Next week Microsoft is set to announce the launch of it’s pink line of social media phones known as “Project Pink”. The new cell phones will first hit Verizon store shelves sometime this Summer, according to rumors.

This will be Microsoft’s first big push into the cell phone hardware business. Currently Microsoft has been focused on mobile software, but with companies such as Google and Dell jumping into the mix it was tough for Microsoft to stay on the sidelines.

The new line of pink phones (not sure if they’re actually going to be pink or not) are focused on social media. This means they will surely come with a touch pad keyboard or virtual keyboard along with a camera. The camera should be high enough quality to take pictures to send out across social media sites and also video. We have seen with the Motorola BLUR that phones are becoming more and more social media driven. I would expect to see a similar idea for the pink phones.

Microsoft is set to make an official announcement next week so stay tuned for more info!

It’s long been known that the exclusivity deal AT&T has with Apple is set to expire this year. AT&T has enjoyed a tremendous surge in customers since it has been the only carrier to have the much loved iPhone. Rumor has it AT&T has been trying to extend it’s exclusivity contract with Apple, but most insiders say Apple isn’t going to.

So this opens the doors for all the other carriers out there to get a piece of the action. It’s just like the pharmaceutical industry where when patents run out everyone is allowed to make generics of popular drugs. This should hold true for the iPhone and maybe with it even a reduction in price.

One of the first carriers to sell the iPhone will be Verizon. The original iPhone was built to work on GSM networks and the iPhone will need to be adopted to work on Verizon’s CDMA network. In preparation of the exclusivity deal ending Verizon has been at work engineering the iPhone to work on their network. You can bet that the second the AT&T deal is over Verizon will be selling the phone at their stores nationwide.

Rumor has it Verizon isn’t the only company that wants a piece of the iPhone pie. T-Mobile may be another carrier that will be selling the phone. If you’re not an AT&T customer and have longed for the opportunity to have one this Summer may just be your time!

Here’s visual proof that the Blackberry Storm 2 is in existence.  The Storm 2 is side-by-side with the original Storm. The Storm 2 will run on the Blackberry OS 5.x and will have an added feature or two, one of those being Wi-Fi. My guess is that the Storm 2 will be hitting Verizon stores sometime this year.

soure: intomobile

Word on the street is that you may have to start paying for your T-Mobile paper statement starting in September. The reported fee is $1.50. Boy, as if there aren’t enough hidden fees when it comes to cell phone bills chalk another one up. I don’t think the extra charge is about being a pain in the ass to their customers. I think it’s more of a penalty for not using the web (which everyone at this point should be using). If you want to opt out of receiving paper statements then login to your MyTMobile account and select that you don’t want to receive statements in the mail anymore.

You’ve gotta love this ad by Sprint. Who said that advertising can’t get a little dirty. I like it! As the ad suggests the Palm Pre just ate the iPhone for lunch.

UPDATE: OK so the rumor is true, Verizon has put out a press release introducing the Blackberry Pearl Flip to their lineup. Verizon wireless press release.

I’m only calling this a rumor because there is no official word out from Verizon yet, but based on these photos and especially the second photos with the Verizon logo I’m pretty sure this rumor is going to be true. The Flip will be available in white which it’s not available in for T-Mobile customers. So if you’re a Verizon customer and you’ve had an interest in the Blackberry Flip then you’re in luck. I would imagine the phone will be available in the near future.

source: crackberry

Below you’ll find a video depicting an upgraded or otherwise customized Android version for the HTC Hero. Now the video is titled HTC Hero, but since you can’t actually see the phone I’m not willing to say it’s a Hero. On the other hand, the platform (some sort of Android look alike) is definitely real. I’m sure we’re going to hear more about this video in the coming days and weeks.

There have been rumors swarming around for sometime now that Microsoft was creating a Zune inspired cell phone. On numerous occasions the rumor has been squashed. However, something has breathed new life into the rumor. Recently on the OfficeTheMovie twitter account a tweet was posted that stated “New product launch, that’s all I’m allowed to say. Hold off from buying an iPhone/Pre. ”.

One could only think that this would be referring to a cell phone created by Microsoft. If the rumor becomes true Microsoft better get in the game soon. The Pre and possible new iPhone will be launching sometime this Summer, which technically is only a few weeks away. It will be interesting to see Microsoft’s marketing strategy. It better be good if they want to compete with the Pre and iPhone. Stay tuned!

Look at what we have here. You’re looking at a leaked document that shows some of the new phones that will be hitting T-Mobile shelves over the next several months. The phones listed include the Sony Ericsson CS8 & CS5, Dash 3G, Samsung t469 “Smiley”, Samsung t549 “XO” and Rhodium (not sure from which manufacturer). In addition T-Mobile will now be up to par with AT&T and Verizon with Visual Voicemail. Visual Voicemail is just that, it allows you to read voicemail in text format. This eliminates the need to listen to your voicemail in a crowded place or when it’s just not convenient to place a call. With a bit of a slow down from Q1 to Q2 in new cell phone launches it looks like the Summer is shaping up to be a blockbuster!

source: TmoNews

There seems to be an endless March of companies creating browsers for cell phones, but one in particular will starting making waves for Blackberry users in the near future. Skyfire is a web browser that is available for Windows Mobile 5 &6 and Symbian run phones. The browser supports such functions as Ajax, Flash and Silverlight. Skyfire is now in alpha testing for the Bold, Curve, Pearl and the 8830. We’ll let you know when Skyfire is ready for mass release!

Here’s what Skyfire has to say about their browser:

“Skyfire is a free, downloadable mobile browser that gives you a web browsing experience exactly like PC browsing. For the first time ever, on your phone, you can watch any video, connect with friends, listen to music, shop, and browse the web using the full-featured PC versions of your favorite websites. With Skyfire, mobile browsing just works — speedy page loads, full video, images and audio.”

I’ve also included a video showing the features and speed of Skyfire.