IBLOG SPACE

There aren't many CDMA Windows Phone 7 phones hanging around the WP7 launch event, but Sprint's 3.6-inchHTC 7 Pro ended up in our warm hands just moments ago. Sadly, HTC didn't have a working unit (no IMDb demos for you!), but we did get to check out the hardware and its extremely comfortable five-row QWERTY keyboard -- with clicky keys, a dedicated number row, and a properly staggered layout for once. As for the slider mechanism, it's quite sturdy, and we're definitely digging HTC 's good old tilt capability, here in its finest iteration yet -- whereas previous devices typically floated the screen somewhere above the keyboard, here the front lipactually sinks into the phone's frame for extra stability and class. That's all we've really got for now as this bad boy won't be hitting Sprint until the first half of 2011

What's been missing from Vertu 's lineup so far? Okay, yes, a touchscreen model -- touché -- but what we were really getting at was a version with a full QWERTY keyboard. The company has started sending out emails teasing a new Constellation Quest model, and while you can't make much either from the included picture or from the Flash-based teaser site you're directed to, it's pretty obvious there's QWERTY involved -- perfect for texting in your bids to Christie's, agreeing to a sale price for your summer home in the Hamptons over email, or letting Jeeves know to have the jet fueled and ready while you're still in the back of the Roller some 45 minutes away. Needless to say, we're confident it'll carry on the Vertu tradition of being overpriced and under-capable, but let's be honest: does a billionaire have the time to figure out how to use a smartphone anyhow?

Windows Phone 7. We came, we saw, we took lots and lots of photos. Today, Microsoft unleashed its global domination plans on the world, and we wanted to give readers some insight into what happens now, what happens next, and what the more distant future holds for Redmond's smartphone play. As we saw today, the WP7 push is going to happen in multiple countries (more than 30), on multiple carriers (more than 60), and involve lots and lots of hardware. Ten devices to start -- all announced today -- and a slew of others likely to follow. Overall, the first approach of Windows Phone 7 into the marketplace looks strong. Microsoft has built a surprisingly solid new OS (which we previewed in-depth back in July), has a strong set of carrier relationships in place, and is introducing hardware that if not revolutionary, is certainly competitive.

We just spent some serious, and we mean serious time with Xbox Live for Windows Phone 7 . Just like your Xbox, this is sort of an amalgamation of "the place you go to play games" and "the place you go to ping and taunt your friends who also play games." Unfortunately, it seems there's a bit of a disconnect between phone-based scores and records and Xbox achievements -- they all add up to the same gamerscore, but you can't easily there are separate charts to pull up your most recent Halo exploits to show off on your mobile, for instance. Luckily, that still puts Microsoft in a better position than any other mobile games platform (until Apple can get Game Center to stop sucking, at least). Being able to message and challenge friends all from the same "hub" where you keep your games is great, and being able to view your avatar and the avatars of friends (you can even play dress-up with your own) is nice gravy on top. Of course, what really matters i

So what if Microsoft's nicest WP7 slate phones all went to Europe and the rest of the un-American world? At least we'll have the HTC 7 Pro , the true Windows Phone 7 workhorse, with its tilt-sliding QWERTY keyboard and compact 3.6-inch size. Well, as it turns out, that device will be available in Europe too! We've just confirmed with HTC that the 7 Pro is definitely headed to the UK and its Euro neighbors, with the current roadmap set for "early next year." It's still too soon to discuss potential carriers, but we're sure our British buddies will be chuffed just to know the handset's coming their way.

Looks like Amazon isn't sleeping on this whole Windows Phone 7 launch shebang. The online retailer has unveiled its pricing for a pair of HTC handsets so far, with the 4.3-inch HTC HD7 costing €599 ($835) in Germany and the 3.8-inch 7 Trophy setting UK buyers back £430 ($685). The Trophy in particular is coming in at slightly below the typical Android handset pricing, whereas the HD7 seems to carry a reasonable premium for its jumbo dimensions and flagship billing. Alas, neither the UK nor the DE portal will let you purchase or pre-order a handset just yet, but considering that the Trophy is expected on November 8, maybe that's not such a big deal. Europe-wide availability for Windows Phone 7 handsets is coming on October 21

