We're still trying to figure out exactly how Nokia intends to position the N85 slider in its Nseries lineup, and frankly, the FCC documentation that's been outed for it isn't helping much. Seems there are two versions of the thing: one with no 3G -- likely for China -- and another with WCDMA on the 900, 1900, and 2100MHz frequencies. That little dose of 1900 in there will be enough to give owners partial access to 3G while out 'n about in the colonies, but by and large, the phone appears destined for Europe where 2100 (and to a lesser extent, 900) is the name of the game. Both do quadband EDGE, so at the very least, you'll be able to roam the better part of the globe and get some semblance of coverage -- just don't expect it to be particularly speedy everywhere you go. To be fair, Espoo's been getting pretty good about crafting special versions of its hottest handsets that are ripe for North American use, so we're not giving up hope just yet that there's a third version floating out there.

[Via Cell Phone Signal]

Yippee, it's T700 day at Sony. First they launched the DSC-T700 digicam, now the T700 cellphone. The T700 candybar is mostly phone though with a smattering of camera just for kicks. We're talking quad-band GSM and UMTS/HSDPA 2100 with 4.5-hours of 3G talk and a 3.2 megapixel camera with cell-id geotagging and photo light. It measures just 10-mm thin with Bluetooth A2DP, stereo speakers, 2-inch TFT LCD, and 512MB of Memory Stick Micro (M2) storage tossed in the box. Available in "select markets" in Q4 for what's expected to be a middling price tag.

So when exactly is the Touch Pro launching? Unless you're in the UK, we can't answer that with terribly high certainty -- but yeah, you Brits now have a target window to start saving for. Vodafone's online business shop says that HTC's mightiest QWERTY handset is "expected" in August, and while we admit that they could simply be airing out their wishful thinking on their product pages, it'd be awfully poor form to do so. Instead, we suspect HTC and Voda are on the hotline with one another here, and we'd give the window some weight. Now, if any other carriers would care to chime in with their own windows -- preferably in August -- we wouldn't try to stop you.

[Via CoolSmartPhone]

Moving just a tad downmarket from the mighty morphin' E8, Moto has rolled out three new members of its music-centric ROKR series today: the EM25 slider, EM28 flip, and EM30 candybar. The EM30 probably feels the most familiar, aping the E8's design language but trashing the touch-sensitive wheel for a plain ol' d-pad. It does, however, carry over the E8's so-called ModeShift morphing keypad and features an FM radio with RDS, 3.5mm headphone jack, and Windows Media compatibility. The EM28 brings the same style to a clamshell, while the EM25 reps the slider form factor. We're seeing some shots of a T-Mobile branded EM30 in here, too, so it looks like the carrier wants something to slot in right below the E8 in its Moto lineup -- a wise move, considering the E8's considerable expense. Look for the EM30 to launch first in Taiwan (sorry, T-Mob) followed by other markets later in the quarter, while the EM25 and EM28 should launch on a more global scale in the coming weeks.

Can't you just feel the excitement in the air? There's nothing quite like a low-end Samsung on AT&T to get the juices flowing, so we're delighted to see that phoneArena has uncovered the a237 clamshell with a monochrome external display, EDGE radio, and not terribly much else. No word on when it might launch, but when it does, it looks like we can expect blue and red versions -- and the smart money says it'll be free-ish on contract, as pretty much any non-3G handset should be these days.

There are canceled Sony Ericsson models worth mourning, and then there are others that simply aren't. We'd argue that the W595s falls into the latter category, a one-off version of the W595 that was crafted to Orange's exacting specifications but -- for reasons clear only to Orange and Sony Ericsson -- was apparently canceled just hours before its announcement. One of the W595's strong suits is its simple, monochrome appearance, and that's an advantage lost on the W595s thanks to a chrome bar that needlessly bisects the bottom quarter of the face. So yeah, to the execs that dropped the axe: good call.

[Via Sony Ericsson Blog]

Movistar's Chilean outpost has now become -- somewhat surprisingly, may we add -- the very first carrier in the world to launch the BlackBerry Bold and put it into subscribers' hands. The carrier's making sure everyone knows what a coup they've managed to pull off, too, proudly proclaiming "FIRST ONES IN THE WORLD" with a red banner draped across the Bold's image on Movistar's site. Pricing seems a little high at 299,990 Chilean pesos (about $588) on a two-year contract, but hey, you've gotta pay to play; just how badly do you want to be one of the first people on the face of the planet (John Mayer notably excepted) to put this thing to use?

[Via Engadget Spanish]

All but the most affluent among us have likely purged the pricey Meridiist from our memories, but if you've ever wondered what exactly a £2,650 ($5,162) cellphone looks like (and really, who hasn't?), you'll definitely want to check this out. The fine folks over at Stuff were able to point their camera at TAG Heuer's exquisite handset ever-so-briefly, and while the images tell half the story, the folks handling it told the other. The chunky phone reportedly reeked of unnecessary luxury and was built solidly, but we didn't get the impression that they were champing at the bit to call this a bargain. At any rate, there are a few more shots where this one came from (that would be the read link, for the uninitiated).

Wild colors are something we're used to seeing on the Pearl range, but the Curve? The red one seemed to work out alright, so bring it on, RIM. The WiFi and HotSpot @Home-equipped Curve 8320 has now made its grand entrance on T-Mobile in "Sunset," a color we'd suspected would probably happen once stores started... you know, getting them. Always seems to be a good indicator. Look for it starting today for $149.99 on the standard two-year deal.

Oh sure, Telstra's Next G HSDPA network is pretty swank, but what's the use in having a potent high-speed infrastructure if it's too expensive for anyone to use? Thankfully, said carrier is finally loosening up a bit on its data pricing by giving Aussies more megabytes for the same price that they're currently paying. Starting now, $10 mobile data packages include 150MB per month (up from 20MB), while the $29 pack includes 300MB per month (up from 80MB). Additionally, excess data rates have been "reduced" on both packs, though dollars and cents weren't mentioned on that. Best of all, customers already subscribed to one of the aforesaid plans won't have to do a thing in order to see their capacities bumped.

Tired of all that GSM buzz coming from your cellphone when all you wan to do is listen to music? The guys at MacLife have re-uncovered a simple fix that involves parts that you probably have laying around in your spaghetti drawer. Just grab some ferrite beads -- the same ones that often ship with TVs and USB cables -- and attach them to your speaker cables near the speakers. This is probably not a shock to those of you who already know a thing or two about magnetic interference, but for the rest of you, get scouting and grab some tape.

[Via Make]

You can just feel the surge of power running through your veins, can't you? Engadget Classic's latest How Would You Change touches on Apple's latest handset, and if you feel best equipped to chime in, head on over and do so right now. Like, literally, right now.

Lookie here -- LG has a fresh new slider built for making / receiving calls, listening to tunes and not taking up too much space in your front pocket. The KP265 comes with a multimedia player capable of understanding AAC, AAC+, MP3 and WMA file formats, and the FM radio keeps things interesting if your jams get stale. There's also support for Bluetooth stereo headsets, and if the 5MB of internal capacity proves too small (surely not!), the microSD slot is there to alleviate any space constraints. You'll also find a 1.77-inch 160 x 128 resolution display, a 1.3-megapixel camera, 900mAh battery and GSM support. As for when it will leave Russia? That's a good question, friend.