BlackBerry fans on Bell won’t have to wait long for a new Torch, Bold, or Curve. TechFIBE picked up some leaked documentation that suggests the carrier will sell the new phones — which we leaked in April — in just a few months. Specifically, Bell will launch the BlackBerry Torch 9810, BlackBerry Bold 9900, and the full-touchscreen BlackBerry Torch 9860 in late August, followed by the BlackBerry Curve 9360 launch in September. BGR reported this past May that the Monaco 9850 and Monza 9860 could launch under a new “Volt” banner or the BlackBerry Torch brand, and according to this document it looks like RIM may have gone with the latter. Bell also confirms what we already knew: that the Torch 9810, Bold 9900, and Torch 9860 will all offer 1.2GHz processors, while the Curve 9360 will be powered by a slower 800MHz chip.

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As you can see from the above image, the destruction and slow reconstruction of AT&T is quite a story. With the T-Mobile merger currently being debated by Congress, potentially adding another chapter to the saga, we thought it might be a good idea to look at the genesis of AT&T Mobility as it stands today. It all started back in 2001 with AT&T Wireless…

AT&T got its start in wireless communications when it purchased the Washington-based company McCaw Cellular in 1994. With a subscriber base just north of 2 million users, AT&T had officially thrown its hat into the cellular arena. The company continued to grow and collect end-users, and in 1997 — with current Sprint CEO Dan Hesse as its chairman and CEO — AT&T became the U.S.’s largest cellular provider. In 2000, the company was jettisoned from the main AT&T brand and in 2001 it turned into a separately traded company on the New York Stock Exchange; known as AT&T Wireless.

In 2004, with customer subscriptions declining, the company began to accept bids for an acquisition. U.S.-based wireless provider Cingular — a venture of BellSouth and SBC Communications — agreed to purchase the company for $41 billion. Cingular, through the acquisition, ousted Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon Communications and Vodafone, as the largest cellular provider in the States.

Fast forward to late 2005 and early 2006: SBC Communications purchases AT&T Corp. and begins to market itself under the AT&T brand; the new AT&T announces that it will acquire the phone operations of BellSouth and its stake in AT&T Wireless; and a new company is born. In 2007, after a three-year hiatus, an AT&T-branded wireless company returned with the christening of AT&T Mobility.

Were the AT&T and T-Mobile merger to go through, the company would again — for the third time — become the country’s largest wireless provider through the use of its checkbook. And the vicious cycle continues.

BGR’s Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.

Despite the fact that Canadian wireless provider Bell Mobility will be rolling out LTE in the near future, it — like many of its peers — has decided to play the name game when it comes to “4G.” In an internal memo to employees, Bell explains that its high-speed HSPA+ network will henceforth be known as 4G. “Given the significant improvements in performance and quality the wireless carriers have made to their networks, the ITU has reassessed the definition of 4G standards,” reads the note. “This re-classification allows Bell to promote the HSPA+ network as 4G.” The changes take effect today, though there’s no word on how Bell’s marketing department will differentiate its 4G LTE network from its 4G HSPA network. Hit the jump to check out the full memo.

Thanks, B!

One of our Bell Mobility connections has just sent us some concrete proof that our Canadian friends will not be left out in the cold when it comes to the Motorola ATRIX 4G. The Ma’ Bell of the North will launch the newly announced device “soon”, albeit without the 4G tag dangling from the end of its name. The device sports the same specs its AT&T cousin, including the ability to hook itself up to that nifty laptop dock — no word yet on pricing. Start saving your pennies Bell customers… the ATRIX is coming!

Thanks, B!

Earlier today, HTC’s Desire HD crossed the FCC’s desk with a welcomed surprise, North American 3G bands. The 4.3-inch device — which boasts a 1GHz processor, 720p video recording, Android 2.2, and much more — is rocking WCDMA bands II and V, which makes AT&T, Bell, Telus, and Rogers all potential suitors.

Shortly after the news broke, a trusted BGR source came forward and stated that the device will definitely be hitting Canadian carrier Telus — an assertion blog Engadget also echoed. Our source indicated that they have physically seen a Telus branded Desire HD, running on Telus’ network, in the hands of a company representative. No word on when we could see this device officially come to market, but we’ll keep digging.

We’re happy for Telus customers and all, but wouldn’t this thing look extra sexy with a Death Star logo on it?

[Via Engadget]

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Dell is having a hard time getting its T-Mobile compliant Windows Phone 7 handset — the Venue Pro – shipped in time for the holidays, but that hasn’t stopped the company from sending at second iteration of the device to the FCC for approval. A Venue Pro sporting WCDMA bands II and V — AT&T’s 850MHz and 1900MHz 3G bands — has crossed the government agency’s desk. If you’re an AT&T, Bell, Rogers, or Telus customer, and fancy the vertical-sliding device, this is encouraging news. While FCC approval doesn’t guarantee a release, it is certainly a step in the right direction. Any customers of the aforementioned carriers interested in the Venue Pro?

[Via Engadget]

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Last month, we told you about Bell Mobility’s plans to charge a $10 premium for access to the highest speeds on its HSPA+ network. This month, it looks like that report is becoming a reality. BGR has obtained a memo that indicates that Bell will launch the Novatel Wireless U547 data stick — capable of 42Mbps speeds — on November 23rd. The memo boasts that the U547 will be able to achieve real-world downlinks ranging from  7Mbps to 14Mbps in select markets; at launch, Toronto will be the only market with 43Mbps HSPA+ coverage. The new data stick will retail for $199.95; the memo did not indicate if there would be subsidized pricing.

Like all good things, the new, higher speeds will not come free of charge. Bell will be taxing U547 users an extra $10 per month to access the face-melting speeds, but said users are not required to purchase the add-on; the device will still operate at 21Mbps without it.

