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Good news for our U.S. readers who lust to get their hands on the HTC's superphone and its ubiquitous keyboard. The CDMA version of HTC Touch Pro has been spotted passing the FCC hurdle, hinting us we may seen it hitting the Verizon's and Sprint's store shelves in the near future. The phone number "RAPH800" features CDMA with EV-DO on the 850 and 1900MHz bands, and all other cool things the original GSM-based Touch Pro has. That includes WiFi, uber-cool TouchFLO 3D user interface, VGA screen and more.

With iPhone scheduled for launch within less than two weeks, it seems obvious the AT&T's competitors will want to push the HTC's super-baby out as soon as possible. We're watching closely…

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

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Feel like being underwhelmed by yet another Motorola handset? In that case, head on over to the FCC's website and take a gander at this newest Motorola handset to get the regulatory body's thumbs-up. Motorola has managed to fit this unassuming candybar (monoblock) handset with a 3G radio, which is, unfortunately, more than we can say for the ailing handset manufacturer's flagship Motorola ZN5.

We can see that a front-facing video-call camera is in the cards for this unnamed Motorola 3G handset, and there's mention of Bluetooth in the testing docs. Strangely, GSM/EDGE was only tested on the 1900Mhz band, and there was mention of 3G capability - which could mean this latest Moto candybar is destined for a carrier like T-Mobile.

But, our money (and hopes) are on Motorola looking toward a decidedly different design philosophy as they go forward. Now, if only Motorola could figure out how to enable 3G data connectivity in their upcoming Motorola MOTOZINE ZN5, they'd have a sure-fire winner in any market.

FCC

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

Nokia's new lineup of Supernova handsets is about to see the Nokia 7610 Supernova handset get real in the US. With the FCC's approval of the Nokia 7610 Supernova handset, it's likely only a matter of time before we see this affordable slider phone available to US customers.

The fashion-oriented Nokia 7610 Supernova and it's swappable covers seem to hide a little stylized detail under its battery cover. The quad-band (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM handset has a bit of "flair" hidden under the battery cover - specifically a star-covered sticker.

We're not sure what that sticker is doing under the hood, but hey, if rarely-seen details like this float your boat, and you don't mind hobbling along at 2.5G data speeds (EDGE), then the Nokia 7610 Supernova, packed with a 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash, FM radio with RDS, microSD card slot, and 64MB of internal storage, and swappable XpressOn cover-plates, is right down your alley.

FCC

With T-Mobile's 3G network up and running, we're eager to see T-Mobile bring some serious 1700Mhz 3G-compatible handsets into their stable. Some eagle-eyed detective work by Cellphonesignal has uncovered FCC documents that clue us in to a new T-Mobile 3G handset - the Sony Ericsson Bella.

We're looking for T-Mobile to pick up the Sony Ericsson Bella as the Sony Ericsson TM506, with support for T-Mobile's own special flavor of 3G. The Sony Ericsson TM506 Bella should drop with support for dual-band 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) frequencies - specifically, the 1700Mhz and 2100Mhz bands that T-Mobile's AWS 3G network requires.

And, to make sure this tri-band (850/1800/1900Mhz) GSM clamshell doesn't disappoint, T-Mobile's Sony Ericsson TM506 will be packed with a decent feature-set. A quick look at the user-guide shows that the Sony Ericsson TM506 will sport aGPS, a web-feeds reader (RSS, podcasts, news), and a 2 megapixel camera.

Bring on the 1700Mhz 3G goodness, T-Mobile!

Hit up the gallery below for more pics of the T-Mobile-bound Sony Ericsson TM506.

FCC

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[Via: Cellphonesignal]

Dual-sliders aren't exactly taking the handset market by storm, but that doesn't mean there aren't at least a handful of you out there that love having a keypad and keyboard on the same device. And, keeping the dream of hybrid keypad/keyboard devices alive, Pantech has just pushed their Pantech Duo 2 through the FCC.

The FCC filing shows that the Pantech Duo 2 sports GSM frequency support on the 850 and 1900Mhz bands, which makes AT&T essentially a lock to pick up the successor to the Pantech Duo. But, aside from having Bluetooth and five screws hidden under the battery, Pantech and the FCC are mum on what the Pantech Duo 2 will be bringing to the table.

As much as I like the idea of having a keypad and keyboard mated to the same device, the additional bulk that the hybrid design brings with it is going to keep me from using any hybrid keypad/keyboard device as my primary handset. Is anyone actually looking forward to the Pantech Duo 2? Sound off in the comments section.
FCC

[Via: WMExperts]

Taxes, death, and ETFs are the only sure things in life. But, that may all change with the FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's new proposal for ETF (early termination fee) regulation.

