Starting in the middle of the night, when you should be sleeping, Research In Motion is going to start rolling out BIS 3.0 to the North American BlackBerry owners eagerly waiting for it. (That also means those who could care less are also getting it, too, of course.) First, the good part: This is going to bring label creation to the mix, as well as deleting those same labels while utilizing the plug-in made available; it includes support for OpenDocument file-types; and WMA audio. The best part, though, is that BIS 3.0 is going to offer up two-way synchronization of sent messages and read status. Great stuff, right? Right.

The trouble is, that last bit of features? The whole, two-way synchronization stuff? That’s going to be rolled out over the Spring months, hitting region after region. You shouldn’t expect it right from the start, so don’t get your hopes up. So, come March 28th, or 29th, for some of you out there, you’ll finally be able to use a rational version of Gmail on your BlackBerry. Is this the sign of end times?

[via CrackBerry]

The update to Windows Mobile 6.5 is a much needed step forward for the Touch Pro2. While the hardware is great, the software has been severely lacking, since, well, day one. But, now that we’ve got WinMo 6.5 to add to those devices, we can finally say that the device is ready to move into the future (even if the future does, in fact, end here). What do you get when you do update your handset? You’ll get the standard improvements to HTC’s Sense User Interface, some more social network integration, and it provides a few minor bug fixes.

Your phone should look like a brand new machine when you get this update up and running. And that’s never a bad thing. If you’re a Sprint customer running around with a Touch Pro2, please let us know how the update process goes for you, and what you think of 6.5. Was it worth the wait?

[via HTC]

Thanks to the keen eyes of AndroidCentral, we can safely say that “in the coming weeks,” Android 2.1 will be gracing the hardware of both the HTC Hero and the Samsung Moment. Yeah, we know. It’s exciting news. While the document itself is (next to) impossible to read, we’re taking it on a safe bet that the text reads something like this: Sprint is actively working on having the 2.1 platform available to their customers in the coming weeks. And, that we should expect more information about the upgrade in April. So, there we go. April seems to be the month. Of course, we can’t help but look at the fact that it says expect more information about the upgrade, and not that it necessarily is getting the upgrade in April, but that’s just us picking apart the little things. Maybe another company should do that.

We’ve heard that the HTC Hero in European land would be getting its upgrade to 2.1 in April as well, so this does line up pretty well. However, we’re wondering if that also means the Nexus One will show up in Google’s Store for an April launch as well. Given the opportunity, would you rather pick up the HTC Nexus One, or keep your Hero/Moment? As soon as we hear more, we’ll pass it on.

[via AndroidCentral]

For $10 a month, you’re able to use 50 messages. Whether that be 50 text messages, or 50 MMS, or a little bit of everything, you get to choose how you want to send them. But, careful, there’s a twist. AT&T is offering the plan for only sent messages. Those of the incoming variety aren’t counted, and are, in fact, charged the normal rate for those. So, again, it’s only for sent messages that you get the nifty new rate.

Starting on the 20th of March you’ll be able to add the plan to your wireless bill, if this is your thing. Although, we’re of the mind that if you’re sending text messages, you are also more than likely receiving text messages as well, so this may be only solving half the battle. Then again, half the battle is definitely better than none of the battle. Is a plan like this good for you? Or are you comfortable sticking with the pay-as-you-go variety?

[via AT&T]

But why would Apple want to join the ranks of phone manufacturers offering devices to the Chinese wireless provider? Simply put, China Mobile has over a half billion subscribers. To put that into perspective, that means they’ve got almost double the number of subscribers than the United States has in total population. Yeah, we’ll let that sink in. According to the Financial Times, UK, the head of China Mobile has reached out to Apple to make it possible that the next version of Apple’s superstar product offer up the carrier-specific 3G network. Apparently though, Apple hasn’t responded to the plea quite yet.

