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DoCoMo bringing BlackBerry to Japan
Having already conquered the US and much of Europe, Canada's most famous contribution to consumer electronics is poised to take over yet another Asian market, when the ubiquitous BlackBerry hits phone-mad Japan this fall. Coming hot on the heels of KT Powertel's introduction of the 7100i in South Korea, wireless giant NTT DoCoMo has announced that it is partnering with BlackBerry-maker RIM to offer customers GSM / WCMDA "worldphone" versions of the addictive handhelds -- which is yet another step towards the carrier's commitment of having an all-GSM-enabled lineup within the next two years. Besides the traditional push email functionality that we've come to know and love, nothing is known about the specifics of these upcoming foreign models, like how the pocket-sized BlackBerries will manage to pack in the thousands of keys necessary to represent all those Japanese glyphs.[Thanks, Gina]
O2 releases AKU2 update for Xda Atom
The folks over at O2 have been busy little beavers today, first releasing the HTC Tornado-based Xda IQ, and now posting the Windows Mobile 5.0 AKU update for Xda Atom owners to download. We're sure that we don't need to repeat the advantages of AKU2 again, but since our contracts stipulate that we rehash the deets ad infinitum, we'll remind you that this upgrade adds BlackBerry-like push email through the Messaging & Security Feature Pack (MSFP) along with an improved wireless connection manager, quicker screen orientation switches, and other minor enhancements. Atom owners also get a few device-specific bug fixes with the new firmware, most notably the elimination of the "heartbeat noise" that had apparently plagued some versions of the FM tuner app. For now you'll need your handset's serial number registered with O2 in order to access the download, but it'll probably be just a matter of time before it becomes available on one of the popular cellphone forums.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
HTC Tornado available from O2 as the Xda IQ
As of today, Brits have access to one of the hottest Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphones on the market, thanks to o2's much-anticipated release of the Xda IQ. Better known as the HTC Tornado (or the Cingular 2125 / T-Mobile SDA / Qtek 8310 / Orange SPV C600), this quad-band GSM worldphone sports both Bluetooth and WiFi, a 200MHz processor, 2.2-inch QVGA screen, 1.3 megapixel cam, miniSD slot, and EDGE data capabilities. The best part is that AKU2, with its sweet, sweet MSFP, will be available for download at launch, so customers can get their push email-on right away -- and even their A2DP, thanks to the godsend of a .cab assembled by the good folks over at the xda-developers forum. Even though this handset is already available, our best efforts have been for naught when it comes to finding a price -- a little help, UK readers?
AKU2 for Treo 700w available for download again
Just as suddenly as it disappeared from the Palm website, the AKU2 update for Windows Mobile 5.0-powered Verizon Treo 700ws has reappeared for download, giving Palm customers access to the push email that they've been so eagerly awaiting. According to Brighthand, Palm pulled the original version of the firmware because of a "glitch" that made some users unable to update. Besides the Messaging and Security Feature Pack that enables synchronization with Exchange servers, the Treo 700w Updater 1.10 also includes some minor tweaks to the device's image and video application, and a new interface for the wireless connection manager.
Alltel announces "Office Sync" push email solution
As if there weren't already practically more push email options than capable phones out there, Alltel ("America's Largest Wireless Network," according to their own dubious claims) is throwing their very own "Office Sync" solution into the ring. The software runs on Palm and Windows Mobile devices, and costs $40 a month, which includes unlimited data. Based on the SEVEN push email platform, Office Sync has both a Personal Edition and Enterprise Server Edition, which cost the same, but offer different functionality and integration. [Via MobileMag]
RIM's BlackBerry to battle "RedBerry" clone in China
In a surprising turn of events, China has decided to create a cheap domestic rip off of a popular product. With RIM finally readying the BlackBerry for its Chinese release, after a couple of years of delays, China Unicom has launched a "RedBerry" service that will offer push email to current subscribers on their existing CDMA handsets. Never the type to shy away from copyright infringement, China Unicom issued a press release stating: "The RedBerry name extends the vivid name of BlackBerry that people are already familiar with, and it also combines the new red symbol of China Unicom." Good to know they're feeling chipper about it. So far there's no word from RIM, but if a lawsuit doesn't end this there could be some stiff competition in the low-end between the services since the RedBerry offering sounds to be considerably cheaper than RIM's.[Thanks, Paul]
Hands-on with Samsung's T719
We got a chance to take a good, long look at Samsung's new T719, their SureType-equipped slim flipphone with BlackBerry connect. The 1.3 megapixel camera and slim design are all well and good, but the keyboard is obviously notable for a non-smartphone Samsung device. The BlackBerry integration was so seamless it was actually invisible (emails just showed up in the unified email / SMS / MMS messaging app); the rest of the interface was the usual Samsung UI we've come to know and tolerate like. The handset itself? It was surprisingly light, solid, and the keyboard was bright and tactile. Plus, how can we fault a phone that had "Engadget" in the dictionary (or at least was able to predictively guess our weirdo name)?
