equipped with a 5.0 megapixel camera to deliver razor-sharp clarity for pictures and video. The Instinct HD also possesses WiFi capabilities for fast Web and content access, no matter where the device is being used. With incredible multimedia and browsing performance, the new Instinct HD lets users watch movies, play games, surf the net, check out social networking sites, upload and download content, record and play videos in Hi-Res, and much more — even faster than before. The large 3.2″ HGVA display with accelerometer and improved web browser gives you a great PC-like experience so your favorite sites look and load just like they would at home. It also has WiFi and comes with a 5MP camera with TV out capability, so you enjoy viewing your photos and videos right on your home TV. This fully loaded, premium touch screen takes you to the cutting edge of technology.

Please describe what differentiates your product/service from competing products/services:

• Full Touchscreen with Accelerometer
• Record & Play Videos in Hi-Res
• PC-like Web experience
• WiFi Capable with 3.2″ sharp and clear display
• 5.0MP Camera & Camcorder with TV out

When was product launched? If not currently on the market, when is product launch date?:

9/26/2009

Is the product currently on the market?

No

If no, when will it be available?

9/27/2009

Where can the product be purchased?

Sprint retail stores, Sprint.com, select wireless

What is the product’s price range?

$99-$149

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