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An article in the Digitimes has brought some nice bits of news for Motorola fans; the Taiwan based company Compal has received orders for two Windows Mobile smartphones. The phones are currently under the codenames Alexander and Attila. Up till a few months ago, the phones existence had only been rumors and only this week did spy shots appear on different websites confirming that the two phones were fact not fiction. Earlier speculation pitted the phones for release this quarter, but the Digitimes reports that the PDA phones will (probably) be out in Q1 2009.

The Attila is a touch-screen only phone. It has some nice specifications such as Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850MHz/1900MHz/2100MHz), 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 1.8Mbps HSUPA, 1130mAh battery, 2.8″ QVGA 240 x 320 screen, Wi-Fi b/g, Qualcomm 7201A chipset and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional.

As far as the Alexander goes, all that is known so far is that it’s a QWERTY keyboard bearing smartphone. The image is from BGR. The phone looks like it will be taking up a lot of hand space. And why exactly is Motorola focusing on new Windows Mobile phones after promising all of us Android technology on our PDAs? I’m sure they have a very good reason, and if I had the power of telepathy, I’d find out and share it with you.

The BlackBerry Storm has out on the town through Verizon for a bit now, quite a bit, and many people have gotten a hold of it. The Storm is the world’s first touch screen BlackBerry with features that put it in line with all those competing to take the iPhone’s crown. Sadly the Storm fell short of claims and expectations. I’m not some stubborn iFan, but the truth is truth. Not just the iPhone, the Storm wasn’t even able to beat the BlackBerry Curve. So why all these dismal results from one so talked up? Let’s get into why the Storm is so disappointing;

1.      The Software: the software version on the BlackBerry Strom is nothing short of dreadful. It crashes more than it works and this is the key reason users have returned the Storm the very next day. I don’t why RIM wants to throw its glory down the drain, but after building up such hopes about the Storm, this antic was to cry for. The guys at BGR went ahead and suspected a conspiracy theory. It was pure speculation, but with the pathetic condition of the software, I don’t really blame them and kudos to Verizon for clarifying there was no conspiracy and NOT making any offers to update the software.

2.      No Wi-Fi: hello? Who releases a smartphone destined to be an iPhone killer and forgets about Wi-Fi connectivity? We human beings tend to travel you know, and we keep a phone to stay in touch. Some of the less endowed phones have Wi-Fi connectivity, I just don’t get why any manufacturer would want to take away something that’s such a big hit and necessary?

3.      The Screen: the screen on the Storm is, well it’s a basket of buttons. Buttons and buttons and buttons. And get this, to navigate you need to use the physical buttons, then you get to proceed to using the virtual ones. How does that make sense? It just makes the Strom more complicated and messy.  

4.      Weight: the storm is quite a piece of technology. When in your coat pocket…you know something is there. So is that what it should weight? No. Put it on a diet plan RIM.

All in all, considering the beauty that the BlackBerry Curve was, there probably were a lot of people thinking the Storm would be a match for the iPhone, or maybe set a whole territory for itself to rule.

Well, Black Friday is behind us, the so-called busiest day of the year, it’s a pleasure to have things sane again. But the economic recession is still hovering over us, so whether the proverbial profit making day was really all it was trumped up to be is yet to be seen. But as the holiday season has only just started T-Mobile is still spreading the Christmas cheer. This post is to keep you on your toes that T-Mobile will still be featuring some awesome FREE HANDSETS (it was that important, bold and caps!) through mid-day tomorrow. If a new handset is on your Christmas shopping list, you’d want to be in the nearest T-Mobile outlet or sit smartly in front of your computer and click away. All you have to do is open a new 2 year contract and you will be given a choice to pick from three of the coolest cell phones released so far. Two of these phones, the Motorola RIZR and the Nokia 6263 are options for online shoppers only. But the pièce de résistance is the Motorola ZN5 and this baby is available both online as well as in stores. This ZN5 is T-Mobile’s best camera phone and features an awesome 5 megapixel Kodak camera with a xenon flash. T-Mobile is selling the phone for $99, which of course is not bad either, but why spend a hundred bucks when you can get it for free?

