We have a sneaking suspicion most Vodafone faithful have been focusing on other matters, but those who've kept HP's iPAQ Voice Messenger in the front of their mind can finally celebrate. Yep, the Windows Mobile-based smartphone -- which is about as "all-business" as they come, might we add -- is finally available for order at Vodafone UK. It can be claimed right now for anywhere between free and £85.11 ($126) depending on plan.

[Via coolsmartphone]

Been pining for more information on HTC's chunky GSM / WiMAX handset, the HTC MAX 4G? Read on, comrade, because you've come to the right place: "friendly Malaysian guy" and blogger nextimelah has imported one and given a full review of the phone -- well, as full as you can get when you can't read Cyrillic. You see, the phone is still only available at Russian provider Yota and, while you might think a phone like this would offer an English mode, the language is apparently integrated into the device's ROM. So beware, potential importers. Short of the massive language barrier the phone gets high marks, described as being effectively a Diamond with a bigger, better screen -- which may or may not work for you depending on the size of your pockets. The ability to call fellow Yota subscribers via VoIP directly from the phone is intriguing, but sadly it only works when you're on Yota's WiMAX network -- not anybody else's -- again making this one less than import friendly.

[Via wmpoweruser.com]

This thing's been in the pressure cooker for ages now, but it looks like T-Mobile might finally be getting within a stone's throw of actually releasing (or at the very least, announcing) the Shadow II, successor to the Shadow -- HTC's funky little Windows Mobile Standard slider targeted squarely at a consumer audience. The new model moves to WinMo 6.1 from 6 (we should certainly hope so), and as rumored, it appears to now support HotSpot WiFi-based calling. It's no G1 on the geek scale, but if you're looking to somehow strike a mythical balance between "cool" and "supports ActiveSync," we might just have your winner.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Not that you can't snag an HTC Touch Diamond in Canada right now, but those loyal to Rogers are still waiting. As of this moment, we still can't locate the WinMo 6.1-based handset on the outfit's website, but MobileSyrup has it that the phone will soon be released for as low as $199.99 on a 3-year contract (with a minimum $45 voice / data plan). Oddly enough, we're also told that it'll be available with voice-only plans for $449.99 (3-year), $549.99 (1 to 2-year) and $599.99 (month-to-month), while a data-only plan is available on the $499.99 handset (3-year). Weird, we know -- which makes us all the more anxious to hear this gibberish from the horse's mouth.

Samsung's Omnia is nice enough to find a good home in many a professional's pocket, but in terms of overall desirability it doesn't quite compare to the iPhone or G1. Why, then, did Verizon price the thing $50 higher than its alternate-platform competition? Your guess is as good as ours, but at least the company didn't take long to see the error of its ways, dropping the handset under the magic $200 mark just a few days after the early-adopters got done paying too much for theirs. We're thinking Verizon might have been targeting the $249 Touch Diamond, but really that could do with a price cut of its own. $199 seems about right for an Omnia, so you go right ahead and click on if you want; we'll wait for the higher-res one, thanks.

Can't say it looks like anything special, but Pharos has launched its latest Traveler courtesy of Dell. The GPS-enabled Traveler 619 boasts a 2.8-inch VGA touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, 2-megapixel camera, 3.5G support, a quad-band GSM / GPRS / EDGE radio, Windows Mobile 6, Bluetooth / WiFi, IrDA and a battery good for four hours of yappin'. Order now for a buck ninety-nine and it should be under the tree in plenty of time.

[Thanks, Pavel]

We're not quite sure what Samsung's trying to pull here, but it's apparently using some BizBee moniker to revamp a few dusty smartphones with Windows Mobile 6.1. So far as we can tell, the BizBee family will house a "new range of designer business mobiles," though Samsung's starting off rather poorly by reintroducing the i780 with WinMo 6.1. Said handset will be re-launched initially in the UK, Nordics, Spain and Netherlands this month, though we're not sure if the marketing blitz will escape the clutches of Europe in order to serve as entertainment elsewhere. For Sammy's sake, we hope not.