Don't let the namesake fool you: these aren't high-end phones, nor are most of the devices in Sammy's Bada stable. Instead, the cryptically-named Wave 525 , 575, and 533 look intent on keeping things affordable with features like 3.2-inch WQVGA displays and 3.2 megapixel cameras across the board. The first two, the 525 and 575, are slates; the main difference between the two is that the 525 is EDGE-only while the 575 adds support for dual-band 3.6Mbps HSDPA. Both are available in your choice of black, white, or pink. The 533, meanwhile, is a landscape QWERTY slider with specs roughly mirroring the 525's -- that is, you won't find any 3G here. The 525 is already on sale in Russia, while the 533 will hit the streets of Moscow later this month; afterward, they'll start to spread out to other markets in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Looking for high-speed data? The 575 will be getting its debut in Sweden (of all places!) before launching

Even though we kind of saw this coming, it's still nice to hear. Microsoft has gone and done the (nearly) unthinkable, announcing this evening plans for a Mac compatible sync client for its soon-to-be-launched Windows Phone 7 devices. According to a statement from the company issued late in the day, beginning some time "later in 2010" Mac users will be able to live the dream along with their PC counterparts by downloading a beta OS X application which will allow you to sync "select content" from a Mac of their choosing to a Windows Phone. The company was short on details, but hopefully we can pry more info out of the big M in the coming days. For now, we can all bask in the shocking open-mindedness of this news, and give the folks in Redmond a golf clap for finally acknowledging that yes, some Mac owners may actually want to get in on the Windows Phone party. As for Hell, there haven't been any reports of recent temperature changes, but we'll keep you p

Come October 18, T-Mobile USA will be shaking things up in the prepaid market with a handful of new options that finally acknowledge users -- yes, even those on prepaid plans -- are gobbling data in droves. Unlimited voice and text with 2GB of data will run $70 a month; the same plan with just 100MB of data will run $50, and for $30, you'll be able to get a pretty interesting concept that includes any combination of 1,500 minutes and text messages plus 30MB of data. For $1.49 per day, you'll be able to sign up for a Web DayPass, which gives you unlimited browsing capability on any data-capable phone; T-Mobile tells us BES isn't currently supported, but that shouldn't be an issue for most. If straight-up data is more your thing, you'll want to check out the T-Mobile Jet (pictured), T-Mobile's first dedicated prepaid data stick. The new modem commemorates the launch of a handful of prepaid data options, including $10 for a weekly allowance of 100MB, $30 for 300MB

Let's be real: almost every phone looks better in white. Okay, so that's strictly a matter of personal opinion -- but if you're a white phone kind of person, turn your attention away from the forever-delayed iPhone 4 and toward a couple that are launching shortly thanks to some new details from Best Buy. Turns out Verizon's whiteFascinate and AT&T's white X10 are both scheduled to hit on October 24, alongside the Dell Streak -- not in white, by the bye -- followed by the HTC Surround on November 8 (which we already knew). Any of 'em can be yours for a $50 deposit. Update : We've been told that the white Fascinate and X10 will be exclusives for Best Buy, at least at first.

It's not quite as full-featured as the desktop version, but it's here nonetheless -- TweetDeck for Android has just left beta with version 1.0. It's fast, fluid and fully functional, and though you're still getting just a single column of status updates in landscape mode, the app can automatically merge streams from Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Google Buzz together for a more unified flow. Get it on the Android Market now, or watch the video after the break to see how it all works.

Whatever else you might say about Nokia, the company knows how to keep a promise. Back in March, we were told there'd be a dual-boot solution for the N900 , providing users of the Maemo 5 phone with a taste of the MeeGo life, and, even though it might have taken a while, that firmware is now on the precipice of becoming available. Mind you, there's quite a distance between offering users the option and supporting the dual-boot experience (which Nokia isn't doing), but given the choice between some MeeGo and complete NoGo, we know what we'd prefer. Hit the source to get fully educated while waiting on the dual-booting PR 1.3 update to drop.

Whatever else you might say about Nokia, the company knows how to keep a promise. Back in March, we were told there'd be a dual-boot solution for the N900 , providing users of the Maemo 5 phone with a taste of the MeeGo life, and, even though it might have taken a while, that firmware is now on the precipice of becoming available. Mind you, there's quite a distance between offering users the option and supporting the dual-boot experience (which Nokia isn't doing), but given the choice between some MeeGo and complete NoGo, we know what we'd prefer. Hit the source to get fully educated while waiting on the dual-booting PR 1.3 update to drop.

