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British Telecom launches BT ToGO service


This is a fun twist, instead of a mobile provider adding home phone service to its roster, British Telecom, a UK wireline provider is adding wireless service called Broadband Anywhere with a couple handsets called BT ToGO. The two handsets on offer are HTC's S710 and the S620 offering WiFi access when available and wireless when not, the home service is included with a BT WiFi set and router called the. The handsets are being bundled with "Broadband Anywhere" and includes DSL at home, Openzone WiFi and BT FON access with a sticker price of anywhere from £23.99 to £53.99 (roughly $47 and $105) a month. We're thinking $47 isn't too terrible a price to pay as long as they've got you properly covered, but $105 might be hard to swallow if the plans are meager. More specifics on the plans as soon as we have it.

Motorola L800t gets FCC blessing on way to China's TD-SCDMA


Remember that rumored L800t that got outed as part of Motorola's Asian lineup for '08 not long ago? We still can't really confirm that it's called the L800t, but we can confirm that the device itself is real thanks to an FCC approval -- and really, that's all that matters, isn't it? This unassuming candybar should mark Moto's first foray into China's budding TD-SCDMA network that hopes to eventually blanket the country's metropolitan areas with a proprietary form of 3G. The next question, naturally, is why the phone has found its way into American labs when it'll be biding its time over in Beijing, and the answer is pretty simple: we've got EDGE data on the 1900MHz band here, so theoretically, it could be used (with reduced performance) in the States -- just don't expect any high-speed action out of it.

Apple Store's US and UK sites run dry of iPhones, 3G imminent?


If we saw the typical "Ships in 1-2 weeks" here or whatever, we wouldn't be sounding an alarm, but something is going on here. Both Apple's US and UK online stores are joining the O2 choir and are now reporting the iPhone as "currently unavailable" -- no 8GB, no 16GB, no nothing. It seems that Apple either significantly underestimated demand for the 2.5G models ahead of the 3G release that's still a few weeks (or months) down the road, or the 3G model is a whole heck of a lot closer than we could've imagined. Is anyone suddenly having a nasty case of "I only want what I can't have" syndrome and regretting that they didn't order one of these bad boys a day or two ago?

[Via GadgetKing, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung Glyde review roundup


The Samsung Glyde was one of the most hyped phones on an American carrier in recent memory leading up to its launch, and there's one small problem with that: it's hard to live up to the fanfare, no matter how good (or bad) the phone might be. A common early complaint coming out of the gate seems to be the lack of support for Verizon's MediaFLO-based VCAST TV service, a service that the Glyde's main competition, the Voyager, supports. The UI's also getting panned for being a little more confusing that it needs to be; compounding matters is the fact that Phone Scoop describes it as a "push UI" on account of a fiddly touchscreen. For what it's worth, it seems that the keyboard is at least quite good -- so if you can put up with the negatives, the Glyde might still have a place in your pocket. Otherwise, the Voyager's still looking awfully good, isn't it?

Read - LAPTOP Magazine (2.5 / 5 stars, "...limited by a poor UI and unreliable performance")
Read - Phone Scoop ("The Glyde pairs a few of the best things from the physical and touch worlds")
Read - PHONE Magazine ("The Verizon Glyde isn't a bad cellphone, but it's outshone by its rivals")

BlackBerry 9000 gets a name, introducing the BlackBerry Bold?


Isn't it just? Bold new design, bold new flavor? We're really not feeling the name here, but it may be that Waterloo's home team has decided to plonk the name "Bold" on the BlackBerry 9000. Perhaps they've just decided to tout the horn a bit with this wild and crazy departure from typical BlackBerry fare -- come on, check how rounded those corners are. Either way, the boldly large and curvy handset is surely going to cause a ruckus once announced and dropped on your local retailer's shelves. We're still feeling the name BlackBerry Clunk might have been better, but hey, that's just us.

How would you change RIM's BlackBerry Curve 8330?

Well, what do you know? This week's How Would You Change question hits home in the Mobile world, so we figured we'd give you all a fair shot at chiming in. For those who've coughed up the requisite coin to procure a BlackBerry Curve 8330 on one of our nation's CDMA carriers, how on Earth is it treating you? Found any annoyances you'd like to see changed? If so, head on over to Engadget Classic and drop your comments there.

MWg releasing Windows Mobile 7 gear before the year's out?


Not long after spinning off from former corporate parent O2, Windows Mobile purveyor MWg is moving out of its Asian comfort zone to attempt to sell its wares over in Europe with a splashy press conference to kick things off -- and if the aggressive roadmap they're pursuing for the next year or so holds true, they might just have a fighting chance at making a splash up there. First up are the official European intros of the Atom V and Zinc II, HSDPA-equipped handsets that have been kicking around for a while now, but that's not even close to the interesting part. Looking deeper into '08 reveals a handful of HTC Diamond competitors, devices that are sporting a respectable 7.2Mbps down and 5.2Mbps up, and looking still deeper into the fourth quarter suggests that MWg intends to release its first Windows Mobile 7-powered device -- the Flame II -- with GPS, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and "multimedia features" on board. That seems a little far-fetched considering that 7 hasn't been officially shown off and 6.1 isn't even in broad distribution to users yet, but we appreciate MWg's motivation here. We also see a Shift killer in the wings with Vista and a 3G data connection toward the end of the year, so all told, the future's looking bright for these cats if they can actually execute.

