HTC Diamond Available At… CompUSA?

We’ve been wondering when the HTC Touch Diamond would knock on the American door and it finally has, thanks to the hospitality of the folks at CompUSA had 200+ stores nationwide but they’re now down to about 16 stores and have been purchased by Systemax to help build the assets and value of their TigerDirect subsidiary.

Curiously enough, TigerDirect doesn’t feature the phone on THEIR website but CompUSA does. And while we don’t really care what retailer gets it, we do care about some of the info dropped on that CompUSA page.

For one, it’ll sport a tri-band GSM Radio and it features GPS, WiFi and 3G connectivity. The doozy here is that it will cost $780 without a contract. So, even if you’re looking at a $200 discount for 2-year contract and some type of mail in rebate for $100, the phone is still around the $400 mark. Ouch.

We’d like to compare this with the American version of the HTC Touch Pro, spec for spec and price for price. Because if you’re already spending $400+, why not shell out a tiny bit more and get the works?

[Via IntoMobile]

Exhaustive Review of the Sony Ericsson G900

Folks deciding between two different phones often do some snooping online to find out the deal. Others, like us, are just interested in every single phone that comes out. No matter what category you fit into, chances are that the review of the SE G900 over at the Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog is WAY more information than you’d ever need.

Hats off to these guys, they really put together a thoughtful review on pretty much every criteria you could ever think of when evaluating a phone. Heck, even the reviewer’s mom offered their input (we kid you not)!

Here is a quick run-through of the most important points, but make sure to visit the Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog for the Full Review. It’s a real masterpiece.

SE Paris & BeiBei Get PooPooed

Sony Ericsson’s June 17th announcement included 5 new phones but the absence of the phones dubbed Paris and BeiBei were mysteriously missing from the lineup. Now we know why… they have been cancelled.

According to the Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog, Sony Ericsson may have shelved the two phones because of overwhelming criticism from reviewers, mentioning Mobile-Review.com specifically. Apparently sticks and stones may break your bones but words will cancel phone launches.

Here are some of the scathing comments from Mobile-Review:

  • honestly speaking, this line-up has come out flat-out clumsy
  • It seems to be that over at Sony Ericsson they believe they can stand up to Nokia and without putting much thought into it they keep releasing direct rivals to the latter’s solutions.
  • Since there is the Sony Ericsson G900 out there that comes with UIQ 3.0 (which should seem no different from the 3.3 release to the average user), a better camera (5 Mpix), slightly bigger casing and, more importantly, a comparable price tag (it will by the time the G702 arrives), we are not sure why they would need to bring a slew of similar phones to the market and put them up against one another without own product portfolio.
  • I’m sincerely disappointed, and it’s not the first time by the way, by the strategy Sony Ericsson is currently applying – it’s a dead-end for this particular maker, period.

    • To sum it up, people felt like the Paris and BeiBei were just crappier versions of the Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber Shot and that these crappier versions didn’t offer enough differentiation, and pricetag difference, to be worthy of their own release.

    I guess Sony Ericsson agreed with the criticisms and decided to cut their losses.

    [Via USEB]

    Eh, It’s Aboot Time: Canada Gets GOOG-411

    Today, Google announced that they have expanded their Free 411 informational service from the United States to Canada. Now Canadians, whether from “Traw-na” or “Cal-gry” have quick and free access to phone numbers of local businesses and residents by calling 1-800-GOOG-411.

    This isn’t just about expanding the boundaries… the same Canadianisms like “eh”, “aboot”, “Traw-na” and “Cal-gry” used above are actually taken into account by Google:

    “At Google, we work hard to tailor products to specific markets and regions. We believe that accounting for the unique characteristics of each country can make the difference between an OK service and a great one. Although English is spoken in both the US and Canada, there are enough differences between the way it’s spoken in the two countries that we engineered GOOG-411 especially for Canadian English.”

    Instead of asking you for City and State, Canadians calling GOOG 411 will be prompted with City and Province. So smart you are, Mr. Google! But what if a Canadian is in America and calls GOOG-411… take that!

    Anyone who doesn’t know about GOOG-411 or hasn’t tried it definitely should. It’s 100% free and can be really helpful. Go ahead and throw your Yellow Pages in the garbage ladies and gents.

