Following the Apple MacBook Pro leak saga? Rumors have been swirling practically every day about Apple’s latest MacBook Pro refresh, and a leaked photo from earlier today appears to confirm part of what we exclusively reported — that Apple’s new MacBook Pro’s will have larger all-glass multitouch trackpads. The same report also confirms the presence of a Thunderbolt port on the new MacBook Pro, which is Apple’s name for Intel’s Light Peak connection set to be unveiled tomorrow as well.

UPDATE: Upon closer inspection, it looks as though the MacBook Pro pictured above may have the same sized trackpad as the current 13-inch model, though it is possible that the new 13-inch model will retain the same sized trackpad while the 15 and/or 17-inch models may see a size increase.

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We just said adéu to our friendly FedEx delivery person and ripped into our care package sent by Google. On first glance, the Google Cr-48 Chrome laptop looks very similar to Apple’s black MacBook. The screen is 12.1-inches, the entire computer is done up in a soft-touch rubberized finish, and — while it’s a bit thick (we’re used to using a MacBook Air) — we have had some fun typing on the well thought out (and well spaced) keyboard. Here are our first impressions:

• We can’t get over how instant this thing is — it boots and wakes from sleep literally in one second max!
• The soft-touch rubber finish, which at first didn’t sound very appealing, works really well on this super stealth, never-being-released notebook.
• This is more of a preference, but we’d take a glossy display over the matte one on here any day… although the matte finished does fit into the anti-gloss vibe of the machine.
• We can’t begin to explain how great of a feeling it is to have Verizon cellular support built in and how simple and easy the set up process is. Activating our 100MB/mo free account was extremely simple. One or two more steps than signing up for AT&T’s prepaid iPad plans — very solid.
• Switching between open windows (think Spaces on a Mac with less jazz) is incredibly quick.
• It’s so hard to get used to the fact that everything is browser-based, but it all has seemed to work very well for us so far.
• Guest accounts rock!
• All of our Google Chrome extensions and bookmarks were transferred over instantly for us — super cool.
• The speed of the machine, in general, is obviously slower than we’d like and for a 12-inch (read: large) computer. But again, this isn’t meant to be released to the general public.
• We had some wonkiness with the upper part of the LCD screen when we first turned it on, but we’re thinking that might have been due to the extreme temperatures this poor sucker had to endure on its journey to us this morning.
• The trackpad hates us. It’s incredibly annoying and difficult to use. First off, it feels cheap, and second, unless you are scrolling with two fingers, don’t even try and have more than one finger at a time on here.

We’re cranking away and exploring Google’s first Chrome OS laptop and we will be sure to report back with more findings over the next couple days. In the meantime, hit up our hands-on gallery while we go make some insanely hot hot-chocolate!

A new video posted to YouTube Wednesday reportedly shows a man handling Sony Ericsson’s upcoming PlayStation Phone. While very little, if anything, can be gleaned from the video itself, the important takeaway is the very existence of this footage. The PlayStation Phone is now being demonstrated in various corners of the world, which means an announcement shouldn’t be far off. The blogger who played with the phone did have some interesting tidbits to share as well, such as specs that include a 4-inch touchscreen, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), a dedicated game store, a touch-sensitive control surface on the slider, an 8-megapixel camera and some special PlayStation-themed live wallpapers. He also says that the codename of the device is listed as Zeus, which jibes with earlier reports.

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We’ll be honest, seeing a shiny new gadget get taken down to the screws puts a huge smile on our faces… and why shouldn’t it? Two days after the Magic Trackpad was released by Apple, the gang over at ifixit has done a proper teardown of the device. Spoiler Alert: there were no magical gnomes or elves hiding inside the trackpad. If you still want to know more hit up the read link to see the trackpad takedown.

