If you’re awaiting for the impending arrival of a CDMA version of the HTC Touch Diamond, you might want to stop and consider these spy shots. What you see above is, believe it or not, a side-by-side comparison of the GSM and CDMA HTC Touch Diamond handsets. Notice something amiss? Yeah, we see it too. The CDMA incarnation is, well, rather portly. We don’t have the official specs, but suffice to say that these real world shots paint the CDMA Touch in a bit of an unflattering light. For what it’s worth the poster seems to think that the CDMA Touch sits quite comfortably in hand. We’re not so sure, but will obviously have to reserve final judgment until we can handle one of our own. Until then, consider yourselves fairly warned.

[Via WMExperts]

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We don’t have much to go off of besides this picture right now, but it looks as if LG is keeping the PRADA line of mobile handsets around for a little bit. The PRADA II, as it’s pictured, adds a slide-out QWERTY keyboard for easier text entry. Let’s not fool ourselves… the original PRADA phone wasn’t the easiest thing to type texts or emails on. We can assume the PRADA II will have 3G, a 2 megapixel or better camera, and probably some nice internal memory. Since the specs aren’t confirmed, what would you add to the device?

Thanks, Daddy G.!

Rumors have been flying around for the past week with regards to a huge move over at HSBC. The global bank was supposedly toying with the idea of ditching its BlackBerrys and deploying roughly 200,000 shiny new iPhone 3Gs to employees around the world. Version 2.x of the iPhone software has some great new features aimed at enterprise users so why not, right? We’re afraid not, El Senior Jobso. As it turns out, this rumor is just that - a rumor. HSBC has made an official public statement and clarified that it is most certainly not considering the switch. The buzz all started last week when HSBC Australia and New Zealand CIO Brenton Hush was quoted by ZDNET Australia as saying HSBC was considering the switch. According to a UK spokesperson for HSBC, no dice:

I don’t know if he was miss quoted or if it was made up, but I can put the rumours to bed now and state there is no truth in it at all. It’s simply not going to happen.

Apparently HSBC likes physical buttons and BlackBerry Messenger a bit too much to spend an enormous amount of cash on iPhone 3Gs. Had the rumors been true, this would have been Apple’s largest corporate iPhone score by leaps and bounds.

[Thanks, shlammed]

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It looks like the big guys aren’t the only ones feeling the wrath of the RIAA these days, and it’s only bound to get worse. Muxtape, a service that allows users to upload music from their personal libraries to create an online mixtape, currently services less than 90,000 unique visitors per month according to Compete. That won’t keep it under the RIAA’s radar it would appear, as the service went down yesterday with the note “Muxtape will be unavailable for a brief period while we sort out a problem with the RIAA” on its homepage. A post on the Muxtape blog provides the following message:

No artists or labels have complained. The site is not closed indefinitely. Stay tuned.

It’s funny; rather than embrace this newer wave of online music providers, it appears that labels and the RIAA are intent on destroying these emerging technologies and completely eliminating new revenue streams that have the potential to become massive. By putting a fair royalty scheme in place, the RIAA stands to pull in hundreds of millions of dollars in the short-term and this figure would only increase as internet radio stations and other online music sites continue to gain momentum. Instead, the RIAA is trying to run these sites into the ground in order to maintain the current power structure - even if that means losing out on all of this new money. Users of sites like Muxtape aren’t going to replace their “free” listening habits with purchases, they’re going to find other off-shore sites with similar functionality. Apparently for the RIAA,  “nothing” is better than “something” when that “something” helps illustrate just how useless the current record label model is these days.

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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!

After several months of rumored release dates, false promises, disappointing rumors, and unfortunate delays Rogers Wireless has finally announced that the Blackberry Bold will be available beginning this Thursday, August 21st. While this is roughly 2 months after the first rumored release dates it’s still the first chance any of us in North American will have to purchase the handset via carrier-subsidized channels. Sure, interested parties are still looking at $399 on a 3-year contract, which is a bit insane given the relative cost of other competing handsets, but if you’re as excited about getting your hands on the latest and greatest RIM handset as we are, price is secondary to actual availability. Rogers employees have confirmed that they should be receiving their shipments beginning tomorrow, so lt’s all breathe a collective sigh of relief and summon a slow clap for RIM having finally ushered this beast out the door.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