    Here’s a video about GOOG 411

    [Via Google Mobile Blog]

    Google Maps for Mobile and More on S60

    A recent contest held to showcase the capabilities of S60, the Symbian Smartphone OS owned mostly by Nokia, recently came to close. Submissions came in the form of YouTube videos and the winners have been announced. That gives us an awesome opportunity to showcase to you some of the things that S60 can help you do:

    Here’s a video showing Google Maps integration on S60, illustrating how to find a pizza shop with an amusing (but quickly annoying) old-style Charlie Chaplin video:

    Here’s an example of Joikuspot running on a Nokia N95. It will allow you to connect to the internet on your desktop computer using the connection from your mobile phone:

    Are you a nature person, outdoors person or hiker? Are you a dog lover who goes on frequent walks with your pup? Or, maybe you are abandoned on an island but have an S60 based phone and want to know more about the landmarks and geography around you. This video/application is for you:

    One winner posted a helpful, 5-minute video with various S60 tips and tricks. Definitely worth a watch if you’ve got an S60 based device:

    We’ve left out another Tips video winner which was painfully boring and monotone. The Yoyap! video posted by Rita was also too annoying to include. We wouldn’t wish a forced viewing of these upon our worst enemies, much less our readers.

    So, for the original posting with all the winners listed visit the S60 Blog. We originally found this on the Official Google Mobile Blog who were apparently excited that a winner featured Google Maps for Mobile. Seems kind of like an NBA player being excited that their hometown newspaper wrote an article about them, does it not?

    Oh, and congrats to all the winners… even those we refused to post here.

    Verizon’s Visual Voicemail reveals MUCH More

    We recently learned that Verizon Wireless will be joining the ranks of AT&T and Sprint in offering Visual Voicemail. It’s a pretty handy tool that will allow you to view a list of your voicemail’s and who they are from so you can listen to them in any order you’d like. Neat, but not the most exciting part of the “announcement”.

    Inside documents from Verizon about Visual Voicemail provide some insight into rumored and previously unheard of new handsets. And new phone rumors, ladies and gentlemen, makes us more happy than a bucket of rainbows.

    5 actual handsets are listed as being “affected” by the adoption of Verizon Visual Voicemail:

    There’s an AWFUL lot to chew on here folks.

    First of all, this means we’ll DEFINITELY be seeing something new from the LG Voyager. Whether its just a software update (much needed) or a new hardware release in time for the holidays, we’re not quite sure. But its exciting to see new Voyager mentions in the mix as it simply doesn’t get enough credit.

    The Motorola Utopia and Motorola Blaze are two BRAND NEW devices that haven’t really been mentioned up to this point. Who knows what they could be. But without a decent Motorola Touch Screen in the United States, this looks like pretty big news.

    See that “New RIM Device (touchscreen)” our bets - as well as everyone elses - are that this means the BlackBerry Thunder (still unannounced) will have Visual Voicemail. Sweet!

    And then there is the Chocolate 3 which is less exciting since we can pretty much get our arms around everything there. But for the other 4 cans of worms opened, we’ll keep you up to date as the news rolls in, so check back in!

    By the way, the Visual Voicemail won’t be a free addition, it’ll cost you an extra $1.99 per month.

    [Sources: EngadgetMobile, Gizmodo]

    Sprint Goes Gangsta: Instinct Movie Trailer

    We mean Gangsta as in Mr. Pink from Reservoir Dogs style gangsta, not Tupac Shakur from Juice style Gangsta. So would that make it GangstER? Who knows.

    The point is, Samsung & Sprint are obviously heavily invested in making the Instinct a huge success and the latest way to help their handsome handset fulfill its potential? Viral video marketing. We admit… its pretty funny:

    That’s 2 Instinct articles in a row… we know. What can we say? We’re mobile fat boys - if they feed us good material we’re gonna eat it right up!

    Samsung Instinct: 1 CENT Less than iPhone WITH Service

    Originally thought rumored at $199.99 you’ll be pleasantly suprised, and quite frankly we’re amazed, that Sprint has priced the Samsung Instinct at $129.99. After running a HUGE, $100 Million ad campaign based on Instinct vs. iPhone, the $199 cost seemed to fall in line… but that line stands corrected!

    The Instinct, which has received incredibly high praises from sources across the board, was already poised to get its fair share of looks. Now, with a MUCH lower pricing point, the Samsung Instinct for Sprint looks like it could be a real powerhouse - offering a high-end phone for a mid-range price.

