Of all the details that Dell could have omitted from the launch of its Inspiron Mini 9, we would think that one of the mini-notebook’s most distinguishing features might have made it to the table. According to Dell spokeswoman Anne Camden, Dell’s new tiny dancer is packing an integrated 3G card. Talk about easter eggs! While there isn’t much detail to be found from Dell, the fact that Vodaphone has already announced that it will be offering the Mini 9 leads us to believe that we’re talking about a tri-band card here. Presumably it will play nicely in Europe and here in the US we’re going to assume that it’s packing 850 MHz for use on AT&T’s high-speed networks. Considering you can now pick up a unit for as little as $99, the story just keeps getting better as far as we’re concerned. Dell is likely in talks right now with a certain US carrier (the reason for Dell’s silence perhaps) and it will be interesting to see what comes of it. Of note, Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 is said to have a battery life in the three-hour range with no mention of 3G. We can only imagine what will happen when users start streaming video and whatnot over 3G. Ouch.

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We just got a heads up from one of our trusty sources, and they’ve come through with full PRADA II specs for us! In case you don’t remember, the new PRADA II handset will feature a slide-out QWERTY keyboard as pictured above. Here’s a rundown on the specs we got:

• Quad-band GSM/EDGE, dual-band HSDPA (850MHz/2100MHz)
• 950mAh battery
• 240×400 3.0″ screen
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with flash and VGA recording
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Wi-Fi b,g
• Infineon MP-EH + M180 chipset
• Motion sensor
• FM Radio
• 104.5 x 54 x 16.8 mm

Any surprises there? The 5 megapixel shooter is definitely a plus, and we can’t hate on some 850MHz WCDMA action, but we’re hoping for some major OS updates on this bad boy. Otherwise, well, it’s back to that other touch-screen handset… Thoughts?

Thanks, Daddy G.!

Starting tomorrow, AT&T customers will have add new flavor of Laptop Connect modem to its selection. Sporting the moniker Mercury, you may already know this little puppy as the Sierra Wireless Compass 885. The Mercury will become available through all channels tomorrow and sports 3G / 2.5G / 2G compatibility. Here are some highlights from AT&T’s spiel:

• Performance and Coverage
  • Work seamlessly across AT&T’s 3G Broadband Connect and EDGE networks.
  • Tri-band HSPA.
  • There is no need for an installation CD.  The Mercury comes preloaded with ACM 6.8.104 that automatically installs when first inserted into the customer’s laptop.
• Typical uplink speeds: 500 – 1.2 Mbps
• EDGE Class 12
• Plug-and-play USB device provides multiple solutions in a compact form factor
  • Note: For enterprise customers, you can disable the ACM auto install. For assistance, please contact your Sierra Wireless Field Sales representative.
• Integrated antenna with multi color LED indicator lights for a sleek form factor
• microSD card slot compatible up to 32 GB for convenient file storage and transfer
• Global Compatibility: The only single Laptop Connect card, single rate plan, global 3G solution offered today
  • Work internationally in 150 countries including 60 with 3G
    • UMTS/HSPA (850/1900/2100 MHz)
    • GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)

    Not bad at all. Global 3G and EDGE support, automatic installation with no need for a CD, integrated microSD slot with high capacity support; can’t really go wrong. As for pricing, it breaks down like this:

    • Two-year Best Price (with data plan of $60 or higher): Free
    • Two-year: $99.99
    • One-year Best Price:  $74.99
    • One-year: $174.99
    • No Commit: $249.99
    • Nat’l Contract Ref Price:  $279.99

Thanks, Kall!

That was a nice roller-coaster ride, no? Our main man Chris Zigz over at Engadget Mobile scored actual BlackBerry Storm packaging renders, and well, the BlackBerry Storm doesn’t look to bringing that much rain. If we read the box correctly, it seems as if there is an 8GB microSD card pre-installed (totally weak in our opinion), a 3.5mm headset jack, pre-installed SIM card, and no Wi-Fi. It is indeed a global phone, as stated on the box, our original scoop, and the SIM card bit (duh!), but other intricate details are unavailable at this time. Oh yeah, the name! Here is the break down on that: the BlackBerry Storm is for Verizon, and the BlackBerry Thunder is the name for the device on other carriers such a Rogers and Vodafone. Wait, Rogers? So much for that huge exclusivity. We guess RIM realized they’d only have a limited run with Verizon being the sole carrier in North America, and we’re not so sure about having different names for the same device. It’s one thing to have different model numbers for the slightest variations (read: wack), but for the same device? Oh well. We’re still holding true to our rumored mid-September marketing blitz and mid-October release date on Verizon Wireless.

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Tired of your phones cracking right in half? Maybe you should start checking out some military-spec grade devices. AT&T and Samsung are set to launch the a837 in the coming weeks, and we’ve just got a flood of pictures and specifications. Here’s a breakdown of the specs:

• Push-to-talk
• Bluetooth
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dual-band UMTS/HSDPA (850MHz/1900MHz)
• Video Share
• AT&T Navigator
• aGPS
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• Conference calling with up to 6 participants total
• 4.66 ounces
• 3.95 x 2.05 x .90 inches

At least the military-spec phones are finally getting a much needed hardware bump, right? This thing isn’t exactly a looker, but with pretty limited choices on AT&T, this might be one of your only hopes. We’ve heard this model is set to directly compete with Verizon’s Casio G’zOne phones, and be comparible in terms of pricing. Look for it priced from $99-$150 starting around September 15th, though we’ve heard pre-orders might be starting on the first of the month.

Thanks, Kall!

Click on over to our Samsung a837 gallery!