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After Palm’s mishap last week, it apparently decided to take the quiet route in announcing its upcoming Treo Pro handset. Very odd - it’s not even up on Palm’s site yet. Hopefully Palm won’t pull a Nokia and the actual launch will come with a bit more bells and whistles. You know, so that general consumers might actually be alerted to the existence of what looks like a pretty solid offering. First and foremost, it looks sweet. We obviously can’t speak to the build quality yet but this puppy looks nothing like boring old Treos past. The Treo Pro is sleek and thin with smooth lines and rounded edges. It also sports a 3.5 mm headphone jack and microSDHC support, giving it a good shot at being a usable multimedia phone. The fun doesn’t stop on the outside though; we’re talking tri-band WCDMA that will give users access to 3G (and 3.5G) networks around the world. Sorry T-Mobile US peeps, no 3G love for you from Palm. The rest of the important stuff has pretty much been covered in our specs post a few months ago. Odds are very good that AT&T will be picking it up though there are currently no details in terms of pricing or approximate launch date.

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It looks like iPhone users aren’t the only ones getting some love on the software update front. We just got word that Q 9h users have a freshly-updated version of BlackBerry connect ready and waiting to go. Of course BlackBerry Connect allows users of non-BlackBerry hardware to make use of hosted or corporate BlackBerry email services. You know, the service that Nokia recently ditched. Here’s the official word along with instructions on how to snag the update:

A new version of the BlackBerry Connect software for the Motorola Q9H is now available. Users can download BlackBerry Connect software, desktop software, and documentation to their computer, and install the new version of BlackBerry Connect on to their device. Customers can also download and install the BlackBerry Connect software directly from their Motorola Q9H. (Note: for devices running Windows Mobile 6.1 you can use the Get BlackBerry Connect shortcut on the Start Menu->IM & Email folder. For devices running Windows Mobile 6.0, please enter the following URL into the browser: (http://www.motorola.com/us/Q9h/BlackBerryConnect)

[Thanks, Christopher]

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We’re not sure exactly what we should be focusing on in this most recent round of live Nokia N79 pics; the handset or the wonderfully artistic backdrop of foliage. Well since we can’t just sit here chatting about leaves and such, we might as well talk about the handset a bit. Shown above in white, the N79 is undoubtedly the most odd Nseries handset we’ve seen in recent history. We keep going back and forth between, “eh, it’s not so bad” and “yeah, it’s bad”. These new images don’t really tell us anything we didn’t already know about the handset, although the great clarity really causes attention to draw toward the rear cover. The pattern on the back kind of looks like a Yankees uniform in desperate need of some ironing. What’s the deal with the sudden angle there fellas? JAMP seems to mirror what we all assumed in stating that the N79 is scheduled for an official announcement next Monday along with another handset, presumably the N85, though we can’t confirm either for the time being.

UPDATE: Thanks to our Chinese-speaking readers, we now know the images above (and the rest on the linked website) are fakes. Damn, these guys are getting good! Let’s hope the actual model does something about those pinstripes on the back cover…

[Via JAMP]

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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]

It has been less than one month since Palringo added its IM application to the iPhone App Store and we already have the major revision promised when it was released on July 29. The most notable addition of course, is Push-to-Talk (PTT) support. PTT, or vocal IM as they often call it in this case, is the feature that sets Palringo apart from competitors on various other platforms and now the great functionality is available to iPhone users as well. So how does it work? Just like standard PTT services, simply select a contact from your contact list and hold a [virtual] button while speaking. Finish talking, release the button and your audio recording is quickly delivered to the recipient. Incoming PTT messages can be played automatically or manually depending on your settings and they will play right from within the app. Of course Palringo also supports messaging to a variety of other IM platforms such as GTalk, Yahoo and AIM and they aren’t left out when it comes to PTT. The catch of course is that these IM services don’t support PTT so any vocal messages, just like picture messages, will be delivered as a link to the file hosted on Palringo servers. The recipient can then easily click the link and view your image file or play the PTT message right from within any standard browser. Of course the addition of PTT support doesn’t change the fact that the app is free and since all iPhones are sold with unlimited data, you’ve now got unlimited PTT as well - to any handset running Palringo on any network! Take that, carriers.

