Microsoft announced today that it will be teaming up with Sun Microsystems on a web search deal in an attempt to move one step closer to catching up with Google. It would appear as though Microsoft is getting pretty aggressive with its partnerships and expansions this year. First, it announced a partnership with LG for future Windows Mobile devices from the South Korean electronics company. Then there was the deal with Hewlett-Packard and the plan to add a new search toolbar to its future machines. Now, the partnership with Sun stipulates that users who download the Java platform will also be prompted with an option to download the MSN Toolbar for direct web searches using Microsoft’s engine. Yusuf Mehdi, SVP of Online Audience Business at Microsoft, said, “This deal will expose Live Search to millions more Internet users and drive increased volume for our search advertisers.” Things are getting intense for the continued fight for search engine market share as Microsoft had to aggressively outbid several other would-be Sun suitors for this deal. With Google holding 63% of the search engine market and Microsoft at 8.3%, it’s pretty clear that Microsoft has a long road ahead of it.

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The mobile browser wars are on. The competition is between Opera, Mobile IE, Safari, Chrome, and the Blackberry Browser. So far, even iPhone haters would agree, Safari has yet to be touched. It only makes sense that one of the most popular browsers out there, Firefox, and their creator, Mozilla, would want to jump in on the mobile browser battle. A few weeks ago, Fennec, Mozilla’s upcoming mobile browser, was released to some beta testers but was only available for the Nokia N810 Internet tablet. While the programmers testing it out found a lot of bugs, they also felt there is a lot of promise for Mozilla’s latest browser offering. Jay Sullivan, vice president of the mobile division at Mozilla, says the reports from testers were positive and that JavaScript performance was on par with the browsers on Android and the iPhone’s Safari.

If anyone knows how to make a browser powerful, but user-friendly, it’s Mozilla. Fennec is going to be no different in terms of their end goal for the mobile browser. First, they intend to use every last bit of screen real-estate to the browser, removing all controls, tabs, and buttons that would take away from the body of the page. Sullivan says they want to “give over the entire screen of the device to the Web content, removing all user-interface controls entirely.” How will a user navigate, you ask? Certain screen controls and finger swipes (for touchscreens) will activate the UI controls in a snap. If that isn’t cool enough for you, future versions may also include support for haptic feedback. While this is all cool and snazzy, Fennec has its work cut out because the others (Safari, Opera, Blackberry, Symbian) have established themselves and are still making progress. For more info on Fennec and what its future holds, hit the link!

Thanks, Chris!

[Via UnwiredView]

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If you’re keeping score, this is the second mobile application investment fund to start plowing money into potentially successful developers. Android had a developer challenge, but that’s not really the same sort of beast. RIM’s announcement came after Apple’s highly publicized $100M iFund, and we now know what three companies RIM’s BlackBerry Partners Fund has invested in:

• buzzd
• Digby
• WorldMate, Inc.

Buzzd is basically a location-based information city guide with a splash of social networking, Digby is a mobile e-commerce service, and you’re probably already familiar with WorldMate live and their mobile travel software suite. There’s only one thing left to be said, folks… Is this the best they could friggin’ come up with? Full press release is after the jump if you can keep your eyes open long enough.

BlackBerry Partners Fund Announces Investments in buzzd, Digby and WorldMate Mobile social networking, commerce and travel applications to receive funding from the BlackBerry Partners Fund

Toronto - October 29, 2008 – The BlackBerry Partners Fund LP, a $150 million venture capital fund formed to focus on applications and services for the BlackBerry® and other mobile platforms, announced today that the Fund has made investments in buzzd, Digby and WorldMate.

“Since its inception this past May, the BlackBerry Partners Fund has had the opportunity to review thousands of business plans from companies focused on developing the next generation of business and consumer applications for BlackBerry and other smartphone platforms,” said John Albright, Co-Managing Partner of the BlackBerry Partners Fund.  “Today, we are announcing investments in companies that are leaders in the mobile application marketplace.”

“Around the world, people are becoming increasingly reliant on mobile devices in every facet of their lives, whether for business or personal use,” said Kevin Talbot, Co-Managing Partner of the BlackBerry Partners Fund.  “To capitalize on this unprecedented market opportunity, the BlackBerry Partners Fund is helping entrepreneurs drive innovation and develop cutting-edge mobile applications and services with a compelling user experience. Our goal is to be the primary destination for entrepreneurs that are building behavior changing smartphone applications and that are determined to be the architects of the mobile ecosystem of the future.”

