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BlackBerry Storm shows off in trippy Vodafone promo vid
In what can only be described as the fastest and most exhilarating one minute, twenty-two seconds of our lives, RIM and Vodafone have thrown together a promotional video for the upcoming Storm that touches on most of the handset's high points: mobile music, GPS, desktop-grade browsing, streaming video, expandable memory, and -- get this -- voice and data ("it can do two things at once," we're triumphantly told). Now, bear in mind this is a Vodafone video, not Verizon, so that "two things at once" claim probably isn't going to hold water when you're hooked up to Big Red's EV-DO Rev. A -- but the remainder of the factoids in the flashy, seizure-inducing commercial should apply. Follow the break for the covertly-shot material, if your sensitive eyes can take the kind of sensory punishment that only this much primary color and enterprise compatibility can deliver.[Via CrackBerry]
Das BlackBerry Storm: Vodafone Germany sets up a waiting list
The list of carriers around the world with designs on selling both the Bold and the Storm is a pretty small list indeed. Actually, as far as we know, there's only one name on it right now -- Vodafone -- and a new page on Voda's German site confirms that the Storm is getting ready to unite with its keyboarded sib for a one-two punch of zesty BlackBerry flavor in the coming months. Verizon's presumed exclusive means that we won't likely see a similar lineup materialize in the States any time soon, but even from afar, it's got to give you a warm fuzzy to see two RIM models in a tearful reunion, doesn't it?[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Purported Vodafone BlackBerry Storm screen shots emerge
We've seen most everything about the BlackBerry Storm that Verizon wanted us to see, but this is the first real (clear) glimpse at what the UI is apt to look, taste and smell like whenever it decides to ship. Of course, we'd still caution you to take all of this with a grain of salt until Vodafone comes clean, but the screen shots captured in the read link do look fairly believable. Can you stand any more teasin'? If so, you know where to head.[Via The Boy Genius Report]
Palm Treo Pro now available on Vodafone UK
Business customers in the UK are now invited to sign up for the Treo Pro, beating out shipments of the unlocked version straight from Palm's own store. Pricing ranges from £340.43 (a curious figure that works out to about $624) to free depending on the plan you've selected, and we do like the sound of "free" compared to the $549 Palm charges. Then again, that $549 buys you a phone devoid of carrier branding. Life's about trade-offs, eh?[Via CoolSmartPhone]
Vodafone, O2 to launch the XPERIA X1 in UK and Germany
Sony Ericsson finally came clean with that September 30 launch date for the XPERIA X1 this morning, and now the carrier situation is starting to resolve itself -- as previously hinted, Vodafone will launch the sleek WinMo slider in the UK, and both Voda and O2 will have it in Germany. O2 UK hasn't confirmed anything yet, and we still haven't heard from any carriers in the third launch country of Sweden, but we'll keep you posted over on Engadget Mobile as soon as we hear anything.
Vodafone UK welcomes BlackBerry Bold to its ranks
Ironically, one of the very first carriers in the world to leak the Bold's existence way back in January of this year has ended up not being one of the first in the world to carry it -- but they're really not that far off. Vodafone UK has announced the BlackBerry Bold for immediate availability to its throngs of email-loving corporate types (and not-so-corporate types, for that matter), and even better, it's free on a £35 (about $62) plan with 600 minutes of talk time at 500MB of monthly data for two years. Considering that most larger companies are willing to shell out a small fortune to equip their crews with mobile gear, that ain't a bad deal at all.
Vodafone UK tempts prepaid market with text incentives
The normally pedestrian procedure of re-upping your minute bank just got a little more exciting for customers of Vodafone's prepaid service in the UK, where the launch of the aptly-named "Text Unlimited" promotion offers incentives for topping up. Adding £5 worth of voice over the course of the month wins you unlimited texts on weekday evenings the following month; £10 get weekends, too, and £30 leads to an unlimited playground of messaging nirvana. The service launches September 1, and Vodafone's using the opportunity to tie it in with the prepaid launch of the Sony Ericsson K770i in "Touch of Pink" and "Star Heaven Silver". Whoever thought of the names of those colors should be rewarded with at least one month of unlimited messaging, eh?