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TmoNews has gotten their hands on an image of the Android-powered Motorola Charm which, by all accounts, appears due to land on T-Mobile in the very near future. The Charm is a chubby, full-QWERTY candybar phone that is reported to have a Backflip-like trackpad on its posterior and 3-inch touchscreen. The phone has all the trappings of an entry-level Android device…but let’s hope that it comes out of the box with Android 2.1 and not 2.0 or *shudder* 1.6. Any Magenta fans out there looking for an entry level Android phone in the candybar form-factor?Read

In 2006, RIM launched the BlackBerry Pearl 8100. It’s critical reception was mixed, but there’s no denying it helped propel the BlackBerry brand to super stardom. Since then, smartphones have become even more mainstream and many serious competitors have emerged. Yes despite all of the competition and its own success, RIM has remained relatively true to its conservative tradition. Even today, a time when more than half of its customers are consumers, RIM is still sticking with a Java-based OS that has remained relatively unchanged since the Pearl first hit the scene. This year, RIM announced to little fanfare. Can a consumer product from a company that is business-centric at its roots survive in the age of Android and iPhone? Hit the jump to find out as we review the BlackBerry Pearl 3G from Rogers.

The Rogers Pearl 3G ships with OS 5.0.0.629 and has about 130MB of free memory out of the box. Without getting into the ins and outs of the software (sorry, but we’ve been there and done that about 50 times), let us just say that this particular OS build is solid overall. As for the phone itself, like all RIM devices, the call quality wonderful and reception was excellent whether over 3G, EDGE or Wi-Fi. We have to admit that we didn’t observe any notable speed improvements while using Wi-Fi (in fact we found 3G to be faster for web browsing, which is either a testament to Rogers’ network or a shoddy Wi-Fi chip), but the fact it’s on board is a plus, especially with 802.11n. A 624MHz Intel XCore CPU helps the Pearl 3G go through the motions with ease. Not once did we see a spinning clock.

For a phone that many deride as being meant for little girls and sissies (shouts to Justin Bieber fans), the Pearl 3G is a solid device that can withstand drops and tumbles that would make other phones wide-eyed with terror. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its build issues. Even for a low-end smartphone, the fit and finish is nowhere near as good as it should be. Dust easily gets trapped between the display and the housing, and light seeps out around the display, trackpad and keypad.

Speaking of the display, yes it’s small at 2.4″, but it’s also very sharp owing to its resolution of 360×400. The only issue we have with the display actually has nothing to do with the display, but the light sensor which controls it. Its performance was erratic and for the lack of a better description, seemed to believe it was opposite day. When we wanted it to be bright it went dark and vise versa. It might be a small thing to complain about given that you can turn off the light sensor, but that would needlessly drain the battery. And regrettably, the battery on the Pearl 3G wasn’t exactly what we were hoping it would be. Coming from the BlackBerry 9700 and its incredible battery life, the Pearl 3G is a let down. With relatively light usage we struggled to make it through the day.

The SureType keypad is a bit of a contentious issue in these parts. Apart from feeling rather slippery thanks to aggressive ridges and a very smooth and glossy surface, we still aren’t sure what to make of the concept after all of these years. While we understand that there’s no way RIM could comfortably cram an entire full-QWERTY keypad into the 50mm wide frame of the Pearl 3G, a part of us thinks that there has to be a better way — but we don’t exactly feel like going off on a tanget over this. With that said, we shudder to think of the struggles of a first-time SureType user who didn’t take the time to populate the custom dictionary. If you don’t do that, you’re in for one hell of a frustrating time.

The camera on the Pearl 3G does an admirable job when compared to other 3.2 megapixel sensors. It performed well in low-light environments, was able to achieve focus without much of a delay and booted up quickly enough that we find no reason to fault it. Here’s a sample taken in a dark room in which a computer monitor was the single source of light.

The external speaker on the Pearl 3G is situated directly below the keypad and faces towards the ground. To put it politely, the external speaker is simply awful. You’d think that a phone with dedicated media keys would have decent acoustic qualities, but the speaker on the Pearl 3G isn’t even average. A few years back we accidentally drowned a Sony Ericsson W810i while it was ringing (long story, don’t ask) and would have gladly swapped out its drenched speaker for that found on the Pearl 3G. We liken it to a police radio.

The Pearl 3G isn’t for everyone. No one’s trying to say that it is. Power users would be best served by staying away from it and so would those who are looking for a feature-rich smartphone. Ultimately when considering who the phone is designed for — the casual user who wants a dependable phone with more perks than a featurephone and what is still the best platform for PIM — the Pearl 3G is a pretty solid choice.

