Last we heard the AT&T BlackBerry Curve 8520 was hitting stores ‘in the coming weeks‘ for $99.99 after rebates (and of course, with that shiny new contract). Well, to add some more fuel to the fire it looks like 8520 dummy units are showing up at AT&T (NYSE: T) stores. Set the countdown timer, because we could see the 8520 go live on AT&T this week or next.

While the Curve 8520 is no flagship device, it is a huge improvement from the original Curve, and features a 2MP camera, 320×240 display, trackpad, and rubber-covered side keys for a touch of awesome.

Stay tuned for more news on the AT&T Curve 8520 as it becomes available.

[Via: CB]

As we wind down our Friday afternoon and wind up for the weekend, we’re going to leave you with some intimate images of the Motorola Droid. The folks over at Phone Wreck managed to strip a Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid down to its bare parts, and they took some extensive photos for your viewing pleasure. These teardown pictures give us some interesting insights into the Droid, but they’re mostly just fun to look at.

The Droid teardown shows that the relatively small RAM/ROM chips (256MB/256MB) come from Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF). You’ll also want to take note of the beautifully integrated PCB that is so small, it actually turns out to be one of the smaller internal components of the Droid. Interestingly, the NAND Flash memory module bears handwritten markings that indicate the chips are sample units. And, no, we’re not ashamed to admit that handwriting on sample IC’s piques our interest.

Take a gander at the pics and think about just how much work went into making sure your Droid can stream sleepy puppies from YouTube.

Head on over to Phone Wreck for the full Droid teardown gallery.

[Via: PhoneWreck]

It was, gosh, way back in August when Simon reported on this one. He spotted the BlackBerry 8530 in Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s internal systems, and noted that it looked like a Lavender color option was in the works.

Today, while doing my usual morning rounds, I noticed a pic of said device, and I’ve included it for you above. Nothing game changing here, but it is at the very least good to see the Verizon branding at the bottom… Rumor has it the 8530 (in black and lavender, aka ‘violet’) is going live on Verizon November 20th… Wait… that’s tomorrow! Hold on tight and let’s see what we get!

[Via: PhoneArena]

In case you missed it, back on Tuesday Samsung announced their new mobile OS dubbed ‘Bada‘. While the announcement was all well and good, there was absolutely no mention of features, screenshots, or anything else that may have tickled our curiosity bone. Boo-urns on Samsung for sure… Boo-urns. For those of us that want to know more, we’re going to have to wait until December, when the Korean company will unveil Bada at an event in the UK.

It’s quite interesting to note that Samsung develops hardware for Symbian, Win-Mo and Android… yet, I suppose that’s not enough. They want their share of the OS market and are going for it. Good on ‘em, but me thinks it’s going to be a tough slog.

Today, a shot of what appears to be Samsung’s first Bada OS handset has leaked out via GSMHelpDesk. You can of course check it out above. No details, specs, pricing or anything else has been found, which leaves me wondering if this is real or not. Photoshop or not, what do you think? Stylish and sleek? Or are you one of the crowd that says ‘Who cares, show me the OS’!?

Show me the OS Samsung, show me the OS! Bada-Bing!

Well what do we have here? A Palm Pixi sighting… at a Walmart? Yeppers, that’s exactly what we’ve got. PalmTwit reader Tom sent this in just awhile ago, while doing some late night shopping at a Walmart in Tennesee. The picture clearly reveals the Pixi, pressed up against the display case, just trying to get out! Apparently the device was listed for $400 retail, but no other on-contract pricing was available, as the device wasn’t in their system just yet.

While Sprint is due to release the Pixi on us this Sunday ($100 on 2-year contract), don’t be surprised if places like Walmart release the thing just a bit earlier. It happens… and by the looks of things it may happen again with the Pixi.

Stay tuned.

Need more evidence that the Storm 2 is coming soon? How about a snap of the second-coming of the Storm at a Best Buy location? Will that do? CB Forums member LazyDanes snapped the beauty above for our viewing pleasure. Still no release date or details from Verizon (NYSE: VZ), and I’m starting to get a bit salty on the matter for sure. Let’s go Verizon, Best Buy has dummy units showing up in-store for cryin’ out loud!

