So much for yesterday’s pricing revelation as today T-Mobile released the Motorola CLIQ XT with a price tag that is $30 higher than expected. Available on Even More plans for $129.99 and Even More Plus for $329.99, the CLIQ XT is still attractively priced considering some the rather positive early reviews it received. Of course, there are naturally going to be some stragglers who hold out on the CLIQ XT until Motorola delivers the Android 2.1 update it promised for all MOTOBLUR handsets back in January (the CLIQ XT ships with Android 1.5), but that can’t be too far away now… Or can it?

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Yesterday AT&T, today Sprint, tomorrow the world? In a press release this afternoon Sprint announced the pending release of the HTC Nexus One:

Nexus One, the first wireless phone sold through Google’s web store, is planned for Sprint’s 3G Mobile Broadband Network. Sprint will announce pricing and an exact availability date soon.

As with all the carriers, the Nexus One will be sold exclusively through the google.com/phone web store when it becomes available. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear any rumblings on the exact release date. Another Nexus One release coming unannounced and out of left field. Wow.

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Well that was fast. Soon after we posted the official Android 2.1 change log for the DROID did the folks over at Android Central get their hands on an internal Verizon memo that mentions update ESE53 will be “rolled out in stages via OTA starting 3/18 at 12PM EST” (obviously someone at Verizon didn’t get the EDT vs EST memo).  The update will supposedly be sent out in groups of 250,000 meaning the vast majority of DROID users will have to sit tight until they’re randomly selected, but we have to imagine the lucky few will be eternally grateful for being selected first, if only because it gives them something to do other than focus on their raging St. Patrick’s Day hangover.

UPDATE: Verizon hit us up to confirm that the Android 2.1 OS update will roll out to a “select small group” of users Thursday and expand to everyone soon enough.

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We haven’t heard anything about this from our connects at either AT&T or Nokia, but a filing made available two days ago by the FCC has us believing that AT&T might be planning on offering up the Internet Stick CS-12. Featuring all of the appropriate GSM and WCDMA bands needed to function on AT&T, the CS-12 is capable of supporting downlink speeds of up to 14.4Mbps and uplink speeds of 5.56Mbps. Of course, AT&T’s network is in no way capable of getting anywhere near those speeds — with most markets still stick in a hellish 3.6Mbps nightmare — as the slow rollout of 7.2Mbps continues. Perhaps this new stick has something to do with Ralph de la Vega’s recent talk of  ”certain locations” getting access to a 21Mbps HSPA+ network on the way to LTE.

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Today, RIM announced that its new BlackBerry Push Service is available to developers for their coding pleasure. The new service: “enables developers to easily develop Java applications or BlackBerry Widgets that leverage RIM’s push technology either through the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (for enterprises) or BlackBerry Internet Service infrastructure (for consumers), so that content providers can reliably push images, text, or audio content to millions of BlackBerry devices at once… with the BlackBerry Push Service, full content (up to an industry-leading 8KB in size) is pushed to the device and made immediately available for use.” The article goes onto explain some of the differences between RIM’s new push service and those of competitors — *cough* Apple *cough* — as well as the different tiers of service that will be offered to developers (yes, there is a free option). All you Java wizards can head over to www.blackberry.com/developers/pushservice to get more in-depth technical information, otherwise we have the press release all linked up for you.

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The HTC Desire is one sexy handset, but let’s face facts here: the “Urban Brown” shade it comes in isn’t for everyone. Thankfully, HTC isn’t blind to reality like a few other handset manufacturers whose names we won’t mention here, because it looks as if the Taiwanese company also whipped up a silver variant of the latest darling of the Android world. Why does this matter, you may ask? Because this could very well be the color AT&T goes with when it unleashes this sucker on the US market. We think it looks pretty and know that Tony Soprano would approve of it because it truly is “Guinea grey” like Johnny Sack’s Maserati, but we’d like to know which one you fancy most. Hit up the jump to check out another shot.

Thanks, Pat!

