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DROID headed to Germany as Motorola MILESTONE (update: Italy too, no Google Maps Navigation)

by Paul Miller posted Nov 2nd 2009 @ 1:31AM

O2 Germany has confirmed a GSM version of the DROID for Europe going by the name of the Motorola MILESTONE. The news comes courtesy of a sliver of O2's online store page that left itself exposed to the wiles of Google, complete with the above picture and the new moniker, and follows close on the heels of a leaked business guide which says the MILESTONE will retail for €404.20 to corporate customers, and will be available as of November 9th.

Update: It's now official on the Motorola Germany (and english language Western Europe) website where it lists Vodafone and O2 as local carriers. Italy now too, on an unspecified carrier. Oh, and it also lists "pinch and zoom" as a feature not found on the Droid. See for yourself after the break. It's carrying a public price tag of €481.

Update 2: As noted by a few readers, Milestone will ship with MOTONAV turn-by-turn directions, not Google's Maps Navigation.

[Via Boy Genius Report, Thanks Vincenzo, Peter B.]

BlackBerry Bold 9700 official on T-Mobile Germany, November launch confirmed

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 15th 2009 @ 6:48AM

Perhaps the worst kept secret till now -- outside of Walt Mossberg's embargo slipups -- was that T-Mobile and the latest BlackBerry flagship device were set for a November marriage. Hell, there were even invitations to the party. So, whether you call it the Bold 2, the 9700, or the Onyx, come next month you'll be able to lovingly place its 480 x 360 display, WiFi antennae and all that other hotness in a Curve-sized space inside your pocket. We can expect this first official confirmation to be followed by similar appearances in the US and across Europe as the 9700 begins its ascension to the throne of the BlackBerry kingdom.

[Thanks, Richy]

Vodafone puts BlackBerry Storm2 up for 26 October preorder

by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 15th 2009 @ 4:34AM

And it's out. The BlackBerry Storm2 just made its first official carrier appearance with Vodafone. The promising followup to the much maligned BlackBerry Storm will be free on pay-monthly contracts from £35 on up. Specs include a 3.25-inch 360 x 480 pixel capacitive SurePress (new and improved) touchscreen display, 802.11b/g WiFi and 2100MHz UMTS/HSPA data, 256MB of flash memory (double that of the original Storm), 2GB of onboard memory with microSDHC expansion, 3.5-mm standard headset jack, 3.2 megapixel camera with video recording, built-in GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, and 1400mAh battery giving about 6 hours of 3G talk. BlackBerry OS 5 too, of course, when it lands on October 15th in the UK, Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands, and Spain -- France, Italy, and South Africa in time for Christmas.

Update: Now on official RIM page too with a detailed comparison against the original Storm.

Gallery: Vodafone and RIM introduce the BlackBerry Storm2 Smartphone

[Thanks, James]

Read -- Press Release
Read -- Pre-order

Appirion's iDriver app lets iPhone control minivan (video)

by Darren Murph posted Oct 14th 2009 @ 4:04PM

Believe it or not, a device-controlled car isn't exactly fresh. In fact, we've actually seen a PSP control a Civic before Barack Obama was even a glimmer in the media's eye. That said, we're always willing to give credit where it's due, and the iDriver app just might be the most impressive use of Apple's smartphone... well, ever. As the name implies, this here app is able to control a heavily wired vehicle seemingly with ease -- the accelerometer handles the steering, and two soft buttons on the screen handle braking and acceleration. We'd bother explaining more, but we know you've already clicked past the break to see the whole thing demonstrated on video. Right?

