This one kind of came out of nowhere, but it looks like AT&T stores across the country are beginning to take shipment of a new version of the Motorola Q9h. The new handset is chrome/silver in color, and looks pretty good if the image above is any indication. To our eyes, it looks like a cross between the new Bold and the Verizon BlackBerry 8830, which isn’t a bad homage at all. Also of note, this thing is shipping with Windows Mobile 6.1 out of the box. No word on pricing or release date, but if you head on down to your local AT&T corporate store and tell em BG sent ya’, you might be able to walk home with one today.

Thanks, Conrad!

First things first, we just got word that iPhone owners can look forward to a nice little firmware update coming their way in just over half an hour. Version 2.0.2 (5C1) is due to hit iTunes at 5:00 pm EST today and will consist mainly of performance tweaks. This might be very good news however, if you’re one of the many people having issues with your shiny new iPhone 3G. You know, the select few now known as “Jobs’ 2%”. With any luck the upcoming update will resolve the “issues” he referred to in his one-liner and all will be right again in the world. In related iPhone 3G news, we also have confirmation that AT&T stores will in fact be receiving iPhone 3G shipments tomorrow. As we reported initially, these shipments will likely primarily serve those waiting for existing orders to be fulfilled and we’re not sure exactly what portion will be available for walk-ins. At any rate, hopefully the shipment will be sizable and will help AT&T catch up with the crazy demand.

[Thanks, Bla1ze and Anonymous]

What would the world do without BGR? Well, you’d probably have a lot less broken AVAYA phones, less screaming, and just all around happier wireless executives. Oh well. We just got our hands on Sprint’s ‘08-’09 roadmap, and there are definitely some goodies in here if you are a current Sprint subscriber. First up is the BlackBerry 8350i. That’s right Nextel-lovers, you’ve got a new phone to play with coming soon! Contrary to other online images of the device, it appears this BlackBerry does not have the hideous external antenna. The BlackBerry 8350i will have Wi-Fi, a 2 megapixel camera, GPS, and run OS 4.6 out of the box! Look for a Q4 release on that bad boy. For the rest of the goods including more lack-luster phones than you can count, hit the jump folks!

As you can see, the BlackBerry 8350i is based on the Curve (obviously), but you’ve got to love that internal antenna now. Wi-Fi and GPS make this the dream Berry for Nextel users. Also, you’ll be able to grab a camera-less version of the 8350i so you can play nice in restricted areas. Holla!

Let’s break down the roadmap a bit:

• The first that looks to be coming out is the Motorola i950
• Launching in early Q4, there’s the Motorola i576 and the Motorola i776
• In mid-to-late Q4 there’s the BlackBerry 8350i
• Coming up around Jan-Feb, we’ve got the Motorola “Monolith” which is some sort of entry-level SureType-type device, what looks to be a Motorola V8-type phone, and a Sanyo iDEN/GSM handset
• Later on in Q2, there’s a Samsung music slider phone, a military-spec “Immersion” phone by Motorola, and the Sanyo Pro410.

Here are the super-large handset images, followed by a couple more slides…

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”!

We just got a screen cap of the product inventory screen from a Verizon tipster. It shows that the BlackBerry Thunder, which we’ve all been reporting as a 9500-series device is correct. The specfic model — you guessed it — is the BlackBerry 9530 for Verizon. Would it be any other way? We were also told the launch date on Verizon is October 13th, and that coincides with our previously leaked info just marvelously. Now, is it the Thunder or Storm?

If you didn’t think the “Kickstart” would hit Rogers, send us over what you’re smokin’! Canada’s largest GSM provider will most certainly be grabbing the Kickstart. We haven’t confirmed the release date of the device on Rogers just yet, but we’d guess it would be around a couple weeks of T-Mobile getting it. Rogers is going to be changing the name of their “Home Calling Zone” UMA service to “Rogers Talkspot,” something the Kickstart will be able to make use of just fine. In addition to the Q3 Kickstart launch, Rogers has also got the Motorola ROKR E8 for $99.99, the Samsung T336 for $49.99, the Sony Ericsson Walkman W760a for $79.99, and finally the Sony Ericsson W350a for $29.99. All the aforementioned handset prices were on 3-year agreements — duh! But seriously, if RIM prices the Kickstart right (we’re hoping $49.99), Motorola and Palm employees might as well just hand in their resignation letters directly to RIM — it’s over! Couple more shots after the jump…

Thanks, Rogers ninja!

