Y'all remember that 2016-SMS timestamp bug we discussed a few weeks ago? The one that caused all incoming text messages to be dated from the year 2016?

Well, good news as HTC has released patches for Telus, US Cellular and Alltel users (Sprint got theirs last week; not a peep though from Verizon yet).

Telus

• Diamond
• Touch Pro
• Touch Pro 2

Alltel

• Touch Pro
• Diamond (n/a)

US Cellular

• Touch Pro 2
• Touch Pro (n/a)

Remember, these don't play too well with custom ROMs, so best to stick with the 'Ziggy' patch.  

Sure, this was an unfortunate bug, but three to four weeks isn't too bad for an official patch, we suppose...we mean in comparison to where we were a few years ago (Anyone remember the Sprint 700wx SMS debacle? That was like a 6 month wait!)

[Thanks to Gregory P for the Telus tip!]

Telus sure has an odd pricing scheme, at least for those of us used to two-year deals in the U.S. But hey they did get their hands on the LG IQ and if you sign a whopping three-year contract it can be yours for a low $99.

Only want to do two years?  That will cost you an extra $300:

• 3-year contract: $99.99
• 2-year contract: $399.99
• 1-year contract: $449.99
• No contract: $499.99

But hey, that IQ sure is a nice phone and we have to admit, we'd like to get our grubby mitts on it.  Featuring WM6.5, 1gHz processor and a 5MP camera, it's pretty swell.  Luckily AT&T has the eXpo coming very soon, once their shipping issues are straightened out.

Get the LG IQ now.

[via MobileSyrup]

Need some more of that Telus LG IQ (aka the Monaco) we got eyes on earlier this week? Ask and ye shall receive. And shaky camera work aside, that's a solid looking phone. We could get behind the (optional) fingerprint scanner as the means of unlocking the phone, though we're still not sold on optical-type d-pads. Otherwise, those of you in Canada look like you've got a rather snazzy 3.2-inch WGVA slider with Snapdragon on your hands. Peep some video after the break. [Mobile Syrup]

Update: Loads more pics and thoughts from Mobile Jaw. (thanks, Mike!)

Read the rest of this entry »

We're gonna have to go way, way back for this one. In the Great AT&T Flood of 2009 came a leaked slide of the LG Monaco, a Snapdragon-powered, 3.2-inch touchscreen slider. And here before you is what that device, now known as the LG IQ, has become, destined for Canadian carrier Telus.

Gone is that janky-looking D-pad from the keyboard, and instead it features an optical mouse on the front face. Also on board are a 5-megapixel and Windows Mobile 6.5 Pro.

Question is, will we still see this on AT&T, as previously rumored? And will it launch (or at least be upgradeable to) Windows Mobile 7, if and when it arrives, as previously rumored?

News at 11.

Mobile Ninjas via wmpoweruser

Not to stir up too much attention, but the unlocker (Hard SPL) for the CDMA Touch Pro 2 is expected to drop sometime this coming week.

Like the GSM version, this will allow users to flash the much coveted custom ROMs onto their phones.  The 'CDMA Rhodium Elite Team' has been hard at work cracking this latest HTC device and evidently it hasn't been an easy job, so give them some thanks when it drops.

What is even better news is the expectation that a separate SIM unlocker will be released at or near the same time as the Hard SPL.  The will allow the CDMA Touch Pro 2 to reportedly work on any U.S. GSM network (e.g. AT&T and T-Mobile) as well as for flashing of different radio firmwares.

The Sprint Touch Pro 2 is already SIM unlocked for oversea GSM carriers (unlike the Verizon and Telus versions), but all CDMA devices are barred from U.S. GSM networks, making this accomplishment, if accurate, truly astonishing.

The Hard SPL (for custom ROMs) will of course be free but the SIM unlocker is reportedly going to cost a license of €14 (~$21), which we suppose is fair for such a bonus feature.

We'll keep you posted as soon as either are released!

Well it only took about 12 months but the Palm Treo Pro  (full review) finally caved in today and had its finicky ext ROM unlocked thanks to cmonex and the first custom ROM by CFay, which just happens to be one of the latest versions of WM6.5.1 (Build 23409). 

CFay has also released a "clean" WM6.1 ROM, stripped of bloatware and tweaked for style and performance.

The Palm Treo Pro, designed by Palm but built by HTC, has much more in common with other HTC devices than previous Treos. However, unlocking the ROM files so new ones can be rebuilt has eluded many developers so far, proving to be as tough as Motorola devices.

And since we've heard nary a peep from anyone about an official ROM update from Palm, this is probably your only chance.

Users should be warned that this is in the very early stages of development and currently *only CDMA Treos* can do this, so let the dust settle before jumping, m'kay? 

Get all the goodies here:

• Treo Pro Hard-SPL
• WM6.5.1 Custom ROM
• WM6.1 "clean" ROM

A big congratulations and thanks goes to cmonex and CFay for their hard work.  Don't forget to show them some support via donations!

We don't get out much. And we especially don't get up to Canada enough. And so we asked one of our Canadian readers, Gregory, to check out the Telus version of the Touch Pro 2. And Gregory knocked it out of the park.

So, after the break, check out his impression of one of the most anticipated phones of the year.

Read the rest of this entry »

We told you they were coming, and indeed they have. The HTC Snap and Touch Pro 2 are now available on Canadian network Telus. In exchange for signing away three years of your cellular life, you get the Snap for free; the Touch Pro 2 will cost you $249.99. [via BGR]

HTC Snap on Telus

HTC Touch Pro 2 on Telus

We've been hoping that after a couple of days Best Buy Canada would realize there's a mutant Touch Pro 2 on the loose, but no dice. So, here you go. The Telus version is now available for $249 and the standard 36-month contract. Good luck finding a square case.

Via BGR

Yeah, it's pretty tough to beat the $49.99 Verizon Ozone, which is VZW's contribution to the HTC Snap line. But Canada's Telus network has done it. The Telus Snap is running $29.99 at Canadian Best Buys. Of course, that's with the Canadian standard three-year plan, and Verizon and Telus aren't in some international, cross-border competition, so we're kinda talking apples and oranges here.

If any of our neighbors to the north pick this up and want to do up a review, e-mail us. We'll make ya famous.

MobileSyrup via IntoMobile