HTC Touch Diamond not working out for you? We get it, you want a physical QWERTY keyboard. Oh, Touch Pro a little too big? You want something a little more simpler, huh? Starting today, HTC looks to fill that gap. They’ve just announced the HTC S740 and it features the same styling as the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro, features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and a numerical keyboard on the front. The only difference? It runs Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard. Here’s a run down of the specs:

• 116.3 x 43.4 x 16.3 mm
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• WCDMA/HSDPA: 900/2100 MHz (we’d guess there is a 850/1900MHz UMTS/HSDPA version in the works, supports HSDPA 3.6Mbps and HSDPA 7.2Mbps)
• 2.4″ QVGA screen
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• Qualcomm® MSM7225, 528 MHz
• 256MB flash ROM, 256MB RAM
• microSD slot
• 140g
• 1000mAh battery
• Wi-Fi b,g
• aGPS
• Bluetooth 2.0
• FM radio

Pretty much the most feature-packed Windows Mobile Standard device, no? Enjoy the pics while we phone up our HTC ninjas — we want this thing!

Apparently the iPhone 3G isn’t the only hot new data device that is suffering some 3G issues. The Blackberry Bold, which has not yet been released in the United States, is reportedly losing its 3G signal and falling back to technology from the days of yore EDGE in lots of places. That’s a little better than the iPhone is faring, which according to the report stays in 3G with very low signal strength. Can you hear us now? Well, so much for everyone thinking it was an AT&T network problem.

Note from BG: I’ve been saying this forever! Anyone out there getting the “Searching for Network…” issues?

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If you’re a big fan of Windows Mobile, there’s no doubt you’ve been looking at the HTC Touch Pro. It’s the finest Windows Mobile device to come out of HTC so far, we’d even say it’s better than the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1. In terms of hard specs, this is a beast! Here’s a recap of them in case you were wondering:

• Qualcomm® MSM7201A™ 528 MHz
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera
• 288MB RAM
• 2.8″ LCD with 480×640 VGA resolution
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dual-band UMTS/HSDPA (900MHz/2100MHz or 850MHz/1900MHz)
• GPS
• Bluetooth

While the HTC Touch Diamond is nice, slide-out QWERTYs definitely rank higher in our book. We’ve only spent a little bit of time with the Touch Pro, but as mentioned earlier, this is probably our favorite touch-screen Windows Mobile device. The QWERTY keyboard is comfortable enough without being overly large, the screen is vibrant and crisp, and you get the same TouchFLO 3D experience that you get on the Touch Diamond. The 1350mAh battery provides enough juice to handle your beatings for around a day, and voice quality was great when talking on the phone. Check out some of pics for now, and look forward to the review!

Thanks, Stan!

Click on over to our HTC Touch Pro hands on gallery!

So you’re thinking to yourself, “ok so now I know which markets T-Mobile is deploying 3G in this year, but what about some new 3G handsets?” It’s a fair question and we’re glad you asked. Say hello to the latest handset to be announced by T-Mobile US, the Sony Ericsson TM506. It’s no G1 but it is most definitely a solid and sleek basic handset with more than enough juice for the typical mobile user. And beyond that, it rocks a UMTS antenna ready and waiting to eat up T-Mobile’s AWS 3G spectrum. Some music, maestro:

• Size: 3.7 x 1.9 x 0.69 inches, Weight: 3.4 ounces
• Talk Time: Up to 9.5 hours GSM; up to 3.5 hours UMTS (approx.)
• Standby Time: Up to 250 hours GSM, up to 250 hours UMTS (approx.)
• 2.0 Megapixel Camera
• Media Center
• aGPS Built-in
• TeleNav Navigator
• RSS Feeds
• MyFaves-enabled
• Audio Postcard
• Quicksend
• Mobile Backup (T-Mobile Address Book)
• Bluetooth 2.0 / A2DP / Stereo streaming
• Tri-Band GSM (850/1800/1900)
• Dual-Band UMTS (1700/2100)
• GSM/GRPS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA

The TM506 will be available in early September directly from T-Mobile online and in stores. Pricing info hasn’t been released yet but expect this puppy to be pretty affordable as T-Mobile gives its shiny new 3G networks a push.

Jessica Alena Smith, an unhappy iPhone 3G user from Alabama, is suing Apple for false advertising and for profiting from a defective product. Is she serious? While suing Apple is a little extreme, there’s definitely a growing sentiment that the iPhone 3G isn’t living up to the hype that all of those ads caused. Even after an update that was rumored to fix the 3G woes, the iPhone 3G seems to have gotten worse or remained the same according to most users. So, instead of finding the nearest forum or tech blog to whine about it, Smith went straight to court. Talk about being proactive! Is this what Apple needs to light a fire under its derriere so that they will stop pretending this is a small problem (2%, yeah right)?

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It looks like everything is coming up T-Mobile these days. Sweet new handsets, first crack at Android; it seems like nothing can rain on your parade. Well… Yes, and no. T-Mobile’s 3G deployment schedule was just leaked and we can finally fill in the blanks for the rest of 2008. If you happen to spend most of your time in one of the listed cities then your day just got a whole lot brighter. If you don’t, all we can say is better luck next year.

The following markets have already launched, or will launch on the specified date:

• Austin / San Antonio
• Baltimore
• Houston
• Las Vegas
• Los Angeles
• Minneapolis (launches today)
• New York
• Phoenix (9/16)
• Portland (9/18)
• Sacramento (9/17)
• San Diego (9/15)
• San Francisco (9/24)
• Seattle (9/23)

The following markets are scheduled to launch in 2008, no launch date available:

• Atlanta
• Birmingham
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Denver
• Detroit
• Kansas City
• Memphis
• Miami
• New England
• Orlando
• Philadelphia
• Tampa
• Washington, D.C.