    The Instinct is available ONLY on service plans that come with unlimited data, starting at $69.99/month for 450 minutes and obviously, unlimited data. So lets see…

    $129.99 for the Instinct
    $ 69.99 for the service (at minimum)
    =======================
    $199.98

    HAHA… Sprint and Samsung FTW!

    Just as we predicted, the pricing for the Instinct is 1 penny lower than the iPhone 3G… AND you get unlimited data for that price on the Sprint Network.

    This is going to make a LOT of soon to be Instinct owners and Sprint customers very, very happy. And, its going to make those planning on buying the iPhone 3G on July 11th think twice.

    Here is the full press release from Sprint:

    OVERLAND PARK, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 18, 2008–Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced pricing for Instinct, a new wireless device that offers consumers an industry-leading user experience by combining full touch-screen functionality with the fast speeds available on the largest national mobile broadband network. When the device launches on June 20, it will cost just $129.99 with a two-year contract after a $100 mail-in rebate.

    Customers will be able to purchase Instinct through Sprint retail stores, Web (www.sprint.com) and telesales (1-800-SPRINT1.) Best Buy is Sprint’s exclusive retail partner for Instinct from June 20 - August 28.

    In order for customers to experience the full capabilities of the device, Instinct must be activated on a pricing plan offering unlimited data. Customers can choose from Everything plans for individuals starting at just $69.99 per month for 450 voice minutes or Talk/Message/Data Share plans for families starting at $129.99 per month for 1500 voice minutes to share between two lines. Instinct complements Sprint’s signature Simply Everything Plan offering both unlimited nationwide voice and data services for just $99.99 per month. The Simply Everything Plan offers premium services, including GPS navigation, email, web surfing, Sprint Music Premier and Sprint TV Premier, while letting customers easily budget for phone expenses.

    Instinct was recently named “Best in Show” in the third annual Emerging Technology (E-Tech) Award competition in April at CTIA Wireless 2008. Instinct was also honored as “Most Innovative Product at CTIA Wireless 2008″ by the editors of LAPTOP, a leading mobile technology magazine. CNET also recognized Instinct as the “Best Cell Phone” in its annual Cream of the Crop CTIA 2008 awards.

    The innovative device speeds up the user experience like no other touch-screen phone and brings the customer’s most-used applications and contacts within a single finger tap. Instinct has a high-tech look with large, vibrant touch-screen featuring localized tactile feedback, called haptics, which transform the virtual QWERTY keypad and other screen interactions into a sensory experience. The device also offers a Speech to Action button providing many functions using speech activation for calling, texting, picture messaging, traffic, movie, sports, news, weather and search.

    As Sprint’s first EV-DO Rev A consumer-centric device, Instinct provides the ability to quickly browse the Web, access business or personal e-mail, share pictures, listen to commercial-free radio and more at broadband speeds. Instinct also provides smooth access to GPS applications including Sprint Navigation, with GPS-enabled audio and visual turn-by-turn driving directions and one-click traffic rerouting as well as Live Search for Sprint, powered by Microsoft, providing easy access to directory information on-the-go, interactive maps and one-touch click to call access.

    Instinct boasts many advanced features including Visual Voicemail, allowing users to listen to messages in their order of preference and manage them with a simple tap of the screen. This device also provides support for corporate and consumer (POP3 and IMAP) email, multitasking capabilities that allow the user to play music in background mode while surfing the Internet, texting or playing games, a 2.0 megapixel camera with camcorder and expandable microSD memory of up to 8GB. Additional features include advanced stereo Bluetooth(R) 2.0, SMS voice and text messaging with threaded text, picture caller ID and Sprint Mobile Sync.

    Instinct comes with everything the user needs to enjoy the device’s full capabilities right out of the box. Contents include a 2GB microSD(TM) card that can hold approximately 2,000 songs from Sprint Music Store, two standard 1,000 mAh batteries offering up to 5.75 hours of continuous talk time each, battery-charging sleeve, travel charger, USB cable, 3.5mm headphones with built-in microphone, and carry case with stylus. Customers can access the latest information on Instinct at www.instinctthephone.com.

    About Sprint Nextel

    Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 53 million customers at the end of the first quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

    [Via Sprint]

    A Glance at the Garmin NuviFone!

