The Motorola (NYSE: MOT) DEXT (known as the CLIQ south of the border) is coming to Bell in the first half of the year. Rogers (NYSE: RCI), Bell, and TELUS (NYSE: TU) were announced to get Android phones from Motorola with the MOTOBLUR socially-inclined user interface and services, and this is the second of the batch to be revealed.  The BACKFLIP was announced earlier for TELUS, which leaves the QUENCH for Rogers.

The DEXT is a pretty straightforward slider with a full QWERTY keyboard: it has a 3.1″ touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G, and 3.5mm headphone jack. To get a feel for what MOTOBLUR is all about it’s best to take a look at our hands-on video with the DEXT. For more information, sign-ups for availability notification, and a chance to win your own DEXT, hit up bell.ca/dext.

Okay, I have to stop writing about Motorola phones before my Shift key ups and bitchslaps me.

[via CNW]

Developer of ShopSavvy, Big in Japan, has acquired a similar service called Snappr, which happened to be one of the first mobile barcode scanning apps out there. Similarly, ShopSavvy was one oaf the first Android apps available at launch, although since then many developers, including Google themselves and Microsoft, have got into the game.

If you haven’t checked it out, ShopSavvy allows you to scan barcodes using your phone’s camera for access to product information, reviews, wishlist creation, and price change alerts, all while maintaining a history of scanned items. BiJ recently incorporated QR codes in ShopSavvy for Android (though not iPhone just yet), opening up even more options for getting stuff like contact information and launching websites on your phone.

If nothing else, the Snappr crew will be able to provide some added manpower behind ShopSavvy, and at best, they’ll be able to significantly improve ShopSavvy’s QR barcode scanning and help it swing at some of the other big names that have swooped into the Android Market. Download links to both versions are below, and for those so inclined, a Symbian version is coming soon.

[via Big in Japan Blog]

- ShopSavvy for Android (Free) [Android Market Link]

- ShopSavvy for iPhone (Free) [iTunes App Store Link]

If you haven’t already got the picture, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) is cutting off its ties with legacy Windows Mobile devices as they advance into Windows Phone 7, and that includes third-party software. No doubt some people who are used to the old ways might get a little emotional over the issue. Charlie Kindel, who has been working with Microsoft on the WP7 experience, explains why Windows Mobile 6.5 applications won’t run in 7, at least from a conceptual standpoint:

For us, the cost of going from good to great is a clean break from the past. To enable the fantastic user experiences you’ve seen in the Windows Phone 7 Series demos so far we’ve had to break from the past. To deliver what developers expect in the developer platform we’ve had to change how phone apps were written. One result of this is previous Windows mobile applications will not run on Windows Phone 7 Series.

To be clear, we will continue to work with our partners to deliver new devices based on Windows Mobile 6.5 and will support those products for many years to come, so it’s not as though one line ends as soon as the other begins.

Of course, it’s all in the name of progress. In  the same post, Kindel announces that XNA and Silverlight will both be supported in WP7. Silverlight is a web development platform, not unlike Flash (though Flash won’t be available initially, WP7 will get it eventually – Microsoft isn’t picking Silverlight over Flash). As for XNA, it’s the programming environment primarily used by Xbox developers, which should allow even further Live integration. That’s all from the developer side, in any case. Be sure to check out our tour of Windows Phone 7 just to see what all of the fuss is about.

It certainly makes sense that Microsoft wants a fresh, clean slate, and the few diehard WinMo fans will just have to deal with the change; I imagine they’ll feel a lot like old-school Palm (NSDQ: PALM) users did once webOS rolled out. A big part of moving forward is letting go of what’s behind, and that applies just as equally to technology as anything else. Those hardened technical types who are bitter about being left in the dust like so many tearful, heartbroken native Americans may want to check out the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N900 and MeeGo; it looks like they’re geared towards the programmers and tinkerers who tended to drift towards WinMo.

WP7 hardware is on the way soon, and I think the vast majority of us are looking forward to what developers do with it.