BlackBerry Partners Fund is proud to announce the following investments:

•    buzzd, a location-sensitive city guide and social network for mobile devices, has raised $3.2 million in a Series A Preferred Stock financing with BlackBerry Partners Fund, Greycroft Partners, Monitor Ventures and Qualcomm Ventures.
“buzzd is proud to be one of the first investments of the pioneering Blackberry Partners Fund,” said Nihal Mehta, CEO of buzzd.  “With the proliferation of smart phones around the world, we are excited to be part of a revolution that leverages rich handset functionality such as location-sensitivity and increased relevance to consumers everywhere.”

•    Digby, a leading mobile commerce service provider, has raised $5.5 million Series B Preferred Stock with the BlackBerry Partners Fund and existing shareholders.

“We’re thrilled to be working with the BlackBerry Partners Fund to advance our business to the next level.  Their knowledge of the mobile market and experience with building successful companies will play a critical role as we expand our marketing and sales activities”, said Dave Sikora, Founder and CEO of Digby, Inc.  “We are looking forward to solidifying our leadership position and accelerating adoption of our storefronts in the mobile commerce market.”

•    WorldMate, a company that has paved the way for mobile travel innovation and serves over one million frequent flyers and road warriors around the world, has raised $8 million in a Series C Preferred Stock financing with BlackBerry Partners Fund, Motorola Ventures and AMC Communications.

“We share the BlackBerry Partners Fund’s vision for a mobile internet business based on meaningful, valuable and profitable consumer experiences, and are honored that they consider us one of the companies spearheading movement toward this vision,” said Nadav Gur, CEO of WorldMate. “We’ve been instrumental in helping the travel industry enter the mobile space. This funding, as well as our association with the BlackBerry Partners Fund will help us take our leadership in this segment to the next level of commercial success.”

About BlackBerry Partners Fund
The BlackBerry Partners Fund™ is designed to deliver superior returns on the compelling investment opportunity in applications, services and supporting infrastructure for the BlackBerry and other mobile platforms. The Fund’s mandate is based on the premise that in the future smartphones will be powerful portable computers for use at home, work, and leisure. The Fund invests in companies developing applications that make smartphones a compelling platform for media, commerce, enterprise, entertainment, and lifestyle applications.  The Fund is global in scope, will consider all stages of development and is co-managed by JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners.  For further information visit:   www.blackberrypartnersfund.com.

About buzzd
buzzd (http://buzzd.com) is a location-sensitive city guide and social network on the mobile device. buzzd answers the question, “What’s going on around me right now? ™” by allowing consumers to get up-to-the minute information on what’s happening at any venue right now, rate events and connect with friends and other people in the area.

About Digby
Digby is the premier mobile commerce solution provider powering the mobile channel for top retailers. The award winning Powered by Digby platform delivers an optimized shopping experience with both web and application based mobile storefronts that include easy search, browse and purchase capabilities, personal information integration, secure wallet and location based service functionality. Led by software industry veterans, the privately held company is headquartered in Austin, Texas. For additional information, please visit www.digby.com.

About WorldMate, Inc.
Based in Lod, Israel, privately held WorldMate® develops award-winning mobile travel software.  Removing stress and paperwork from the travel experience, WorldMate turns a mobile device into a personal travel companion, providing frequent fliers all the travel services they need at home, work or on the go. Dubbed a traveler’s “guardian angel,” the newest addition to the WorldMate product family, WorldMate Live, tracks every trip and sends real-time “push” alerts about itinerary updates and changes, including flight delays and cancellations.  WorldMate products also feature travel resources, such as flight schedules, weather forecasts, travel directories, maps, world clocks, a currency converter and much more.  For more information, visit www.mobimate.com.  WorldMate® is a registered trademark of MobiMate Ltd. All other trade names and trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

While the BlackBerry Bold is not yet listed as compatible on E*trade’s site, we can confirm that the app is finally ready to rock on the Bold. Woo! Bold owners who who hit etrade.com/mobile from their handsets will now be able to download version 1.1.3 of E*trade Mobile Pro, the stock information, trading and account management application issued by the popular online brokerage. We’ve been playing with it for a day or so now and we’ve got to say, it’s looking great on the high resolution Bold display. E*trade Mobile Pro allows E*trade customers to view and manage accounts, view real-time stock information, manage portfolios, execute stock and options trades using an E*trade brokerage account, check out relevant news, create watch lists and plenty more. To say it’s an awesome tool is a bit of an understatement really. The Bold version of the app is still a bit young so we’ve experienced a freeze or two but over all it works quite. If you’re an E*trade customer, definitely hit etrade.com/mobile and get your mobile trading on.

