There’s also Bluetooth with A2DP stereo support, a microSD slot good for cards up to 16GB in size, and an online user manual rather than the regular printed equivalent.  It’ll go on sale on May 9th, priced at free after a combined $69.99 rebate (mail-in and instant) and assuming a new, two-year agreement.

Press Release:

Affordable and Eco-Friendly LG Remarq Continues Sprint’s Wireless Industry Green Leadership

A friend of both the environment and the wallet, LG Remarq will be available May 9 for free with a new two-year agreement and mail-in rebate; pre-registration begins today at www.sprint.com/remarq

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Mar 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Proving that it is easy to be environmentally friendly and save money, Sprint (NYSE: S) and LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc. (LG Mobile Phones) today announced the upcoming availability of LG Remarq(TM), which meets Sprint eco-criteria and is the latest addition to Sprint’s growing portfolio of eco-friendly devices. Sprint is the recognized wireless industry leader in delivering to consumers and business eco-friendly devices and recycling programs.
LG Remarq will be available on May 9 in all Sprint retail channels including www.sprint.com and 1-800-Sprint1 for FREE with a new two-year service agreement and after a $19.99 instant rebate and $50 mail-in rebate (taxes and surcharges excluded). Customers can pre-register for LG Remarq beginning today at www.sprint.com/remarq.

Sprint ranked highest among all U.S. telecom companies and #15 overall on Newsweek’s Green Rankings, with a series of new environmental initiatives and green innovations. Sprint also scored highest among U.S. based wireless companies on the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) 2009 Global 500 Report on carbon disclosure.

“LG Remarq gives the eco-minded consumer a way to stay connected with the people who matter most at an incredible price,” said Kevin Packingham, Sprint senior vice president-Product Development. “Sprint continues to lead the U.S. wireless industry with our commitment to environmental initiatives and products.”

LG Remarq is a chic messaging whiz with a full sliding QWERTY keyboard featuring a 1.3 MP camera, MP3 player with microSD card slot (supports up to 16GB), Stereo Bluetooth(R) wireless technology and instant messaging. Customers can stay connected to their friends and post their latest pics with easy access to Facebook(R) and Photobucket(R).

“Our research shows that consumers are passionate about making eco-friendly choices when purchasing their mobile phones,” said Ehtisham Rabbani, corporate vice president, marketing and innovation for LG Mobile Phones. “We’re continually finding new ways to weave recyclable alternatives throughout our product line-up, continuing to show our commitment to change.”

Earth-friendly engineering

Available in either dark silver or turquoise, LG Remarq and its packaging are designed with environmentally responsible components including:

The outer casing is made from 19 percent post-consumer recycled plastic and the handset as a whole is 87 percent recyclable. The device meets strict RoHS standards for restriction of hazardous materials such as lead, mercury and cadmium.
Remarq contains low levels of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFR): two materials commonly targeted on green electronics guidelines.
Powered by an Energy Star-qualified charger which meets the energy-efficiency standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The packaging is fully recyclable packaging featuring a brown craft paper exterior and made from 87 percent post consumer material (PCM). The phone tray inside the box is made from 100 percent PCM. The images and text on the box, as well as all in-box materials, are printed with soy ink.
The paper manual has been replaced with an online user manual that users can access beginning May 9.
In addition, LG Remarq comes pre-loaded with an innovative Eco Calculator application that allows customers to calculate C02 reduction savings by walking or cycling as opposed to driving their car. The reduction is calculated in pounds of C02 or trees planted.

The Pre Plus gets 16GB of storage while the Pixi Plus makes do with 8GB.  Touchstone inductive charging dock compatible battery-covers will be included in the box, and AT&T will also be making available a special blue Pixi Plus battery cover.

The AT&T Palm Pre Plus will be priced at $149.99 while the AT&T Palm Pixi Plus will be priced at $49.99.  Both will be subject to a $100 mail-in rebate, and require a new, two-year agreement.

[via SlashGear]

Press Release:

Palm webOS Smartphones to be Available for AT&T Customers

Palm to Showcase Pre Plus and Pixi Plus at CTIA Wireless

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Mar 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — AT&T’s 80 million customers will soon have a new choice for staying connected in their fast-paced lives — the Palm(R) webOS(TM) platform. Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ:PALM) today announced that the Palm Pre(TM) Plus and Palm Pixi(TM) Plus phones will be available on the nation’s fastest 3G network for $149.99 and $49.99, respectively, with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

“AT&T and Palm have a history of smartphone leadership, and today’s announcement is a significant milestone for us,” said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer. “With Palm webOS phones coming to AT&T, Palm can help most anyone in the United States stay connected so they never miss a thing.”