Sure we’ve already seen BlackBerry 6 in action thanks to an epic 17 minute walkthrough, but that video featured a touchscreen ‘Berry. What’s life going to be like on the new OS for those of us that prefer non-touchscreen devices from RIM? Well we know now, as the folks at Driphter have posted a lengthy rundown of BlackBerry 6 running on that crazy clamshell 9670. We get that the prospect of sinking 10:27 of your life into watching a video of an unreleased device isn’t for everyone, but if you’ve got the stomach time for it or are just a BlackBerry fanatic, then hit the jump to check out the goodness.

[Via CrackBerry]

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Rumors of a multi-touch trackpad for desktops Macs have been along for ages, but the last time we really heard of them was last October. Since then it’s essentially been relegated to the annals of Apple rumor history, but oh look! Just hours before Steve Jobs & Co. are to take to the stage at Moscone Center for the WWDC 2010 keynote, a trio of photos said to be of the mythical multi-touch accessory have surfaced by way of Engadget. The images look extremely convincing, but let’s try to not lose our heads over a rumor this early in the morning. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.

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With rumors and rumors of a clamshell BlackBerry device going back ages, we finally have some confirmation on the phone, and in a big way, too. Not only do we have the first photos ever of this BlackBerry 9670, and not only is it the first BlackBerry clamshell ever seen (we don’t really count the Pearl Flip), but it’s also running the first ever photos of OS 6.0 (on a device). We’d love to tell you all about this brand new BlackBerry device… after the jump!

The BlackBerry 9670 is a CDMA device packed to the brim with a full QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera (a first!), Wi-Fi, a 360×480 internal display, huge external display, trackpad, OS 6.0, microUSB port, microSD internal storage slot, Bluetooth, and a metallic finish casing. Obviously we’re far from final, and things can and will change, but that’s a pretty good overview. We’re working on getting more information, videos — the whole works –but for now, check out the best high resolution photo gallery of an unreleased, unannounced, unheard of device that you’ve ever laid eyes on.

Click on over to our BlackBerry 9670 gallery!

Hear that noise? That’s Fido saying goodbye to 2006 and hello to… 2009? Fido has finally caved in and introduced a modern-ish BlackBerry with today’s release of the Curve 8520. Attractively priced at $50 with a 3-year voice and data contract, the 8520 is also available to pre-paid customers for the one-time cost of $400. Throw in a CityFido plan and data add-on and you really can’t argue against this device if you’re in the market for an affordable smartphone. You know, unless you care about 3G.

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So, if our tipster is to be believed, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 on T-Mobile might be going on an end-of-life plan. What better device to replace the BlackBerry 8900 than the BlackBerry 8910? RIM sure knows how to slip in those minor refreshes…

Motorola making a device in more than one color? You don’t say… One of our connects sent us the above photo of the Motorola Calgary / DROID Devour / Whatever, and confirmed the specifications we posted a few months back. We also received some more feedback on the device — hit the jump for the goodies!

We’re told the keyboard was “nice” and the phone itself was “easier to use” compared to the Motorola DROID. Obviously that’s personal opinion, and maybe the BLUR OS simplifies things for some people, but the trackpad apparently is killer as a navigational input device. Oh? The device has Wi-Fi, GPS, a 1420mAh battery, but unfortunately no SIM card slot as it is not a global device. Whether the unit will come in multiple colors or not is not confirmed as these are still non-final units, we’re told, but we’d probably bet on it being available in black as well as silver. If only they kept that RAZR-keyboard…

What could be better than the original BlackBerry Tour? Well, the BlackBerry Tour2 obviously. We’ve just got a hold of one and will be putting it through our normal thorough review processes, but in the meantime, here are some first impressions:

• Physical size is nearly, if not identical to the original BlackBerry Tour
• The trackpad works great, just as you’d expect
• We guessed the original Tour was slightly underpowered, and we were right. Fortunately the Tour2 seems to use the processor found in the Storm2, and that’s a welcome improvement. In the short time we’ve been using it, there aren’t many slowdowns that we’d normally get on the Tour, and the device feels much more snappy
• The keyboard remains at greatness status
• Wi-Fi works like any other BlackBerry

All in all a much-needed upgrade to keep Verizon and Sprint’s BlackBerry lineup current, and it might even be the device that sways me from my BlackBerry 9700… Photos in the gallery!