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Windows users rejoice; the iPhone Dev Team has just released a new treat for you. The appropriately-named QuickPwn in its finished state will allow users to jailbreak their iPhones quickly and easily with only a few simple steps. For the time being, the Dev Team is clear in stating that the current version is still in early development phase though most features are in working order.

What you’re getting here is a development version (mostly feature complete) of an upcoming tool that we see as a complement to our current PwnageTool. It’s not ready for everyone just yet, but with a bit of expertise, it should work nicely for those of you adventurous enough to try it.

Currently QuickPwn requires your device to be running version 2.0.1 of the iPhone/iPod firmware. This requirement will change in a subsequent release.

QuickPwn uses a new jailbreak technique that “has been available to the iPhone research and hacking community for about 5 days now (if you looked hard enough).” Apparently that’s all the time it took to determine that the solution was ready for prime time. So far, reports are decidedly positive as many claim the tool to be working just fine. All the same, the less tech savvy and those with weak stomachs should likely hold off until a release version is issued. 3G Unlocking is still not supported by the way, so we’ll all have to sit tight hoping that the Dev Team will soon prevail.

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T-Mobile customers, it’s finally your time in the sun. Sure you might have been neglected in the past but now it’s time to dry your eye. Forget about the Samsung T919, although it is pretty sexy; you’re about to get a sweet handset that the entire world is waiting to check out. Whether it goes by the name “Dream” or “G1″, HTC’s first Android device is now confirmed to be rocking a T-Mobile US-compatible 3G radio. Yes, it was already rumored but it’s nice to see some confirmation come by way of the FCC. As for the handset itself, sure we would’ve liked to see that touchscreen display take up a bit more of the device’s face but hey, at least we know you’ve got some rip-roaring 3G on deck. Well, that assumes you live in the still-sparse coverage area. Hopefully the Android OS, a solid 3 megapixel camera and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard will be enough for those outside of 3G coverage. Nothing has come up that suggests the projected mid-September release is inaccurate so it’s definitely time to start checking your contract status and tucking some extra cash away.

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In tears. Was unloading my car, opening the trunk with the Bold in the same hand as the one I was opening the trunk with. Then “BAM.” It fell out of my hand about two feet onto pavement. My life flashed before my eyes. I quickly went to rescue the Bold. This is what the damage was. Heading to CNN.cn to buy new parts. Hate my life. Hate the Bold build materials even more. Word of advice from your friend BGizzle? Buy a condom skin for the Bold. As big and ugly as it makes the device, you’ll appreciate it in the end. Unless you have a stockpile of five Bolds like we do, then you can just pop open a new box and you’re good to go. Hit the gallery if you want to see the beating that the Bold took…

Click on over to our pavement vs. BlackBerry Bold gallery!

Hello T-Mo! Word on the street is that T-Mobile US users have a treat coming their way via Samsung. Call it T919, Tocco, Roxy or whatever else you want; Samsung’s feature-rich touchscreen will be a fantastic grab for any T-Mobile users as long as they can do without a smart OS. What’s more? This bad boy will supposedly come packing the coveted 1700 MHz WCDMA band. A quick look at some more spec highlights:

• 5 megapixel camera
• Front-facing secondary camera
• GPS WITH voice command
• Streaming video support
• Video ringtone support
• Capacitive touchscreen
• MicroSDHC support
• Brushed aluminum back
• Consumer email functionality

There are also rumors of WiFi being included as well but absolutely nothing to substantiate that claim at this point. No word yet on pricing or an official announcement but expect this puppy to be snatched up pretty quickly once it is released.

UPDATE: While it might look like there is a front-facing camera above the light sensor, we’re getting word from TmoNews that it most likely isn’t. Video-callers will have to keep their fingers crossed.

