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We've been hearing rumors of these handsets for a while and true to its quick release nature, Telus launched EV-DO rev. A upgradeable (from left) HTC P3050 Touch (HTC Vogue) and the HTC S640 (HTC Iris) in the Canadian market this morning. The P3050 is the CDMA equivalent of the GSM Touch and packs the same goodies under the shell including Windows Mobile 6, The lovely TouchFLO UI, 320 x 240 display, Bluetooth, and sadly doesn't pack WiFi or the GPS we had hoped for. This fella is in the shops as of today from CAD $499 off contract to CAD $149 on a 3 year stint. The S640 is the CDMA flavor of the Cavalier and Excalibur, packs Windows Mobile 6, Bluetooth, WiFi, and eschews all that touchscreen goodness for a good ol' fashioned keypad. Pricing is set from CAD $449 off contract to CAD $149 on a 3 year contract. Things are rocking north of the border for the EV-DO crowd, so here's hoping they land here soon, and yes, we're looking at you Sprint and Verizon.
Apparently not content to merely hire Beyonce to push the plain ol' UpStage, Sprint and Samsung have collaborated with the entertainment mogul to release the B'Phone, a dolled up version of the two-sided handset. Lucky buyers will be the recipients of a burgundy UpStage trimmed with gold accents -- we'll let you be the judge whether that's hotter than the all-black original -- along with exclusive Beyonce-themed content (naturally) and a rather fancy set of packaging materials. Aspiring Beyonces of tomorrow should be able to pick it up November 4 online and in Wal-Marts (yes, Wal-Marts) across the land.
Following a similar announcement from Verizon a couple weeks back, Sprint has announced that it'll also be carrying RIM's lastest and greatest CDMA Pearl, the 8130. High on the touted feature list is the integrated GPS, which Sprint is teaming with its Sprint Navigation service to provide real-time routing and traffic alerts -- but we certainly can't forget the 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo Bluetooth support, 2 megapixel camera, and externally accessible microSDHC slot, all of which make the device a worthy successor for anyone that got a kick out of the original GSM Pearl. Look for it in stores next month, with pricing to be announced closer to launch.
The kind folks at Palm have sent us over a brand-spanking-new Centro to take for a spin, and we'd thought we'd share that special moment when a phantasmagorical waking dream becomes cold, hard, metallic reality. At a first glance, it's pretty clear that the $99.99 price point will leave you hungry for accessories if you sink your teeth into the Sprint-only (for now) phone, as the box has the bare minimum included -- they don't even throw in a cheap set of earbuds. Other than that it's pretty standard fare. Check the gallery for all the views (including a size comparison with the Treo 750, so you can see how they stack up), and stay tuned for a thorough review.
Look familiar? Yep, Virgin Mobile's Canadian outpost is getting two phones that should ring a bell for Sprint peeps in these parts: the Samsung m300 and m510 flips. The m300 doesn't look half bad, but its spec sheet's pretty forgettable: 1xRTT data, VGA cam, you get the idea; pick 'er up for $99 CAD. The $199 m510, though, is where things start to get interesting. Simultaneously with the phone's launch, Virgin is firing up its "Tidal Wave" unlimited data plan (sounds vaguely Helio-esque, does it not?) for just $10 a month -- way cheaper than any competing plan up there -- the only catch is that the m510 is the one and only device that they'll let you hook up to it. We're sure the connection's pretty restrictive (laptop tethering hopefuls, sorry, you're still stuck with far more expensive plans) but Virgin says you have "unlimited megabytes for surfing the mobile web." Lucky thing the m510's down with EV-DO, that's for darned sure.
Read - Samsung m300 Read - Samsung m510 Read - Tidal Wave Data Pak
In case you're interested, Verizon's teaser page for its fresh lineup is offering folks the opportunity to pre-order the Samsung Juke... like, right now. Strangely, we're finding that the actual pre-order link is taking us to a page for the old-skool u620 VCAST TV slider; looks like they're still getting their I's dotted and T's crossed as we speak, so stay tuned. Either way, expect an October 19 launch (with delivery of pre-orders soon thereafter, we'd hope).
We've caught boatloads of noise detailing Verizon's pipeline for the remainder of the year (and possibly into early '08), but exact launch dates have been harder to come by. Granted, the carriers often don't know these until the last minute anyway -- network test failures and supply problems being what they are -- but Boy Genius Report has scored a spreadsheet that should at least start to give us a rough idea of what we can expect for the next few months. The Samsung i760 finally (and we do mean finally) launches on October 19, followed by the Juke two days later on the 21st. The first of November sees the BlackBerry Pearl 8130, LG VX5400, and Palm Treo 755p (probably right about the same time Alltel gets it), with the LG Venus coming just a short few days later on the 4th. The 15th sees two new shades for the G'zOne Type-S -- black and "burgundy / gold" -- alongside the Samsung u900 "FlipShot." The ultra-cool LG Voyager and G'zOne "Type-Sptt" (possibly just a Type-S without the cam) slide in on November 18, with two new VX8550 shades dropping on the 21st. Whew! Now, the real question: how many of these dates are actually gonna hold?