Don’t waste the day lounging around folks, you’ll feel left out if your friends show off better Christmas photographs than the ones you took.

We have a financial crises on our hands people, the world all over is going through what the experts call a ‘recession of the business cycle’. The three major automakers of the United States are in big trouble. Why? Because they made what no one wanted to buy anymore. What does that teach us about business folks? The customer is this powerful being that you don’t want to displease. You would think everybody had learned that lesson, but no, one company by the name of Twitter has actually taken away from its customers something they really liked. They have officially discontinued the SMS Tweet updates!!

It’s like going back to the dark ages of clicking the refresh button on a webpage and getting updates. Below is Twitter’s explanation (as if explanations ever win back angered customers)

Unexpected changes in our billing have forced us into a difficult situation with our Canadian SMS service. We can’t afford to support this service given our current arrangement with our providers (where costs have been doubling for the past several months.) As a result, effective today we are no longer delivering outbound SMS over our Canadian shortcode (21212).

The ability to update Twitter over SMS will still be supported over 21212. But we know that this is only part of the experience and we want to make Twitter work in the way folks want … regardless of where they live.

There is a realistic, scalable SMS solution for Canada (and the rest of the world.) We’re working on that and will post more details on the Twitter blog as we make progress.

Qik announced yesterday that its popular video streaming application will now be up and at ‘em on the OS version 4.5 of the BlackBerry Curve 8310, 8330 and Pearl 8130. These were the models that simply weren’t compatible with the version of Qik launched by BlackBerry, and yeah their users were feeling pretty left out. Now you owners of the BlackBerry Curve 8310, 8330 and Pearl 8130 are at par with those of the BlackBerry Bold owners. Share your favorite antics, things your friends you hadn’t captured on camera, etc etc.

The new version of BlackBerry Qik is in Alpha and you can download it right now from Qik’s website.

Firefly Mobile, the leading manufacturer of safe, easy-to-use mobile phones for kids, has launched new Holiday Rate Plans as well as a limited edition of glowPhone bundles. Earlier this month, Firefly had launched a Fly Pack featuring the FlyPhone through Toys ‘R’ Us. Seems like the glowPhone was a sure package to come nearer the holidays since it is less costly of the two phones.

Beginning Monday, Dec. 1, 2008, first-time Firefly subscribers can choose from two new rate plans: 25 minutes for $9.99 or 150 minutes for $19.99. No contracts or access fees are required and the new plans are available to any new subscriber, regardless of where they purchased their Firefly phone.

The limited edition of glowPhone bundles are also there if you want to do some gift shopping. The bundle is specially priced at $59.99 and includes a glowPhone, carabineer and special rubber skin. You have a choice of either blue or pink. If you decide to forgo the bundle and just buy the glowPhone , Firefly is giving away a free headset valued at $15.99.

Both specials run Dec. 1-23, 2008 or while supplies last and are only available on Firefly Mobile.

The Firefly phones are known for their smart parental control features that allow parents to limit the calls that can be made from the phone and, with the flyPhone, even text messages to the numbers that are pre-programmed into the phone. Your budget is also under top control with network’s monthly and pay-as-you-go plans which don’t require long term contracts or activation fees.

The glowPhone, for ages 5-8, features built-in games, full color screen, customizable ringtones and wallpapers and five-way navigation key to scroll through the phonebook or play games.

Available At:

Firefly phones are available at U.S. retailers including Wal-Mart, Walmart.com, Target.com, BarnesandNoble.com, as well as regional mobile phone operators and online at Fireflymobile.com.

Nimbuzz Screen Shots

So Nimbuzz is finally on the Apple iPhone App Store. This means a world of joy for those familiar with and using Nimbuzz, the most comprehensive mobile Instant Messaging, (geo) presence and VoIP mobile application there ever was. The free application allows users to call, chat and message for free on just about every instant messaging and social networks, including Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, Facebook, MySpace, AIM, Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, and more.