Click on over to our BlackBerry Tou2 9650 Hands On gallery!

With today being Thanksgiving and most blogs closing shop for the day, we thought it would be a perfect time for us to break out our review of the latest smartphone in Verizon’s line-up, the BlackBerry Curve 8530. More or less the same device as T-Mobile’s (and soon to be AT&T’s) Curve 8520, the 8530 differs a bit: it adds GPS into the fold and runs on EV-DO Rev. 0 networks. We’ve been putting it through our patent-pending stress test this week, so hit the break to check out our thoughts.

Hardware

Believe it or not, this phone is built surprisingly well, and despite weighing only 105g, the 8530 feels solid enough to make us feel confident that dropping it won’t result in tears. The rubberized sides coupled with textured faux carbon fiber plastic battery cover provide for a nice grip, and there are no creaks and moans. The keypad is more or less the same keypad as seen on the 8300 Series and 8900 and is really easy to adjust to. Some people might be put off by the clickity-clack noises it makes while one types away, but we found this particular model to be much more quiet than the aforementioned devices. We don’t think we need to say anything about the camera other than its a fixed-focus 2 megapixel affair. Okay, we lied, we do have something to say. Having a poor camera is bad, but having a poor camera with no flash seriously sucks. We mean, come on — even the bloody Pearl Flip had a flash.

The one minor hardware issue we did have with our review unit is that the trackpad wobbled. This didn’t negatively impact navigation, although feeling it move and hearing it click with every movement of our thumbs started to really get on our nerves.

A/V

Calls made on the 8530 sound pretty good, but we did notice the earpiece gives off more of a hiss than most handsets. The speaker, while a bit muffled and somewhat limited in range is quite nice considering the price of the phone and we were able to crank it up high without any complaints.

Apart from the occasional YouTube video linked to in an email, watching videos isn’t something we’re really into with this device. We’re not only saying this because we’re afraid that Sergio Leone would rise from the dead and kick our butts for watching something like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on a 2.5″ display, but because at that size QVGA just isn’t enough.

Listening to music on the 8530 isn’t a bad experience (unless you use the included headset). The multimedia keys on the top of the device are a nice touch and we like the fact that syncing music with iTunes and Windows Media Player is simple with BlackBerry Media Sync. We just have one question: why does the music stop when you activate the camera?

Software and Performance

What’s there left to say about the BlackBerry OS… It’s as polarizing as abortion. So instead of getting up on a soap box and turning this review into an essay, we’re going to keep this short. The Curve 8530 we received was running OS 5.0.0.337 and straight out of the box it had 114.18MB of 256MB free. All of the typical Verizon apps like City ID, V CAST Music/Videos/Song ID, VZ Navigator and Visual Voicemail come pre-loaded. Overall the 8530 runs smoothy thanks in part to its 528MHz processor, but it did seem to enjoy freezing up on three occasions. By freezing we don’t mean the device crashed and rebooted; it just sort of sat there and did absolutely nothing for a good 10-25 seconds. We’re not sure if we were pushing the device too hard or if the OS has some flaws that need fixing, so we’ll just have to wait until the first maintenance release is doled out by Verizon to see if that fixes the problem.

How’s the browser, you say? It’s still pretty sucky, and what suckiness remains isn’t exactly helped out by the QVGA display. Thankfully RIM is hard at work on its WebKit-based browser as you’re reading this, but until then all isn’t lost because there are quite a few decent third-party browsers such as Opera Mini and Bolt! that are ready and waiting to be downloaded.

Final Thoughts

We’re really torn about the Curve 8530. On one hand we think it’s a great little smartphone that will please a large number of people at the somewhat decent price of $99.99 on a 2-year. The only problem is that you can get something like the BlackBerry Tour 9630 with a better keypad, display, camera and international support for a few dollars more, if even that (we found a bunch of online retailers offering both the 8530 and 9630 for free on contract this morning). Of course the “upgrade” to the 9630 would come at the price of Wi-Fi and that oh-so-sweet optical trackpad. So what’s our final word? Go the your local dealer and take the Curve 8530 for a spin. If you like it, great. Go nuts and buy it. But if you don’t, by all means get something else. Just don’t say it’s not a capable smartphone.