Rogers is launching both the HTC Dream and the HTC Magic in June of this year, snapping a "cold spell" of Android-lessness up north. The phones will Rogers exclusives in Canada, and it's one of the first spots we've heard of -- other than the fairly inevitable T-Mobile USA -- to be getting the elusive HTC Magic outside of Vodafone. Otherwise details are scarce, but Rogers promises more information soon, and has an online countdown for "the revolution" on June 2nd. How polite.

Liked that blurry photo of a new Palm webOS phone we saw earlier? Well how about some specs, a name, and a better look at this thing? Enter the device above, apparently dubbed the Palm Eos (codenamed Castle... where have we seen that before?), which it seems will be the company's proper follow-up to the Centro -- a quadband GSM / HSDPA phone notably rocking the 850 / 1900 AT&T and Rogers-friendly frequencies. The phone will supposedly be an astounding 10.6mm thin, will measure just 55mm x 111mm (about 2.1 by 4.3-inches), weigh 100 grams, and will tout a 2.63-inch, 320 x 400 capacitive display. Of course, the info we've got right now can't be verified, and since there are a couple of minor question marks here (like barely rounded corners in the OS), you should take it all with a grain of salt... as usual. Needless to say, we're working on getting more details (and some confirmation), so stay tuned!

Update: Oh boy -- looks like we just got the full spec list. And yes, it's definitely coming to AT&T (if it's really coming).

• 4GB storage
• Price: $349 (pre-rebate)
• Camera: 2 megapixel fixed focus digital camera and flash / video capture
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP and EDR, USB 2.0 via micro USB
• Removable 1150 mAh battery (4 hours 3G talk time)
• Messaging: SMS, MMS (picture and video only), integrated IM client
• Contact sync with AT&T Address Book
• MediaNet
• Cellular Video
• Email: POP3, IMAP4, and EAS support
• A-GPS
• Audio: WAV, MP3, AAC, AAC+ ringtones
• Video Playback: MPEG4, H.264, H.263

You Yanks may bang on the Canucks for having to deal with those ridiculous three-year contracts, but every so often, something goes down in the Canadian mobile space that flat-out silences everyone beneath the border. Take this, for instance -- Nokia's white E71, which can only be scored over in Europe and now in Canada with support for native 3G bands, is finally on sale at Rogers Wireless. Oh sure, the only difference between this E71 and the black E71 is the colors involved, but we all know just how important that becomes when exclusivity is mixed in. The pain? $99.99 on a lifetime, er, three-year contract. Sorry, we had too.

[Via MobileSyrup]

What's this little gem? According to a confidential / potentially dubious Rogers document landed by CrackBerry, it might be the BlackBerry 9900 -- or Pluto for you codename-loving types. Interestingly enough, this devices happens to look just like a Storm / Bold / 8900 Franken-Berry that we first caught wind of in October, packing a full QWERTY and a SurePress touchscreen like the one found in the Storm. We can't say for sure this is anything more than a clever Photoshop -- and that little "see page 99" bit on the bottom seems a bit too convenient of a number for our tastes. The trackball's noticeably absent from the four main navigation buttons, so we're already getting a little afraid of having to retain our BrickBreaker skills, but if any of you RIM insiders want to send over photos, video, or even the device itself before the "Late Q3 2009" presumed release timeframe, we'd be mighty glad to be proven wrong.

Update: Like they say, when it rains, it pours. CrackBerry just posted another purported shot, but the possibility of this being real is highly unlikely. Apparently, the mic hole in the original pic is a clear sign that this is just a 'shopped 8800 -- and now in this latest "leaked shot," it's gone. So, chalk another one up for those crazy jokesters that have a little too much time on their hands, because it looks like this one was a bit too good to be true.

[Thanks, Boy Genius]

It seems Canadian megacarrier Rogers Wireless is sponsoring Ottawa's Winterlude Festival right now, effectively incorporating the two things that come to mind when we think of Canada -- ice and BlackBerrys -- into a single exhibit. So much for that warranty, eh?

Chris: "Shortly before being packaged for sale, RIM attempts to remove bugs from the Storm's firmware using a 20G centrifuge."
Thomas: "Camerica explorers surprised to discover cryogenically preserved device with OS superior to Windows Mobile 14."
Nilay: "And you thought the browser was glacial."
Don: "Miley Cyrus' request for some 'iced-out BlackBerrys' didn't translate so well north of the border."
Paul: "The next firmware update is rumored to include a hammer and a chisel."
Jacob: "Must've been one heck of a Storm."
Darren: "I asked for a chilled blackberry martini, and got this."
Ross: "Not to be outdone, Telus has encased a Curve 8350i inside Vanilla Ice. Turn off the lights and his stomach might glow."
Sean: "RIM's metaphorical take on the 'new reality' of modern smartphones"
Joe: "It's a little too big for curling, but it does do SMS."
Josh: "David Blaine: BlackBerry user."

