Yesterday, we saw the mysterious “Hero Fixture Launch Kits” that began arriving at AT&T stores, and today — a day on which RIM and AT&T plan to reveal some new hardware – the FCC has approved an unidentified, unnamed BlackBerry handset. We’re only given the customary stenciled outline of the device, but we’re betting the farm that this is the BlackBerry Torch 9800 slider phone. The phone has a quad-band GSM radio, tri-band UMTS radio with support for the 850 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2100 MHz bands, Bluetooth, and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. One thing is certain, we won’t have to wait very long to see what this puppy is. Make sure to check back here at 11:00 AM EDT as we’ll be reporting live from the event.

[Via Engadget]

Read

MobileCrunch seems to have acquired some new information about the rumored Samsung Galaxy Q. The Q will purportedly be an Android 2.2 powered, quad-band, GSM phone complete with a 7.2 Mbps HSDPA radio running on the 900 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz frequencies. The device will be driven by a 1 GHz Hummingbird processor, and sport: a 3-inch Super AMOLED display (with multitouch), Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, 16 GB of internal storage, 8 megapixel rear-facing camera, 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, and weigh in at 3.8 ounces. The devices spec sheet closely resembles that of the Galaxy S, with improvements/additions to the operating system and camera(s). Looks like the Epic 4G will have some company in the high-end, Android, full-QWERTY market place!

Read

Here’s some good news for those of you thinking about picking up a Galaxy S variant. Samsung, by way of the tweet, has officially stated that: “Galaxy S phones will come with Android 2.1 and be upgradeable to Android 2.2 which will support Adobe Flash 10.1.” Not really much else that needs to be said. The Gally S can be found on AT&T as the Captivate, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular as the Fascinate, and T-Mobile as the Vibrant in the coming months. Who’s excited?

Read

The rumors of a T-Mobile branded Samsung Galaxy S received a healthy dose of credibility today. Spotted on its way out of the FCC was the aforementioned SGH-T959 with 850/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE and T-Mobile friendly AWS/1900 WCDMA/HSPA on board. With FCC approval out of the way, the flagship Android handset for both Samsung and T-Mobile is looking ripe and ready for launch this coming July. Though we have to wonder, with the EVO 4G out and about, and rumors of the DROID X coming fast and furious, is anyone still interested?

[Via Unwired View]

UPDATE: Included frequency testing screenshot from FCC documentation.

Read

T-Mobile has officially confirmed that they will be offering free phones, to all those who sign up for a family plan, on June 19th. The AP reports: “Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m., new customers will be able to get free handsets of their choice by signing up for a “family plan,” [...] Current T-Mobile customers can convert a single-user plan into a family plan by adding at least one user, or adding lines to a family plan they already have. You can get up to five free phones with a single family plan, though each will come with a two-year contract.” The deal includes all higher-end phones, including the BlackBerry Bold 9700, HTC myTouch 3G Slide, and the new Android Garmifone; all usually retail for around $200 with a 2-year contract. T-Mobile did mention that some phones will require a mail-in-rebate in order to be free. Still, not a bad deal. Anyone going to take T-Mo up on their free offering?

Read

Like you thought we wouldn’t get our hands on it first… We’ve just scored some awesome unboxing photos of the AT&T Palm Pre Plus, and well, it’s a Palm Pre Plus on AT&T. Our connect says it’s identical to the Verizon Wireless unit as far as they can tell, and they like the fact that AT&T’s Address Book backup service is built in to Synergy. But we’re guessing not too many people use that or consider it a big selling point. We’re still waiting on a release date, but in the meantime, you know where to find those photos.

UPDATE: Our source just said this phone has rebooted on them twice in the first hour of use. Awesomeness.

Click on over to our AT&T Palm Pre Plus unboxing gallery!

If you’re a Palm-loving individual that just simply can’t get rid of your puke lime-colored Centro on AT&T, you’ll probably be pleased to learn that Palm has officially confirmed that the Pre Plus as well as the Pixi Plus will be joining AT&T in the “coming months.” Yes, this is an official announcement of what we already knew, and there isn’t a confirmed launch date. Be that as it may, the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus spec-wise are pretty identical to the Verizon Wireless units (besides the obvious UMTS support instead of CDMA), with the Pre Plus rocking 16GB of built-in storage and the Pixi Plus at 8GB. Additionally, if you’re a fan of AT&T’s Address Book service, you’ll be good to go out of the gate as it’s now one of the supported syncing methods in Palm’s Synergy synchronization service. Anyone excited, or were you expecting new hardware by the time this launches around June?

