You no longer need to know someone who knows someone who knows the founder of a VC firm sinking money into Qik to get in on its rather lovely streaming video action. We're just messing around, of course -- it was never quite that hard to get into Qik's invite-only alpha / beta before in our experience -- but it just got even easier with the popular service moving into an open beta phase. Offering both S60 and Windows Mobile clients (with iPhone allegedly on the way), Qik does a pretty stellar and unique job of streaming live audio and video straight from your handset to your millions of adoring fans glued to their computer monitors around the world (or just your mommy and daddy, as the case may be). So go sign up, paste your username down below here if you're so inclined, and just be sure you're not recording when you... ahem, don't mean to be. If you catch our drift.

[Via All About Symbian]

Sorry if we got your hopes up for a second there, AT&Ters; we're still not sure if this one's ever coming to the US, and today is most definitely not the day. Instead, the SCH-M480, which appears to be alternately known as the BlackJack III and Ultra Messaging 2, has been launched on Korea's own SK Telecom for something in the range of 600,000 won (about $592). The Windows Mobile 6 Professional handset is a dead ringer for the i780 that's been launched for a few months now, featuring a lovely 320 x 320 touchscreen, HSDPA, WiFi, and a 2 megapixel camera; not really a direct successor to the BlackJack II since the latter runs Standard, but we could still see a whole host of folks going for the upgrade -- if it ever comes to AT&T, that is.

Separately, Boy Genius Report is claiming that AT&T will be getting its very own BlackJack III come October of this year, albeit with a 3 megapixel camera, up from the 2 megapixel sensor seen here. With these fancy new pink and blue versions of the BlackJack II, though, who the heck needs it? We kid, we kid.

[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]

Read - Ultra Messaging II
Read - US BlackJack III in October?

Saying that Samsung's new BlackJack IIs are pink and blue is really only telling part of the story. Unlike the originals, the stylish new models feature contrasting white fronts with color-coordinated keys and fancy designs on the back -- perfect for that fashion-conscious Windows Mobile nerd in your life (if that's not an oxymoron, we don't know what is). Collect the whole set now for $99.99 a pop on contract.

Sweet, another impenetrable fortress of planned obsolescence falls to Windows Mobile 6.1's ever-advancing forces. Grab the update now, in Windows 2000 / XP and Vista flavors -- but be warned, we hear it doesn't do anything to fix the i760's weird-ass styling.

Though some newer firmware revs for affected HTC devices have touted video performance tweaks, the company's still not terribly interested in coming out with outright hardware-accelerated binaries to fully support the dormant ATI Imageon circuitry on board, citing a host of technical issues. That's been an ongoing source of ire for some in the user community who've complained of lackluster video playback performance, and after giving up on an official solution, there's been a grassroots effort for homebrew drivers that's finally starting to yield some paydirt. 2D (read: video playback, among other things) acceleration still isn't in the cards, but HTCClassAction.org has released binaries and sample vids showing improved 3D performance thanks to newfound Direct3D and OpenGL ES acceleration. On the issue of whether 2D efforts have been abandoned, the organizers say "we have not [abandoned it], it may still come. The simple fact is, that in this particular case, it was easier to work with the 3D drivers first." Anyone want to test these out and see if your hair's getting blown back by the blistering performance? Follow the break for the full video.

[Thanks, Bernard]

If you thought Velocity Mobile just rolled over and died after showing off a few handsets at CTIA earlier this year, you'd be exactly wrong. The outfit's Windows Mobile-powered 103 has just surfaced in the FCC's lair, giving us a smidgen of hope that a US release is but moments / weeks / months away. Unfortunately, this filing doesn't spill the beans on any other specifications, but the 67 page User Manual does dive into great detail on changing the battery, inserting microSD cards and navigating around within the operating system. C'mon Inventec, give us the good stuff.

Though both have had less-than-official upgrades floating around for ages, Sprint and HTC have finally seen fit to bless the Touch and Mogul with the real deal. In the case of the Touch, the Windows Mobile 6.1 update includes Sprint Navigation, EV-DO Rev. A, integrated Opera, and a new on-screen QWERTY keyboard, so it seems more than worth the few minutes you'll spend downloading it and getting it all going. The Mogul gets Sprint TV (yay?), but unfortunately, no patch to magically morph it into a Touch Pro. Seriously, we'd pay good money for that.

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]

Update: It looks like they've been pulled for the moment, but keep a keen eye out at HTC's support site -- we're hearing they could show up again next week.