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As traffic to Pandora continues to climb at an impressive rate, far more steep than that of competitor Last.fm as seen in the chart above, the popular custom internet radio provider may be a breath away from closing its doors. Why, you might ask? The answer is not very far from being obvious these days. Wherever there is an emerging revolution in the realm of music consumption, loved by many yet still on the brink of defeat; the RIAA is never far from the scene. Pandora’s current woes fit the mold precisely. Pandora usage is at all all-time high and usage increased by almost two million visits per month from June to July alone, yet elevated royalty rates are making it nearly impossible for the company to stay afloat. After last year’s decision that internet radio provider per-song royalty rates would double there has been an ongoing battle between providers and SoundExchange, an unincorporated division of the RIAA tasked with collecting royalties from digital providers such as satellite and internet radio. The decision determined that the rate would increase incrementally from .08¢ per song per listener in 2006 to .19¢ per song per listener by 2010. While tiny fractions of a penny seem insignificant, they add up quickly. Pandora projects that it will pay out about $17 million this year, or a staggering 70% of its revenue, in royalties. Long story short, it is losing money. The problem is even worse for smaller internet radio providers, where increased royalty rates are expected to amount to between 100% and 300% of annual revenues. Translation: By way of SoundExchange and lawmaker support, the RIAA would rather wipe internet radio off the map with outrageous royalty rates than find a fair way to make some money for its clients (labels and, theoretically, musicians). Why is that? There is no way for us to say but as per-song performance royalties are positioned to wipe internet radio off the map, it should be noted that terrestrial radio pays no such fees.

Tim Westergren, Founder of Pandora, had this to say to the Washington Post:

We’re funded by venture capital. They’re not going to chase a company whose business model has been broken. So if it doesn’t feel like its headed towards a solution, we’re done.

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For some die-hards, having a glowing Apple logo on the back of your laptop is hardly enough to show the world that you’re “cool”. After all, In this day and age everyone and their grandmother’s nurse is rocking a MacBook. So when it comes to separating yourself from the Apple-wielding pack, here are a few suggestions from your buddies at BGR:

1. Get an Apple logo tattoo
2. Get an Apple logo tattoo… on your face
3. Paint a giant Apple logo on the side of your house
4. Undergo reconstructive surgery to make yourself look like Steve Jobs
5. Mod your iPhone with a glowing logo on the back

While we some might say each of these options are equally ridiculous, a group of Russian modders would disagree; at least with number five. They have apparently perfected a case mod whereby the Apple logo on the back of the iPhone will glow when the phone is in use. Riiiiiiight. For the time being, it looks like this mod is only good on the first generation iPhone. Sorry kids, if you want to be this sexy you’ll have to sacrifice speed.

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Ouch. Our friends north of the boarder just got a bit of a rude awakening as the Bold received pricing for the Rogers network. How does $400 CAD sound? That’s right folks, according to the leaked flyer pictured above Canadian BlackBerry fans on Rogers will be paying through the teeth. Let’s see, with the declining US dollar that works out to about… carry the three, multiply by… $6,482 USD. Ok, those calculations might be a bit high but $400 CAD is still a far cry from competitive with the iPhone 3G as Rogers customers were hoping. That hefty price tag will also come with a three-year contract and, though this hasn’t been confirmed yet, your soul.

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This update has been unofficially floating around the interwebs for a little while, but if you’re the type that likes to color inside the lines and only deals with officially sanctioned firmware, today is your lucky day (assuming you also happen to own a Moto Q9h). Motorola has loosed their Windows Mobile 6.1 update to the general public, bringing a moderate number of new features  complemented by slightly improved device response and speed. The update itself is a pretty straightforward affair, though make sure you do a full back up before clicking on the “install” button. Hit the link for a direct line to download the new software, and let us know how the update process goes.

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ROM Download

Word on the street is that Google recently held a briefing where it discussed the coming of Android, which may be sooner than we thought. Apparently the world is set to get its first taste of Google’s mobile juice on September 17; actually, only T-Mobile US customers will be able to partake. T-Mobile has apparently scored highly-coveted exclusive rights to sell what has been dubbed the HTC G1, the first mobile handset that will ship with the Linux-based Android OS. The rub of course, is that it will only be a T-Mobile exclusive for a week as the G1 will supposedly become available to the rest of the world on September 24. That may seem a bit odd but it’s actually very smart; T-Mobile has essentially placed its name in any and all Android coverage between now and the release. Smooth. Alleged specs for the HTC G1 give it a massive 5″ x 3″ touchscreen display, a 3 megapixel camera, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and 3G connectivity though we can’t say which networks it will be compatible with. The logical guess might be T-Mobile 3G compatibility due to the launch schedule but then again, the carrier hardly has nationwide 3G coverage. T-Mobile might be the only choice however, if the G1 is to have any US 3G compatibility. AT&T has not yet officially signed on to peddle Android-powered devices, nor has Verizon Wireless for that matter. At the same time, we have to imagine it won’t be long before they jump on board. In terms of pricing, there will supposedly be a discounted price of $150 during the first week of availability through T-Mobile. After that, the price is expected to jump up to around $250. T-Mobile has not confirmed any of this but if it is true, expect the advertising to start rolling out very soon.

