T-Mobile roadmap leaked, tons of new phones coming soon

This is my next is reporting of a leaked T-Mobile roadmap. Even though T-Mobile is being purchased by AT&T, T-Mobile has no plans on slowing down during this long process.

We are obviously seeing tons of Android devices, some Blackberries, and a few wireless hotspots.  Let's move along by month, shall we.

Starting with June
- 8th - Sensation 4G from HTC, Gravity 2 from Samsung, SGH-T759 "Hawk" from Samsung, and E587 Wireless Hotspot from Huawei.

Moving along to July
- 6th - HTC Doubleshot / myTouch 4G Slide
- 15th - HTC Marvel (Said to be a Wildfire S lookalike.)
- 27th - Blackberry Monza

Moving right along to August
- 17th - Blackberry Bold Touch
- 31st - Blackberry Apollo
- (Unknown) - Huawei S7

Next up, September
- 21st - Nokia Nuron 4G
- 26th - Samsung Hercules

Lastly, November
- 2nd - LG Maxx and Maxx Q

T-Mobile seems to be ready to push out some killer smartphones this year. They has the potential to be come a powerhouse this holiday season, assuming this AT&T buyout doesn't get approved. Speaking of that, any T-Mobile customers out there planning to ditch them if this deal does go through? Let us know.

Hit up the source link, here, to read some information of the Samsung Dupont, LG Optimus II, HTC Bresson, and HTC G-Infinity

Android Ice Cream Sandwhich announced; coming in Q4 of 2011

Google I/O kicked off this morning with the Android keynote, where they announced that Ice Cream Sandwhich will be coming. This will be for both tablets and phones.

While we don't know much about the new OS, details and leaks should start leaking out pretty soon.

This will be released Q4 of 2011.

HTC Flyer stylus will not be included, retails for $80 dollars

Engadget is reporting that the HTC Flyer's stylus will not be included in the box. Anyone who pre-ordered the Flyer mad yet? No? Well you will be.

That stylus is going to cost you another $80 dollars. The stylus will be available on all of them, excluding the Best Buy model.

This has also been confirmed by the HTC PR team. The price of the pen is outrageous, considering the competition's offering is a lot less. The HP Slate 500's cost roughly $22 dollars, if you misplace the one that comes with it.

Anyone else think that HTC is making a bad decision not including it in the box?

FCC allowing you to comment on the AT&T – T-Mobile merger

The FCC is allowing you to provide them with your opinion on the AT&T&T Meger. It's nice that they are letting you get your opinion out there, but is anyone actually reading them?

They provided two options, one for short comments, and one for long documents, such as a PDF. You can find them here - short comments and long comments.

The Proceeding Number is 11-65.

I've already submitted my opinion, and I am totally against this merger. We encourage you to get your opinion out too.

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Seattle, you think your iPhone is faster then T-Mobile’s Galaxy S 4G? Prove it.

That's right. T-Mobile is calling your bluff. If you live in Seattle, and you have an iPhone, Verizon or AT&T, take it in to a participating T-Mobile store on Friday April 29th through Sunday May 1st.

Think you can beat their Galaxy S? They have $1000 saying you can't. If you can, you got yourself a lucky $1000 dollars.

T-Mobile is requiring that you succeed in at least two out of three speed tests. Although T-Mobile has good coverage in Seattle, they aren't the best. See chart below [Credit]

It's a bold bet on T-Mobile's end, but they seem pretty confident. Anyone taking the challenge?

Verizon Wireless announces Droid Charge to be available on April 28th

We've seen tons of hints, showing the device. Today, Verizon announced that the Samsung Droid Charge will be available on April 28th for an outrageous price of $299.99 with a new two year contract.

This is Verizon's first 4G Droid, but it isn't their first 4G phone. Why the Thunderbolt didn't get the Droid tag is beyond me. It will be running Android 2.2, which is a disappointment considering some devices are close to seeing a Gingerbread update.

One nice feature is you can share your 4G connection with up to 10 people.

Again, it's launching on April 28th, for $300 dollars on contract. Anyone else not ready for the era of $300 dollar smartphones?

Apple sues Samsung for “copying” the iPhone and iPad

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has sued Samsung Electronics for copying the iPhone and iPad. While it's obvious that they are mainly directed towards the Galaxy S 4G, and Vibrant, they are also targeting the Epic 4G, the Fascinate and the Nexus S.

Apple's claim states this,

"Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple's technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products."

