FCC to BlackBerry Curve 8520: ‘You’re clear for take-off’

Well, it won’t be too much longer before the BlackBerry Curve 8520 fills the void of BlackBerryians on the T-Mobile network. After Boy Genius reported the July launch at Wal-Mart stores, it looks like the FCC gave it the final “texting thumbs-up.” BGR has it estimated at less than $80 which would be a steal for a phone that boasts an optical trackpad instead of the convenient trackball we’ve grown to love. Your thumbs will be confused at first, but perhaps the sleek feel of a QWERTY keyboard will provide some rejuvenation. With the BlackBerry Tour shaping up for its launch, July’s looking quite nice for RIM.

Rumor Mill: iPhone 3G S Overheating

Complaints of the new iPhone overheating are clogging the Intertubes. Users experiencing overheating say it came about during various activities, but mainly from prolonged application and GPS use. One report came from a user who was merely browsing the Internet over a Wi-Fi connection. Some experts are blaming the battery, some the applications themselves and some are blaming the new devices inability to handle prolonged use over a 3G network. In any case, this is leaving many to wonder if a recall isn’t too far off. Has anyone else been experiencing overheating with their new iPhone 3G S?

HTC Ozone to come to Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless today announced that the HTC Ozone will be the latest addition to its smartphone lineup. For every one who doesn’t want to shell out a couple hundred dollars for a smartphone, the Ozone is a perfect alternative. This Windows Mobile 6.1 device comes with a full QWERTY keyboard, and if you live in the U.S. you also can enjoy Verizon’s 3G network. With Wi-Fi, GPS and a 2.0 megapixel camera the device is pretty standard, but for $50 after the standard mail-in-rebate and contract I’d say it’s a heck of a deal!

Privus Mobile's Nokia E71 giveaway

Privus Mobile is giving away a Nokia E71 device loaded with a year subscription of its Mobile Caller ID service. The winner will be drawn at random and is open to U.S. and Canadian residents, excluding Quebec. All you have to do to enter is go to the Privus Mobile website and fill out the form with your correct contact information – the winner will be notified via email so if you use a fake one and they can’t contact you, obviously you can’t win. You must be 18 years or older and the limit is one entry per person. You have until Aug. 28 to enter, but why wait? You might forget! Who knows, two months from now you could be the lucky winner enjoying real-time Mobile Caller ID on your brand-spankin’ new Symbian S60 smartphone and all of its open-source app goodness.

Most people think they have caller ID on their mobile phone, but a caller name is never displayed unless it is already saved into your contacts. Privus Mobile provides true caller ID to the world’s most popular smartphone operating systems including Windows Mobile, Symbian S60, Android OS and iPrivus brings true caller ID retrieval to Apple iPhones. Want to give Privus Mobile a try? While you’re on the site entering the contest, go ahead and find your device on the site as well and sign up for a free 10-day trial! Happy call-screening!

HTC Hero gets official

I have good news and bad news, so which you do you want first? The good news? Alright, it’s all about the HTC Hero today and for good reason. The Hero’s new Sense UI is sexy enough to make the most devoted G1 user want to upgrade. The new UI will eventually make its way to all HTC Android phones, so G1 users need not become too green with envy. Another cool feature of the Hero is the Sense is Scenes feature which allows users to switch from “work to weekend mode,” organize emails, texts, photos, call logs and social media updates. Personally, I can’t stand smudges on the exterior of my device. The Hero is coated in Teflon making it soft to the touch and smudge-free. While we’re talking about aesthetics, the Hero has the “chin” but HTC has managed to make it far less offensive on this model. The bad news is this oh-so-sexy device will make its way to Europe in July and Asia later this summer. When is it coming to America? Looks like we’re just going to have to wait and see! Of course you want specs, so here they are courtesy of the Boy Genius Report:

• Android with HTC Sense
• 112mm x 56.2mm x 14.35mm, 135g
• Qualcomm MSM7200A 528MHz processor
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dual-band 7.2Mbps HSPA/WCDMA
• 512 ROM / 288 RAM
• 3.2″ HVGA capacitive touchscreen
• 5.0 megapixel camera with auto-focus
• Gravity sensor
• Digital compass
• WiFi 802.11b/g
• GPS
• Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR + A2DP
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• microSD
• 1350 mh battery
• 420 minutes talktime / 750 hours standby (WCDMA)

**UPDATE: Apparently, licensing issues with Google have prevented the Sense UI from coming to Google branded devices such as T-Mobile’s G1/myTouch 3G and Vodafone’s Magic. An HTC representative also stated "Licensing, logistics and cost" issues could possible prevent some handsets that don’t have the “with Google” branding from receiving the update.