    Last month we first heard about the Garmin Nuviphone, the powerhouse GPS company’s first foray into the mobile phone market. Today, we’re getting a pretty extensive look at the phone itself, not only from tech bloggers around the globe, but also from Garmin themselves…

    You see that “available Q3 2008″ part? We thought so… looks like the holiday shopping season is already heating up.

    The announcement comes at a crucial juncture for Garmin. With an increasing number of phones including GPS and mapping services, mobile companies are starting to chomp on the likes of GPS and Digital Camera market share. The NuviFone should help Garmin establish a foothold before the combination of the iPhone and Android Phones with Google Maps and other 3rd party applications brush them to the side.

    But the Nuvifone is far from a quick “answer” to emerging mobile market. It’s a well thought out and planned device that has what Laptop Magazine calls a “killer UI”. They had a chance to enjoy a hands on with the Nuvifone and play with its 3.5″ screen, digital camera, media options and other features. Unfortunately, the GPS functionality was not yet integrated and media hadn’t been pre-loaded… so the actual quality of the device is still somewhat shrouded in mystery. But it looks extremely promising.

    Want to see the NuviFone in action? Garmin whipped up a promotional video that show you how the Nuvifone will, “revolutionize the way we navigate… life.” As a side note, we love the way he says revolutionize.

    Garmin also gives us a nice little biography of how the NuviFone came to be in a movie-like production/commercial that allows them to tell us everything thats packed into the device without boring us to death. Props on that:

    A few pictures from Navigadget suggest that the Garmin Nuvifone will be available in white:

    They look photoshopped if you ask us, but I suppose we’ll know the truth soon enough.

    And for your viewing delight, here is a boat load of Garmin Nuvifone pictures that will hopefully hold you over until we get some hands on videos to share with you.








    Samsung Omnia Gets Tagged & Dated

    It didn’t take long for the Samsung Omnia to take front and center as #1 phone you want but cannot have. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is on that list but questions concerning the keyboard could drag it down and the Sony Ericsson C905 looks amazing but has a drawback here and there.

    And thus is the glory of not-yet-released phones - we can bask in the glory of their potential without harping on the flaws that will inevitably be made apparent - no phone is perfect. And the Omnia’s main flaw, at this point, seems to be the fact that I can’t get one in the United States.

    Laugh all you want geeks in Singapore, Europe, China and Taiwan… the Omnia will be rolling out from July through August in a store near you.

    With the option of 8GB or 16GB internal memory and a MicroSD slot adding another 16GB, this bad boy could hold a whopping 32GB of data. Even with a 5MP Digital Camera it will take a long time to fill it up… plenty of space for music, business files and whatever else you need.

    [Via SlashPhone]

    Nokia Tube Inches Closer to Reality

    A German promotional poster brandishing 5 Nokia Handsets has been leaked and 4 out of the 5 handsets have already been officially confirmed by Nokia. The 5th? The Nokia XpressMusic 5800, affectionately referred to as the “Tube”.

    The naming is a little peculiar: up to now we’ve seen this device come with the tag XpressMedia and not XpressMusic. There hasn’t been much substance to the “Tube” name rumors but it would have made a great deal of sense with the “Media” moniker, improving on the “Music” line of handsets.

    What gives, Nokia? We’re guessing we won’t have to wait long to find out since the Nokia 5200, Nokia 6600 (slide), Nokia 6210 (Navigator) and Nokia E71 have already gotten their marching orders. Could it be a matter of days?

    By the way, for those wondering, the translated text from German to English of the poster headline? The New Playmaker.

    [Via Unwired View]

    What’s Left at the Sony Ericsson Event?

    Three hours and counting until the live Sony Ericsson event in the Netherlands where they are set to make some big announcements. Unfortunately, all their news might already be old which kind of defeats the purpose and meaning of news to begin with.

    Moments ago, CNET Asia dropped an article on the 5 new phones from Sony Ericsson that were showcased at CommunicAsia. And they are… (anti-climactic drum roll please)…

    1. Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber-Shot
    2. Sony Ericsson S302 Snapshot
    3. Sony Ericsson F305
    4. Sony Ericsson J132
    5. Sony Ericsson K330

    Didn’t we already know about these? Uhoh SE… we hope you’re withholding some prime information from all (if any) of the press that show up so they have something to be excited about.