[Via Engadget German]

Continue reading Appirion's iDriver app lets iPhone control minivan (video)

First GSM Palm Pre now on sale in Germany, with new Euro-specific apps in tow

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 13th 2009 @ 5:15AM

We knew it was coming, and here it is -- the glorious first showing of the Palm Pre in its GSM garb. From today, our Deutsch comrades can grab a Pre and do whatever they want to do to it, courtesy of O2, its exclusive German supplier. The device will set you back €481 without contract, with the O2 My Handy option letting you finance it via 24 monthly payments of €20. Check out the online store link below for full details and available calling plans. Pre Thinking have also noted the arrival of two new free apps in the Pre catalog -- ran and VZ-Netzwerke, both in German -- and the likely prospect of even more coming along as the Pre starts its long-awaited rollout across Europe over the next few days.

[Via Engadget German]

Read - O2 Germany Palm Pre launch announcement
Read - O2 Germany online store
Read - Pre Thinking

GSM Palm Pre for O2 Germany pictured in the wild

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 6th 2009 @ 5:24PM

The Palm Pre is scheduled to make its big GSM debut on O2 in Europe in just a few weeks, and it looks like final production units are making their way into the wild -- these shots of a German Pre complete with final box art and a localized keyboard just hit the wires. Nothing here you're not familiar with already, but man -- the GSM and the Pre, gettin' down. We'd only dared to dream, you know? Now all we need is a version with some North American 3G bands and we'll be all set.

GSM Palm Pre now looking at 'autumn' launch in Germany

by Darren Murph posted Sep 20th 2009 @ 10:44AM

You know, we admire Palm's patience. We knew a GSM Pre was in the works about 8.43 minutes after its CES presser ended in January, and we've been waiting all this time for some carrier in some part of the New World to grab hold of a GSM version of the world's first webOS handset. If you'll recall, we last heard that O2 Germany would be giving its loyal users the chance to get that very handset before the holiday season, but now an updated image on the site clearly indicates that it's coming this fall. As in, before winter. As in, within the next few months. As in, not nearly soon enough.

[Via PreCentral]

Sprint buy apparently not on the table for Deutsche Telekom -- yet

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 15th 2009 @ 10:24PM

Eerily mirroring the situation with T-Mobile in the UK, disgruntled Deutsche Telekom shareholders are apparently now turning their attention to the company's US outpost, now that the British woes are on the fast track to resolution thanks to a tie-up with Orange. The Financial Times is reporting that the bell isn't tolling quite yet for T-Mobile USA -- key players are still on board with the company's plan to get back into the game with an accelerated 3G rollout, which means that alternative strategies aren't actively being considered right this second. Word has it that the clock has been set for mid-2010, though, at which point red ink on the balance sheet is going to mean a more drastic change in direction -- something like a merger with Sprint or a move to transform the carrier into an ultra-value brand concentrating on prepaid service with a possible MetroPCS or Leap / Cricket buy. What color do you get when you combine magenta and yellow, anyway?

Nokia N900 now giving Germany and Italy a way to pre-order

by Ross Miller posted Aug 28th 2009 @ 5:09PM

Now that Nokia's Maemo-powered N900 is looking mighty nice and official, the company's Germany and Italian arms have no problem going ahead and taking your hard-earned Euros in exchange for a pre-order. Both sites are actually listing it for €599 (US $860), or €99 more than what we heard yesterday. A pretty huge discrepancy, to be sure, but it's not unlike Nokia to have a flagship phone fluctuate in price. That October release date is a ways off, but if you're absolutely convinced this must be in your pocket by Halloween, you know where to go.

[Via Slashgear]

Read - Nokia Germany
Read - Nokia Italy

BlackBerry Storm 2 spotted in Vodafone Germany's systems

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 7th 2009 @ 4:42PM

There's little doubt that the Storm 2 is real, but where's it going, exactly? Not long after its debut in some 1960s-era Verizon mainframe that occupies two and a half acres of rural real estate in an underground bunker in North Dakota (we totally fabricated that, by the way), the phone has shown up in a Vodafone Germany computer of similar vintage and unfathomable size. RIM's latest attempt at the touchscreen craze is undoubtedly being pursued with some vigor by the world's top-tier carriers, and it makes sense that all of the original model's launch partners -- Vodafone Germany included -- would have first dibs. No word on a launch date, but we take it as a good sign that everyone's feverishly entering this stuff into inventory databases now.