Flash coming to smartphone in October

Flash Player 10 is on its way to smartphones. The CEO of Adobe Systems, Shantanu Naraye, “let it slip” during an investor call. This is great news if you have a device running Windows Mobile, Android, Symbian OS or Palm’s new Web OS. Naraye announced we will see a beta version for developers at Adobe’s MAX Conference in October. You noticed there are two major operating systems not mentioned, right? It looks as if BlackBerry and iPhone users will be left with those little blue error boxes in their mobile browsers.

Here’s Naraye’s exact words, via MobileCrunch:

We are bringing Flash Player 10 to smartphone class devices to enable the latest web browsing experience. Multiple partners have already received early versions of this release and we expect to release a beta version for developers at our MAX Conference in October. Google (NSDQ: GOOG)'s Android, Nokia (NYSE: NOK)'s Symbian OS, Windows Mobile, and the New Palm Web OS will be among the first devices to support web browsing with the newest Flash player.

Companies including ARM, NVIDIA (NSDQ: NVDA), Broadcom (NSDQ: BRCM), Intel (NSDQ: INTC), Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), and Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM) are optimizing Flash player for their processors and platforms. We continue to see momentum for the open stream project and now have 25 participants on board to use Flash as a consistent run-time across screens.

T-Mobile announces myTouch 3G

Back in February Vodafone launched the HTC Magic to parts of Europe, Asia and Canada. Now T-Mobile is putting their customized version stateside with the name myTouch 3G. So, what does this HTC Android device have that the G1 doesn’t? T-Mobile’s second Android device comes equipped with Android 1.5. The only thing that really differentiates the two devices is the build. Depending on your keyboard preference you can either thank or praise the Cupcake update. The physical keyboard has been eliminated, making the device slimmer and easy to pocket. Much to my delight the G1 “chin” is not present on the myTouch – that thing was just ugly. The myTouch is also available in black, white or merlot. Yipee!

The myTouch has a 3.2-inch display, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and GPS – as does the G1. T-Mobile is trying to add extra incentive for current G1 users to upgrade by pushing customization options with myTouch 3G exclusive applications. At $199.99 with the standard two-year contract, the device will go up for pre-order on July 8th to existing T-Mobile customers. Pre-orders are expected to ship late July and national availability will come in early August.

RIM announces 2009 first quarter earnings

With all of the hub-bub over the Palm Pre and iPhone 3G S, it’s easy to forget that Research In Motion has held 40 percent of the smartphone market for the past two quarters. Granted the manufacturer has created some recent excitement with the BlackBerry Tour 9630, but today’s news is sure to get some attention. Although the first quarter saw 100,000 less BlackBerry subscribers than the previous quarter, CEO Jim Balsillie announced a net Q1 income of $643 million – a 33 percent jump from last year’s Q1 earnings. With the Tour 9630 making its way to two carriers this summer and the Storm 2 slated for a 2009 release, the manufacturer really has nowhere to go but up. Maybe this guy can add each quarter’s earnings to his tattoo?

Analyst says iPhone 3G S will trounce Palm Pre in first week sales

The 2007 debut release of the iPhone put about a million iPhones into the hands of eager AT&T customers within the first week. According to Apple, the iPhone 3G sold the same amount within the first weekend. According to Sprint, the Pre broke all of its previous one-day and three-day sales figures but never released numbers. Analysts have quoted everything between 50,000 to 100,000. Not terrible, but certainly not what you would expect for the most anticipated smartphone of 2009. Even though the 3G S is only launching in eight countries as opposed to the previous 21, analyst Gene Munster is predicting Apple will move 500,000 devices. That number is five times more than estimated Pre sales. So what happened with the Pre? Let me just say it was a smart move on Palm’s behalf to only give Pre exclusivity to Sprint through 2009. No one wants to be on Sprint’s CDMA network. Once the Pre arrives on Verizon’s network I think Palm will see a jump in sales.