There you have it. Let us know what you think.

Thanks, B!

We just received an internal Bell document detailing the carrier’s plans to release the Samsung Galaxy Tab on November 12th. It will run on “Canada’s best network” over HSPA+, be SMS-capable, and will start to be loaded into inventory lists today. No word on pre-orders or reservations, but our Canadian friends will be browsing BGR on their 7-inch tablets soon enough.

Thanks, B!

We’ve just gotten some information confirming that Canadian carrier Bell Mobility will be launching the LG Optimus Quantum Windows Phone 7 handset on November 8; the November 8th date had been rumored — due to the U.S. launch — but not confirmed. The Quantum is a full-QWERTY device with a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, 5 megapixel camera with flash and 720p video recording, DLNA support, 1500mAh battery, and 16GB of internal storage. The full-retail price is listed as $449.95 without subsidies; look for the device to go for around $100 with a 3-year contract. Anyone up North been waiting for some WP7 love?

Thanks, B!

Seems to be a good day for Canadian news, no? On the heels of our BlackBerry Bold 9780 scoop, we’ve obtained another Bell memo that indicates the Canadian wireless carrier will release HTC’s Desire Z on November 3. The phone will have the ability to operate on Bell’s HSPA+ network and sport a 3.7-inch touchscreen display, full QWERTY keyboard, Android 2.2, Sense 2.0, and an 800MHz processor. Subsidized pricing was not listed in the memo; the device will retail for $499.99 off-contract. Could this be one of the HSPA+ devices that Bell plans on charging an extra $10 for? Time will tell.

Thanks, Brendan!

The release of the BlackBerry Bold 9780 is right around the corner, officially. Canada’s Bell Mobility has announced that they will be offering the Bold 9780 beginning on November 2, 2010. The handset, which will be available in both black and white, packs a 2.44-inch HVGA display with 480 x 360 resolution, BlackBerry 6, Wi-Fi, 5 megapixel camera with flash, 512 MB of RAM, tri-band UMTS radio 850/1900/2100MHz, and a quad-band GSM radio 850/900/1800/1900MHz. Subsidized pricing was not disclosed in the memo obtained by BGR; the device will retail for $499.99.

Now… when will this bad-boy show up Stateside?

Thanks, Brendan!

We’re not sure if we should blame U.S. wireless carrier Sprint for coming up with this idea, or Bell Canada for running with it. BGR has just obtained a memo that indicates Bell customers will have to fork over a $10 per month premium for access to the company’s HSPA+ wireless network. The memo seems to indicate that the first set of devices to succumb to this fate will be a “Turbo Stick” and “Turbo Hub”; the memo is vague enough (mentioning “high speed devices”) that it could include smartphones. This may be the unfortunate reality we’re all going to have to deal with as carriers go to 4G; or in this case “4G.” If you’re a Bell customer, feel free to sound off and let us know what you think.

Yesterday, Rogers announced the launch of a “comprehensive LTE wireless network technical trial with Ericsson Canada in the Ottawa area.” An announcement that seemed to put Rogers head and shoulders above Canada’s other wireless providers.

Today, we’ve been informed that Bell Canada may actually be one-step ahead of Rogers in the 4G, LTE arms-race. Speaking on the phone with Bell representatives, we were told that the company has already competed LTE data calls — they were conducted this summer — and that Bell currently has LTE test markets deployed in Montreal and Hamilton. Bell reiterated that they are on the forefront of LTE innovation and deployment and that their customers will have the opportunity to utilize the 4G technology in the near future. Companies competing to be the: first, fastest, best. The consumer wins!

The BlackBerry Torch 9800 might be exclusive to one carrier in the U.S., but that hasn’t stopped the floozy of a handset from making the rounds in Canada. Bell Mobility recently announced that they too will be carrying the BlackBerry Torch slider — which we knew – beginning on September 24th. The device will retail for $199 on a 3-year contract and $599 off-contract. This brings the total number of Canadian networks launching the 9800 on September 24 to four: Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Virgin Mobile. Bell hasn’t put out an official press release yet, but we have a statement for you after the break.

Bell Mobility will launch the BlackBerry® Torch™ on September 24, and clients will be able to get the device for as low as $199.99 on a three year contract. The BlackBerry Torch will operate on the HSPA+ network, which is the largest and fastest wireless network in Canada, and reaches 93% of Canadians coast to coast in thousands of cities and towns.

The new BlackBerry Torch combines a large capacitive touch screen and optical trackpad with a 35 key full QWERTY backlit slide-out keyboard, designed to feel optimally balanced when opened for typing. It offers support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks around the world, includes the latest generation in Wi-Fi® (b/g/n) connectivity and built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging. Its 5 MP camera takes exceptional pictures with continuous auto focus, image stabilization, scene modes and zoom, as well as video recording. It also comes with a combined 8 GB of media storage out-of-the-box, including a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that can bring the total storage memory to 36 GB for customers that want more.

The BlackBerry Torch is the first to launch with BlackBerry 6, a new operating system for BlackBerry smartphones. It features a redesigned interface, and a new and rich WebKit-based browser that renders HTML web pages (as well as HTML email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. The browser includes tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, double-tap to zoom that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements, and pinch to zoom.

BlackBerry 6 offers expanded messaging capabilities and RSS feeds (Social Feeds), which provides integrated access to the popular BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) service as well as Facebook®, Twitter™, MySpace™ and various instant messaging applications. The enhanced multimedia experience includes a dedicated YouTube app, and BlackBerry Podcasts, allowing users to easily discover, acquire and enjoy audio and video podcasts from leading content providers. A universal search feature, accessible from the Home Screen, allows users to search for content on the smartphone, as well as extend the search to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World™, which is included and supports credit card payments.

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]