With major releases like the Motorola RAZR 2 V9m and BlackBerry 8830 in its rear-view mirror, Alltel's been doing a commendable job keeping up with its larger, national rivals -- and if our intel's accurate, we can expect the trend to continue. In the smartphone department, the Palm Treo 755p should be launching pretty shortly (alright, granted, they're a little late on this one) along with the 8130 variant of the so-called Pearl 2 from RIM, a nice stablemate for the more businesslike 8830. One wildcard that we're hearing about here is the UTStarcom 6850 -- it's not clear what this device is, but given the UTStarcom branding on HTC's PPC-6800, it's conceivable to think that this could be some sort of mild refresh. Then again, it could be some totally boring low-end device sourced from a generic ODM, so we'll just have to play the waiting game on that one. From Motorola, look for two: a U5 (likely a new CDMA PEBL, given the "U" prefix on the model number) and the MOTOROKR Z6m. Not bad if it all pans out, eh?
As expected, Verizon has welcomed the Samsung SCH-U700 Gleam into its lineup, a blindingly shiny flip with a solid spec sheet to back up the glitz. Goodies include touch-sensitive external controls, QVGA primary and 96 x 96 external displays, microSD with support for up to 4GB of expansion, stereo Bluetooth, and a 2 megapixel cam -- not bad, we reckon, though it's gotta be the wildly mirrored surface that's going to draw onlookers window-shopping their neighborhood Verizon stores. Grab it now for $150 on a two-year contract with $50 worth of rebates.
Not quite a year after EV-DO Rev. C became more commonly known as Ultra Mobile Broadband, we're now hearing that the official specifications have been published. Reportedly, the UMB specification should be "quickly converted into an official global standard by the 3GPP2 organizational partners," and with it should come "peak download data rates of 288Mbps in a 20MHz bandwidth." Notably, the release states that multi-mode, multi-band UMB devices will "leverage the existing 3G CDMA device selection to preserve economies of scale," and it's scheduled to become widely available on a worldwide basis during the first half of 2009.
Verizon isn't kidding around this fall, with four new fashionable phones, a couple of which might divert a few iPhone dollars from archrival AT&T. It's those exact four that Engadget Mobile got the scoop on last weekend, the Juke, Pearl, Venus and Voyager. A few of the details have changed, but the basic gist is the same. The Samsung Juke is the first "flick" phone to hit the States, and arrives with 2GB of built-in storage, A2DP (which shows up in all these phones) and a VGA camera, and comes in blue, red or teal. Verizon's BlackBerry Pearl is the first Pearl to get EV-DO and a 3.5mm minijack, and also adds Verizon's VZ Navigator service, which is standard across these phones. The Venus slider sports an interesting dual screen setup, with the bottom providing contextual touch controls and the top one acting like all normal-like. Venus, with black or pink color options, is the real fashionphone of the group, and rocks a boring 2 megapixel sensor, but there's a microSD slot for up to 8GB of expansion. Finally, the Voyager (pictured) does it all, with a full screen touchscreen on the outside, and a second screen on the clamshell interior, facing a gargantuan QWERTY keyboard. V CAST Mobile TV makes an appearance, as does a microSD slot and 2 megapixel camera. All of these phones are supposed to be out by Thanksgiving, but no word on price or exact dates -- though the Juke and Pearl are hitting first, to be followed by the Venus and then the Voyager.
Gallery: Verizon's LG Voyager heads up newly official fall lineup
It's been a tick since Motorola / Symbol's MC70 saw a notable refresh, but today Moto is announcing that the newest version of its rugged Enterprise Digital Assistant (EDA) will boast GPS capability. The firm claims that this addition will allow organizations with field-based employees to "track and manage dynamic, real-time tasking, as well as verify specific locations of activities and provide mobile workers with pinpoint navigation support to improve location-based productivity." Additionally, the device will still include barcode data and signature capture, WWAN, 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth, and should be available for sale worldwide in Q1 of 2008.
