In case you missed it, Motorola recently announced their new DVB-H handheld device…

It’s not a ‘phone’, but rather something more akin to classic Analogue portable TVs (Remember those?!).

Of course now it is remixed with a Linux O/S under the hood, and all that good DVB-H loveliness for nice, clean signal reception! The 4.3″ (approximately 11cm) screen is apparently capable of 25 FPS (Frames Per Second), and has DVR (Digital Video Recorder) capabalities.

More techy specs (and a bigger picture) below:

• Display — 4.3-inch Wide Quarter Video Graphics Array Screen, supporting up to 16 million colors
• Video frame rate -– 25fps
• Flash — SD/MMC card slot
• DVR — via supported Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard card; 90 minutes of TV video storage on 256MB card
• I/O — Mini A/B USB connector; USIM/UICC card reader; earphone and power jacks
• Video formats — H.264 AVC QVGA, MPEG-4 SP level 3 QVGA
• Audio formats — AAC, MP3
• Image formats — JPEG, GIF, PNG
• Battery — rechargeable battery with up to four hours per charge
• Other features — Five-minute memory buffer for live-TV pause; automatic channel scan; channel listings

intomobile.com

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 kin - which is to say that it’ll rock GPS, EVDO, 2 megapixel camera, microSDHC card slot, and that SureType keyboard. Alltel says they’ll be launching their BlackBerry 8130 Pearl in time for the holiday shopping season (which is quite literally upon us), so look for this new Pearl to drop fairly soon. Oh, and it’ll cost you $150 after a $100 rebate (2-year contract required, of course).

Alltel
via
intomobile.com

When you need to protect your cell phone or other portable electronic device, you can’t really go wrong with choosing a case from the team at Otter Products. Otter is back at it again with a couple of new OtterBox protective cases designed for the BlackBerry Pearl and the BlackBerry Curve.

Both OtterBox cases are available now for $49.95 each.

mobilemag.com

Ericsson today announced the launch of infrastructure and device platforms for WCDMA/HSPA in the 2.6GHz frequency band.

The launch of HSPA products for the 2.6GHz frequency band provides an immediate and secure choice for operators planning to offer mobile broadband services in this band. New licenses for the 2.6GHz frequency band are now becoming available globally and Ericsson’s HSPA solution for the 2.6GHz frequency band supports opportunities for operators to create new markets.

Ulf Ewaldsson, Vice President and Head of Product Area Radio at Ericsson, says: “The launch of HSPA products for the 2.6GHz frequency band supports Ericsson’s ambition to bring mobile broadband everywhere, at any time, from any device to as many people as possible.

“HSPA is a proven technology and the leading industry standard. It is already deployed in several frequency bands - including 850, 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2100MHz - and deployment in the 900MHz frequency band will start soon. Support in the 2.6GHz frequency band brings the economies of scale of HSPA also to operators with 2.6GHz licenses and their end users.”

The commercial launch of networks and end-user devices with HSPA support in the 2.6GHz frequency band is set to the latter part of 2008.

If there’s one thing we love more than the quirky codenames coming out of HTC’s labs, it’s O2’s practice of renaming all of HTC’s best handsets. O2 Germany’s done it again with the HTC Touch Dual that was recently launched. It didn’t take long at all for the German carrier to pick up the HTC Touch Dual as the O2 Xda Star - complete with an O2-branded makeover.

For the incredibly low carrier-subsidized price of €30 ($43),  you too (the German you, that is) can get your hands on the O2 Xda Star with that slightly revised nav-pad layout (the buttons below the screen). Aside from the minor facelift (which looks like a pretty nice improvement over HTC’s reference design), the O2 Xda Star rocks the same feature-set as the HTC Touch Dual. Check out this video of the HTC Touch Dual in action.

The price of this German HTC Touch Dual is enough to make us seriously consider a move to the land of sauerkraut. You lucky Germans, you.

intomobile.com

RIM’s next big handset will aim at Apple’s iPhone. It makes sense, since every phone manufacturer out there is gunning to, well, out-gun the iPhone with touchscreen offerings of their own. Research In Motion (RIM), makers of the unfortunately touchscreen-less lineup of BlackBerry smartphones, is reportedly working on a new BlackBerry 9xxx/9000 that takes aim squarely at the iPhone.We’re hearing through the grapevine that RIM’s BlackBerry 9xxx/9000 will be sporting a full-fledged 3G radio with HSDPA (on US-friendly frequencies), 600Mhz processor, and an undeniably iPhone-esque design. As you can see from Boy Genius’s questionable mockup/blurry spy pic, the BlackBerry 9000 is looking pretty damn slick. We can only guess that the full-body screen will be a touchscreen (if not as the sole means of input, then perhaps with a slide-out keyboard). Oh, and we’re also hearing that the BlackBerry 9xxx will have a backup feature that will move all data on the phone to a removable memory card.