UPDATE: E*trade just dropped us a line to let us know that version 1.1.3 is not in fact the Bold-ready version, hense the glitches being reported. You might be able to download it and it’s working well enough for us but the full on Bold release is still to come. We’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready to rock.

Emoze has been a top player in the push email realm for quite a while now. Known for its consistent victories in speed battles with Blackberry, Emoze can likely push new mail to your smartphone faster than any other option on the market. There have been a few drawbacks to the service in the past such as an automatically-added Emoze signature, support for only one email account at a time and handset limitations. The third item mentioned however, has been a point of focus for Emoze in recent history however. Beyond its Symbian support Emoze has added Windows Mobile and even the iPhone to its list of supported devices. As of next month dumb-phone users (sorry guys) will have the ability to push email to their handsets with the speed and efficiency of a smartphone. Made possible with the addition of a java client, Emoze will become one of the most accessible push solutions on the market. The java version will work on a variety of popular handsets from manufacturers like Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia (S40) and will accompany several UI enhancements to all Emoze clients such as new graphics and screen rotation.

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We’ve been waiting for a long time for this update and it’s finally here! What was likely already the best music player / recommendation service available, MyStrands Social Player, has just received a major revision and trust us when we tell you, you can’t get it installed soon enough. The newly renamed Strands team has outdone themselves, and there are three key highlights to take note of:

• New native S60 application and Java version (S40-optimized) released!
• New Player UI - vastly improved interface, better controls
• Scrobbling support! Send track data to Last.fm as you listen

The post on the Strands Blog includes links to download both the native S60 app as well as the Java app. Now there’s really no reason why you can’t enjoy the complete interactive experience that Social Player provides on any Nokia (or other) device. Kudos to Strands!

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It seems like a new VoIP service pops up every few minutes in this day and age. In some ways that is a good thing as it drives advancement. In other ways, it’s just annoying. Why? Member to member calls are always free but when there are thousands of services to choose from, it’s unlikely that all or even most of your contacts are on the same page when it comes to picking and sticking with a VoIP provider. With each service comes different software to download, protocol variations and different accounts to drop money into. That’s what makes C2Call interesting. C2Call is the first service of its kind in that it is 100% browser based. No software to download, no system / OS compatibility issues and no bloatware. If you have a browser that supports JavaScript such as Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari then you’re good to go; Windows, Mac OS and Linux are all covered. The service is currently in public beta but our tests have gone very well. Registration is free and operation is fast and simple. C2Call uses a Java widget that loads right on the homepage once you log in, and it displays your contact list. To make a call, just click on the appropriate phone icon next to each contact. One of the greatest features of the service is that you can use it with people who aren’t even registered. Simply send a call invitation from within the C2Call widget and the recipient will get a link in the invitation email and he / she can begin talking to you immediately, no registration required. Future plans include calls to landlines etc, but as-is there are infinite applications where the simplicity and functionality of C2Call will prove advantageous. Check it.

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The big news at the Motorola booth, in addition to the Motorola Z10 of course, is the Motorola E8. We gave a bit of an "advanced preview" late last year, but today we got a chance to get the official run-down from the friendly folks at Motorola. The biggest attraction of the E8 is the contextual keypad. Depending on what application you’re working with, the keys display different information. If you’re in the media player, you get play / pause / etc., whereas switching over to the phone app makes those same keys display a numeric keypad. It’s clever little bit of trickery that, if not groundbreaking, certainly kept us entertained. The haptics rumble provided ample tactile feedback, and the device feels as good in hand now as it did back when we first played with it. We’re going to see a limited international launch sometime during the first quarter of this year, with worldwide availability (including the US!) to follow by year’s end. We’re diggin’ it, no joke, though the crippled EDGE radio might be cause for a bit of concern in this 3G age we live in. We see plans for future upgrades, right Moto? Check out our Motorola E8 pics in the gallery!

Click on over to our Motorola E8 hands on gallery!