Pre Plus and Pixi Plus will be featured in Palm’s booth (No. 7053) at CTIA Wireless, which runs March 23-25 in Las Vegas.

With a slider keyboard, a larger touchscreen and a high-performance processor, Pre Plus is Palm’s full-featured Palm webOS phone. It’s designed for people who want an easy-to-use phone with advanced features to help manage the different aspects of their lives, both personal and professional. The keyboard makes for quick and easy typing, while the unique gesture area provides a sleek look and intuitive navigation. Customers also get 16GB(1) of storage (~15GB user available) for applications and media. Pre Plus comes with the Palm Touchstone(TM) Back Cover, so it’s compatible out of the box with the revolutionary inductive Touchstone Charging Dock (sold separately).

As Palm’s thinnest phone to date, Pixi Plus fits easily in your hand or pocket and offers a host of powerful features, including Wi-Fi. It’s great for social communicators and first-time smartphone buyers who want an affordable and customizable phone with a full QWERTY keyboard instantly accessible for messaging and web content. Available in the original black as well as a new blue exclusive to AT&T, Pixi Plus is designed to let you express yourself. With the color Palm Pixi Touchstone Back Covers and the Palm Pixi Artist Series Back Covers (www.palm.com/artistseries), which are compatible with the Touchstone Charging Dock, you can easily switch covers to suit your mood and style (all sold separately at www.palm.com/store).

“We’re offering our customers even greater choice by adding Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus to the nation’s best smartphone portfolio,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Palm webOS plus included access to the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network and the ability to talk and surf the web at the same time is a powerful combination.”

Pre Plus and Pixi Plus showcase the defining features of Palm webOS, including the ability to run multiple applications simultaneously and easily move between them; the power of Palm Synergy(TM), which brings customers’ information from the many places it resides into a single, more comprehensive view; unobtrusive notifications; and universal search.(2) Palm webOS also has a unique model of over-the-air software updates that delivers new features and performance improvements directly to a user’s phone. Past updates have included support for 3D games and video recording allowing webOS customers to use their phones in fun, new ways.

A significant advantage of Palm webOS applications is that they can be integrated into the core webOS functionalities, such as linked contacts, layered calendars, notifications and GPS, providing a rich catalog of innovative and unique offerings for Palm webOS users. The growing Palm App Catalog offers some of the best apps in the market – such as Pandora, Fandango, and rich 3D games like “Need for Speed(TM) Undercover” and “Guitar Hero” – unique in their high integration with the webOS device. Currently there are more than 2,000 applications for download.
Pre Plus and Pixi Plus feature Wi-Fi connectivity, and AT&T customers with these devices will receive AT&T Wi-Fi access at U.S. hotspots included as part of their unlimited data plan. The phones transparently connect to Wi-Fi when in range of an AT&T hotspot, providing customers with fast and seamless access to music, email, video and the web. AT&T has the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network with more than 20,000 U.S. hotspots.

Pre Plus and Pixi Plus also support a variety of AT&T services, including AT&T Navigator for audible turn-by-turn navigation (subscription required), AT&T Address Book to easily synchronize online contacts to your phone, and YPMobile to quickly find local businesses. They also include the following features and specifications. (NOTE: A complete list of features and specifications for each phone is available at www.att.com/WebOS or www.palm.com/PrePlus and www.palm.com/PixiPlus.)

Palm Synergy(TM), a key feature of Palm webOS that brings your information from all the places it resides – including Outlook(3), Google, Facebook, Yahoo! and LinkedIn – into one logical view that links your contacts and calendars, so accessing them is easier than ever

The ability to run multiple applications simultaneously and easily move between them
Unobtrusive notifications
Universal search
Over-the-air software updates delivered directly to a user’s phone
High-quality applications from the Palm App Catalog
High-speed connectivity
Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
Full QWERTY keyboard
High-performance, desktop-class web browser
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Integrated GPS(4)
Robust messaging support (combining IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)
Multimedia options, including music, photos, video recording and playback, a camera with LED flash and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
Email, including EAS (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers) and personal email support (Google Gmail push, Yahoo!, POP3, IMAP)
Bluetooth(R) 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
USB mass storage mode
Charger/microUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touchscreen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
Light sensor, which reduces power usage by dimming the display if the ambient light is dark
Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
Removable, rechargeable battery

Band/modes:
UMTS bands/HSDPA 3.6: 850/1900
Quad band GSM/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900
GSM/GPRS/EDGE Class 10

Availability and Pricing

Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus will be available in AT&T stores and online at www.wireless.att.com in the coming months for $149.99 and $49.99, respectively, with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate. More information is available at www.att.com/webOS.