[Via Wired]

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Back in May we showed you the first live images of the upcoming Palm Treo 850 and shortly after that we ran down the spec highlights. It looks like everything we showed you and reported is pretty spot on except for one thing: the name. Palm will apparently be dipping outside of its convention and slapping this sucker with a “Pro” moniker rather than the digit format we’re used to. Fair enough. As good as this handset looks, we’re sure the fellas over at Palm are eager to get it out to market. A bit too eager perhaps? Someone over at Palm jumped the gun yesterday and the Palm Treo Pro made its debut on the Palm website a little ahead of schedule it would seem. The Treo Pro portion of the site was pulled down pretty quickly, but not quickly enough of course. Hit the jump for two full screen captures from Palm’s boo boo along with a little reminder of what this puppy looks like in the wild.

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We’ve semi-confirmed this with two people, so we’re pretty sure this is legit. We got word that beginning August 21st all AT&T corporate stores will be receiving stock of iPhone 3Gs. The stock availability, as we’re told, is based upon existing direct fulfillment orders being filled. So while there might not be an abundant amount of iPhones floating around, this should make it a little easier on anyway too scared to go to an Apple store. What do they feed the people that work there?

Thanks, Mike!

Usually carriers wait until a device has been on the market a while before re-releasing it in myriad colors. If these promo shots are to be believed, however, it looks like Sprint might be planning a preemptive color strike. The shots depict the upcoming Sprint version of the HTC Touch Diamond in full red regalia. The black is pretty becoming on the Diamond’s diminutive exterior, but the red is certainly looking to be an attractive option. As with all rumors, it’s entirely possible that this is a Photoshop dupe job, but we wouldn’t be shocked if the red Touch Diamond dropped alongside the black when it finally hits store shelves sometime in the next month or two. Specs are expected to be identical to the black version, which is to say the handset will still be a pretty formidable presence and should slot in at the top of Sprint’s smartphone lineup.

[Via WMExperts]

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There’s a whole list of questions waiting to be answered; If a BlackBerry is blue, is it a BlackBerry? Did Jennifer break up with John, or did John break up with Jennifer? Has Bobby Flay ever actually won a Throwdown? We’re not sure guys, but we will be able to give you the answer to who won the T-Mobile Sidekick and our custom BGR shell! The winner is Erik, “aka trujee”. Enjoy the ‘kick, and make us proud when you rock that BGR shell!

In the world of Web 2.0, “aggregate” is the word of the month. It seems like 50 new services pop up every day trying to make a business out of aggregating data from other services. Some are mildly successful and a handful experience big success but most just flounder and flop. Why? Because trying to start a business based on other people’s web services is a tricky game. Among the companies that have found a terrific niche to which an aggregation model can be applied, is TicketStumber. This, people, is one of our new favorite sites. TicketStumbler is a tool for finding tickets to any and every sporting event you can think of (concert and theater events will be coming within the next few months). The site has a brilliantly simple and smooth UI, and lets you search or browse events by team, date, region and more. So why is it better than StubHub? Apart from being much more logical and therefore more usable, TicketStumbler does not sell tickets nor do its users. The site pulls in ticket listings from a variety of sources such as StubHub, RazorGator, Empire Tickets and Ticket City, and lists everything on one clean page. Check out what’s available along with prices, compare listings with the on-page seating charts and then choose the tickets you want. Once you click the purchase button you will be forwarded right to the appropriate vendor page. Not hassle, no fuss. Beyond form and function, perhaps the best part about this service is the founders. This Y Combinator-funded team is very, very responsive and thrives on feedback. Case in point: v1 did not include seating charts which made for a bunch of back-and-forth as users looking to compare seat placement as opposed to just prices. They received some feedback to this extent and update the site include seating charts. How long did it take them to respond and implement the changes? Two days. No that’s customer service…

