Cell Phones

We’d heard a few rumors of some new prepaid offerings from Verizon recently, but it now looks like the carrier could really be about to expand things in a big way — at least if some purportedly authentic leaked documents are any indication. Apparently received by Android Does from a helpful tipster, the documents list a whole new lineup of prepaid phones, including a slew of BlackBerrys, the Palm Pre and Pixi Plus, and just about every Android-based phone Verizon offers (including all of the Droids and even the yet-to-be released Samsung Fascinate — again listed for September 9th). While there’s no indication of prepaid pricing for the phones themselves, they would apparently be available with an unlimited $30 a month data plan, which would have to be tacked on top of a minimum $45 a month voice plan. Yeah, that’s pretty aggressive for Verizon any way you slice it — maybe too aggressive to be true?

[Thanks, Bryan]

Update: Well, it looks like this chances of this happening just got a whole lot better — head on past the break for a shot we received of a Verizon Prepaid BlackBerry Curve box. If you look closely at the back of the box, you’ll also notice that the pricing matches up with the leaked documents, including monthly plans from $45 to 75 a month, and unlimited email and web for $30 a month. What’s more, while there’s no shots just yet, we’re hearing that the prepaid Droids are also a go (with the same plans), and that at least the Droid 2 has been specifically mentioned.

Update 2: As if that wasn’t enough, we’ve also now gotten a handful more tips confirming that this is the real deal, and that it will apparently include BlackBerry, Android and Palm phones only (at least when it comes to smartphones).

Update 3: And just in case you still don’t believe us, we just got screenshots of Verizon’s inventory system listing all the current Droids, the LG Ally, the Motorola Devour, the Palm Pre / Pixi Plus, and a host of Blackberrys as pre-paid capable phones. Check it in the gallery.

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SOURCE:Android Does

It was facing an August 31st deadline before India banned BlackBerry service in the country, but it looks like RIM has now managed to avoid that scenario — at least for a little while. According to India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, “RIM have made certain proposals for lawful access by law enforcement agencies and these would be operationalized immediately,” and that “the feasibility of the solutions offered would be assessed thereafter.” Details are still a bit light beyond that, but India’s assessment will apparently come after 60 days, and there’s still no guarantee that we won’t end up back at square one at that point. Interestingly, India is also still raising complaints about Gmail and Skype, with it now saying that it wants Google and Skype to set up servers in the country that would give it greater monitoring capabilities.
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SOURCE:The Globe and Mail, NDTV

We feel your pain: you love your BlackBerry at work and your iPhone for personal use, but as hardware goes, nothing gets your motor running quite like the Pre’s pebble-esque shell. Trust us, we’ve all been there! Well, a new clone out of China seeks solve all your technological woes by combining an iOS-inspired user interface and the Pre’s body — with an iPhone home button thrown in for good measure, of course — and when the time comes to throw on the suit and tie and head to work, you can switch the UI over to BlackBerry mode. As far as we can tell, it still functions like an iOS clone here, but at least the skin will remind you of the good ol’ Bold days. Looks like you can’t buy this thing online, but considering how well the software works in most of these things, it’s probably for the best.
VIA:MIC Gadget
SOURCE:m8cool

It’s felt almost as if the BlackBerry smartphone rumor mill has been a little too quiet — dare we say burnt out — since the Torch hit the scene (BlackPad notwithstanding, of course). That’s all changed with a pair of interesting leaks care of Boy Genius Report. Behold a successor to the Bold 9700, the R020. The tri-band UMTS / quad-band EDGE device is gonna disappoint some with the same 624MHz clockspeed and 2.44-inch 480 x 360 screen, but it does have twice the RAM (512MB), a 5 megapixel camera with AF and flash, and of course runs on BlackBerry 6. If the purported leaked slides are correct, a device of such magnitude should be launching in the October timeframe. Looking to the CDMA side of things — which means likely both Verizon and Sprint — we’ve got a 9670 “Oxford” (at least by codename) flip phone with a full QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera, 360 x 400 internal display (240 x 320 for the external), usual amenities like WiFi and GPS, and the hip new BB6. No touchscreen on either phones, as far as we can tell, but perhaps that’s a blessing for those that fret smudged screens.
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SOURCE:Boy Genius Report (1), (2)

Celebrity Nerds confirms what you always knew, deep in your heart of hearts: that stars are nerds like us. Send in your own confirmations of this fact right here.



