Arvin Singh, Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s Illinois-Wisconsin director of data sales, is feeling pretty confident about their network handling Motorola droid demand.

“We’re anticipating the Droid will be a blockbuster, but we’re not adding any new backhaul or new EV-DO carriers for the launch. We’re not anticipating the network will take a hit on this.”

That’s big talk, considering VZ still has no idea just how popular the droid will become, but even then, if they’re trying to take a jab at AT&T (NYSE: T)’s network buckling under iPhone traffic, it’s not exactly a fair comparison considering droid sales won’t come anywhere near iPhone’s, and the network strain will be proportionally minuscule. In any case, the confidence is a good sign – just remember, we’ll be holding you to your promise, VZ.

[via TelephonyOnline]

The Motorola (NYSE: MOT) droid has been turning a lot of heads since its launch yesterday, and no doubt some folks are hankering to pick up the super-thin, full-QWERTY, Android-powered slider as soon as possible. The officially-announced launch day was November 9, but apparently Best Buy has it in stores today for $199.99 on contract. Considering the hype and the early release, I doubt stock will hold up for long, so get ‘em while they’re hot. If you’ve had a chance to swing by your local Best Buy store, what’s the inventory like? For those that can’t get out to a brick-and-mortar store to pick up a droid, keep an eye on Best Buy Mobile’s online store, or if your palate isn’t sufficiently whet, take a look at our hands-on impressions.

[via BusinessWire]

All eyes are on the Motorola Droid right now, but Verizon (NYSE: VZ) will be following up with a second handset in the Droid family, HTC’s Eris (once code-named Desire). Tipsters have alluded to a $99.99 price point, and that the handset will have Wi-Fi as well as a 5 megapixel camera (without flash). That’s quite the steal for a stylish handset packing HTC’s most excellent Sense user interface. For a closer look at the Eris from Verizon’s equipment guide, hit the via link.

[via PhoneArena]

Regular flyers will be familiar with Boingo for their airport Wi-Fi service, but if you’ve seen as many BlackBerrys around the terminals as I have, you’ll know laptops aren’t the only thing Wi-Fi is handy for. Boingo now has a free application that lets you log in to Boingo hotspots (which exist outside the airport too, for the record) on BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM). Supported devices include the Curve 8900, 8320 and Bold 9000, although I have a feeling other Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerrys with an up-to-date OS will be able to use the app. By the looks of it, BlackBerry was the last one in line for treatment from Boingo – Android, iPhone, S60, and Windows Mobile already have apps ready to go. Wi-Fi service, as usual, costs $7.95 per month for mobile. If you’re a regular user, get downloading the BlackBerry app from mobile.boingo.com.

[via Boingo]

Catan – The First Island has found its way into the iTunes App Store, letting you trade clay, build roads, train soldiers, and do everything that made the Settlers of Catan board game a classic. Multiplayer is available, but involves handing off the phone rather than via Bluetooth. Still, even if you want to hone your settling skills solo, characterful AI players are available to keep you on your toes. Additional expansion content is in the works, alongside more game options and scenarios. Go ahead and grab it in the iTunes App Store for $4.99, or if you’re hankering for something free, check out their online game. A more toned-down version for feature phones is also available.

[via PRNewsWire]

The first proper look at the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Essex has surfaced, promising to one-up the original Tour with added Wi-Fi, optical trackpad, and OS 5.0. Likely to be called the Tour2 9650, this BlackBerry doesn’t otherwise differ much from the current versions on Verizon (NYSE: VZ) or Sprint (NYSE: S). I’m glad we’re finally seeing the Tour2 show up for real, I was starting to get worried Essex was the Curve2… Phew. On that note, why didn’t RIM just put out the Tour with these features in the first place? The touch trackpad would have made a much bigger splash with this device rather than the 8520. Check out our review of the original Tour 9630 to get a general idea of how this sequel will handle, and if you’re hoping to pick one up, rumour has it the 9650 will be available before the holidays.

Video after the jump! Video was taken down, but we got some stills.

Read the full article »

If you’re looking for more reading after checking out our Storm2 review, Inside BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) has recently posted an interview with Yasser Mirza, the lead Product Manager for RIM’s second touchscreen smartphone. There’s no earth-shattering new information about the Storm2 to be gleaned from the interview, but it’s really nice to be able to put a face behind the phone and hear about the process of putting it all together. Stuff like smoothing out the user interface, evolving SurePress, and optimizing the typing experience are all touched on, so check it out if you’re thinking about picking up the Storm2 on Verizon (NYSE: VZ) today. Here’s hoping RIM does more of these for their future devices…

[via IBB]

While the new BlackBerry Bold will be coming to stores sometime in November, we’ve heard little in terms of specific dates. Well, unconfirmed rumours are pointing to November 16 on T-Mobile (NYSE: DT), matching AT&T (NYSE: T)’s $199.99 on-contract price point ($449.99 off contract). Rogers (NYSE: RCI) is looking like they’ll be ready sooner rather than later, but things are still hazy for Bell, telus (NYSE: TU), and AT&T. The same tipster also confirms earlier rumours that one of Samsung’s upcoming Android devices, the Behold II, will come out on T-Mo a short two days later, and retail for $249.99 on contract.

[via BGR]

As expected, the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) Surge 6790 has arrived on Rogers (NYSE: RCI) for the rabid texters out there. An unexpected bonus is a cheaper price point than the originally anticipated: a mere $29.99 on three-year contract. This is one of the cheapest new smartphones you’ll find out there, though the form factor might seem awkward to a lot of folks. Still, it’s packing a 2 megapixel camera, GPS, microSD memory card slot, and a 2.4″ QVGA display. It’s not in Rogers’ online store just yet, but it should be up soon.

[via Nokia]

Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s Droid lineup will apparently be launching November 6, according to tipsters. Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s Droid (a.k.a Sholes) and HTC’s Eris (a.k.a Desire) will be the first members to the family, with more on the way.  The Droid has a 3.7-inch 480×854 touchscreen, 5-megapixel autofocus camera, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, 256MB RAM/512MB ROM and a microSDHC slot supporting up to 16GB memory cards. The only thing we really know about the Eris is that it’s packing HTC’s Sense user interface – we’re definitely looking forward to hearing more about the specs. If you haven’t seen Verizon’s teaser campaign making tongue-in-cheek comparisons between Android and iPhone operating systems, it’s definitely worth a watch.

[via BGR]