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Not feeling the black-on-green look of the Sony Ericsson TM506 that popped up on the FCC's website? No problem, we're hearing that T-Mobile will be offering their mid/high-end 3G clamshell in a more subdued black-on-black and black-on-white color scheme.

The alternate color offering should have the Sony Ericsson TM506 (codename: Bella) toting the same aGPS, web-feeds reader (RSS, podcasts, news), and 2 megapixel camera that we're expecting in its more brightly colored counterpart. Oh, and let's not forget the Sony Ericsson TM506's support for dual-band 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) frequencies - specifically, the 1700Mhz and 2100Mhz bands that T-Mobile's AWS 3G network requires.

Pricing and availability? You wish. More on that later.

[Via: CellphoneSignal]

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T-Mobile is celebrating their Sidekick LX Tony Hawk Limited Edition hiptop with a completely revamped sidekick.com. Visitors to the overhauled website will be thrust in to "Tony's World," where the Sidekick fan can interact with different "neighborhoods" and explore the Sidekick LX's capabilities.

And, for the curious among you, T-Mobile has apparently hidden some "easter eggs" in the Flash-based virtual world. So, head on over to Sidekick.com to check out the new "Tony's World" and pick up a limited edition Sidekick LX Tony Hawk for $299.

Or just check out the new website for kicks. It's worth a look.

Tony's World 

Sprint's entry-level clamshell stable is going to be adding a new handset to the lineup. With numerous Sanyo Katana variants already picked up by the No. 3 US wireless carrier, we're not surprised to see this latest Sanyo Katana Eclipse headed to Sprint.

The FCC has just unveiled the newest slim flip-phone from Sanyo. The Sanyo Katana Eclipse features a modest spec-sheet listing a 2 megapixel camera, EVDO, GPS with Sprint Navigation, Bluetooth, microSD card slot, Sprint TV, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Other than that, details are slim.
Of course, pricing and availability aren't yet known. We'll keep you updated as we learn more about Sprint's upcoming Sanyo Katana Eclipse.

FCC

[Via: CellphoneSignal]

It's happening all over again. A few months ago we saw AT&T offering their iPhone customers free access to all 17,000 nationwide AT&T WiFi HotSpot, only to abruptly take the page offline. And, then, it happened again.

Today, AT&T pulled another fast one on iPhone 3G customers. AT&T posted details about a free WiFi HotSpot offer to its website earlier today. But, the link is no longer active.

"AT&T knows Wi-Fi is hot, and free Wi-Fi even hotter, which is why we are proud to offer iPhone customers free access to the nation's largest Wi-Fi hotspot network with more than 17,000 hotspots, including Starbucks," according to the website. "Now users can relax and access music, e-mail and web browsing services with their favorite blend in hand from the comfort of their favorite location."

AT&T is apparently blaming employee-error on this latest mis-timed posting. Whether or not the free WiFi HotSpot offer is ever going to actually go into effect is no longer clear. What is clear, however, is that AT&T needs to get its act together on iPhone 3G-related matters.

It seems not even Apple's supply-chain expertise was enough to prevent iPhone shortages from hitting the Cupertino-based company's home-country. AT&T stores are reportedly running dry on iPhone 3G stock, with resupplies coming in a spate of shipments ranging from a dozen to 100 units.

The backlog has resulted in AT&T stores being sold out of stock as consumers scurry to get their hands on Apple's next-generation iPhone 3G. With a full week of sales since its launch on July 11, the iPhone 3G has apparently been a buying-priority among consumers.

Business customers are faced with even greater delays. As AT&T struggles to keep pace with frenzied consumer demand, business orders for the iPhone 3G initiated July 13th and onward won't be fulfilled for at least another 10 to 14 days. Apple opened the door to an enterprise iPhone 3G market to great fanfare, but the company's inexperience with the business-side of the mobile market is starting to become evident.

Even Apple stores are running low on iPhone 3G-stock. And, with long lines of eager iPhone 3G hopefuls waiting to get their hands on Apple's latest piece of wireless kit, US-demand for the iPhone 3G is certainly still going strong.

[Via: AppleInsider]

T-Mobile has yet to release their latest Sidekick with user-swappable and customizable shells, but that doesn't mean you can't get your eager hands on a Sidekick 2008 today. Leave it up to Craigslist to have a not-yet-released handset up for sale before its official launch.

If you've got the bankroll and the desire to get first-crack at the Sidekick 2008 Gekko, hit up the Craigslist ad.

But, before you blow your summer job paycheck on a pre-release Sidekick 2008, just be warned that this looks to be trial device given to field testers.

[Via: HipTop3]

With Sprint having recently gone live with their Palm Treo 800w, Palm fans have been flocking to the new Treo flagship and putting it through its paces. The Palm Treo 800w features 3G EVDO Rev. A data connectivity, that trick WiFi toggle switch, and the new 320×320 resolution display.

That last bit is the topic of discussion today. The Palm Treo 800w display's square-shape and non-standard resolution have proven to be an issue for some Treo users attached to certain Windows Mobile applications. While previous Treo handsets with 240×240 displays worked honky-dory with applications coded for 240×320 displays, the new 320×320 screen doesn't mesh well with some applications.

WMExperts is reporting that applications like Skype, Pocket Informant 8, SPB Pocket Plus, and more are having problems scaling to the new display resolution. They've got an extensive forum thread detailing which programs work and which, well, don't. Head on over to WMExperts for the details.

WMExperts Treo 800w forum 

[Via: WMExperts]

Sure, Verizon may already have the established mobile TV business, but I'm still not sure just how many users go beyond their VCAST Video offering. Maybe I'm wrong, but AT&T which has recently launched its mobile TV offering has scored a big deal to push the service forward. It's the exclusive Beijing Olympics coverage that will see them picking up the content through NBC Olympics 2Go.

Meanwhile, Verizon's offering will be limited to streaming video that will include daily highlights, breaking news, scores and results, and more.

Now, it's just a matter of finding enough LG Vu and Samsung Access owners interested for some real-time action…

[Via: mocoNews, Engadget]

Verizon has released the latest HopeLine numbers and they are quite impressive. Starting from 2001 when the program started, the mobile operator has collected more than 5 million phones. Of that number, one million has been collected during the last nine months.

At the same time, HopeLine has provided an equivalent of 180 million minutes of service and cash grants totaling more than $5 million to local shelters and non-profit organizations.

Verizon Wireless' HopeLine is a national phone recycling and reuse program that helps victims of domestic violence. More information about HopeLine is available from here.

A month ago, we posted that Thrrum MMS Search has been made available for Sprint and AT&T subscribers. Now the mobile visual search provider is bringing its neat service to the users of T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.

From the official release:

Thrrum MMS Search enables camera phone users to find and browse information related to their physical environment using the MMS service integrated into their phones. Users can capture a picture of any text with their auto-focus or macro mode equipped camera phone and send the picture as a MMS to m@thrrum.com. Relevant search results are then sent to the users' phones. The Thrrum MMS Search service is presently in beta and is available free of charge to T-Mobile and Verizon wireless subscribers in the United States.

As 23half's (the company behind Thrrum) CEO, K. Gopalakrishnan, said: "With Thrrum, any text that you see around you becomes a hyperlink that can be 'clicked' upon with your camera phone." Sounds cool to me.