Samsung Delve Dives Into Alltel

The Samsung Delve is now available for pre-order on Alltel’s Website and come November 6th will be found in retail stores. The Delve’s touch screen, virtual QWERTY, tactile feedback, TouchWiz Interface and widgetized home screen come with a $199 pricetag after a $100 mail in rebate.

Alltel sweetens the deal with a few extras:

Of course you’ll also need the “Smartphone Pack” for these features… a requirement to purchase the Delve. It also comes with a stylus, but no word on if the phone has any handy tricks that incorporate the stylus such as handwriting recognition. If it was included, we think they would have mentioned it, but a stylus is still pretty helpful for the big fingered folks out there!

It also has nuTsie which is a service that allows you to stream your iTunes playlist - or your friends’ iTunes playlist - directly to your phone. Hey Alltel customers… can we have some feedback on how well that service works?

The Samsung Delve is a pretty sweet and stylish looking phone, too! Lets see if this picture is big enough to break your screen:

Not bad… not bad at all, Alltel/Samsung. For Alltel folks who don’t want to wait for the Verizon deal to go through, praying they may be able to get a BlackBerry Storm on their beloved little network, perhaps the Samsung Delve is for you.

Here is the full Press Release:

Touch and Go: Samsung Delve™ lands at Alltel Wireless

Vibrant, stylish touch screen phone easy to use and navigate

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. & DALLAS — Alltel Wireless , America ’s largest network, and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung) announced today that the Samsung Delve™ will be available for pre-sale at alltel.com on October 30. With an intuitive interface and attractive touchscreen design, the Samsung Delve is a stylish way to stand out in the crowd and stay connected to those who matter most.

The touchscreen phone, highlighted by a virtual QWERTY keyboard and tactile feedback, has been designed with Samsung’s unique TouchWiz™ interface. The TouchWiz interface incorporates specially designed widgets that allow the user to customize and personalize their phone. Users can ‘drag and drop’ widgets onto the main screen, which offers users instant access to their favorite functions. The widgets allow users to customize the main display screen to match the icons of the applications and features they use the most.

“There is a paradigm shift in the way users are interacting with their wireless devices, and Alltel is at the forefront of creating new ways for users to harness the power of their mobile phones,” said Brian Ullem, vice president of device strategy for Alltel Wireless. “The Samsung Delve boasts a new, powerful user interface using ‘widgets’ customers can drag and drop to configure their phone. It offers a new level of control and convenience.”

Music lovers will appreciate the Samsung Delve’s MP3 player, and the 2.0 megapixel camera with video capabilities will add value for fans of multimedia content.

Several applications are preloaded on the phone for the ultimate entertainment experience, including Alltel Pic Transfer, Alltel Mobile Advisor, City Id, Collapse Chaos and Wallpaper Universe. The Samsung Delve also features Bluetooth® capabilities, an expandable MicroSD memory slot and an industry standard 3.5 millimeter headset jack. The Samsung Delve contains additional accessories such as an additional battery, a stylus, soft protective case, travel charger, stereo headset and PC data cable.

“The customizable features of the Samsung Delve make it easy for people to use and navigate,” said Bill Ogle, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Mobile. “People are busier than ever, and the easy-to-use Samsung Delve will keep the features people need within a single touch.”

Beginning today, Alltel customers can be among the first to order the Samsung Delve at alltel.com for $199.99 after $100 mail in rebate. The Samsung Delve will also be available in retail stores and at shopalltel.com on November 6. Additionally, customers purchasing the phone will receive free access to Email, Alltel TV on Demand Connect, Alltel Navigation, MyCast Weather and Alltel Radio Connect. A Smart Choice Pack is required in order to purchase the Samsung Delve at this price.

Additionally, Alltel’s newest music application, nuTsie, is available for free access on the Samsung Delve. nuTsie provides the ultimate music experience by allowing users to stream their own iTunes™ playlists, their friends’ iTunes playlists and nearly limitless new music from nuTsie’s catalog – with no side-loading or uploading hassles. For more information on this innovative application, please visit alltel.com/nutsie.