BlackBerry 9000 getting announced next week?


Now that the BlackBerry 9000's been outed and reviewed, we guess there's little left for RIM to do but just get official with the darned thing. Looks like that might actually happen as soon as next week, with Boy Genius Report claiming that it'll happen on Monday, May 12, the first day of the Wireless Enterprise Symposium, going down in sunny Orlando. 'Course, there's a pretty significant difference between announcing a product and actually getting it into would-be buyers' hands, so we're going to keep our party favors and noisemakers firmly stowed until some carriers start to step up to the plate.

HTC Touch Diamond hits the FCC


Ah -- we'd know that backside anywhere. If you were super-duper stoked about the forthcoming HTC Touch Diamond, you might want to sit down. Apparently, High Tech Computer Corp. has already sent this beauty over to the FCC, where a room is currently filled with men in white coats meticulously judging the above label placement. Regardless, this might bode well for a US release of the company's latest and greatest... don't you think? While you ponder that brainteaser, feel free to truck over to the FCC's site and get all the information you could possibly want about the Diamond's RF exposure.

Motorola's Q9c finally appears for Verizon


Just like we suspected, after a short delay, the succulent and delightful Motorola Q9c is now available from Verizon. Bonus shot -- instead of the $249.99 price tag we expected it to sport, it's actually bumped down to $199.99 with a two-year contract and online discount. So... what are you waiting for?

The Motorola V9 Ferrari, for the Moto-loving Ferrari driver in your life


A Vertu it's not, but that's not stopping Motorola from borrowing Maranello's most prized symbol of speed and excess yet again. Last time around, Moto was trying its hand at reworking the Z8 into a phone befitting some of the world's most exotic cars -- an effort that we believe failed spectacularly, for the record -- and this time around it looks like the RAZR 2 V9 will be the unwitting target. Technologically, the phone's a dead ringer for its less-flashy cousin, but in terms of appearance... well, that's a whole different story, thanks to a checkered pattern on the phone's metal surface, red trim, and if we had to guess, a full range of Ferrari-themed pictures and sounds. Oh, and they've also managed to throw in a lambskin case embossed with the hallowed badge. No word on pricing, but it seems that it'll only be available in Asia and Latin America -- for a very small fraction of the price of the real thing, may we add.

NTT DoCoMo getting its own Prada phone from LG


What sort of sick, twisted world did we just wake up inside where NTT DoCoMo is getting rehashed has-been phones launched many, many months ago elsewhere? We're kidding -- sort of -- but we do find it a bit strange that Japan's favorite omniscient megacarrier is just now getting around to announcing its own LG Prada after the original KE850 model entered our hearts and minds almost a year and a half ago. Some of that embarrassment is salvaged in the form of NTT DoCoMo-specific changes and upgrades, or so they allege, anyway; all we're really seeing is the presence of 7.2Mbps data, even though the press release insists that the new model has been "redeveloped specifically" for 'em. Otherwise, fashionistas of the Far East will be treated to a 2 megapixel autofocus cam and a 3-inch wide QVGA display when it launches next month.

BlackBerry Curve now available through Sprint


Late's better than never -- usually, anyway -- and a rumored release date finally stuck long enough for the BlackBerry Curve 8330 to make an appearance on Sprint's online store. In fact, as "mid-May" goes, May 9 is actually on the early side of things if you want to get technical about it, so we guess some kudos are actually due here. Sprint's asking $179.99 on contract with rebates for the pleasure of indulging in its latest mobile productivity tool, which you'll ironically be using to respond to emails during meetings that you're supposed to be listening in on. Funny how the world works, isn't it?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sprint's BlackBerry Curve definitely might be available tomorrow


After the April slip-up -- which we're hearing might be more RIM's fault than anything else, a thought validated by the fact that Sprint, Verizon, and Alltel have all slipped -- it looks like Sprint customers and would-be customers might finally be able to get their hands on some sweet, sweet Curve lovin' tomorrow. Boy Genius Report has netted what appears to be a page out of Sprint's internal Playbook, showing "direct ship" availability as of May 9 for a mere $179.99 on contract after the full menu of rebates has been applied. Not bad, all things considered (the price, that is, not the delay we've been suffering through).

Nokia E71 all up in AT&T's labs

While we twiddle our thumbs and wait for some sort of official confirmation that this thing even exists, Boy Genius Report has heard some rumblings that AT&T is putting the Nokia E71 through its paces with the intention of launching it -- in your choice of black or white, no less. Multiple Eseries colors certainly aren't without precedent, so we can buy that much -- and AT&T has previously launched the E62, so we can totally picture this going down. What's more, we've now heard from an independent source that the AT&T-branded E71 does in fact exist and is currently being crafted in Nokia's San Diego facilities (production models won't be born in the same place, we presume). Just a warning, guys: if this ends up happening as an EDGE-only device, we're going to lose it.




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