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MIX10 is going strong and this year, the Microsoft conference has been filled with big announcements. Yesterday, we learned about Windows Phone 7 Series development and today, we get a glimpse of what is coming in Internet Explorer 9. The latest web browser from Microsoft stays competitive by supporting several HTML 5 specifications including CSS3, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), XHTML parsing, and both embedded H.264/MPEG4 video and MP3/AAC audio. Microsoft’s latest web browser also includes a new and improved JavaScript engine that combined with its GPU-accelerated graphics promises to deliver a rich browsing experience. You can test drive the latest browser via an online demo over at Microsoft’s new IE9 website or, if you enjoy living life on the edge of a system collapse, you can download and install the Internet Explorer 9 platform preview.

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Verizon seems to have posted a PDF listing some of the improvements in the yet-to-be-released Motorola DROID 2.1 update. The update has a version number of AP: ESE53/BP: C_01.3E.03P and goes on to list a litany of improvements and added features:

Enhancements

• Pinch-to-zoom is now available when using the browser, Gallery, and Google Maps.
• New Weather and News application plus widget.
  • The Weather and News app pulls the information you want from the
    Web and brings it to your fingertips. You get weekly and hourly
    weather forecasts based on your location, and news headlines.
• New support for voice-to-text entry.
  • Whenever a text-entry box appears, simply tap the microphone icon on the virtual keyboard and speak.
• New Gallery application with 3D layout. View and share photos taken with your phone and images from your online Picasa Web albums.
• Live Wallpapers offer richer animated, interactive backgrounds on the
  home screen. Access them with a long press anywhere on the home screen. Tap Wallpapers, then Live Wallpapers.

Improvements

• Free Yahoo!® Mail is now supported—simply sign in with your Yahoo! email address and password.
• Google Maps update
  • Personalized suggestions and synchronized starring with
    desktop maps.google.com.
    • Starred items are stored and synced automatically between Google
      Maps on your device and maps.google.com on your computer, making it easy to search for places you’ve searched for before.
  • New night mode in Google Maps Navigation automatically changes the screen at night for easier viewing.
• Improved pattern-lock functionality.
• Improved handset audio when disconnecting a wired headset.
• Email accounts no longer need to be re-entered after an over-the-air update.

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Nothing like a late day ninja check-in. A trusted source has come through with a Verizon memo outlining an early upgrade program for those users looking to upgrade from a feature phone to a smartphone a bit early. Our source indicates this promotion is for Sam’s Club and Target kiosks and is only available in certain locations… but hey, an early upgrade is an early upgrade. The move is aimed to rope feature phone users into a more luxurious, and expensive, smartphone with the accompanying data plan, but that doesn’t mean those ready to upgrade can’t take advantage. Terms of the deal include:

• Available in Northern California Region, Central Texas, Upstate New York, and Ohio/Pennsylvania
• User can not already have a 3G smartphone
• User will not be eligible for another upgrade for 12 months
• Customers can’t already be eligible for a standard upgrade
• Can’t be combined with other offers
• $29.99+ data plan required
• New 2-year contract must be signed

Any takers? Larger image after the break.

U.S. wireless provider Sprint and virtual mobile device company DeviceAnywhere have teamed up to offer a unique service to Sprint wireless subscribers. The joint venture is allowing users to walk through phone tutorials, pre or post-sale, by clicking through a virtual representation of the phone’s OS while receiving feedback. The implementation isn’t perfect, for instance power users can’t go exploring a phone’s OS (the interactions are rigidly guided), but the tutorials provide a better customer experience than their all-text or text-aided-by-screen-shot counterparts. The virtual tutorials are currently available for 34 phones — we’ve been messing around with the HTC Hero and Touch Pro 2 — and can be found at sprint.com/learn.

[Via mocoNews.net]

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Samsung is resurrecting the ghost of the Q1 and planning to jump into the now-hot slate PC market in the second half of 2010. According to Emmanuele Silanesu, National Product and Marketing Manager for Samsung Australia’s IT division, Samsung’s slate device will contain a faster, more robust processor than the iPad and will offer more connectivity options through a diversity of I/O ports. Consumer friendly in price, the Samsung slate will be a primary device designed to replace a netbook or a notebook in your personal arsenal of mobile computers. As Silanesu explained, this is a device that “you could take to university and do a PowerPoint presentation on it, for example, or a device that could be taken home or to the office and docked.” From Silanesu’s brief revelation, we can expect the Samsung slate to feature an Intel Atom processor, contain ports for multiple video sources, support a multitude of peripherals including a docking station, sport a sub-$500 price tag, and mostly likely run some flavor of Windows. Any interest in an Intel Atom-powered slate running Windows or have we already been there, done that as shown above?

