Hey Sprint, you listening? Granted, GSM doesn't do Sprint a whole lot of good in the States, but swapping a CDMA radio into HTC's first WiMAX effort here would make for a downright mighty response to the Touch HD. The previously-seen T8920 has turned out to be the MAX 4G, an 800 x 480 monster with 8GB of Flash on board, two cameras, an FM radio, GPS, WiFi, triband EDGE, and -- most importantly -- WiMAX support, making it the first GSM / WiMAX handset anywhere in the world. It'll be launching on Scartel's Yota network in Russia, and if you have friends cool enough to have a MAX 4G of their own, calls between the two of y'all will automatically be routed over the WiMAX airwaves using VoIP. A launch date hasn't been announced, but unless you're in Russia, there's probably not much point in even bothering to lust after this one. If you insist, though, you can check out a couple additional shots of the phone over at Engadget Mobile.

Windows Mobile 6.5 was just a whisper on a Motorola phone chief Sanjay Jha's lips two weeks ago, but now that Ballmer himself has confirmed that there's at least one more rev of WinMo 6 en route before Windows Mobile 7 hits it looks like the floodgates have opened -- check out these hot screenshots, one of which seems to have been liberally dipped in Zune sauce. We're hoping that means we'll see some Zune integration with this next generation of handsets, but we're not going to get too worked up yet (cough, Xbox). It does look quite nice, though, and we've got our fingers crossed that this revamp is more than just a pretty new home screen and app launcher -- you're way late to that party, Microsoft. No telling on when 6.5 will actually get here, but Ballms said it'll be sometime next year, so we're guessing we don't have too long to wait.

Update: As several of you have pointed out, some of the icons are a little suspicious -- that "Today" icon is OS X's Home icon, for example. We're hoping this is the real deal and not just a user-made skin, but we wouldn't start making any long term plans here.

[Via WMPowerUser]

Sony Ericsson's long-awaited XPERIA X1 is finally closing in on a US release, and Engadget Mobile has the low-down on the North America-bound X1a. Care to see how this hunk of sexy fared in real-world use? Do you love butterflies and magnetic fields? If you can honestly answer yes to any of the aforementioned questions, grab your reading glasses and head on over.

At long last, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 has a firm date for its launch into the topsy-turvy US market. Those who've been holding off time and again in anticipation of this WinMo 6.1 powerhouse can finally pat themselves on the back, as those rumors of the handset slipping into next year were greatly exaggerated. In fact, SE's doing itself a huge favor by getting this gem into the market place prior to the holiday season, and better still, on Black Friday proper. You heard right -- while most folks are frantically scouring B&M floors for door buster deals, those with copious quantities of disposable income can waltz on over to a Sony Electronics outlet or any of its authorized retailers on November 28th and pick one up. Wondering if this marvel is worth $799.99? Check out our review for a little insight, and peek the full release just after the break. Oh, and before you ask, there's no word yet on a subsidized version for any US carrier.

Well, that didn't take long -- the HTC Fuze just started trickling into AT&T retail stores, and now it's available for sale online as well. Just as we'd heard, pricing is set at $300 after rebate on a two-year contract, which makes the iPhone / BlackBerry Bold / Fuze decision all the more difficult for AT&T customers -- a dilemma we're guessing the suits in Dallas are only too happy to inflict upon the gadget geek masses. So, what's it gonna be?

[Thanks, Marco]

Can't be long now, right? First we had dummies, but these are the real deal, ladies and gentlemen -- a little over five ounces of HSDPA, VGA, TouchFLO 3D, QWERTY, and likely a bunch more letters and numbers we're not recalling at the moment. Retail Fuzes are trickling into stores as we speak, though they're apparently going under lock and key; as far as we can tell, none will be sold until AT&T drops the green flag. In the meantime, Sprint, pimp that Touch Pro of yours as hard as you can, because we're afraid your exclusivity is about to end.

We've all been scratching our heads ever since Motorola name-dropped Windows Mobile 6.5 in a recent earnings call, and at last the ever-reserved Steve Ballmer has come forward to set the record straight: Windows Mobile 6.5 is on the way. The the update is due to hit next year, while Windows Mobile 7 development -- an OS that was never supposed to be the be-all and end-all -- seemingly continues to wallow. As for improvements, there's little to go on right now, though it does sound like the interface might get some work. In all it seems like increasingly little, increasingly late, but we're willing to be surprised, Microsoft.

[Via pocketnow]

So apparently Apple knew what it was talking about after all. Research firm Canalys says that Apple stole the rug out from underneath RIM in the third quarter to become the world's number two pusher of smartphones, taking a hearty 17.3 percent market share compared to RIM's 15.2 percent and Windows Mobile's 13.6 percent. For what it's worth, the firm says RIM could very well bounce back in the fourth quarter with the Bold, Storm, and Pearl 8220 all ramping up in time for the holidays, but either way, number one platform Symbian needn't sweat any time soon; Nokia's baby managed to lose 21.5 percent share year over year, but they're still sitting pretty with 46.6 percent.