[via Charlie Kindel]

Lynda.com’s extensive software training video library is now available on iPhone to subscribers thanks to a dedicated application. Videos you’ve been running through will be bookmarked exactly where you were watching them on the desktop (and vice versa), so you’ll never miss a thing. You can also browse through all of the lessons available, sorted by software, subject, vendor, or instructor, or search for courses by keyword. Full course descriptions and a table of contents lets you find and launch the content you’re really looking for. If bandwidth is a problem, you can always knock the video quality down until 3G or Wi-Fi stabilizes.

If you’ve never had a chance to check out Lynda, it’s a great place to get started if you want to learn fancy-pants software like Photoshop, Dreamweaver, or any number of programming languages or design softwares.

Hit up lynda.com/iphone for a closer look, or check out their blog below for a video demo.

[Lynda Blog via CNET]

– Lynda for iPhone (Subcription Req., $25/month) [iTunes Link]

Yelp’s business review application for Android and iPhone have both been updated with a couple of new features: Android is getting Bookmarks that are synced with your desktop browser-based account, and review drafting for later publishing; the iPhone version is getting compass-enabled mapping, so it faces where you are, and highlighted locations where you’ve reached Regular status. Of course, that’s on top of Yelp’s very cool augmented reality features for iPhone.

If you’ve missed either app, or even the whole service, it’s basically a repository of customer reviews for any kind of business under the sun. Every venue is categorized, given a star rating out of five, includes general pricing information, and contact/mapping information. There’s a definite social element to it that allows you to follow the reviews of particularly favourite locals. Recently, Yelp hopped onto the “check-in” bandwagon established by Foursquare, and included short, quippy “tips” to be added to locations via mobile.

Full-blown reviews weren’t allowed because Yelp wants to maintain some modicum of quality in written reviews, which is hard to do when mobile typists are prone to brevity and mistakes.  However, the addition of drafted reviews does allow critics to jot down their initial impressions while they’re at the business in question – an immediacy which I think is vital for keeping reviews accurate.

You dig it? Scan/click the QR code with your Android phone to get downloading, or download the latest iPhone version for free from iTunes.

[via Yelp Blog]

– Yelp for Android (Free) [Android Market Link]

– Yelp for iPhone (Free) [iTunes Link]

OEM parts reseller TrueSupplier is listing the keypad for the unreleased BlackBerry 9100 Pearl, showing this picture of a QWERTY layout – but wait, isn’t the Striker supposed to be SureType (two letters crammed into one key)? Colour me confused, but this doesn’t look anything like what we were expecting to land on TELUS. It’s not only the keypad style that’s different, but the extra keys surrounding the optical trackpad are laid out differently too – more like they’re oriented around the four corners, such as with the Pearl Flip, rather than two to either side, like every other standard BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) out there. One way or the other, this is a keypad we haven’t seen anywhere else yet.

So, let’s weigh some options. Either all of those early looks were of preproduction prototypes, and RIM has since seriously redesigned the device, or this keypad is for yet another unreleased BlackBerry that we have yet to see. The keypad certainly takes a chapter from the Bold’s playbook, so it’s entirely possible this keypad is for the Dakota that we’ve been hearing about, which will host a trackpad, QWERTY keyboard, and a SurePress touchscreen.  If that hole for the trackpad is properly to scale, this keyboard will be hella tiny. I have problems enough on the Tour and 9700’s keypad, and if this one actually saw the light of day, the 9100 would be a complete write-off for me.

[via CIO]

According to tipsters, the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Pearl 9100 (code-named Striker) will be coming to Canada’s TELUS (NYSE: TU) in both black and pink paint jobs.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the flurry of prerelease sneak peeks, the new Pearl promises Wi-Fi, 3G (AWS bands included, odds are it’ll run on TELUS’ new HSPA+ network), OS 5.0, 256 MB of app memory, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and, of course, an optical trackpad replacing the trackball and a two-letter-per-key SureType keypad. Overall, it seems like the 9100 will be a spec jump on all fronts compared to the last proper Pearl to be released, but the overall style seems fairly unchanged. That’s okay though – the original Pearl was a hit, and as they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

As for TELUS’ BlackBerry lineup in particular, the last Pearl they had was the Flip, and that was about a year ago, so it’s certainly safe to say it’s time for some fresh SureType BlackBerrys to hit the shelves. Normally I don’t put too much credence on rumours like this without some pictures to back them up, but I feel pretty confident about the source. The last we heard regarding a release date for the 9100 Striker pointed towards April, and considering hints of it are popping up internally (presumably in SKUs), that seems altogether likely.