Oh, Justin Timberlake. Why does he insist on confusing us? Known BlackBerry user (plenty of photographic evidence to back this one up) JTimbs recently got our hearts all a flutter when he tweeted — about Entourage, no less — from the Twitter for Android app. Wait, what? Android? Yes, that’s right. So, of course we’ve spent the last hour doing ‘research’ on the internet searching desperately for photographic evidence. What did we find? Just a photo culled from the top of Celebrity BlackBerry Sightings — but this is no BlackBerry, friend. No, they’ve got it all wrong, if you ask us. Timberlake, known Sony spokesperson, appears to be holding an Xperia X10. Of course, that raises an even more troubling question — Twitter for Android works only on devices with OS 2.1 and above, so the X10 running its current version of 1.6 wouldn’t cut the mustard. Unless Justin is getting special treatment from Sony with an Eclair device? Our heart just skipped a beat.

Update: Just to clarify, Timberlake’s tweet did not come from the X10′s Timescape app. As you can see right here, those tweets are identified as coming from “Sony Ericsson X10.”

[Thanks, Trucker boy]
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SOURCE:Twitter, X17 Online

Despite whatever other tablets Verizon may have on the way, it showed off a new trick for FiOS TV at a press conference today by streaming live TV and video on-demand to the iPad. NewTeeVee grabbed the above picture of the app, which Chief Information Officer Shaygha Kheradpir says brings the same software from its set-top boxes to the iPad and other screens. That hasn’t stopped potential licensing issues with offering video on off-TV devices, but Reuters reports the company doesn’t expect to pay any additional fees to programmers, probably because the app will only work from subscriber’s homes. While live TV streaming is a big draw, it also showed off a video on-demand app called FlexView due later this year for Verizon’s new Android phones, the Blackberry Storm and Windows Mobile 6.5 (other platforms due later on, it will work on other mobile networks as well) that would let videos purchased/rented via the cable box or website be downloaded onto up to five different devices, while its if FiOS beats Cablevision to the punch.

Update: ZatzNotFunny pointed out a video of the demo posted by Steve Donohue on YouTube, check it out after the break.

VIA:ZatzNotFunny
SOURCE:NewTeeVee

Practically everything we’ve heard — both officially and through tipsters — lines up with information coming out of Phone Arena this week detailing a truly Google-heavy upcoming Fall and Winter release schedule for our friends at Big Red. Starting next month, it seems that we’ll see a global version of the just-launched Droid 2, possibly with a white option (though it seems this could also be the R2-D2 model), and the Motorola WX455 we’d leaked has been named “Citrus” and will (as you probably could’ve guessed) target the low end of the market and the young’uns who are looking for an affordable way to get into Android; as WWAN-enabled laptops go, they’ll be picking up the Dell Vostro V13 and the HP Pavilion DM1.

Follow the break for the rest of the action!

[Thanks, something we’ve heard a bit about — that uses BlackBerry 6 but is said to still carry over the Curve 3G was also on tap, and it looks like we’ll finally see that in October as well. Samsung should be coming in with a three-pack of Android models here, including the Fascinate alongside midrange “Continuum” and low-end “Gem” models. Not to be outdone in the Android arena, Moto is said to be introducing an XT610 model that basically looks like a lower-end version of the Droid X; they’ve yet to roll out a midrange Android slate on Verizon, so that’d make some sense. There’s also a device called the A957 “Sick” floating around — which we really hope isn’t a retail name, obviously — that is supposed to be a high-end model and may end up being the device we’d known as the Droid Pro. Oh, and remember how the Pre Plus just went out of stock on Verizon? That lines up nicely with some talk that the Pre 2 is being prepped for an October release, too — possibly to correspond with the unveiling of webOS 2.0, if we had to guess.

Phone Arena goes on to say that those Entourage e-readers we broke the news on are actually destined for a November release, not September as we’d originally thought; they’ll be coming in two sizes, the original Glacier that T-Mobile is testing. Finally, we should be seeing these long-discussed tablets: one from Samsung called the i800 and another smaller model from Motorola tentatively labeled the “Stingray.”

It’s definitely notable that practically all of the intel that we’ve received from trusted tipsters in the past several weeks lines up with this roadmap, so we’re confident that it’s pretty accurate; of course, launch dates have a nasty tendency to slip ad infinitum, so we won’t be counting any chickens ’til they’re hatched.
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SOURCE:Phone Arena

Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we have mobile phones in our sights — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month.