But, I have to say, if I was Apple's legal team, I would sue Samsung too. TouchWiz UI is very similar to iOS. That's actually why I returned my Fascinate, the software resembled an iPhone so much it was boring to use.

If you were Samsung's Legal Team, what do you think you would do? Try and work out a deal with Apple? What if you were Apple's? Let us know.

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Training begins on the Verizon Droid Charge

Android Central is reporting that training has begun for the Samsung 4G LTE device that was debuted at CES. It of course was not going to keep that name, and we all knew it.

Rumors were started and they settled on the Droid Charge.

It is Verizon's first 4G Droid, and it is very enticing. Wouldn't you agree?

Apple announces Final Cut Pro X

Apple announced Final Cut Pro X today. It was built from the ground up, and it will be shipped with 64 Bit support.

It should be able to handle more then 4 GB of RAM now.

Some new features include a magnetic timeline, people detection, ColorSync (for full color management), smart collections of clips and audio based on custom keywords, and people in the video, and auto image stabilization on import. [IMAGE CREDIT]

Nexus S 4G launching on April 15th?

You can add this to your rumor list.

Samsung rep claims we could see the Nexus S 4G launch on April 15th. I already knew that it would launch before the end of April, and it looks like we could finally see a rumored official date. I would always take any rumor's with a grain-of-salt.

It recently passed the FCC, so it's crossed the biggest road-block.

I wanted to get this out there so if anyone was possibly planning to purchase one of these, (like myself) you could get some kind of idea.

T-Mobile G2X and Sidekick 4G release date and price announced

T-Mobile announced the G2X in March, leaving us to wonder when it would launch. They announced today that it will launch on April 15th for $199.99 after a $50 dollar Mail-In-Rebate.

This is T-Mobile's first Dual-Core smartphone, which also happens to be a pure Androd experience phone.

The Sidekick 4G will launch on April 20th for $100 dollars. Of course these prices are on a 2 year contract.

Anyone picking one of these up?

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Dish Network wins Blockbuster with $228 Million

We are one step closer to knowing what Blockbuster's final fate will be. Dish Network announced this morning that they plan to purchase Blockbuster for $320 million, but they expect to pay approximately $228 million.

The purchase is expected to occur in the second quarter of 2011. They said they are "looking forward to working with Blockbuster's employees to re-establish the Blockbuster brand, as leader in video entertainment"

Blockbuster has a long way to go, especially in a world where Netflix, and RedBox are dominating. Does anyone else agree that it probably would have been easier to just let them end?

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Fring group video now available, letting you sign up for beta access

Fring was an early developer on board for video calling, and now they are pioneering group video calling! They announced this morning that they are letting customers sign up for beta access to the updated app.

It will allow you to perform a call with up to four people. They are allowing a limited number of people in, and they are looking for reports if you find a bug in it.

You can sign up for their beta access program here, and let me warn you, it requires some information. You can also visit their blog here to view all of information.

UPDATE: This is for compatible Android and iOS devices.

HTC Flyer headed for T-Mobile?

PocketNow has received what appears to be advertising information from the HTC Flyer. T-Mobile probably thought they should jump on the Flyer train, based on Sprint's announcement of the Evo View 4G.

Images that show a re-branding of their YouTube page suggest it will be coming to the United States. Sprint is launching their version later this summer, but no release date was given for the possible T-Mobile version.

This will be a nice addition to the T-Mobile tablet family, which include the Galaxy Tab, Dell Streak 7, and the upcoming G-Slate. What makes the HTC Flyer stand out is it's HTC Scribe technology, which allows the user to draw with a specialized pen.

Xperia X10 to get Android 2.3 this summer

Engadget is reporting that the Xperia X10 will be receiving Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" this summer. Sony Ericsson has announced before that the X10 will not receive anything higher then Eclair, but it appears they have found a stable way to port Android 2.3 to that device.

They say it will provide a very similar experience to the Arc, Play, and Neo devices. Needless to say, I am going to have to see an official update rolling out before I will even consider believing this.

Sadly, the X10 Mini, X10 Mini Pro, and X8 are stuck on Android 2.1.

It's All Tech will let you know when the update starts rolling out!

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RIM allowing Android apps to run on Blackberry PlayBook

Research in Motion (or RIM) is allowing their BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to run Android applications. This is quite surprising, seeing how Blackberry OS and Android OS are competitors. Isn't much to know here, the Playbook will run Android apps.

See a copy of the press release below.