BlackBerry Storm 9530 for Verizon gets boxed
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?%Gallery-30626%
Vodafone responds swiftly, but modestly, to iPhone 3G pricing silliness in India
If there's one way to throw a wet blanket on an iPhone launch, it's by pricing the bad boy right out of reach for an overwhelming majority of the locale's denizens. That's pretty much what went down in India, where Vodafone and Airtel kicked off iPhone 3G sales at a numbing Rs 31,000 for the 8GB model -- something like $715 -- thanks in no small part to the fact that the phones are unsubsidized. Perhaps sensing a launch fervor yesterday that wasn't quite living up to expectations, Voda was quick to act by dropping prices by Rs 2,000 (about $46) across the board. Is it enough to ignite iPhone fever down there? The cut doesn't seem deep enough to make much of a difference at the register, but maybe -- just maybe -- Voda's marketing wizards know something we don't.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 scores cameo on Vodafone's site for October release
The uncertainty of trying to predict exactly when -- and where -- Sony Ericsson's beastly X1 would launch has come to be one of the more entertaining dramas in the mobile world this year, but it looks like Vodafone's ready to shut down the rumor mill. The Windows Mobile superphone has now been slapped with an "expected" launch date in October for Voda's UK audience, which means we can probably expect it in at least a few other European locales in the same timeframe. Americans (of both the South and North variety), Asians, Africans, Australians, and Antarcticans, though -- well, there's no telling where you guys stand at the moment, so hang tight.[Via CoolSmartPhone]
iPhone 3G starting at $700 in India, lines to be nonexistent
Though we can't definitively say this will end up being the priciest iPhone 3G this side of eBay, there's a good chance it will be. Word has it that Vodafone will be offering up Apple's latest 8GB handset for a mind-boggling Rs 31,000 ($712), or Rs 36,100 ($830) for the 16 gigger. Why so serious high? Because neither Vodafone nor Airtel will subsidize the phone, and to add insult to injury, there's not even a 3G highway up and running in India. Grey market operators to capitalize in T-minus 3, 2, 1...[Via Cellpassion]
Vodafone Music brings tune shopping to your handset
When one music store on your handset just isn't enough, there's Vodafone. Evidently not at all content with just the Omnifone-provided unlimited service, the carrier has just revealed a more traditional outlet for buying music on one's phone. Vodafone Music comes pre-installed on Vodafone live! handsets and can be installed on a plethora of others. Put simply, the application enables users to search for songs right on their mobile and purchase them for playback -- nothing too complicated about that, right? Hit up the read link to see if your current cellie is compatible.[Via UnwiredView]
Vodafone's 724FM gets FCC approval by way of Huawei
Want an unattractive candybar? Use Vodafone? Can you wait a little while? If you've answered yes to all three of those questions, look no further than the 724FM, a Huawei-sourced piece that has just crossed the FCC's wires on its way to one or more of the megacarrier's networks around the world. There's no indication on when we might see the value-priced (or so we hope) phone come to market, but with a tri-band EDGE radio, Bluetooth, microSD slot, 2 megapixel camera, and a design that only a mother could love, we don't think there's a ton of anxious anticipation building out there.[Via Mobil.cz]
Vodafone UK expects Touch Pro this month
So when exactly is the Touch Pro launching? Unless you're in the UK, we can't answer that with terribly high certainty -- but yeah, you Brits now have a target window to start saving for. Vodafone's online business shop says that HTC's mightiest QWERTY handset is "expected" in August, and while we admit that they could simply be airing out their wishful thinking on their product pages, it'd be awfully poor form to do so. Instead, we suspect HTC and Voda are on the hotline with one another here, and we'd give the window some weight. Now, if any other carriers would care to chime in with their own windows -- preferably in August -- we wouldn't try to stop you.[Via CoolSmartPhone]
iPhone 2.0.1 breaking some carrier unlocks
