Nokia's bringing some new, unsurprising, E series hotness to the States in the form of the new E66 slider. Featuring GSM, EDGE, WCDMA and HSDPA bands galore, the phone is slated for a Q3 release this year. Features include a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, along with a front-facing cam for video calls, WiFi, A-GPS, 3.6mbps web browsing and a 2.4-inch QVGA screen. What really sets it apart from its E series forebears is the 13.6mm thickness, and some rather sexy new styling. Nokia's also worked in a sort of business / pleasure switch to change profile from your work email and documents to your personal accounts and such -- you can also swap to landscape mode by turning the device. Battery life is certainly no slouch, with 14 days of standby, and 7.5 hours of talk on GSM, or 3.5 hours of talk on 3G. There's only 110MB of internal memory, but you can supplement that with an 8GB microSD card. The phone comes in "grey steel" or "white steel" (what, no blue steel?), but brace yourself for the pricepoint: Nokia's quoting this at "under $500," and probably won't have any carriers Stateside subsidizing it in the short term. Quite a hefty price for a QVGA phone with little built-in storage, but some Nokia fanboy is certainly going to get a kick out of it.

This summer, we all got our hopes up when Samsung's (apparently 3G-enabled) SGH-T639 found its way into the FCC, and now that the handset is reportedly on sale in New York City, it'd be a great time to work yourself into a tizzy once more. According to PhoneScoop, the 3G-capable T369 is indeed "the first phone to be compatible with T-Mobile's 3G network, even though the network is not yet up and running." Oddly enough, Samsung managed to conceal this dirty little secret just yesterday, but now that the truth is out there, all that's left to do is hope that this release means that T-Mobile's 3G launch is coming sooner rather than later.

While Nokia didn't exactly choose the quietest day to launch its latest handset, the E51 is getting official, regardless. This candybar-styled device was designed with the suits in mind, as Nokia even touts its ability to "integrate tightly with corporate telephony systems (PBX) through Nokia Mobile Unified Communications solutions." Specs wise, you'll find a two-inch 320 x 240 resolution screen, two-megapixel camera, video streaming / playback with support for H.264 and Real codecs, video calling capability, integrated 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, FM tuner, miniUSB, IrDA, GPRS / EGPRS and HSDPA compatibility, up to 130MB of memory, a microSD expansion slot, quad-band GSM and WCDMA 850/2100 support, and up to 4.4-hours of talk time (or 13 days in standby). The E51 is slated to ship globally in Q4 for €350 ($485) sans a contract, and if you're craving more pics, just hit up the gallery below.

[Thanks, Nokie and James B.]

Granted, nothing looks to be set in stone just yet, but if FCC documentation leads to results, Toshiba's Tecra M9 could be getting HSDPA. Apparently, the FCC has tested a version of the lappie with a WWAN module built right in, and more specifically, the test reports show that a module manufactured by Tyco Electronics is the culprit. The "CDMA Cell-PCS Module" reportedly supports GSM 850/1900, GPRS, EGPRS, WCDMA 850/1900, and WCDMA+HSDPA, and while we've no idea when these newly-equipped machines will be launching, it ought not be long now.

[Via PCJoint]

Although the most recent hunch about a handset release did indeed prove true, we're not so sure about these HTC claims. DigiTimes has it that High Tech Computer is "expected to launch its second touchscreen-controlled smartphone supporting a 3.5G standard perhaps as soon as September," and while it didn't confirm, the site did insinuate that the mobile in question is the P5500 "Nike." Additionally, the rumors suggested that the phone will be "built using a CPU from Samsung and chipsets from Qualcomm," while also supporting W-CDMA. Of note, these same "sources" claimed that a device codenamed Vogue would be hitting North, Central, and South American shores, and we certainly can't find any room to argue with that.

