WWDC can't possibly come soon enough at this point, with the usual endless array of random, oft-conflicting iPhone rumors being tempered only somewhat by the impending release of its archrival, the Pre. Meanwhile, though, we're once again on cleanup duty -- and the latest batch of rumors brings us a new alleged shot of the phone (or one of them, anyway, assuming there are multiple models coming down the pike). If we had to guess, this is supposed to be a graphic you'd see on Apple's web store, and while the black border coincides with everything we believe to be true about the new gear, the "Available today" text there gives us pause -- Apple really hasn't pulled that kind of instant-inventory stunt lately and we've been led to believe from the previous two iPhone launches that it's basically impossible to make it happen with that kind of device.

Moving on, spelunking through iTunes' inner workings has yielded more evidence that suggest Apple will introduce Nike+ support -- a feature arguably long overdue on the iPhone -- and some sort of FM radio tagging, though it's not clear whether it'll be used with an integrated tuner (a rumored feature) or simply as a memory-jogger when listening to another radio. Our money is on the former. Finally, we have what appear to be some screen shots of iPhone 3.0's new parental control system for applications in action, showing exactly what happens when you try to install some sick, lewd, objectionable material from the App Store -- check out our little gallery below for that.

[Thanks, ascen]


Read - Sketchy screenshot shows new model?
Read - FM radio tagging and Nike+ support suggested

Heard any good iPhone 3.0 rumors lately? No? That's because they're all here in this tidy little roundup. The latest (pictured above) is a purported top-facing bezel frame for the "Apple iPhone 3Gen 2009." Besides being black unlike the chrome edge of the iPhone 3G, iLounge and others have noticed a repositioned ear speaker, tucked high against the top-edge that could be making way for a front-facing camera or additional sensor(s). iLounge also created a render (pictured after the break) of a 5th gen iPod nano based on information provided by a source who "has a perfect track record for accuracy." In addition to a slightly larger screen with 1.5:1 aspect, there's now a camera on the back; a redesign that dovetails nicely with rumors about Apple to getting serious with integrated video and digital cameras. iLounge also claims that there will be three new models (3G, enhanced 3G, and mainland China version lacking WiFi we suspect) of iPhones with matte plastic bodies less prone to scratching. Importantly, countries will get the phone appropriate to their telco's capabilities -- iLounge says users won't have to choose between a fast and slow iPhone, they'll get what their carriers can support. Each will ship in a choice of two capacity options with 32GB being the top-end rumored. Oh, and iPhone 3.0 will also get into the Nike+ game without requiring an adapter (like the iPod touch). These rumors ride a wave of reports that inventories of the iPhone 3G are running low and component makers are now shipping parts for the next generation iPhone. So Steve Jobs or not, we're still expecting the hardware to be announced at WWDC with possible July 17 launch.

Read -- iPhone 3.0 bezel (via iFun.de)
Read -- iPod nano with camera renders, 3 versions of iPhone 3.0
Read -- PCB makers begin shipments for new iPhone
Read -- Nike+
Read -- 16GB iPhone 3G listed as End of Life
Read -- 32GB iPhone 3G

If you're not in the UK, chances are that you haven't really paid attention to the teeny, tiny fact that Nokia's long-awaited Comes With Music download service launched today. Regardless of your ignorance to the facts, the all-you-can-eat music service has been activated for users across the pond who forked over the poundage for a CwM-equipped 5310 XpressMusic. Early impressions are actually pretty great, with critics finding themselves pleasantly surprised with just how intuitive the navigation was. MusicAlly did point out that these "free" tunes weren't transferable to blank CDs -- when they tried, they got a message notifying them of epic failure. At any rate, the reviews are sure looking good for Nokia right out of the gate, though only time will tell if people will take notice and buy into yet another music service.