As we've said before, ETFs are something of a necessary evil. Wireless carriers use ETFs and long-term contracts to ensure that they'll recoup the cost of subsidizing a high-priced handset to make mobile phone purchase prices reasonable to the average consumer. An early termination fee essentially guarantees that a carrier won't lose any handset subsidization-money if a subscriber ends their wireless contract early. And, lower purchase prices also drive revenue for both hardware vendors. But, when is enough enough?

The FCC's Martin's new plan to regulate the US's ETF policies is the first step toward putting termination fee control in the hands of the Feds. Responding to increased consumer demand for ETF policy overhauls, Martin has proposed that ETFs should reflect the cost of the handset - customers that purchased more expensive handsets should pay higher ETFs than those that purchased lower-cost phones. And, customers should be offered a first-month trial before any ETF goes in to effect.

Martin also wants ETFs to be pro-rated - which reduces the ETF based on remaining contract length. And, seeing as how most carriers are already offering or plan to offer pro-rated ETF policies (and Sprint has even waived it for government employees), Martin's pro-rating wishes are already coming true.

State officials don't want their consumer protection authority to be completely preempted by the Federal government, so we expect a good amount of back and forth between state-level officials and the FCC before this whole ETF deal gets ironed out. Let's hope the FCC's ETF regulation doesn't end up hurting the consumer…

[Via: AP]

Motorola ZN200 has been spotted passing the FCC hurdle. But before you get too excited — if you do at all — you should know it's a mid-range device, sporting such specs as a 2 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom and video recording capability, Bluetooth, 2.5mm audio jack. In a nutshell - just like we knew, there's nothing spectacular about it.

On the other hand, it's good to see Mototola's still alive. Now, it's all about being patient enough until they roll-out that 5 megapixel Kodak-branded shooter, which unlike the ZN200 sounds like a promising handset. We'll watch closely…

[Via: Unwired View]

Verizon seems to be snatching up wireless assets and infrastructure faster than a fat kid inhaling Ding-Dongs (remember those?). Following on the No. 2 US wireless carrier's announcement that they'll be gobbling up Alltel's subscriber base, Verizon is poised to finalize their acquisition of Rural Cellular Corp.'s Unicel network.

But, before Verizon can proceed with the merger, the US Department of Justice has mandated that Verizon Wireless divest some of its assets in Vermont, New York and Washington. The DoJ's Antitrust Division found that Verizon's acquisition could lead to reduced competition, potentially hurting the consumer.

To that end, the DoJ's Antitrust Division has filed suit to block Verizon's acquisition of Rural Cellular until the divestiture requirements are satisfied.

"These divestitures are necessary to preserve the benefits of competition for residents throughout the state of Vermont and in areas of New York and Washington," said Thomas O. Barnett, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department's Antitrust Division.

As soon as Verizon meets the merger requirements and gets the go-ahead from the FCC, we could see Verizon become even larger - closing the gap between the CDMA carrier and the No. 1 US wireless carrier AT&T. That is, until Alltel gets absorbed by Verizon and the CDMA becomes the new wireless leader in the US.

[Via: Cellular News]

With Apple having gone officially official with the iPhone 3G, there's nothing keeping the FCC from holding back their iPhone 3G documentation. So, without further ado, may we present you with the Apple's iPhone 3G FCC filing.

Now, with the FCC filing out in the open, all we have to do is wait for Apple to start shipping this new hotness on July 11.

iPhone 3G at the FCC

What do we have here? Could this blurry FCC-sourced picture be the successor to Windows Mobile-powered T-Mobile's Shadow? Well, judging by the looks of the HTC CONV100, we thinks this little gem is most likely the T-Mobile Shadow II that was leaked not too long ago (pictured on the left). The HTC Juno ended up being the T-Mobile Shadow, so it makes sense for HTC to do it up again with a T-Mobile Shadow successor.

We're hearing that the T-Mobile Shadow II (2) should hit market with WiFi, Bluetooth, and an improved battery (1100mAh). And, the T-Mobile Shadow 2 could very well launch with Windows Mobile 6.1 in tow, giving it the guts to compete on the same level as other higher-end smartphone offerings scheduled to drop in the near future.

Of course, we're still way too early in the T-Mobile Shadow 2's development cycle to be privy to any pricing and availability information. Sit tight, kiddies, T-Mobile's hopefully going to launch this thing soon.

Anyone else feeling the white-clad T-Mobile Shadow II more than the Black version?

[Via: CellPhoneSignal]