The Drift was a groundbreaking device for Helio -- its first to be sourced from Samsung, its first to integrate GPS, and its first slider that didn't look like death -- so we'd be kidding ourselves if we didn't say we were getting just a little emotional over the news that it's been pulled from Helio's site. That's right, the Drift is no more, leaving just the Heat behind to rep the form factor in Helio's lineup. So what's next? The 'nets are abuzz with talk of the Samsung SPH-A523, a handset that passed through the FCC not long ago, is apparently destined for the MVNO, and is said to resemble Samsung's beautiful Ultra Edition 10.9. On a related note, Helio has recently filed for a trademark on the name "Mysto," continuing the surf-themed naming convention (a "mysto spot" is apparently a rare, difficult to find break that typically occurs offshore) -- and while we don't know that the A523 will be called the Mysto, it seems like a good fit. We'll pass along more info as we get it.
Verizon's finally ready to expand its two-strong VCAST TV lineup -- currently composed of the Samsung u620 and LG VX9400 -- to a third device, the Z6tv from Motorola. Supporting Verizon's MediaFLO-based mobile TV service, the Z6tv takes on a simple slider form factor like its u620 stablemate and features a 2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, support fo VZ Navigator, roughly 50MB of onboard storage (mere scraps, if you ask us) plus microSD expansion, and support for landscape viewing of television, video clips, and the camera viewfinder. Look for it to launch a week from today, October 5, for a penny shy of $180 after $50 rebate.
Users of previous-generation USB modems from Sprint and Verizon -- the gargantuan USB720 comes immediately to mind -- know that they're a little on the portly side (and that's being kind). If you're going to have this huge mass hanging off the side of your lappie, it'd be nice if you could at least pack some additional functionality into it, right? Novatel appears to have heard both complaints, offering up the new USB727 in a significantly more attractive package that's nearly an inch shorter and half an inch narrower than its predecessor. Oh, and the "additional functionality" comes in the form of an integrated microSD slot supporting cards up to 4GB, making you feel a little less bad about having an unsightly black object protrude from your PC's otherwise clean lines. Naturally, the USB727 -- known simply as the U727 on Sprint -- supports both networks' EV-DO Rev. A airwaves, promising downlink speeds in the range of 600kbps to 1.4Mbps and uplink at a brisk 350 to 500kbps (that's Sprint's claim, anyway; Verizon says 500 to 800kbps). Verizon customers can pick it up online immediately for $100 after rebate on a two-year contract while Sprint gets it next month for "as low as" $80 on contract.
Look familiar? Yep, Virgin Mobile's Canadian outpost is getting two phones that should ring a bell for Sprint peeps in these parts: the Samsung m300 and m510 flips. The m300 doesn't look half bad, but its spec sheet's pretty forgettable: 1xRTT data, VGA cam, you get the idea; pick 'er up for $99 
With major releases like the Motorola RAZR 2 V9m and BlackBerry 8830 in its rear-view mirror, Alltel's been doing a commendable job keeping up with its larger, national rivals -- and if our intel's accurate, we can expect the trend to continue. In the smartphone department, the Palm Treo 755p should be launching pretty shortly (alright, granted, they're a little late on this one) along with the 8130 variant of the so-called Pearl 2 from RIM, a nice stablemate for the more businesslike 8830. One wildcard that we're hearing about here is the UTStarcom 6850 -- it's not clear what this device is, but given the UTStarcom branding on HTC's PPC-6800, it's conceivable to think that this could be some sort of mild refresh. Then again, it could be some totally boring low-end device sourced from a generic ODM, so we'll just have to play the waiting game on that one. From Motorola, look for two: a U5 (likely a new CDMA PEBL, given the "U" prefix on the model number) and the MOTOROKR Z6m. Not bad if it all pans out, eh?
Not quite a year after EV-DO Rev. C became more commonly known as Ultra Mobile Broadband, we're now hearing that the official specifications have been published. Reportedly, the UMB specification should be "quickly converted into an official global standard by the 3GPP2 organizational partners," and with it should come "peak download data rates of 288Mbps in a 20MHz bandwidth." Notably, the release states that multi-mode, multi-band UMB devices will "leverage the existing 3G CDMA device selection to preserve economies of scale," and it's scheduled to become widely available on a worldwide basis during the first half of 2009.
It's been a tick since Motorola / Symbol's MC70 saw a notable refresh, but today Moto is announcing that the newest version of its rugged Enterprise Digital Assistant (EDA) will boast GPS capability. The firm claims that this addition will allow organizations with field-based employees to "track and manage dynamic, real-time tasking, as well as verify specific locations of activities and provide mobile workers with pinpoint navigation support to improve location-based productivity." Additionally, the device will still include barcode data and signature capture, WWAN, 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth, and should be available for sale worldwide in Q1 of 2008.