Important Note: Have you checked out our BlackBerry Storm 2 Hands-on Review yet? No? What’s wrong with you? Check it out now >

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) launched Windows Mobile 6.5 as their supposed answer to touch-friendly mobile operating systems like iPhone and Android, but we all knew it was nothing more than a slight re-skin of the Windows Mobile platform meant to hold us over until Windows Mobile 7 was ready for consumption. Turns out, Windows Mobile 6.5 may not have even been ready to go live. The screenshots you see here from a purported Windows Mobile 6.5.1 update suggest that Microsoft is still scrambling to bring their mobile operating system up to speed with competitors. The update boasts changes to button design, button layout and button size that should make Windows Mobile 6.5 more user friendly.

The screenshots show the “Start” button has moved from the top row of the screen (the task bar) to the bottom of the screen. The task bar is now dedicated to displaying tasks, notifications and settings – all accessible with a tap of the finger.

For those of you paying attention, the new button layout meshes nicely with the new Internet Explorer Mobile’s interface (which we briefly show in this hands-on video), which lines the bottom of the display with navigation buttons. The buttons also get a refresh with a more modern look and a bump in size for easier finger input.

Is Microsoft looking to bring the Windows Mobile 6.5 UI more in line with their Windows Mobile 7 design philosophy in order to make the transition to WM7 as smooth as possible? Or does Microsoft really have no idea what they’re doing and hoping to somehow pull a miraculously enjoyable Windows Mobile 7 out of the proverbial air?

Whatever the case, Windows Mobile 6.5 shouldn’t have launched until it was really ready to launch.

[Via: iSS]

If you were excited for the cliq, Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s first Android handset and introduction of their custom blur user interface/service, you might want to check out these snapshots of the Calgary before signing a T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) contract. The Calgary looks a little different than the first couple of shots we saw, but definitely recognizable, and coupled with the Droid, and possibly the HTC Desire, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) will be a good home for Android in the near future. The Calgary is packing GPS, magnetometer, 3 megapixel camera, 3.5 mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi, and, of course, a full QWERTY keyboard. I’m digging the form factor – what do you guys think?

[via BGR]

I can’t help myself. Doing some digging around this morning on the Android-Powered Acer Liquid A1, and have come across some new images. This comes to us via the folks at Pocket-Lint, seems as though they’ve had some hands-on time with the A1, but not the typical build we’ve seen thus far. This one was all dressed up in red. Slap a Ferrari logo on the back and call me a race car driver, me likey. Check out all of the images below.

Happy Friday, all! Remember the Acer A1 Android phone that went all official on us yesterday? Today I’ve stumbled across a full spec list for the A1, and it looks not half-bad. Key features/specs include:

• 3.5? WVGA (800 × 480) Capacitive
• Processor: Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) QSD 8250 1GHz (we will see who is actually to 768 Mhz)
• 256 MB SDRAM
• 512 MB FLASH ROM
• 115 × 64 x 12.43 mm
• Weight 135g (including battery)
• HSDPA Category 8/ HSUPA Category 5 /UMTS (2100/1900/900 Mhz) for EU
• HSDPA Category 8/ HSUPA Category 5 /UMTS (2100/1900/850 Mhz) for US
• GSM: Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• GPRS/EDGE: Class B, multi-slot class 10
• Messaging: MMS, SMS
• WLAN: 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED network connection
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
• Built-in AGPS Support
• 5MP camera with Auto-Focus
• Accelerometer
• Light sensor
• 3.5mm jack
• Capacitive button: Home, Search, Back, Menu
• Battery: Lithium Polymer rechargeable with 1.350 mAh capacity
• Up to 5 hours talk-time for WCDMA / Up to 6 hours for GSM

To top it off, the good folks at CNET have also posted some great images of the device. I’ve included a gallery below for your android-lovin’ eyes. I have to admit, I’ve never really been an Acer fan, but this one looks sharp.

[Via: Androinica]