If it's a 5-megapixel cameraphone you're looking for, there are decidedly cheaper entries on the market -- but if only a 5-megapixel WinMo Professional set will do, the Omnia's just about the best (read: only) deal you'll find on an American carrier these days. The CDMA translation of the smartphone that Samsung's been selling in other parts of the world for much of 2008 in GSM form carries over most of its key features, namely Windows Mobile 6.1 with TouchWiz, WiFi, DivX certification, the love-it-or-hate-it optical directional pad, and that beefy cam with flash and autofocus. It also nabs VZ Navigator support, stereo Bluetooth, a 3.2-inch 400 x 240 display, and 8GB of internal memory. Gives pause to that imminent Touch Pro purchase, doesn't it? Look for it to be available for order this week -- a full retail launch is expected come December 8 -- for $249.99 after rebate on a two-year contract.

[Thanks, Anthony C.]

If it's just gotta be Windows Mobile then the HTC Touch Pro is about as good as it gets. After HTC jumped the gun yesterday, the Touch Pro is up and dancing the QWERTY slide on Verizon's website exactly as rumored. $419.99 minus that $70 mail-rebate makes it yours for $350 with two-year contract. Right, $50 more than with AT&T.

[Thanks, Leindurstit]

It looks like HTC jumped the gun here just a little bit for two reasons: first, we've yet to hear a single peep (officially, anyway) from Verizon about its Touch Pro's existence, and second, the "Buy Now" link on the product page takes you to... wait for it... Sprint. We don't know much, but we know that ain't right. Anyway, hang tight, folks, because we're still hoping for a release this week -- we've heard rumors that it may have been pushed back, but from the looks of things on HTC's end, they'd just as soon get this thing out the door on the double.

[Thanks, Leindurstit]

Not that we've any reason to be shocked here, but Samsung's Omnia is indeed coming to Verizon Wireless. 'Course, most everyone with any remote affiliation to Big Red is frenzied over that other phone today, but those with a soft spot for Windows Mobile 6.1 may want to give this one a bit of attention. You know the highlight specs by now -- a 5-megapixel camera / camcorder, full HTML browser and an expansive touchscreen -- but the nitty-gritty details are still being withheld. As of now, the link on Samsung's website tunnels straight to an error page, forcing us to be content with the knowledge that somehow, someday, this phone is destined for a life on VZW's shelves. Enlarged screengrab is after the jump.

Still clutching your trusty XV6900, are you? Not heading out in a few hours to secure yourself a Storm? If you're the mettlesome type, you can surf on over to PhoneNews and suck down the latest and greatest (and unofficial) software update for the Verizon-branded HTC Touch. Version 3.14.605.1 reportedly takes your Windows Mobile to 6.1 and adds in gpsOne, VZ Navigator and Opera Mobile. Don't forget to backup your smooth jazz and whatnot before diving into the unknown, though.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

Alright T-Mobile, seriously, how can you charge $299.99 for a Wing on contract with a straight face (do carriers have faces?) while every single one of your competitors is rocking a device that's essentially two generations fresher for the same price? Alltel becomes the latest to add HTC's quintessential WinMo QWERTY smartphone to its stable, charging $279.99 for the privilege of adding a Touch Pro to your account on contract after $100 rebate. From the looks of things, it's basically Sprint's version with a tweaked version of the TouchFLO 3D UI that's either prettier or uglier than the stock build, depending on your point of view. Let's be honest, though: doesn't everything look good in VGA resolution?

[Thanks, theups]

We noticed this on AT&T's web store in the wee hours this morning, and sure enough, they've gone ahead and announced the LG Incite in all its official glory today (normally the announcement comes before the web store stuff, but whatever). It's got WiFi, a 3-megapixel camera, a 3-inch touchscreen equipped with haptics and 400 x 240 resolution, AT&T Navigator, microSD support up to 16GB, triband HSDPA, and Windows Mobile 6.1 -- in other words, LG's produced a nice QWERTY-less foil to the Fuze here. It's available straight away in stores, too, as long as you're willing to shell out the $199.99 on contract after rebates.