Here’s an interesting tidbit from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). We stumbled across this patent application, from none other than Nokia, that outlines a method to incorporate a “turn and slide” display that tilts upward to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. Now, there have been numerous sliding-screen designs in an effort to combine…
RIM to launch iPhone-fighting BlackBerry 9000/9xxx early next year
Wait a tick. Didn’t RIM CEO recently bash on the Apple iPhone’s touch-sensitive, virtual keyboard “that’s a real challenge” to use? Well, he did. But that doesn’t mean this latest speculation is any less true. Rumblings from the rumor mill have indicated that RIM is preparing the 9000-series smartphone to give the iPhone a run…
Alltel picks up the BlackBerry 8130 Pearl with GPS
It looks like Alltel’s keeping up with its larger wireless rivals. The recently launched CDMA BlackBerry 8130 Pearl with that glorious integrated GPS receiver will be making its way to Alltel’s network sporting an “amethyst” color scheme. Expect the Alltel BlackBerry 8130 Pearl to pack in all the same hardware as its Sprint and Verizon…
Motorola planning a 20-30 handset blitz in 2008
We’re glad to see Motorola starting to claw their way back to their days as a leader in the mobile industry. Moto just secured a significant portion of the top ten 3G handsets sold in the US this past Q3 2007, and they’re not going to just sit back and bask (which is the mistake…
3G handset sales in US pass 50% mark
Even with the half-assed 3G environment that is the US wireless landscape, sales of US handsets have reached a milestone – the majority of handsets sold in the US in Q3 2007 featured 3G radios. Data from Strategy Analytics indicates that mobile phones equipped with the high-speed wireless data technology accounted for 55% of all…
T-Mobile Germany offering unlocked Apple iPhones due to court order
What do we have here? Unlocked iPhones in Germany? Indeed we do. It seems Vodafone’s legal pursuit of T-Mobile’s Apple iPhone exclusivity has finally caught up with the No. 1 German wireless carrier. Thanks to a German court order, T-Mobile Germany has agreed to start selling iPhones sans contract – at least until they can…
O2 picks up HTC Kaiser as O2 Xda Stellar
The promotional graphic might indicate otherwise, but it looks like O2 will be picking up the heralded HTC Kaiser as the O2 Xda Stellar. We can’t imagine how the advertising drones let the “Stella” typo slip through the cracks, but it’s still nice to see O2 finally getting with the game and offering the “holy…
Helio brings business-class power to the Helio Ocean
The Helio Ocean has traditionally been marketed towards the younger, hipper set, but it looks like Helio is turning up the enterprise appeal on the Helio Ocean. In an effort to make the Helio Ocean an enterprise-class handset, Helio has made available a couple new software packages that should help mobilize office duties. The new…
Samsung SGH-i617 BlackJack II confirmed with integrated GPS – available Black Friday
We’ve just gotten confirmation that the new Samsung SGH-i617 BlackJack 2 (II) will be sporting an integrated GPS module. The SiRF III GPS receiver inside the Samsung BlackJack II is reportedly the real deal – not some cell-tower triangulation, faux-GPS. AT&T’s BlackJack 2 promo website reveals that the handset will sport “integrated GPS,” indicating that…
AT&T considering joining the Google Open Handset Alliance
The hype and hoopla surrounding Google’s entry into the mobile space has fizzled out somewhat. Google’s Open Handset Alliance (OHA) announcement was huge, there’s no doubt about that – but as far as staying power, that announcement has already hit the back-burner. AT&T is looking to fire up the hype-machine again with AT&T wireless chief…