Amazon offering AT&T’s HTC PURE for $0.01

AT&T’s own on-contract pricing for their HTC PURE (AT&T (NYSE: T)’s branded Touch Diamond2) wasn’t too bad, but it’s got nothing on Amazon’s asking price. Amazon is now offering the just-launched AT&T PURE for just a penny, when purchased with a new 2-year contract through AT&T. Leave it to Amazon to undercut AT&T on a spanking brand-new Windows Phone.

What can you expect for your penny? Expect to get a 3.2-inch WVGA resistive touchscreen, GPS, WiFi, 3G data, Bluetooth, 5-megapixel (autofocus) camera and microSD card slot with your penny’s worth of PURE. Of course, with Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional already installed, the new PURE is noticeably more usable and responsive than the Touch Diamond2 with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional installed. The WM6.5 update makes a significant difference.

Find the 1¢ HTC PURE here. Remember, you’re going to have to sign your life away for a couple year of AT&T-servitude to get the price. Or, as msmobiles puts it, “24 months of misery.”

Acer’s beTouch and neoTouch smarphones officially announced

We told you about Acer’s renaming scheme and it’s happening now. The computer maker turned smartphone manufacturer has officially unveiled its Windows Mobile 6.5 lineup, consisting of two series of devices – beTouch and neoTouch.

beTouch are more affordable handsets and at the moment there are three models in the series – E100, E101 and E200. On the other end, neoTouch only has a single “member” at the moment and it’s the Snapdragon-powered S200 aka F1.

Detailed specs were not unveiled, and the same goes for exact prices. We do, however, know these babies will sell from £159 to £295 ($259 to $481) at retail, unlocked. If some carrier jumps in, expect the pricing to go further down. And yes, we’ll be watching for carrier partner announcements, have no doubts about it…

Windows Mobile 6.5 still a work in progress, WM6.5.1 update brings more changes

The screenshots show the “Start” button has moved from the top row of the screen (the task bar) to the bottom of the screen. The task bar is now dedicated to displaying tasks, notifications and settings – all accessible with a tap of the finger.

For those of you paying attention, the new button layout meshes nicely with the new Internet Explorer Mobile’s interface (which we briefly show in this hands-on video), which lines the bottom of the display with navigation buttons. The buttons also get a refresh with a more modern look and a bump in size for easier finger input.

Is Microsoft looking to bring the Windows Mobile 6.5 UI more in line with their Windows Mobile 7 design philosophy in order to make the transition to WM7 as smooth as possible? Or does Microsoft really have no idea what they’re doing and hoping to somehow pull a miraculously enjoyable Windows Mobile 7 out of the proverbial air?

Whatever the case, Windows Mobile 6.5 shouldn’t have launched until it was really ready to launch.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 clears the FCC

Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE)’s Xperia X2 has been cleared by the FCC. Unfortunately for those in the U.S. who look forward to grab one, this is not the U.S.-centric device. It lacks a 3G radio that sings on either AT&T (NYSE: T)’s or T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) USA’s 3G network. So we’re wondering why the Swedish-Japanese handset maker went through the hassle of approving the device which no one will buy. Maybe they’re counting on Europeans/Asians visiting America. Though there are quite a few people doing so, it’s not the market to count on.

Anyway, I assume the “ready for U.S. soil” version will also find its way to the FCC in no time, when hopefully, a carrier partner will also be announced…

HTC HD2 caught multi-touching itself on camera

Bet you didn’t know the HTC HD2 supported multi-touch in its Internet Explorer Mobile web browser. Well, consider yourself officially put on notice. The HD2 you see in this here video shows the gorgeously slim, yet incredibly well endowed, getting all multi-touchy with pinch-and-stretch zooming on its 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen!

The multi-touch feature seems to be slightly laggy in the video. It’s not clear if the lag issues will be fixed as HTC puts its finishing touches on the HD2 prior to launch. Still, even with buggy multi-touch, the HD2 is high on our wishlist. We had a chance to put hands on the HD2 earlier this month, and we can say that the HD2 is worth putting up with Windows Mobile 6.5 and a slightly quirky multi-touch browsing feature. With a little luck, we’ll see the HTC

Garmin-Asus nuvifone M20 gets a Windows Mobile 6.5 update

In case you’re one of not-that-many people who own the Garmin-Asus nuvifone M20, here’s a piece of good news for you. The company (or that’s two companies) released the official Windows Mobile 6.5 updated for your navigation-friendly device.

The update is already available in some countries whereas others will get it by the end of the year. We strongly suggest you to visit Garmin-Asus’ website and search for the latest firmware. Prior to pushing any “Update” buttons, make sure to backup your data. Once that is cleared, get set for the revamped UI that comes with latest version of Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s mobile OS, along with improved Pocket Internet Explorer, and access to Microsoft MyPhone and Windows Marketplace.

As a reminder, the nuvifone M20 comes with a VGA touchscreen, HSDPA connectivity, GPS, WiFi, 3.2-megapixel camera, and so on.

Palm App Catalog now counts 300 titles

Palm (NSDQ: PALM) seems to struggle to get developers on board. The idea would be to sell the Pre and Pixi in more countries and engage the worldwide developer base, as the current strategy doesn’t seem to work. Their App Catalog now counts 300 titles, which is very, very poor. To be fair, webOS is a brand new platform and I guess it’s fair to give Palm some space, but something needs to be done, nonetheless.

In comparison, Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s AppStore now counts 100,000 apps, whereas Google (NSDQ: GOOG)’s Android Market goes for 10,000. C’mon Palm, start selling your phones in India and China and organize some contest to get some hot spanking apps in the Catalog. We want you to succeed, honestly!