Alltel’s Smart Choice Packs give customers national voice minutes with an unlimited data plan and all of their favorite features, all for one low monthly price. The Smart Choice Pack 500 provides unlimited data, five “My Circle” numbers, 500 anytime minutes and free nights and weekends for $69.99 per month; the Smart Choice Pack 500 Plus includes 10 “My Circle” numbers for $89.99 per month. Additional packages include the Smart Choice Pack 1200, with 1,200 anytime minutes, unlimited data, 10 “My Circle” numbers and free nights and weekends starting at 7PM for $109.99 per month; the Smart Choice Pack 2000 upgrades that package to include 20 “My Circle” numbers and 2,000 anytime minutes for $139.99 per month. The ultimate choice is the Smart Choice Pack 5500, delivering 20 “My Circle” numbers, and 5,500 anytime minutes, in addition to all of the benefits offered by the other packages.

[Via Alltel PR]

Nokia N96… Yours For $900 at BestBuy

We know that Nokia’s N-Series devices are the bomb-diggity and that the N96 in specific is all that bomb-diggity and a bag of izzles, but would you pay almost a thousand bucks for it? If you want it unlocked from BestBuy that’s what you’ll have to do… plopping down $899.99 + tax for handset.

It doesn’t LOOK that spectacular and with all the alternative options out there, we wonder how well it will do given the current conditions of the economy. There are plenty of N-Series faithful… but are they rich and faithful?

That $900 pricetag is for online purchases but according to BGR the phone might also be available for in-store purchase for $100 less, at $799.99. Sure, it’s a discount, but that doesn’t exactly make it affordable. So what do you think - will you pick up the N96 even if it means burning a hole in your wallet?

Here are the specs you’ll get in return:

[Via UnwiredView]

The $99 iPhone… The Free iPhone… The What?

Hold your horses holiday shoppers. For those AT&T discount seeking late year fanatics that are mulling over whether or not to buy the Apple iPhone, you may want to wait until 2009. Speculation has it that the price on the most affordable iPhone will drop to $99 and a brand new “high end” model will be released.

With already soaring profits and huge margins, its pretty clear that Apple dropping the price to $199 was a goal to vastly increase volume and they’ll do so again if at all able to. In 2009 we’ll see the proliferation of Android and Apple may go on a pre-emptive strike by forcing iPhones on the public at $99 each.

Forcing, you say? Yes, forcing… because most people would be CRAZY to NOT select an iPhone out of the $99 devices on the market. In fact, at $99 a pop, the iPhone could literally threaten to dominate the phone market as the iPod has done the MP3 market. Okay, okay… maybe not THAT dominate, but you get the idea.

With each new device that Apple sells they earn more revenue from the iPhone App Store which means they can replace revenue from the device cost with software purchases. Before you know it, they could be subsidizing purchases of their own device with expected app store spending and… give away iPhones for FREE.

That, my friends, would be the day that the iPhone took over the world.

Sony Late To The Kegger with Xperia X1 Contest

Perhaps a commenter at the Boy Genius Report put it best:

“god dammit sony! i was excited about this phone for so long, but now you’re like the guy that shows up to the kegger at 4 am ready to start a beer pong tourney! where the bleep were you 6 hours (read months) ago!”

So true… so true… with the iPhone App Contest and Android Developer Challenge 1 behind us, Sony Ericsson decided to wow the market with the change to win millions of dollars an Xperia X1. The contest is based on the Xperia’s use of “panels” which is a core (and proprietary) functionality of the Xperia. Whoever can make best creative and efficient use of the panels will win!

I don’t see many devs jumping over to work on this with such lucrative opportunities in the other markets. In fact, this contest would be better left uncontested. This just accentuates the fact that SE is dropping the ball on a phone that could have been a powerhouse but now will likely have to settle for mediocrity.

[Via BGR]

Dell’s New Smarts Look Confused

World reknowned computer manufacturer Dell is trying their hand in the mobile phone market again… this time releasing two phones known by “Pharos Traveller” that look like they might stop and ask YOU for directions. Dell was at one point rumored to be working on an Android Phone but it looks like they just had an itch to make something that calls people.

