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 >

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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]

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• Another round of Windows Mobile 6.5 pics emerge
• Microsoft teases with Windows Marketplace sneak-peek
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• TaskFacade 4 – The coolest graphical task manager for Windows Mobile

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]

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• Motorola Calgary leaked as Motorola’s first Android handset
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• Verizon’s Motorola Sholes Android smartphone spied in the wild

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.

Related News from IntoMobile:

• Acer Ferrari c500 Pocket PC leaked photo
• First Ferrari smartphone passes through FCC
• Acer Goes Official With the Liquid A1 Android Phone
• Acer has multiple Android devices up their sleeve
• Android-powered Acer A1 launching this September?

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]

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• Samsung’s First Android Device Makes Blurry Debut

Sure, the HTC HD2 packs a 5-megapixel camera. But, is it any good? Compared to the rest of the HD2’s features, the camera has a lot to live up to. We can’t speak to HD2 camera image quality until we can put our own HD2 through its paces, but from the looks of newly posted image samples, the camera looks like a winner.

The images you see here were taken in Fine and SuperFine mode. Can you tell which is which?

Find more sample images at Ai.rs.

[Via: WMPowerUser]

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• 6 phones, 5 megapixels each, battle is out for the number 1 spot

Here’s a look at Motorola (NYSE: MOT)’s CTIA WITE 2009 booth from the San Diego Convention Center showfloor. Sure, it’s a little late, but better than never.

Motorola’s booth was dominated by Android. As you can see from the photos, the booth was all about Android and the new Motorola CLIQ. Android is at the center of Motorola’s plan to regain lost mobile market share, so it wasn’t surprising to see Motorola’s booth decked out in little green robots. There was even a “little person” walking around, playing DDR and posing for photos in an Android costume.

Will any of that matter to the consumer? Not if they don’t get to see it. To that end, enjoy the photo gallery!

Related News from IntoMobile:

• Motorola Booth Tour – CES Las Vegas 2009
• LG Booth Tour – Live from CTIA Wireless 2009 Las Vegas
• Motorola Booth Tour – CTIA San Francisco 2008
• Video: We take the Motorola CLIQ and MOTOBLUR for a spin
• Live from Mobile World Congress – BlackBerry Booth Tour

The good folks at PreCentral have managed to get their hands on some pretty darned good pictures of the GSM Palm Pre… from Germany. As you can see in the first pic above, the Pre is strapped-down to a dark, wood-grained display. Looks nice. I fully expect the display area to contain many bookshelves stocked with many leather-bound books… and one can only assume the O2 (NYSE: TEF) store where this was taken smells of rich mahogany.

But enough lame ‘Anchorman‘ references for now. Can I get a w00t from folks over in the UK and Germany regarding the release of the Pre? Not long now for you folks to wait! Are you excited? Or could you care less?

Note: The Pre is due out in the UK on October 16th, and Germany on October 13th.

Related News from IntoMobile:

• Snaps of the O2 GSM Palm Pre
• BlackBerry Pearl 8220 Coming to O2 & T-Mobile in Germany
• BlackBerry Curve 8520 Coming to Thailand This Month
• UK: Motorola Dext with Motoblur – come get it!
• Palm Pre to Arrive in Spain October 14th?

There’s no doubt that the fall CTIA (also known as CTIA WITE) is a smaller shin-dig than the spring CTIA conference. That much was evident in Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s smallish booth in the San Diego Convention Center. We’re used to seeing Nokia’s massive booths bursting with cool hardware and enthusiastic people, so it was a bit disappointing that we didn’t find piles of new hardware at the booth. It just wasn’t the same this time around.

The highlight of Nokia’s booth was the Nokia Booklet 3G. It’s an insanely expensive ultra-light laptop (we call it a netbook, but Nokia apparently isn’t down with that) boasting an air-cooled (no fans) Atom processor that can go for 12 hours one a single charge. The entire bottom case of the Booklet 3G is crafted from a single piece of aluminum – like the MacBook and MacBook Pro from Apple (NSDQ: AAPL).

It’s small, it’s light and it’s incredibly sexy. Is it worth the money? We say no. But if we somehow come into a boatload of money, the Nokia Booklet 3G will be at the top of our gotta-have list!

