It may have already been teased, poked and prodded, but the TG01 from Toshiba still insisted on making a big splash on its arrival to the UK and we were only too happy to oblige and join in on its launch event in London. As you should know by now, this is Toshiba's most significant attempt to date at penetrating the consumer smartphone market, and it's coming equipped with a battering ram named Snapdragon. Head over to Engadget Mobile for the juicy details on the UI, construction and general feel, as well as a neat stash of images and videos of the phone in action.

Is it cooler than Sprint's Snap? That's for you to judge, but whatever the case, Verizon has now announced its own version of HTC's latest WinMo Standard handset. The so-called Ozone features WiFi, global roaming capability, VZ Navigator and visual voicemail support, a QWERTY keyboard (which feels great if it's anything like its cousin's), and a beefy 1500mAh battery that we're betting will keep this thing going all day and then some. The best part, though, might be the price: it'll be just $49.99 on contract after rebate when it launches online on June 29 and in stores on July 13.

We know that Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile are all getting versions of the Touch Pro2, but what about little ol' AT&T? Turns out that device is codenamed "Fortress," and it'll accompany a Touch Diamond2 version known as "Warhawk" to market this summer. The Fortress is actually listed as targeted for May 25, which seems a bit unrealistic -- but we think the document we're looking at is a little stale, so we're sure the inevitable delay has crept into the schedule by now. It's expected to launch with WinMo 6.1 AKU6 (presumably upgradeable to 6.5 down the road) with full HSPA on three bands, AGPS, a 3.2 megapixel AF cam, 3.6-inch WVGA display, and Video Share support. Curiously, the bottom of the slide mentions that a "WM 7.X refresh" is in the works with a September 2009 launch date, which underscores the fact that this slide is likely a little old -- there's no way anything running Windows Mobile 7 is hitting this year if 6.5 will just be coming to market in volume toward the holiday season.

Meanwhile, the Warhawk -- AT&T's Touch Diamond2 -- gets a 3.2-inch WVGA display, dual-band HSDPA, AGPS, and Video Share, but unlike the Fortress, it's scheduled to launch with Windows Mobile 6.5 installed out of the gate. It's targeted for August 24, so we'll see how closely they can stick to that.

The BlackJack II's been looking a little long in the tooth for a while now, and it's been made pretty clear that the Epix isn't the direct replacement -- so what is? Behold the i637 Jack (not to be confused with the... uh, Jack), which has just been made official with a 3.2 megapixel camera and video recording, AGPS, WiFi, microSD expansion, 256MB of RAM, triband HSDPA / quadband EDGE, and the all-too-typical QVGA display. Like its forebears, the Jack naturally features a full QWERTY keyboard; it'll launch with Windows Mobile 6.1 but will be fully upgradeable to 6.5. Look for it in stores on May 19 for $99.99 on a new two-year contract after rebate. AT&T's already got a unit (not to say that should come as any surprise) and they're showing it off on video -- check it out after the break.

They're no F1, but Acer's rolling out a whole slew of Windows Mobile- and Android-powered smartphones this year -- and another gruesome twosome of the bunch is now hitting store shelves around the world. First up we've got the WinMo 6.1-based DX900, which really isn't much of a looker but packs the powerful punch of twin SIMs underneath its homely shell. Most dual-SIM devices top out at EDGE, but the DX900 takes it to the next level with triband HSDPA on top of quadband EDGE; you've also got a 2.8-inch VGA display, WiFi, 3 megapixel AF camera, and GPS, so if you're a two-line kind of individual, look for this one now around Europe and Asia. Next, the X960 ups the ante with HSUPA and 7.2Mbps maximum on the downlink, a revised 3D user interface, and a 3.2 megapixel cam -- it too should be populating Europe and Asia as we speak. Neither unit is going to be blowing minds, granted, but if it's any consolation, we're sure there are a few good hacked 6.5 and Android ROMs waiting for 'em.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Read - DX900
Read - X960

Well, here's one rumor that's looking destined to pan out: the S522, which we'd heard was being readied for availability on T-Mobile, just hit the FCC as the MAPL100 (that's "Maple" for short, the device's codename) bearing 3G on the AWS band. That would make it fully compatible with T-Mobile's HSPA network -- but what we still don't know is whether the device's new Inner Circle service will be stripped from the retail unit like we've been hearing. Either way, this is interesting in light of the fact that HTC has said an unbranded S522 would be made available in the States this summer, so it looks like T-Mob won't have much -- if any -- North American exclusivity on this one.