[Thanks, Bryan W. F.]

We're not really sure where to begin with this one, because the awesomeness is so thorough and so intense that we're basically at a loss for words; we'll see what we can do here, though. In brief, a HoFo poster has thrown up what appear to be slides from a Rogers event detailing the carrier's release plans for the better part of 2009, and seriously, if you name a badass handset, odds are it's here. Samsung will apparently be bringing the 8.1-megapixel Pixon, for starters, and Sony Ericsson will be throwing its name into the huge-cam hat with the C905. Turning our attention to Windows Mobile, the X1 is scheduled for release "around August if not sooner," Motorola brings the lowly Q11, and HTC adds the Touch Pro, the Touch Viva (an unusual choice considering HTC's intention to send it to emerging markets), and possibly the Touch 3G. Nokia will be offering the 5800 XpressMusic in the middle part of the year, Moto will be bringing a pair of 5-megapixel phones in the VE66 and ZN5, and finally, it seems RIM is signed up to bring the all-GSM 9520 Storm with WiFi -- a feature sorely missing from the Verizon and Vodafone versions -- and a 3G remix of the 8200 Pearl series flip that'll have a front-facing cam for video calling (yeah, no joke, they offer it up there). So look, AT&T, you have two options here: either crib off this presentation and make it happen, or we hope you get bought by Rogers. Your choice.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Right now, the vast majority of RIM talk is centered around its touchscreen offering, but those firmly committed to its more traditional kit haven't forgotten for a second about the next-generation BlackBerry Curve. We knew the 8900 was destined for a life on Rogers, but we had no idea we'd feel this compelled to head north once it launched. The handset boasts a 2.4-inch, light-sensing 480 x 360 resolution display, 512MHz processor, quad-band EDGE / WiFi, 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS, a microSDHC card slot, removable 1,400mAh battery and Bluetooth 2.0; sadly, the omission of any 3G support isn't in error, and we're certain that'll be a deal-breaker for some. For those who don't mind (you know, those who just "live" near WiFi hotspots), it's available now in Canada from $179.99 with a pathetically lengthy 3-year contract (with minimum monthly rate plan of $45).

[Via BlackBerry News]

Word on the street is that people have suddenly (and rather unexpectedly) started to be able to buy the Curve 8900 on Rogers for $179.99 on a three-year contract with support for the carrier's Talkspot UMA service. Why this wasn't heavily advertised leading up to the release, we don't know -- folks seem to be red-hot for this release -- but at any rate, you should be able to stroll into your local shop in the next few days and pick this sucker up. That eternal question comes up yet again: Curve, Bold, or Storm?

Update: Game on -- according to Boy Genius, the Curve is now listed in Rogers' internal database and retail stores are starting to get stocks. So what's it gonna be?

So we might not have a physical device here, but these packaging renderings are pretty solid evidence of exactly what BlackBerry fans on Verizon -- particularly those jealous of the Bold -- can expect in a few weeks' time. It looks like RIM's first foray into the scary world of touchscreens will be officially branded the 9530 Storm, will be global (it includes a SIM card, after all), and will feature an 8GB SanDisk microSD card preinstalled. Wondering what happened to the Thunder name? Turns out that'll apparently be reserved for the version of the phone launching on Rogers up in Canada and on Vodafone across the pond. Those Storm users on the screen there sure look happy, don't they?

Sure, we've seen John Mayer's, done a hands-on, read reviews, gotten release dates and even listened to the painful Stewart Copeland-provided soundtrack, but today's the BlackBerry Bold's big coming out party on Rogers, and it can be all yours for just CA$399 plus a 3 year voice / data service plan totalling more than CA$45 a month. We should be seeing more countries come online later this week -- anyone taking the plunge?

Well, it looks like that long, painful wait is finally over. According to all kinds of tipsters, the BlackBerry Bold touches down for the first time in North America (in its home country of Canada, obviously) come August 21st (that's this Thursday, in case you don't own a calendar, computer, or have any friends). That's right -- the Bold will land on Rogers (where else?) with a price tag set somewhere between the dark valley of $300 and $400, according to Research In Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie. Reports say the phone will be available from other carriers by the end of the week, though we don't have any definitive rumblings that confirm such heavenly ideas. You'll know more when we do, of course.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We understand the need to catch eyes these days, and while Rogers will certainly not be the first nor last to promote a new piece of kit with an obscenely large version of said kit, this one just takes brobdingnagian marketing to a new plateau. The absolutely gigantic Rogers Bold launch kit includes a plethora of Bold flyers, informational pamphlets and all sorts of other goodies that'll be handed out to prospective buyers shortly. The real question is: who gets to take this thing home once the buzz dies down?

[Thanks, Michael]