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Another leaked Motorola handset? You bet! This time we’ve got the brother-in-law to the Motorola Alexander — no QWERTY keyboard — with a pretty decent spec sheet. This one is codenamed Atila, and if you haven’t caught on to Motorola’s code names for Windows Mobile devices, they are all named after great conquerors; Alexander, Atila, Ghenghis, etc. The Atila is actually the first Motorola device that will have tri-band UMTS/HSDPA. Finally, right? We’re not sure on a release date, but here’s an introduction of the specs, followed by the actual spec sheet:

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850MHz/1900MHz/2100MHz)
• 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 1.8Mbps HSUPA
• 1130mAh battery
• 2.8″ QVGA 240 x 320 screen
• Wi-Fi b/g
• Qualcomm 7201A chipset
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional

Full spec sheet after the jump!

Thanks, “Daddy Genius”!

This one’s been floating around a little bit, but somehow, someway, Sony Ericsson is making a return to T-Mobile USA. Plus they’re the first HSDPA handset to launch, too! The specs are not incredible by any means, but for just an average phone, they’ll do just fine. Here’s a recap of the specifications:

• 2.0 megapixel camera
• Tri-band 850/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE (boo!)
• Dual-band UMTS/HSDPA 1700/2100
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
• microSD slot
• Video recording
• IM

If you’re feeling up to it, you should be able to snag one come September 3rd, for a price not yet determined. Who’s going to be the first taker? Full size image after the break…

In case any of you living in Las Vegas were desperately waiting for T-Mo to pull the 3G switch, your day has finally arrived. As of this morning, T-Mobile has officially went live with 3G in Las Vegas. You’re still stuck with the standard run of the mill crappy handsets if you want to use a 3G one, but T-Mobile promised us they’ve got an HSDPA-capable device coming soon. Yay.

This might be a shocker out there to many, but we do actually, you know, not leak things from time to time. What’s important here, is that we’ve been rockin’ a BlackBerry Bold for around a month now, and we’ve got a great handle on the unit. From hardware to software, this is going to be the most complete BlackBerry Bold review, period. If you’re really ready, hit the jump. You might need a couple cigarettes and a cup of coffee — it’s long!

RIM’s BlackBerry Bold 9000, huh? We knew it was coming since October of last year ever since we broke the news, and since then, this has been the BlackBerry communities iPhone. Sorry for an iPhone reference so early on in the review, but it’s true. This is the device every single BlackBerry user has been waiting for. Finally a BlackBerry that “has it all.” 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi, QWERTY keyboard, camera, great screen, clean styling, and more. Since this has been our day to day BlackBerry exclusively, we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs with the Bold. Here’s a recap on our first day with the Bold, followed by our full review…

Remember all that talk about overheating and battery drain? It definitely wasn’t crap — we’ll tell you that! Even still, the device gets a little warm, but nothing to get too concerned about. RIM has made strides in regards to updated software builds for the Bold. Let’s bring you back to when we first got the device, ok? We thanked our very friendly FedEx Sameday delivery man (or delivery person since there’s this cute female that sometimes brings us goodies… anyway) and proceeded immediately to remove the SIM card and microSD card from our BGR edition BlackBerry Curve 8310. After that, we took a bat to it, Office Space style. Once the battery was installed in the Bold, we patiently waited for the unit to turn on.

One minute went by. Then two. Then three. What in the heck? Isn’t this supposed to be at least double the speed of the older models? When the unit finally powered up, we were greeted by the usual Setup Wizard. After canceling out of that (I can remove languages manually, athankyou) it was time to explore the device. At first glance, the first thing you’ll see is obviously the gorgeous screen on the 9000. We can safely say that this is the best screen we’ve ever seen on a mobile device. Hands down. So, yeah, after messing around with a couple applications and exploring, it was time to turn on wireless and connect to AT&T’s mothership. 5 bars of service showed up with the GSM indicator. Then EDGE. Oh boy, we’re so close! Finally 3G appeared. We were in business! But not so fast. No sooner than the 3G indicator showed up, the device for some reason restarted. All ‘Berry lovers will know this all too well. Red LED, black screen. After waiting for another three or four minutes for the device to power up again, the same thing happened! Everything was ok until we tried to turn wireless on. Oh bother. What now? The Bold did this in an endless loop for a good two hours. The battery was only at 40% so we figured we’d let it keep passing out until it was fully charged. Bad plan because that didn’t help. After managing to sneak in right at start-up and turn off wireless mode, the device was stable again. Great. What good is a BlackBerry as a PDA? Don’t answer that. By now we practically had a gun pointed to our heads. We messed with a Bold before, but we can’t even use our first unit? After a quick call to one of our BlackBerry ninjas, we were promptly sent an updated software build. Now it was time to update the OS.

We opened up Desktop Manager 4.5 and proceeded to update the device. This part totally blew us away! Gone are the days of a 30-45 minute backup and update. It probably took no more than 6 minutes to backup the device, erase the applications, load the system software and what not. The only part that took a little bit was waiting for the device to initialize after everything was done. As soon as we booted up with the new OS, we were good! The Bold connected to the network just fine and we did our enterprise activation. First thing we did? Check out BlackBerry Messenger! God knows if there’s one thing making us keep out BlackBerrys… The new client isn’t drastically different but has some semi-cool additions. For instance, the layout is the same but graphics for online, away, and unavailable have changed. You can set an alert so you are notified when a buddy comes back online, and you can broadcast a message to everyone you have an open conversation with. Digging a little deeper into Messenger, we found that you can enable an option to change your status when you are on the phone, and even change your status automatically to reflect whatever MP3 you are playing on the device. Totally iChatish, but not that bad.