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Americans and Canadians rejoice as coming from nowhere, and without announcement, (even though we broke the news on it) is the Google Nexus One with AT&T and Rogers network support. Android fans can point their browser to the now familiar Nexus One URL and score a Nexus One with three 3G/UMTS bands (850/1900/2100 MHz) and four GSM radio frequencies (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) on board. No subsidies on this puppy, so you will have to cough up $500 and change to rock the latest Google has to offer. Not a bad way to start improving sales, right?

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We’re not going to go as far as the Silicone Alley Insider and declare the Nexus One “a flop” but the sub-par sales numbers do tell us something… launching with the 3G bands of the #4 U.S. carrier and selling exclusively through a web portal may not be a wise go-to-market strategy. Mobile research firm Flurry estimates that only 135,000 Nexus Ones have been sold after 74 days on the market. As a comparison, the Motorola DROID sold 1.05 million units and the iPhone sold around 1 million units in the same time period. The DROID had a rumored $100M marketing push, and the iPhone was a full $599 out of pocket at time of launch, which make these Nexy’s sales figures even less impressive. We’re sure the N1’s sales numbers will improve as it launches on Verizon Wireless and Vodafone in the coming months, however… we just thought the insane AdWords push from Google would have yielded better results.

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Looking to impress your girlfriend on that “oh so important” first movie date? Look no further than Fandango to help you skip the ticket line and stroll right up to seating without greasing the palm of any theater employee. Starting today, Fandango is launching a new mobile ticket service that will allow customers to purchase movie tickets online and have them delivered directly to a mobile handset. The ticket will arrive as a QR code that can be displayed on a phone and scanned by movie theater employees in lieu of a paper ticket. The program will require special handheld scanners that are currently installed in a handful of theaters across the country. Hit the jump to see if your local movieplex is on this coveted list.

Te following theaters will have the necessary equipment to scan these new mobile tickets:

• New York: City Cinemas 1, 2 & 3, Angelika Film Center, East 86th Street Cinemas, Village East Cinema, Beekman Theatre, The Paris Theatre.
• New Jersey: Manville 12 Plex.
• Houston: Angelika Film Center.
• Dallas/Plano: Angelika Dallas; Angelika Plano.
• San Diego: La Mesa Grossmont Center, Clairemont Town Square Stadium.
• Bakersfield: Valley Plaza 16.
• Sonoma County: Rohnert Park 16.
• Hawaii: Ward Stadium, Kahala Theater, Kapolei 16, Mililani Stadium.

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T-Mobile already has a very diverse lineup of smartphones, but the tail end of March will see “Magenta” (as some people lamely call it) release a trio of smartphones that appeal to the low, mid and high end markets. We’ve been saying it for the longest time and now it’s as official as can be without a full-blown press release: the HTC HD2 will be available from T-Mobile on Wednesday, March 24th. Going for $199.99 on a 2-year or $449.99 outright, the HD2 will easily be the best handset ever offered by T-Mobile in terms of sheer brawn. Of course now that we’re 100% certain it won’t be upgradeable to Windows Phone 7 Series, we have to wonder if a bit of the luster has prematurely worn off, but it’s not like those put off don’t have more than half a year to save pennies for the next greatest Windows Phone. On the same day, Nokia will also have a handset debut on T-Mobile. This is of course the Nuron and it will go for $69.99 / $179.99, a price that is quite mind blowing when you consider the fact it’s running S60 5th Edition. Last but not least in today’s T-Mobile update is the CLIQ XT. We’ve known for quite some time it is going to be available in time to drown in a pitcher of green beer, but now we’re hearing it will be $99.99 on contract as opposed to $129.99 (no contract pricing is presumed to still be set at $329.99).

Good job, T-Mobile.