Remember that phone we told you about? Well, we got more info on it and it turns out that it’s going to be a Windows Mobile handset. Here’s a list of some of the specs we found:

• Windows Mobile 6.1 (though it looks like Windows Mobile 7)
• 5-8 megapixel camera
• NVIDIA chip the handle 3D graphics
• aGPS
• Q4 release date

We’re working on some more shots and info, but until then… what are you thinking? Does Moto have a chance?

We just got a hold of some internal T-Mobile snap shots, and any Sidekick will truly appreciate them. They detail the much-rumored Sidekick Gekko, from here on out known as the… wait for it… almost there… T-Mobile Sidekick 2008! That’s it, guys. Creative name right? In all seriousness, it looks like the word about customizing the shells on the device look to be true. It’s an “entry-level” device, and as such, we reckon it won’t break the bank. Here are the official specs on the T-Mobile Sidekick 2008:

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• 2 megapixel camera
• 2.6″ WQVGA screen
• Video recording
• Stereo A2DP Bluetooth
• Standard Sidekick features

Couple more shots after the jump along with some more info!

Every once in a while, we have a slow enough day at the BGR HQ that we sometimes put on our “nerd glasses” and peruse our web server logs for some nitty gritty information. As we are a fairly popular gadget and technology blog, (no, we’re not declaring war) it seems like a popular ‘first destination’ for many people who have loaded up the latest beta OS for an existing device or even unreleased devices not yet on the market.

Needless to say, over the last few days, we have noticed some interesting build numbers for the iPhone and iPhone 3G. It appears that AT&T and Apple are testing iPhone device software version 2.0.1, builds 5B101 (iPhone) and 5B103 (iPhone 3G). Although we are not certain of much more information than this little bit, we do know that testing began prior to the launch of device software 2.0 and the iPhone 3G on July 11th. We have also narrowed down the known test users to the San Francisco (40 mins from Cupertino) and Atlanta (HQ of AT&T Mobility) areas. Hmm.

Regardless, this shows that Apple has a nice headstart on what will likely be the first major update to the iPhone 3G… and perhaps we’ll even get an official iChat client!

P.S. - Don’t forget our totally awesome iPhone 3G giveaway, ok? You’ll be getting OS 2.0.1 soon enough…

Tired of the onslaught of iPhone 3G news? You’re going to have to bear with us a little longer, friends. We just got word on some semi-strange but sensible iPhone 3G shipment policies. Here’s how it goes: AT&T stores have already received most likely two shipments of iPhone 3Gs. All AT&T stores will be getting a third shipment of iPhone 3Gs tomorrow, but there’s a catch. They can’t sell Friday’s shipment until Saturday. And guess what? There’s a fourth shipment coming Saturday, and you guessed it — they can’t sell those until Sunday. While this might mean some poor souls in line won’t be getting their iPhone 3Gs tomorrow, if they don’t get there early enough, it gives everyone who couldn’t scam their way out of work a chance to live again. What’s the verdict on the policy? Yay, or nay?

Thanks, Ronnie!

We just got word that in the initial iPhone shipments to AT&T and Apple stores, they received the white 16GB version. There was news that there were no white units available in O2’s U.K. inventory, but we’ve confirmed the availability of white units in the U.S. for Friday’s launch. Now the real question … black or white? Please don’t make this into a race issue in the comments. Please.

That’s what one of our RIM ninjas are telling us! We’ve got the scoop on the BlackBerry Thunder, and contrary to most reports, we’ve been told that the unit is nowhere near being able to enter production, let alone being released. Here’s a quote: “Thunder is in no way shape or form market-ready. If Bold was any indication, Thunder won’t be ready for at least another 4-5 months.” Our source goes on to tell us that the keyboard is incredibly annoying to type on, and the screen actually shows ripples even when pressed ever-so-lightly. There is an accelerometer in here, but it goes “bonkers” when the device is moved. In its current state, the UI blinks and lags when you try to scroll, and for every key press, you have to wait half a second until you get a response. Our guy, when talking about haptic feedback, said that the screen “clicks.” We were informed there are “buttons” on each corner, so when you press the screen, you might feel one click, two clicks, or four simultaneously. We’re told these four independant buttons actually press, so you do “click” the screen. RIM implemented a touch-and-drag approach which is the only way to select on screen buttons at this point. We were also told this was the latest build of the software, and to quote him, “Most of the people who have handled it thinks it’s a joke.”