What’s that you hear? The sound of another exclusive, here at BGR? Mm hmm. The Motorola ROKR E8 has often been referred to as the "morphing phone," and why shouldn’t it? The keyboard actually changes based on what function of the phone you wish to use. When you’re making a call at the home screen, you’d obviously want the full keyboard there. When you’re about to snap a flick, you get zoom in and out keys, a playback key for viewing recently taken photos, and a video camera key for switching to video mode. In music mode, the keyboard displays next and previous keys, a play / pause key, a shuffle playback key, and a repeat key. The actual device is pretty sharp, too. The entire front is like one smooth surface with a huge touch-sensitive "ROKR" (scroll) wheel in the middle. What’s incredible, is that there is absolutely no tactile feedback on any of the keys when the phone is off. It’s just a flat surface with little dots to help guide your fingers. But when it’s on, haptics lends support when you’re pressing a button, but it actually makes the keys press. Hard to explain, but there is definitely tactile feedback on a key press and not just the normal haptics vibrate. As far as we can tell, the Motorola E8 features a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth (with various profiles including A2DP), and is a quad-band GSM/EDGE device. You’ll also notice a 3.5mm headset jack at the top of the phone, which is a little awkwardly placed if you ask us. The Motorola E8 runs a newer version of the MOTOMAGX platform, so Motorola RAZR 2 V8 users will have no problem getting used to the new handset. We’re trying to track down a release date now, and we have no word on what carriers here in the U.S. will be jumping aboard to carry it at this point. All in all, it’s not going to take over the world, but with its thin and sleek profile complete with a unique keyboard and excellent call quality, we could see ourselves using this every day.

Click on over to our Motorola ROKR E8: hands on gallery!

* Note: This functionality is only available for devices with OS 4.3.0 and above.

Five months ago, we reported on the ‘Reset to Factory Defaults’ option that would be available with OS 4.2.2 and BES 4.1 SP4. Well, now this functionality is available to non-BES users running OS 4.3.0 and above. The latest release of the BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE) and/or BlackBerry JDE Components Package includes a new version of JavaLoader that incorporates this functionality in the form of the ‘resettofactory’ switch. A manual battery pull will envoke a required security wipe of the device to complete the process.

What does this do for you? IT Policy is now removed. Firewall options are, once again, configurable. Software restrictions enforced by membership on a BES, such as Event Injection being disabled, will now be configurable. However, if you decide to complete this process to bypass your BES security, when you reactivate on your BES server, it will push those same policies and restrictions back to your device. This utility is useful for post-BES usage and/or selling a clean device without BES-enforced restrictions.

Thanks to the wonderful moderation team at BlackBerry Forums for discovering this new feature. I just had time to test this on my device running OS 4.3.1 this morning, and I must say that this is a nice alternative to the ‘policy.bin’ procedure. With that said, it is worth stressing once again that this feature requires at least OS 4.3.0.

As some may say, the proof is in the pictures.

 P.S. - eBayers, you’re welcome!

The writing may have been on the wall here for quite a while, but it’s still a bit shocking to hear it from the horse’s mouth, no? James Gosling, VP at Sun Microystems, has revealed that the company is now actively trying to distance itself from the mobile-specific Java ME protocol. "We’re trying to converge everything to the Java SE specification. Cell phones and TV set-top boxes are growing up." Sounds like a death blow to us. Could this have anything to do with a certain..ahem…iPhone? It’s important to note that while the company is scrapping mobile Java right now, they expect to continue to support the software well into the next decade. That said, they will clearly be encouraging developers to work with them on the new full-scale product, so look for increased full Java SE support in the near future.

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If you really didn’t see this coming, then, well, we can’t help ya’! T-Mobile has gone ahead and made the Motorola RAZR 2 V8 officially available as of today. We got a chance to check out the OEM version a couple months back, and it looks like T-Mobile didn’t overly pimp the customizations which is always a great thing. Specs you’ll by now, like the GSM/EDGE quad-band radio, 2 megapixel camera, dual high-res screens both internal and external, 2GB of internal memory (non-expandable) and the MOTOMAGX platform we love. T-Mobile has added a couple of included songs for free, in addition to a 30-day free Napster trial and myFaves support. You can pick these up for $249.99 with a two-year agreement starting today.