[Via CNET]

Read - MusicAlly impressions
Read - NetworkWorld impressions

When the N95 was released, it was all but universally adored. Even today, nearly two full years after it was first revealed, it's still one of the most respected in Nokia's lineup. From the get-go, we knew the N96 was more evolutionary and less revolutionary; after all, the two handsets even look alike. The general consensus this time around is about what we expected: the N96 is a fine phone, and a worthy successor, but probably not worth the high price it's currently demanding. Oh sure, the call quality was stupendous, battery life was satisfactory and the multimedia playback was superb, but some critics were a bit displeased with the fit and finish given the premium price tag. All in all, don't go into the links below expecting any huge surprises -- the N96 is a nicely revamped, high-priced N95, and if that's what you're looking for, there doesn't seem to be any underlying issues that should hold you back from indulging.

Read - PhoneArena ("Nokia seems to have taken more of a lateral step than pushing forward with innovation.")
Read - MobileArsenal ("...doesn't have anything we didn't see before...")
Read - LordPercy ("...an improved, quality phone...")
Read - Mobile88 (4 out of 5 stars)

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")

Craving a BlackBerry 8300 "Curve" review with a little more journalistic juice to it than, say, John Mayer's? Look no further, friends; we've got you covered with a three-pack of previews for the device. Sentiment for Waterloo's latest QWERTY handset is overwhelmingly positive, focusing on a few key points: great keyboard, great media support (a 3.5mm jack sure doesn't hurt there), and surprisingly good battery life. The camera seems to be decent -- all 2 megapixels of it, anyway -- and none of the lucky previewers seemed too bummed about the EDGE-only data speeds. Throw in what might be the most attractive case on a RIM phone to date, and it seems the Curve might do the seemingly impossible by filling both Pearl and 8800 owners with envy when it launches on AT&T in the not-too-distant future.

Read - LAPTOP Magazine (4 / 5 stars, "...this is the best BlackBerry...")
Read - PC Magazine ("...an extremely promising BlackBerry for folks who want a fun device with a full keyboard")
Read - Airtime Manager ("...we're convinced that the new BlackBerry 8300 will have been worth the wait")

It was a blast, but it's time to say goodbye to the land of El encierro, tapas, and QWERTY handsets with HSDPA. We came away with the impression that this was one of the most game-changing tradeshows for the mobile industry in recent memory; tri-band WCDMA is starting to become the rule rather than the exception, Microsoft rolled out its next-gen platform, and in general, it seemed like all the major manufacturers brought their "A" game to the party. Follow the links below for a trip down memory lane to see just what made this year's 3GSM so special.

Hands-ons, live shots
Read - Hands-on with Motorola's MOTORIZR Z8
Read - Hands-on with the Neonode N2
Read - Hands-on with Samsung's Ultra Edition II 12.1, 10.9, and 5.9
Read - Hands-on with Nokia's E90 and E61i
Read - ACCESS Linux Platform on display at 3GSM
Read - More shots of Samsung's i760
Read - Hands-on with Sony Ericsson's Walkman W880

Announcements
Read - i-mate goes deep with Ultimate line, five models promised
Read - Samsung shows off Mobile WiMAX wares at 3GSM
Read - MOTOKRZR K3 with 3G gets official
Read - Samsung's Ultra Smart F520: HSDPA touchscreen with dual-sliding action
Read - Toshiba's G900 and E01 with Windows Mobile 6
Read - Motorola's new Qs: Q gsm and Q q9
Read - ASUS Aries
Read - Nokia's 6110 quad-band HSDPA GPS navigator
Read - Nokia's E61i QWERTY and E65 slider announced: some style for the suits
Read - Nokia's N77 with DVB-H mobile TV
Read - Nokia's E90 communicator launched!
Read - Motorola's MOTORIZR Z8: a Symbian "kick-slider" with HSDPA
Read - Motorola's SLVR L9 brings the multimedia
Read - Samsung's Ultra Edition II series loosed at 3GSM: U300, U600, U100, and U700
Read - i-mate adds splash of color, WM6 to SPL
Read - i-mate Ultimate 5150 in the wild
Read - i-mate JAQ4
Read - RIM's BlackBerry 8800 launched
Read - HP iPAQ 510 Voice Messenger
Read - Windows Mobile 6 out, supports new resolutions too
Read - Sony Ericsson adds trio of headsets
Read - Sony Ericsson's entry level J110, J120, K200, and K220
Read - Sony Ericsson's W610 Walkman for US plebes
Read - Sony Ericsson's K810 and K550 Cybershot phones: slim 3.2 and 2.0 megapixel shooters
Read - Sony Ericsson's W880 (Ai) Walkman musicphone unleashed
Read - Goodbye HTC Athena, hello HTC Advantage