Have you heard of the new iPhone 3G? One of our Apple ninjas came through for us, and we’ve got some unboxing goodness for you to enjoy. Yes sir — iPhone 3G is in the BGR offices! First impressions? It’s black and shiny. In all seriousness, it’s very sleek, the chrome buttons look great, and it feels just as good as the first one. Our unit is not activated though, so we couldn’t actually explore anything. But then again, we’ve definitely seen OS 2.0 before. Thoughts? We’ve got some awesome detailed pictures all up in our gallery, and we even included some sexy iPhone on iPhone action shots for all y’all wanting to see them side by side. Check it out!

P.S. Hit us up if you want some video hotness on this… not sure if we’re going to do it yet.

Click on over to our iPhone 3G unboxing gallery!

Man, Motorola just can’t keep a lid on anything anymore can they? We’ve got a hold of a phone codenamed the “Napolean” and it’s a CDMA EV-DO Rev. A Q9 with full GSM world roaming capabilities. This even includes the U.S. 850MHz/1900MHz bands! Even though it’s Verizon branded and will launch on Verizon, we loaded in our AT&T SIM and away we went. We’ve found the following specs on the phone so far: fingerprint scanner (seriously, on the back), Windows Mobile 6.1, EV-DO Rev. A, quad-band EDGE, 2 megapixel camera with flash, stereo speakers, 320×240 resolution screen, Wi-Fi, and a 1500mAh battery. The keyboard isn’t as good as the first Q9 or Q9m, and the d-pad is incredibly stiff and difficult to use. Sound sounded good though, and the screen seems to be the same as the original Q9s. We’ll keep diggin’, but in the meantime, take a look at a gallery, ok?

Click on over to our Motorola Napolean Q9 gallery!

Wednesday means that your week is just about half over, but here at BGR, our work is never done. Our ninjas know that that they can never rest, and hump day is no exception. So what do we have here: how about a little Best Buy info for your viewing pleasure? One of our anonymous buddies has uncovered some info that all you Danger and RIM fans might enjoy - like a few new handsets coming your way this month from Best Buy. First, the Sidekick Gecco and limited edition Sidekick LX Tony Hawk will both be making their way to the retail giant later this month, both on T-Mobile. Inventory will be received on Sunday July 27 to be exact. On the same day, Best Buy will also be receiving what is labeled as the BlackBerry Curve Sunset; a new color of Curve for those of you you like to be a bit different. The carrier for the new Curve isn’t clear but T-Mobile is likely a safe guess. Hit the jump for more pics and a clearer view of some more stock that Best Buy will be receiving at the end of the month.

Thanks, K.!

Ooooh! It’s purdy and shiny. Yes, yes, y’all — another Motorola scoop. This time, we’re switching gears from non-autofocusness to touch screens. There’s also very little doubt the Motorola Blaze isn’t coming to Big Red. Seeing as how, you know, it’s plastered all over the thing! Big Red being Verizon for all you slow pokes.

The handset takes design cues from a number of Motorola products. It’s odly a MING crossed with a PEBL crossed with a RAZR 2. Yeah. There’s a custom OS just for Verizon (did you really think they were done junking up their devices with that red theme?) and it works decently. It’s by no means a smartphone here. The mobile web browser is ok, and that’s being super nice. Texting or writing emails with the touch screen keyboard a la LG Voyager is bland, hard to use, and frustrating. Additionally, the phone has Haptic feedback but you have to press the darn touch screen so hard you feel like you’re going to break it. Specs we found? 2 megapixel camera, EV-DO Rev. A support, GPS, Bluetooth, MobileTV, and the regular standard feature set. Best part of the phone so far? While limited, you can use the device with the flip closed. Actually kind of cool. In a really not cool sort of way. Lastly, there’s no clue as to whether the much rumored visual voicemail is in here, but we’d guess that’s not going to make it in until the last second. Want some bad ass shots of said device? Jump!

Click on over to our Motorola Blaze gallery!

