Hasta La Gadget!

Silicone skins for the Storm 2 are starting to find their way into shipments destined to Best Buy stores around the country, another solid signal that RIM’s second touchscreen effort is hitting retail sooner rather than later. What we found amusing about this first batch is that the packaging seems conflicted about what to call the thing — 9550, Storm II (as opposed to Storm2 or Storm 2, interestingly), and even the phone’s codename Odin all make appearances front and center. We suppose they’re just trying to make it crystal clear what phone the skin’s intended for, and with leaks going back a solid year, you’ve got to cover all your bases.

[Thanks, Caffoni]

Continue reading BlackBerry Storm 2 accessories roll into Best Buy

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

BlackBerry Storm 2 accessories roll into Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We finally got a good, hard look at the Verizon-customized version of Samsung’s Omnia II, and we’ve got good news and bad news: the good news is that the phone’s a darker, more reasonable shade in person than it was in that press shot we’d seen before, but the bad news is that we’ve confirmed it’s running 6.1. Anyone daring to release a 6.1 phone at this point is at serious risk of getting laughed out of the room unless they offer an upgrade path mere minutes afterwards, so we’re hoping that by the time this is on shelves, it’ll either be running 6.5 out of the box or there’ll be an update program announced in conjunction with the release. Otherwise, the display’s absolutely phenomenal (indoors, anyhow) and TouchWiz seems to work as well as it did on the original model, though scrolling through menus got a bit laggy at times — isn’t it kinda weird that a years-old platform can practically max out a circa-2009 device? Check out a quick gallery below.

Samsung Omnia II for Verizon in the flesh, Windows Mobile 6.1 on board originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s matching AT&T tit-for-tat in the race to get the first Windows Mobile 6.5 devices out of the door with the launch of the HTC Imagio, a phone that essentially amounts to a more deluxe version of the Touch Diamond2 with a larger screen, 3.5mm headphone jack, combo CDMA and GSM radios (both with 3G) for global roaming, and a FLO TV tuner to support Verizon’s VCAST TV service. We’ve had just a few brief moments to play with the Imagio so far, but after coming from the Pure — the AT&T-branded model that we used to compile our initial impressions of WinMo 6.5 — it’s a real treat. It looks and feels like a higher-end device thanks to a proliferation of soft-touch plastic (as opposed to the Pure’s glossy cover) and the kickstand is a cute touch, perfect for when you’ve got a few minutes to kill and you want to fire up the FLO-powered tube.

Follow the break for video and more impressions!

Continue reading HTC Imagio for Verizon unboxing and hands-on

Filed under: Cellphones

HTC Imagio for Verizon unboxing and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the Imagio having just launched and the Omnia II coming down the pike, it’s easy to be lulled into the false sense of security that Verizon subscribers will soon have their pick of several high-end smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.5 this month. Sure, the Touch Pro2 runs 6.1 for the time being, but the Omnia II must be hitting with 6.5 at launch — right? Not so fast; WMExperts alleges that when Samsung’s latest US-bound smartphone hits later this month, it’ll have 6.1 loaded, and although a 6.5 update is eventually planned, it won’t come “for a while.” That’s a huge disappointment if true, and it’ll be a tough situation to explain if they’ve got the Imagio launching on the 6th with 6.5 and the Omnia II comes, say, two weeks later with an operating system nearly two years older (not to say we expect the jump from 6.1 to 6.5 feel like two years’ worth of improvement, but still). Heck, we can’t believe we’re saying this, but we think it might even be worth their while to delay the phone by a few weeks if it meant they’d be able to be on shelves with 6.5 from day one — but maybe that’s why we’re writers and not Verizon marketing strategists.

[Via pocketnow.com]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Verizon launching Omnia II later this month — with WinMo 6.1? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Call it a cool idea, call it ridiculous, call it a one-off novelty — whatever the case, Verizon’s unique Razzle will be hitting stores next week. The PCD-sourced handset is Verizon’s branded version of the TXT8030 and features a totally unique twisting bottom half with stereo speakers and music controls on one side and a full QWERTY keyboard on the other. This is a truly low-end handset on account of its 1.3 megapixel camera and forgettable 2.2-inch display, but on the plus side, it’s got microSD expansion and GPS — and there’s the nice little bit about the price, too, which comes in at $69.99 on contract. It’ll be available to order from Verizon’s web store starting the 6th, while brick-and-mortar locations pick it up “later this month.”

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Verizon Razzle starts twisting on October 6 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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