Back in our day, the only “mobile phone” at school was the one that broke off the dorm wall after our roommates got a little too rowdy, but nowadays, a capable, high-power handset is quickly becoming a must-have for students of all ages. Regardless of your budget, your parent’s budget, or your little one’s budget, we’ve got options that should help with studying, gaming, music, and maybe even the occasional call home.

On the cheap

Palm Pixi Plus Sure, the Pixi wasn’t the best webOS-based phone even when it was brand new — but it’s really hard to argue with a free smartphone, particularly one running a modern (read: non-WinMo) platform. Add in the fact that both Verizon and AT&T are selling the Plus version with WiFi, and you might have all the makings of the perfect first smartphone. Key specs: 2.6-inch 320 x 400 display, 2 megapixel camera, 8GB memory Full review - Price: Free on contract at Nokia Nuron Like the Pixi Plus, the Nuron is a compelling choice mainly because it’s free — and it includes Ovi Maps Navigation at no charge. Full review, free on contract at BlackBerry Curve 8520 An optical pad, great keyboard, and BBM make this a great choice for the future corporate raider in your family. Free on contract at T-Mobile

Mid-range

HTC Aria AT&T’s locking down of Android is an ongoing annoyance, but when you consider the inescapable realities that a ton of people use AT&T and there really aren’t that many 850 / 1900 Android devices available, that puts things in perspective. We loved the Aria’s shape, size, and cute design touches, the modern midrange processor, and the fact that HTC stuck with an HVGA display despite dimensions that probably could’ve let them justify stepping down to QVGA. And naturally, Sense works great as usual. Key specs: 3.2-inch HVGA display, 5 megapixel camera, 512MB expandable storage Samsung Intercept Three words: available in pink. For some back-to-schoolers looking for a way to get into Android, that might be the only thing you need to hear. $99.99 on contract from Sprint

BlackBerry Bold 9650 The promise of a future BlackBerry 6 upgrade makes this phone — considered RIM’s top-of-the-line QWERTY CDMA model — worth a look. Hands-on, $99.99 on contract from HTC EVO 4G For our money, the EVO 4G is still one of the best phones you can buy, and it may very well be the best Android device currently sold anywhere in the world. And if you’re in a WiMAX market, it just gets sweeter. Key specs: 4.3-inch WVGA display, 8 megapixel camera with 720p video recording, 1GB expandable storage Full review – Price: $199.99 on contract from Motorola Droid X It’s hard to find a better touchscreen typing experience than what the Droid X offers, thanks to the unusually expansive display and multitouch capability. Full review, $199.99 on contract from Apple iPhone 4 No back-to-school phone buyer’s guide would be complete without an iPhone mention — but with the Apple Store quoting 3 weeks for delivery, you’d better order now. Full review, $199 to $299 on contract from AT&T or Apple

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Amazon’s been known to have killer Torch, arguably RIM’s best smartphone to date (for what that’s worth), is just $99.99 on contract. That’s just about half off its usual entry fee with a two-year contract, so if you’re in the market to upgrade your current Bold for something with a little more slide, now’s your chance!

[Thanks, Kramer]
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SOURCE:Amazon

The cart left the gate on Thursday and here comes the horse: the official BlackBerry Curve 3G (model 9300) announcement just landed in our inbox. So in addition to sporting (800/850)/1900/2100MHz or 900/1700/2100MHz HSDPA data, quad-band GSM, WiFi, and GPS, we now know that if you buy this BlackBerry 5 device today you can upgrade to BlackBerry 6 “in the coming months.” Assuming your carrier can get its act together, of course.
Show full PR text
RIM Introduces the New BlackBerry Curve 3G Smartphone

New addition to the globally popular BlackBerry Curve series is fast, easy-to-use, richly-featured and BlackBerry 6 ready

Waterloo, Ontario – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the new BlackBerry® Curve™ 3G, an exciting addition to the globally popular BlackBerry Curve series of smartphones. Designed to provide the growing mass of smartphone purchasers with a distinctly powerful, approachable and affordable choice, the BlackBerry Curve 3G supports high-speed 3G (HSDPA) networks around the world and gives users the exceptional communications features they need to accomplish more than ever, when they’re at home, at work and everywhere in-between.

For more information about the new BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone visit www.blackberry.com/curve3G. For more information about BlackBerry 6, visit www.blackberry.com/6.