Uh-oh, it look like it's not just the underground unlockers who're having problems with the iPhone 2.0.1 update's revisions to the 3G's baseband -- Vodafone customers who've paid to have their handsets unlocked are starting to report failures to connect to iTunes followed by the appearance of an "0xE8000001" error code. There are also reports from a handful of other carriers, but Voda's selling Steve's baby in 10 countries, so most of the complaints are from its customers. Other than that, there are some isolated reports of brickage, but we've mostly heard good things about 2.0.1, and our iPhones are definitely feeling a little better -- how about you?[Via TUAW]
Vodafone New Zealand's iPhone pricing taking a lot of heat
So we're getting the impression that there are a lot of Kiwis out there who think they're getting a raw deal from Vodafone on the iPhone 3G. That wouldn't totally surprise us -- they know when they've got an exclusive on a hot item, and they're going to try to milk it for everything it's worth -- but with the Rogers fallout rumors flying, Voda might want to tread lightly here.Anyway, here's out it breaks down: on a maxed-out plan, you get a 16GB iPhone 3G for $349 and pay $250 a month, which nets you 600 anytime minutes, 600 texts, and 1GB of data. That works out to $264 for the phone and $189 for the plan in US currency, so you get a little bit of a break on the phone (AT&T charges $299), but in exchange, you get totally hosed beyond comprehension on the plan. Americans shelling out $149.99 will get unlimited voice, unlimited data, and unlimited texts, for which they'll gladly pay the $35 extra up front we'd imagine -- so yeah, by our voodoo calculations, that's about a raw a deal as any we've seen. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPhone Jonny: world's first iPhone 3G owner (in waiting)
See that guy? That's Jonny Gladwell from Auckland New Zealand. He's special no matter how you define the word. He's camped outside of Vodafone NZ right now which puts him on a path to be the world's first iPhone 3G owner. Of course, there's still time for other Kiwi's to get in line at the Wellington and Christchurch shops which will open simultaneously. A red hot trinity of buffoonery to be sure. [image credit and thanks to Darryl Carey]
iPhone 3G launching 00:01 NZ time, home delivered in the UK
Vodafone just went public with the information you already knew, New Zealand will see the world's first iPhone launch at 00:01 local time on the 11th. That's almost a full day before any New York, propaganda farmer gets his. In the UK, O2 is now taking pre-orders (one per customer) on a first come, first serve basis. Better yet, your new slab of 3G will be delivered to your home on the 11th of July by courier where you can activate it from the digital comforts of iTunes. So civilized.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Read -- O2 UKRead -- Vodafone NZ
Hey Vodafone, Verizon called, it wants its Wireless back
Verizon chief Ivan Seidenberg gave a particularly candid interview with the Financial Times recently, revealing that he'd like to see Verizon take full control of Verizon Wireless -- a joint venture with Vodafone in which Verizon holds 55 percent -- given that Verizon is "doing 100 percent of the work." Zing! Despite saying that Voda's "been a great partner," the bulk of the conversation makes it sound like relations are definitely strained between the two telecom giants, and Seidenberg thinks that once bigwig Arun Sarin hands over the Vodafone reigns to Vittorio Colao next month, "maybe he'll want to do something different." You know, "different" as in "sell off $60 billion worth of Verizon Wireless to Verizon Communications." Also interesting is Seidenberg's revelation that Sarin wanted Verizon to snap up Alltel last year before it sold to private equity firms, but thanks to Verizon's majority on the VZW board, they were able to put the kibosh on the plan, apparently over concerns that they'd end up in a nasty bidding war. Alas, all's well that ends well, we suppose.[Via mocoNews]
World's first iPhone 3G on sale in New Zealand a day before the US
Consider yourself an Apple fanatic? Gotta have the latest and greatest the moment it's available? Ok... prove it. We have it from a trusted source that the world's first iPhone 3G will be on sale at 00:01, Friday July 11th, in New Zealand -- that's still Thursday, July 10th at 5:01 in the AM in Cupertino or 13:01 hours in London. At that precise minute, Vodafone NZ will swing open the doors of its Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch shops to your overeager HSDPA jones. So, now that you know the next move is all yours. Read -- 00:01 NZ time calculated globally