[Thanks, anonymous BlackBerry lover from Germany]

Toshiba's potent TG01 back on sale through O2 Germany

by Darren Murph posted Jul 18th 2009 @ 11:48PM

Well, that was snappy. Just days after O2 Germany abruptly halted the sales of Toshiba's 1GHz TG01 smartphone due to an unexplained virus outbreak among new units, it seems as if things are back in gear. Online, anyway. As of this moment, web shoppers can order the Snapdragon / WinMo-powered from the carrier once more, though there's no word on if retail shops are still keeping their stock in quarantine. Either way, we'd don a mask before waltzing in to inquire.

[Thanks, Fab]

O2 Germany's TG01 handset, now with virus!

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 15th 2009 @ 10:17AM

It's bad enough picking up a virus because you've made an uncharacteristic (to you at least) illegal software acquisition, but bringing one home when you're just minding your own business, trying to enjoy your legitimate and hard-earned purchase, is totally uncool. Case in point: according to Inside-Handy.de, a few unlucky customers of O2 in Germany have purchased the TG01 handset only to discover a virus present on the device. While Toshiba tries to determine the impact and the cause of the infection, O2 has halted sales of the smartphone, though there's no word on when sales will resume nor if this infection has spread to other European nations.

[Via Unwired View]

T-Mobile's G2 Touch (HTC Hero) hitting Germany in August, not July

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 15th 2009 @ 8:33AM

It's the same HTC Hero you already crave only now with a touch of colorful Hypo-magenta-semia that always results in a name change. The result? T-Mobile G2 Touch now scheduled for an August launch date, not July as originally announced. We imagine this will push the UK launch back as well what with T-Mobile HQ'd in Germany. Missed launch date or not, we've been ready to take on extra debt, sell the ferrets, whatever it takes just to take home that Sense UI and excellent on-screen keyboard riding Android 1.5 like, yesterday.

[Thanks, Vaios]

Update: T-Mobile UK has stated via Twitter that the G2 Touch ship date will be released "ASAP." Thanks, Chris!

Samsung Galaxy GT-I7500 unboxed, "Google Experience" distinction now clear as mud

by Nilay Patel posted Jul 10th 2009 @ 12:41PM

The HTC Hero and T-Mobile myTouch 3G aren't the only Android phones making waves this week: the Samsung Galaxy GT-I7500 also launched on O2 Germany, and this is the first unboxing we've seen. Continuing the confusion over what handsets actually get the full Google blessing, this version of the I7500 runs pretty much bone-stock Android, but isn't a "Google Experience" phone, which in this case apparently means that firmware updates have to be loaded manually over USB instead of being pushed over the air. If you're keeping track, that's now a third axis of differentiation between Google-branded Android handsets and everything else, and we're starting to think no one really knows what all the rules and differences actually are -- hey, Eric, maybe you could set down that BlackBerry for a minute and sort all this out?

Palm Pre official on O2 and Movistar in Europe, launch "in time for holidays"

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 7th 2009 @ 4:01AM

It's official, Palm just kicked out a press release saying that the UK, Ireland, and Germany will have access to the Palm Pre exclusively on O2 while Spain's Pre will be offered exclusively on Movistar -- so it's all Telefonica, all the time. Unfortunately, launch timing was only narrowed down to "in time for the holidays" which is just another way of repeating Palm's European-launch mantra of before the end of the year. Palm also doesn't provide any prices and chose not to list the radio frequencies for the HSDPA/UMTS with EDGE/GSM version of the Pre. See the 1,260 word press release posted after the break that says almost nothing.

Update: Seems as if O2 Germany has word that it'll be launching the GSM Pre in October.

Update 2: Hmm, seems as if O2 Germany has swapped out banners to show "Fall" availability. Make up your mind, won't you?

Continue reading Palm Pre official on O2 and Movistar in Europe, launch "in time for holidays"