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We’re not sure if we need another mobile browser in the game, after all, we’re still waiting on FireFox Mobile… Nevertheless, TeaShark has just entered the mix. The software will run on any Java MIDP 2.0 capable handset and enables you to, well, surf the web. It’s not very flashy, and still has a long way to go in terms of functionality, but we suppose a bit more competition can’t hurt anyone. The biggest problem, which is a rather glaring issue, is that the browser does not support any Palm or BlackBerry devices. We’re guessing this effort is targeted primarily at bargain basement handset owners. That said, we have no idea why anyone would choose to go with this over, you know, Opera. Sometimes choice is bad.

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What’s a good Labor Day without some juicy rumors, right? The Boston Globe, generally accepted as a reliable source of information and news, has run a story about the mysterious handset. The article’s author was fortunate enough to converse with several lucky souls who have come into contact with the handset one way or another. These individuals were not, however, able to reveal any specifics due to one of those pesky NDAs. At the same time, some Google phone fun facts, apparently revealed by a number of "reliable" sources with intimate first hand knowledge of the handset have come to light. Check out the 5 morsels below, courtesy of GigaOm:

1. Google Phone is based on a mobile variant of Linux, and is able to run Java Virtual Machines.
2. All applications that are supposed to run on the Google Phone are Java apps. The OS has ability to run multimedia files, including video clips.
3. The user interface is similar to a UI typical of mobile phones, and the image (with red background) floating around isn’t representative of the Google Phone UI. The entire UI is said to be done in Java and is very responsive. The UI, of course has a “search box.”
4. There is a special browser which has pan-and-browse features that are common to modern browsers such as browsers for iPhone and Symbian phones. The entire browser is apparently written in Java.
5. Initially there was one prototype, but over past few months Google has the mobile OS running on 3-to-5 devices, most of them likely made by HTC, a mobile phone maker, and all have QWERTY keyboards. The model that folks have seen is very similar to the T-Mobile Dash. Around 3GSM, there were rumors that Google, Orange and HTC were working together on mobile devices.

There ya’ have it. Linux, Java apps, familiar UI, crazy browser, and a HTC-sourced device. Good enough?

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It was recently reported by BlackBerry Cool that the BlackBerry 8820, when released by AT&T, will have it’s GPS features neutered. They said it was being influenced by AT&T’s deal with Apple for the iPhone and even stating that T-Mobile’s launch of the BlackBerry 8820 (the same device, mind you) would be better. There has since been a follow-up story which says, due to outrage expressed by the collective online BlackBerry community, GPS will no longer be disabled.

To clear up some of the confusion, this is NOT a new limitation to BlackBerry devices on AT&T. This started with the BlackBerry 8800, the first GPS-enabled BlackBerry device for GSM carriers, months before the release of the Apple iPhone. This is simply a software-enabled limitation very similar to locked themes that are bundled with all flavors of the BlackBerry device software packages. This is not a hardware/firmware-based limitation, as is the case with Verizon’s actual neutering of GPS functions on their devices (all of which have the GPS chipset on-board, mind you). Hit the jump for the whole run down!

Here’s a run-down of more well-known software and carrier-based restrictions found within the BlackBerry installation files:

BlackBerry.alx - Carrier themes (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, Bell, Rogers, Vodafone, etc)
Platform.alx - Push-To-Talk (AT&T)
LBS.alx - BlackBerry Maps, GPS (AT&T, Orange)
Phone.alx - TTY (T-Mobile US)

From the LBS.alx device software installation file for the BlackBerry 8820:
  <!– For 8800 series, hide the icon for Docomo (220), AT&T (102), Vodafone Germany (124), Vodafone Austria (137) and all Orange properties, including Amena (Orange Spain - 175). –>
  <fileset SystemSize="normal" Colour="True" Java="1.0" _vendorID="~220|102|124|137|119|162|142|183|147|217|175" series="8800">
   <files>
        net_rim_bb_lbs_ribbon.cod
   </files>
  </fileset>

What does all of that mean?

- The comments between the <!– –> tags pretty much spells it out. For certain carriers, including AT&T, the ICON for BlackBerry Maps is hidden. The actual BlackBerry Maps application is installed to the device.

- The XML tag attribute labeled _vendorID denotes various carrier identification numbers (as defined by RIM). The tilde trailing the open quotation for this attribute denotes an exclusion. For clarification, in the event that it’s not clearly stated above in the comment, AT&T’s Vendor ID is 102. The XML tag attribute labled series denotes what BlackBerry series is being affected by this particular restriction - in this case, the 8800 series, which includes the 8800, 8820 and 8830 (more on this later, for the naysayers).