Palm Pre Coming to Mexico, November 27th on Telcel

Back in September we managed to catch the GSM’d-out Palm Pre making an appearance on Telcel in Mexico. All we’ve had up until now was a few videos showing off the Pre on Telcel… convincing? Sorta. Official? Not at all.

Today while doing my regular morning reading, I stumbled upon more Pre/Telcel news via a statement from Dave Whalen, the Senior Vice President of Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Global Sales:

“With the introduction of Palm Pre with Telcel in Mexico, we’re expanding the Palm webOS footprint into Latin America for the first time…We’re steadily increasing momentum for Palm webOS as we continue to roll out products with new carriers and countries.”

So when will the Pre arrive in Mexico? Launch date is set for November 27th. No pricing details revealed as of yet, so stay tuned for more.

Amazon offers Palm Pixi for $25

Cash-strapped webOS hopefuls and deal seekers alike, take note: Amazon is offering Sprint (NYSE: S)’s Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pixi for just $25. The entry-level webOSsmartphone hasn’t been on market for more than a week and we’re already seeing the handset hovering dangerously close to “free with contract” territory. As it stands, Amazon will sell you the Palm Pixi for $24.99 when you purchase it with a new 2-year wireless contract through Sprint.

Remember, though, the Palm Pixi’s entry-level price comes with compromises. The 2.6-inch capacitive touchscreen is smaller than the Palm Pre’s display. The 2-megapixel camera falls short of the Palm Pre’s 3-megapixel shooter. And, WiFi isn’t an option. Still, you get GPS, 3G data, 3.5mm headphone jack, and 8GB of onboard storage.

Dell Unveils Zino HD Mini PC - Inspiron 400

Dell has officially released their Zino HD Mini PCs which can really make your desktop look more spacious, the small form factor and power that can run your HDTVs with the HD capable inbuilt graphics or optional ATI Graphics card makes it a strong contender for the Media Center PCs, and as its a DELL you can also customize it by adding more HDD space, more powerful processor anddedicated ATI graphics, the base model starts at $229 with 1.6 GHz AMD Athlon, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, Microsoft Vista and no Wi-Fi.

Sony Unveils 3D 360 Degree Stereoscopic Display Device Prototype

Sony has developed a new 3D prototype device that lets you view objects and images in 360 degree view in 3D inside of a cylindrical device measuring 10.6" x 5.1", the best part is, images on it can be viewed without wearing anyspecial 3D glasses and from all angles the view is the same. It supports 24-bit, 96 by 128-pixel stereoscopic color images as of now.

Sony is quoting various applications like digital signage, medical studies, virtual pets, digital photo frame, web shopping etc, It will be displayed at the Tokyo’s Digital Contents Expo tomorrow.

Lets hope that it gets into production, not just remains a prototype.

Rumored Lavender Verizon BlackBerry 8530 Spotted in Light Purple Garb

It was, gosh, way back in August when Simon reported on this one. He spotted the BlackBerry 8530 in Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s internal systems, and noted that it looked like a Lavender color option was in the works.
Today, while doing my usual morning rounds, I noticed a pic of said device, and I’ve included it for you above. Nothing game changing here, but it is at the very least good to see the Verizon branding at the bottom… Rumor has it the 8530 (in black and lavender, aka ‘violet’) is going live on Verizon November 20th… Wait… that’s tomorrow! Hold on tight and let’s see what we get!

HTC Hero on Sprint Gets Firmware Update

An over-the-air software update for the Sprint (NYSE: S) Hero is now available, the biggest change being a fix to SMS and daylight savings time bugs. There’s no documented changelog, but if you notice anything different, feel free to drop a comment. If you didn’t automatically recieve the option to update to 1.56.651.2, go to Settings, About, System Updates, then Firmware Update.

Virgin Mobile Canada Launching iPhone 3G and 3GS ‘in the Coming Months’

Today Virgin Mobile Canada released an official statement regarding iPhone availability:
Virgin Mobile Canada will launch iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in Virgin Mobile Retail Stores and online in Canada in the coming months.
I’m not sure if they could have been any more vague… But at least this is an official ‘it’s coming’ statement. My buds over at MobileSyrup believe ‘coming soon’ means February 2010. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case, but would be pleased if it does arrive sooner… I mean, the holidays are fast approaching, you think they’d want to cash in on that?
Pricing on the 3G is expected to come in around $100 for the 8GB and $150 for the 16GB. The 3GS should run you $200 for the 16GB and $300 for the 32GB model. Of course, you’ll need to sign the standard Canadian 3-year agreement too. Ugh.
OK Virgin Mobile Canada… Sounds great. But I’ll believe it when I see it. Bring the iPhone… Bring it!

TELUS Sues Rogers over Ads

Hey, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and AT&T (NYSE: T) aren’t the only ones getting into hissy fits over inaccurate ad campaigns; telus (NYSE: TU) has just launched their own litigation against Rogers (NYSE: RCI) on similar grounds. Shawn Hall,? senior communications manager with telus, said “Rogers has no network advantage and should not be misleading Canadians with false superiority claims,” although those claims were apparently accurate until telus opened up their HSPA network a few weeks ago. In compensation for these misleading advertisements, telus could be seeking millions in damages, although no dollar sign has been set. The tension is definitely building between Canadian carriers now that Rogers doesn’t have an exclusive on the iPhone (and all GSM handsets, for that matter). Combined with their move to shut down wind for not following foreign ownership laws, telus has been pretty aggressive towards the competition lately; way to keep ‘em on their toes.