Well that didn't take too long, now did it?

(bad joke)

Yes folks, courtesy of Shadowmite (via PIC) we have a real live shot of the long awaited 800w.

And...that's it.

No surprises and no more info (Okay, technically the micro-USB connector is confirmed). There is also only one Shift key as opposed to the typical two, which we find very aggravating on the Centro.

Sort of anti-climatic, no? There isn't even a comparison shot for perspective purposes i.e. relative size. Bad photographer, bad! (They also left the device serial number on the top right corner, so their time is probably limited on this Earth)

At least we were right about the "Zeppelin" codename though. Yawn.

Read here for past coverage on the 800w.

Thanks to surur for the tip!

Hoo doggy, Carl Icahn just can't keep his fingers out of sticky situations, can he? After he helped to strong-arm two of his people onto Motorola's board of directors and generally push the company into its new break-up plan, it seems that Icahn has some time on his hands -- time he intends to spend on pushing Yahoo towards accepting Microsoft's now-withdrawn buyout proposal.

His announced method is also eerily familiar to those who have followed the Motodrama: to use his 59 million Yahoo shares to launch a proxy fight in order to install buyout-friendly executives on the Yahoo board. This could get interesting again, folks.

Microsoft, maybe hold off on those talks with AOL -- Yahoo is definitely a slightly better fit.

In either case -- it's nice to see that Microsoft in interested in acquiring a company with good online service offerings (even if that's not the main reason). What would be nicer is a clearer picture of what their online services strategy is overall, 'cause between Live, the Danger buyout, and Live Mesh, we'll admit to being more than a little lost.

This is a little unexpected: Computerworld took the top mobile competitors and ran a speed test with Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon. The test was conducted in the tri-state area in New York, New Jersey, and even Connecticut. The tests were performed with the same equipment as to not have a biased out come.

The surprise: AT&T beat out EVDO Rev A. Guess they didn’t invest over $1 billion in their network to come in second. The average speeds came in at 755 kbps while some areas peaked at 1.6Mbps. Now that’s fast.

They may be the speediest, but AT&T isn't the cheapest, what with Sprint and their unlimited everything plan. Then again, you get what you pay for.

The news gets better, though, as AT&T intends to further boost HSDPA speeds [via] before they make the switch to LTE.

Thanks to Cherryhead25 for the tip!

Hands-on of the sort slightly more details than our paltry HTC Touch Diamond vs. Xperia X1 moment are tricking in around the web. Surur points us to a nice one over at mobile review, who write:

Already today, judging by the Diamond’s engineering samples, it’s safe to say that HTC has come up with a decent offering – probably, it’s a mixed bag design-wise, but it represents a logical leap forward in all other departments, aimed to hit the mass-market hard and appeal the users outside the circle of Windows Mobile specialists.

Of course, they follow that up by saying it ain't a “communicator.” If you want even more Diamond-dulling you can take a peek at Jeff Kirvin's take, like many he's shying away from the smallish battery and decrying the lack of an external memory card slot.

Some of our luckier colleagues in the WinMo Blogosphere are currently attending Mobius, where they're getting to mix it up with all sorts of devices, including the Diamond. Joel over at geek.com posts up some good thoughts on it that you might not have seen before.

Of course, as you might expect, BGR has got a hands-on as well, though they worry that TouchFLO 3D isn't quite as fast as it ought to be. Like everybody else who's commented on that speed thing, they're hoping/assuming that it's a “this isn't quite the final build yet” thing.

...All in all, if HTC can get the Touch Diamond out on schedule (rumored as early as June for the Taiwanese market), they should be able to easily sell the two million they're hoping to.

Thanks, Surur!

It’s happened to me and, sadly, if it hasn't happened to you it may just be a matter of time. I'm not just talking about a strange pause, or the spinny beach ball. These can be handled by a typical soft reset -- just pull the battery (or hold down the End key) to shut'er down and then boot it up again. Sometimes, though, often after installing some software that's not technically compatible, a reboot doesn't fix things. Your phone is seriously busted up. Now what?