Whatever else you might say about Nokia, the company knows how to keep a promise. Back in March, we were told there'd be a dual-boot solution for the N900 , providing users of the Maemo 5 phone with a taste of the MeeGo life, and, even though it might have taken a while, that firmware is now on the precipice of becoming available. Mind you, there's quite a distance between offering users the option and supporting the dual-boot experience (which Nokia isn't doing), but given the choice between some MeeGo and complete NoGo, we know what we'd prefer. Hit the source to get fully educated while waiting on the dual-booting PR 1.3 update to drop.

Whatever else you might say about Nokia, the company knows how to keep a promise. Back in March, we were told there'd be a dual-boot solution for the N900 , providing users of the Maemo 5 phone with a taste of the MeeGo life, and, even though it might have taken a while, that firmware is now on the precipice of becoming available. Mind you, there's quite a distance between offering users the option and supporting the dual-boot experience (which Nokia isn't doing), but given the choice between some MeeGo and complete NoGo, we know what we'd prefer. Hit the source to get fully educated while waiting on the dual-booting PR 1.3 update to drop.

Forget all that Mini stuff, Opera is bringing its full-flavored mobile browser to Android some time very soon indeed. To tempt people on board, the new software will support hardware acceleration for buttering up frame rates while you zoom around at potato-scalding speeds, while pinch-to-zoom will also be implemented in a big O Android browser for the first time. Opera Mini will be partaking in the latter upgrade as well, while Opera Mobile proper is expected to make its debut on the Android Market at some point over the next month. All versions of the "well diversified" OS are supported too! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: Opera has clarified that the first Android beta of Opera Mobile will have pinch-to-zoom and will arrive some time over the next month, but won't be bringing hardware acceleration with it. That'll be a feature for a later date.

We've already established that if you're filthy rich, you probably don't want the same cell phone as common folk. No, if you're looking for something higher end, you'll probably end up talking to Stuart Hughes, who customizes electronics by plating them in gold and diamonds. We've already seen his work on a $20,000 iPhone 4 , but his latest achievement is downright ridiculous. Called the "world's most expensive phone" (we'll see how long that lasts), Hughes made two identical models for an Australian client. Each handset includes over 500 diamonds and totals over 100 karats, and comes in its own special granite box. Its total cost is £5 million -- nearly 8 million dollars. Just don't bother crying when you leave it on the seat of a cab.

The first time Nokia's N8 -00 popped up on our radar was way back in early February of this year. On that chilly, misty morning, we learned of a mythical being capable of shooting 12 megapixel stills, recording 720p video, outputting via HDMI, and -- most importantly -- ushering in the promised Symbian^3 touch revolution. It's been a long road of leaks, teasers, hands-ons, and previews since then, but at long last, the legend of the N8 has become a purchasable commodity. All the early specs have survived, including the 3.5-inch AMOLED display, but the key question today, as it was at the beginning, relates to that all-new software within: does Symbian^3 succeed in elevating Nokia's touchscreen experience or does it drag down an otherwise stellar combination of high-end parts?

We've got a little more detail on those four new pre-orderable phones up in Best Buy Mobile's business this week now that the news has gone from leak status to official, and needless to say, the truth is even stranger than fiction. The Dell Streak will be available for the first time in retail stores for $299.99 on contract come October 24, joined by a white version of Verizon's Samsung Fascinate for $149.99 on contract; those two will be followed on November 8 by the HTC Surround for $199. Here's where it gets interesting, though: the white Sony Ericsson X10for AT&T -- also rumored in our original leak -- will come pre-loaded with "The Essential Taylor Swift Experience," which frankly doesn't paint a picture of the target demographic we'd really expected. But hey, we like surprises! What does her essential experience entail, exactly? Two albums, a new single, ringtone and video content, and access to her new album when it launches on October 25.

Don't expect any improvements in the 1.3 megapixel camera, but the reworked Freeform II from Samsung has at least one thing going for it over the model it replaces: a QVGA display. It seems hard to believe, but ye olde Freeform clocked in at just 220 x 176, so 320 x 240 is certainly a welcome improvement. You've also got nav capability thanks to its built-in GPS, stereo Bluetooth, a media player, and microSD expansion up to 16GB -- and we've got to admit, that QWERTY keyboard doesn't look half bad. It's not showing up on MetroPCS' site just yet, but seeing how Samsung tells us that it's available "now," we'd expect it to show up shortly enough.