    Here’s a neat little screen shot with the specs and info from CNET:

    [Via CNET Asia]

    BlackBerry Javelin: Less Bold, Still Beautiful

    The BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Thunder have been stealing the show as far as new RIM devices go and for good reason. In the past few days, the Seawolf and Aurora have shared in that limelight. Even the Kickstart has gotten its glory. But what about the Javelin?

    You wondered… and we… unwondered?

    That’d be a good word-that-isn’t-a-word for the Javelin considering its almost an identical twin to the BlackBerry Bold… except the Bold has 3G speeds and the Javelin is stuck on 2.5G EDGE. Its the one second from the right in that pic up there. It will certainly be more affordable, but is it necessary? While we don’t expect it to, its possible the Javelin ends of in the same place speculators believe the Aurora lives: defunct-ville.

    Theres nothing wrong with offering your consumers more choices, RIM, so you won’t hear us complaining any time soon.

    [Via IntoMobile]

    The Green Thumb of Samsung

    Start your hybrid engines… Fasten your hemp seatbelts… and get ready to make a call on your brand new environmentally friendly phone from Samsung!

    China and Korea will soon see the Samsung W510 and the Samsung F268 - mobile phones that were made with protecting and preserving the environment as a focus. In addition to the actual DEVICES being made of more environmentally friendly materials, the phone has features that “think green” for you.

    For example, when your battery is fully charged the phone will provide an audible alert. Not only will this help preserve the life of your battery (and money) but it also wastes less electricity from whatever source you’re plugged into.

    Here is the official press release for the 2 phones:

    Seoul, South Korea, June 16, 2008 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced two environmentally friendly mobile handsets, W510 and F268, at the World IT Show in Seoul.

    W510 is Samsung’s first mobile phone with ‘bio-plastic’ made from natural material extracted from corn. Samsung has been making an effort to develop more renewable and eco-friendly material compared with common plastic produced from petroleum.

    Moreover, when producing W510, Samsung did not use any heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, and applied water-soluble coating.

    Samsung F268 and all its accessories, including charger and headset, do not contain BFRs (brominated flame retardants) or PVC.

    In addition, Samsung F268 has an alarm function to encourage users to unplug their charger when the device is fully charged. The product is following the Energy Star requirements as well, which are strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

    Both W510 for the Korean market and F268 for the Chinese market will be launched in June.

    “Samsung is striving to continue to be a strong corporate citizen that contributes to environmental sustainability,” said Geesung Choi, president of Samsung’s Telecommunication Business. “Now we are trying not only to launch more environmentally-conscious products with more renewable material and less energy consumption, but also proactively set up a phone recycling system.”

    For more information, please visit www.samsungmobile.com.

    About Samsung Electronics
    Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2007 consolidated sales of US$103.4 billion. Employing approximately 150,000 people in 134 offices in 62 countries, the company consists of four main business units: Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business, and Telecommunication Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

    [Via PhoneMag]

    Sony Ericsson Xperia X1: First Impressions

    The Boy Genius got an advanced touchy-feely with the Xperia X1 from Sony Ericsson. The device is Sony Ericsson’s first ever handset built on Windows Mobile and the specs are fantabulous: as BGR points out, its the most highly anticipated handset WinMo handset in recent memory. Does it live up to the hype?

    Maybe. The Boy Genius was overly impressed with the Xperia’s speed and specs and style, noting inclusions such as the optical joystick and notification lights that put it a notch ahead most anything else in its class. But… and this is a HUGE but… (stop giggling)… BGR lists the full QWERTY keyboard as, “a major flaw” and, “one of the worst” he has seen.

    We respect his opinion, but we’ll wait to past full judgement until we can get the unit in our own hands. IntoMobile has a starkly contrasting opinion of the Xperia X1 keyboard which they called, “a joy to use.” With two completely opposite opinions, we’re guessing the truth falls somewhere in the middle. Or else, they got very different versions of the product along its life-cycle.

    Either way, one thing we can’t help but notice is the way this thing looks. I guess phones are people too because either the Xperia simply isn’t photogenic or this thing has a rubbery, play-phone like look that almost makes it appear fake:

    But with the one picture that is taken much closer, the Xperia looks to have more of a sleek, brushed metallic finish:

    Or perhaps its the fact that its 3AM and our eyes are a bit glazed over.