Read - Touch
Read - Mogul

We'd given up any hope of the Touch Diamonds out in the field ever being completely function on North American networks; the lack of 3G sucks enough as it is, but the mysterious absence of GSM 850 was the final slap in the face. xda-developers has taken its usual no-mountain-too-high approach, though, and has somehow managed to uncover and enable GSM 850 capability lying dormant in the Touch Diamond's circuitry. Granted, you'll still be poking along at EDGE speeds at best, but at least you'll be doing so in a wider swath of the colonies.

[Via wmpoweruser.com]

The saga of the Meizu M8 is one of the more entertaining dramas in the phone biz these days, owing partly to the endless delays and tweaks, granted -- but owing much more to the truly masterful ripping of the iPhone's industrial design. Unfortunately, there's been very little actual bite to follow up the bark coming out of the Meizu camp, and it looks like we might get a real taste of this thing for the first time as soon as next month. A post on Meizu's website, seemingly from none other than CEO J. Wong himself, claims that a first cut of the M8 will arrive next month -- along with plenty more pictures and details -- but it'll be a somewhat neutered rendition that features just 128MB of RAM and zero flash. October will bring the real deal, a 256MB baddie that rocks 8GB of storage for 2180 yuan, which works out to about $320. Meanwhile, pictures have surfaced of the latest prototype floating around Meizu's labs, looking both as slick and as litigation-prone as ever. Bring these stateside, Mr. Wong, and we'll be the very first to sign up -- just don't be surprised if Apple is right behind us.

[Via Electronista]

Read - August for 128MB model, October for 256MB / 8GB?
Read - Prototype M8 in the wild

If you've been really eager, it's possible you already bought one of these. If you haven't, then here's your chance to see Palm's latest Windows Mobile phone from just about every angle you could possibly imagine. We've got the company's new enterprise-themed phone in-hand (and on-table), and we're currently putting it through its paces. Take a look at the gallery below for a slew of pictures, and stay tuned for a review from us coming soon.

We're not sure if you check most mobile provider's sites every ten minutes or so (like we do), but if you did, you would have noticed that the latest Palm Windows Mobile device -- the Treo 800w -- is available for purchase at Sprint's online store. The phone, which features a 320 x 320 screen, EV-DO Rev. A, WiFi, and GPS, is currently listing for $249.99 after a $250 instant savings, $100 mail-in rebate, and two-year contract. So if you've been absolutely, positively dying to get your hands on this thing -- now's your chance.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Time to dust off the ole memory bank, folks. Toshiba's G910 super-device, which hit the FCC at the tail end of 2007, has finally been acquired, unboxed, photographed and reviewed. In one place, too -- isn't that so convenient? For starters, it's tough to argue with an 800 x 480 resolution display, but you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who considers the overall style to be anywhere close to sexy. Overall, the Portege G910 was deemed a lackluster business phone with above average battery life, though the inability to function on a US 3G network was a real downer for those in the States. Additionally, it lagged behind in pure performance, and a variety of quirks caused the reviewer to utilize the handy reset button "a lot." Seems like a glance at the pics may be as close as you'll ever want to get with this one.

Well, looky here! Not happy with the Touch Dual or Touch Pro, you saucy CDMA lovers, you? Try this one on for size then: the last piece in HTC's EV-DO puzzle for 2008 has now hit the FCC, the Touch Diamond -- and though only Telus has managed to announce it so far, we're feeling good about plenty of other carriers on the CDMA train recognizing the importance of this device and signing on before too long. We see test reports for WiFi, too, though we imagine it'll be at carriers' discretion to disable it if they're so inclined. Let's get a move on, Sprint. You too, Verizon, don't think we don't see you whistling over there in the corner.

Finally, the 14 people who have been waiting patiently can now get their hands on HP's iPAQ 910 Windows Mobile-based phone. There's not much to say you haven't already read -- the HSDPA, WiFi, and GPS equipped device can be purchased unlocked from HP's online store for the tidy sum of $499.99. They're shipping now... so what are you waiting for?

[Thanks, James]

The original (and free) JoikuSpot has risen through the ranks to become one of the more popular S60 apps around, and for good reason -- it turns your WiFi-equipped S60 device into a go-anywhere hotspot -- and when you add 3G into the mix, the result is truly magic. The Premium version of the same app is now available, adding VPN support for the corporate types out there and removing the forced Joiku-branded landing page that would-be users of your makeshift hotspot see the first time they connect. If you need the extra horsepower over the free version (which is still available), you can grab it now for €15 (about $24).

[Via Slashphone]