China Mobile has two competitors in China: China Telecom and China Unicom, and it’s the latter that has the distribution deal with Apple right now. So, the fact that China Mobile is taking the steps necessary to attract Apple onto their network means that they must be in danger of falling behind the two other companies. We’ll have to keep our eyes on this one, and see what happens if, indeed, Apple changes things up and offers the iPhone with China Mobile. It can’t be that bad of an idea for the Cupertino-based company, though. That’s a lot of monthly subscribers buying an iPhone.

[via 9to5 Mac]

These screenshots look about as Beta as we’ve ever seen. While we can safely say that something of this sort could easily be photoshopped, we’re hoping that someone who is doing a photoshop of an upcoming mobile Operating System wouldn’t want to put the “Snooze” option over another element of the OS. Of course, stranger things have happened, so maybe the owner just wanted to make it look like it was a Beta software.

While we’re fans of widgets, we’re wondering if a BlackBerry device would really prosper from the User Interface elements. BlackBerry devices have a good thing going for them, truth be told, so the addition of widgets may alienate a lot of their customers. Or, it could shepherd the company into a brand new era, where they’re taken in by a lot of new customers. Who knows. Let’s just hope all these rumors about the screenshots above being fake aren’t true, and that we can expect something like this from BackBerry OS 6.0 soon. Maybe on this BlackBerry “T” device we’re hearing so much about.

[via BB News]

Its DRM solution will allow for a number of business models including subscriptions, rental, content metering, and sharing of content across multiple devices and platforms. By having the same DRM solution on all platforms, MobiTV, Inc.’s technology allows easy authentication with minimal involvement by the end user.

“It was imperative for us, as multi-screen distribution becomes core to our business, to create a solution that allows for consumption of content on multiple screens and platforms, whether someone is on a plane or sitting in front of their home television” said Cedric Fernandes, VP Technology, MobiTV, Inc. “This solution provides the ability to track and supply content rights for the end user as well as the device, creating new business models around the multi-channel screen viewing concept.”

The Airo Wireless A25is is equipped with multi-functional features including a 2.8-inch touch screen and is just under an inch thick. Powered by Windows Mobile, the smartphone also has several user-friendly features, including a fully integrated GPS receiver, QWERTY touchscreen, light weight battery and sleek body. Other highlights include Bluetooth compatibility, Push-to-Talk compatibility, a button for notifications, as well as GPS telematics applications and the ability to support a full line of business applications for job assignment and inventory tracking.

Specifications:

• Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• Super Rugged Monoblock
• Dimensions: 142.4 mm x 68 mm x 24.4 mm
• Weight: 275 grams
• 1570 mAh Li-Ion Polymer battery
• Processor: Intel® XScale PXA270, 416 MHz
• RAM: 128 MB
• Flash: 128 MB
• miniSD: Maximum capacity 2GB
• Display: TFT, 16 million colors 240×320 pixels, 2.8 inches

There isn’t any word on what the problem could be, but whispers are beginning to float around that it could have something to do with a bug that is screwing up the software update. So, that’s that. It’s not coming today. And, while we certainly hope that “as soon as possible” means tomorrow, we doubt it. We’ll keep you updated of any changes.

[via Boy Genius Report]

The X10 Mini is scheduled to release in Belgium and France by the end of May, while the X10 Mini Pro is meant to see the same region in June. The only real differences between the two devices is the Pro’s physical, slide-out keyboard. Other than that, they’re both rocking a 600MHz processor, the Sony Ericsson created “Rachael” User Interface over-top the Android Operating System (which is drastically different than the competition’s skin), and a 5MP camera. They’re the tiniest of smartphones, we’d bet, and that’s probably going to really only cater to a very nice group. Nothing wrong with that, though.

If you’re in that niche, and these little guys seem interesting to you, then start saving: The Mini will cost you about €300, or $410, to purchase, unlocked. The Mini Pro is €330, or $450, unlocked. Sure, it’s not enough to break the bank, but it’s still pretty pricey for these small devices. We imagine it’s that whole smartphone feel. Let us know if you decide to pick one of these bad boys up, we’d love to hear your feedback on the small design.

[via the unwiredview]