Listen up all you Palm Treo Pro hopefuls, your pre-order unit is now shipping with Palm's on-line store showing in stock availability. At least one tipster received a confirmation email saying his unlocked, $549 obsidian-black Treo is in the mail. Hell, Palm even did him a solid and expedited the order overnight instead of the 6-10 day standard shipment originally selected. Good on ya Palm.

[Thanks, Matt B.]

We've been awaiting the announcement of the 3G iPhone since, well, the announcement of the first-gen iPhone ages ago. Many were disappointed at that first announcement that Apple's first phone wouldn't take advantage of the fastest wireless network features of the day and felt sure that the company would rectify it later with an updated phone. Now, analysts believe, we're not far from the release of the newer, faster iPhones, and they also believe we'll see some other, cheaper iPhone models as well.

A few weeks ago AT&T's Mobility CEO indicated that the 3G iPhone was coming within three months, and this latest report backs that up. Then there's the rumored "2.5G" iPhone, which will feature the same basic features as the original iPhone in a slightly redesigned package, also at a lower price: between $299 and $349. It's expected that these phones will be announced on June 9, during a Worldwide Developers Conference keynote that Steve Jobs will give, and, in typical Apple style, will find its way to retailers not long after.

So, again, while we'd hate to hinder Apple's plans to sell 10-million iPhones this year, we also say that right now seems like a really bad time to upgrade if you were thinking of investing in one of Apple's wunder-phones. Wait a couple of months -- you'll thank us later. [Source: PC World]

Once upon a time, you were a nobody if you didn't have a Palm-powered PDA holstered beneath your power suit. With BlackBerrys and iPhones getting all the glory, can Palm's new Centro compete? Josh Fruhlinger reports.

The Linux revolution is making a run for the smart phone market. This isn't exactly new news. In fact, Linux started taking off in the cell phone market in about 2003. Major companies from NEC to Samsung are shipping phones loaded with the open source OS, though primarily in China, and Motorola seems to be slowly-but-surely letting Linux take over its hand-held line up. Certain versions of the RAZR 2, the ROKR, the SCPL, and the China-only Ming all run a custom version of Linux designed by Motorola.

The problem is that all of these companies run their own customized, closed, and incompatible versions of Linux. Luckily, two companies are working on open, standardized, and in the case of OpenMoko (pictured above), completely free and open sourced versions of Linux for hand-helds. This doesn't mean much to those of us who can't program, but all those intrepid programmers and hackers out there are usually very willing to share the fruits of their labor with the rest of us.

A standardized mobile Linux would have many advantages. For one, an almost endless supply of applications are bound to pop up, and no convoluted hacking is required (as is the case with the iPhone). Additionally, the low overhead required for Linux means a much faster and more responsive device than anything out there running Windows Mobile. As for Palm OS (which has an oft-delayed Linux based successor in the works), well, it's showing its age and simply unable to compete with the capabilities of a Linux phone.

Wired writer Paul Adams ordered himself a pre-alpha (which means it's just past the conceptual stage) version of the OpenMoko Neo1973. The Neo1973 is currently intended for developers, but anyone can order it for $450. The device is small and rounded on both ends, and features a large bright touch screen. It doesn't skip on other features either, Bluetooth, GPS, MicroSD slot, and globe-hopping quad-band GSM so it can work on all five continents. In essence, these are all the goodies you've come to expect from high end smart phones. Future versions of the phone will feature Wi-Fi as well.

Sadly for Adams, and OpenMoko, the first "tussle" with the Linux-based supposed iPhone-killer was less than smooth, to put it lightly. At first, the phone wouldn't boot at all. Then Adams discovered he had to download the software separately to install on the phone. Once booted, he found the GPS only functioned through obscure text commands from the terminal, and that the phone couldn't connect to his T-Mobile network for some reason.

In the end, Adams opted to install OpenMoko's primary competitor, Trolltech's Qtopia, the more mature, but partially proprietary hand-held Linux variant. After installing Qtopia, the phone worked almost perfectly allowing Adams to send text messages and make calls.

So, OpenMoko's software platform isn't quite usable yet, so we certainly don't suggest buying one any time soon. However, the ability to simply replace the OS on the OpenMoko is certainly an attractive feature. Imagine picking up the latest LG handset, deciding you don't like preloaded interface, and simply downloading a replacement that seems more your style. That's a cell-phone future we can get behind.

From Wired

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The juggernaut of new iPhone-killers continues on a pace with today's official unveiling of the Samsung BlackJack II, which will be out for AT&T by the end of the year. None other than Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer walked his audience through the super-slim smart phone's first public appearance.

The first BlackJack was super-slim and sexy, but ran on that pesky and sometimes glitchy Windows Mobile 5 operating system. The BlackJack II is just as slim and sexy (and comes in two different, two-toned color schemes), but runs on the more powerful and stable Windows Mobile 6.

Compared to the iPhone (and the original BlackJack), the BlackJack II boasts a seriously impressive list of features, including:

• AT&T Video Share, which lets you do live, one-way videoconferencing with other AT&T-Video-Share-enabled phones.
  
  
• Built-in GPS and TeleNav GPS Navigator software that can reroute you if you get lost.
  