[via BlackBerry Sync]

AT&T (NYSE: T)’s myWireless App has found its way to a variety of BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) models, allowing you to pay your wireless bill, check plan options, and monitor voice and data usage by mobile.

A similar app is already available for the iPhone, so it’s not entirely unreasonable to expect it to land on other smartphone platforms, like, say, Android, now that AT&T is getting the Google-nerfed Backflip out there. Supported models include both the Bold 9000 and 9700, and the full Curve lineup (8520, 8900, 8320, 8310), but you have to have a myWireless online account in order to use the handheld app. You can find more info (or get downloading, if browsing by mobile) by visiting att.com/mybb.

[via PR Newswire]

Those of you expecting a new version of the Facebook application for your Palm Pre or Pixi will be happy to hear that it has arrived and is ready for downloading. The old app did little more than let you post updates, pictures, and check your friends’ news feed, but this update promises a heck of a lot more.

• Enhanced Inbox – Now, your inbox lets you compose, send, and reply, so you can always access your Facebook messages.
• Photo albums – Now you can view photo albums from all your friends, not just the photos in their news feeds. Uploading photos is easier as well, and includes the ability to add captions.
• Profiles – The new app lets you view users’ profiles, whether they are your friends or not. View and post to their walls, view their information, and see their photo albums (subject to privacy settings, of course).
• Events and birthdays – Now you can see upcoming birthdays from your friend list as well as upcoming events.
• Friend search – Easily find your friends using the Friend Search feature. This takes you to their profile, where you can see and post to their wall, view their information, and look at their photos.

It seems like all of the main features are there, including commenting and commenting on items. A neat, if frivolous, addition is shaking the phone to refresh the timeline. A few of the tinier details could make this app really rock the kasbah – notifications, page viewing, profile picture updating, and chat would be great additions, for example. It’s a little weird that you can’t accept friend requests through the app, but I guess we’ll have to wait for yet another update for that.

Of course, webOS still natively pulls in a lot of information to its native address book through Synergy, but the separate app will give something more closely approximating browsing the actual social network.

If you haven’t already, go ahead and check the webOS Market to get updated.

[via Palm Developer Center Blog]

The Canadian government provided significant roadblocks during the pre-launch days of WIND Mobile, mostly surrounding parent company Globalive’s investment from Egypitian telecom Orascom, but in an address known as the Speech from the Throne, Governor General Michaëlle Jean had this to say about the upcoming session of Parliament:

Our Government will open Canada’s doors further to venture capital and to foreign investment in key sectors, including the satellite and telecommunications industries, giving Canadian firms access to the funds and expertise they need.

The Conservative government up here is highly focused on strengthening our economy, so many of the speech’s other items revolved around securing industries, achieving financial balance, and creating jobs. Welcoming foreign investment is a great way to quickly create new jobs, but those home-grown industries might not be too happy about opening up the economic borders.

We won’t be able to see the full effect of Jean’s statement until the budget is done up over the next couple of days, but the general idea here is that WIND Mobile’s situation will become the rule rather than the exception from here on in. Depending on how attractive the Canadian government makes it for foreign investors, international service providers, like T-Mobile (NYSE: DT), Vodafone (NYSE: VOD), and who knows, maybe even Telefónica may find their way up north. Even though there’s WIND just getting comfortable, three well-established incumbents with their respective prepaid minions brands, a few regional carriers like Sasktel, and and Mobilicity on the way, wireless competition in Canada could still use some work. Bell, TELUS (NYSE: TU) and Rogers (NYSE: RCI) have all carved up the mobile market and grown complacent, and as well-meaning as WIND and Mobilicity may be, it will take some real money to give the Big Three an actual fight.

You can read the whole throne speech here, if you’ve got some time to kill.

[via Canoe, pic]