UK wireless provider Three has had the misfortune of having its entire summer handset lineup leak online, but its loss is our gain. What does the next few months look like for the carrier? Busy. In April alone, the company will release no less than three handsets, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, the Samsung Galaxy Pro, and the until-now-unknown Samsung Galaxy S II Mini. The smaller version of Samsung’s high-end smartphone will boasts a 3.7-inch WVGA screen, 1.4GHz processor, 21Mbps HSDPA radio, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing camera, Wi-Fi b/g/n with hotspot capabilities, and Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). And that’s just in April. In May, the company plans to release the HTC Flyer tablet, HTC Wildfire, Nokia E7, and Samsung Galaxy S II. June will bring the Nokia X7, HTC ChaCha, LG Optimus 3D, and the Wi-Fi only BlackBerry PlayBook. It’s going to be quite the summer for Three customers looking to upgrade their mobile hardware. Let’s hope some of these device, especially that S II Mini, make their way across the pond sooner rather than later.

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WIND Telecom SpA announced on Thursday that the shareholders of Russian mobile operator VimpelCom have voted to approve the acquisition of WIND Telecom for $6 billion. VimpelCom said regulators approved the acquisition as well. The deal covers all of WIND Telecom’s assets, which includes Orascom Telecom, a major WIND Mobile shareholder, and VimpelCom will add nine new markets including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Italy and Canada to the eleven it already covers. When finalized, the purchase will make VimpelCom the world’s fifth largest mobile Teleco with more than 173 million subscribers. “This is great news for us. Our partner, Orascom, will be even larger and stronger as a financial partner. This gives us more leverage and increased scale with telecom network equipment manufacturers and more importantly, for devices including handsets and tablets,” said Anthony Lacavera, WIND Mobile’s chairman, adding that the purchase will give WIND more access to long distance roaming services. Lacavera said he would provide more information as new details on the acquisition emerge.

Thanks, Kelvin

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Speaking to Reuters recently, Iraq’s communications minister, Mohammed Allawi, said he believes the auction for a fourth mobile phone operator license at the end of this year could fetch between $1 billion and $2 billion. Similarly, Allawi said that the licensing fees, installation and equipment required to install a new network would cost between $1 billion and $2 billion. 40% of the revenues raised from the auction would be given to the mobile operator, 35% would be given to the public, and the final 25% would be given to Iraq’s communication ministry. In 2007 AsiaCell, Korek Telcom, and Zain paid $1.25 billion each for 15-year mobile phone operator licenses. Allawi hopes that the fourth license will be used for faster data networks. “Regarding the fourth license, the most important thing about it is that we are going for more advanced technology,” Allawi said. ”Until this moment, we have no 3G in Iraq, we have no 4G. We have only GSM.”

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A late night burglary at a Vodafone technical facility in the UK has affected the service of “several hundred thousand” users. Via its forums, the company explained:

We had a break in last night at one of our technical facilities which resulted in damage done to some of our equipment. This means that some customers may be experiencing temporary loss of voice, sms and internet services. We are working quickly to restore these and will be back to normal as soon as we can. There has been no impact on the privacy of customers’ data.

In a subsequent FAQ post, Vodafone confirms that the vandalized site was in Basingstoke, the event occurred between 1:00AM and 2:00AM GMT, and that “specialist network equipment and IT hardware was stolen.”

The company expects its services to be fully restored by this afternoon. Any of UK readers experience this outage?

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An LG exec was recently heard voicing concerns surrounding the Windows Phone 7 platform, basically saying that the new OS has potential but sales aren’t meeting expectations. He also reportedly said that savvy smartphone users might find the platform “boring.” Lucky for Microsoft, Europe’s largest cellular carrier doesn’t appear to share LG’s opinion. Deutsche Telekom, owner of the massive European network T-Mobile, is hardly bored with the emerging mobile operating system, having told German Press Agency dpa that Windows Phone 7 sales to date have been excellent. “We are ahead of budget, Microsoft is very pleased,” Deutsche Telekom’s head of consumer marketing Ingo Hofacker said at a CeBIT preview in Munich. As huge as the European market is, it’s great to see a wholehearted endorsement issued based on sales from the region’s leading carrier. A second wave of new Windows Phone 7 devices is expected to be unveiled by multiple cell phone makers at the Mobile World Congress show next month.