What the Snap lacks in flair, it makes up for in sheer, unadulterated function -- and having an utterly awesome keyboard certainly helps in that regard. It's easy to pass off HTC's latest portrait QWERTY handset as a bit frumpy from photographs, but trust us when we say that it's totally passable in person (some might even call it insanely attractive) -- think of it as the anti-8900, if you will. Pictured on the Snap above is the configuration screen for Inner Circle, which HTC also introduced this week. There's really not much to it -- you can add email addresses from your address book or from incoming emails, and when Inner Circle is enabled, only emails from those contacts will be visible in the Snap's unified account-agnostic inbox. It's a great idea for shutting out the electronic noise most of us experience in our day-to-day lives, and we're hoping this little feature finds its way to HTC's full WinMo lineup going forward. Follow the break for a video tour of the phone (and pay close attention, Yanks, 'cause it'll be coming your way as the S522 in the next few months).

Since the Excalibur and Cavalier, HTC's shown an unhealthy aversion for the immensely popular portrait QWERTY format -- until now, that is, with the introduction of the rumored 12mm-thick HTC Snap. The Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard smartphone features a 528MHz Qualcomm core, 256MB of ROM, 128MB of RAM, 2 megapixel camera, microSDHC expansion, and the requisite QVGA display, all paired with AGPS, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, WiFi, and HSDPA data. "What kind of HSDPA?" is the next logical question in that progression, and the answer is that you're looking at two versions of the device: one with 900 / 2100 for Europe and Asia, one with 850 / 1900 for North America (interestingly, the North American version won't be known as the Snap -- instead, it'll simply be called the S522). The new device also marks the introduction of HTC's "Inner Circle" feature, which can selectively pull emails from certain contacts to the top of your inbox -- the perfect way to ignore Terry from Accounting who's been on your case for the past three weeks about filing expense reports. Look for the Snap to launch globally this quarter, while the unlocked S522 hits "during the summer."

Kicking off what's sure to be a fun-filled week of announcements surrounding CTIA out in Vegas, AT&T's smartphone lineup just got a little beefier thanks to the official introduction of a couple devices we've been expecting for a hot minute now. First up, the Nokia E71x is just about ready for shelves, bringing WiFi, AT&T Navigator (which hopefully won't preclude the use of Nokia Maps and other GPS-enabled apps), and all of the lauded physical design characteristics you're used to from the original, unbranded E71. The best thing here might be the price -- just $99.99 on contract after rebate, thankfully beating rumors of $200 and $150 by a country mile; it'll hit shelves "in the coming weeks." Next up is the Samsung Propel Pro, a device that shares very little in common with its Propel namesake other than a form factor, mainly because this sucker's a full-out smartphone running Windows Mobile 6.1. It's got WiFi, a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard (naturally) and will be available on April 14 for $149.99 after all your discounts have been applied and your two-year agreement is filed away.

If we had to guess, this is the ROM destined for the Rhodium / Wing II that'll hopefully be hitting T-Mobile later this year, but for now, you're getting it served to you on a drywall putty-encrusted Touch Pro2 for some reason. Or maybe it's peanut butter, cake frosting, or Aspercreme -- we really couldn't tell you -- but we can tell you that no amount of Windows Mobile-induced desire is going to get us to touch this thing without latex gloves. Good news is you can grab the ROM for yourself and install it on something with a little less organic material smeared all over it, or do as the rest of the consumerati do and simply wait for an official release -- however long that might take. Your call.

