OK, it's been a couple of hours, so it's time for another AT&T Windows Mobile leak from Engadget. Now we've got a lower-end messenger, the LG HQ, which we got a look at back at Mobile World Congress.

There's the usual tri-band 3G and quad-band EDGE, Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard with a 2.4-inch 320x240 screen. The battery's a mere 1,100 mAh powering a Qualcomm 7225 processor. It's got a 2.0MP camera, sports Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR, AGPS and has a MicroSD card. No WiFi on this puppy. July 6 is noted as a target availability, but we'll see how that holds up.

Mal and Dieter discuss Ballmer's strategy discussion surrounding Windows Mobile, some new devices, and your emails. Listen in!

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Join Dieter, Matthew, Kevin, Rene, and Casey as they discuss Mobile World Congress 2009 -- there's a little bit for everybody in this gigantic cross-platfrom smartphone podcast!

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Show notes after the break.

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It was the hope of many Windows Mobile users that Mobile World Congress 2009 would make up for the lackluster showing at the CES in January. While some may think different, Barcelona was a cornucopia of announcements, displays and rumors of what the rest of the year holds for Windows Mobile. Coverage of the event by our own EIC Dieter Bohn was logged not in yards but in miles, and it's time to wrap up all the stories he tracked down.

Read on for a breakdown of all that went down in Barcelona.

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While it may not be the famous Pink Panther diamond, the HTC prototypes unveiled at Mobile World Congress were considered by many to be gems of an electronic nature. Then somebody decided to play the role of the Phantom and relieved Telstra Chief Executive Sol Trujillo of one of the new HTC devices (either a Touch Diamond 2 or Touch Pro 2) that Microsoft had loaned him. The reports are sketchy and the Australian Communications Company Exec is discounting the reports as not being true.

There is no confirmation as to what was loaded on the HTC phone, but reports are confirming that Microsoft indeed had loaned the phone to Trujillo and it was running the new Windows Mobile 6.5. We also know that Dieter was seen at the buffet line around the time of the heist trying to see how many shrimp he could stack on his plate. I wonder if we'll see a listing on eBay or Craig's List for a slightly used, Windows Mobile 6.5 phone in the near future?

[Read: News.Cnet.com]

Update: Now it appears the data and operating system on the stolen device were remotely wiped clean once the heist was reported. A Microsoft staffer told APC Mag that all sensitive data was wiped from the stolen device.

Mobile World Congress, Windows Mobile 6.5, HTC's new devices, and much much more. Listen in!

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It's been quite a week for SPE, we wrapped up a bootload of live coverage of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. With details on Windows Mobile 6.5, the new HTC Magic Android phone, the new Ovi Application Store at Nokia Experts, and even a sneak preview of a GPS App for the iPhone, we were chock full of breaking mobile news.

This week we'll be bringing you more of the same, of course. Be sure you are paying special attention to CrackBerry.com, as this will be a HUGE week for CrackBerry Nation. This coming Thursday, February 26th, the site officially turns 2 years old!! And when CrackBerry.com turns another year older, it doesn't mean a day of celebrating, it means a week birthday festivities! Whether you're a BlackBerry owner or not you'll want to stay glued to the site for great contests, deals and giveaways each and every day. If you're not a daily visitor but want to follow the action, you can always subscribe to the CrackBerry RSS feeds or follow the site on Twitter at @crackberry.

Speaking of giveaways, time is running out for your chances to win a Nokia N85 or E71 at Nokia Experts, so be sure to head over and learn how to enter this week.

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Let the LTE/4G race begin! We've reported that AT&T is planning to have LTE service by 2011, but it looks like Verizon may get there first. Verizon Wireless Chief Technical Officer Dick Lynch, in a presentation at Mobile World Congress, announced that Verizon is committed to equipping two U.S. cities with Long Term Evolution (LTE) data networks by the end of 2009. Characterized as "pre-commercial deployments," the LTE networks would be a precursor to full commercial deployment slated for 2010 that would include 25-30 cities. It's anybody's guess which two U.S. cities will be the test sites, but LTE tests have been performed by Verizon in several cities including Minneapolis, Columbus (Ohio), and New Jersey. 

No word if AT&T has adjusted its projections in response to Verizon's announcement. If Verizon is successful in deploying the 4G service later this year, it may give them an advantage over AT&T. Then again, the timetable for devices capable of handling 4G is a lot more sketchy than the timetable for having the service available. Some projections don't see the 4G devices hitting the market until 2011. If this is the case, AT&T's timeline mirrors device development. Verizon may be leading a race for a data network very few, if any, consumers will be able to use.

[Read: ARS Technica]

We've never been too shy about expressing our unabashed rage disappointment that the HTC Touch HD never made its way to the United States, at least officially and with U.S. 3G bands on board. So one of the more exciting hardware announcements at Mobile World Congress was HTC and the Touch Diamond 2 and Touch Pro 2, which have the sex appeal of the Touch HD.

Join us inside as we take a side-by-side look at what's under the hood.

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Now, we're not ones to complain about any Windows Mobile Standard device that comes out these days -- they're getting so few and far between that we don't want to further scare carriers away from asking for them.  So instead of kvetching about how the LG HQ looks and smells like a HP Voice Messenger, we'll note how the LG HQ also looks to put the BlackBerry Pearl in its place.  If LG puts some marketing weight behind it, it might actually manage to draw some of those Pearl users away, because the specs are nothing to sniff at:

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
• 3G, Quad Band Edge
• WiFi, Bluetooth
• 2MP camera
• miniSD HD
• 256 ROM/128 RAM
• 240x320 QVGA screen

By the way, if you were wondering, our dream of seeing a Windows Mobile standard device with a resolution greater than 240x320 is on its last legs.