[Via Windows Phone Central]

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According to German carrier O2, the HTC 7 Pro — a full-QWERTY, horizontal sliding, Windows Phone 7 device — will hit store shelves sometime in January. The set has been, up till this point, rumored for U.S. based CDMA carrier Sprint, however, O2 uses GSM technology. The device boasts a 1 GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, and a 3.6-inch display that tilts towards its user. No word on whether or not the GSM variant will show-up Stateside, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.

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If you’re rocking a Samsung Galaxy S, and wondering when you are going to get to dip your proverbial spoon into the Froyo goodness, listen up. Samsung Mobile UK has just tweeted that:

Froyo starts rolling out today; everyone will have it by the end of Nov. To prepare, get the latest version of Kies

Now, we’re not sure what the implication is for Galaxy S handset users Stateside, but the fact that the roll-out is starting today can’t be a bad sign. If you’ve been waiting for Android 2.2 on your Gally S, drop us a comment and let us know your thoughts.

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You can go ahead and pity / envy UK mobile subscribers. If it wasn’t hard enough already, Vodafone has just thrown two more premium handsets into the fray to choose from. If you hit up Vodafone’s official UK website, you can now start placing orders for the gargantuan HTC Desire HD or the solidly-built Nokia N8. The HTC Desire HD is the European equivalent of the Sprint HTC EVO 4G (minus the 4G) found state-side. The phone sports a 4.3-inch WVGA display, runs Froyo out of the box and is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. If this handset tickles your fancy, you can pick it up at most Vodafone retail outlets, or optionally online. According to Tech Radar, Vodafone have confirmed the following pricing and plan details:

The HTC Desire HD is available free on £35, 24 month price plans and customers buying the device online will get 900 minutes (compared to 600 offline) unlimited texts and 750MB (500MB offline) of mobile data,” the company added. Buying online will also give you 5MB of European roaming data in your bundle

If HTC is not your cup of tea, the Nokia N8, might be of interest. The N8 is the first Symbian^3 handset to hit the market. The phone has garnered mixed reviews (ours is coming soon), but has gone down well with the Nokia purists. The phone is free when signing up for a £30-a-month two year service agreement. The Nokia N8 is available in lime green exclusively to Vodafone subscribers; we’re still not sure if that’s a good thing.

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Today, Microsoft announced that all five major UK wireless carriers — Orange, O2, T-Mobile, Three, and Vodafone — will be carrying handsets that run the Windows Phone 7 operating system. “It is wonderful now to have all of the UK’s network operators supporting the launch of Windows Phone 7,” said Alex Reeve, Microsoft UK’s director of the Mobile Business Group. We know plenty about the “who,” what we really want to know is the “when.”

ALL UK MOBILE NETWORK OPERATORS BACK WINDOWS® PHONE 7

LONDON, UK: 22 SEPTEMBER 2010: Today, Microsoft has announced that all
five of the mobile network operators in the UK – Orange, O2, Vodafone,
T-Mobile and Three – will be ranging phones running Windows® Phone 7
when it launches later this year. In addition, Windows Phone 7 will be
ranged by the leading UK retailers The Carphone Warehouse and Phones
4u.

Windows Phone 7 is a different kind of phone, designed to bring
together the things people care about most. Featuring an innovative
and beautiful user interface and integrated experiences, it simplifies
what you do every day. Plus, for the first time ever, Microsoft will
bring together the Xbox LIVE® games and the Zune® music and video
experience exclusively to Windows Phone.

Alex Reeve, Director, Mobile Business Group, Microsoft UK, said:
“Following our announcement at Mobile World Congress that Orange will
be our lead partner, it is wonderful now to have all of the UK’s
network operators supporting the launch of Windows Phone 7. This means
we can provide network choice and also a range of phones across
networks for customers to choose from, all with the power of Windows
Phone 7. We are thrilled to be working in partnership with these major
industry players.”