Impressive -- just six short months have elapsed from our initial hands-on of Sony Ericsson's latest superphone to the first set of honest-to-goodness reviews rolling in. Obviously, we kid; most every UIQ fan east of the Atlantic has been clamoring for this thing for a while now, but only recently have production units begun finding their way into loving homes. Delays aside, All About Symbian and phoneArena were more than happy to take delivery of the shiny new handsets in the name of putting them through their proper paces. All About Symbian seems to have come away with the more positive impression of the two, suggesting that the device is among the best PDA / phone combos currently on the market; phoneArena liked the keyboard and camera less, but thanks to freezes and crashes aplenty, both sites agreed that the P990 could've used a couple extra firmware revisions before getting pushed out the door.

Read - All About Symbian
Read - phoneArena

By the time the Bluetoothin', memory expandin' Sidekick 3 drops on T-Mobile come next month, it's our duty here at Engadget to make sure our readers practically know more about the phone than your average Danger employee. The next phase in that plan involves a barrage of reviews, presented here for your perusal. Complaints centered around the device's weak-but-common 1.3 megapixel camera, while the redesigned glossy keyboard earned mixed ratings. The critical reaction has been generally positive, with some reviewers suggesting that the third iteration of the Hiptop is the first one strong enough to serve as a dedicated phone.

Read - Mobileburn
Read - PC Magazine
Read - LAPTOP Magazine
Read - Phone Scoop

So now that the Motorola Q is finally making its way into the sweaty, outstretched palms of mobile professionals and Windows Mobile fanboys everywhere -- including our own -- we figured it was about time for a proper roundup of reviews and news. Reaction is generally positive, with everyone naturally loving the thickness of the device and A2DP support. Some folks are reporting that the Q gets a bit pokey at times, but it's nothing our Wizard-toting friends aren't already used to.

Read - PC Magazine
Read - ZD Net
Read - MS Mobiles
Read - Yahoo!

[Thanks, Dave and CoreyTheGent]

Features

• FCC Fridays

CTIA

• Samsung's handsets at CTIA
• Hands on with the RAZR V3m
• Modeo's DVB-H smartphone
• Hands-on with the Sony Ericsson P990
• Hands-on with Samsung's T719
• Keepin' it real fake, part XXV: You gotta have TechFaith
• Live from CTIA: Moto goes modern
• Live from CTIA: World's best Samsung booth
• LG @ CTIA, the rest: LG225, LG350, LG3400, LG5300, LG8300
• Live at CTIA: Haier's knockoff heaven

News

• A slew of Tech Faith Wireless Windows Mobile phones
• Cingular and Radio Shack get Moto SLVR L6
• Vertu intros first 2 of 6 Racetrack Legends handsets
• Sony Ericsson's W700i: just the W800i Walkman phone done-up in gold
• Moto debuts new music-centric V3m alongside colorful V3i RAZRs
• LG's LG550 musicphone
• Samsung's SGH-T509 gets official for US launch
• Disney to (finally) launch Disney Mobile MVNO
• Leaked shots of the Blackberry 7130c
• Sprint announces EV-DO router and USB dongle
• Chuck D, Tommy Lee and reggaeton groups try to add star power to CTIA
• HTC Hermes and StarTrek launch plans revealed
• Palm's Treo 700w gets its AKU2 on
• Motorola combines cellphone with DVR for place-shifting service
• Census employee discusses the HTC smartphone deployment
• Kyocera and Zeal Optics get Confidante

MVNOs

• NTL makes bid for Virgin Mobile UK buyout
• Flying J's MVNO for truckers
• Saki mobile, the poor man's MVNO
• Pantech DM-P100 for Disney Mobile
• Disney Mobile reveals more deets, adds LG DM-L200
• Jitterbug fills the void for geriatric MVNO

Rumors

• Pics of Sprint's rumored Sanyo Katana ultra-slim clamshell
• Palm set to announce Treo 700p for Sprint on May 15th