So we might not have a physical device here, but these packaging renderings are pretty solid evidence of exactly what BlackBerry fans on Verizon -- particularly those jealous of the Bold -- can expect in a few weeks' time. It looks like RIM's first foray into the scary world of touchscreens will be officially branded the 9530 Storm, will be global (it includes a SIM card, after all), and will feature an 8GB SanDisk microSD card preinstalled. Wondering what happened to the Thunder name? Turns out that'll apparently be reserved for the version of the phone launching on Rogers up in Canada and on Vodafone across the pond. Those Storm users on the screen there sure look happy, don't they?

Oh, Nuvifone, how you disappoint us. Over here at IFA we just managed to get a Garmin rep to whip out his Nuvifone prototype for a quick look, but sadly, almost a year after the device was first announced, there really wasn't anything new to see. We still aren't allowed to take video of the interface, or really see much of the phone other than the home screen, and when the rep tried to show us how the Nuvifone kicks the iPhone's ass in navigation, the Nuvi promptly crashed -- so at least those two have that in common. Not that we should be surprised, Garmin mentioned last month that the phone had been delayed into 2009, but we're quickly running out of patience, as well as any scrap of remaining hope for this thing to actually matter when it does arrive. Peep the gallery for a little bit of iPhone 3G versus action.

Well, here's one we didn't see coming: it seems that AT&T has wised up to the fact that Americans like their Symbian (well, at least a few of 'em do, anyway) and wants to keep S60-equipped options on the table. Yes, granted, AT&T is a founding member of the Symbian Foundation, but the proof is in the pudding, and the last Nokia smartphone to land there was the N75 in May of last year -- an eternity by mobile standards. More recently, the N75 grew up, got sexy, picked up some brushed metal, and emerged in Europe as the 6550; now, it's surprisingly and unexpectedly been retooled as the 6650 for North American 3G spectrum. It's got a 2.2-inch QVGA primary display, 160 x 128 secondary, 2-megapixel cam, AT&T Navigator (which means GPS), push-to-talk support, and HSDPA 850 / 1900 to compliment quadband EDGE. We don't know exactly when it's coming, but for S60 fans who cringe at the thought of having to blow several hundred on an unlocked set every time they want some fresh hardware, this should be welcome news.

[Thanks, Al and Oscar M.]

For many of us, the mere thought of toting yet another device in our pocket, purse, or belt holster is truly disgusting, particularly when said device resembles a primitive BlackBerry hewn from solid stone and does literally nothing but send and receive email for twenty bucks a month. For others, though, the Peek might be just what the doctor ordered. Laptop Magazine took a quick look at the $100 email-only brick, declaring it "dead simple" to use -- a good thing, considering its target demo -- and finding its expansive soft-touch keyboard easy on the fingers. As ugly as it might be, it'll be easy enough to hide; Laptop says users will have no issues tucking it into a pocket, owing in no small part to the fact that it's a full 30 percent thinner than the iPhone 3G. Still, we're going to like 'em ten times better when they're hacked to run Android, Doom, Maemo, or pretty much anything else that ends in "ux."

Update: Gadling's got a hands-on with the Peek as well and expects to post a full review in the next few days. Have a... peek, why don't you?

Following new plans geared to the decidedly less fruity phones in AT&T's lineup earlier this month, the carrier has announced a pair of international data packages geared specifically toward the iPhone and iPhone 3G. The bad news is that they still cost more than the average subscriber's entire monthly bill; the good news, though, is that they should still manage to save globetrotters a buck or two (or a thousand) who insist on keeping data roaming enabled while out in the field. 100MB of global data is going to set you back $119.99 on top of your regular package, while 200MB runs $199.99 -- certainly not enough to go crazy in the App Store, but probably enough of a meager allowance to take care of email and stay on the grid. The new plans are available starting tomorrow.

Looking for the Touch Pro in a slightly less conspicuous package? HTC (who else?) thinks it has the answer in the S740, the first thorough revamp of the S710 of old. The basic concept is the same -- wrap Windows Mobile Standard into a candybar package with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard -- but the S740 takes design cues from the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro for a thoroughly 2008-ish look. The feature list has naturally been refreshed, too, with 7.2Mbps HSDPA on the 900 and 2100MHz bands (read: screw you, North Americans), quadband EDGE, a 3.2-megapixel fixed focus cam, WiFi, GPS, and a 2.4-inch QVGA display. And, you know, if all that isn't enough to impress your snobby friends, just slide open that keyboard, say "boom," and watch the jaws drop. Look for it to filter across Europe starting next month.