RIM Expands Application Ecosystem for BlackBerry PlayBook

- BlackBerry PlayBook to support BlackBerry Java and Android apps

- Native C/C++ development support added, in addition to HTML5, Flash and AIR support

- Support from leading game engines: Ideaworks Labs (AirPlay) and Unity Technologies (Unity 3)

- BlackBerry PlayBook becomes a new market opportunity for all the developers who have already created over 25,000 BlackBerry Java apps and more than 200,000 Android apps

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 24, 2011) - Developers wanting to bring their new and existing apps to the highly anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBookTM tablet will soon have additional tools and options to enhance and expand their commercial opportunities. Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced plans to greatly expand the application ecosystem for the BlackBerry PlayBook. The BlackBerry PlayBook is scheduled to launch in the U.S. and Canada on April 19.

RIM will launch two optional "app players" that provide an application run-time environment for BlackBerry Java® apps and Android v2.3 apps. These new app players will allow users to download BlackBerry Java apps and Android apps from BlackBerry App World and run them on their BlackBerry PlayBook.

In addition, RIM will shortly release the native SDK for the BlackBerry PlayBook enabling C/C++ application development on the BlackBerry® Tablet OS. For game-specific developers, RIM is also announcing that it has gained support from two leading game development tooling companies, allowing developers to use the cross-platform game engines from Ideaworks Labs and Unity Technologies to bring their games to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Support for BlackBerry Java and Android Apps

"The BlackBerry PlayBook is an amazing tablet. The power that we have embedded creates one of the most compelling app experiences available in a mobile computing device today," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. "The upcoming addition of BlackBerry Java and Android apps for the BlackBerry PlayBook on BlackBerry App World will provide our users with an even greater choice of apps and will also showcase the versatility of the platform."

Developers currently building for the BlackBerry or Android platforms will be able to quickly and easily port their apps to run on the BlackBerry Tablet OS thanks to a high degree of API compatibility. The new optional app players will be available for download from BlackBerry App World and will be placed in a secure "sandbox" on the BlackBerry PlayBook where the BlackBerry Java or Android apps can be run.

Developers will simply repackage, code sign and submit their BlackBerry Java and Android apps to BlackBerry App World. Once approved, the apps will be distributed through BlackBerry App World, providing a new opportunity for many developers to reach BlackBerry PlayBook users. Users will be able to download both the app players and the BlackBerry Java and Android apps from BlackBerry App World.

The BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry Tablet OS are built on the QNX® Neutrino® microkernel architecture with a 1GHz dual core processor and a leading OpenGL solution, which allows RIM to make this incredibly broad platform support possible.

BlackBerry PlayBook users and developers who are interested in seeing the new app players for BlackBerry Java and Android apps can see demos at BlackBerry World in Orlando, Florida (May 3 to 5, 2011) (www.blackberryworld.com).

BlackBerry Tablet OS Development Tools

The BlackBerry Tablet OS already supports an incredibly robust platform with support for Web development standard HTML5, through the BlackBerry® WebWorksTM SDK for Tablet OS, and Adobe® AIR®, through the BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR. The BlackBerry Tablet OS is built from the ground up to run WebKit and Adobe® Flash® as well, giving developers a fast and true Web experience to leverage.

RIM is also announcing today that the BlackBerry Tablet OS Native Development Kit (NDK), which is currently in limited alpha release, will go into open Beta by this summer and be demonstrated at BlackBerry World. The BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will allow developers to build high-performance, multi-threaded, native C/C++ applications with industry standard GNU toolchains. Developers can create advanced 2D and 3D applications and special effects by leveraging programmable shaders available in hardware-accelerated OpenGL ES 2.0.

Other features of the BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will allow developers to:

* Take advantage of the QNX POSIX library support and C/C++ compliance for quick and easy application porting and for creating native extensions for both BlackBerry and Android applications
* Easily integrate device events like gesture swipes and touch screen inputs
* Integrate the BlackBerry Tablet OS environment into existing code management and build systems using industry standard Eclipse CDT (C/C++ Development Tools)
* Leverage work done in standard C/C++ to make it easier to bring applications to the BlackBerry Tablet OS
* Find and fix bugs quickly with provided debug and analysis tools

"The response to the BlackBerry PlayBook from the developer community has been exceptional. Our commitment to supporting HTML5 and Adobe AIR development has resonated and spurred developers to create fun and innovative applications for BlackBerry PlayBook users," said David Yach, Chief Technology Officer, Software at Research In Motion. "The upcoming BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK beta will add C/C++ tools to our repertoire and gives developers one of the broadest and deepest platforms to develop on."