Read [CLIQ XT] Read [HD2] Read [Nuron]

Google finally jumped over whatever hurdles were holding it back from offering paid apps in the Canadian Android Market, as all of a sudden, they just started showing up on some Canadian devices. Sadly, however, it seems the love is not being evenly distributed as the majority of the Bell and TELUS customers we spoke to have not yet had paid apps show up on their end. Nonetheless, we have verified with customers of both Rogers and Fido that they have been able to purchase paid apps using carrier locked and unlocked devices meaning that the long overdue roll out has finally gotten underway.

Bell and TELUS: What’s the dealio?

Thanks, LG!

[Via Know Your Cell]

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ArsTechnica wrote up an interesting piece that examines the future plans, and loyalty, of BlackBerry owners. The article, which cites a Crowd Science survey, found that 2 out of every 5 BlackBerry users surveyed indicated having plans to switch out their BlackBerry for an iPhone when their service contracts expire. Ars goes onto cite some fun stats in the study:

• 33% of iPhone owners and 16% of BlackBerry owners use their device exclusively for personal use, not work
• 1% of iPhone owners and 7% of BlackBerry owners use their device exclusively for business purposes
• 66% of iPhone owners and 77% of BlackBerry owners are using their device for both business and personal purposes

Is the 40% number accurate? We think it is probably a little high. A combination of Apple’s brand awareness and the iPhone advertising machine is likely responsible for some of the yay responses. But say the survey’s margin of error is +/-10; the fact that even 30% of RIM’s customer base is thinking of abandoning ship is bleak.

RIM’s title of communicator extraordinaire and business companion is unparalleled at the moment, but as users begin to demand a greater mix of work and personal uses from their phone, RIM may find itself in a tough spot. Oh, the study also mentioned… 90% of Android and iPhone owners plan to stay loyal to their respective device operating systems when the time comes to upgrade.

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Microsoft kicked off MIX 2010 this morning with a keynote that revealed some juicy details for developers waiting to dive into the Windows Phone 7 Series platform. As expected, Windows Phone 7 Series will make use of Silverlight for application development and XNA for game development. Features available for developers include:

• Accelerometer support
• Microsoft Location Service to provide developers with a single point of reference to acquire location information
• Microsoft Notification Service for pushing information to the phone, regardless of whether or not an application is running
• Hardware-accelerated video with digital rights management (DRM)
• Internet Information Services Smooth Streaming for the industry’s highest quality content viewing experience
• Multitouch
• Camera and microphone support

To get developers on board quickly and easily, Microsoft is offering a suite of free developer tools which include Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone 7 Series, a free add-in to use with Visual Studio 2010 RC, XNA Game Studio 4.0, Windows Phone 7 Series Emulator for application testing, and a version of Expression Blend for Windows Phone. Microsoft is also stepping up its game in the app store department by offering a panoramic design (it will look sleek), try before you buy option, one-time credit card charges for app purchases, mobile carrier billing and ad-supported applications. Lest you think the app store will be a barren wasteland at launch, the list of application partners is impressive and include media moguls like Associated Press, gaming giants like NAMCO and EA Mobile, streaming media stars like Pandora and Sling, popular start-ups like Foursquare and Seesmic, and a host of others including Weatherbug, PopCap games, SPB Software and more. Anyone else get the feeling that Microsoft means business this time around?

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After a disappointing Q4 2009 performance, Blockbuster’s woes continue with the US video giant looking to pawn off its European operations as a means of generating some much needed cash. According to a report from the Sunday Times, Blockbuster has hired Winchester Capital to sell off its European division which includes 650 stores in the UK and an unknown number of stores in Denmark, Italy, and Ireland. Combined, these assets could net Blockbuster a respectable £50m ($76M USD) at a time when the movie rental king is hemorrhaging cash and straining under the weight of increasing debt which now totals $964 million. This shot in the arm may not be the Hail Mary that saves Blockbuster from its downward spiral, but it is at least a step in the right direction for the ailing company.