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• Nokia joins the netbook race with the Booklet 3G: 10 inches, 1.25 kg, 12 hour battery life, HDMI out
• Nokia Booklet 3G: BestBuy exclusive for $599 unlocked or $299 on a 2 year, $60/month plan

Well what do we have here? A few snaps of the O2 (NYSE: TEF) Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre in Germany? Yessir! The GSM variant of the Pre comes in packaging strikingly similar to the one over here in North America, but with a nice blue flavor. Of course, it comes with some different accessories and it’s not QWERTY but a QWERTZ keyboard… Little differences, but all-in-all, still pretty much the same deal with a GSM radio packed-in.

If I recall correctly, the Palm Pre is coming to the UK and Ireland on October 16th, and Germany on October 13th. Not much longer to wait now!

More images below.

[Via: webOS-blog.de]

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• GSM Palm Pre – Unlocked and available in the US

Big-screen lovers, capacitive touchscreen fans and smartphone users “in the know” will be happy to hear that the HTC HD2 (aka Leo) is almost here. HTC has today announced that their HTC HD2 will be launching later this month in select European markets. Boasting a class-leading 4.3-inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen (a first for Windows Mobile smartphones!), blazing fast 1Ghz Snapdragon chipset (a first for HTC) and a 5-megapixel autofocusing camera, the HD2 packs some serious processing and multimedia power under its slim 11mm thick shell. And, as HTC’s first Windows Phone to sport the smartphone maker’s custom Sense UI, the HTC HD2 isn’t just a pretty face, it’s also easy to get along with.

The HTC Sense UI rose to fame as the Android-powered Hero’s slick homescreen interface. And, this is the first time we’re seeing aspects of the multi-pane Sense UI making its way to Windows Mobile, and it looks promising. The new Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional interface has been re-worked to play nice with finger inputs, but it took HTC’s Sense UI to polish it to a touch-optimized shine.

The HD2’s Windows Mobile-based Sense UI also brings along a couple additional features from its Android roots. For one, HTC’s Peep Twitter app makes the jump from Android to Windows Mobile. Another new feature is integrated support for photo uploads to Facebook and Twitter. Facebook also syncs up with the address book.

As for hardware, the HD2 is the first HTC smartphone to take advantage of the powerful Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) 1Ghz Snapdragon chipset. Paired with generous RAM stores, the HD2 should make quick work of anything you can throw at it. Hopefully, that also spells the death of the dreaded UI lag that WinMo users have been gritting through all these years. The 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen is as big as they come in the mobile space, and the 5-megapixel camera takes impressive photos. The feature-set rounds out with a heaping portion of smartphone trimmings – 3G, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD slot, FM radio and a digital compass.

An optional car mount kit turns your HTC HD2 into a fully functional turn-by-turn GPS navigation system. We can see a dash of Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s design aesthetic in the HD2’s car mount, but that’s just fine by us.

Suffice it to say that the HTC HD2 is going to turn heads on the street. Unfortunately, those streets will only be in Europe for the time being. Launch is expected later this month in the EU, with O2 in the UK possibly launching on October 12 and Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) Spain aiming for a November launch window. Additional markets should go live shortly after. Price? €649, but it’s not like it even matters. We’ll trade a kidney for an HD2. What about it, HTC?

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• Sony Ericsson XPERIA X3 (Rachel) caught playing with Snapdragon
• Garmin-ASUS bringing Nuvifone G60 and M20 to Malaysia next month!

Remember those new BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Bold 9700 pics I shared with you not so long ago? The same folks at Tinhte.com came through for us there, and they’re showin’ off some more love this morning too. This time around they’ve got the GSM variant of the Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pixi for show.

Interestingly enough, the GSM version looks to be packing 4GB of memory (half of what we’re expecting on the CDMA version), an EDGE logo and a SIM card slot under the battery.

Hopefully with tasty leaks of the GSM version like this hitting us, we’ll see the GSM’d-out Palm Pixi on AT&T (NYSE: T) quite shortly after it launches on Sprint (NYSE: S). Me thinks that should be the case, but you never know.

Hit up the jump for a quick video.