So basically what this particular XML entry instructs the BlackBerry Application Loader (found in Desktop Manager, for those not familiar with the terminology) to do is load the net_rim_bb_lbs_ribbon.cod module (the BlackBerry Maps icon) to all BlackBerry 8800, BlackBerry 8820, and BlackBerry 8830 devices except those with the Vendor ID number of those listed.

To further this little technical exploratory, to view your device’s Vendor ID, from the home screen, press and hold ALT+CAP+H. This will display a screen entitled Help Me! (fitting for this article). The Vendor ID will be displayed atop this list; my AT&T-branded Curve showing a 102 value.

Going back to the series="8800" attribute and value, you can typically view the Device.xml file to discover more information on the devices and their XML-linked attributes, which are part of the source for these ALX installation restrictions.  With that said, for the BlackBerry 8820, the information has been placed at the top of the Platform.alx file. Listed below is the content of this, which clearly shows the series being listed as the 8800 family.

        <osfiles>
                <os radio="GPRS-WLAN" series="8800" Colour="True" Theme="Normal" JVMLevel="1.0" VoiceNotes="True" pttApp="True" Memory="Large" KeyboardType="Qwerty" Sound="Tunes8700g" SystemSize="normal" Bluetooth="True" MMS="True" GPS="True" ThemeSupport="Enhanced" VAD="True" JPN_Input="False">GPRS/rim8820g.sfi</os>
        </osfiles>

This is hardly a limitation or a restriction, but rather a strategic means for AT&T and TeleNav to gather $10 in additional monthly service fees from unwitting customers. TeleNav is worth the subscription, but some customers would prefer to go the free route (BlackBerry Maps, Google Maps). The BlackBerry 8820 has never been hardware-restricted for GPS services nor was it restricted to the use of TeleNav only.

We aren’t hearing the Germans on Vodafone or the French and British on Orange or the Japanese on DoCoMo complaining about the same restriction, nor did we ever hear a peep about this SAME issue when AT&T first launched the BlackBerry 8800 six months ago. I hope this clears up the non-issue that has become a whirlwind of misinformation and misunderstanding surrounding the release of the BlackBerry 8820 and it’s GPS capabilities.

Are you one of the diminishing few who doesn’t own an iPhone, but finds yourself increasingly envious of the Jesus-phone’s stunning display and graphic-rich applications? Corner Space seems to think they have you covered. The software company has just launched CM3, a platform they are touting as the next great thing in mobile software development. CM3 is compatible with any Java-capable handset, and allows developers to create unified applications that run across a wide variety of platforms. And you thought interoperability was a dirty word…The idea, as they describe it, seems to be to bring the "iPhone experience" to the common man. A noble goal, Corner Space, but we’ll have to see it to believe it. Check out a full rundown of the platform features after the jump:

Key features

* Data-enabled channels of engaging content

* Multi-platform support across open and closed operating system platforms

* On-device catalog for easy discovery and management of content and services

* Support for rich media, including inline video, and native codecs

* Over-the-air updates of branded user interfaces

* Powerful mobile authoring capabilities

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Yeah, we definitely brought you the Hands On! scoopage before but, it’s always nice to unbox a retail model. Build quality has improved tremendously, and the coloring of the back portion of the phone is a little darker and in our opinion looks a little sharper. The JUIX OS is speedy like always (we love the system sounds and clicks) and EDGE browsing full HTML sites provides just enough satisfaction. Well, at least compared to other Motos. We wouldn’t dare compare it to the you-know-what, though. Finally, the packaging — it is so over the top that we couldn’t not comment on it. Remember the Motorola V3i boxes where you slide out one side and the other side slides out too? This has sort of the same effect once you open the main box you’ll find a smaller box inside. That smaller box slides open and "flips up" so to speak, the Motorola RAZR 2 phone. Kinda’ nifty. Check out the pics in our gallery!

Thanks, CTI NYC!

Click on over to our Motorola RAZR 2 V8 Unboxing gallery!