Both phones - a regular and a touch - will feature Windows Mobile 6.1 and the following specs:

The front facing camera is a nice touch although at .3MP we’re wondering how clear it will be. Mom? Is that you? “No, Kevin… it’s your father…”

The phones just don’t look that great, don’t offer much of anything new, have a Ball And Chain OS and is just downright boring. If you’re trying to make a splash in a parallel industry, you gotta jump from higher than the kiddie diving board.

[Via BoingBoing Gadgets]

Bang Gets Olufsened: No More Phones

We were going to make the title “Olufsen Gets Banged” but it sounded like a cheap porno movie gone wrong (is there any other kind?). High-end luxury tech manufacturer Bang & Olufsen, citing the economic downturn, is cutting all non-core competencies out of its product line. TV & Sound = In while phones, DVD players and all that other jazz are OUT.

Its a shame to see them go citing the economic reasons. But when you’re celling sell phones for $2,000 a pop you’re in a tough business to begin with, what with all thes iPhones, Droid Phones and miracle devices on the market for well under $500.

<Raising Hand> Question. Why doesn’t B&O take one of their sexy devices and stick Android on that bad boy and railroad the entire industry with hardware that is more than iPhone worthy competition while adopting free software that can instantly compete.

Instantaneously the phone would be an instant Ricky Martin…. “She Bangs, She Bangs”… and Olufsens? In any case, if Banger’s Execs are reading this… why not give a hands off Android project a whirl?

[Via Financial Times]

Google Mobile Tool Encourages Voters in US Election

Ladies and gentlemen, in a few short days citizens of the United States of America will elect a new president. Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat makes no difference to us… either way, we want you go get out there and VOTE. Google does, too.

On their Official Mobile Blog, Google announced a mobile tool that will allow you to look up voting locations with a search by name/location. The problem is, anyone who cares enough to look at it on their phone is probably voting already. But next time you’re at a restaurant with your friends or watching a football game with your family and a stubborn someone plans on not voting… whip out your phone!

Simply visit http://m.google.com/elections and by quickly filling in some basic information, you can help find the voting location for that stubborn someone, encouraging them to vote by doing part of their work for them.

As a a citizen of not only America but any free, democratic land, sometimes we can become frustrated at the role government plays in our daily lives. Well, your right to vote - and to elect who YOU want in charge - is an important time. If you don’t vote for President yet complain about things like taxes, the War, education, oil prices, minimum wage, etc… how do you expect anyone to take you seriously?

And for those who vote once every 4 years (like me) and think that somehow their duty to the world is complete until the next presidential campaign…. how about spending 25% of the time you invested in watching political discussion and doing some community service? Talking, listening and analyzing is one thing (actually, 3 things), but going out there and DOING something yourself to make our country better is quite another.

But it can all start with voting… with help from Google!

AT&T Branded HTC Fuze Makes Brief Show on eBay

Want to see the HTC Fuze on eBay? Yeah, so did we. Faster than you can say “you just got caught sucka” the auction and accompanying pictures of what is surely an AT&T branded HTC Fuze were off the popular auction site. Fortunately, a stealthy blogger was able to snatch the photos up before they disappeared. Unlike normal pre-release shots these are not the low quality, blurry shots we are used to. The quality of the screen in particular on this device says a little about what we can expect when this device finally hits the shelves. Enjoy the show everyone.

Via WMPoweruser

Dual SIM Luxury Samsung Joins the Ranks

Not wanting to give Motorola and its Aura the entire spotlight in the luxury phone arena Samsung has just released their latest kick at the rhodium-plated can, titled, rather oddly, the Samsung S9402 Duos. Yes, we agree—it just rolls off the tongue.


What’s the big selling feature? Well it’s the fact that you can stick two SIMs into your high-end, jetsetter approved Samsung hardware. EDGE? You betcha. 3G? Not so much. In true fashion phone colours, and, like the Aura, this device is void of 3G support. (Bleh!)

For your nickel (or expected 1000 Euros) you do however get the aforementioned rhodium-plated body, which is resistant to damage, as well as a 262k colour OLED screen, 5MP autofocus camera, 1GB internal storage (as well as a microSD slot),  USB support and Bluetooth.


