Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Earlier today we saw what AT&T has in store for use device-wise for the remainder of 2008 and now it is Verizon’s turn, and it looks just as exciting as the AT&T lineup.

Beginning in August, it looks like we can expect to see the UTStarcom TXT8010. Also coming in August is the Nokia 2605 Mirage and the Samsung SCH-U440 which are both expected to be released on the 8th, then the Motorola VU30 is expected in mid-August and the Samsung SCH-U430 is expected in late-August.

Moving on from there we also have the Samsung SCH-U310, Nokia 7205 Intrigue and Palm Treo 800w. Finally we also have the Motorola Blaze ZN4, which has no specific date, however it is expected sometime before September 22.

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Yet another leak surrounding the upcoming Treo 800w for Sprint. This time thankfully its not some more blurry camera phone style images, but instead something much more useful, what appears to be the official training documents from Sprint.

And yes, they reveal a few goodies. Aside from the nice images of the phone itself, detailing where everything will be located, such as the large speakerphone on the back, and the Wi-Fi on/off button that is located on the top, there is also the microUSB connector centered on the bottom of the handset.

The Treo 800w will also feature a 320 x 320 touchscreen LCD, will be powered by a 333Mhz processor and is running Windows Mobile 6.1. The Treo will measure in at 4.4.1 x 2.28 x 0.73-inches and weigh 4.94-ounces.

The interesting part comes within the notes section, the first point makes it clear with the simple statement of “MMS is not supported” which is just annoying, of course Sprint does have their own Picture Mail, but what is with the no MMS support. Keep reading to check out the documents below…

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This is where we call out by names the actions and companies that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin crack.  Technology is an odd realm where PR speak doesn’t hold a lot of water if the 1s and 0s don’t line up.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Here is what caught my eye this week: 

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Similar to the BlackBerry Kickstart, the upcoming Palm Treo 800w is becoming a popular handset for early live images.

The latest to show up carries on the tradition of being blurry and well that is really all we can say about it. Based on the image, it looks like it is an early tester unit, which is based on the serial number towards the top right corner that has been blurred out. We also suspect that this will not be the color of the final release.

Real? Maybe, maybe not. I guess we will know for sure if the Treo 800w is released on July 13 as expected.

Via [WMExperts]

Palm announced this afternoon that the Centro will be able to add Google Maps with My Location as early as tomorrow.  The maker also announced an unlocked version of the Centro in white with gray.

Another phone with Google Maps for location and driving directions.  Iv’e said it before, but anyone else feel like something else is coming?  Google has to have given this some thought?  Don’t get me wrong, Google Maps is fun but navigation is missing.  Enough of my blather.

My Location on the Centro will allow users to find themselves with fewer keystrokes and less effort.  The My Location is in addition to all the great things Google Maps brings: traffic, aerial shots and driving directions.  Ok, I can’t take it.  Just driving directions?  Come on Google.  You know where we are.  You’ve got the directions.  How much harder is it to put this together???  Ok, I am over it now.  This is a cool addition for the plethora of Centro users out there (the phone is really cute).  You can download as of tomorrow from here.

The unlocked phone is $299 and retains the same dimensions.  You can find it for sale online here.

Press release [Palm]

Rogers Wireless and Palm have recently announced the Canadian launch of the ever-so-popular Centro.

With a focus on bringing all communication needs in one compact device, the Centro delivers a full-featured package in a cool, stylish and modern design.  Brodie Keast, senior vice president of marketing for Palm, Inc. says,

“More and more people need voice, text, email, web, contact and calendar capabilities all wrapped in one compact device so they can stay connected with everyone who is important to them. Centro delivers all that and more.”

All the applications that have come to be the norm on Smartphones – email, text messaging, news services, picture management, media playback and sharing – come on the Centro, and then some. The full keyboard promotes ease-of-use in typing complete thoughts and sentences in text messages, and it even comes with Google™ Maps integrated. The Palm Centro from Rogers Wireless is packaged with the standard features that we have come to expect; including Bluetooth support as well as a complete line of software to include Documents To Go, HotSync, Pocket Tunes, Web Blazer 4.5, World Clock and a lot more.

Rogers will be offering the Centro for $199 CAD for existing customers and $299 CAD for new customers, both however will require a three-year agreement with a required voice and data plan.

Read [BusinessWire]

Palm has released a new, albeit small firmware update for Alltel Treo 755p users. The new update brings the firmware from version 1.02 to 1.03, which will be reflected as software version “Treo755p-1.03-CDMA” on your phone’s info screen. The update does not offer anything overly exciting, but is still recommended as it does correct a “reset issue that occurs under certain specific and rare conditions.” As always when updating your device, please take some proper precautions and make sure you are backed up first, and of course follow the directions offered from Palm closely.

Read [Update] Via [SlashPhone]

Palm has been getting some much needed traction from the Centro, with the handset now available with Sprint, AT&T and Verizon Wireless here in the US it can only be expected to see good sales, especially with its $99 price tag.

If you remember Palm announced back in late-March that they had sold one million Centro’s and they have also recently announced that they are well on there way to hitting the 2 million mark. According to a company representative, they “are confident we will get there in 2008.”

With a company that has seen (and taken) more than its fair share of criticism, its nice to see them having some success. Its been a while since I have used a Palm on a regular basis, but I would still say I am a fan, and will be rooting for them.

Read [Reuters]

It looks like the full spec list for the upcoming Palm Treo 800w has been revealed. The 800w will be headed to Sprint in mid-July (rumored to be July 13) and then later coming to Verizon Wireless in Q3. While the list seems complete it does have at least one interesting item missing, notably a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. However with a slightly more updated look, this should make for a nice addition to the Treo lineup. Keep reading for the complete specs:

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Verizon Wireless and Palm have officially announced the availability of the Centro, and it will be available in-stores an online beginning tomorrow. It looks like the rumors were accurate on this release, the handset is indeed the blue model, and the release date was correct as well. It was however announced one day earlier than the rumor, which leaves one to wonder if Verizon thought it to be bad luck in announcing an already popular handset on Friday the 13th, of course I would imagine if they were supersticious, they would have pushed the availability up a day.

Verizon will be offering the Palm Centro for $99, which comes after a $70 mail-in-rebate and along with a two-year agreement. It looks like its just T-Mobile that is left out on the popularity of the Centro, as it has already been launched with both Sprint and AT&T in the past.

Keep reading to check out the full release and specs:

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