After Messenger, it was on to the browser. At first, nothing looked different at all. That was until we brought up BGR on it. The BlackBerry web browser has indeed been redone to act more like a web browser and not a piece of garbage 1990’s WAP browser. Pages render awfully quick over 3G, and even on EDGE. They are formatted 90% of the time correctly and images look sharp and crisp. You’ve now got new controls with the trackball. Instead of just a mouse cursor like before, the default setting is a zoom key. Just scroll over what you’d like to zoom into, press the trackball and zoom. This can also be achieved by pressing “i” and “o” for zoom in and zoom out respectively on the keyboard.

We fired off some emails on the keyboard, made some phone calls, and started to sit back, relax, and have fun with our new BlackBerry Bold. Battery life improved 10 fold when the new OS was installed, and the overheating we noticed quickly dissipated. It still gets a little warm when you’re freakin’ it, but oh well. Here’s the full review on the device and the most recent software build. We’re not basing the review on the extremely crappy builds before this.

Design:

Some might say it looks awfully like an iPhone. But not Mr. Lazaridis. According to him, every BlackBerry device is “three years in the making.” They couldn’t possibly have made the device around the iPhone since they started it three years ago, right? In all seriousness, it has a couple similar design features like a chrome border around the unit and black front, but it really stops there. We don’t think they said to themselves, “let’s copy the iPhone.” The chrome you see on the Bold is nothing more than cheap plastic that scratches very easily, though.

Screen:

We said this before, but this really is the screen to beat. It might be a little too “contrasty” at times, if you know what we mean, but overall, it steals the show. It is the most vibrant, color-rich, sharp screen we’ve ever seen on a mobile device. It can be extremely bright if that’s how you like it, or subtlety lower. The auto-dim features on BlackBerry devices let the screen adjust to your surrounding so it doesn’t disrupt you. One major problem with the screen, though? It, like the chrome border around the device, is made of cheap plastic and scratches incredibly easily. We kept the Bold in either pants pockets with nothing else in there or a BlackBerry leather holster. After only a day or so, scratches started to appear out of no where on the gorgeous display. They better ship this thing with free scratch protectors!

Keyboard:

If you know us, you know we don’t let keyboards off easy! And if there is anyone who understands keyboards, it’s usually RIM. Think of the 9000’s keyboard as a cross between the 8800 and the Pearl. The keys are pretty large in size, a little squishy, but still firm. They are not plasticky-feeling like the Curves. After only around 10-15 minutes we found ourselves typing almost as fast as were on our 8310. The layout of the keyboard is exactly the same as you’d find on other BlackBerrys. Even all symbols and other markings are in the same spot. This makes it easy to jump right into the device. The send, BlackBerry, back, and end keys are abnormally large, though. It’s not bad. It’s just awkward for some reason. They all work fine, but we can’t figure why RIM decided to make them so big. Possibly a design situation where they had an overall device size ready, couldn’t make it any smaller, and ended up filling the dead space with larger keys. Keyboard back-lighting is great, too. Just the accents, letters, and symbols light up white. Not the entire key like the Curve.

Connectivity:

Every BlackBerry users’ dream lies in the Bold. 3G data, GPS, and Wi-Fi make this a hit. Unless you’re really trying not to be found, there’s a good chance the Bold is going to help you stay connected no matter where you are. A-GPS in the Bold works wonderfully, always getting a fast and accurate lock on location whenever requested. The included BlackBerry Maps works well, but since TeleNav hooked us up, we’re using that for the moment without a hitch. Er, AT&T Navigator. If you’ve ever used a BlackBerry with Wi-Fi, it’s pretty much the same concept. Select a Wi-Fi network and off you go. This is especially useful when you’re in a low or no coverage area yet have access to a Wi-Fi hotspot. We found no issues while using the 3G cell network and Wi-Fi at the same time, though it was actually using Wi-Fi for data. You can’t use Wi-Fi if you turn the cell radio off, but you can use Wi-Fi when you have no cell signal. Food for thought? We’ve noticed that sometimes while using Wi-Fi, the device will lose connection to the BlackBerrt network on the cell network. Possibly a battery-saving enhancement?

OS:

We said this from the start… the 4.6 OS is 99% the same as your current BlackBerry. Assuming you’re not using an 8700 or something like that. Little things have been tweaked to make using the device a little easier and quicker, but for the most part, you’re basically looking at a skin on the top level. That’s not to say there haven’t been some changes beneath the surface, but for the average BlackBerry user, you’re not going to really notice anything besides the semi-pretty UI enhancements. It’s now July 15th, and even running the latest 4.6.0.93 build, we’re still pulling the battery out a good 10 times a day. Why? Between the constant java errors, and the BlackBerry completely losing service and informing us it’s “Searching for Network…”. That’s why. What’s sad is that even with this bad-ass 624MHz CPU, we still get slow downs and we still get freezes. Don’t get it mixed up, it is 100% faster than any other BlackBerry. We just can’t understand why this thing isn’t really optimized like it should be. Ah! Because the OS is from 1999. That’s it.