[Via TheUnwired]

Well, what have we here? The oh-so-informative depths of the FCC have seemingly disclosed what appears to be the "first 3G handset approved for T-Mobile." Judging by the tested bands and the obvious model number, it looks like the SGH-T639 (Alltel flavor pictured) may be a sign of things to come (and hopefully soon) for T-Mobile. Of course, we did see a similar coincidence earlier this year when Nokia's N90 got its own shiny approval sticker, but there's no harm in hoping. The clamshell device supports quad-band connectivity and Bluetooth, but until T-Mobile or Samsung fess up to exactly what's going on here, speculation is still all we've got in regard to T-Mobile's forthcoming 3G rollout.

[Via Phonescoop]

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. Feign interest in the pics over at Engadget Mobile.

Update: Oh lord, the spec sheet is up and sure enough the 6121 goes WCDMA at 900MHz. That makes it one of, if not the first production caliber phone to do so. The lower frequency is meant to complement 2100MHz deployments by extending UMTS coverage in Europe

[Thanks, Matt]

If you've been a bit disappointed by Nokia's offerings of late, it's probably because the firm is shifting out of the cellphone industry and into the legal environment. Okay, so maybe it hasn't called it quits in the handset game just yet, but this ongoing battle with Qualcomm is beyond ridiculous. Before Qualcomm even had time to swallow the previous counter-suit filed against it, Nokia is firing away again, and this time it's claiming that its opponent "has illegally used six of its technology patents in its Brew smartphone and MediaFlo mobile TV chipset products." Additionally, Nokia's CTO got vocal by stating that this case was just "another example where Qualcomm has effectively copied Nokia's innovations." While we're sure it's getting difficult to decipher which counter-lawsuit belongs to which original grievance, this particular one apparently links to an April 2nd filing where Qualcomm "claimed that Nokia had infringed three patents." C'mon folks, why not settle this like they do in the Alabama State Senate? [Warning: Read link requires subscription]

[Via Yahoo]

Looks like the first of LG's phones with Google -- not Google Phones -- just peaked out from under the velvet cloth. Meet the LG-KS10, a WCDMA/HSDPA slider bringing a full-blown Symbian OS. We're talking 2.4-inch LCD, 2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, and multimedia playback when this pup hits Italy in April and the rest of Europe and South East Asia before the year is up. Come to think of it, this is the same "Joy" S60 slider we saw back in October sporting a full xHTML browser and microSD expansion. Mmm, mmm... good cracker. Check the gallery for more hot Symbian-on-LG action.


[Via AVING]

So we've been sitting on this whole E90 controversy for a few days here, trying to separate the wheat from the chaff. Fact is, a part of us is hoping that we can will an HSDPA 850 / 1700 / 1900-sporting Nokia E90 into existence, but we shouldn't have to; the need for firms like Nokia and Sony Ericsson to wake up and spend the extra few bucks to shove global 3G radios into every last one of their phones is painfully obvious. Anyway, numerous readers have pointed out that the document in the E90's FCC filing referencing WCDMA on the 850, 1700, and 1900MHz bands is merely pointing out (for no good reason, may we add) the FCC's own radiation limits on those bands, and is probably not indicative of what bands are present within any particular device. We personally wouldn't think the FCC needs to be reminded of those limits in a test report, but perhaps we'll let the technicians be technicians here and we'll stick to our writin' gig. If y'all hear any good news about Nokia coming to its senses on this one, please be pals and pass on the good news -- but in the meantime, we'll go back to our 3G bellyaching.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Wait up just a second, let us get this straight: after years of teasing Americans with 3G smartphone after sweet 3G smartphone -- none of which packed even a lick of compatibility on US bands -- Nokia's going to rock its newest undisputed king of the hill, the E90, with every band we could possibly hope for? Of course, we don't want to count our chickens 'fore they're hatched lest we get fooled again, but the presence of Nokia's latest QWERTY-based Communicator device in the FCC's trusted hands sporting WCDMA on the 850, 1700, and 1900MHz bands is a very promising sign, indeed. As a refresher, T-Mobile will be launching its WCDMA network this year -- the last of the four national carriers to go 3G -- on the freshly-minted 1700MHz band, leaving future users without much of a handset selection from which to choose (as in, zero devices so far and few on the roadmap). But hey, with phones like this seemingly sitting in T-Mobile's pipeline, that's just fine by us.

