As the new business-class torchbearers in Nokia's smartphone lineup, it only stands to reason that the new E66 and E71 would support BlackBerry connectivity out of the box. After all, the E61, E61i, E62, and E65 all did, thanks to RIM's BlackBerry Connect client and the sobering realization that just such a software package is the only way for some employees to get out of using a RIM device at their office. Alas, support for BlackBerry Connect has quietly been dropped from the gorgeous new devices -- and as much as we'd like to say otherwise, no amount of beauty is going to make up for being unable to grab the average user's corporate email. Users are upset, particularly those who upgraded from older models assuming that BBC support would be carried over, so RIM had better be cooking up an update if they want to avoid the grizzly scene that usually ensues when you fire up a bunch of people wearing formal business attire.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

In case there was any lingering doubt that AT&T would pick up the Kaiser as the successor to its 8525, this should put all those nasty thoughts to rest. Paul from MoDaCo has noticed that HTC's US site now rocks a guide to setting up BlackBerry Connect on the AT&T 8925 "Tilt," confirming several notable things: one, that AT&T is getting the device, two, that it's called the Tilt and its model number is 8925, and three, that it'll support BlackBerry Connect. Sadly, HTC's apparent misstep (or clever leak designed to get us all foaming at the mouth, depending on how you look at it) reveals nothing about a Tilt release date, but we've gotta think it's coming before too long now.

[Via MoDaCo]

It seems Samsung thinks that one slider ain't enough for T-Mobile USA's lineup. The aptly-named t429 (pictured left) will slot in just below the long-since-released t629, offering up a measly VGA cam and Bluetooth in a dark, reasonably attractive package with an expected launch date of August 20 (no @Home here, sorry). Boy Genius Report has the full details, plus a closer look at the flashy t729 -- a phone that curiously extends Samsung's licensing relationship with RIM for BlackBerry Connect and SureType -- with availability allegedly starting August 1. We'll wait for 3G, personally, but you gotta like Samsung's initiative here.

Oh, by the way, have you heard? Moto isn't the only one releasing push email for their QWERTY candybar handheld; Palm's announced BlackBerry Connect support for the Cingular Treo 650, albeit a bit (ok, a lot) late.. Seems kind of silly that it would be the case, but when it comes to push email support, the carriers have to get involved as well, so it's not just as simple as having an Exchange server and MSFP or BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Connect, you know? In other words, be thankful Palm's helping y'all out at all, we were kind of thinking after ALP and everything they'd just go scorched-earth on us and let the 650 die slowly.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

It turns out the 8100 / Pearl won't be the only device with SureType dropping on T-Mobile in the next few weeks. Samsung's curious clamshell, the SGH-T719 with BlackBerry integration and that love-it-or-hate-it SureType keypad, is now listed as "Coming Soon" on T-Mob's site. The 1.3-megapixel cam is nothing to write home about, but it's got Bluetooth and support for quad-band GSM plus EDGE -- not a bad option for road warriors that are, for whatever reason, morally opposed to smartphones but still like their email fresh and fast.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Though it should hardly come as a shock to readers familiar with our Keepin' it real fake series, RIM might be surprised to find a bounty of BlackBerry-alikes as they enter the mainland Chinese market, undercutting a source of otherwise significant new revenue as millions of new folks discover the addictive devices for the first time. Though unlicensed knockoff manufacturers typically don't fly in the US or Western Europe, Reuters points out that it can cost as little as $125K to bring one online in China -- a compelling proposition in one of the world's hottest mobile markets. What's more, they're finding that some Chinese are buying BlackBerrys strictly for their, uh, sound quality and good looks (can ya believe it?) but are bypassing China Mobile's email hookup entirely, citing it as overpriced. Could the BlackBerry end up a boon for customers in the world's most populous country, yet a bust for RIM?

[Thanks, David]

With Palm's Treo 700p launch seemingly, just weeks away, the poor little Treo 650 must be feeling a bit worse for wear. Well, Uncle Walt still loves ya and rumor has it, Palm does too. In fact, if true, then Palm is planning a major firmware update which should arrive immediately after the Sprint 700p launch in order to keep the platform "competitive." The firmware, dubbed "lowtide," is said to include several new items, chiefly among them is the long promised BlackBerry Connect application for installation and configuration of BBConnect clients, built-in MobiTV support (for Cingular Treos, apparently), FAT32 supporting 4GB SD cards, and hold onto your hats kiddies, WiFi drivers for Palm's WiFi card... about 2 years too late. (Yeah, there are supposedly a bunch of minor changes, too.) Of course, we can't confirm if any of this is true, but we'll be giving our Treo 650 a big hug when those wolfish 700ps are released anyway... just in case.

The long wait is over for Palm enthusiasts, as the highly-anticipated but seemingly always out-of-reach BlackBerry Connect service is finally available for Treo 650 owners -- specifically, future 650 owners who are in one of the seven non-US markets covered by Singapore-based SingTel, the sole carrier offering the service at rollout. We first heard word of a BlackBerry service for Treos last October, and more recently saw the Connect service working "in the wild" at 3GSM, which takes all of that push email goodness and formats it into an interface familiar to Palm OS users. SingTel will be offering the 650 for a very reasonable $186 to customers who sign up for the $38/month BlackBerry Enterprise Solution Unlimited Local Data Usage Plan through May 12th.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in, photo credit: Treonauts]

We got a chance to take a good, long look at Samsung's new T719, their SureType-equipped slim flipphone with BlackBerry connect. The 1.3 megapixel camera and slim design are all well and good, but the keyboard is obviously notable for a non-smartphone Samsung device. The BlackBerry integration was so seamless it was actually invisible (emails just showed up in the unified email / SMS / MMS messaging app); the rest of the interface was the usual Samsung UI we've come to know and tolerate like. The handset itself? It was surprisingly light, solid, and the keyboard was bright and tactile. Plus, how can we fault a phone that had "Engadget" in the dictionary (or at least was able to predictively guess our weirdo name)?