[Via: EngadgetMobile]

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• Palm Pixi Takes over Palm.com
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• Palm likely bringing Palm Pre and Web OS to Canada, too

Yeah I know… Just the other day I shared some more leaked photos of the upcoming BlackBerry Bold II, aka the 9700 with you all. As I clearly expected, more images have come to light, and I’ve taken a liking to this particular batch for one very good reason: A few pictures actually compare the 9700 side-by-side with other popular Berry models (Bold 9000, Curve 8900 and Curve 8520).

The images come courtesy of the folks at Tinhte.com… and there’s even a video for your prying eyes after the break. If you’ve got 9 minutes to spare, crank up the video and give it a look-see.

[Via: Engadget]

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• Whackload of Leaked BlackBerry OS’s Emerge
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• BlackBerry 8900 coming to U.S. Q1 2009?

If you’re waiting for the next-generation BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Bold to arrive, you’re not alone. The BlackBerry Bold II, aka BlackBerry 9700, aka BlackBerry ‘Onyx’ is just one of the devices I can’t wait to get my hands on before the end of this year. Expect the 9700 to pack some enhanced features in comparison to its predecessor… But while we wait for pricing, spec and launch details, check out these new images. She’s lookin’ good.

[Via: DailyMobile]

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• Quick Rumor: BlackBerry Bold 9700 Coming to AT&T and T-Mobile October 21st?
• Video: BlackBerry Bold 9700 Promo Goodness
• BlackBerry 9000 Bold slated for October 27 launch on AT&T?
• BlackBerry Onyx 9020 Rocking Leather Battery Door
• Video: BlackBerry 9700 Bold (Onyx) Comparison

In some more BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) love from Salomondrin, we’ve got some leaked images of the upcoming BlackBerry Essex! The Essex appears to be the CDMA replacement of the BlackBerry Tour that packs a new trackpad, WiFi (yay!), and a much better camera. No details on the actual camera technology used, I’m kind of hoping that we’ll see some ‘liquid lens‘ love here as per the BlackBerry Dakota post I posted not so long ago.

Stay tuned for more on this one. Rumor has is the Essex could hit the market early in 2010.

Note: Looks to me like there’s still some protective plastic on the screen and trackpad, so if you were wondering what the funny glare and strange hashmarks are on the trackpad… I think it’s the plastic you’re seeing.

[Via: CrackBerry]

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• Video: BlackBerry Essex Brings Wi-Fi and Trackpad to Tour
• BlackBerry App World Coming April 1st?
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• Brief: Nokia Booklet 3G to come out in early 2010, ARM based version a bit later?
• Facebook Coming to Android Later This Week?

Back in August we got our first ever-so-blurry peak at the BlackBerry 9700 on Bell’s systems. While the shot wasn’t that impressive, it did give us some kind of confirmation that the latest edition Bold will be coming to Bell in the near future.

Today (via BGR), it looks like Mr. Blurrycam can take a back seat to a clean, crisp image leaked of Bell’s internal systems… An image that clearly shows off the Bold 9700 for all to see. You’ll note the pricing set at $599.00, which will clearly be the off-contract price. Kind of odd, as Bell tends to price their devices at X dollars plus 95 cents, but meh, whatever. However you slice it, we’re likely to see the launch of the 9700 real soon, alongside Bell’s new HSPA network.

Important note: System shots of the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Curve 8530 have also been spotted on Bell’s systems too. The device will run $499 off-contract.

Related News from IntoMobile:

• BlackBerry Bold 9700 Now Available at Bell
• BlackBerry Tour 9630 Now Available at Bell!
• BlackBerry Bold 9700 Spotted in Bell Systems?
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• Bell Raises Price on the BlackBerry 8330 to $99.95

CrackBerry and BGR have received some tasty inventory shots from Best Buy, indicating that the BlackBerry Storm 2 may land in its stores on October 25th. I can’t quite make out why the model is referred to as the ‘LG Glance’ in these shots… while the description is clearly the ‘BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) 9550 Storm’. Chances are the Glance is a typo… Or just some simple tom-foolery to hide the goods. In an updated inventory shot below, you’ll also notice the pricetag of $599.99 (gotta be off-contract) attached to the Storm 2. Sure, the name and description has now been updated to be the ‘LG Glance’, but me thinks this is simply Best Buy trying to pull the wool over our eyes. You wouldn’t buy a Glance for $600 would you?