Read

After rearing its ugly head on a leaked T-Mobile pricing sheet a few days ago, the Nokia 5320 Nuron has gotten the official nod from both Nokia and T-Mobile. For those that are dying to find out what $69.99 will buy you, here are all the details on this classic handset:

• Classic candybar form factor
• 3.2 inch touchscreen display at 16:9 640×360 resolution
• GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• WCDMA 1700/2100
• 2 megapixel camera with 3X digital zoom and video recording
• Bluetooth 2.0
• aGPS and Ovi maps with turn by turn directions and maps for US, Canada, and Mexico
• Ovi Store pre-installed
• MicroSD expansion (up to 16GB)
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• White on White color with changeable colored battery covers

The Nokia Nuron will hit the shelves of T-Mobile in the upcoming weeks with an exact date yet to be determined. Though pricing details were not confirmed, a previous leak suggests the Nokia Nuron will be ultra-affordable, coming in at a mere $69.99 after rebate with a two year agreement or $179 for those that prefer to go contract-free. Any potential buyers lured by the promise of free Ovi Maps turn-by turn navigation at a sub $200 price tag?

Read

After last year’s embarrassment at SXSW, AT&T is going overboard to ensure a similar wireless network meltdown does not happen again this year at the annual technology conference in Austin, Texas. To avoid a second such disaster, AT&T is throwing a ton of cash and bringing in an equal amount of equipment for the SXSW conference including:

• Installing a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) at the Austin Convention Center. The DAS is comprised of 50 antenna nodes that provide the equivalent coverage of eight cell sites.
• Improving the cell sites in the surrounding area by utilizing 30MHz of spectrum for 3G instead of the standard 10MHz and upgrading the system to include the 850MHz band and HSPA.
• Bringing in three temporary cell sites that are positioned in areas expected to see high traffic.
• Improving the backhaul by beefing up the fiber optic connections that serve the eight cell sites of the DAS and the three temporary sites. According to sources within AT&T, the backhaul capacity has seen a fourfold increase.

The stakes are high for AT&T as a network failure could wipe away any gains in consumer confidence AT&T saw following its favorable review from PC World last week. With its reputation on the line, will AT&T and its 3G network rise to the occasion or will it crumble to its knees under the strain of a mob of iPhone-toting geeks? Predictions are welcome in the comments.

Read

As of March 7th, AT&T is officially in the Android game, as Ma’ Bell made the Motorola Backflip official today in a press release. A quick recap of the Backflip: 7.2 HSPA 3G, 3.1″ touch-screen display, Android OS 1.5 (upgradeable to 2.1), 5 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, aGPS, 3.5 mm headphone jack, microSD slot (support for up to 32GB), fully QWERTY “back flipping” keyboard, and Motorola’s MOTOBLUR UI. The Backflip will retail for $99.99 after $100 mail-in rebate and a 2-year contract. The Backflip definitely isn’t the most high-powered Android handset on the market, and not one that is likely to make DROID or Nexus One owners jealous. However, the Backflip is the first of four Android handsets AT&T committed to deliver in 2010, and to that we say keep em’ coming! We’ve got the official press release queued up for you.

Read

Sony Ericsson set the stage for MWC by announcing three new handsets in a press event held on the day before the launch of the international mobile phone conference. Sony rolled out two new compact Android handsets based upon the design of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and one Symbian-powered handset phone that is the big brother to the previously announced Vivaz. The X10 mini and X10 mini pro are similarly spec’d handsets with the X10 Mini Pro sporting a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The Vivaz Pro is a slightly modified version of the Vivaz and offers a QWERTY keyboard, a touchscreen interface and the Symbian S60th 5th edition operating system. All three handsets are expected to launch in Q2 2010 in select markets. Hit the jump for the full rundown of specs.