Are you thinking about heading out to your local Apple store early tomorrow morning to be the first to get your fingers tappin’ on the 3G S? AT&T and Apple released some helpful information regarding tomorrow’s launch that you should read over before you make the trip.

Click here to get the full report from Information Week.

Apple Updates: iPhone 3.0 OS update and iPhone 3GS

Today belongs to Apple with the 3.0 OS update and the upcoming iPhone 3GS release in a couple of days. Engadget did an extensive review of both the 3GS and 3.0 update today. Here’s all the Apple news floating around the Webosphere:

• UPS sure is speedy aren’t they? Gizmodo said those who pre-ordered their 3GS device through the App Store received notices stating the “receiver requested a hold for a future delivery date.” I highly doubt those anxiously awaiting their new iPhones would request a hold until the official release date, which leads us all to believe Apple put the pressure on UPS to hold the packages.
  
• Boy Genius Report has received an “unending stream of tips” stating the high volume of iPhone/iPod Touch plugging in to upgrade has caused the activation servers to crash. That’s no bueno! I’m sure Apple will have this problem fixed in no time. Engadget also brings word of some kind of IE security certificate program problem on Windows that is leaving some with unusable phones!
  
• Apple threatened the Palm Pre in a roundabout way, basically making it clear that future versions of iTunes will not be compatible with the Palm Pre. Palm will most likely counter iTunes updates with its own firmware updates. This should be interesting. Statements from both companies:
  
  

  “Apple is aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players and because software changes over time, newer versions of Apple’s iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with non-Apple digital media players.”

Palm Responds:

“Palm’s media sync works with the current version of iTunes. If Apple chooses to disable media sync in a future version of iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience. However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunesversion that works to sync their music on their Pre, they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we could consider.”

• AT&T will give early iPhone 3G adopters a break. Anyone who purchased their device from July-September of 2008 will be eligible to purchase the 3GS at the subsidized price of $199 for the 16GB model and $299 for the 32GB model.

BlackBerry Tour coming to Verizon and Sprint

While we’re still waiting for an “official” announcement from Verizon, I’m sure there are a lot of BlackBerry lovers that are pleased as punch right now with the BlackBerry Tour teaser on the carrier’s site. The teaser is merely a product shot with the option to sign up for a newsletter, but that’s enough to assume an official launch date and price point can’t be too far off. You didn’t think Verizon was going to have all the BlackBerry Tour fun, did you? Sprint stole some of the spotlight with an announcement that the new BlackBerry device is going to be available sometime “later in the summer” for $199.99 after a whopping $150 worth of pain-in-the-rear rebates.

Nokia E72 gets official while Nokia N97 gets reviewed

Nokia announced the E72 at the company’s Connection 09 event in Singapore. The E72, which is the E71’s successor, comes with a 5 megapixel camera, headphone jack, 10.2Mbps HSDPA and an optical navigation pad. The phone is expected for availability Q3, and will cost you about $489, although we’re hoping for some of the same stateside carrier treatment like the E71 got to lower the hard price down a little. You can check out a hands on demo to see some of the newer features and layout.

In other Nokia news, Boy Genius Report reviewed the N97 and ripped it apart. Overall, they were unimpressed with Nokia’s knack for funky QWERTY keyboards and inability to build a solid touchscreen. While the hardware and basic functionality where on par, the device was concluded to be extremely outdated for a 2009 launch. Click here for the entire review. You can also “listen to the bass go boom” while watching the N97’s new commercial featuring LL Cool J – complete with Nokia’s new “fist bump” logo.

Privus Mobile Brings Caller Information Service to Europe

Privus Mobile’s Symbian S60 application allows millions of European mobile phone users to see caller’s information for the first time

Dallas, Texas – June 8, 2009 – Privus Mobile, North America’s most popular mobile Caller Information provider, brings its innovative Caller Information service for mobile phones to millions of Europeans. Privus Mobile expands its Caller Information service to include mobile phones using the Symbian S60 operating system, which includes current Nokia smartphones as well as several devices from Samsung, Panasonic, Lenova and LG. Privus Mobile adds Symbian to its Caller Information service that already includes Windows Mobile, Apple, Research in Motion (RIM) and Android operating systems for smartphones. For the first time, millions of European customers will have the ability to view the caller’s name or information for those not already in their mobile phone.