At this point, there isn’t too much information about the release date, although apparently Russia (and Europe?) are getting it soon. Don’t get your hopes up for arrival here… by the way, $1,000 Euros and no 3G? Do they assume all stylish people are clueless?

Via GSMArena

All T-Mobile Data Plans To Soon Follow G1 Structure

It seems that the T-Mobile G1 data plan - $25 for unlimited data and another $10 for unlimited texting - has ushered in a new era of data plans at T-Mobile as a whole. Rumor has it that ALL devices will follow this guideline (including BlackBerries) with a 10GB softcap at which point the user will be throttled back to 50kbps speeds.

On the other hand, “Phone First” devices will go one of two routes:

Of course this is all just rumors from TMOnews until confirmation from T-Mobile… which is expected in early November.

BlackBerry Bold: $149 To Make, $491 to Troubleshoot

Gizmodo has Maxwell Smarted the BlackBerry Bold, putting together 2 recent news announcements whose combined synergy leaves us saying WTF? Those two announcements? iSuppli has determined the cost to manufacture the BlackBerry Bold is probably about $169 while BestBuy just announced the non-contract price is $600.

That leaves us no choice but to assume that the pricing is EXTREMELY fair because you’re actually paying for the $491 in troubleshooting that caused delay after delay over the past decade.

Sony Ericsson’s President Announces Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes

Sony Ericsson’s President, Hideki ‘Dick’ Komiyama has spilled the beans on there plans for 2009. Looks like SE wants to shrink its three different Research & Development sections into one so that they don’t spend a whole bunch of time and money developing the same products. In addition they are likely to release fewer products in 2009 because of this.

In my opinion, this makes sense. We’ve seen a lot of familiar products come out of SE (and others, Samsung we’re looking at you) that really have very few unique attributes to distinguish themselves. At one point I knew Sony Ericsson’s product line, but I gave up after the umpteenth Cyber-Shot/Walkman autofocus do-dad came on the market. Lets hope this new found efficiency can bring SE back up to its old, trendsetting standards…and profitability standards.

Via The Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog

White HTC Touch Diamond Calls iPhone its Biznatch

This is a live photo of the White HTC Touch Diamond, a device that looks like it could make the iPhone scream “Uncle” while retaining the elegance, style and class that phone snobs demand. I hate to use bad language but… this thing looks bad ass!

So it appears as thought the Touch Diamond will be available in Black and White… and WAIT, whats this? A “Pimp My Diamond” campaign seems to offer Diamond owners the opportunity to buy various color shells that they can easily snap-on.

Hopefully the white version isn’t a cheap, plastic snap on shell but even if it was, we would probably show it some love. I mean cmon… this thing looks like it could Macho-Man-Randy-Savage-Flying-Elbow-From-The Top-Ropes the iPhone into oblivion (based on appearance alone, of course).

[Via EngadgetMobile, CoolSmartPhone]

Samsung Omnia, Saga and HTC Touch Pro To Verizon in November

It looks like Verizon-Claus is filling up their Big Red Mobile Phone bag with a bunch of shiny new toys for holiday shoppers: the Samsung Omnia, Samsung Saga and HTC Touch Pro will all be available on Verizon Wireless at some point in November.

Those are 3 pretty awesome catches when you factor in the fact that they’ll also have the breath-taking BlackBerry Thunder that we overviewed a few days ago. The VZW holiday lineup will be nothing to scoff at!

Lets take a look a briefly spec-tacular overview of each of the 3 upcoming Verizon handsets:

Samsung Omnia

Samsung Saga

HTC Touch Pro

[Via BGR, IntoMobile]

Details on the Nokia E63 Surface

Looks like we have even more of the all too rare Nokia + QWERTY combination headed our way, in the form of the mysterious E63 device. Without a side-by-side, the E63 would be hard to tell apart from the E71, which we would consider to be a good thing.

The main difference between the two is price. The E63 will make you drop less bills for ownership, while still including a very solid feature set in the form of HSDPA support, a QVGA screen, 3.5mm A/V jack, microSD card slot, Bluetooth and 2MP camera.

There is a but though. The beautiful metal construction of the E71 has been dropped for the all-plastic variety. Ah well, the cheaper price tag had to come from somewhere.  This model, like the E71, will come in variants, the E63-1 for Europe, the E63-2 for those not wanting a camera, and the E63-3 for North America.

