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Engadget Mobile is reporting that it looks like AT&T has set the prices of the Samsung Epix at $199.99 after rebates and the Fuze at $299.99. Still no hard dates on when these two phones are due to hit the shelves.

Not much more to say, folks, except that now you know how much you're going to need to save if you're planning on re-upping a contract with AT&T for either one of these.

Can we say, "This sure took long enough?"

You can now download Spore for your Windows Mobile device. [via]

In case you've been living under a rock, it's essentially Sim Universe. Create a creature and guide it through five stages of evolution.

Price: $9.99 from Handango - and hopefully other retailers later. (A dollar off if you're part of "Club Handango.") You can also try it from the Spore mobile site.

Availability: Windows Mobile Pro and Standard devices. Nobody's left out.

Except, wait ... CrackBerries?

If rule No. 1 in business is "Location, location, location," rule No. 2 should be "Your butt better be on time."

Consider the following:

You're on your way to an important meeting full of important people, but there's just no way you're going to get there on time. If only there were a way to discretely — or, not so discretely — let a colleague know you're on your way, but running late.

Enter "Oops, I'm Late", which uses your GPS (built-in or Bluetooth) to determine if you're going to make it to your appointment on time. It's recently been updated Version 1.2.2 with support for Twitter and Facebook, and it's now available for free, if you don't mind putting up with some third-party advertising.

More on the application, those third-party ads, pricing options and our (brief) concerns after the jump.

The application

We were fans of "Oops I'm Late" after our first taste of it more than a year ago. The basic premise is this:

Take an appointment. The app attempts to automatically find its location with Yahoo maps and GeoNames.org. It initially thought my HR Conference Room was in eastern Europe, but whatever. You can help it out with the address.

You then designate who you want to notify in the even that you're going to be late. That can be one of your contacts by SMS, or you can go hardcore and let everyone know you're behind schedule by posting on Twitter of Facebook.

We'll stick with the personal touch, for now, thanks.

"Oops I'm Late"  then uses your GPS to determine where you are, how fast you're moving and whether you're going to get to your destination in time for the appointment. If you're not, it fires off a customizable message and gives the recipient an ETA. Here's the default:

Time is very important, both yours and mine. If possible, I attempt to be on time, but cannot always control traffic; this message is intended to inform you. I'm running late but will be there in a moment. Current ETA: %ETA%. Thanks. %SYSOwnerName%

Actually, these messages are stupidly (as in holy crap!) customizable, calling on your phone's system properties to plug in the variables. We're not quite talking constant updates to twitter as to your location/status, but it's close. Here's another example, from www.twitter.com/oopsimlate:

Sitting in my office and am 0.13 mi close to 7-Eleven. Likely to arrive 5:10 PM. My battery is only at 86% full. I haven’t read 39 emails.

It takes a few clicks to get everything set up. But once you get the hang of things, it at least becomes a little quicker (natch).

Advertising on the free version

When I first launched "Oops, I'm late," I was prompted to install a third-party app called Soma Launcher. Needless to say, this caused some hesitation and seemed to scream "Malware!" — and not as in, "Hey, Malatesta's got this great program ..." After all, we began this adventure to test out a free app, which any self-respecting Windows Mobile user will do before forking over any money.

After doing a  little digging at www.smaato.com, it appears that the Soma software is just a means to push advertising to a specific application (or applications) on your phone. Check out more at their Web site, but here's the company line:

Smaato Inc. is an ad-enabler for mobile phones, pioneering with its mobile advertising platform SOMA™ (Smaato Open Mobile Advertising) for the delivery of targeted mobile advertising. Smaato is partnering with international brands, advertising agencies, media companies, carriers and software developers for its cutting edge mobile advertising platform.

With its services Smaato addresses the rapidly growing mobile advertising market. Research company Informa Telecoms & Media predicts over US$11.35 billion of advertising spend on mobile channels by 2011 (informa research September 2006).

Silicon Valley based Smaato provides smarter, ad-enabled choices for global mobile phone users in their daily communication needs. Smaato News is an ad-enabled mobile RSS newsreader and ad-enabled Smaato Cost provides mobile cost control in real time. Independent software developers and content publishers are invited to use the open SOMA™ mobile advertising platform for their own mobile applications.

From the looks of things, this could have legs. There are beta clients for the iPhone and Android platforms, and Symbian S60, Java, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Palm clients are already up and running.

The question is: Just how much free advertising are you willing to put up with to us an application for free? You already see it in iPhone apps, as well as in gaming consoles such as the xBox.

The big difference here is that you have to consciously download a third-party application to do it, and that's when the hesitation comes it. Force-feed me free advertising, and I'll grudgingly swallow it. Give me a choice, and I'll likely eat elsewhere.

The bottom line

Fortunately, you don't have to put up with the free advertising — and that said, other than having to load an application just for ads, their placement within "Oops, I'm Late" is clean and for the most part non-intrusive.