The first thing is to hook it up to a computer and see if you can uninstall the offending software via Active Sync or Mobile Device Manager. The second thing: the dreaded hard reset. "Dreaded" because, if you haven't properly prepared for this moment, your data is going to be lost forever.

Read on to find out how to deal with this stuck situation.

Now when we say reset we don’t mean the one on the old Nintendo. We mean a way to sort of kick your phone back into gear. Much like restarting your computer, we can restart our phones. When doing resets you want to be very careful in which one you choose, because one will just slap you phone back into shape while the other gives it a knockout and original makeover. There’s a soft reset and a hard rest.

Soft reset

When doing a soft reset you’re pretty much giving your phone a break and saying “Lets try this again”. By this we mean you give your phone a quick power off and on. This can be done is several different ways. One way is to simply power the phone off via whatever method your phone uses for that (often holding down the End key) -- or our preferred method, just pull the battery. Some phones like the Treo 750 even have a button titled reset allowing you to push it for convenience.

Power it on again and then see what you've got. If everything seems fine, no worries, you just needed a reboot. If you go through all this and your phone still stares at you with a blank screen or is misfiring then it might be time for the hard reset.

Hard reset

A hard reset is essentially erasing the non-volatile memory. What this means is that all the programs, phone numbers, calendar items, and games you had will be gone. Your phone will be set back to its original state like when you first bought it. Awe how cute, a new born. Brand new, and much like a new born it will drive you crazy if you didn’t prepare for this day.

Hard reset preparation: Backup, Backup, Backup!

Some things to consider before you have to get to this point. The first is that you should do a back up of your data. I will outline three different ways to do this because it is critical prior to you hard reset. You can back up your data through your computer via Outlook, to a memory card, or "to the cloud."

With most Windows Mobile phones they will come with a getting started cd. Load that into your computer and follow the step by step process to sync your contacts calendar and email to Outlook. Now in the event something does happen, you computer can act as a back up for you PIM.

Even with a standard computer sync set it, it's a good idea to have a backup to a memory card handy. There are three popular backup software titles we like: Sprite, SPB Backup, and newcomer Resco Backup.

A majority of the time we want more that just PIM restored. We want all our favorites, and programs set how we like them. So what these titles do is essentially make a copy of your phones “as is” state and save it to you memory card. Then if something goes wrong you can simply restore you phone how it was at a certain place and time. You can also set up a nightly backup too if you want to be super safe (ultra-super-safe: nightly backup that leaves the last 3 on the card and you put an extra card with a backup on it someplace safe in case you lose your phone).

Lastly we have the "cloud sync" -- which for the moment will mostly just handle keeping your PIM data safe and sound on a server somewhere. The most popular option is, of course, Microsoft Exchange. If your company has an exchange server - pow, you're set. If not, you can sign up for a for-pay exchange server such as 1and1.com. If you're not a believer in Exchange, there's also options for over-the-air syncing of your PIM to other services via Yahoo Go, GooSync (for Google), and more.

Ok, you have a reliable and tested backup solution now. So when the time comes, you're ready for a hart reset. Here we go...

Do the Hard reset

Models vary greatly but in order to do a hard reset on a Treo 750 you will want to open the latch where the memory card is and push the little button that says reset. Once the screen goes black you will want to hold down the red End key until you see the Palm logo on the screen. Once you see the logo let go of the End key and you will be asked to press up to restore or down to disregard. Press up and viola. New Treo.

In order to do a hard reset a Black Jack II you will want to turn the phone off....hold directional pad UP while turning the phone back on. Then follow directions on screen in order to do a hard rest.

In order to do a hard reset on a Tilt you will want to hold the two soft keys (the two with the "-" dash on them) while pressing the reset button (hole on the bottom.) In other words when it’s reset if you're holding those two buttons you'll initiate a hard reset. It'll ask you to confirm by pressing the green phone button (the send button.)

In order to do a hard reset on a Dash you must turn the handheld off, hold the two soft keys (the dashes to the left and right of the phone buttons) hold the power button for 1-2 seconds and then release the soft keys. It should prompt you to clear storage. The “send” button is considered as the green phone button.

Other phones have other methods -- a look through your manual or a hunt with Google for "Hard Reset" and your device's name should yield you the answer.