Murtazin’s full message reads “Nokia just cancel on last week some S60 products and re-working on roadmap. A lot of efforts on services, not on devices itself. Pity.”  He’s best known for running Russian site Mobile-Review, and for often getting new handsets in months in advance.

There’s no indication of which products Nokia might have axed, nor whether we’ve previously heard about them in recent leaks.  Nokia have rearranged their line-up nomenclature, to better position different models in ranges according to functionality and cost.

Such innovations include the first Windows PDA and phone, in 1998 and 2002 respectively, along with the first Android smartphone and the first 4G WiMAX smartphone.  In fact there have been more than 50 HTC smartphone models shipping since the 2002 O2 XDA by HTC.

Still, there’s plenty of room for the lawyers to make their money, with HTC CEO Peter Chou reiterating that “HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself.”

Press Release:

HTC DISAGREES WITH APPLE’S ACTIONS

Seattle – March 17, 2010 – HTC Corporation today outlined its disagreement with Apple’s legal actions and reiterated its commitment to creating a portfolio of innovative smartphones that gives consumers a variety of choices. Founded in 1997 with a passion for innovation and a vision for how smartphones would change people’s lives, HTC has continually driven this vision by consistently introducing award-winning smartphones with U.S. mobile operators.

“HTC disagrees with Apple’s actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done, but we will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible,” said Peter Chou, chief executive officer, HTC Corporation. “From day one, HTC has focused on creating cutting-edge innovations that deliver unique value for people looking for a smartphone. In 1999 we started designing the XDA

The O2 XDA by HTC was the first 3.5-inch color touch screen smartphone in the world in 2002. and T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition The T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition by HTC was the first 3.5-inch color touch screen smartphone in the United States in 2002., our first touch-screen smartphones, and they both shipped in 2002 with more than 50 additional HTC smartphone models shipping since then.”

The industry has recognized HTC’s contributions through a variety of awards including Fast Company’s 2010 Top 50 Most Innovative Companies and MIT Technology Review’s 2010 50 Most Innovative Companies. The GSMA also recently awarded the HTC Hero as the “Best Phone of 2009.” Some of HTC’s technology firsts include:

First Windows PDA (1998)
First Windows Phone (June 2002)
First 3G CDMA EVDO smartphone (October 2005)
First gesture-based smartphone (June 2007)
First Google Android smartphone (October 2008)
First 4G WIMAX smartphone (November 2008)

In 2009, HTC launched its branded user experience, HTC Sense. HTC Sense is focused on putting people at the center by making phones work in a more simple and natural way. This experience was fundamentally based on listening and observing how people live and communicate.

“HTC has always taken a partnership-oriented, collaborative approach to business. This has led to long-standing strategic partnerships with the top software, Internet and wireless technology companies in the industry as well as the top U.S., European and Asian mobile operators,” said Jason Mackenzie, vice president of HTC America. “It is through these relationships that we have been able to deliver the world’s most diverse series of smartphones to an even more diverse group of people around the world, recognizing that customers have very different needs.”

For more information on HTC’s history of innovation, please visit: www.htc.com/history.

[via Android Community]

We already know that MeeGo will include Qt, OBS and RPM.  According to Halla, much of the other technologies discussed in relation to the new platform are “still under discussion”:

“Further selections are mostly still under discussion and beyond a few obvious ones (X, connman, ofono, gstreamer, dbus,…) can be considered as working assumptions for MeeGo 1 release” Valtteri Hall, TSG, MeeGo

MeeGo brings together Nokia’s work on Maemo, the current OS for the N900, and Intel’s work on Moblin, the open-source OS for netbooks and other low-power devices.

The USB data stick itself costs $99.99, and Virgin Mobile USA have also introduced a new $20 voucher that provides a 300MB top-up (that expires after 30 days).  The new plans are available now.

Press Release:

VIRGIN MOBILE USA GIVING CUSTOMERS MORE BROADBAND FOR THE BUCK

New 5GB Plan Provides More Internet Access for Better Value

WARREN, N.J., March 3, 2010 — Virgin Mobile USA today announced new Broadband2Go plans, offering customers access to more data for the same price offers. Broadband2Go offers customers 3G nationwide wireless Internet service without an annual contract, monthly subscription or activation fee.