Just last month we heard that Amazon could be cooking up a new pair of Kindles for the future, and now we're seeing another report that adds a bit of legitimacy to the claim. According to McAdams Wright Ragen analyst Tim Bueneman, "there are already several new, improved versions of the Kindle in the works," and while an MP3 version (saywha?) isn't in the cards, one with an "improved interface" is. Furthermore, Amazon could be aiming at least one of the new Kindle(s) at college students, though no details were given on what exactly that meant. Wait, do university attendees even read anymore?

[Via CNET]

We can't help but feel the BlackBerry Bold 9000's much-anticipated launch ended up being just a tad bit anti-climactic. Maybe it's a Canada thing, or maybe we're just haters. Or maybe we hate Canada. While we mull that over, you might as well have a look at CrackBerry.com's video unboxing of the new phone, complete with some comparison shots and, um, unboxing. Oh, there's an iPhone versus near the end, so don't go anywhere! Video is after the break.

Oh sure, we've seen a limited number of hacks surface for the hotly selling (but still unsightly) Amazon Kindle, but we've yet to see a hardware mod of this magnitude. We've always heard that desperate times call for desperate measures, and evidently said mantra is very true. After having the display in his Kindle smashed around 8 months ago (thanks, kid sister...), blakebevin set out to perform an unprecedented surgery. With an unwanted Sony Reader LCD in hand and a badly broken Kindle on the operating table, he attempted to give the latter unit new life with a few pixels from a cross-town rival. We'll warn you -- this one's not for the rookies in attendance, and even Mr. Bevin (it is Mr. Bevin, right?) had some "nagging button issues" once the thing was sewn back up. Give the read link a look if you ever find yourself in this admittedly peculiar situation.

The uncertainty of trying to predict exactly when -- and where -- Sony Ericsson's beastly X1 would launch has come to be one of the more entertaining dramas in the mobile world this year, but it looks like Vodafone's ready to shut down the rumor mill. The Windows Mobile superphone has now been slapped with an "expected" launch date in October for Voda's UK audience, which means we can probably expect it in at least a few other European locales in the same timeframe. Americans (of both the South and North variety), Asians, Africans, Australians, and Antarcticans, though -- well, there's no telling where you guys stand at the moment, so hang tight.

[Via CoolSmartPhone]

What was just a footnote to 2007 has finally come to fruition. Sony Ericsson just went live with details for the August 25th, Nordic launch of its PlayNow Arena media download site. Initially the site will offer 1 million, DRM-free songs (ramping up to 5 million) from Sony BMG, Warner Music, and EMI. It will also offer games, ringtones, applications, and themes for your mobile downloading pleasures. Other European countries will come on board later this year before it goes global in 2009. Tracks are expected to be "on par" with Apple's iTunes ($0.99 / €0.99) pricing and will cost SEK9 (about $1.43, credit card required) for the Swedish introduction. Full press release after the break.

Face it, folks -- internet browsing shouldn't be confined to your desktop / laptop. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of options out there when looking to get the intarwebz (and we mean the whole intarwebz) in your pocket. For those out there who've found the perfect one from the smattering of choices, throw Adam (and countless others) a bone here.

"I have a BlackBerry Pearl and the web browsing on it sucks like a tornado. What I want is a web browsing device that rocks me like a hurricane. I'd rather not have something large, even as large as a netbook like the Eee PC. There are the Nokia tablets. There's the Archos 605 / 705 WiFi. There are UMPCs like the Q1 Ultra. Then there's the iPhone / iPod touch. I'm looking for something that I can access the internet on from the couch or the john with a full HTML browser. And I need something that won't break the bank."

So, whatcha got? After you're done posting your answer from the lavatory, send over a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com.

Reuters reports that a "market source" has confirmed that Apple has finally sealed a deal to bring the iPhone 3G to Russia in an official capacity, launching on Mobile TeleSystems "likely" in Октябрь (October, that is). Neither MTS nor Apple would agree to comment on the situation -- no surprise there -- but seeing how Russia is one of the remaining gargantuan markets where the iPhone has yet to materialize, it seems like a no-brainer deal for all parties involved.

[Via mocoNews]