After your reset, restore your device from a back up, and get back to work.

Let us know of any stories where resetting or backing up has saved your day in the comments. Happy resetting.

Oh sure, most people in the ROM cookign community know about this little story as there have been many,many variations with some form of WM 6.1 for a few months now. But it's a slow news day, so why not?

Word is this ROM (3.49, radio 3.39.10) for Sprint is indeed the "almost official, but still technically beta" WM 6.1 update that many are expecting this summer from Sprint.

Not too much in the way of changes though you get:

• WM 6.1 (latest test build for this device)
• HTC Large Start Menu
• Sprint TV
• Slightly faster

Plus all that RevA and GPS goodness from the earlier update.

The inside joke on this one is that Sprint "leaks" these updates now officially so the community can test out and fix the bugs for them. Either way, these "leaks" are becoming more frequent and I don't hear any complaints, so lets keep at it.

One important rumor: June 1st

That's the reported "official" release date for this ROM, but like always...don't hold yer breath. Unfortunately, no word yet on the other devices (Touch, Q9c, Ace).

Read: New "Official" Sprint ROM (3.49, radio 3.39.10)

Let us list the things we didn't expect to see while attending the Wireless Enterprise Symposium 2008 (aka WES 2008. aka The Center of the BlackBerry Universe) along with Kevin Michaluk of CrackBerry.com.

• Dieter defending the BlackBerry Browser against the attacks of BlackBerry fanatics during the special edition of the CrackBerry.com Podcast. (Yes, it sucks, but even a sucky browser does better with more pixels).
• An HTC Touch Diamond
• ...sitting next to an Xperia X1

Wait! What? That's right, it wasn't just BlackBerry Bold at WES. On the show floor was a booth for BlackBerry Connect and, lo and behold, sitting there was an HTC Touch Diamond and an X1. Sadly: the Touch Diamond was very very much pre-production; powering it on yielded nothing more than a message telling us that it was a demo unit and non-functional. The Xperia was pretty much exactly how I remembered it in my First Look Xperia X1 Review. The Touch Diamond was all new to me.

But the two next to each other? How would they stack up? Why on earth did I allow that reflection of me taking a photo onto this site? Read on!

The Touch Diamond is notable in that it's a very nice size. HTC called it “not too big and not too small.” That is indeed the case. It felt good in the hand (insofar as I could feel it with the massive anti-theft device attached to it). The edges were a little sharper than I'd like, but it's still decent enough. Note that the back of the device is, in fact, fully flat and it just appears to have extra edges. The corners are “cut” like a Diamond, however (get it? Diamond>) and it looks very nice.

As for feel and build quality -- both seemed good enough, but again this was a pre-production, not-really-functional model, so don't judge based on this.

The HTC Touch Diamond also has two other diamond-esque features. It's insanely reflective and insanely prone to picking up smudges and fingerprints. You saw it in the image above, now take a look at the images below to see what I mean. Since I wasn't expecting to run across anything, I didn't have my typical SLR, so apologies for the quality. No apologies, however, for the bright reflections and smudges. It would take demi-god-like powers to photograph this device in any sort of real-world setting without them.

A decent screen protector would allow you to make the trade-off between that glossy finish and a more matted (and protected) look. When we get our Touch Diamond (and yes, after holding even just a non-functional unit, we want one), we'll be applying a screen protector right quick.

Touch Diamond vs. the Xperia X1

The HTC Touch Diamond is a bit shorter and much thinner, as you'd expect given that it lacks a physical keyboard. Built quality seemed better on the Xperia X1, but I rack that up to the Diamond being a pre-production unit. Not a whole lot else to say here, since I didn't get to actually use anything on the Diamond.

We'll let the pictures do the talking:

Sure, no sign that any carrier here in the States will even touch an i-mate device, leaving that company to abandon their US team of engineers, QA and technical writing departments.

But there is still some life in that Ultimate line as the 8502 recently got clearance from the FCC gate-keepers. To refresh your failing memory, the 8502 (pictured above) has:

• HSPA (HSDPA & HSUPA)
• TV out
• GPS
• QWERTY kb
• 2.6" qvga (320x240)
• Qualcomm MSM 7200 400 MHz processor
• 256 MB ROM, 128 MB RAM
• Wifi
• 2mp camera
• 1530mah battery (nice)

Huh.