By now you all have heard that BlackBerry BIS 2.5 is rolling out to U.S. carriers on June 29th. Heck, there’s even going to be some downtime. But, maybe that isn’t enough? Maybe you’d like more information. We’ve definitely got you covered in that area. We just got a hold of this presentation outlining BIS 2.5 and all the various features. The sad part? As some of you know, all the sexy stuff requires BlackBerry OS 4.5 which according to the presentation will not be available until September. That’s not to say some of you aren’t running it already, but September guys? For reals? Head on over to the gallery to check it out for yourself, but we’ll break down the more interesting stuff here for all you lazy bums:

• You can save attachments including audio and video formats.
• Full list of supported downloadable attachments are: .doc, .ppt., .xls, .wpd, .txt, .html, .pdf, .zip, and the aforementioned audio / video formats.
• File size of attachments is limited to 3MB.
• The 4.5 OS will be “available for all BlackBerry’s in September.” This includes the 8100, 8800, 8820, 8300, 8310, 8120, and the 8110. No 8320 love?
• “If a BlackBerry launches before September, it will have 4.5 software.”
• Addition of push AOL email and Hotmail/MSN accounts.

Click on over to our BlackBerry BIS 2.5 presentation gallery!

Ok, so maybe our ninjas weren’t done for the day! We have good news and we have bad news; which do you want first? The bad news is that BlackBerry users on T-Mobile have a pair of outages coming their way. The first is scheduled to be a nice 8 hour block tonight from 9:00 PM until 5:00 AM PST tonight. The second will be tomorrow for 4 hours between 11:00 PM and 3:00 AM PST. The good news, aside from the fact that the timing is decent if everything goes according to plan, is that the outages will result in a shiny new BIE/BIS 2.5 upgrade. That’s right people, it’s coming! HTML, MSN and Hotmail support, AOL push-email support… It’s always best to end on a high note. Hit the jump for the full T-Mobile slide outlining the plans.

We know what you’re thinking… but this is for reals! We’ve just confirmed this now with two high-level sources: the Bold is actually delayed until August on AT&T. It seems like AT&T and RIM are still having software issues with battery life and overheating. It has not been certified by AT&T yet. This new information goes against our previous intel and thoughts, but it really looks like everyone on AT&T either needs to wait it out, get a Bold from Canada, or think impure thoughts. What you thinkin’? RIM = FAIL? Yeah, us too.

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.

If you’re like us, you’re not giving that Tony Hawk Sidekick LX the time of day. But, you don’t want to feel left out when all the other cool kids in school are taking videos of their gnarly sk8board tricks. What’s a Sidekick-toting fellow to do? Well, the much-awaited OTA update for the LX will hit on June 25th. It will be a rolling OTA as usual (they slowly spread it out across the devices which can sometimes take up to 4 weeks) and we’ve got the exact details on what it will contain. Below is an easy-to-read version of what we were able to translate. 

• Capture videos using the new video mode
• Playback from the SD card or email attachments using the media player
• Share videos via email, Picture messaging, and Bluetooth
• Listen to songs or videos using a stereo Bluetooth device
• Send and receive photos, videos, or music via Bluetooth
• 3 IM clients & enhancements to AIM® and Yahoo!® Messenger
• Create and join group chats
• See who is logged into IM from the address book or email and instantly start a conversation
• Set a custom status message then keep chatting
• Search for friends in a buddy list
• Got more buddies than you can keep track of? See who’s online right from the address book or email, and search for friends in your buddy lists
• Select how Web pages are displayed based on preference
• PC-like, full-size layout to pan & scan while reading o Standard Sidekick screen-size layout to simply scroll down the page to read · Mini Page to zoom out on an overview of an entire Web page 
• Save images from Web pages to the SD card Personalize the way you want to surf
• Device does not restart after a download. Just install an item, and it’s ready to use
• Capture videos and share them directly from the Camera app
• Video integration for playback, send, and save to gallery
• QuickFind: search for keywords across applications to find messages or information
• Spell Checker

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!

It almost seems like we’re unearthing a new BlackBerry model every week. There were a number of doubters on the internet when we first posted news of the BlackBerry 9100 and external display. Those rants were quickly hushed when we brought you pictures of the BlackBerry Kickstart just two weeks later. The naysayers stating our pictures were of a dummy device were further pushed towards the land of mum when we posted more evidence of the flip-phone BlackBerry just days later.

