PhoneTalk

Interested in the latest BlackBerry Bold? T-Mobile announced the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is available today. This is T-Mobile's first BlackBerry Bold and it comes with support for a popular functionality for T-Mobile customers: WiFi calling. Essentially this allows users to seamlessly roam to a WiFi network during calls without interruption when in a weak service area. If you move into improved service area it seamlessly switches the call from a WiFi network to T-Mobile cell phone service. This helps keep calls from being dropped or interrupted.

That's not all the connectivity the BlackBerry Bold 9700 offers. It also has 3G connectivity and built-in GPS. The smartphone comes with a 2GB microSD card for storage of photos, music, videos and documents and will support up to a 32GB microSD card. Two big differences between this model and the BlackBerry Bold is the display, the 9700 is much sharper and the 9700 also sports a 3.2-megapixel camera compared to the original Bold's 2-megapixel camera.

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T-Mobile has always been a fan of WiFi offering cell phones that have the feature as well as a way to make the most of the technology via UMA (a feature that allows users to seamlessly move cell phone calls from towers to WiFi networks) and the company's HotSpot @ Home service. It's no surprise that the recently announced webConnect Jet USB Laptop Stick aims to keep users connected in just about any environment. The USB stick that works with both Macs and PCs is all about getting an Internet connection on the road. The webConnect Jet works with T-Mobile's 3G network, EDGE, or any T-Mobile WiFi HotSpot. Since it's a USB stick you can also use it for extra memory via a 8GB microSD card. You'll need to get a data plan with this device that start at roughly $30 dollars a month. If you travel a lot and need a connection on the road this type of option may end up saving money in the end when you consider the added costs you may incur when connecting at places such as the airport or in a hotel.

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Both Verizon Wireless and Sprint announced availability of the BlackBerry Curve 8530. Both models will sport the new trackpad found on the BlackBerry Curve 8520 that's available for T-Mobile. The trackpad is a lot like the touchpad found on laptop computers, so it's different than the trademark trackball. Additionally the new model will be WiFi-enabled, sport a 2-megapixel camera, GPS and everything else you've come to expect in a BlackBerry smartphone. Both companies will offer the BlackBerry Curve in Black and Violet (see below for Sprint's version). While there was no mention of an availability date from Sprint, Verizon Wireless said they would have it on November 20th.

On a separate note, I look forward to hearing the names people think of to call the Violet version. Anyone have ideas, post them below.

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RIM announced the update to the popular BlackBerry Bold, the BlackBerry 9700 with 3G connectivity. The newest member of the BlackBerry family will sport a trackpad for navigation instead of the familiar trackball. It also appears to be a little more streamline and lighter than the original Bold and instead of the entire back of the smartphone covered with a leather-like back, it has some gripping to keep it secure when placed on a table. Additionally, the Bold 9700 will have a 3.2-megapixel camera (an upgrade from the 2-megapixel camera found on the original Bold). While slightly smaller, the display will be sharp and easily readable in direct sunlight. This model will also support WiFi and the T-Mobile version will support calls over a WiFi network. (Think: T-Mobile's HotSpot @ Home). The smartphone will have 256MB of memory on board plus a 2GB microSD card will come in the box and at time of shipment will support up to a 16GB microSD card (32GB microSD card when available). The new model will be available for both AT&T and T-Mobile before the end of the year.

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The Samsung Comeback for T-Mobile may seem like a typical messaging phone since it has both a numeric and full QWERTY keyboard, but there's a bit more that makes this cell phone interesting. Watch the video below to see what we mean.

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A little over a year ago, the first Android cell phone was announced. Although, there haven't been a lot of new google cell phones released over the past year that's about to change as evidenced by the announcements this week. First, T-Mobile announced the Samsung Behold II, an Android based smartphone that will be available later this year. Verizon Wireless announced a partnership with Google to develop Android based cell phones.

Today, Sprint and Samsung announced the Moment. The Samsung Moment will be available with Sprint's Any Mobile, Any Time plans. The smartphone sports all the features expected including WiFi, GPS, 3.2-megapixel camera, 3.5mm headset jack for listening to music or videos, Bluetooth 2.0, and of course access to Sprint's plethora of content such as Sprint TV and NFL Mobile live. The cell phone will be available at the beginning of next month. Let's not forget, that next week, Sprint's first Android phone, the HTC Hero will be available if you don't want to wait.

What does all this mean? In short, it means consumers will have a lot more choices in hardware if they want an Android cell phone and more carriers will be offering models than just T-Mobile. More choices is always good news for consumers, but it will be interesting to see which smartphone OS emerges as the most popular in the US this time next year.

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T-Mobile announced the latest iteration of the Samsung Behold, named the Samsung Behold II (a.k.a. SGH-t939). There are couple of big differences between the original Behold and the just announced Behold II; namely, the Behold II runs the Android OS (so, it's a smartphone), this model works on 3G networks, and it has WiFi. It also sports Samsung's AMOLED display, which means it has a brighter, sharper screen that also helps conserve battery life. Since this is a Google cell phone, it naturally supports Google Talk, YouTube, and Google maps. However, we should note that although the Behold II has built-in WiFi, it's not UMA-enabled so you won't be able to use it with T-Mobile's HotSpot @ Home service.

The first Behold to hit the market last year featured Samsung's TouchWiz interface for easy customization and a 5-megapixel camera. Both can still be found on the new version of the cell phone.

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The big Motorola news today is a new Google Android phone, the CLIQ, which will be available for T-Mobile's network. The big wow in this announcement is that it seems that Motorola has given the Android phone its own spin and it's called MOTOBLUR. Essentially the MOTOBLUR enhances the Android experience by automatically syncing conversations, contacts and contents. That description doesn't really do it justice. If you want to know all about the MOTOBLUR experience, check out the simulator.

The CLIQ is chocked full of features, as well. First it has a slide-out keyboard and 3.1-inch HVCA touch-screen (that's going to be pretty bright). It also sports a 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and the ability to record video. There's a 3.5mm headset jack for listening to music. For checking e-mail (it supports a ton of options Exchange Server, POP3 and IMAP e-mail, as well as Yahoo! and Windows Live Hotmail) and surfing the web (yes, there's a full web browser), the CLIQ has WiFi and supports 3G. The Motorola CLIQ will be available before the end of the year in two colors: Titanium and Winter White.

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The HTC Dash 3G may run the same OS as the original Dash, but this model has quite a few upgrades that are worth checking out. Most notably: It sports 3G connectivity. Take a closer look at what else it has to offer by watching the video below.

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The BlackBerry Curve 8520 seemed to be built with the consumer in mind. It includes items like a missed call list, a ton of games, and even dedicated keys for playing music. But that's not the only thing that sets this BlackBerry Curve apart. Watch the video below to see what we mean.

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