[Via GSMArena]

Motorola i9 Sprinting Towards Release, Stops to Pose

Yeah, I went there.

We’ve got a new one here for you folks, the Motorola i9, headed straight for Sprint service. Its good to see Motorola keeping the product flow steady, and we here at Mobile Roar hope its an indication of Motorola being on the up and up.


The i9 itself turns out to be a pretty interesting specimen, sporting the looks and folding format of the classic RAZR mixed with the cool aha-I-totally-just-changed-your-keypad-while-you-weren’t-looking ModeShift function as found in the ROKR series. This should be an interesting product and we look forward to a hands-on (wink wink nudge nudge Sprint).

[Via BGR]

RIM Releases Blackberry Web Signals

There are two things you should know about Blackberry users:
1.    When we are using our Blackberry’s but aren’t typing, we are probably playing Brick Breaker and,
2.    We like receiving information more from our Blackberry’s then from, say, the rest of the world.

So it seems in good taste that RIM has announced a new way to get yet more information to the screens of Blackberry users far and wide, in the form of Blackberry Web Signals.

Not quite emails, not quite texts, these packets of information are pushed to devices from any number of information sources one might frequent, such as Canada’s CBC News (if you live in Canada, or think Canada is sweet, which it is), Accuweather, The New York Times, Reuters, Thumbplay, Dada Entertainment, Fox News, and The Washington Post. Hey, if it saves valuable time spent scrolling around with the browser I’m all for it.

To add this service, visit mobile.blackberry.com on your BB.

Press Release via Boy Genius Report

Sprint’s HTC Touch Pro Coming October 26th!

Plenty of people have been salivating over both the beauty and functionality of the HTC Touch Pro, the Diamond variation that offers a full slideout QWERTY keyboard among other upgrades. Sprint customers can tuck their napkin into their shirt because on October 26th they’ll be able to purchase the Touch Pro for $299.99 with a contract.

Only select retailers will have the phone on the 26th with Sprint stores nationwide carrying the phone starting November 2nd. The $299.99 price comes only after a $100 mail in rebate and you need a data plan costing a minimum of $25 to even buy the phone. So, prepare to shell out close to half a G to slip this thing in your pocket - at least initially.

In addition to the Full QWERTY, the Touch Pro can expand its memory via MicroSD card and has a built-in business card scanner for the slick professionals out there. Here are some of the other specs:

If you’re not much of a physical QWERTY person, the Touch Diamond is already on sale for $249.99 with a coupla years tatooed on paper.

Here is the FULL PRESS RELEASE:

Bellevue, Wash. — Oct. 24, 2008 — HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, today launched the HTC Touch™ Pro for Sprint. Bringing a beautiful new angle to mobile business productivity, the HTC Touch Pro uses styling and functionality similar to the recently launched HTC Touch Diamond™ and introduces a variety of business-focused enhancements that make getting work done on-the-go quick and easy.

The HTC Touch Pro is priced at $299.99 with a two-year subscriber agreement, after a $100 mail-in-rebate and a $25-or-higher data add-on or Everything plan with data. Customers will be able to purchase the device in select national retailers beginning the week of Oct. 26 and in all Sprint sales channels, including online at www.sprint.com, 1-800-SPRINT1 and Sprint Stores, on Nov. 2.

“People have already shown a tremendous initial response to the HTC Touch Diamond for Sprint, and we are pleased to also offer the HTC Touch Pro as another choice to customers,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president for HTC America. “The HTC Touch Pro is the perfect device for those who demand the ease of use of TouchFLO 3D and the styling of the HTC Touch Diamond but also crave a more powerful mobile business experience.”