Applications:

Again, mostly top level stuff, but there have been a couple added applications. These include WordToGo, PowerPointToGo, WordMole, and a couple other games that have been around for a while. There’s something beneath the surface called BlackBerry Game Service, and what this does is allows true multi-player games over either the cell network or Wi-Fi. We beat the crap out of our friend in WordMole who was half way across the country. Sorry, buddy. One of our favorite applications, if not the favorite, is BlackBerry Messenger like we said before. In the updated BlackBerry Messenger, you’ll find added functionality such as being able to broadcast a message to all open conversations, letting your status change automatically when you’re on the phone, and also changing your status to reflect whatever song is playing on the media player. HTML email is obviously a go assuming you’re on a BIS 2.5 carrier or your company has hacked HTML email back into BES 4.1.5. Totally awesome feature, though? If you’re downloading an attachment and highlight that email, it will show you a status bar indicated how far along the download is. Welcome to 2008, RIM. Now could you please stop being pansies and show us a progress bar for outgoing messages please? You know, some of us actually like to send videos and pictures and what not. Oh yeah! Video over BlackBerry Messenger too, while we’re at it. Kthnkz.

Browser:

The web browser was actually one of the last things ready on the Bold as we were told. The earlier versions had a browser nowhere near what we’ve been using, and we have to say… it’s pretty darn good! It’s no iPhone, but it definitely does the job. Any BlackBerrry user whether corporate or consumer will definitely appreciate the new browser’s improved rendering, speed, and controls. It actually shows web pages how they are supposed to be shown, but the navigation can get a little tiring. Instead of the regular mouse pointer that we’ve been used to lately, the pointer is now by default a zoom in pointer. A couple clicks of the trackball, and you’ve zoomed into the web page. Sometimes the page will reformat to the screen, sometimes it won’t. Forget about Flash or anything sexy, but the browser has definitely been upgraded pretty nicely.

Battery life:

Another concern possible Bold buyers have is battery life. There’s been so much information floating around, what’s the real story? Up until around 3-4 weeks ago, every build of the OS we tried had major battery problems. Random restarts, device totally dead within a couple hours, etc. With the latest software version, we can safely say we’re getting as good or better battery life than we did with our Curve. Yes. Isn’t that awesome? Thanks to 1500mAh battery and a crap load of engineering on RIM’s part, they’ve finally got it nailed down. To give y’all a little usage detail: 300-500 emails a day, one hour of web surfing over 3G, Wi-Fi usually turned on, Bluetooth turned off, JiveTalk connected, and around one hour of phone calling (we don’t really use the BlackBerry as a phone) lasted us from 9AM until 4:30AM.

Sound quality:

RIM is trying to step it up in the sound department, and it shows. Instead of a covered speaker like the Curve, there are speaker grills on both sides of the device, and also on the top as well. Sound quality from playing back music sounds decent. Not great, not terrible. It could be a little louder, but even as it stands, music is still distorting on the loudest volume setting. Also, the speakerphone volume could definitely be louder as we found it lower than our Curve.

Call quality:

We’ve found call quality to be fantastic. It’s definitely the most phone-like BlackBerry to date. People we spoke to sounded crystal clear and they said we sounded great. The earpiece volume was also sufficiently loud, so there should be no problems there. That 3G network is also probably helping a lot with call quality as well, no?

Build quality:

This one is a tricky one. We have a production hardware unit, and the trackball can get a little shady. Then again, don’t all BlackBerrys? There are no creaks with the device, and it seems sturdy as heck. The screen could possible be an issue as it looks like it’s a cheap plastic, and the “chrome” border around the body is also a lower-grade plastic. At least it seems that way to us. Expect for the screen to be scratched to all hell, and for nicks, scrapes, and dents to show up on the device body. On our unit, the back battery cover is a little loose towards where the release button is and kind of moves in and out when you press it. We’re not sure if that will be resolved when the device is released, but it can definitely get kind of annoying. We wouldn’t call the Bold fragile but we don’t think its built as well as the Curve.

So what do you guys think? Happy with our review? Want a Bold even more now… even less? Sound off. And look for some more posts on the Bold coming shortly.

Chalk this one up to the rumor mill for the time being, but rumbles on the street indicate that T-Mobile might be preparing to flip the switch on it’s national 3G network on the 1st of October. According to the source, the carrier will bring 3G data coverage to its 27 top markets, including the cities that have already benefited from the recent soft launch of the faster mobile data protocol. Sure, it’s a bit later than the other 3 major US carriers, but if T-Mobile uses their impending launch as an excuse to bring us some tasty new 3G-capable handsets, including their upcoming Android device by years end, we wouldn’t be disappointed in the least. We’ll work to dig out some more details on this one, but keep your fingers crossed, folks.

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Thanks, K.!

We’ve got two independant tips on this date, so let’s hope it pans out to be true. AT&T corporate is still telling their Fortune 500 customers that the Bold will launch in “July/August”. Hopefully Rogers will swift kick them in the ass and get them moving. What’s holding up the Bold, you ask? Well, nothing. The units went into production a while ago and the latest software build is extremely stable. It’s all up to the carriers now. What say you, friendly Canadians? Raiding a Rogers store on June 25th for a BlackBerry Bold? Our previous Rogers release dates were spot on, so we’ll see!

UPDATE: We’re now hearing July 17th with the launch party on July 8th… go figure.

Remember last year just before the initial iPhone launch? EDGE dropped off for a while and then came back with a vengeance. Prior to the iPhone waterfall that clogged up all of AT&T’s shiny new pipes, we were seeing data speeds of up to 200 - 250 kbps on AT&T’s EDGE network in the New York area. Then the iPhone dropped. Here we are again, getting close to the inevitable iPhone 2 release and oddly enough, AT&T’s 3G services started getting spotty yesterday afternoon in the New York area. Outages sometimes lasted several hours at a time. This morning however, 3G seems to be live again in and to the west of New York City. What’s more, it looks like HSDPA speeds have received a nice little boost since coming back up. For the past few months we’ve been seeing average download speeds between 500 - 800 kbps with a spike here and there. This morning’s tests however, are yielding between 1400 - 1500 kbps. Nice. We’re now hearing that AT&T 3G is still down to the north of the city so one can only assume we’re in the midst of some rolling upgrades. Enjoy it while it lasts people; the iPhone 2 will be out soon enough and AT&T’s networks will be hammered just like last year.

