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As we move closer to the second coming of the HTC Touch Diamond series (that is, the "Pro" aka "Raphael"), some pics and vids are leaking out.

One thing that is becoming clear: the Pro version is quite, ahem, thick.

Sure, the specs say it's the same thickness of the HTC Mogul and Tilt (~18.5mm) and it's actually less wide than those devices...but darn it all, just watch the vid after the jump and ask yourself...are you thin enough? Well are ya?

Via Slashgear

So though ol' Moto seems to be having problems, Dieter and I are at least pretty big fans of the Q9 series and leave it to Verizon to be readying the mother of all Q9s (hmm..perhaps Q9 Alpha?).

Get this: world phone version with Wifi.

BGR managed to not only scoop the details but take 6 million high quality photos of the darn thing, which has got to irk Verizon just a wee bit.

As Lord Vader would say, the specs are "...most impressive" (too dorky?)

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• EV-DO Rev. A
• Quad-band EDGE (!)
• Fingerprint scanner (!)
• 2 megapixel camera with flash
• Stereo speakers
• 320

Any doubters who weren't convinced by the blurry image of the HTC Diamond on Sprint should take heed: the Diamond is hitting North America in CDMA and it's hitting hard. First up appears to be Canadian CDMA network Telus, who's going to be selling the device “this summer” for the reasonable(ish) price of $149.99 (Canadian) with 3-year contract.

Even better, they're beating the pants off ne'er do well competitor Rogers by offering reasonable data rates: $15 for unlimited email and IM, $30 for unlimited email, IM, Web, etc.

As you can see from the image at right, this CDMA Diamond isn't a carbon copy of its GSM brother -- it has more curved top and bottom edges and the d-pad looks to be a bit different as well. Actually, it bears a striking resemblance to the European T-Mobile MDA Compact IV. We're waiting to hear if the specs have changed significantly. Here's to hoping that WiFi stays, because we wept when the original HTC Touch lost WiFi as it made the jump from GSM to CDMA

More details at Telus' site once they toss up the little wonder.

We had high so-so hopes for the Toshiba Portege G810, with SPB's Mobile Shell built into the interface from the get-go, and Pocket Plus and Full Screen Keyboard thrown in for good measure.

But Pocket Now has run the device through its paces. And while the guts of the G810 are still nothing to sneeze at (and you gotta love the lights), a lack of tactile feel from physical buttons and beyond sub-par battery life are cited as reasons to pass on this one, especially with a $700 price tag.

Read the full, extensive review here.

Via Engadget Mobile

The Samsung i740 just got profiled over at Czech site mobil.cz (translated here, by way of SlashPhone), and it's nothing to get too worked up over. It's just a standard Quad-Band Edge phone with WiFi, GPS, FM Radio, and no physical keyboard. No 3G here folks (and given the low-end specs, quite likely no US release either).

What is interesting is that dial-pad where our standard d-pad belongs. We're famously unhappy with the Samsung i780 and i788's touchpad, so we're not holding out hope that this thing is anything too innovative, either. Also, if it really is a rotary dial, that's pretty cool for scrolling up and down, but it doesn't look like you could press for left or right. Turns out moving left and right with the d-pad is something we do all the time.

SQUEEEE! We have a confirmed report that our hunch was right, the HTC Touch Diamond (see our video review here) and the HTC Touch Pro are coming to the US in CDMA flavors; What's more, they won't be stuck in purgatory Sprint-land either. The evidence comes courtesy of a Verizon Roadmap leaked to PhoneArena (by way of TreoCentral). As usual, they'll be showing up on Verizon under the UTStarcom moniker, which means there's a greater than 50/50 chance they'll drop the cool names for something like XV720957298 or whatever.

Oh, the roadmap also reveals that big V will get the Treo 800w.

ETAs, prices, ...pretty much every other detail you want are still unknown.

Update: It's doesn't hurt that the Touch Pro in CDMA flavor was just approved by the FCC, either.

Thanks to Jennifer for the tip!

We've reported that Microsoft is taking mobile music more seriously, and that even Steve Ballmer thinks mobile Web browsing needs some improvement.

Enter J Allard, who has been promoted to "Chief Experience Officer" and "Chief Technology Officer" (and who has one of the coolest bio mugs out there).

You may know Allard from his previous work with Microsoft on the Xbox, the Zune, Windows NT and, everybody's favorite, TCP/IP (among another 30 or so products).

Windows Mobile is now under his auspices, which should lead to some promising developments for our beloved, but oft maligned, operating system.

From his updated executive bio:

J Allard is responsible for the technical architecture and user experiences related to products and services of the Entertainment and Devices (E&D) division. Allard works closely with technical leaders across the company to align E&D product teams with Microsoft's overall services strategy and product architecture, and drives the technical and design agenda to deliver Connected Entertainment experiences for consumers.

So the big rumor floating around the 'nets these days is that Sprint is set to increase the cost of PDA plans for all smartphones. More specifically, they will require you to sign up for one of their "Simply Everything" plans.

What does that mean? Currently, Sprint users can opt to pay a very reasonable $15 for basic "Power Vision" + Voice plan, which gives them just unlimited data over 3g ($20 and $25 plans include extras).

The "Simply Everything" plan starts at $69 but includes 450 minutes voice, data, text, e-mail, Web-surfing, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, GPS Navigation, Direct Connect and Group Connect (it goes up to $99 for unlimited voice). That's actually a very cool package and very competitive.

The rumor, however, is that anyone buying a new smartphone starting July 13th (that date sound familiar?) will be forced to activate the phone with the minimum $69 plan--even existing customers in contract. And SERO plans may be included as well (Read: What is SERO?).

Yikes.

Unfortunately, there is precedent for this: the much hyped Samsung Instinct requires exactly such a plan, even under SERO.

For "new" customers to Sprint (we've heard they have a couple), these plans are actually quite attractive, but for current subscribers who have a better details...it's flat out scary (e.g. my cost after taxes would nearly triple).

What to do? Well, we'll just have to wait and see we suppose. It's still not clear if doing and ESN swap online will be affected, though it may just be, in which case signing that contract now and buying a new PDA full price won't even save you.

Stay tuned.

Via Sprintusers

Like cell phone companies? Consider moving to Dallas, TX, then. AT&T is moving their headquarters there for “easier access to customers and operations around the world.” For those worried about jobs in San Antionio, it does look like the big beast is leaving quite a few of their employees behind... and it's not like AT&T is getting any smaller anyway. The whole move should take about a year.

That's business-speak for “The drive from the Dallas Airport to San Antonio sucks.”

It's also business-speak for “Nokia, Nortel, and RIM also have all kinds of crazy big offices there, so we'll be able to pretend we're going out to business lunches with other hotshots more often while instead we're trying to catch the practice sessions of the fabulous Dallas Cheerleaders.” And so on.

...It might also be business-speak for “Dallas is much closer to Texas' Eastern Court District, home of the world famous rocket docket, which will allow us to pursue all kinds of crazy fun patent litigation more easily.” Heck, RIM and Motorola are doing it, why shouldn't AT&T get in on the action?