How'd Apple manage to steal so much BlackBerry thunder (pun painfully intended)? Part of the evidence might lie in J.D. Power's just-released 2008 Business Wireless Smartphone Customer Satisfaction Study, revealing that suits adore their iPhones, like their BlackBerrys just alright, and despise their Palms. Amusing to us was the iPhone's rating of a 5 out of 5 in the Features category -- the only contender to get a perfect score there -- despite the fact that virtually every other smartphone platform continues to outstrip it for raw capability. Usability, though, well... that's arguably another story altogether.

[Via AppleInsider]

Read - Apple outsells RIM
Read - JD Power rankings

We figured those dummies probably meant something good was about to happen, and sure enough, evidence is building that we're just days away from an official Fuze release. Boy Genius Report has been ever so graciously provided with documentation suggesting that we'll see HTC's latest WinMo greatness on AT&T shelves come November 11 (just a day after the Quickfire) for $299.99 after contract and rebate discounts have been applied -- or a solid $499.99 if you want to kick it commitment-free. That pricing is right in line with the Bold, making for an interesting, drama-rich showdown heading into the end of the year. Fight!

Sprint beat 'em with the Touch Pro, but that doesn't mean a throng of AT&T customers aren't going to be delighted to hear that the Fuze is now shipping to stores -- sort of. Retail locations are receiving dummy Fuzes now, which don't do much good if you're trying to store contacts, make appointments, or place calls, but at least give us a solid indication that retail availability ain't too far off. Sorry, Tilt -- you had a good run, but our lust definitely lies elsewhere at this point.

It's not apt to ever go on sale in America (okay, so maybe there's a sliver of a sliver of a chance), but HTC's Touch HD is now on sale for fortunate Britons with a fair amount of poundage to spare. The drop-dead gorgeous WinMo 6.1 handset can be procured right now for £514.99 ($821) sans contract, but if you're a North American mulling an import, you should obviously tack on a few more bills to that. You're still mulling, aren't you?

[Via MoDaCo]

Ugh, it looks like Thursday is shaping up to be another sad Moto day. The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that Sanjay Jha, former Qualcomm exec and Motorola co-CEO tasked with resurrecting Motorola's mobile-devices division, is about to slash jobs in an effort to bring costs and production under control. Though obviously unwelcome news, it likely won't come as a surprise to employees since Jha reportedly told them that Motorola has two to three times as many employees working on individual projects compared to its competitors. Cuts will likely number in the "thousands," according to the WSJ's sources, and could come as early as Thursday when Motorola announces earnings... or more likely, lack thereof. Motorola has already shed 10,000 jobs since the start of 2007. In addition to job cuts, Jha plans to "scrap dozens of phone designs" while scaling back its mobile-OS inventory from more than a half-dozen to just three: Android for multi-media and Internet showcase phones, Windows Mobile for ho-hum business devices, and its own P2K for low-end phones. Moto will likely outsource at least some of its WinMo phone production as well. As to his motivation: $100 million and 3 percent stock if Mr. Jha manages to spin-out the mobile devices division into an independent company by late 2010. $30 million if he fails. Win-win, eh Sanjay?

Locked in a footrace with AT&T's Fuze to become the first US national carrier to launch a variant of the HTC Touch Pro, Sprint has announced that folks can start ordering the QWERTY smartphone this week from "select national retailers," making good on a promise made at CTIA last month. That's not quite as cool as a full-scale launch, but at least we'll start to get 'em in the wild in the next few days -- meanwhile, a more full-scale, fanfare-filled launch is planned for November 2 when the Touch Pro is made available online, via phone, and in all Sprint stores. Any Touch Diamond buyers feeling lingering regrets right about now?

Microsoft's Robbie Bach feigned an uninterested yawn at Apple's 6.9 million iPhones figure in an interview with BusinessWeek the other day. He wasn't particularly insulting of the product, but didn't think the number means too much in the long run. "Apple had a big launch of a new product, and they launched at scale in a lot of new countries with a lot of new [wireless] operators. This quarter, RIM is having its big launch, and at some point we'll have our big launch. We'll have to see where things normalize." While that statement is encouraging for the fact that it semi-implies that Windows Mobile 7 is supposed to be released at "some point," we're not sure we're picking up what Robbie is putting down -- 6.9 million of a single device seems to imply a bit more than "launch buzz." Things devolved quickly when Bach started spouting about how carriers want a balanced ecosystem. That may be true, but consumers are the ones that buy the phones, and if their RAZR buying habits are any indication, "ecosystem" isn't their top priority.

[Via Electronista]

It's already been floating around for a day or two, but Samsung and AT&T have decided to go ahead and follow up their latest WinMo smartphone's release to stores with... oh, you know, some actual press material. The i907 Epix rundown goes something like this: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2-megapixel cam, AGPS with AT&T Navigator, Video Share support, 320 x 320 2.5-inch touchscreen display, and one of those crazy "optical mice" for on-screen navigation when using the touchscreen itself is just too much trouble. Get it now (or yesterday, if you were really on the ball) for $99.99 on a two-year contract.