No, sadly it is not another 4G, LTE device for MetroPCS, but it is a new phone nonetheless. Today, Samsung announced that the Freeform II would be immediately available for U.S. wireless carrier MetroPCS. The Freeform II is a candybar-style, full-QWERTY messaging device with a 2.2-inch QVGA display, 1.3 megapixel camera, micro-SD card slot, and Bluetooth. The device will run on MetroPCS’ 3G network and also support the company’s MetroNavigator GPS feature. Hit the read link for the full release.

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Today, Verizon Wireless announced the addition of two Motorola, Android handset to their smartphone lineup, the DROID Pro and CITRUS. The DROID Pro is a candybar-style, Android 2.2, world-phone that is, to be blunt, not what anyone really expected.

The CITRUS is a full-touchscreen Android 2.1 device, complete with MOTOBLUR, and  full touchscreen display. The official press releases haven’t dropped yet. We’re waiting at the ready to give your the full rundown on both devices.

Developing…

If you’re one of those people who look back nostalgically at the old T9 keypads, Nokia just may have the device for you. Today, Nokia introduced the C2 Touch & Type handset. As Nokia explains:

The Series 40 device promises best-in-class communications, with Quad band phone calling, and both 3G/HSPA and WiFi internet connectivity. It comes with Nokia messaging 3.0, the latest incarnation of Nokia’s email, instant messaging and the Communities client offering Facebook and Twitter access. The device also allows users access to games and other applications through the Ovi Store.

The new C3 offers a high-quality build for your money, with a 100% stainless steel case and a 5-megapixel camera with flash on board. It will come in Silver, Warm grey and Khaki Gold colour variations. It measures 111 x 47.5 x 11mm, with the screen measuring 2.4-inches, diagonally. The device supports MicroSD memory cards for storage up to 32GB.

The phone, which has that classic, retro, Nokia-candybar form, will cost a measly €145 (~ $190) and will be available in the fourth quarter of this year. Not a bad little device for those looking for some smartphone functionality.

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Yesterday, we saw some high-roller images of the Nokia C7 surface on a Chinese blog, and now today we get to see the C7 on video with some images of the N9 slider phone as an added bonus. The C7 video is in Mandarin, but you get a pretty good glimpse at the handsets size and physical layout. We’ve got the three minute clip ready for your scrutiny after the break. Next on deck is the Nokia N9. The device is seen running an unidentifiable operating system (it could be MeeGo though!), and has that Macbook unibody look and feel thanks to its black-over-silver keyboard. For whatever reason, the device’s software was not detailed, but Chinese website tieba.baidu.com did do the honors of dismantling the handset. Hit the jump, have a look, and let us know what you think.

Read [C7 Video] Read 1, 2 [N9 Images]

Wednesday, T-Mobile and Motorola officially announced an Android 2.1 handset named the CHARM. While the press release was nice, it did lack a certain level of detail that we prefer. Yesterday, Moto put up the official specs page for the CHARM, so with further ado, here is the extended spec sheet:

WCDMA 1700/2100, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 3.6 Mbps (Category 5/6), EDGE Class 12, GPRS Class 12

Android 2.1 with Motoblur and Flash Lite browsing

3 Megapixel fixed focus camera with digital zoom

Video playback and capture at 24 fps (supported playback codecs: AAC, H.264, MP3, MPEG-4, WMA9, ACC+ Enhanced, WMV v9, AMR NB, AAC+)

1170 mAh battery (WDCMA standby 334 hours, GSM standby 267 hours)

Support for Exchange, Gmail, IMAP, and POP3 email

Bluetooth 2.0 + ERD (A2DP, AVRCP, BPP, HID, HSP, OPP, PAN)

Wi-Fi (b/g/n)

GPS

2GB micro-SD card included (support for up to a 32 GB card)

2.8″ TFT touchscreen display with Gorilla Glass (says it includes “pinch-to-zoom” but does not specify multitouch)

Accelerometer, proximity and ambient light sensors

Size: 67.2 x 98.4 x 11.4 mm

Weight: 110 grams

There you have it. Is the CHARM, uh, charming anyone?

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The kiddies over at PocketBerry found a parts supplier selling a AT&T branded bottom plate for a maroon BlackBerry Pearl 3G (9100). Hopefully, the parts existence – if genuine — indicates that the classic candybar handset will be headed to AT&T in the not-to-distant future. For those that need a quick refresher on what the Pearl 3G’s stat sheet looks like: 360×400 display, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS, 256MB of flash memory, 624 MHz processor, microSDHC (support up to 32GB), 1150 mAh battery, and BlackBerry OS 5.0. Man, things have been quiet up in Waterloo lately. Come on BlackBerry OS 6!