Both the mini X10 and mini X10 Pro include:

• 600 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor
• 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and geotagging
• 2.55 inch QVGA touchscreen display
• aGPS
• Google Maps
• Wisepilot™ turn-by-turn navigation
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• Full suite of Google services
• 3.5mm audio jack
• microSD expansion with 2GB card included in the retail package
• Android 1.6 with Sony Ericsson Timescape
• UMTS HSPA 900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• UMTS HSPA :850/1900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• X10 mini will be available in Pearl White, Black, Pink, Lime, Red and Silver
• X10 mini pro will be available in Black and Red.

The Sony Vivaz Pro will feature

• slide out QWERTY keyboard
• 3.2 inch, 360 x 640 16:9 resolution touchscreen display
• 720 MHz processor
• 5.1 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, autofocus, face detection and geotagging
• 720p HD recording
• Video calling (main camera)
• WebKit web browser
• social networking support
• A-GPS
• Google Maps
• Wisepilot turn-by-turn navigation
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Bluetooth technology
• DLNA Certified (photos and audio)
• TV out (VGA resolution)
• Wi-Fi
• microSD with 8GB microSD in the package
• Symbian S60 5th edition
• UMTS HSPA 900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• UMTS HSPA 850/1900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• Available in Black and White

Read [Sony Ericsson X10 mini and X10 mini pro] Read [Sony Vivaz pro]

The HTC Legend has made another pre-announcement appearance, this time appearing in full marketing regalia on a dutch website. According to Dutch wireless carrier KPN, the Legend is expected to debut in March with a list of specs that are relatively bland. Similar to previously leaked live shots, the Legend will sport a form factor that resembles the GSM Hero with an optical trackpad instead of a trackball, a slight chin, and a sleek looking unibody aluminum frame. The remaining specs include a 3.2-inch AMOLED capacitive 320×480 touchscreen display, Qualcomm MSM7727 600MHz processor, 5.0 megapixel camera with LED flash, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and Android 2.1 with Sense UI. Look for the Legend to become official next week during MWC 2010.

Read

Yeah, T-Mobile didn’t exactly get sexy with naming the myTouch 3G refresh, but hey, with a name so horrible from the beginning, we guess we can’t ask for much. While the name stays the same, the refreshed myTouch 3G definitely brings the slowly-aging device up a notch or two. Here’s a recap of the specifications for the new model:

• 3.5mm headset jack and updated music player
• More memory, with 288MB of RAM and an included 8GB microSD card
• Swype soft keyboard
• Preloaded applications including Barcode Scanner, Music Player, myAccount and Visual Voicemail

The new device is available starting today in T-Mobile locations as well as telesales for $149.99 with a new two year activation, and comes in both white and black color options. Merlot never had a chance.

Read

We told you earlier this month that the Nexus One would be coming to AT&T and we now have the first sharable shred of evidence that our source was spot on. Spotted emerging from the testing halls of the FCC is an unknown mobile phone with the FCC ID NM899110. For the geeky folk, the NM8 is the FCC Grantee code for HTC while 99110 is the model. People who rock a Nexus One and have a penchant for studying FCC labels would notice that the FCC ID for this mystery handset is only a single digit away from the FCC ID of the current Nexus One (NM899100) and would be quick to recognize that this mystery handset is most likely a kissing cousin to their T-Mobile-friendly handset. Without looking at the FCC documents, one might casually pass this mystery handset off as the upcoming Verizon Wireless CDMA version, but a quick perusal of the testing report reveals that the handset in question is rocking WCDMA bands I, II and V which are decidedly AT&T. Any Nexus One owners crawling on AT&T’s EDGE a bit peeved by this discovery?

[Via Engadget]

Read

Vodafone UK officially jumped on the iPhone bandwagon by launching both the iPhone 3G and 3GS today, joining O2, Orange and Tesco Mobile in the now non-exclusive UK market. Vodafone customers looking to keep costs low can score an older 8GB iPhone 3G for free with a minimum monthly plan of £35 ($57USD). Folks that must have the latest and greatest still have the pleasure of receiving a free iPhone but those high rollers will have to agree to a minimum monthly tariff of £45 ($73USD) for an iPhone 3GS 16GB or £75 ($122USD) for the 32GB version. Sales of the iPhone are expected to be brisk with Vodafone moving an estimated 50,000 handsets in this first day of sales.

Read