The cost of the Broadband2Go plans remains the same, ranging from $10 to $60, but now three of the four plans give customers access to more Megabytes. In particular, the $60 plan now offers 5GB, offering a suitable replacement for at-home Internet broadband service.

“We introduced prepaid mobile broadband for students, families on the go, freelancers—anyone who needed wireless Internet access. Now, these offers expand the value of the service to those looking to cut the cord and replace their at-home Internet service provider with a portable and more affordable option,” said Neil Lindsay, Chief Marketing Officer, Virgin Mobile USA. “More than 70 percent of customers cite that one of the main reasons they chose Broadband2Go is the flexibility to change plans as they need more or less bandwidth and to pay only for what they need.”

*Data usage per activity is based on an average. Actual usage varies depending on the types of websites, video, email and other Internet applications accessed.

Customers Asked – Virgin Mobile Listened
A Virgin Mobile USA survey revealed that Broadband2Go customers are using their mobile broadband cards frequently with about 30% using the Broadband2Go card more than 4 times a week. Approximately 16% of customers also said they purchased the Broadband2Go card for at-home Internet connection rather than interim out-of-home use. Virgin Mobile’s frequent-use broadband customers want more data available and, overall, 47% of customers asked that additional data be added to the existing plans.

Virgin Mobile USA will be launching these updated plans with a campaign using print, online and out-of-home advertising including coffee cup sleeves that say “Take It To Go… the Internet That Is“ in more than 30 of the most trafficked airports nationwide.

How It Works
As with Virgin Mobile USA’s mobile phone service, Broadband2Go activation is simple and there are no activation fees. Megabytes can be added as often as needed with credit/debit cards or Virgin Mobile and Broadband2Go Top-Up cards, and customers can easily monitor data usage with the near real-time usage meter located on the “My Account Page” on the virginmobileusa.com website after log-in. A new Broadband2Go Top-Up card is available for $20 at retail, which customers may use to purchase 300MB good for 30 days and which translates to roughly 15 hours of web browsing.

Operating on the Sprint Nationwide Network and developed in conjunction with Novatel Wireless [NASDAQ: NVTL], the MC760 Broadband2Go device carries the distinction of being the world’s smallest EV-DO Rev. A modem. It is available at Best Buy and RadioShack and online at BestBuy.com, Target.com, Walmart.com and VirginMobileUSA.com for $99.99.

It’ll also be the first device in the US to come preloaded with Nokia’s Ovi Store for mobile software downloads.  Carrier billing is also on the cards, if you don’t have – or would rather not use – a credit card.

While T-Mobile are yet to confirm pricing for the Nokia 5230 Nuron, according to a leak yesterday the handset will be priced at $69.99 with a new agreement or $179.99 if bought without.  It’s expected to go on sale within the next few weeks.

Press Release:

Nokia 5230 Nuron Delivers Apps, Maps and Free Navigation to T-Mobile USA Customers

Affordable 3G Touch-Screen Smartphone Offers Rich Mobile Experiences, Ovi Maps and Ovi Store

White Plains, NY and Bellevue, WA — March 3, 2010 – Nokia and T-Mobile USA today announced the upcoming availability of the Nokia 5230 Nuron, a smartphone solution for the masses packed with applications, maps with turn-by-turn directions, and more. Operating on T-Mobile’s blazing-fast 3G network, the Nokia Nuron offers dynamic Web browsing and rich experiences on a 3.2” touch screen. The device is also the first pre-loaded with Ovi Maps, a free turn-by-turn navigation solution from Nokia, and the first to have the Ovi Store pre-loaded, giving consumers access to thousands of compelling applications and games. The Nokia Nuron is expected to be available in the coming weeks exclusively from T-Mobile.

“The Nokia 5230 Nuron is a great product of our collaboration with T-Mobile USA and provides consumers with more compelling mobile experiences as they navigate, watch video, play games and social network,” said Mark Slater, Vice President, Sales, Nokia. “The Nokia Nuron offers U.S. consumers a unique and compelling mobile experience that caters to their everyday needs and enables them to connect to their passions with an affordable 3G touch smartphone.”

The Nokia Nuron is a mobile solution that allows consumers to easily make their way around town, download content and applications to keep them entertained, or help to manage their busy lives. Consumers can keep up with friends and family via IM, text, personal or work e-mail, and offers the ability to easily surf the Web with a full HTML browser.