Tailored specifically for the iPhone, the application is the first instant messaging product available in landscape mode, IM buddy calling (including Yahoo!), and regional social network support. And of course can we forget that it’s free.

Nimbuzz is also the first application that lets you make IM buddy calls over Wi-Fi to Yahoo messenger, Google Talk, MSN Messenger and Skype. Nimbuzz also supports chat for local social networks, such as StudiVZ, the biggest German speaking social network, Hyves for The Netherlands, and Gadu-Gadu in Poland.

Other key updates include Personal Message allowing users to broadcast real-time status updates to all contacts, presence information to see who is online and where, and emoticons for additional expression.

Nimbuzz currently grows at over 10,000 new users per day, with over 10 Million logins per day, and now iPhone and iPod users are on the list too.

Good news for those who’ve been waiting for E*TRADE to make a graceful appearance on the BlackBerry Bold. E*TRADE has made the release official and the mobile trading and banking application is now fully optimized for the BlackBerry Bold.

Previously, firmware in a few BlackBerry Bold models was able to run the application but that was actually a glitch on their part. Though the application operated fine, but the since the graphics weren’t optimized for the Bold’s huge screen, the user ended up with a microscope in their hands, squinting to see the figures. Now that E*TRADE has fixed it up, the application is a real dish to look at. It fits the screen nicely and has enhanced functionality. The software version for the new one is the same as that of the older, non-compatible one, 1.1.3. Don’t let this worry you, the newer version is definitely an improvement.

Part of the release is E*TRADE teaming up with Wirefly to offer account holders a new Bold for $99 and a 2 year contract. So this means you get the Bold for $50 less than Wirefly is currently selling. Below are screen shots of the new application running on the BlackBerry Bold in all its glory.

For those of you who’re not in the mood for putting extra weight on your Holiday Budget, there’s good news. The BlackBerry Bold which is available contract free from AT&T for a walloping $399.99, is now up for sale online at Wal-Mart for $199.99 after a $100 mail in rebate. So now you can breathe happily and get a new smartphone for Christmas.

The BlackBerry Bold is a state of the art 3G phone with GPS, Wi-Fi, a 2 megapixel camera, a 480 x 320 pixel screen and 1GB of built in memory. A thing to remember is that the BlackBerry Bold is available through Wal-Mart’s authorized retailer LetsTalk. The company runs Wal-Mart’s ordering website, so you’ll have to take a good look at the contract you sign when making the purchase, just in case there are any additional plans you may have to sign up for.

Nokia is out with another phone for it Symbian 40 series. This is the Nokia 6260. This is nice, chic slider phone and brings back memories of the 6220 Classic. The set is jam packed with the greatest features, I mean just about everything you can want from a phone. It’s just not a smartphone. I’d like to read a research study some day that delves right into why some people would everything that a smartphone can do, but just not a smartphone. I guess it’s just one of life’s little mysteries. But the 6260 is cool, no doubt about it. It has s.4 inch display with a 300 x 480 pixel HVGA screen. Very cool.  It will probably be hitting the European market in early 2009, MSRP could be € 299 before taxes and rebates by carriers.

Other specs are;

1.      99.4mm x 46.5mm x 15.4mm, 114g

2.      Quad-band EDGE with tri-band HSDPA/HSUPA

3.      WiFi and aGPS (with Nokia Maps pre-installed)

4.      2.4″ 320×480 HVGA display

5.      200MB internal memory, up to 8GB microSD

6.      5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens

7.      Front-facing camera for video calling

8.      Bluetooth v2.1 w/ A2DP/AVRCP

9.      TV-out and 2.5mm AV connector

10.  microUSB

11.  950 mAh battery

12.  4/6 hours talk time, 370/400 hours stand-by (3G/EDGE)