    Whatever way you cut the cookie, the Xperia will be a huge success. If you’re relying on an effective QWERTY keyboard, you’ll want to wait for some more info to come down the pipeline. But if you’re buying this sucker for the specs, stats and performance it looks like you’ve got yourself a winner.

    [Via BGR]

    Sony Ericsson C905 Promo Video

    Ever witness a surprise birthday party where everyone and their momma knows that the birthday boy or girl already knows its a surprise? That’s exactly what the June 17th Sony Ericsson press event is going to be like.

    As if enough details of phones TBA weren’t leaked prior to the event, we’re now seeing the promo video for the buzz worthy Sony Ericsson C905 which is best known for its massive megapixels (that’s what she said) - 8.1 MP to be exact.

    Take a look at the promotional video and come back to check on the SE Press event breakdown - who knows, maybe there is a tidbit or two that hasn’t yet fallen through the cracks!

    [Via USEB]

    Samsung Omnia Video Review Galore!

    Greg Kumparak got his greasy hands (he said it first!) all over the Samsung Omnia, pushing our jealousy to the limits. However, we forgive him because he shared an awesome video of his experience with the phone:

    That thing looks devilishly delightful. Kind of curious to get a better look at the QWERTY keyboard as the buttons for each letter look kind of narrow and difficult to press.

    The responsiveness of the touch screen doesn’t seem, at first glance, to be one of the best out there. In the below video, which was actually filmed by a Samsung rep and posted by Samsung to YouTube, selections seem to have a bit of lag time and scrolling up and down by “flicking” doesn’t yield the response one might expect.

    Decide for yourself:

    The final video is almost guaranteed to raise your estrogen levels. The extended demonstration of the touchscreen is pretty amazing… but its the accompanying music that has us wondering if Bette Midler produced this masterpiece.

    We hope you enjoy these videos. Personally, we would describe the feeling more as “satisfied”… we won’t feel full enjoyment until we get one of these bad boys in our hands!

    [Via MobileCrunch, MobileBurn, PPCSG]

    Samsung Omnia: Quick Video Review

    The nothing-short-of-gorgeou Samsung i900 Omnia got kidnapped by the guys at MegaWhat.TV for a little less than a minute as they give us a quick run down of the Samsung Omnia and its main features.

    They come to the conclusion that while its a beautiful phone with amazing specs, great multimedia and the whole 9, that is will mostly please the fans of Windows Mobile. Apparently, the UI does nothing to hide the Windows Mobile 6.1 Operating System which the average cell phone consumer would likely consider a bit clunky and hard to navigate.

    Other phones with Windows Mobile have spent some time on the User Interface to pretty-up the experience. While the Omnia seemingly makes no attempt to hide its Windows foundation, the device doesn’t come out until August so you never know what could happen between now and then.

    Than being said, this is a pretty sweet phone any way you look at it.

    [Via MegaWhat.TV]

    BlackBerry Kickstart, 1st Flip Phone BlackBerry

    BlackBerry has some pretty off the beaten path products up and coming. We know the full touchscreen BlackBerry Thunder is just down the pike and the first pictures of the first ever BlackBerry clamshell phone, the Kickstart, have just surfaced:

    We know… we know… how can a flip phone be considered “off the beaten path” or “innovative” to any degree. Well, there are plenty of people who enjoy their simpleton flip phones right now… but just want the single added feature of checking their e-mail.

    Tada! It’s the power of a Bruce Lee Kick mixed with the a broken down jalopi that needs a jump start. It’s the BlackBerry Kickstart!

    Actually, we’re pretty psyched for this phone because it WILL add a new dimension to flip phones that you haven’t seen before. How good it really is will likely be an issue of price. Regardless, this is a TREMENDOUSLY smart move for RIM who can introduce an entirely new category of people their BlackBerry devices and slowly upsell them.

    The Kickstart should do a great job at adding new customers to the BlackBerry ranks. Hmmm… I wonder if RIM executives are banking on that rumor that, “Once You Go Black, You Never Go Back!”

    [Via CrackBerry]

    LG Decoy Is Up For Sale!

    As expected, the LG Decoy is now for sale on the Verizon Wireless homepage:

    It will cost you $179.99 with a 2 year contract and $50 instant online rebate. Not too shabby considering it also comes with a bluetooth headset that you’ll never have to charge.

    It will be interesting to see how many people take the dive for the decoy when there are so many other amazing phones in the works over the next several months. If you grab one, let us know what you think…

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