“Many of our customers are looking for smartphones that deliver a great mobile Web experience with access to games and applications, all at an affordable price,” said Travis Warren, director, product marketing, T-Mobile USA. “We are excited to partner with Nokia to offer our customers the Nokia 5230 Nuron, a 3G smartphone for the masses that delivers features like a full touch screen, free turn-by-turn navigation and a premium storefront for applications.”

The Nokia Nuron is the first U.S. carrier -supported Nokia smartphone to pre-load Ovi Maps, a solution from Nokia that offers consumers free turn-by-turn directions and navigation. Additionally, Ovi Maps makes it easy to discover great places to eat, concerts, movies and more with Lonely Planet guides. Other features include the ability to check the weather forecast and even share one’s current location on Facebook. With pedestrian navigation, Ovi Maps delivers the best routes through pedestrian zones and shortcuts as well as pathways through parks and buildings. Exploring the world or rediscovering your own city has never been easier or more fun with Ovi Maps. Nokia Nuron also comes preloaded with maps for the USA, Canada and Mexico – with the ability to access to over 180 country maps at http://www.nokiausa.com/maps.

The Nokia Nuron will be the first device from a national U.S. carrier to come pre-loaded with Ovi Store by Nokia – giving consumers access to thousands of applications and other exciting content.
T-Mobile also plans to simplify the purchase experience for its customers and expects to enable them to pay for this great content by having it billed to their monthly bill or via a credit card.
To learn more about Ovi by Nokia, or for more information on how to develop for Ovi Store, please visit http://www.ovi.com and http://publish.ovi.com, respectively.

Availability
The Nokia 5230 Nuron is expected to be available on in the coming weeks in select T-Mobile retail stores and online at http://www.t-mobile.com. For more information, please visit http://www.nokiausa.com/NokiaNuron or http://www.t-mobile.com.

Use of some features or services may incur separate, additional charges and/or require a qualifying data plan. 3G coverage is available in locations nationwide, but may not be available everywhere. For more details on where T-Mobile network coverage is available, please visit www.t-mobile.com/coverage.

The shows are intended to promote bite-sized mobile entertainment, a focus for the company’s recent multimedia-friendly devices Satio and Aino.  Each fifteen minute show is broken down into five, 90-second segments available for mobile download, and each works as a standalone clip that can be viewed and forwarded.

The first shows have featured Marilyn Manson, The Veronicas, Face Invaders and Paloma Faith, and more media and citizen journalism is promised.  Whether users will be willing to use their data allowances to pay for video downloads remains to be seen; having checked out the YouTube content, would you be interested in accessing this on your cellphone?  Let us know in the comments.

HTC haven’t skimped on the connectivity, either.  The Touch Diamond has 7.2Mbps HSDPA and HSUPA for super-fast uploads and downloads.  That will be put to good use in the re-skinned Opera 9 browser, which HTC will be including in the smartphone’s ROM.  In a demonstration today, HTC execs showed the browser zooming and reflowing text with a simple tap, as well as manually controlling the zoom level with the touch-sensitive scroll wheel (that doubles as the D-pad).  The Touch Diamond also features an accelerometer, such as found in the iPhone, which can recognise which way up the handset is being held and orient the screen accordingly.

The company is calling the smartphone their “Usable Mobile Internet” device.  It also has a custom version of YouTube, which execs described as “the best mobile YouTube experience”; Apple aren’t going to like that.  Although hardware details are yet to be announced, in the demonstration the phone ran smoothly and with no slow-downs no matter whether playing media, browsing the internet or anything else. 

The handset will be launched in Europe and Asia in June, with the rest of the world later on in 2008.  No prices have been revealed.  Our sister-site PHONE Magazine will be bringing you more coverage from the HTC event – including hands-on video with the Touch Diamond itself – later on today, so keep reading!

Check out the full gallery of live HTC Touch Diamond images here

The W599 is controlled predominantly via a 2.4-inch QVGA 260k colour passive touchscreen, complete with extending stylus to take advantage of the handwriting recognition.  It also has directional controls encircling a scroll wheel for multiple navigation options.  Samsung have also added something they’re calling “handwritten instructions”, which seems to be a way of triggering shortcuts by drawing symbols onto the screen. 

There’s a 2-megapixel camera, MP3 and streaming media playback, Bluetooth, an FM radio with 20 presets and 34MB of onboard memory; a microSD slot is there to add to that when necessary.  Most surprisingly, perhaps, all that cellular radio cleverness is squeezed into something not actually all that thick.  The SCH-W599 is set for release in China, priced at 4,490 yuan ($650).

[via Unwired View]