AT&T (NYSE: T) has added a new texter-friendly device in its portfolio – Pantech Impact. The phone comes with both full QWERTY keyboard and numeric keypad, which [numeric keypad] interestingly sports haptic-enabled keys. Rest of the specs include a 3G radio, GPS, music player, camera that can take both photos and videos, email and IM clients.

As for the availability, AT&T will start selling the Impact starting from tomorrow, November 22nd, when interested users will be able to grab it for $99.99 on a contract and after $50 mail-in rebate, in either bright blue or soft pink…

[Via: Unwired View]

Sprint (NYSE: S) users with BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) and Android smartphones can now use YouMail-powered visual voicemail service free of charge. You know how it works, right? Just like on the iPhone, plus more:

• You can scroll through incoming voicemail messages to see caller information including caller name, time of call, and length of message
• Play voicemails by simply clicking on them
• Share and forward voicemails as an email or post to a blog
• Delete, archive or save voicemails, forever

In order to use YouMail on your phone, you’ll need the YouMail application. Search for it in the BlackBerry App World or Android Market, depending which device you use. Then go to YouMail’s website, sign up for a YouMail account and follow the brief instructions for forwarding unanswered calls to YouMail. It’s that easy.

We love seeing hot new smartphones getting their price tags slashed mere weeks after its initial launch. The latest price reduction on the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid comes from Dell.com, making it possible to put a Droid in your pocket for just $119 and a 2-year contract with Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless. The deal also applies to contract extensions, so you don’t have to wait until you’re eligible for an upgrade to take advantage of the low price.

If you like high-tech smartphones and want an Android-powered handset, the Droid fits the bill perfectly. If you’re not sure that the Droid is for you, check out our hands-on impressions and video. Keep in mind that the Droid is so far the only Android smartphone to rock the new Google Maps Navigation app.

To recap: Dell is selling the Droid for $119 with new 2-year contract (or a contract extension for existing customers), and will even ship the handset to you for free via Fedex. That’s one “hot deal,” to be sure.

Dell’s $119 Motorola Droid

Avenir Telecom (a distributor in mobile telecoms in the UK), has announced some pretty sweet results regarding its customer retention efforts…

In October 2009, Avenir Telecom and its dealer base reduced customer churn on O2 (NYSE: TEF) connections to just 8%. Avenir’s churn rate has been steadily declining each month over the past 12 months and is set to fall even lower in the coming months. This single-digit result is believed to be the lowest sustainable figure achieved by any distributor of Avenir’s size in the UK mobile marketplace.

“Churn has been the industry buzzword all year,” remarks Avenir Telecom’s Managing Director, Andy Tow. “We’ve been working tremendously hard with our dealers on this, specifically with our dedicated customer retention team, which is about to celebrate its first anniversary. So it’s great to come to the end of the year with proof that our efforts are working, and that we’re leading the game.”

OK so it’s not big-ticket news that might excite the pants off you, but on the other hand, this does go some way to explaining why O2 are far and away leading the market in the UK at the moment – if you introduce exclusives like the iPhone and Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre, and then manage the customers that are potentially wanting to churn well, you’ve got both sides of the equation under control – customers coming in to O2’s network, and not many leaving – nice!

This one goes out to all of you out there in Woodland Hills. In a puzzlingly region-specific announcement, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless has announced that it has added a new cell site in Woodland Hills, California. Those of you living in the western San Fernando Valley will see improved 3G wireless coverage and performance on your Verizon handset.

Verizon’s press release also mentions that the carrier spent $600 million in infrastructure improvements in California during 2008. With all the back-and-forth between AT&T and Verizon these days, we can’t help but think that the $600 million figure is a jab at AT&T (NYSE: T). Although, we have to point out that Verizon is quoting numbers from a lifetime ago (which roughly equates to a year in the mobile world).

Full press release after the break

Read the full article »

Looks like Bell is getting ready to crank up the Holiday Promo Machine. According to a report over at MobileSyrup, on December 1st Bell will unveil a new ‘Skullcandy Mash Up Package’. The package will be available anyone willing to sign a new 3-year sentence, er, contract with Bell.

So what do you get? Well, for $69.95 you’ll get to choose one of the following packages:

• Red and white Samsung Vice with matching red/white Skullcandy Lowrider headset
• Black Samsung Vice with matching chrome/black Skullcandy Lowrider headset

I should also note that each package will come with 10 free Sony music downloads, to help you workout those new Skullcandy headsets.

Side Note: Check out the new Skullcandy NBA Player Series headsets, coming soon… Neat-o.

Hey all of you Canadian Android-lovers, looking for a good price on a first-gen Android device? How about the Rogers HTC Dream? Sound good? The folks at Canada’s ‘Big Red’ have dropped the price on the HTC Dream (about time) to $49.99 on a 3-year contract. If you don’t mind being locked-in to a device that is already passé, then throw down your Mackenzie King and pick one up.

The Rogers (NYSE: RCI) HTC Dream features a 3.2″ touchscreen (320×480), built-in accelerometer, full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, GPS, 3.2MP camera with auto focus and video… and much more.

Check it out at Rogers.

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) customers, the BlackBerry Curve 8530 is now available for your consumption. Available in both Black and ‘Smoky Violet‘ (ooooh, sounds so sultry), the Curve 8530 will set you back $99.99 on a 2-year contract after a $100 online discount. This CDMA Curve packs WiFi, Bluetooth, OpenGL ES support (3D gaming here we come..), VZ Navigator, a 2MP camera, music player and more… If your previous gen Berry has had enough, this one could be worth a look.

For more information hit up VerizonWireless.com, or head on over to your local store for the skinny.

It’s been a little while since I’ve covered any T-Mobile 3G network expansion news, hasn’t it!? This morning I happened to come across a list of cities recently upgraded to 3G on T-Mo… In fact, below is the list of cities upgraded to 3G in November:

• Albany, GA
• Amarillo, TX
• Abilene, TX
• Salinas, CA
• Norwalk,CT
• Bellingham, WA
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Gainesville, FL
• Fresno, CA
• Albuquerque, NM

If you’re in one of the upgraded areas, congrats! If not, or heck, if you’re just not sure, hit up T-Mobile’s Personal Coverage Check Map. Very handy.
For more information on the 3G expansion as it happens, hit up the T-Mobile Forums. Everything is there, trust me!

Motorola (NYSE: MOT) announced a new all-touchscreen phone called Crush. The device is a mid-ranger with power and lock keys unusually placed above a 2.8-inch 240×400 pixels display — a fact that gives Crush a somewhat interesting look. Rest of the specs include a 3G radio (EV-DO Rev. 0), 2-megapixel camera, media player, Bluetooth, 950 mAh battery, and of course a microSD memory card slot.

No details on pricing except that the Crush will be affordable, and that it will hit US Cellular before the end of this year…

UPDATE: The Motorola Crush is available now at US Cellular for $79.95 w/2 year agreement and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

[Via: Unwired View]