As the first cross-carrier, Caller Information solution in the world, Privus Mobile’s service accurately displays the caller name or information of the person calling the customer’s mobile phone, no matter from where they are calling. It is a service that has been available to landline users in North America for more than 20 years and, through Privus Mobile, is now available to mobile phone users in Europe. Privus Mobile leverages its access to live telephone-number databases – used by some of the world’s most popular landline carriers – to provide Privus Mobile users with fresh caller information.

With its new Symbian offering, Privus Mobile is compatible on more than 225 mobile phones on more than 30 international network carriers. It’s the preferred Caller Information solution for business professionals, students and on-the-go individuals.

“We’ve just opened the door for millions of mobile phone users in Europe to experience Caller Information service for the first time; that’s an amazing accomplishment,” said Privus Mobile President Greg Smith. “With Privus Mobile, customers with the popular Nokia Nseries and Eseries phones and others using Symbian S60, Windows Mobile, Apple, RIM or Android OS devices now have the power to know who’s calling every time without having to answer the phone or call the person back. It’s time Europe knew who’s on the other end of the line. It’s time for Europe to meet Privus Mobile.”

In addition to receiving the Caller Information, all Privus Mobile customers have the unique quick-save functionality that allows users to instantly save the caller’s information to their phonebook with the push of a button. No more keying in data.

A free trial of the service is available at Privus Mobile’s Web site (http://www.privusmobile.com/). Additionally, Privus Mobile is available for Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Android devices through Mobile2Day, Handango, Handmark, Privus Mobile’s Web site, the BerryStore and BlackBerry App World. Privus Mobile’s iPhone application, iPrivus, is available at the App Store.

· For a demonstration of Privus Mobile on a Symbian S60 phone, visit the Privus Mobile channel at http://www.youtube.com/PrivusMobile.
· Fans can find Privus Mobile on Facebook and Twitter.

Privus Mobile’s Caller ID Service Now Available on Nokia Smartphones

Privus Mobile makes mobile Caller ID technology accessible to millions of Symbian S60 operating system users on Nokia, Samsung, Panasonic smartphones

Dallas – June 8, 2009 – Privus Mobile, America’s most popular Mobile Caller ID provider, brings its innovative real-time Caller ID service to current Nokia smartphones as well as several devices from Samsung, Panasonic, Lenova and LG using the Symbian S60 operating system. Privus Mobile adds Symbian to its Caller ID service that already includes Apple, Windows Mobile, Research in Motion (RIM) and Android operating systems for smartphones. Now users of the Symbian S60 operating system on more than 80 newly approved smartphones can take advantage of Privus Mobile’s ability to display the caller’s information on phone numbers not currently stored in the contact list.

As the first cross-carrier, real-time Caller ID solution in the world, Privus Mobile has helped thousands of mobile users achieve the same level of Caller ID service that landline phones have had for years. Privus Mobile leverages its access to live telephone-number databases – used by some of the world’s most popular landline carriers – to provide Privus Mobile users with fresh caller information. Even if it’s a cell phone-to-cell phone call, Privus Mobile identifies the caller on more than 85 percent of the calls.

With its new Symbian offering, Privus Mobile is now available to more than 225 smartphones on more than 30 international network carriers. It’s the preferred Caller ID solution for business professionals, students and on-the-go individuals.

“We’ve just opened the door for millions of smartphone users around the globe to receive Caller ID service for their cell phones; that’s an amazing accomplishment,” said Privus Mobile President Greg Smith. “With Privus Mobile, Nokia smartphone customers and those using Symbian OS devices now have the power to know who’s calling without having to answer the phone, check voicemail or call the person back. The average cell phone user is deprived of unknown caller’s names. It’s time they knew who’s on the other end of the line. It’s time they knew Privus Mobile.”

Unlike the United States, most Europeans have never experienced Caller ID service, even to landline phones. With Privus Mobile, European customers have the ability to receive real-time calling information for the first time. In addition, all Privus Mobile customers have the unique quick-save functionality that allows users to instantly save the caller’s information to their phonebook with a push of a button.

On average, landline phone bills include a $10 monthly fee for Caller ID, nearly double the monthly cost of Privus Mobile. A free trial of the service is available at Privus Mobile’s Web site (http://www.privusmobile.com/). Additionally, Privus Mobile is available for Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Android devices through Handango, Handmark, Privus Mobile’s Web site, the BerryStore and BlackBerry App World. Privus Mobile’s iPhone application, iPrivus, is available at the App Store.