For more information and see a demonstration of the phone, please
visit www.windowsphone7.com

Today, Motorola announced the MILESTONE 2 to the European, GSM-loving masses. The MILESTONE 2 is, for lack of a better description, the DROID 2… sort of. Like the D2 here in the States, the device has a 1 GHz processor, 5 megapixel shooter with 720p video recording, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G mobile hotspot capabilities, Flash 10.1, DLNA support, and Android 2.2. Unlike the DROID Deuce, the MILESTONE will have the full MOTOBLUR experience pre-loaded and a GSM radio on-board. The MILESTONE 2 will ship with an 8 GB micro-SD card and will be available begining in Q4 of 2010 across the pond. We’ve got the full press release ready for you after the bounce.

Motorola MILESTONE™ 2 Gives You More for all your Smartphone Needs

BASINGSTOKE, September 1, 2010 –– Motorola today introduced MILESTONE™ 2 enhanced with MOTOBLUR™. The Android™ 2.2 device offers more speed, more connectivity, more messaging, more storage, more web with Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, more multimedia and more personalisation than the original award-winning MILESTONE.

The powerhouse device features a 1Ghz processor, allowing users to sift through their content quickly, even when running multiple applications simultaneously or a number of open web browser pages. Respond to e-mails or texts quickly with an improved and more spacious QWERTY keyboard including larger keys and better tactility for easier typing. MILESTONE 2 also acts as a 3G mobile hotspot1 to connect up to five WiFi® enabled devices, so you turn practically anywhere into a hive of productivity.

“MILESTONE 2 offers more power, more speed, with an improved keyboard, so users can send, access and share information even quicker than before to manage their work and personal life,” said Alain Mutricy, senior vice president, portfolio and device product management, Motorola Mobility. “This introduction not only reaffirms our commitment to innovate on Android but offers consumers the leading edge features they crave including fast web browsing, messaging, application downloads and multimedia.”

MILESTONE 2 also features the latest version of Motorola’s unique solution, MOTOBLUR, which makes it even easier to manage all of your emails, messages and social updates in one easy place with the additions of filtering, resizable widgets, added corporate security and a versatile battery manager.

Further enhancements to the original MILESTONE include 720p HD video capture and playback allowing you to capture life’s moments in crystal clear detail, whilst the Adobe Flash Player 10.1 allows mobile users to experience millions of rich websites the way they were meant to be seen, including rich video and gaming content, and you can share all of your multimedia with DLNA compatible devices. The experience is rounded off with a connected music player delivering lyrics to your songs, additional artist news and information, as well as integrated social applications for sharing and giving recommendations. Users will have plenty of room for their content with up to 8GB internal memory and an 8GB microSD card inbox, expandable to 32GB.

A suite of Google™ mobile applications including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and YouTube™ are also integrated onto the device. Plus you have access to Android Market™ which has more than 70,000 applications.

Smart Accessories

The device ships with an 8GB micro SD card and wired headset, and owners can also download free the Motorola Media Link software that makes transferring your music and other multimedia from computer to phone even easier.

Make the most of Motorola’s MILESTONE 2 at home, in the car or at the office with the optional smart accessories:

• The car cradle is ready for the road. Simply drop in your MILESTONE 2 or original MILESTONE and it automatically turns into car mode. This gives one-touch access to your favourite in-car applications, including your handsfree calling contacts, your music, internet radio, podcasts, Google Maps™ with Navigation™ and more. Plug, play, drive and charge your MILESTONE 2 with the rapid in car charger that plugs into your cradle.
• The multimedia station is a stylish dock for your MILESTONE 2 or original MILESTONE. When docked, your phone automatically changes to desktop mode showing alarm clock and favourite multimedia applications such as a slide show of pictures. Desktop mode can be personalised allowing you to show the applications you want, all whilst charging your device.