  
• A 2.0 megapixel camera that doubles as a camcorder.
  
  
• An RSS Reader
  
  
• World-phone high-speed 3G capability (UMTS/HSDPA) for data, downloading, and Web surfing.
  
  
• An improved speakerphone.
  
  
• Microsoft Direct Push with Outlook Mobile, for faster reception of most types of e-mail (plus over-the-air syncing of contacts, tasks, and calendar appointments).
  
  
• XM Radio Mobile (requires $8.99 per month subscription)
  
  
• AT&T Mobile Music (direct-to-phone Napster, eMusic, and the like)
  
  
• AT&T's TV streaming service.
  

The BlackJack II -- out by the end of the year for $149.99 (with a two-year AT&T contract) -- is just one of many new smart phones to hit the market, but it's the second major one to include Windows Mobile 6, which we have to say we've been enjoying with the HTC Touch we're testing out. More smart phones will be announced in the days to come, no doubt, from the CTIA conference in San Francisco. We'll keep you posted.

How about you? Would you buy this phone over the iPhone?

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• New T-Mobile Sidekick LX and Sidekick Slide
  
  
  

The barrage of new iPhone killers continues on a pace with updated versions of the popular and user-friendly T-Mobile Sidekicks. Though specs and rumors have been floating around the blogosphere for the past couple of months, the new Sidekick LX and Sidekick Slide are at last official and should be available from T-Mobile's Web site and retail stores in a couple of weeks.

True to their iPhone-killing essence, both new Sidekicks are significantly slimmed down, almost to the point of being as slim as the iPhone itself. But unlike the iPhone, these two quasi-smart-phones -- popular with teens, hipsters, and Hollywood types -- have actual keyboards that are among the more comfortable out there.

The Sidekick LX (pictured, above) retains the phone's signature swivel screen, but adds a WQVGA screen high-def LCD, mood lights that flash in different patterns depending on whether you're getting an SMS, IM, e-mail, or phone call, an improved Web browser with better JavaScript support (so more animated Web sites will work), and a custom MySpace app. Out on October 17th for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement, the LX comes in brown or blue.


The black and deep purple Sidekick Slide (pictured, right) eschews the swivel screen for a more traditional slide, but it's got the most sophisticated and sleek looks of any Sidekick so far (no surprise, given that it's made by Motorola, home of the RAZR). It's smaller than the Sidekick LX and has a little bit less battery time (5.9 hours of battery time versus the LX's 6.9 hours). The Slide is out on November 7th for $199.99 (with a two-year service agreement).

Both phones will feature the same cartoonish, user-friendly interface the Sidekick is famous for, as well as built-in, real-time, AOL IM, Windows Live and Yahoo! Messenger support. Also: Bluetooth, support for up to 4-gigabytes (GB) of external memory, and quad-band world phone capability.

The bulky size of previous Sidekicks was a big drawback, so we're loving these new slimmed-down handsets, but we're also a bit disappointed that the built-in cameras are still only 1.3 megapixels. And though the improved Web browser is welcome, it won't make much of a difference since neither device has Wi-Fi, so you'll have to depend on T-Mobile's less-than-broadband-idyllic EDGE network for data.

Then again, the Sidekicks have always been about those easy-to-use keyboards. If you're a heavy text-message- or e-mail-sender, you may want to pick one of these up next month.

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Wow, BlackBerry manufacturers RIM just keep pounding the smart-phonescape with ever newer and more advanced models. Though rumored for a few weeks now, the BlackBerry 8820 is finally official. This new BlackBerry looks and acts an awful lot like the BlackBerry 8800, but has two new key features: Wi-Fi capability (the first BlackBerry to do so), and, UMA (unlicensed mobile access) capability (which means it will be able to automatically switch between cell phone and Internet phone calls, depending on whether or not it's in a hotspot).

Like the 8800, the new 8820 doesn't have a camera, but it does have built-in GPS, stereo Bluetooth capability, and and support for microSDHC cards (which will eventually let you add up to 32MB of extra memory for music and movies).

So this phone has a couple of things the iPhone has that other BlackBerrys don't have: Namely, Wi-Fi, and the capacity for more memory. And unlike the iPhone, the 8820 has built-in GPS (so it will re-direct you should you get lost in mid-route), stereo Bluetooth (so you can use wireless stereo headphones), and picture messaging (one of the biggest omissions on the iPhone).

The 8820 will initially be offered by AT&T "later this summer," according to the press release.

From Research in Motion.

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The much-anticipated Zenum Opus is finally available for pre-order.

The upscale smart phone runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0, sports a full QWERTY keyboard, a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and sweet, sweet, battery-sapping Wi-Fi. Whether the Opus has enough buzz to go head-to-head with Apple's 500-pound iGorilla (oops, we mean the iPhone) is doubtful, but if having a keyboard and Wi-Fi are necessary parts of your cellular life, this could be a distinctive and useful alternative.

Price and actual release date are still undisclosed, but it's safe to assume that if you have to ask, you can't afford it. (That's a good general rule of thumb, actually.)

In the meantime, you can get your Windows Mobile 6.0 kicks with the just-released T-Mobile Wing.

From GeekSugar and Zenum.


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