With a release date slated for early 2008, we’re sure recent BlackBerry 8800 buyers aren’t none too pleased. But, being firmly planted in speculative soil, BlackBerry 8800 owners can hope that this rumor turns out to be nothing more than that - a rumor. We’re thinking that this BlackBerry 9xxx could indeed be in the works - it makes sense for RIM to go after Apple’s iPhone. Stay tuned!

intomobile.com

Samsung seems to be working a little in reverse with its upcoming SGH-i780 Windows Mobile 6 handset, showing it first at GITEX, then providing shots to media a couple weeks later — all without an official press release or announcement. Fortunately, we have pretty much all the information we want about it at this point, save for one key detail: will it come to AT&T as the rumored BlackJack 2? Unlike the original BlackJack, the i780 runs the touchscreen-driven Professional variant of Windows Mobile, features an “optical mouse” on the d-pad that provides the user with an actual on-screen pointer, and features integrated WiFi and GPS. If we were the wagering sort, we’d guess that an AT&T variant of this sucker would lose the WiFi and trade Euro HSDPA radio hardware for its North American equivalent, but with integrated GPS, it still seems like it could be a worthwhile upgrade. Sweden apparently expects it in early 2008, though there’s no official word on launches elsewhere just yet.

engadget.com

There have been spy shots and leaked official photos, and now Sprint just made it official that the Palm Centro will find itself in someone’s hot little hand on October 14 for a mere $99.99. And looky there, it’s got a surprising color slathered onto it, too.

Just in case everyone is completely bored with everything Palm makes these days, the company painted up this pony in fire engine red, certain to excite a those who wear red dresses on Fridays or maybe beasts that fight for their bovine lives in certain bullrings in Spain. Oh wait, red’s called Garnet, but Palm Centro still comes in black, too. Anyway, the $100 price as after a $100 mail-in rebate, and you must sign up for $25 data plan. Small price for a small phone, with small features.

In case you’re still interested in this trinket after that uncalled-for diatribe, the phone can handle e-mail, text and IM messages, let’s you listen to MP3s, can view Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files, and it also has contacts and schedules on board. So hey, that’s a lot of stuff inside this little phone; maybe its features aren’t so tiny after all.

gizmodo.com

Capping off months of rumor and speculation, T-Mobile and Danger have announced two new Sidekicks today targeting decidedly different segments of the market. The Sidekick LX takes over as the new king of the Hiptop hill, boasting a Sidekick-first wide QVGA display — touted as incorporating technology borrowed from Sharp’s AQUOS televisions, no less — along with configurable mood lighting, 1.3 megapixel camera with flash, and 128MB worth of bundled microSD memory. Meanwhile, the 4.6 x 2.4 x 0.68-inch Sidekick Slide becomes the first Hiptop device to come from Motorola, the first to ditch the trademark swivel display, and the first to go on a serious diet (anyone who’s used a Sidekick of old knows that it ain’t exactly small) while still packing the same functionality and 1.3 megapixel cam as its big sib. Look for the LX to hit store shelves come October 24 in your choice of “midnight blue” and “espresso brown” for a cool $299 on contract; the Slide slides in (sorry, couldn’t help it) two weeks later on November 7 in a black / deep purple combo for a Franklin less at $199.

engadgetmobile.com

No, no, we’re not just here to show off the typical blurry spy shot, this is much meatier than that, this handset — if you believe the video, and we kinda do — shows the user scrolling about that Samsung’s interface with a pointer. Embedded in the somewhat Blackjack-esque looking device’s d-pad is what seems to be a scroll wheel a-la BlackBerry Pearl. Windows Mobile devices could be so much nicer to use if this is legit and is done right. The source has no info on model number or pricing, but there’s a lovely vid you can hit after the break that’ll at least make you smile a bit. Go Samsung!

engadgetmobile.com