The HTC Touch Pro is a professional workhorse that allows people to balance their professional and personal lives in ways that matter most to them. Building on the strong feature set found on the HTC Touch Diamond, the HTC Touch Pro adds a five-row, slide-out QWERTY keyboard for easy data entry, expandable storage capabilities with a microSD card slot (1 GB card included) and a business card scanner application to automatically capture and convert business card information to the contact list using the built-in 3.2 MP camera/camcorder. Additionally, with Windows Mobile 6.1, users have access to security and device management capabilities demanded by many business customers. “The HTC Touch Pro marks the addition of yet another robust Windows Mobile device for our portfolio and demonstrates our commitment to delivering the best wireless technology today,” said Kevin Packingham, Sprint senior vice president of Product and Technology Development. “Combined with worry-free pricing and exclusive Sprint content, the HTC Touch Pro delivers an unparalleled user experience – all on Sprint’s Now Network.”

Sprint customers will have direct animated access to arrange their favorite contacts, photos, weather and music by using HTC’s intuitive TouchFLO 3D interface. By combining a rich, dynamic presentation with integrated multi-media features, people have the ability to graphically personalize their device with 3D animated transitions.

Lightning Fast Connectivity

The HTC Touch Pro for Sprint provides a mobile Internet experience that uses the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. With EV-DO Rev. A technology access, the HTC Touch Pro provides customers with blazing fast speeds that reach more than 253 million people, 16,986 cities and 1,625 airports and brings customers instant gratification so they stay connected to life and work fast and on-the-go. With EV-DO Rev. A, peak download data rates increase to 3.1 Mbps and peak upload data rates increase to 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds improve to 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps and average uplink speeds increase to 350 Kbps to 500 Kbps.

Beyond this lightning-fast connectivity, customers can also interact with their device in new ways. With the new HTC Touch Pro for Sprint, users can zoom and pan Web sites and automatically view optimized content that has been specially created to fit the display. Using gravity-sensor technology, turning the device sideways automatically rotates the Web page view from a portrait to landscape view.

In addition to game-changing Web browsing, the HTC Touch Pro offers direct access to exclusive Sprint content, including live and on-demand programming from Sprint TV® as well as over-the-air song downloads from the Sprint Music StoreSM and even a custom YouTube application for watching a variety of user-generated video content.

Unmatched Style With Complete Productivity

Like the HTC Touch Diamond, the HTC Touch Pro is crafted with precision to fit comfortably in a user’s hand and brings together elegant touch screen response with the direct precision of HTC’s distinctive sliding keyboard design. A new five-row QWERTY keyboard layout makes typing-intensive tasks like composing email or working on Microsoft Office® documents quick and easy. Built-in TV-out functionality means users can deliver the perfect PowerPoint® presentation from the Touch Pro.

Bursting with Innovation

The Touch Pro delivers an unrivalled combination of features and functionality. The 2.8 inch display provides near-print quality viewing that enables beautiful Web browsing and viewing of photographs. The built-in camera includes an optical auto-focus lens that ensures the photos you take will be clear and consistent. Advanced wireless and auto sensor screen pivoting are just a few of the features that make the Touch Pro experience stand out.

Unmatched Customer Experience

Customers purchasing devices at Sprint retail locations can get the most out of their phone by having it personalized just for them before they leave the store. With Ready Now, Sprint retail associates work with new or existing customers to explain, set up and demonstrate the features and applications of their new phone.

Sprint’s Ready Now program is a first in the industry – no other wireless company offers a similar customer experience. The service is available whenever the customer wants it during business hours; however, only existing Sprint customers have the option to schedule an appointment online by visiting www.sprint.com/readynow.

To take advantage of all the great features on these new phones without having to worry about additional monthly charges, Sprint customers can sign up for the $99.99 Simply EverythingSM plan, which includes unlimited domestic calling, messaging, email, Web surfing, GPS navigation, Sprint Music Premier, Sprint TV® Premier, NFL Mobile Live, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, Direct Connect and Group Connect on compatible phones. The Simply Everything plan is available to current customers without renewing their contract. New lines of service require a two-year agreement.