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We’re not entirely sure what this has to do with news about phones, but PhoneNews seems to have managed a bit of inside info with regards to an upcoming MacBook Air revision that many have seen coming for a while now. According  to the rumors, the external design to the ultra-slim lappy will not undergo much of a makeover if any (and why would it?). The guts however, are seemingly in for a good upgrade. Starting things off, the custom Core 2 Duo will be bumped up to a Penryn-class Core 2 Duo and a bigger battery will be feeding it juice. The new model will ship with a 60W power adapter to compensate. The standard hard drive version looks like it will be available in two sizes, 120 GB and 180 GB, but there is no word on the capacity of the revised SSD version though the pricing will likely be in the same ballpark as the current version. According to the article, Apple resellers have already been notified of the impending upgrade which means we could be seeing it hit the market fairly soon.

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Alright AT&Tizzle, you won. You’ve blocked people from accessing BGR on your network (unless they are pretty high up), so we’re blocking you. That’s right. All the higher-ups will no longer be able to surf BGR. They’ll have to resort to viewing our scoops on the thousands of sites that pick them up. It was fun while it lasted, but we have a feeling you’ll miss us a lot more than we’ll miss you.

UPDATE: Looks like we’re frandz again. AT&T has removed the block on BGR! Thanks, tipsters!

ZDNet Australia certainly seems to think so. According to the site, Global Bank HSBC is considering ridding themselves of their reliance on the BlackBerry, opting instead to transition their workers to iPhones. If this goes through, it could result in a bulk order of up to 200,000 iPhone units which would most likely rank as the highest mass purchases of the handset to date. The fact that a company like HSBC is even considering the iPhone is testament to robust new Enterprise features in the new 2.0 firmware. The move would be a massive boon to Apple, both in terms of sheer sales as well as public perception, and could conceivably convince other firms to consider a similar move. While we certainly won’t see the BlackBerry disappear any time soon, RIM might want to consider pushing out the Bold before the end of the decade, as product delays like this can’t do much to bolster confidence in the firm’s desire and ability to keep up with the times.

Thanks, Grouch, and everyone that sent this in!

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Yep, this has Nseries event written all over it. Awkwardly secretive, selective audience, decent budget; when it comes to making bloggers feel special Nokia will always be the king. This coming Monday at 3:00 am EST Nokia will be holding a private online event that will showcase two upcoming Nokia handsets a week ahead of the official public Nokia announcement. The online shindig will will cover all the details about these two new handsets and will likely involve a couple of product managers to field some inquiries. Now we’re not betting men here at BGR but if we had to venture a guess as to which handsets will be announced it would have to be the N79 and the N85. The N79 as you recall is a bit of an ugly duckling, mildly reminiscent of the N82. Specs are pretty much unknown at this point beyond a 2.4 inch QVGA screen, a 5 megapixel camera and Feature Pack 2. The N85 on the other hand, is pretty much an open book at this point after having passed through the FCC recently. Tri-band WCDMA, 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, integrated FM Transmitter and GPS and dual-slide form factor a la N95 cover the highlights. We’d like to think that the 5800 XpressMusic might be announced in place of one of the aforementioned handsets but it’s likely not in the cards. Some day…

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Well, the Associated Press has set the internet buzzing with news that Apple has struck a deal with Best Buy to offer the iPhone 3G in its nationwide retail stores. But wait a minute… That story sounds familiar. Where oh where might we have heard about this before almost two months ago? Oh well, we’ll let you know if we happen to remember. In the meantime, would-be iPhone 3G owners will have a third option when it comes to scoring a shiny new iPhone 3G. Beginning September 7, each and every one of Best Buy’s 986 retail locations across the country will begin selling the new iPhone and activating the handset on-site. No, you still won’t be able to snag one without a contract but that should be an option later this year if you’re willing to pay a $300 premium. So if you were having trouble deciding whether to swing by your local Best Buy or the Circuit City directly across the highway, your decision might be a tiny bit easier come September. Look for this internet buzz to happen all over again soon when Radio Shack makes a similar announcement - assuming it didn’t drop the ball during negotiations.

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