Man, a lot -- a lot -- has happened in the mobile space since Garmin went public with its then-mesmerizing nüvifone. Nearly a year later, it's become but a blip on the radar behind the Touch HD, G1, XPERIA X1 and iPhone 3G. Nevertheless, Garmin has come out and reaffirmed that the long-awaited handset will actually not be delayed once more, and that the "first half of 2009" shipping estimate is still valid. Let's just say that $500+ price tag we saw floating around back in May better be substantially lower whenever this thing finally gets around to hitting up a store shelf.

The Foundations said it best in their 1968 classic, but seriously, why let us down like this? Nokia didn't mind busting out a litany of press shots and all the specifications one could need to get amped up about the 5800 XpressMusic, but it obviously has something holding it back from launching in "mature markets" before 2009. In an announcement that's just as disappointing to the suits in Espoo as it is to those in North America and Down Under (just to name a couple), we've now learned that the touchscreen-dominated handset will only be available in seven countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe before 2009 dawns. Even worse? Not knowing how deep into next year we'll have to wait for this thing here in the US of A. Catch our feelings spelled out in video form after the break.

A colleague over at TUAW took advantage of AT&T's recent aggressive pricing on refurb iPhones, but got a whole heck of a lot more than he bargained for. First, he was shipped two identical units, which would've been cool and all if he'd been charged for only one -- but he wasn't. The next day, he got a third box from AT&T; this is about the time that we'd start freaking out that some weird glitch had caused them to send us and charge us for every refurb iPhone currently in their inventory, but it turns out this magical third parcel contained nothing more than a bag and a packing slip that read "75011 MISC iPhone PPA BAG ... $0.00". This brings a smile to our faces for several reasons: one, this means that somewhere in a dark, tall, windowless AT&T building, a mainframe computer contains an inventory code for a freakin' plastic bag. Two, that same mainframe allowed one of these bags to be shipped out with nothing in it. Three, a human being at AT&T very likely had to pack and ship this bundle of joy by hand. Good stuff, and a killer value at just $0.00. Where do we sign up?

We won't bother trying to number crunch how much coin Apple will be laying down if sources at Business Week are right about just how many iPhones will be available to thrill come June 29th, but Cupertino better hope this thing takes off a tad quicker than the iPod did in 2001. Two separate sources have apparently noted that Apple will have a whopping three million iPhone units ready at launch, which should (if true) quell looming any shortage fears right off the bat. Interestingly, several analysts have predicted that the firm will only move about that many units this entire year, but we're sure Apple won't be complaining if any more iPhones are necessary to quench 2007's demand. Here's to hoping this Rev. A iPhone was thoroughly scrubbed for bugs beforehand, or else Steve & Co. could be dealing with quite a hefty basket of recalled Apples.

[Via AppleInsider]

We're guessing Treo 650s aren't exactly a hot ticket item anywhere these days -- let alone in smartphone-heavy Europe -- but for what it's worth, Palm's old standby has been mercifully put down across the pond. It seems the 650 wasn't up to snuff on the EU's RoHS regulations, and rather than incrementally update the 650 to satisfy the requirements, Palm announced during their most recent quarterly earnings call that they're going to leave Europe out to dry until they're ready to ship their next model -- allegedly Europe-specific -- in Q4. With Lennon and Nitro in the pipeline, we think it's likely a variant of one of those devices will play the role of RoHS-compliant hero here, but in the meantime, snap up those Black Tie 650s while you still can.

[Thanks, Rich]