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DigiTimes has dug up an article featured in the Chinese newspaper Economic Daily News claiming that HTC has starting shipping the Nexus One to Verizon Wireless. The article goes on to say the N1 CDMA-variant will begin being marketed by Big Red this month with a release likely in April. Our take? What we’ve said and heard all along: the Google Nexus One will be sold exclusively through Google’s online phone store, while HTC Sense variants will make their way into carrier’s stores and marketing plans. That means, to be very clear, Google will sell the exact same version (specs and all) of the existing Nexus One with Verizon Wireless CDMA support, in the exact same way they currently sell the T-Mobile GSM variant. If HTC is shipping anything to Verizon, it’s most likely the HTC-branded Incredible (with HTC Sense UI); the Verizon-compatible Nexus One is, in all likelihood, being shipped to Google’s distribution partner Brightpoint.

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One of our Apple connects recently hit us up and broke down some important iPad figures. According to him, Apple stores received around 300-350 (on average) reservations for store pick-ups on day one, and now sit at around 700 reservations so far (72 hours in). This doesn’t count people who pre-ordered the device online, just those that wish to physically go into an Apple store and pick up their reserved unit on launch day.

The figures that we’ve seen floating around of about 150,000 pre-orders, we’re told, are extremely accurate thus far but obviously don’t include people’s store reservations. We have also been told Apple’s flagship 5th Avenue store in New York now holds around 1600 reservations for iPads, with 800 in the first day, and about 400 a day since.

Lastly, store reservations seem to be split around 50% for the 32GB unit, 30% for the 64GB unit and about 20% for the 16GB, which is what, “Apple was expecting.”

First up is the Samsung Strive. Available March 21st for $19.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate (pricing reflects a limited-time AT&T promotion), the Strive features a sliding full-QWERTY keypad and a 2 megapixel camera. Second is the Samsung Sunburst. Also available on the 21st but for $39.99 after a $50 MIR, the Sunburst is a candybar touchscreen that features widgets which offer one touch access to frequently used services like SMS and social media sites. Other than that, all we know at present is the Sunburst also has GPS capabilities. Although pictures, pricing and specific release dates have not been announced, AT&T also announced two devices from Pantech in the Link and Pursuit. The Link, which will be available in the coming weeks, is described as an “ultra slim and light, full keyboard quick messaging phone” that has a wide range of social media capabilities. As for the Pursuit, it has both a touchscreen and sliding QWERTY keypad and its camera of unknown megapixelage supports facial recognition and geotagging. It will be available this summer.

In other news, AT&T also announced three new services for low-end devices. AT&T Address Book is a free OTA contact sync system that backs up to AT&T’s servers and is accessible via the PC. AT&T Mobile Share is lame lets users upload pictures and videos up to 10MB to their PC and social media sites as well as send it to friends or upload it to the new AT&T Locker. The service will cost $10 per month or $0.35 per use and provides 250MB of storage which is expandable to 10GB for an additional $5. Last and quite possibly least is Next Generation Messaging which enables threaded SMS in addition to group messaging and the ability to reply to all for up to 10 contacts at time. Why this is needed is beyond us, but we think it has something to do with scaring parents into buying their tweens an unlimited SMS plan.

Any takers?

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After weeks of negotiations and public statements, the tension between Google and China has reached a crescendo and sources familiar with the situation are relaying the rumor that Google may be closing the Chinese branch of its search engine in the next few weeks. The possibility of Google operating without censorship in China was stifled last Friday when Li Yizhong, Minister of Industry and IT, confirmed China’s position that Google’s plan to operate without filtering was “unfriendly”, “irresponsible” and warned that Google would “bear the consequences of its decision” to open up the Internet to the Chinese people. With China apparently unwilling to budge, Google is now at a crossroads and must decide whether its 36% market share is worth sacrificing in the name of Internet freedom.

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[Via wmpoweruser]

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Have an Android, iPhone, or webOS smartphone? Find yourself shopping at Best Buy, Sears, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm todos los dias? Well, Google has got a new feature for you. Google is officially launching an updated version Google Shopping, for selected mobile devices, that has the ability to search the inventory of local participating retailers. As Google explains:

Just go to Google.com in your mobile browser, tap on the “more” link, and then select “Shopping.” Or look for the “Shopping results” section in Universal Search results when you search on Google.com… look for the blue dots in the search results to see if it’s available in a local store. If you see a blue dot, you can tap on the adjacent “In stock nearby” link, and you’ll be taken to the seller’s page where you’ll see whether the item is “In Stock” or has “Limited Availability” near you.