Moral of the story? Believe the hype, we’re almost always right.

In similar fashion to our exclusive breaking stories on the BlackBerry 9100, we now have evidence of a couple more devices and confirmation of others. No flashy pictures of unreleased devices this time. No mock-ups, either. This post is truly for the fans who feed on news of all sorts. 

First up, just to brush the dust off an already old record, despite the lack of a physical device release - the BlackBerry Bold / 9000 / Meteor.

Next up, the BlackBerry Javelin, the non-3G Bold-looking device (with a larger screen resolution). Remember Mr. Javvy? 

Following closely behind is the BlackBerry Storm, also known as the BlackBerry Thunder, one of the most anticipated RIM devices to date. Rumored to cover both EV-DO Rev A and HSPA, in addition to being the first touchscreen BlackBerry, this should be a promising exclusive release for the collective juggernaut of Verizon and Vodafone. How do you like that virtual keyboard support?

As mentioned earlier, we bring you the BlackBerry Kickstart / 9100 / ReleaseNameToBeDetermined.

What’s this, you say? A follow-up to the yet-to-be-released BlackBerry flip-phone featuring GPS? Welcome to the party, BlackBerry Seawolf / 9110. Yes, once again, you heard it here first. We’ll go ahead and start a rumor that this device will launch on AT&T in the United States.

The one that has your pal BG scratching his head - the BlackBerry Aurora. Perhaps this previously unmentioned device is now in the R&D graveyard. The device ID listed for it is the same as the BlackBerry Storm above. And let’s not overlook the indicator this device belongs to the Pearl family. Regardless, it is intriguing.

So that’s our BlackBerry rundown for the day. Quick recap? BlackBerry Seawolf 9110, BlackBerry Javelin, BlackBerry Thunder, and BlackBerry Aurora. Happy now?

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

So, you’re on the edge of seat waiting for this fabled Tony Hawk Sidekick LX to launch, huh? Good news for you then, because we just got the full scoop on it! The device will be “previewed” starting tomorrow but won’t go on sale until mid July. Beginning tomorrow, however, you’ll start to see it on Sidekick.com and “all over the news media.” The phone supposedly has a “skateboard look and feel with a grip-tape-texture and his well known hawk graphic.” Here’s where it gets interesting for all you Sidekick lovers, though — the device will ship with video recording capability, something called play and share (obviously sharing the recorded videos), stereo Bluetooth support, easier downloads and more themes and background personalization options. This summer, all Sidekick LX customers will get that OTA and be in video heaven.

We just got a hold of Dell’s 2008-2009 Latitude notebook roadmap, and there’s some pretty interesting stuff in here! Some of the laptops contained in our slides have been seen before, but it’s always nice to see the release dates for upcoming models. In the roadmap are the following Dell computers: E4300, E4200, XT2, E6500, E6400, E6400 ATG, E5500, E5500a, E5400, E5400a. Check out some of the shots from the presentation in our gallery!

Click on over to our Dell Latitude 2008-2009 roadmap gallery!

Don’t even ask how this one showed up on our desk this morning. But it’s here, the much-awaited much-rumored 5 megapixel camera phone from Motorola with the Kodak lens. This is a slider phone running on the MOTOMAGX Linux platform, and it’s actually not the worst looking phone. There is one major issue we ran into before we even started playing with it and that’s that the 5 megapixel camera is NOT autofocus! The fact that Moto doesn’t get it is really disheartening because they could have had a decent phone in the market which they desperately needed. In terms of specs, the device is a quad-band EDGE phone (FAIL) has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 100MB of internal memory, microSD slot, and a “ROKR” type touch wheel which also serves as the 5-way navigational pad. We’re going to do a whole review on it soon, in the meantime, check out the pics in our world-famous gallery!

Click on over to our Motorola ZINE gallery!

You’ve been waiting and waiting, but finally, the wait is over. Check out our complete video walkthrough of the Nokia E71. We tried to get everything in including most of your reasonable questions that you left in the comments. As we told you, this thing is speedy and small! We even threw in the iPhone and Curve so you could really a size comparison. Now, who’s running out to buy this thing the first day it’s out?