Since we were the first ones to break the news about a touchscreen BlackBerry device, it’s only fitting that we follow up and give y’all the real lowdown on it! This is going to excite a lot of people, but anger many. Are you ready? The BlackBerry Thunder, as it is codenamed now, (all you "reporting" on it as the Storm are incorrect) will launch in Q3 of this year. It is a full touchscreen BlackBerry — no slide out keyboard — with only 4 physical keys. Those are the send / end phone keys, the BlackBerry menu key, and the back key. Here is the most interesting part, though: it will launch as a worldwide lifetime exclusive on Verizon and Vodafone! We’ve heard the unit will be a hybrid device with CDMA EV-DO Rev. C (for clarification, Rev C., known as UMB is practically dead. If the device will indeed launch with a 4G solution, our bet is on LTE), and GSM HSPA for traveling internationally. Verizon and Vodafone will have the same unit. Currently, the model number is the BlackBerry 9500, though it’s very early and that’s likely to change. This is HUGE for the Verizon lovers. For once they’ll get an exclusive device, but Verizon will have a sales quota for the device and if they don’t meet those numbers, we’ve heard the exclusivity will then dissolve and it’s over. This will be extremely interesting to see play out.

P.S. No, you morons, the image above is not real. Didn’t we go through this once before?

P.P.S. For futher clarification about the whole LTE thing, the chip might support it, but that does not mean the network will be ready by any means…OK?

That didn’t take too long, did it? We finally have it people — it’s alive and confirmed. The BlackBerry Bold is indeed the official name for the BlackBerry 9000 device and it should be available starting "this summer." AT&T is the first carrier to launch, but there is also a 1700MHz model coming which will support T-Mobile’s 3G data network. Here are a couple highlights:

• 1GB on-board memory with encryption.
• Tri-band HSDPA.
• Pricing in the $300-$500 range with a carrier.
• Launching on AT&T "this summer."
• Interchangable color back plates.
• 5 hours of talk time, 13 days of standby time.
• 624-MHz Marvell Tavor PXA930 processor.
• Taller and wider than the Curve.

One more shot and full press release after the jump!

For customers seeking a smartphone that makes a bold statement, Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today introduced the admirable BlackBerry® BoldTM smartphone. Crafted from premium materials, inside and out, that radiate elegance with a dramatic presence, the BlackBerry Bold is designed to give business professionals and power users unprecedented functionality and performance in an intuitive BlackBerry® smartphone. It is the first BlackBerry smartphone to support tri-band HSDPA high-speed networks around the world and comes with integrated GPS and Wi-Fi®, as well as a rich set of multimedia capabilities. From its lustrous black exterior, satin chrome finished frame and stylish leather-like backplate, to its stunning display, sophisticated user interface and newly designed full-QWERTY(i) keyboard, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone is a symbol of accomplishment and aspiration.

"The new BlackBerry Bold represents a tremendous step forward in business-grade smartphones and lives up to its name with incredible speed, power and functionality, all wrapped in a beautiful and confident design," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion.

SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE

The BlackBerry Bold smartphone’s support for tri-band HSDPA and enterprise-grade Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g) networks and its next-generation 624 MHz mobile processor make short work of downloading email attachments, streaming video or rendering web pages. The BlackBerry Bold also includes 128 MB Flash memory plus 1 GB on-board storage memory, as well as a microSD/SDHC memory card slot(ii) that is conveniently accessible from a side door. It comes with the renowned BlackBerry productivity applications, including phone, email, messaging, organizer and browser, and works with thousands of mobile business and lifestyle applications, making it easier than ever to stay connected, productive and entertained. With this powerful new smartphone, users can even talk on the phone while sending and receiving email or accessing the web, and download Word, Excel or PowerPoint files and edit them directly on the handset using the preloaded DataViz® Documents to Go® suite.

STUNNING DISPLAY

The BlackBerry Bold smartphone comes with the most vivid and bold display ever introduced on a BlackBerry smartphone. Its half-VGA (480×320 resolution) color LCD is fused to the undersurface of the lens, making images leap out with stunning definition and clarity. Pictures are vibrant and razor sharp, while videos play smoothly and web pages, documents, presentations and messages snap with exceptional quality and contrast.

DESKTOP-STYLE WEB PAGES

With its newly enhanced, high performance browser and high-resolution, ultra-bright display, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone gives users an on-the-go web browsing experience with desktop-style depiction. The trackball mimics a mouse, making it easy to navigate sites in "Page View" or "Column View" or to zoom in on specific parts of a web page, while various emulation settings allow users to choose between the full desktop-style HTML content and layout or the mobile version. Attachments can also now be downloaded from within the browser and there is support for watching streaming videos (RTSP - real-time streaming protocol).

RICH MULTIMEDIA

While it is designed to meet the extensive requirements of the business professional during the day, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone also caters to the business person’s consumer side during evenings and weekends. It features a 2 megapixel camera with video recording capability, built-in flash and 5x digital zoom. The enhanced media player can display pictures and slideshows quickly, play movies smoothly in full screen mode, and manage an entire music collection. Audio can be played over the handset’s dual speakers in rich, stereo sound, and when using wired headphones or external speakers, the media player gives the user an equalizer with 11 preset filters - like "Lounge", "Jazz" and "Hip Hop" - that boost or soften audio ranges to create the perfect ambiance.

