Blackberry Pearl 3G Gets Official

The Bold 9650 was not the only device RIM announced at WES.. They've also announced their update to the Blackberry Pearl (finally), the Pearl 3G. The original Pearl was the first Blackberry to sport the trackball which was eventually adopted by the Curve, Bold, and the rest of the RIM line. It was also the device with the most staying power out of RIM's lineup, though it was largely unchanged for that time.

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Dell's Aero Whisks Its Way To AT&T

You might recognize this little bugger as the Dell Mini 3. Well, Dell has finally brought the little guy to the US, rebranded as the Dell Aero. It's running Dell's iteration of the Android platform, but no details have been announced yet, so I'm seriously concerned about whether Dell has built their spin on the platform on 1.6, or worse, 1.5 instead of 2.1 or even 2.0 might suffice. 

Since there are no details on the device announced just yet, I'll take this minute to point out how big of a problem the fragmentation of the Android platform has become. As great as the OS is, the simple fact that manufacturers are still building on top of severely outdated software is an issue. I'm not saying the iPhone school of thought is the way to go, but something's gotta give.

Do you have an Android device? Is it running old software? Do you find yourself wanting the new hotness? Leave it in the comments!

Update on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 by Mark Burstiner

Android 1.5 is confirmed for the device, but Dell is feeling pretty good about 2.1 being right around the corner. Thanks, Engadget!

Despite Poor Quarter, Palm Presses On With Pre and Pixi For AT&T

Last week, Palm reported their most recent letdown: a $22 million loss. Though, despite terrible numbers, they press on to announce their recent entries to Verizon's lineup are now available on AT&T. (in case you hate making phone calls) Yes, the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus are now available form AT&T in GSM flavors. In fact, not a single feature has changed from their CDMA counterparts, save the GSM receiver.

Palm will have to make some drastic changes if they expect to stay in the game. It feels like only a year ago (it was) that we were all saying the same thing. WebOS was supposed to be their savior, but now over a year later, and we're still running the same hardware, it's looking bleak yet again. Engadget's Joshua Topolsky has got some great ideas on how Palm can save themselves moving forward, but unfortunately many of their mistakes have already been made. Short of brand new stellar hardware instantly available on every carrier, a much richer developer ecosystem, and some major updates to the OS, it seems like we may really be nearing the end.

AT&T Locks Down The Moto Backflip

Well, here we go again. AT&T just can't resist making themselves look totally inept at running one of the biggest networks in the US. AT&T's first foray into Android, the Moto Backflip, isn't a great device to begin with, but it does the job, especially for a new smartphone user, and since Android 2.1 should be coming any minute now, it's sure to make some folks happy. Well, if AT&T can keep their grubby hands off it, that is.

News broke this week that the Blackflip, while running MotoBLUR, Motorola's social spin on Android, will not be able to install any apps outside of the official Android market. On any other Android device, the option exists to install apps from unknown sources at your own risk. Seriously AT&T!? When will you learn? Have you not been paying any attention to the iPhone? Users want choice. We want to be able to decide what gets installed on our devices. If AT&T thinks for a second that this is a smart move, they're sadly mistaken. Even Verizon hasn't locked down their Android devices. If you were considering a Backflip, the decision has just been made for you. Don't get one.

Skype Over 3G "Coming Real Soon"

You didn't think Skype would let iCall and Skype get all the attention now that Apple and AT&T are allowing calls over 3G did you? Skype just announced their solution for the incredibly popular service would be "coming real soon". The new version is being held back just a little bit so they can perfect the audio quality. They're boasting CD audio quality for Skype to Skype calls over 3G which is very impressive. Check out the video below for all the details on the release.