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.

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?

Google's been making all kinds of a fuss lately over what it claims are Verizon's plans to subvert the intent of the 700MHz open-access rules, but it looks like the carrier isn't interested in fighting it out (for once). Verizon issued a statement today saying that it "understood the FCC's rules," and that "of course we'll abide by those rules." Of course, that doesn't really mean anything until they build out the network and we see how they actually implement open-access -- which will take years -- but once again, it seems like Google is really the one in control of the 700MHz spectrum, even though it didn't win. Crafty!

One of the worst-kept secrets in Verizon's stable is finally getting official today; that's right, ladies and gentlemen, meet the Glyde from Samsung. Wearing CDMA guts underneath its F700 clothing, the fashion-friendly QWERTY slider offers a 2 megapixel cam with flash and autofocus, GPS, the full range of Bluetooth profiles, microSD slot, and a true HTML browser. Unlike its crosstown competition -- the LG Voyager -- the Glyde doesn't offer support for Verizon's VCAST TV service, but we imagine most folks will consider that a minor (read: nonexistent) inconvenience. Look for the phone to start circulating into retail channels this week for a princely $249.99 on contract after $50 rebate.

After yesterday's revealing of a sweeping new partnership with Verizon, Qwest took an opportunity during its earnings call today to go into detail on exactly what the deal means. The Baby Bell confirmed that Qwest branding will completely go away -- Verizon devices sold will be Verizon through and through, with no hint of rebranded MVNO action like the old setup with Sprint (which, in some cases, had meant Qwest exclusives like the Fusion). They also say that they're looking forward to implementing Verizon's next-gen (read: LTE) network just as soon as it's available, but really, here's our question: just what would Qwest be implementing, anyway? For all practical purposes, the company's doing nothing more than becoming a glorified authorized Verizon reseller; big wigs on the call said that the terms of the deal are "much, much better" than the old one with Sprint, and considering that they won't actually have to go through the daily grind of running an MVNO, it's no wonder. It's still unclear how Sprint customers are going to be transitioned, but we imagine Sprint proper would be happy to take 'em off Qwest's hands if it came down to it.

Verizon said we'd be getting the BlackBerry Curve 8330 in May, and it looks like the company is right on schedule: RIM's latest is now available with a two-year contract for $219 and a $50 rebate. Specs are exactly the same as we've known forever, which means there's no WiFi, but that's not going to stop any of you, now is it?

P.S.- Sorry, Sprint subscribers, we still don't know when you're getting this one, apart from "mid-May."

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We already got a somewhat vague peek at the 3G-less Blackberry 9000, but it looks like there are actually two upcoming models of RIM's new hotness on the board -- the EDGE version we know about, codenamed Niagara, and an EV-DO edition codenamed Javelin, slated for Verizon. Boy Genius managed to unearth quite a bit more information on these two, and unsurprisingly, they're basically the same as the 9000 we've already seen. Both have a 480 x 320 half-VGA screen, GPS functionality and 3.2 megapixel camera, but only the EDGE-based Niagara gets Wi-Fi. Of course, there aren't any ship dates or prices in the offing yet, but hopefully we'll know more soon.

It looks like the price was right, because that possible deal mentioned by Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg a while back to supplant Sprint as Qwest's wireless provider of choice has now materialized in the form of a gargantuan five-year deal. From what little has been said so far, it seems that the company might be abandoning the MVNO model it currently uses with Sprint and will simply be marketing Verizon Wireless devices through its website, telesales, and in-store channels, giving customers the option of being billed directly by Big Red (how very kind of them!) or having the charges bundled in with the remainder of their service. Also remaining to be seen is how the transition of Qwest's existing Sprint-based customers -- some 800,000 of them -- would be transitioned, if at all. More details are expected to emerge during its earnings call on Tuesday, and we'd imagine current Qwest wireless customers are on the edges of their seats.

Remember that three-pack of phones Verizon promised for April delivery a while back? Two of them have materialized as promised, but the third -- the Motorola Q9c -- is missing in action. The popular rumor seems to be that they've pushed the launch date out just a smidge to May 15, though with the Q9m already in the lineup, we suspect this one won't be causing as much panic than if either the enV(2) or XV6900 had slipped. Or will it?

[Via Everything Q]

Update: We've gotten some documentation suggesting that the Q9c will actually launch in Verizon's B2B, web, and telesales channels on May 9 right alongside the Curve and Glyde, making for a quite a blockbuster day. Availability in stores will apparently depend on how long it takes to deplete Q9m stock.