[Via PocketBerry]

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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?

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Haven’t had your fill of Android handsets yet? Neither have we. T-Mobile just hit us up with a Samsung Behold II and here are some first impressions:

Physically the unit feels pretty good to hold, albeit a little cheap. The weight is good, but the choice of a glossy plastic makes it feel a little chintzy to us. The back cover has a certain depth to it and it’s pretty darn cool, but we can see it scratching really easily if you’re not careful. As far as the front of the device, the buttons are surprisingly pretty easy to press despite their intimidating layout, and the 5-way navigational circle is also pretty friendly. Now for what we don’t like…

Samsung needs to learn that it isn’t 1999 anymore, and re-skinning most of Android’s decent but not great UI elements isn’t a good idea. We literally feel like we’re in downtown Seoul when the display is on — neon blues, neon orange, neon yellow — all on a black background which really doesn’t make for the most appetizing phone interface. Additionally, you can no longer press the Menu key to unlock the display once you turn it on, you’re forced to press a dedicated unlock / lock key on the side of the phone. Awk. Ward. While the paper specs on the phone (capacitive screen, 5 megapixel camera, AWS 3G, etc.) are definitely competitive, at first glance, the user experience seems to be way too involved for the average user. It’s not friendly by any means and the price point of $199 seems borderline laughable with other devices available at this time. On and off T-Mobile.

No surprises with this one as our leaked spy shots, release date, pricing details and specifications were all spot on. Today, Verizon Wireless made all that we already knew about the HTC Ozone official. Those looking for a basic Windows Mobile phone with a QWERTY keyboard will only have to shell out a meager $49.99 after $70 mail-in rebate and 2-year contract for the HTC Ozone. The Ozone will be available online, through telesales and B2B channels starting June 29th with a full in store retail launch to follow on July 13th. Yeah, it’s not the Tour but $49 for a sweet new Windows Mobile smartphone isn’t too shabby at all.

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We’ve already given the world its first peek and Verizon’s upcoming HTC Ozone, nailed down its scheduled availability of June 29th/July 13th and pegged its pricing at $49.99 after MIR, but we’re not done yet because two of our VZW ninjas just hit us up with the complete spec list for the device — and plenty more. Just as we suspected, the Ozone features EV-DO Rev. A connectivity in addition to quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE. We’re also pleased to report that the GPS chip is not shackled to VZ Navigator and that Verizon will allow users to use the device as a tethered modem (for a fee of course). Hit the jump for the rest of the specs along with a sizable Ozone deck.

Thanks, anonymous and indelus!

Features

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
• Dual-band 1xRTT/EV-DO Rev. A, quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Pre-installed SIM Card w/ Global Support Kit
• Microsoft Office Mobile
• Adobe Reader LE PFT viewer
• Internet Explorer Mobile
• Windows Media Player Mobile
• 256MB ROM/128MB RAM
• WiFi 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
• 2.4″ QVGA display w/ 24k color
• Full-QWERTY with 5-way navigation key
• 2 megapixel camera w/ auto-focus and video capture
• microSD slot (up to 16GB)
• Voice command, notes/recorder capable
• Speakerphone
• Security locking features
• MMS
• AOL, WLM, Yahoo! IM
• Wireless Sync capable
• ActiveSync capable (v4.5) and Windows Mobile Device Center
• Mobile Broadband Connect capable
• VZ Navigator capable
• Visual Voicemail capable
• Device Insurance available
• Hearing aid compatible = M3/T3

Specifications

• 4.5″ x 2.5″ x 0.5″
• 3.7 oz.
• 1500 mAh battery
• 290 minutes talk-time
• 324 hours standby
• Head: 1.03 W/Kg SAR

As if we weren’t confused enough already with the whole Louvre/Omnia Pro situation, this morning Samsung has gone ahead and introduced two different devices with the same name at the CommunicAsia trade show. To be officially known as the Omnia Pro B7610 and Omnia Pro B7320 (for now, at least), the former is the touchscreen QWERTY slider we’ve seen a lot of over the past few days while the latter goes the full-QWERTY candy bar route. Just to make matters even more frustrating, Samsung isn’t exactly giving out much in the way of details other than the same old spiel about how the two devices are a part of its “mobile convergence plan” to “reinforce its status as a leader” in the mobile phone industry. Uh huh. Luckily it looks like the rumored specs of the B7610 were pretty accurate so at least the more desirable of the two phones is well covered.