Key HTC Touch Pro Specifications

* Size: 4.17 (L) x 2.05(W) x 0.70 (D)
* Weight: 5.3 ounces
* Connectivity: CDMA 2000 1X/EVDO Rev.A/1xRTT and IS-95A/B voice or data. Dual band (800 and 1900 MHz)
* Operating system: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
* Display: 2.8-inch VGA touch screen
* Camera: 3.2MP, with autofocus, flash and video calling
* Internal memory: 512 MB flash, 288 MB RAM
* Expansion slot: microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible); supports up to 16 GB
* Keyboard: Slide-out five-row QWERTY keyboard
* Bluetooth: v2.0 with A2DP support (Stereo Bluetooth)
* Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
* GPS: GPS/AGPS
* Interface: HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
* Battery: 1340 mAh
* Talk time: 250 minutes
* Chipset: Qualcomm MSM 7201A 528MHz

[Via Sprint PR]

New Palm OS: ALP 3.0

This is big, big news folks. While the mobile industry seemingly zooms right past PALM, their faithful followers have been wondering when their increasingly clunky mobile OS would finally receive an update. And now it will with the advent of Access Linux Platform 3.0, or ALP 3.0 for short.

Access purchased PalmSource and this operating system is the successor to Garnet OS (formerly Palm OS). Yes, yes… its all kind of confusing. But his new platform not only supports native Linux but also Legacy Garnet OS and Java Apps. Not to mention, ALP 3.0 is compliant with LiMo Foundation’s standards.

See those nice, beautiful screen shots above? Courtesy of a new advanced UI that is said to feature highly detailed visuals, smooth transitions and animations. In explaining the direction the company took:

“The openness and flexibility of Linux are driving innovation in mobile phones and Internet-enabled devices,” said Toru Arakawa, CEO, president and co-founder of ACCESS. “With the introduction of ACCESS Linux Platform mini and the enhanced capabilities of our LiMo-compliant ACCESS Linux Platform v3.0, we can offer our customers a complete range of solutions extending from feature phones through low-end smartphones, to high-end smartphones and Internet devices that will further enable the next generation of mobile Internet use.”

You heard them mention ACCESS Linux Platform (ALP) Mini? That’s the kiddie version of ALP that will be available on feature phones and mainstream consumer phones that aren’t considered “smart” devices. ALP mini is available now while the full ALP 3.0 OS is yet to be released.

We’ll be following this one pretty closely.

[Via PalmInfoCenter, MobileCrunch]

BlackBerry Bold On AT&T - Nov. 4th at $299.99

The title says it all, folks. The BlackBerry Bold will finally, finally, FINALLY be hitting the market just in time for not as many people to really care considering the release of the T-Mobile G1 and upcoming BlackBerry Storm. At $299.99 you’ve got to wonder how many people will pick this up over the alternatives… including the iPhone.

Here is the press release about the launch, found on the RIM website:

AT&T Customers to Enter a ‘Bold’ New Wireless World

Breakthrough BlackBerry Smartphone Is Coming to Nation’s Fastest 3G Network; Arrives in Stores Nov. 4

DALLAS, Texas, and WATERLOO, Ontario - AT&T customers will be entering a bold new wireless world with the launch of the BlackBerry® BoldTM, a breakthrough 3G BlackBerry® smartphone that operates on the nation’s fastest 3G network and is the first to support HSDPA networks around the world, including in Japan and Korea. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and Research In Motion (Nasdaq:RIMM; TSX:RIM) announced today that the highly anticipated BlackBerry Bold smartphone will be available in the United States for as low as $299.991 on Tuesday, Nov. 4, in AT&T retail stores nationwide, through www.att.com and select national retailers, as well as through AT&T’s business-to-business sales teams.

The BlackBerry Bold smartphone, which is being introduced in the United States only for AT&T customers, can be used in the most countries abroad, including more than 60 with 3G networks. AT&T is the world’s leading provider of BlackBerry services.

Bold Design
The BlackBerry Bold smartphone’s design and performance live up to its name. The elegant smartphone features a lustrous black exterior, satin chrome-finished frame and stylish, leatherette backplate with a stunning half-VGA (480 x 320 at 217 ppi) color display for eye-popping visuals and a newly designed full QWERTY keyboard for exceptionally fast and easy typing. On the inside, the BlackBerry Bold features built-in GPS and Wi-Fi®, a powerful new 624 MHz mobile processor that provides impressive performance, more storage memory than ever before — 1 GB on board and up to 16 GB via its microSD/SDHC expansion slot — and a rich set of multimedia capabilities, including an advanced media player for music, videos and photos and a 2 megapixel camera with built-in flash, zoom and video recording, as well as an optimized Web-browsing experience with desktop-style depiction.

