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The HTC Touch Diamond is finally out on Verizon, it's got a microSD card slot, and it still costs $300. And that's all we're gonna say about it.

A new "unofficial" ROM for the Samsung Omnia has made its way into wild at MoDaCo [via BGR], promising to unlock some sought-after features. Currently available in the U.S. from Verizon Wireless, the Omnia's GPS chip has been locked down, much to the chagrin of, well, everyone. Out of the box, you're forced to use VZ Navigator for all of your GPS needs. But using this ROM, update you should be able to use free third-party apps like Google Maps and Live Search.

•  5 percent battery increments
• Ability to disable threaded text messaging via system settings
• Pop-up keyboard keys a la iPhone
• Auto-lock keypad settings now include Off, 2s and 5s
• Opera Mobile 9.5 build 15679
• Weather Bug and Windows Live Widgets
• Favorite settings, now known as easy settings
• Windows Live

If you are brave, let us know how it works after the update. But by all means, back up your data first, and read through the thread at MoDaCo. This is unofficial stuff, so be careful.

And while this unofficial fix is nice, we're still waiting for that official, open GPS unlock that Verizon said was coming. How 'bout it, guys? (fwiw: A BGR commenter says official GPS unlocks are coming May 11.)

We don't pretend to make heads or tails of most FCC filings, with all the electronic testing hullabaloo and acronym mumbo jumbo, and this is no exception. We've already seen the HTC "Cedar" make its way through the feds under the CEDA200 codename. But Engadget has spied a CEDA100 at our favorite federal agency and notes that it's not at all uncommon for HTC to do this and that it could signal versions coming to Sprint and Verizon.

This week: Dieter and Mal round up and analyze the CTIA 2009 announcements and respond to your email.  Listen in!

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For those patiently awaiting the release of SPB's Mobile Shell 3.0, we ran across an interesting utility over at FuzeMobility for the current versions of Mobile Shell that allows you to change the appearance of this popular utility.

Change Skins is an application that will let you enjoy customizable skins with Mobile Shell and change them "on the fly," without the need for a soft reset. I took Change Skins for a test drive on my AT&T Fuze, so follow the break for screen shots and impressions on Mobile Shell customization.

The anticipation for Microsoft's release of Windows Mobile 6.5 is building. Windows Mobile 6.5 devices are on the verge of release (albeit most starting out with Windows Mobile 6.1) and more leaks are surfacing on the new OS. Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, made an interesting comment during his keynote speech at the 2009 CTIA conference.

"We expect all the major operators to continue to support Windows phones going forward. In fact, by this fall, when Windows Mobile 6.5 releases, we'll have over 10 phones available in the U.S. alone, and you'll see that number continue to grow."

So, let's see what we've got so far. The HTC Touch Pro 2 and Touch Diamond 2 are already slated for upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5. Then there's the Elektrobit Satellite phone as well as the announcement that some existing phones may qualify for upgrade (depending on their current specs) which might throw the HTC Touch Pro, AT&T Fuze, and HTC Touch Diamond into the mix.  Whether or not the TG01 will hit the U.S. remains an open question but if you add in the fact that the TG01 just got videoed running 6.5 and it does reach the States, 10 devices in '09 doesn't sound so far-fetched.

On the short end, we know of three new releases that will be Windows Mobile 6.5 phones. So does this mean we are in store for more new Windows Mobile devices later this year? Or does Robbie Bach's "ten phones" include those existing phones that carriers may choose to upgrade to Windows Mobile 6.5? We've yet to hear any rumblings from HP, who cast their support for Windows Mobile earlier this year. Could they be part of the mix with these "10" phones?

Regardless, as we've said before, this year is shaping up to be pretty nice with regards to Windows Mobile.

Via Pocket PC Thoughts

This is one of those things that we're instantly going to regret posting (rather, we can think of a couple of people who will make us regret it), but it's just too funny not to. Microsoft has a new site pimping the local search capabilities of Live Search for Mobile, featuring Larry & Gary's Mobile App Shack (there's one app store name we didn't think of).

Check out the hilarious spoofs of used-car commercials at Loco4Local.com. Just make sure you're not eating or drinking, lest something come shooting out your nose.

Via Smartphone Thoughts

Just a heads up that we're still expecting Verizon to finally release the HTC Touch Diamond on April 10 – that's Friday, as in tomorrow.

The $300 you'll have to spend (after a $70 rebate, no less) to get the thing is downright highway robbery, though, when you consider that the Touch Diamond 2 will be making an appearance pretty soon. Sure, Verizon's will have an SD card slot, and that's nothing to sneeze at, seeing as how everyone else must make do with the 4 gigabytes of internal memory. But that price point is still a little hard to swallow.

Any of you folks out there in TV land planning on picking one up tomorrow? Let us know in the comments.