[Via Akihabra News]

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LG has announced two new handsets, the GW520 and GT505, that do their best to target the social networking, business-oriented crowd. Both handsets feature push notification of updates from various social networking sites, push email from personal accounts and Microsoft Exchange support. The GW520 is a QWERTY side slider with a 2.8-inch touchscreen, 7.2Mbps HSDPA and a 3 megapixel camera. The GT505 is a candybar with a 3-inch touchscreen, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, Wi-Fi and a 5 megapixel camera. The GT505 also comes with a 30 day trial of WisePilot for LG which offers turn by turn navigation. Both handsets are expected to be available in June 2009 with the GT505 launching on Orange while the GW520 to debut with various, yet-to-be-named carriers.

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Nokia and Vodafone today announced the exclusive launch of the new Nokia 6730 classic. This mid-level S60 3rd edition handset features quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dual-band UMTS/HSPA, 2.2-inch QVGA display, 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, GPS/aGPS, FM radio, Bluetooth 2.0, 48MB of internal memory and microSD expansion. Vodafone will be the exclusive carrier and will start offering the 6730 classic across all markets in June. Pricing is yet to be determined but we highly doubt this handset will break anybody’s piggy bank — this little guy is destined to be a freebie on most contracts.

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While Sprint stores are gearing up for the day we’ve all been waiting for, Verizon Wireless will be busy appealing to a different crowd… Tweens. One of our Verizon ninjas just hit us with a slide and a few product shots of the upcoming LG Glance, gold weave pattern and all. Here’s how the phone shapes up:

• CDMA with 1xRTT connectivity
• 2.00″, 320×240, 262K Color TFT display
• 1.3 Megapixel Camera
• GPS, VZ navigator-capable
• Bluetooth (headset, hands-free, object push-restricted)
• Text, Picture & Voice Messaging with threaded messaging feature
• Supported VZW services: Media Center, Mobile Email, Mobile Web, Instant Messaging, Chat, Chaperone Parent/Child, Voicemail capable
• Speakerphone
• Voice Commands
• Bilingual Interface- English/Espanol
• 2.5mm Headset Jack
• Dimensions: 4.31″ (H) x 1.87″ (W) x 0.38″ (D)
• Weight: 2.92 oz.
• Usage Time: Up to 260 Minutes OR Standby Time: Up to 350 Hours

This entry level offering from Verizon Wireless is slated for launch across all channels on June 5th and will set you back a mere $49 after a $50 mail-in rebate and 2-year contract, $119 after a $50 mail-in rebate and 1-year contract, $119 after a $50 mail-in rebate with prepaid plan and, last but not least, $219 for full retail. Hit the jump for a few more closeups.

Today Nokia announced three new devices that it hopes will makes serious inroads in emerging markets. While they certainly aren’t much to write home about from a phoneaholic’s perspective, they are definitely interesting in that they place particular emphasis on entertainment and social media. Nokia seemingly feels the time is right to thrust mobile internet and social networking upon the up and coming masses and we’re more than eager to see how it works out. Provided data costs are reasonable, Nokia’s effort could certainly provide a means of low-cost entertainment that is well placed in emerging markets. Hit the jump for more details on the 2720 fold, 2730 classic and 7020.

2720 fold – It’s shiny, it flips, has access to email in three-easy steps (Billy Mays style) via Ovi Mail and might even come pre-loaded with Nokia Life Tools if you’re lucky enough to live in one of the “selected territories” that have yet to be disclosed. Other than that, there’s an FM tuner, MP3 ringtones and Bluetooth. Look for it sometime in Q3 for 55€ ($74 USD).

2730 classic - Touted as the most affordable 3G phone in the Nokia catalog at 80€ ($108 USD), the candybar 2730 classic is equipped with a 2-inch QVGA display, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, FM tuner and comes pre-loaded with Ovi Mail while select markets will also receive Nokia Life Tools. Expect to see the 2730 classic ship in Q3 for 80€ ($107 USD).

7020 – A phone that is sure to prove itself popular in emerging markets, the 7020 is a clam shell device that has a monochrome external display, 2.2-inch internal color display, 2 megapixel camera, FM tuner, support for microSD cards up to 16GB and MP3 playback. What makes the 7020 the most interesting of the three new handsets however, is its focus on social media — the device comes pre-loaded with Nokia Life Tools, Ovi Share, Ovi Store, Nokia Messaging, Opera Mini and Nokia Maps in addition to Facebook, MySpace and YouTube bookmarks. The 7020 will run for about 90€ ($121 USD) in Q4.

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