Turns out the Glyde's gonna have to share the spotlight a bit when it launches early next month. The Curve 8330 has been confirmed by our sources for a May 9 release through Verizon's B2B, web, and telesales channels, followed by a May 12 launch in "all channels" (which we assume means you'll be able to walk into any old store and grab one). It'll go for $319.99 before $50 rebate on a two-year contract, ranging all the way up to $439.99 if you have no interest in signing your name on the dotted line. 'Course, Sprint told us point-blank that it'd be launching the Curve in April and that didn't exactly pan out, so we recommend exercising some restraint here until your jaded heart actually spies it on Verizon's site -- or better yet, on a store shelf.

It looks like it's a surprisingly good time to be a behemoth US carrier, with both AT&T and Verizon reporting some pretty aggressive profits in the first quarter of 2008 in the face of a flagging economy. Many of Verizon's results closely mirror AT&T's actually, with data revenue absolutely destroying the numbers from a year ago -- up 48.9 percent year over year, in Big Red's case. As we can see from Verizon's own documentation here, they're tooting their horn against their arch-nemesis with more net adds, a slightly better ARPU, lower churn, and lower cost per customer, with service revenue and total subs (of course) being AT&T's big wins. Whether the momentum can be kept up through a challenging '08 remains to be seen, but it's a solid start for the nation's number two. Hit the gallery below for a big shot of Verizon's message to employees regarding the results.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

We've learned from a trusted source that one of the jewels in Verizon's summer 2008 crown, the Samsung Glyde, will finally freaking launch on May 9. Despite a wealth of both in-the-wild and press quality photography of the phone over the past few weeks, it's been less and less clear when exactly Verizon was planning on actually offering it, so we're glad to finally have a date -- particularly considering that it's less than two weeks away. That'll give the Glyde a few comfortable weeks atop the heap ahead of the Dare's arrival, so enjoy it while you can, Samsung.

Update: It'll be $299.99 on a two-year plan before rebate, $369.99 on a one-year, and $419.99 with no strings attached.

Get those textin' thumbs ready, peeps, because your latest weapon of choice is just about ready for you. LG's enV(2)-- a phone that we'd argue takes attractive design far more seriously than its predecessor -- will be available in exchange for a reasonable sum of cash (or cash equivalent) tomorrow, April 30, in Verizon stores across the land. Far more than a mere text machine, the enV(2) features a 2 megapixel camera, microSD slot, GPS, and a big ol' 2.4-inch display when the clam is opened. The only question left, really, is black or maroon?

What's blue, silver, and boring all over? If you guessed the Nokia 6205, well, you clearly knew something about the phone you were holding back to us -- but nonetheless, go ahead and give yourself a gold star and a pat on the back for a job well done. The low-end flip for Verizon, which we'd mentioned not long ago, has finally been exposed in all its entry-level glory; don't get us wrong, we're delighted that Espoo seems to be back in the thick of the CDMA hunt, but we think we're going to hold out for something just a little more visually stimulating than this. The lack of EV-DO isn't helping its case either, though we suppose the external controls and camera flash are welcome additions for the folks who actually hold out until its alleged mid-June release.

Update: Peep that little "EV" signal strength indicator up there? Looks like there might be a 3G radio hiding in this one, after all. If so, kudos, Nokia! Thanks, VZW_Emp!

phoneArena appears to have scored information on exactly when Verizon will be (or would like to be, anyway) releasing three new models from LG, all of which should be attracting some serious attention in their own right. Headlining the group is the VX9700 "Dare" -- Verizon's Prada-alike, if you recall -- which is allegedly now being targeted for a July 4 online release and an in-store launch shortly thereafter (we'd say those dates put it at risk of cannibalization from the Glyde, but the Dare'll win the photography battle with a 3.2 megapixel sensor versus the Glyde's measly 2). Next up, the trick VX8610 with the internal Bluetooth headset has apparently been christened "Decoy" and is tracking for May 30 online and June 9 in store. Finally, the VX8650 Chocolate Flip gets ready to mercilessly slaughter its VX8600 predecessor come June 24 on your trusty web browser with brick-and-mortar locations getting theirs in July. Naturally, launch dates tend to have the solidity of Jello, so don't be dropping your life savings on any wagers here with your shady friends. Not yet, anyway.