“The BlackBerry Bold is the best BlackBerry smartphone ever, backed by the nation’s fastest 3G network and the hands-down best international coverage of any carrier,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility. “The BlackBerry Bold is the complete package, providing customers with an absolutely outstanding mobile experience whether doing e-mail, browsing the Web, viewing streaming video or simply making a phone call. And it is being introduced in the U.S. only from AT&T.”

Mike Lazaridis, president and co-CEO at Research In Motion, said: “The development of the BlackBerry Bold smartphone was an ambitious undertaking, and we focused intensely on the things that are most important to mobile customers when developing this best-in-class smartphone for HSDPA networks around the world. The BlackBerry Bold exudes quality in everything from its stunning display sharpness and incredible keyboard to its premium phone performance and sophisticated software applications. It provides an extraordinary mobile communications and multimedia experience, and we are very proud to introduce this breakthrough smartphone in the United States together with AT&T.”

AT&T Services
In addition to the renowned BlackBerry productivity applications — including phone, e-mail, messaging, organizer and browser — the BlackBerry Bold from AT&T will boast such AT&T services as:

  • Simultaneous Voice and Data Capabilities — When connected to AT&T’s 3G network, customers can conduct a phone conversation and at the same time check e-mail, browse the Web or use another data application, including when tethered to a notebook computer.
  • AT&T Navigator Global Edition — Powered by TeleNav, the only GPS-based service available from a U.S. wireless carrier to provide international navigation capabilities. AT&T customers can get spoken or text-based turn-by-turn directions with automatic missed turn rerouting and a local business finder service in 20 countries.
  • Seamless Wi-Fi — Allows AT&T customers who turn on the BlackBerry Bold smartphone’s Wi-Fi feature — 802.11 a/b/g — to connect automatically to home or campus networks. AT&T customers also will be able to access more than 17,000 AT&T hot spots nationwide, including nearly 7,000 participating Starbucks locations plus thousands more restaurants, airports, hotels and other convenient locations across the U.S.
  • CV — CV (Cellular Video) from AT&T gives viewers access to thousands of video clips — news, sports, weather, entertainment and more — directly on a BlackBerry Bold smartphone via streaming video.
  • AT&T Mobile Music Services — An industry leader in mobile music, AT&T boasts the largest catalog of offerings available today, giving customers mobile access to enjoy XM Radio Mobile™, song identification through MusicID, music videos through MobiTV and over-the-air access to the extensive music databases of Napster Mobile® and eMusic® — just to name a few.

AT&T Navigator, CV, AT&T Mobile Music services and more than 90,000 additional choices are available through AT&T MEdia Mall directly from the BlackBerry Bold or online.

E-mail and More
Like all BlackBerry smartphones, the BlackBerry Bold gives users the industry’s leading mobile messaging solution. It works with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, which enables advanced security and IT administration within IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange and Novel® GroupWise® environments, as well as BlackBerry® Professional Software for small businesses. It also works with BlackBerry® Internet Service, which gives users push-based access to as many as 10 supported work or personal e-mail accounts. Customers can also download and edit Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint files using the preloaded DataViz® Documents to Go® software suite. Beyond e-mail, the BlackBerry Bold will support a wide range of business and lifestyle applications.

The BlackBerry Bold smartphone includes Bluetooth® 2.0, which provides support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals. The included BlackBerry® Desktop Manager software comes with Roxio® Media Manager for BlackBerry, which includes new features that make it easier to organize multimedia content as well as manage music, videos and recorded Voice Notes between a computer and the smartphone. It also optimizes video files for smooth full-screen playback on the BlackBerry Bold smartphone’s large display with support for full-screen and widescreen formats.

Roxio Photosuite 9 LE is included, allowing customers to easily enhance pictures and create photo albums on their computer. In addition, the new BlackBerry® Media Sync application allows customers to sync their iTunes® digital musical collections2 with the handset. The BlackBerry Bold also boasts a new acoustic design for enhanced phone listening quality and clarity and numerous premium phone features, including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice Activated Dialing (VAD).

[Via RIM]

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