Gaming Engines

Building on the power of the BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK, RIM is working with leading gaming and application development technology providers such as Ideaworks Labs and Unity Technologies to implement their native engines and application development platforms. Developers will be able to take advantage of these engines when building games and other applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook.

The Ideaworks Labs Airplay SDK is expected to include support for the BlackBerry Tablet OS soon, making it easy for publishers and developers to use their existing code to bring their games and apps to the BlackBerry PlayBook.

"Supporting a new OS can be a challenge for developers," says Alex Caccia, President of Ideaworks Labs, "however, integration of the BlackBerry Tablet OS with the Airplay SDK makes this a non-issue. We think this is a far-sighted move by RIM: the BlackBerry PlayBook is a great device for games and applications, and combining this with content distribution via BlackBerry App World brings an exciting new ecosystem for developers."

RIM has also been working closely with Unity Technologies, providers of the highly popular, multi-platform Unity development platform and Union, the firm's games distribution service. Through Union, dozens of high-quality Unity-authored games are slated to make their way to BlackBerry App World for the BlackBerry Playbook.

"With a sharp focus on the multimedia experience, very powerful hardware, and fantastic games in the pipeline, the BlackBerry Playbook has all the right ingredients to be a mainstream hit," said Brett Seyler, GM of Union at Unity Technologies. "Through Union, Unity developers have an opportunity to reach a new audience and grow with another great new platform."

Availability

The new app players for the BlackBerry PlayBook are expected to be available from BlackBerry App World this summer. More information and demonstrations of the new app players will be shared at BlackBerry World. The BlackBerry Tablet OS NDK will be available in beta later this year and will also be showcased at BlackBerry World.

Useful Links

For more information on the BlackBerry Tablet OS and BlackBerry PlayBook developing, visit http://us.blackberry.com/developers/tablet/

To see the BlackBerry Tablet OS in action running conceptual applications from The Astonishing Tribe, please visit http://www.youtube.com/blackberry#p/c/8D8C3A23664E6761/5/uH7NKhNyygw and http://www.youtube.com/blackberry#p/c/8D8C3A23664E6761/0/mWJG-sB7H4Y.

For RIM insights into developing for the BlackBerry Platform, visit http://devblog.blackberry.com or follow @BlackBerryDev on Twitter.

Visit the BlackBerry Developer Zone at www.blackberry.com/developers for the latest news, information and updates for BlackBerry developers.

Visit the BlackBerry Developer Video Library at www.blackberry.com/go/developervideolibrary to view a variety of instructional videos.

Sign up for the BlackBerry Developer Newsletter at http://na.blackberry.com/eng/developers/resources/newsletter.jsp.

For the latest news and information about the BlackBerry Developer Conference visit www.blackberrydeveloperconference.com.

About Research In Motion

Motorola to bring “Webtop” to all high end devices

Motorola Mobility's CEO, Sanjay Jha announced that all high-end devices will include  Webtop. He announced this during his web investor conference this morning.

Currently Webtop is exclusive to the Atrix 4G, which is exclusive to AT&T. He also mentioned that the Droid Bionic didn't include Webtop because of time limits. Currently, we have no idea what Motorola's definition of "high-end" is, but we can pretty much guess it will be dual-core processors, and lots of RAM, at least 1 GB.

We were also left to wonder if the Droid Bionic will receive an OTA which will allow it to work with Webtop.

The concept of Webtop seems very interesting, but Engadget notes in their review that "performance is sluggish, the trackpad lacks multi-touch, and it is very expensive."

Any user out there with an Atrix 4G, and a Webtop device? What is your opinion? [Image Credit]

Clearwire is in cash trouble; throttling the reason?

Wonder why you haven't seen Clearwire or Sprint rolling out 4G to any cities lately? Clearwire and Sprint have merged, creating Clear's and Sprint's 4G infrastructure. Clear is in some serious cash trouble, and has not secured future funding.

They are implementing cost cutting measures, which include layoffs, and suspension of additional market roll-outs. Meaning Sprint isn't getting anywhere in this massive, bloody, 4G battle.

I currently am a customer of Clear's, and I can easily guess why Clear is cash-strapped.

Clear isn't completely Clear - I will admit, I can be quite a gullible person, meaning I can trust companies such as Clear. When I signed up, I asked the agent, and several other people if Clear throttled. They, of course said they didn't and told me multiple times that I would not experience any problems with speed, or my connection going down. Well, I believed them, and I signed up.