And if you want to skip the ads altogether, there are several pricing options (Windows Mobile Standard and Professional): Add supported (free); Economy ($4.99); Standard ($14.99); and Professional ($24.99.) The features unlocked in each pricier version are a bit numerous, so check out the Web site for the full deets. Be forewarned: You can't send e-mail notifications that you're late unless you buy the full professional version.

The real bottom line here is that the app works. If being late is a problem for you, and you need to discretely alert someone that you're on your way, "Oops, I'm Late" will do it. If you're not prone to gridlock or procrastination, you can probably live without.

Or, you could just get your butt there on time.

With any camera, lighting is an essential element in taking good pictures. The better the lighting, the better the image and this holds true with camera phones. WMExperts commented that the Treo Pro

HTC just broke the horrible news via twitter:

sad news, US. we looked into it- by the time we could bring Touch HD to the states, it would be old news. we do have other cool stuff coming

In other words, the Touch HD with its gigantic screen, 3.5 mm headset jack, and general iPhone-challenging form factor is going to be import-only for the US and, on top of that, it's likely never to see the 3G bands used by AT&T. The dream, our friends, is officially dead on this side of the pond. At least the import of the non-3G-compatible version will be legal by dint of the recent FCC approval. HTC's grand tradition of release CDMA versions of most of their stuff here also has hit quite the speedbump, too.

...Of course, the 'other cool stuff' intrigues us, but it's not much consolation just now. Meanwhile, you'll have to excuse us while we wither under the jibes of our iPhone-toting friends in the US.

(side note: comments a little broken right now, if you head to the forums and log in, you'll be able to comment. Alternately, just go here. Update: Comments Fixed)

While the Samsung Omnia sightings are ranking up there with BigFoot, Engadget Mobile is reporting that the mystery may soon be solved. After the Samsung SGH-i907 was given the FCC

It now looks like a couple of HP devices could be getting a resurrection, or at least some resuscitation.

Word recently came the the HP Silver is back from the dead, and the Wall Street Journal snuck in a piece describing a Windows Mobile 6.1 device with a touchscreen and keypad that will also soon be coming to Europe. It will get the iPaq branding.

The WSJ story doesn't name any names, but WM Power User and Slashphone are speculating that this "new" phone could the forgotten "Oak," which like the Silver was one of the devices we first got wind of in January and then quickly forgot about.

Notice in the photo above the original target launch of September 2008, which obviously has come and gone, just like the Silver missed its July target.

We never thought we'd see the day, but the Sony Ericcson Xperia X1 (we were getting ready to dub it "The Unicorn") has made it through the Federal Communications Commission's testing, reports Cell Phone Signal.

And as we suspected, AT&T should be the lucky carrier with this one, given the 850/1900/2100MHz bands.

Also confirmed are two versions of the phone - the X1 for Europe, and the X1a for the U.S. And while you can buy an unlocked X1 and use it on T-Mobile, remember that TMo uses the 1700 MHz band for 3G, and you won't get that with this device.

The silver paint scheme that we've gotten to know remains. As an added bonus will be a black skin, too. No word on if it's version- or carrier-specific.

No word yet on pricing, carrier-subsidized or otherwise. Also no word on an actual U.S. release date, or whether any of the delay rumors are true.

Hit up Cell Phone Signal for a few user guide pics.

Thanks, Marco!

Update: Here's the link [via Giz] to the FCC testing, if you're into that sort of thing. It's OK. We won't tell.

It's bad enough that three-year contracts are the norm up in Canada. Now comes word that the HTC Touch Pro will still cost $299.99 — even with the full subsidy from Telus.

The prices keep going up (obviously) if you're not willing to indebt yourself to the carrier for the full 1,095 days. You'll be looking at $549.99 for a two-year plan, $599.99 for a one-year deal and $649.99 sans contract.

The Touch Pro is a sexy device, no doubt. Check out Dieter's hands-on video here. But the $300, two-year deal in the U.S. is much easier on the stomach than what our friends to the north have to endure. And if I were in Canada and had $550 burning a hole in my pocket, I might just hold out for an unlocked Treo Pro to arrive.

Mobile Syrup via WindowsMobileCool

BGR's AT&T sources sent on an internal flyer promoting an internal event to teach their employees about the Samsung Epix, which until now we were calling the BlackJack III and very briefly wondered if it might actually be the Mirage. So now we can say with assuredness that the Samsung i788 will be called the Samsung Epix. We are a little less sure about this, but the pending release of this front-facing QWERTY Windows Mobile Pro device on AT&T might help explain why they didn't take a chance at immediately release another one that's only available unlocked. Ahem.

Anyhow, BGR is guessing a $199 after rebate price point. We're guessing this means that the Mirage is definitely going to be the Omnia. We're also guessing that you're getting tired of all these codenames and name changes. If you're guessing that we don't blame you for that, you're right.

Specs aren't a big secret either: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. 320x320 touchscreen, fiddly optical mouse instead of a dpad, 3G, GPS, and WiFi.

One last note: We are very happy to see this thing not called the BlackJack III. The BlackJack brand belongs to Windows Mobile Standard in our eyes and we would have hated to see it muddied up.