T-Mobile Launches Sidekick LX Tony Hawk Edition

Next week, Upnext Wireless will be expecting our limited stock on the special edition T-Mobile new Tony Hawk Edition of the Sidekick LX. This new device features some Tony Hawk inspired paint and graphics, as you would expect, but also includes a few feature upgrades that have not yet been seen on any other Sidekicks. For example, the Tony Hawk Edition has the ability to record video, something that has been long missing from the popular Sidekick line. This limited edition handset will be available first to existing Sidekick users in July, and will be available to the general public sometime "soon" afterwards. Visit participating upnext wireless stores for pricing and details of reservation.

Governors Highway Safety Association's Rules and Regulations

Concern over the increasing use of wireless phones while driving has prompted at least 29 states* to pass various forms of legislation that impact our customers:
• Banning handheld cell phone use by all drivers• Restricting cell phone use only for a specific demographic, such as teens or school bus drivers• Banning text messaging while driving
Studies show that drivers who use hands-free devices, such as Bluetooth car kits and headsets, decrease their accident rate by up to 35%. Upnext Wireless stocks a complete line up of these products. We would like our customers to be safe, on their daily driving.
* Source: Governors Highway Safety Association website: http://www.ghsa.org/

Casio's G'zOne Boulder Comes Smashing Into Stores

Today, Casio announced the latest version of the G'zOne ruggedized line of phones, the Boulder. This dirt- , humidity- and water-resistant clamshell is built for those living active lifestyles. Several features that cater to the active are its integrated GPS, e-compass, LED flashlight, and Push-to-Talk functionality. The Boulder also offers a 1.3 megapixel camera, a microSD card for storing media, video and music playback, Bluetooth, and speakerphone. It will come in either black or orange. No word on exact pricing or availability was provided.

Samsung Blazons Its INNOV8

Today Samsung announced a new Symbian-based phone with an 8 megapixel camera. The INNOV8, otherwise known as the i8510, has quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band 7.2Mbps HSDPA 900/2100 radios, and also has an FM radio, stereo Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and assisted GPS. Its 8 megapixel camera has autofocus, an image stabilizer, auto-panorama shooting mode, and face detection. It can shoot QVGA video at 120fps, and VGA video at 30fps. Its media player supports a range of video and audio file formats and codecs. The INNOV8 has a built-in accelerometer, an optical mouse, and has 16GB of internal memory with an additional microSD slot supporting cards up to 16GB. It has a 2.8-inch LCD and runs Symbian OS v9.3. It will be available in European markets beginning in August.

Sony Ericsson Announces Three New Walkman Phones

Today Sony Ericsson added three handsets to its Walkman lineup of phones. All three feature quad-band GSM/EDGE radios, stereo Bluetooth and FM radios. They will be available in select markets in the fourth quarter.
W902: This high-end, bar-style music phone has many of Sony Ericsson's signature music applications and services, such as SenseMe and Shake Control. It also carries a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and image/video stabilization. It comes preloaded with Google Maps, the Access NetFront HTML browser, and Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync software for mobile email. It also has a scratch-resistant, 2.2-inch QVGA display. It will be boxed with an 8GB M2 memory card, but only supports European 3G networks.
W595: This slider phone shares many of the features of the W902, but downgrades the camera to 3.2 megapixels and loses autofocus. It's 2.2-inch display is not scratch resistant. It adds a Share Jack, for sharing music with friends. It comes with a 2GB M2 memory card, and also supports European 3G.
W302: A more affordable bar-style model than the previous two, the W302 has a 2 megapixel camera and comes boxed with a 512MB M2 memory card. It has a WAP browser, and does not support 3G networks at all.

Verizon Wireless, Motorola Go On an 'Adventure' with the V750

Today Verizon Wireless and Motorola announced the V750 Adventure, a rugged handset that uses EVDO Rev. A-based technology to provide push-to-talk services. The Adventure meets mil-spec standards for toughness and is preloaded with business software, but it also includes mass market capabilities. It has dual displays, a 2 megapixel camera, a 2.5mm headset jack, a microSD slot supporting 8GB cards, and stereo Bluetooth. The V750 can access many of Verizon's V CAST services, including its new Rhapsody music product. It will cost $100 after rebates with new agreement. It is available online and through Verizon's business channels beginning today. It will be available in retail stores on July 28.

iphone 3G mayhem

10:32AM ET: Indeed, depending on what employee you talk to, in-store activation via iTunes is either "slow" or "down" -- but either way, they're handing you the phone unactivated, which needs to be completed by connecting to iTunes from the comfort of your home. Beware: if you're upgrading, your old SIM will be immediately bricked, so you'll be phoneless until you complete the activation!10:21AM ET: We're hearing that Apple's activation servers are having intermittent problems, with lines coming to halt at both Apple and AT&T stores, and that some carrier stores worldwide are sending people home because they can't activate phones. Stranger still, some people are being told that they can "activate at home using iTunes." We're getting more info as fast as we can, we'll let you know.9:42AM CT: Things are wild in Chicago as well -- at least 500 strong at the Apple flagship on Michigan Avenue, 100 at the AT&T flagship on State, and at least 200 at the AT&T store on Chicago. Austin and Andy here started waiting at 3PM yesterday, through some major rain -- that's nerd dedication.