Tsk tsk, Motorola…You really should get a handle on your leaks. Here we’ve got the Motorola "Marco" which is in Z-slider form. The difference with unit is that it incorporates charging contacts on the back of the device, a nice addition, and above all — WiFi! Yes sir, WiFi is in full effect. This is Motorola’s first real phone (not counting smartphones, or the ill-fated Motorola CN920 which was an outsourced project that never materialized) with WiFi and it runs atop a JUIX operating system with a couple nice visual enhancements. The actual phone functioned fine, but we weren’t able to test the WiFi on T-Mobile’s network, yet it connected fine to our Linksys WRT350N router. You’ll the inside specs lookin’ pretty much like its Z3 sibling with quad-band GSM/EDGE connectivity, a 2 megapixel camera, and the same form factor but, this unit seems a little thicker — just a bit! Release has not been speculated on, but we’re hearing the RAZR 2 is going to be Motorola’s big push this year, and not to expect too much in a major commercial release of a new product until at least January of ‘08. Whatevs, that won’t stop us though! We the best!

Click on over to our full Motorola Marco gallery!

We wanted to dig a little deeper into the Motorola SCPL pictures we unleashed a couple weeks back. It seems as if the official internal codename is "Saipan". You are now free to try and think of why they named it that. Specs have not changed. For your viewing pleasure we’ve got some newer photos of the Motorola device — even comparison pics!

Click on over to our second Motorola SCPL gallery!

It seems as only yesterday when we heard rumblings about the Motorola SCPL. Remember that first sketch? Well, finally we might have some closure with these exclusive pics and info! The SCPL (if this is indeed that model), has a 2 megapixel camera, supports video recording at a 320×240 resolution and it’s thinner than the RAZR 2. Want some more specs? No problem! Look for an extremely high resolution 240×320 display, quite possibly 16M colors, and quad-band GSM/EDGE compatibility. The SCLP runs the JUIX operating system, uses a microUSB port, has a KRZR type look to it, and is a lot slimmer than the Motorola L7. There also is not a visible memory card slot, but in the housing there was a spot below the battery where a memory card slot might be incorporated later. Since this is the first public showing of this phone, we’re guessing that it will be a little while before the announcement release! Also expect a ton of more shots from the Motorola SCPL in the next couple days! Jump on over to our gallery to check out all the shots!

Thanks, Aksd!

Well look what we finally got our hands on! The Motorola RAZR 2 in all it’s shiny, JUIX glory. The particular model we are covering is the V8 which features quad band GSM/EDGE and is a little thinner than it’s V9/V9M brethren. In addition to the countless upgrades over the original RAZR, (did you even have to ask?) the updated model truly looks like something you want to rock with! The whole "oh look its a touch screen on the outside flip" thing is a little incorrect because only the lower portion is usable. Also the touch haptic "feedback" is merely the phone, how can I say this…vibrating when you touch it? Insert endless jokes here. The now standard 2 megapixel shooter does the job, and the speakers sound really clear even displaying some pretty good low end reproduction. I might be wrong about this, but it looks like the web browser is a custom version of Opera, and it does a great job at displaying web pages. Do you have the hunger for more? No problemo, just follow the magic rabbit below to the official gallery!

Jump on over to the Motorola RAZR 2 hands on gallery!

For smartphone users, your choice of handset becomes a point of pride and personal identity. Whatever your mobile OS pleasure may be, the handset you choose often dictates the type of third-party software you’ll have access to. Handango, one of the wireless industry’s biggest software retailers, recently released its 1st quarter reports for application sales. The numbers of newly added apps are broken down by platform for easy digestion.

1. Windows Mobile Pocket PC - 843 adds
2. Symbian - 825 adds
3. Windows Mobile Smartphone - 273 adds
4. Palm OS - 253 adds
5. RIM - 203 adds

This list, in many ways, confirms what we already know: The Palm OS is dying out and Windows Mobile/Symbian users like to play with new applications. The top Windows Mobile application: MobiTV.

[Via Gearlog]

As if the ongoing battle between emoze and RIM wasn’t pointless aggravating enough, there’s another player entering the ring. Consilient, a company with offices in the US, Canada, and Southeast Asia, claims that their Java app-based service will allows users to have email pushed immediately to a their phones, with support for GMail, Yahoo, Hotmail, and any other POP/IMAP account. The free version of the service offers ad-supported push for up to 5 separate accounts, while the $15 per month premium service removes the aforementioned advertisements. Both versions offer support for .txt, .jpg, and .doc attachment viewing. The list of supported phones is, well, odd, as there are several Windows Mobile 5 devices, including the Q and, get this, support for BlackBerry’s as well, in addition to many "regular" mobile phones. Why anyone would want to use this service over the proprietary BlackBerry push service is beyond me but  then again, the world works in mysterious ways. If anyone feels like giving this one a shot, report back with your experiences.

[Via Lifehacker]

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