Key MILESTONE 2 features include:

• 1Ghz processor now with 802.11n support
• 3G mobile hotspot – connect up to five other Wi-Fi devices
• Latest version of MOTOBLUR
• Adobe Flash Player 10.1
• Multi-touch, pinch to zoom, double tap zoom
• 720p HD video capture and playback
• 5MP imager with dual LED flash
• Up to 40GB of memory
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Enterprise Exchange support
• Improved design; more spacious QWERTY keyboard including larger keys and better tactility DLNA / WiFi / Bluetooth® 2.1 connectivity

Additional functionality and apps include:

• Full suite of the Google applications: Google Search, Google Maps with Latitude and Street View, Gmail, YouTube, and Google Talk™
• Unified Google and Exchange Contacts
• Navigation: GPS, Google Maps, E-Compass Latitude
• Email Support: IMAP/POP3, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Corporate Sync, Push Email, Quick Office document viewer
• IM Support: Google Talk
• Calendar: Exchange, Calendar

Availability

MILESTONE 2 will be available in Europe beginning Q4 2010.

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It looks like RIM is going to be sending the BlackBerry Torch 9800 up north and across the pond. The Globe and Mail is reporting that Canada’s three largest wireless carriers — Bell, Rogers, and Telus — all will be carrying RIM’s latest creation in the not-so-distant future. Rogers has officially confirmed the Globe’s report with a press release saying they will have the 9800 in the “coming weeks,” and Virgin Mobile — in true hipster fashion — tweeted about it. Vodafone U.K. also has a splash page up for the new BlackBerry touch-screen slider device. Anyone north of the border or across the pond have plans to pick one of these bad boys up?

Read [Vodafone] Read [Globe and Mail] Read [Rogers] Read [Virgin Mobile]

Coming on the heels of the United Arab Emirates announcement, the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (SCITC) has asked wireless companies in Saudi Arabia to stop BlackBerry service beginning on August 5th. CNN reports that the Saudi government is claiming, “the manufacturer of the devices [RIM] couldn’t meet the regulatory requirements of the commission and it is not in accordance with the regulations and conditions of licenses issued to service providers, at its present state.” The mandate will apply to both business and individual BlackBerry users. Saudi officials claim they are, “asking for exactly the same regulatory compliance — and with the same principles of judicial and regulatory oversight — that BlackBerry grants the U.S. and other governments and nothing more.” RIM has not officially commented on the SCITC’s decision.

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The Washington Post is reporting that the United Arab Emirates’ plan to enforce a BlackBerry data ban on its citizens will extend to tourists and visitors of the country as well. As the Post puts it, the governments security policies are, “in direct conflict with the country’s ambitions to be a business and tourism haven.” Beginning October 11th even those with Blackberrys issued outside of the UAE will be without email, messaging, and web capabilities while visiting the Middle Eastern nation (the handsets will still be able to make phone calls). Roughly one hundred thousand people travel in and out of the Dubai International Airport every day, many of them on business. The U.S. State Department called the policy, “a move in the wrong direction.”

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Apparently unable to work out a solution to get BlackBerry devices “compliant” with the UAE, the country has stated that it will disable BlackBerry services on October 11th. The Director of the Telecommunication Regulation Authority had this to say:

“With no solution available and in the public interest, in order to affect resolution of this issue, as of October 11, 2010, Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry Email and Blackberry Web-browsing services will be suspended until an acceptable solution can be developed and applied.”

All United Arab Emirate carriers are set to comply with the decision. There is also no timetable for a “compliant solution” to be integrated. We’d love to be on the internal RIM email chain this morning…

Thanks, to everyone who sent this over!

Update: We have heard Saudi Arabia is also blocking BlackBerry data services, but unlike the UAE, it is being suspended as of today. Can anyone confirm?

Update 2: Saudi Arabia has started blocking BlackBerry Messenger at this time, but not email, web browsing, or other data services.

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If you live in the States and are dying to get an unlocked iPhone 4, prepare to be taunted by two bordering nations. It looks as though Apple will offer the iPhone 4, carrier unlocked, to Mexico via the Online Apple Store; Canada already has this option. The pricing on the unit has not yet been announced, but if history repeats itself it should be about $1,500 pesos above the price of the iPhone 3GS for an unlocked 16 GB iPhone 4. Currently the iPhone 3GS is on the Mexican Apple Online Store for $9,510.84 pesos (about $730 US). Anyone want to head to Tijuana and pick one of these bad boys up?

Thanks, JLR!

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