iPhone 2.0 and iPod touch 2.0 released officially

Listen up children, we've got a story to tell. It's scary and exciting and might just turn your iPod touch to fairy dust if you're not careful. The 2.0 firmware is reportedly leaked (and thus cash-free) to those of you daring enough to try. We've been contacted by a dozen netizens who claim to confirm the authenticity. However, at least one tipster reports their iPod touch getting "bricked doing it from pc but mac restore worked fine." What's more, we can't find the file in Apple's XML. Still, most say it "works like a dream," installing goodies from the App Store without problems. While the original download source is now 404, we're sure you can figure out other ways of locating "iPod1,1_2.0_5A345_Restore.ipsw." Ready, go.

iPhone 3G customers sent home unactivated

In a repeat of last year's problems, it looks like the insane demand for the iPhone 3G has taken its toll on Apple's iTunes activation servers -- that's a picture of iTunes locking up in the Chicago AT&T flagship earlier this morning. We're hearing that the servers are now definitely down after being intermittently active for the past few hours, and that customers are either being turned away or sent home from both Apple and AT&T stores to activate at home using iTunes. That's especially interesting since it suggests that AT&T was insisting on in-store activation to thwart unlockers, but for right now the real news is that lots of eager iPhone 3G buyers are stuck with two useless phones, since upgrading from a first-gen unit disables the SIM. Ouch.

humanoid robot

Tmsuk is back with even more crazy humanoid antics, this time demonstrating a shopping robot that can be controlled from far, far away. The modified TMSUK-4 humanoid showcased in Kitakyushu, Japan was actually being controlled by an elderly lady in her home via an NTT DoCoMo video-capable cellphone. Essentially, the technology enabled her to see through the eyes of the robot and presumably control its movements via the keypad. We are told that she was able to successfully browse the hat section and finally make a purchase, but who knows how many innocent bystanders were unknowingly mauled in the process

HTC Launches CDMA Variant of Touch Diamond

Today HTC announced that it is bringing a CDMA version of the Touch Diamond to Canada's Telus. The GSM version of the Touch Diamond was first announced in May. It has HTC's new TouchFlo 3D user interface, along with a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, 4GB of on-board memory, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and GPS. While this particular announcement is specific to Telus' Canadian subscribers, it is not unreasonable to assume that HTC will also offer this same, or similar, phone through either Sprint or Verizon, both of which carry the original HTC Touch.

Verizon Officially Announces the LG Chocolate 3

Today Verizon Wireless announced the new LG Chocolate 3 music-centric phone. The Chocolate 3 is unlike previous Chocolates, which were sliders. The new one is a clamshell, and has a scroll wheel on the outside for accessing and interacting with the media player. It will support the new V CAST with Rhapsody music service recently announced by Verizon. It also has a FM transmitter, can support microSD cards up to 8GB, and has a micro USB port for charging. It has Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and has stereo Bluetooth. It will cost $130 after rebate with new two-year agreement. l

Is T-Mobile's 3G service rolling out nationwide in October?

According to the overactive internet rumor party line, T-Mobile is planning to take its currently limited 3G service nationwide come October. TmoNews claims -- thanks to an anonymous tipster, of course -- that on October 1st, the telco will bring speedy service to 27 of its top markets, including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and Miami, amongst others. Of course, right now this is pure speculation and hearsay, until we get confirmation from T-Mobile (or at least some hard evidence), we'll just have to keep our fingers and toes crossed.

Blackberry Thunder O.S. or Maybe not?

If the old saying that you can't believe everything you read holds true, then it must be doubly so for images you see on the internet. Such is possibly the case in the latest batch of leaked pictures doing the rounds on the old information superhighway. Lately (i.e. today) shots of RIM's new touchscreen phone -- the Thunder -- have surfaced showing off what's supposed to be a new version of the BlackBerry OS (4.7) running its media player. Now we're not saying these pics aren't really real, but what we are saying is that these shots look an awful lot like renders to us, and since no one can verify them beyond an "anonymous source," we're just going to recommend a healthy dose of you-know-what, okay?

Google Enables IM Program on the iPhone

Google has created a version of the Google Talk program that allows users of the iPhone to hold regular instant messaging conversations from the browser of their iPhone. One caveat is that Google Talk needs to be open in your iPhone's browser. If you navigate to another page, your status will be listed as unavailable. You'll become available again once you return to the Google Talk page. Google Talk works with Gmail contacts and AOL buddies. The service is free.