For managing music and video, the BlackBerry® Desktop Manager software includes Roxio® Media Manager for BlackBerry® as well as Roxio Photosuite® 9 LE, which makes it easy to enhance pictures and create photo albums on the computer. For users that manage their collection with iTunes®, the new BlackBerry® Media Sync application provides a simple way to sync iTunes digital music collections with the smartphone(iii). Support for High Speed USB 2.0 allows all files to be transferred quickly from a desktop computer to the BlackBerry Bold smartphone.

POWERFUL WI-FI & GPS

For even broader high-speed network coverage, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone supports the 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi standards, ideal for use in enterprise or campus wireless LAN deployments, over Wi-Fi hotspots and on wireless home networks. A new "Push Button Setup" is included, making it faster for users to connect to protected wireless networks that require a sign on process.

Through its integrated GPS, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone can pinpoint its exact location, supporting applications like BlackBerry® Maps and other location-based applications or services. With its improved rendering capabilities, faster download speeds and ability to support simultaneous voice and data, the BlackBerry Bold smartphone even allows users to navigate while on a call.

FIRST CLASS PHONE

The BlackBerry Bold smartphone features a new acoustic design that increases the size of the phone’s audio sweet spot, improving listening quality and clarity. It also comes with numerous premium phone features including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD), Bluetooth® 2.0, with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including car kits that adhere to the Bluetooth Remote SIM Access Profile) and other Bluetooth peripherals. It is a quad-band EDGE and tri-band HSDPA handset that supports global roaming(iiii) and features dedicated ’send’, ‘end’, and ‘mute’ keys, smart dialing, speed dialing, conference calling and call forwarding. It also features noise cancellation technology that offsets background noise, a powerful speaker phone and support for polyphonic, mp3 and MIDI ring tones.

ROBUST EMAIL & MESSAGING

Like all BlackBerry smartphones, the BlackBerry Bold gives users the industry’s leading mobile messaging solution. It works with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, which enables advanced security and IT administration within IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange and Novell® GroupWise® environments, as well as BlackBerry® Professional Software for small businesses. It also works with BlackBerry® Internet Service, which gives users access to up to 10 work or personal email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts), and the BlackBerry® Unite! software for SOHO and home users.

CONVENIENT ACCESSORIES

The BlackBerry Bold smartphone comes with a variety of convenient accessories including a stereo headset, travel charger, carrying case or sleeve and USB cable. Users will also be able to personalize their BlackBerry Bold smartphone by purchasing replaceable leather-like backplates that come in a range of colors. The removable / rechargeable 1500 mAhr battery provides multi-hour usage with a target talk time of approximately 5 hours and 13 days standby time.

Accessories for BlackBerry smartphones, including leather holsters and totes, charging pods, premium earphones, the BlackBerry® Remote Stereo Gateway and Bluetooth headsets, are available through retail outlets or online at: www.shopblackberry.com.

AVAILABILITY

The BlackBerry Bold smartphone (model number: 9000) is scheduled to be available from wireless carriers around the world beginning this summer.

For more information please visit: www.BlackBerryBold.com.

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Well, we’re not sure what we think of the device just yet. We’ll have our hands-on shots and first impressions up in a bit, but for now, here are the offical specs of the HTC Touch Diamond handset:

• Size: 102 x 51 x 11.33mm
• Weight: 110 g
• Connectivity: WCDMA / HSPA: 900/2100MHz. HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA
• Operating system: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
• Display: 2.8-inch VGA touch screen
• Camera: 3.2MP, with video calling
• Internal memory: 4 GB Internal Storage, 256 MB flash, 192 MB RAM,
• Bluetooth: 2.0 with EDR
• Wireless: WiFi 802.11b/g
• GPS: GPS/AGPS
• Interface: HTC ExtUSB™ (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
• Battery: 900 mAh
• Talk time: GSM: up to 4 hours
• Standby time: GSM: up to 300 hours/100 hours with push email
• Chipset: Qualcomm MSM® 7201A™ 528MHz

What do you guys think? It most likely won’t be out in the U.S. for a couple months at best. Will you buy it? Couple more pics after the break.

Ok, here’s the full scoop: T-Mobile’s 3G data network has launched in New York City as we all know. Officially according to T-Mobile, this does include UMTS/HSDPA data. T-Mo goes on to say that by the end of the year they expect most major metropolitan cities to have coverage, but for now, it’s just New York City. Press release after the jump!

T-Mobile USA Begins Commercial 3G Network Rollout

Company Launches UMTS/HSDPA Network in New York City on its AWS Spectrum;
Plans 3G Network Launches in Major Markets Across the Country in the Coming Months
 
NEW YORK and BELLEVUE, Wash. – May 5, 2008– T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced that the company has taken the first commercial step in the rollout of its third-generation (3G) wireless network by launching its UMTS/HSDPA network in New York City. T-Mobile plans to continue the rollout of its 3G network across major metropolitan markets through the year. By year’s end, T-Mobile expects its high-speed data network will be available in those cities where a majority of its subscribers currently use data services.

“The launch of our 3G network comes at a time when 3G phones and services are more affordable, capable and appealing to our consumer marketplace than ever before,” said Cole Brodman, chief development officer, T-Mobile USA. “We benefit not only from the economic scale of 3G, but also from the extensive commercial experience of 3G in our European markets. Today, T-Mobile USA customers already have among the highest adoption of data and messaging services in the industry. Through our 3G network, we look forward to delivering a rich portfolio of new and meaningful services to enrich our customers’ lives.”

