Talk about closing the gate after, long after, the cows come home, but yes, ’tis true, the Treo 700wx has finally gotten a Windows Mobile 6 update. The update delivers support for Microsoft Vista, HTML mail, Office 2007, Inbox search, grins, and lollipops for all. Of course, coming from Windows Mobile 5, this will be a serious day of celebrating for Palm users over at Verizon — and it’s actually surprising that this happened — as the usual response “please upgrade your device” has been passed over. The read link will get you to where you need to be friends, enjoy it, you deserve it if you’re still using this set.

There are certain phones that seem to have the uncanny ability to unite a fabulous cross section of carriers across North America, and these two are clearly headed in that direction. Telus way up there in Canada has launched the Motorola Q9c and announced the eventual availability of the BlackBerry Curve 8330, giving it a power pack of smartphones embraced by a good number of CDMA cousins to the south. (more…)

Virgin Mobiles slowly (and we do mean slowly) moving into the 21st century with its ultra-cheap prepaid offerings; in the past they’ve frequently foregone features most of us consider standard like Bluetooth and external displays in an effort to keep the sticker shock to a minimum, but thanks to the wonders of modern technology, Virgin’s getting close to being able to offer a circa-2008 feature set in 2008. Here we have the Flare courtesy of LG, a glossy lil’ flip that serves up a color screen out front, Bluetooth, speakerphone, and mobile web access for a penny shy of $30 — contract-free. The FCC filing (it’s the LX175) reveals a lack of EV-DO, but seriously, what do you expect for the price?

So what’s more creative, a disposable cellphone or a dual-mode GSM / CDMA WinMo smartphone? Tough call, but it’s a very real question seeing how Hop-on apparently makes both. This here is the HOP2001, a phone with a spec sheet that sounds just a little too good to be true: triband HSDPA 3.6, CDMA (though EV-DO doesn’t appear to be supported), a 3 megapixel autofocus cam, 256MB of ROM and 128MB of RAM, integrated GPS, microSD expansion, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, and Windows Mobile 6 (never mind the fact that the shoddy rendering shows Windows Mobile 5, we suppose). Hop-on proudly proclaims the HOP2001 to be “AT&T / Verizon ready,” though we’ll hold off on proclaiming this one of the most feature-packed WinMo handsets on the market until we see some actual units in use.

Its out. LG’s newest heartthrob — the KU990 — is official and on the way to the UK (likely with Vodafone) this fall. The German IFA show at the end of the month will mark its coming out party seeing the KU990 dressed up in a 5.1 megapixel shooter with Schneider-Kreuznach lens, image stabilization (likely digital), auto focus, 120fps video, and ISO 800 sensitivity. Sure, the camera is nice and all, but this pup is packing a 3-inch, 240 x 400 touchscreen riding on 3G HSDPA data. Hoozah! With a European launch imminent (Sorry, no Stateside details), the wait for the iPhone is suddenly less of a burden, eh?

The wait is over patient Telus P4000 users, the Windows Mobile 6 update is here. After seeing the recent flow of HTC updates, it is grand to see a provider on top of its game and delivering the goods in a timely manner. The update process is well documented and even includes the steps and numbers needed to reprogram your phone’s settings via Over-The-Air Service Provisioning (OTASP) once the update is in. Of course, if you’ve never flashed your handset before, know that all contents of your handset are wiped during the process, so back up any important stuff before you get started. Hit the read link to begin the quest to Windows Mobile 6 glory.

Thinking back to when we first caught wind of it, the turnaround on the ambiguously named VX8550 Chocolate from LG wasn’t that bad — but the same can’t be said of Verizon’s other retail introduction today, the midrange Motorola W385. This thing’s been kicking around as a rumored Big Red device since April at the latest — and yes, we’ll admit that our sense of time is a bit skewed, but that’s, like, forever. Anyhoo, pick up the VGA-cam’d, 160 x 128 screen’d W385 for $70 after all the contracts and discounts have been applied; meanwhile, the VX8500 successor can be yours for a nice, round hundie.

Get ready for a life more ordinary: Nokia just loosed three mid-range phones for all your middle management dreams. The 6267 (€240/$322) clamshell features dedicated music keys, a 2 megapixel camera with flash, 3G data, and up to 4GB of storage expansion you’ll have to locate yourself. The 6121 classic (€260/$349) on the left goes quadband GSM and WCDMA 2100 and “900″ (we presume is a Nokia typo meaning 1900) with HSDPA data and packs in a couple of cameras topping out at 2 megapixels. Bringing up the tail is the budget 3500 classic (€135/$181) candybar which ships with an FM radio, 2 megapixel camera, and about 3 hours of talk time or 12 days of standby. All are expected to ship by Q3 in quiet fulfillment of your prosaic ambitions.

In an announcement sure to make tweens scream and parents sigh, both AT&T and Verizon Wireless have seemingly simultaneously decided to stop featuring their respective kid-centric handsets. Folks interested in Verizon’s Migo will now be shown LG’s 3450L flip-phone instead, as the company claims that its texting abilities and Chaperone capability will lend itself to being an effective youth-oriented option. As for AT&T, its Firefly mobile will now be sold solely online, but there was no mention of what the carrier planned on offering when paranoid parents showed up looking for a highly controllable device in-store. Of course, both of these phones should remain available in other mass market channels for those still interested, but we’re sure your nine-year old kid will be lobbying for something a bit more sophisticated in a few months anyway.

As mentioned a few days ago, Verizon Wireless seems to be prepping for the release of a new dual mode version of the venerable Blackberry 8800, christened the 8830. With this handy bit of tech you will be able to use CDMA radio while in the States (and maybe Canada?) and switch over to that good old fashioned GSM love while abroad. The pic above clearly shows the 8830 in silver, while the images in our last article seem to show it in black. No other solid info is available, but you can be sure we will be updating as the news and details trickle in.

This isn’t the first time we have seen Samsung’s SPH-M8100. Remember, this is that crazy WiBro (mobile WiMax) phone sporting a dedicated RSS key (upper-right button on that Korean keypad). Only now, it’s been slightly retooled for its official Korean launch. Besides the facelift, it appears unchanged spec-wise as a member of Sammy’s elite MITs (Mobile Intelligent Terminal) family of devices. So it still packs the latest CDMA and EV-DO radios and DMB mobile television only now wrapped up in a pretty Windows Mobile 6.0 interface. Bluetooth, 2.8-inch display, and 2 megapixel camera still come standard. With any luck, we might see this rollout on Sprint’s WiMAX network someday,

We feel like we can barely tell the difference between the white KRZR from Moto and the original gray — especially if you squint your eyes a bit — but choice is always good nonetheless, and to that end Telus has added the paler variant to its lineup. Going toe to toe with the K1m in the high-fashion game, Samsung’s u510 has also found its way onto the CDMA carrier (look familiar?) with a 220 x 176 display, 1.3 megapixel cam, microSD slot — something its Helio doppelganger lacks — and touch-sensitive controls. Grab your white KRZR for the same price as its grayer counterpart, $149 CDN — or a u510 for $50 CDN less, $100, both on a three-year agreement.