It seems that a common theme in dialog regarding the iPhone has become, "I'll wait for version 2, thank you very much." The sentiment makes sense in some ways; after all, the first-gen model lacks key goodness (3G radio, open platform, removable battery), not to mention the fact that companies frequently fail to get the first version of anything perfectly spot-on. Problem with waiting for version 2, of course, is that whole "waiting" part -- but it maybe be a bit more painless than anyone had thought. AppleInsider is reporting that a Swedish carrier is reassuring a large client that the first 3G iPhone will be on shelves as soon as January of next year, silencing one of the largest criticisms -- EDGE data -- of the June '07 model. That said, there's no guarantee the 3G version will hop the Atlantic (or any other body of water, for that matter) in the same time frame; Apple might instead choose to starve North America of UMTS handsets the same way many manufacturers have. Furthermore, the model might be identical to its 2.5G equivalent in every other respect, leaving the battery and platform issues unaddressed. Still, the purely theoretical thought of over-the-air iTunes clipping along at HSDPA speeds is a tantalizing one, is it not?

Ericsson (yes, sans Sony) unveiled what it calls the Femto Cell Solution this weekend, a wireless access point for the home that broadcasts GSM, WCDMA, and WiFi wireless standards. Yes, you read that correctly: a wireless access point with GSM, designed for the home. By routing voice calls over a broadband internet connection to a backend VoIP system, the Femto can both boost cellphone signals for use in the home, and provide an easy way of letting network operators offer services tuned to the needs of customers that have abandoned their phone lines (hopefully meaning cheaper bundles.) Once it's all setup, cellphone users should simply have to walk within range to take advantage of the better signal emanating from the "world's smallest GSM radio base station." The only downside that we can see to all this is the potential for more health scares, seeing as this combines two of the wireless standards that have drawn the most publicity in this area (no matter how illogical some of it seems.) Still, if you can bear the thought of introducing yet another radio transmitter to your humble abode, then look for the Femto through select network operators around the middle of this year. Remember, you can always rely on your old friend, Mr. Tin Foil.

Eek! Must restore... cardiac function... ahh, there we go. Samsung's Ultra Editions seem to get classier, glossier, and more far-fetched with every subsequent iteration -- and if they haven't already jumped the shark, they have now with the rather breathtaking Ultra Smart F700. The candybar with a slide-out QWERTY 'board makes do with 7.2Mbps (yes, we said "seven point two") HSDPA plus EDGE for those occasions when 3G towers are out of reach, a 2.78 inch touchscreen sporting no fewer than 440 x 240 pixels, microSD expansion, full HTML browsing, Bluetooth, and a whopping 5 megapixels of snapping power on the backside. Per protocol, America is left squarely out of the equation with GSM 850 and WCDMA 850 / 1900 all coming up missing, but at least folks in the greater Barcelona area should get a shot at it next week when it bows all official-like at 3GSM.

It's been a long time in coming -- and even its latest upcoming equipment doesn't seem to support it -- but Cingular (or should we say AT&T?) wants everyone to know that video calling is still very much on its agenda. Demos of the feature, made possible by WCDMA's capability to rock voice and data simultaneously, will be taking place at AT&T's CES booth next week. We don't know the full lineup of handsets Cingular will be using for the exhibition or whether said equipment will make it into Cingular's lineup down the road, but one device we know will be shown is the LG CU500v, a video call-capable update to the venerable CU500. Yeah, that's right -- that six month old, HSDPA capable CU500 is obsolete. Some of us haven't even worn the new phone smell off our 8525s and BlackJacks yet, but we doubt they're updatable; no front-facing cam, after all.