Related News from IntoMobile:

• BlackBerry 9630 (aka Tour) Shows up in Bell’s Inventory
• Confirmed: BlackBerry Storm 2 is the BlackBerry Storm 9550
• ‘Project Charlie’ Just a Fancy Codename for the Next-Gen iPhone at Best Buy?
• HTC ‘MyTouch 3G’ Appears in T-Mobile Inventory Shot
• T-Mobile Dash Getting Much Needed Boost to 3G

We expected Motorola (NYSE: MOT) to bust onto the Android scene with a one-two punch that included the Motorola CLIQ and the Motorola Sholes at Mobilize 09. Alas, the Motorola CLIQ was Sanjay Jha’s only announcement at the recent conference. But, all is not lost. Today we’re seeing newly leaked pics of the Motorola Sholes all powered up and looking fine in the wild. There’s also talk of the Motorola Sholes taking on a new “Tao” branding, but we’re going to take that with a grain of salt.

The Howard Forums post makes reference to the Motorola Tao/Sholes running the Android OS 2.0 “Eclair” build, but seeing as how the Android OS 1.6 “Donut” hasn’t yet gone public, that’s a hard pill to swallow. The leaked pics don’t show the slide-out QWERTY keyboard, but at least the front face of the device is looking as sexy as ever – minimalist design and metallic accents have a way of looking nice. And, there’s also an image of a 1390mAh battery which is sure to make for some healthy battery life.

We’ll keep a close eye on the Sholes, Tao, whatever it’s going to be called. The FCC has already signed off on the smartphone, so it’s only a matter of time before it goes live. For now, enjoy the pics!

[Via: HoFo]

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• Motorola ‘Sholes’ bringing Android to Verizon?
• Verizon’s Motorola Sholes Android smartphone spied in the wild
• Motorola Sholes tablet spied in roadmap?
• T-Mobile Motorola CLIQ box revealed
• Brief: Motorola Sholes hits the FCC

We’ve had a lot of sneak peeks at the Rogers BlackBerry Curve 8520 over the past little while. First we heard about some inventory shots, then some leaked device images, THEN mention of internal employee training… Now, some new pics have leaked out, pointing us towards an imminent device launch on Rogers (NYSE: RCI). As you can see in the images provided here (thanks to Treatz via CrackBerry), the dummy phones have arrived at Rogers, and besides the standard black livery, there’s also a lavender/purple-ish looking 8520 on tap as well. Interesting. At any rate, check out the pictures below for all the Rogers BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Curve 8520 love you can handle.

Related News from IntoMobile:

• Rogers Branded BlackBerry Curve 8520 Spotted
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• BlackBerry Curve 8520 Arrives in Italy

Going by the countdown timer on T-Mobile’s Motorola CLIQ mini-site, we have some 19 days before the CLIQ gets real. It’s no surprise, then, that the T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) Motorola (NYSE: MOT) CLIQ retail box has broken cover. The folks over at Leakdroid managed to get their hands on a set of leaked images of the Motorola CLIQ’s packaging that look like they were edited by a 5th grader using MS Paint. Crappy image editing skills aside, the pics give us an idea of what to expect when we finally open the box to our new Motorola CLIQ.

The CLIQ will apparently come bundled with headphones. We also learn that the the CLIQ’s MOTOBLUR UI comes with a remote-tracking service that uses GPS and allows the user to remote wipe the device. There aren’t going to be any Google (NSDQ: GOOG) apps pre-installed on the device, which likely means Motorola will be providing similar functionality through their own apps.

All eyes are on T-Mobile to open pre-orders for the Motorola CLIQ in 19 days!

[Via: MobileCrunch]

Related News from IntoMobile:

• T-Mobile announces Motorola CLIQ for November 2 launch
• MOTOBLUR makes gives HTC G1 a taste of Motorola’s Android recipe
• Motorola CLIQ coming pre-loaded with tons of cool apps!
• Motorola CLIQ goes live on T-Mobile USA
• Motorola CLIQ gets official for T-Mobile USA