Personally, we are hoping that all of these side apps get consolidated in the future… but that’s just us. We’ve got the official press release all queued up for you.

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According to them, the device actually failed in early diagnostic testing a whopping 4 out of 5 times (which is supposed to be extremely rare for RIM devices). The only other handset that failed, we’re told, is the BlackBerry Pearl Flip. What’s even more interesting, is that the BlackBerry slider our guy saw was Sprint branded. Want to go one step further? We’ve been told there is also a GSM/HSPA version and that the model numbers are BlackBerry 9900 and BlackBerry 9930. Lastly, it looks like the HSPA version of the device will support 850/1900MHz UMTS bands which would make it compatible with both AT&T and Rogers’ 3G networks.

Could Sprint be gunning for an exclusive on the brand new BlackBerry form factor? Our bets would be yes.

P.S. Our guy didn’t see the word “Bold” anywhere in relation to the sliding BlackBerry device.

A leaked Verizon training memo reveals how Big Red will be dealing with those who have plans to connect their BlackBerry to a new BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express (BESX); it is going to cost you a little extra. The memo explains that those looking to leverage BESX will be required to have an enterprise level data plan — which typically costs $45/month — as opposed to the standard $30/month BlackBerry data plan. RIM states the requirements of BESX are:

• A BlackBerry smartphone
• Subscription to an internet-enabled BlackBerry service plan from your wireless service provider

Not exactly 100% accurate, as the $30 standard data plan is an “internet-enabled BlackBerry service plan,” but, we suppose, not entirely false either.  We’ve got the leaked memo after the break.

On March 1, 2010, RIM will launch BES Express (BESX), an entry-level version of BES.As with all Corporate email solutions, customers will need a corporate email data plan or feature added to a voice plan to allow access to BESX.

Note: Customers on the Email and Web for BlackBerry $29.99 data feature MAY NOT utilize BESX.

Overview:

BESX replaces BlackBerry Professional Software (BPS) in RIM’s product lineup and allows businesses using Microsoft® Exchange or Microsoft Small Business Server to support up to 75 BlackBerry subscribers without having to purchase Client Access Licenses (CAL) or a dedicated server. Additional users can be supported if BESX is installed on a dedicated server.

With the launch of BESX, RIM will discontinue the sale of BPS. Verizon Wireless will sell through our remaining BPS inventory and RIM will continue to support this solution for the foreseeable future.

Customer Information/Eligibility:

• BESX will be available directly from the RIM website. Customers should be directed there for additional product information.
• BESX will not be available directly from Verizon Wireless.

As with all Corporate email solutions, customers will need a corporate email data plan or feature added to a voice plan to allow access to BESX

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And just like that, today we have the third photo leak of the mysterious BlackBerry slider. Unlike the first time we saw it but much like the second, the device has been placed next to a Curve 8900 for the sake of a size comparison. On its side the slider is noticeably thicker than the 8900 , but today it has been turned on its side in order to let us know exactly how thick this sucker is. What this device is actually called is anyone’s guess, but the general consensus is that this is not the Storm3. So what then is it? Lately a rumor has been floating around that it is actually a Bold owing to its identical styling queues to the current Bold 9700. Adding to this rumor is a UAProf found on RIM’s website for a 9700a that lists a portrait HVGA+ display (as opposed to the Bold 9700’s landscape HVGA+ display) and this all seems rather possible. Of course dealing with prototypes things can and will change as needed, so it looks like we’re going to have to twiddle our thumbs a little while longer until some more information comes to light. Hit the jump for a pic of device’s rear sans battery cover showing off its brand new F-S1 battery.

[via CrackBerry]

Read [9700a pics]

Read [UAProf]

In our review of the TELUS MILESTONE we lamented Motorola’s decision to digitally sign the bootloader which makes rooting quite difficult. Thankfully, over the past couple of days there has been a lot progress within the Android community and root access for the TELUS MILESTONE has obtained by way of a Brazilian sbf. Sadly kernel access is still absent, but at this point we guess we should just be happy we’ve made it this far. Hit up the read link for a full set of instructions.

Thanks, Arjun!

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