· For a demonstration of Privus Mobile on a Symbian S60 phone, visit the Privus Mobile channel at http://www.youtube.com/PrivusMobile.
· Fans can find Privus Mobile on Facebook and Twitter.

T-Mobile says goodbye to mail-in-rebates

Good news commeth if you're thinking about joining the T-Mobile network! Although the carrier is still enforcing data plans with all smartphone purchases, you can now enjoy the “after mail-in-rebate” price without all of the hassle. That’s right, T-Mobile has slashed its prices on a long lineup of data-packin’ devices. What’s more, the G1 is available in all colors for $149.99! Conveniently enough, Privus Mobile just launched in the Android Market place. So now you can get your Android on and know who is calling – all without breaking the bank. Of course you want to know which phones got the price slash, so here you go:

BlackBerry Curve 8900, $149.99
BlackBerry Curve 8320, $74.99
BlackBerry 8820, $99.99
Sidekick 2008, $99.99
Sidekick LX 09, $199.99 ($249.99 for new customers with no mail in rebate)
T-Mobile Dash, $49.99
T-Mobile G1 in all colors, $149.99

Pre-paid BlackBerry service on T-Mobile?

CrackBerry spotted a Best Buy advertisement for the BlackBerry Pearl II (reported to be identical to the Pearl) at a non-committal price of $299. The network kickin’ out this sweet deal is T-Mobile, but the bad news is the ad said the prepaid Berry service was available in New Jersey only. It would be nice to see a large carrier publically join Boost Mobile and other smaller carriers offering no-contract plans for smartphones on a nationwide scale. Boost Mobile saw a strain on its network when the $50 unlimited everything plan emerged, so my guess is T-Mobile is testing out the service in New Jersey.

Privus Mobile Application Brings True Caller ID to Android

Dallas – June 1, 2009 – Privus Mobile, one of the industry’s most innovative applications, meets one of the industry’s most innovative operating systems, Android. Privus Mobile is the first real-time Caller ID solution for smartphones and has already helped thousands of Windows Mobile and BlackBerry users better manage their incoming calls. Similar to landline Caller ID, the easy-to-use mobile solution, now available in the Android Marketplace, allows you to see the full caller details of incoming calls, from unknown numbers to callers that aren’t in your contacts list, as the call comes in. After receiving the call, you can quickly and easily save Privus Mobile’s contact information to your phonebook with the press of a button.

“As more and more people replace their landline phone with their smartphone, more and more solicitors, telemarketers and creditors are replacing their landline contact lists with cell phone number lists. While one could simply not answer the phone, the risk of missing an emergency phone call is just too high when it’s the only way to get in touch with you,” said Greg Smith, Privus Mobile’s president. “Privus Mobile gives Android users a way to switch from their landlines without sacrificing the features they’ve come to know and depend on like Caller ID.”

With users reporting accurate calling information for more than 95 percent of their incoming calls, Privus Mobile actually improves the level of Caller ID service when compared to landline users. On average, landline phone bills include a $10 monthly fee for Caller ID, nearly double the monthly cost of Privus Mobile. A free trial of the service is available as an over-the-air download in the Android Marketplace. The application also can be purchased from the Android Marketplace for only $59.95 for a full year. Additionally, Privus Mobile is available for Windows Mobile and BlackBerry devices through Handango, Handmark, Privus Mobile’s Web site, the BerryStore and BlackBerry App World. Privus Mobile’s iPhone application, iPrivus, is available at the App Store.

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  For a demonstration of Privus Mobile on a T-Mobile G1, visit the Privus Mobile channel at http://www.youtube.com/PrivusMobile.
  


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  Fans can find Privus Mobile on Facebook and Twitter.
  About Privus Mobile

I D YOU LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accudata Technologies, has launched the industry-first Privus Mobile service, which provides real Caller ID service to wireless handsets, giving users greater control over who they talk to and when. Privus Mobile is available for Windows Mobile, Android, Symbian and BlackBerry devices through Handango, Handmark, Privus Mobile’s Web site, Mobile2Day, the BerryStore and BlackBerry App World. Privus Mobile’s iPhone application, iPrivus, is available at the App Store.

I D YOU LLC, which is focused on providing the most comprehensive Caller ID service available, is headquartered in Allen, Texas. For more information, visit http://www.privusmobile.com/.