T-Mobile’s 3G network supports voice and data services consistent with available service and handset offerings. The company today offers multiple phones that are able to operate on the UMTS network. The phones are designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide the great call quality and rich communication services customers expect from T-Mobile.

Customers using a 3G-capable handset from T-Mobile will also experience faster data speeds when accessing the Web, or downloading content from the T-Mobile t-zones content portal, for example.
 
In the coming months, T-Mobile plans to offer its first HSDPA device, along with new and compelling data-centric, all-in-one devices that help make the most of T-Mobile’s high-speed data network.

The launch of the 3G network also enables T-Mobile to accommodate and serve more customers more efficiently through the use of its AWS spectrum, effectively doubling T-Mobile USA’s spectrum position, and laying the foundation for the company’s future growth. T-Mobile and the U.S. government, namely the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice, continue to work closely and effectively together to make available AWS spectrum that will give consumers access to the 3G network.

As the 3G service rolls out in targeted major markets, T-Mobile will continue to build upon its
T-Mobile® HotSpot Wi-Fi network — its wireless high-speed Internet offering that launched in 2003 — and its nationwide voice and data network, to empower customers to effortlessly stay connected using the best available network.

T-Mobile International is following a common technology path across all of its markets in Europe and the United States, from GSM/GPRS/EDGE to UMTS/HSDPA. T-Mobile USA greatly benefits from
T-Mobile International’s 3G experiences in Europe, where adoption of non-messaging mobile data is growing dynamically; and with more than 120 million customers worldwide, T-Mobile International is able to generate significant global procurement synergies.

Seriously? Remember that little bit of news we got about T-Mobile’s upcoming 3G network launch in New York? Exciting stuff, save for one small, tiny little detail. According to an internal memo that the carrier is currently circulating, they only plan on flipping the switch on the voice portion of their "next-gen" mobile network. Uh…okay. Here’s the pertinent text from the memo:

"3G is the next generation of our wireless network, following our current GSM network. In this early phase of our network evolution, 3G is a new technology for carrying wireless voice calls and supporting existing data capabilities on our network. In future phases, this next generation network will power ‘high-speed’ (3G) products and services that connect customers in new and exciting ways. … Inform customers who are interested in high-speed data that the first phase of our 3G roll out supports voice only."

Great. Just great. T-Mobz, we love you, but this is ridiculous. Your 3G coverage is rolling out years after the rest of the competition, and you can’t do us the service of making sure it supports the features that most people are looking for in a high-speed access network? No word on when they plan to turn the good stuff on, but sometime in 2011 is a safe bet.

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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!

We’ve got a couple tips on this, so…your day may have finally come, faithful T-Mobile 3Gers. If our tipsters are correct, (we’ve also confirmed this internally) T-Mobile will be launching their 3G data network May 1st in NYC. That’s Thursday for all y’all that don’t use a calendar. We can’t imagine New York City would be the only city in the country (even though it’s the best city) to receive the special 3G treatment on day one, but then again, who knows with T-Mobile. Did you just hear that? The sound of thousands of T-Mobile subscribers smashing their phones because they don’t know if they have 3G chips in them or not? If this is infact true, we should be seeing a bunch of 3G phones start popping up, and I’m betting those new Sidekicks are 3G as well…

Thanks, Nick F., and all of our other secret sources!

Considering they have yet to launch an actual functioning 3G network, T-Mobile is certainly spending a significant amount of energy securing 3G capable handsets. Upcoming network launch, anyone? Lord, we hope so. The latest to land on our shores a Nokia handset with the model designation of RM-407. The handset is tricked out with quad-band GSM radios and also sports UMTS support for the 1700 and 2100 MHz bands. It also sports Wi-Fi, making it a potential Hotspot@Home candidate. No images or further information at the moment, but there’s generally not a ton of lag time between FCC approval and product availability, so we wouldn’t be shocked to see this in the near future. That pesky network, however, is anyone’s guess.

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Thanks, Marco!

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Making yet another stop on its way into the hearts and homes of consumers everywhere, the Sony Ericsson G700 has recently been given the FCC’s stamp of approval. The device is a beast of a handset, sporting a 2.4" touchscreen display, 3.2 megapixel camera, tri-band GSM/single band UMTS, and more. One of the coolest features on this thing is the ability to jot down and save notes onto a digital sticky pad with the included stylus. Last we heard, however, the UMTS radio was 2100-mhz only, so we’re not sure if this thing will actually be launched stateside, but the FCC approval will stop the feds from chasing you down should you choose to enter the country with one of these things in your pocket.

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There is no question that the Pegasus 210 by Rock is a sweet-looking laptop. With a slim case, magnesium alloy chassis and a weight just over two pounds, the P210 is a clear entry into the micro-notebook market. It’s also no slouch in terms of specs, packing a heck of a punch into the tiny 11.7" x 8.2" x 0.6"-1.2" case.

• Intel® A110 Processor 800MHz, 512KB Cache, 400MHz
• 12" WXGA X-Glass Screen (1280 x 800)
• 1GB DDR2 667MHz
• 80GB 4200rpm ATA Hard Drive
• Windows XP Professional or Vista Business Edition
• 802.11a/g/n and Euro-spec 3G / HSDPA
• 3 USB ports
• 6 hour battery life

It also enters the marketplace at $1800, directly in line with the lesser of two MacBook Air models. Provided you’re running XP (yikes, Vista with an 800 MHz processor and 1 GB of RAM?) many would say that this puppy is a clear Air killer. Granted, Rock doesn’t have a presence in the US so don’t expect to see much of the P210 over here. If it packed US 3G though, we’d be all over this thing like white on rice.

[Via Electric Pig]

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