For some reason the Ultimate line doesn't feel so ultimate in mid 2008 as it did back in early 2007 (!)

Anyways, it's looks decent enough though it would have been more amazing in 2007.

In the biz of "smarthphones", 2007 and 2008 has really shored up competition. Word is MS has set a goal to have 40% of that market by 2012, which is...uhhh... very ambitious since at last count they have about 13%.

Sure, why not? Shoot, lets just set any number, it's not like companies actually have to live up to such goals. As long as MS moves up from 13% to anything higher, it'll be seen as a success.

Of course I've always had problems with such statements, namely what defines "smartphone" is often left out. Does MS even bother to consider the iPhone to be a smartphone (we know that debate has raged in the forums for quite some time)? What about how RIM's market share is exploding, Android is warming up at bat and last I checked Symbian is actually fairing quite well (except in the States)? Then you have those pseudo-smartphones e.g. Sprint Instinct, which only blurs the distinction.

RIM Stock (1 yr)

Then there's that whole fractionation of the market into consumer (low end and high end) and business devices. MS has certainly taking aim at enterprise but only occasionally dipped their toe into the consumer market, something which WM7 will supposedly change. At least MS has HTC in their pocket to help things along--their market performance shouldn't be discounted either.

So which phones and which market segment are we talking about exactly?

Lets check back in 2012 and see if any of this came to be, but personally I'm not betting on anything--hey, who knows, "Nova" could be absolutely amazing ; -)

Thoughts?

A study released on Monday claims that over 300 lives will be saved in California alone after this law takes effect. But studies of this kind have ranged all the way across the board from no effect at all, to only increasing lives saved during bad driving conditions, to saving thousands of lives yearly.

This MSNBC article also made an interesting point with the opposition against this law from the cell phone providers. That even though every wireless provider "published brochures for their customers that said don’t talk on your cell phones while driving", Verizon was the only one who did not initially oppose this law. Sprint was the last to oppose it, but finally dropped it and said it will not oppose this law in any other state.

So, if you live in any of the 7 states listed above and are not interested in starting a your criminal career by illegally using your cell phone driving and you haven't found that perfect Bluetooth headset or car speakerphone for your phone yet, now might be a great time to browse the countless reviews we have here at WMExperts to find that perfect one just for you!

So as Dieter is n/a today (hanging with some RIM geeks), it pains me to have to take the reigns and write more bad Sprint news articles--but who can ignore such a calamity?

Evidently, to help stem the loss of all that revenue and subscribers, Sprint is doing what every corporation does in that situation: fire..err..layoff people, usually the bottom tier of course (don't get me started on labor issues).

More precisely, they are planning to

• cut 4,000 jobs
• close stores
• lower wireless phone plans

Everything must go! We will not be undersold!

That lowering of price-plans sounds nifty. Then again, if you're sly enough to be on SERO or are another carrier, you probably already noticed Sprint's "other plans" and have decided for other reasons not to sign up (phone lineup, coverage, customer service)--lets be clear, Sprint already has some of the most competitive plans on the block, so it seems odd that lowering them even more will help.

Yikes. Please pull through Sprint as personally I can't take the "other" guys.

Oh when will the HTC Diamond hype stop? Luckily it's a slow news day so this will fill the gap nicely. As Dieter last week called the Diamond properly an "iPhone killer", it's only fair that some snaps of it next to said phone should appear.

This is all well and good, but what happens on that fateful day in June when that new 3g iPhone drops? Oh well, this will keep the fanboys on both sides happy a bit. Head over to Engadget Chinese for some more shots.

In more tangible news, a nice shot of the Diamond's charger base/dock (extra, not included) has popped up. Sure it's nothing great--USB sync plus headphones, but you have to admit it makes one slick package and would look awesome next to your lava lamp. Expected price is a pretty high $49--guess they really are competing with Apple.

Actually, if you want really cool...check out the quick vid of the Diamond's fantabulous LED notification system. Now that is something some of us have been wanting for a long time. Nice HTC, nice.