I have not had any problems with my connection dropping, but speed is a major issue. Clear promises a "super fast" connection ranging from 3-6 Mbps download, and Upload speed topping off at 1 Mbps, with no data cap. Their customer service reps neglect to tell a new customer that Clear will "manage" you.

They do it to provide an "equal experience for all customers."  I don't download much at all, no movies, just a few songs here and there, yet I am the target of their management system, time after time. When I call and complain, I get "It only lasts 3-4 days, you will be alright."  That just adds more fuel to the raging fire.

They say they throttle you down to about 0.25 Mpbs down. On my most recent Speedtest, I received 0.18 Mpbs down.

Now, this might not be the only reason Clear is steadily losing money, but I am sure it plays a major roll in it. Needless to say, I am actively looking for a new ISP, and this time, I am doing some research before jumping on the bandwagon.

As of right now, I will not recommend Clear to anyone. If they get something done regarding their throttling, and their horrible customer service, I would consider changing my opinion.

Verizon’s dropped 911 call leaves someone stranded in burning home

It's a shame when we have to report something like this, it really, really is. You don't hear much out of Verizon regarding dropped calls, but we have recently heard that during some severe winter weather, Verizon dropped 10,000 or so emergency calls.

In one instance, a home in Silver Spring, Maryland caught fire, during that snowstorm that we mentioned above. A kind neighbor noticed the fire, and called 911 on his Verizon device. Or let me say, he tried to call 911 on his Verizon device. He was unable to get through, leaving the 94 year old lady trapped inside. He was able to save the lady, luckily.

After about 30 minutes of trying, he was able to get connected to emergency services.  It seems like Verizon has quite a problem, that needs to be resolved.

FCC Investigating 911 Problems on Verizon Cell Phone Network During Jan. 26 Snowstorm: MyFoxDC.com

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HTC Merge finally official; coming to multiple carriers soon

We sure have seen it a lot in rumors, and Android Central even got a very early hands on with the device. Unfortunately, many of the rumored dates turned out to be false, leaving us to wonder if the Verizon Wireless, HTC Merge was killed off.

Today, we were given the answer. HTC has finally made the Merge an official device. Saying it will be coming to multiple North American carriers in "Spring 2011." We have seen the device leaked on both Verizon, and Alltel. HTC is not a stranger to any of those two carriers.

It is a CDMA device, with World Phone capabilities, which marks a first for HTC. No idea whether or not this will be a 4G device when it hits Verizon.

The specs are pretty much the same that we've seen. A 3.8 inch display, Android 2.2 with Sense, and a 5 MP camera, with the ability to record in 720p. Making this a pretty nice, average smartphone.

Although we are quite happy that HTC has finally made this device official, we are still quite shocked that it wasn't released 6 or 7 months ago.

See the official press release below,

The HTC Merge™ Smartphone Brings Android™ and HTC Sense™ to HTC's First CDMA Android World Phone

BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- HTC Corp., a global designer of smartphones, today announced that the new HTC Merge smartphone will be made available through multiple North American carriers beginning in spring 2011. The HTC Merge smartphone combines a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard with the power of Android 2.2, the HTC Sense experience, a large 3.8-inch touch-screen display and a 5 megapixel camera to create a complete mobile experience for those looking for a truly complete smartphone. The HTC Merge is also HTC's first Android-based CDMA world phone.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110225/SF54676)

"HTC prides itself on creating unique solutions that meet the needs of different customers, and with features like a full keyboard and global 3G roaming, the HTC Merge smartphone is the perfect example of this commitment," said Jason Mackenzie, president, HTC Americas. "Combining the functionality of Android with the HTC Sense experience, the HTC Merge is the perfect device for those customers who are looking for a reliable mobile experience with the features and functionality of a smartphone, whether it's at home or travelling around the world."

Customers will appreciate seamless integration with Exchange ActiveSync, enjoy quick and easy access to Flickr® for sharing and viewing pictures, and find new ways to customize their experience with the Android Market™ with more than 100,000 applications. With a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, customers will be able to keep in touch with friends and family no matter where they are, as well as stay in the loop with Flickr, Facebook® and Twitter™ updates through HTC FriendStream™.

In addition, the HTC Merge smartphone has a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash that captures outstanding images, while 3G connectivity makes sharing those special moments with friends and family quick and easy. The HTC Merge smartphone also comes with integrated GPS, Wi-Fi connectivity and even the ability to capture high-definition 720p video.

Availability

HTC Merge is slated to be available from multiple North American operators beginning in spring 2011.