"Better late than never," so they say. Perhaps -- but with Sprint's version of this in the rear view mirror for half a year now, just how relevant is a Touch Diamond on Verizon these days? Odds are we'll find out next month -- or, at least, that's where the latest rumors have it lined up for launch -- but in the meantime, we've got one floating around in the wilds looking pretty much like any other Touch Diamond you've seen in the past. Like its Touch Pro, it seems Verizon went ahead and nerfed the Diamond's memory down to 128MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM (why is anybody's guess), which only serves to reinforce our concerns that this thing is being launched months too late. We love you HTC, seriously -- but with the Omnia at $99 on contract right now, we're not exactly seeing the line starting to form at 8PM the night before release, if you know what we're saying.

Same story, different company: yet another Windows Mobile ODM has broken down, taken the plunge, and invested some cash engineering its own unique skin for the platform. This time around it's Gigabyte's GSmart division with its "Smart Zone" UI, and to kick it off on the right foot, they're grafting it onto the all-new S1200. We spent some time fiddling with the S1200 at MWC today, and we're actually pretty impressed; it's sleek, a wacky thin 11.4mm, narrow enough to comfortably fit in the smallest hands, and feels pretty well-built -- and with full HSPA and a 3.1-inch WVGA display, it's spec'd with the best of 'em. Gone are Gigabyte's days of chunky plastic, thank goodness.

We talked to Gigabyte about its announcements, and it turns out they've designed both Smart Zone and the S1200 with aspirational feature phone users in mind -- these are people who might not otherwise consider a smartphone because they're worried about sacrificing style and ease of use in the process. To that end, the skin definitely seems to get the job done. The transition animations got choppy in places, but we felt immediately at ease with the swipe gestures for getting to different screens, and the graphics look particularly superb at these resolutions.

The S1200 launches this quarter in a variety of colors (it's fashion-friendly, after all) with WiFi, a 528MHz Qualcomm core, 3 megapixel autofocus cam, a microSD slot to bump up the storage to something more usable than the 256MB built-in, and -- perhaps most importantly -- upgradeability to Windows Mobile 6.5. Follow the break to see it in action!

So, how do you make HTC's Touch Pro -- already near the top of the WinMo heap -- an even beefier device? For starters, you can throw out that nasty VGA screen of yesteryear and up it with a 3.6-inch 800 x 480 replacement. Next, add a dedicated touch-sensitive zoom slider that works overtime to take maximum advantage of said screen, then throw in a few key carryovers: 512MB of ROM, 288MB of RAM, microSD expansion, and a 3.2 megapixel cam. Meet the Touch Pro2, the official follow-up to HTC's popular series of QWERTY sliders that introduces so-called "Straight Talk" technology for "seamlessly" transitioning conversations between email, single-line calls, and party calls. It'll also automatically switch to the crazy high-performance, full-duplex speakerphone simply by flipping the phone over, so it's clear that this bad boy was meant for business. It'll launch early in the second quarter in parts of Asia and Europe with other "major global markets" following in early Summer. Check out a shot of the Touch Pro2 in its fully (and delightfully) articulated position after the break.

It always brings joy to our hearts to see a new UMA-compatible device come into the market, and T-Mobile's revised Shadow from HTC certainly fits the bill. In fact, it's being launched today as the very first Windows Mobile device to support HotSpot calls over WiFi, joining BlackBerrys and a handful of dumbphones on the support list. Speaking of HotSpot dumbphones, the stylish 7510 flip is also hitting shelves today with changeable faceplates, a trick semi-hidden external display, and 2 megapixels of Pulitzer-caliber shooting power around back in addition to the WiFi radio. Nab the Shadow for $199.99 and the 7510 for $49.99, both on contract after rebates.

Read - Shadow (White Mint)
Read - Shadow (Black Burgundy)
Read - Nokia 7510

We've received official word from the good folks at Sprint that the Treo Pro wasn't supposed to be posted today, hence the unceremonious removal of every last trace of the thing within hours of its unveiling. According to the company, the phone will be sold just as soon as it makes it through the "customary testing process," but it's any guess how much longer they think that's going to take at this point. All told, it probably wasn't the way Sprint had hoped to take the wraps off, but let's be honest, we knew this was coming for a hot minute now -- we just want the Buy link, guys. See the full statement after the break.