Nothing too new, but suprising to know that less than two months ago, customers from Alltel Wireless were able to receive customized content which included sports scores, promotions, weather, and trivia to their phones now titled “Alltel Perks.” Yes, its been out since November, but I felt the need to bring up such a topic.  It just seems odd how such features could just come out when the technology has been available for years and has even been advanced.  I am pretty certain we will be seeing more upgrades/updates with Alltel devices in the future as they have been bought out by none other than the nations #1 service Verizon Wireless.

This amazing device lets you connect your home phone to the Internet, allowing you to make unlimited nationwide calls with T-Mobile.  In addition, this device allows you to use your cellphone via WiFi signal which is great when there is no reception in range at all.  Each T-Mobile @Home HiPort can serve up to two home phone lines.  BlackBerry devices equipped with WiFi are compatible with this router device.

Ericsson and Nordic Telecommunications Company TeliaSonera announced the signing of a contract for a commercial LTE network in Stockholm, Sweden. The roll-out of the 4G mobile broadband network will offer the 10 times higher data rates compared to today’s mobile broadband networks. The LTE system is based on 3GPP standards for Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology and System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core technology.

What does this do to BlackBerry?  RIM has just gotten acquainted with the whole 3G network with the Bold 9000 and the Storm 95xx.  4G Internet Broadband speeds?  I don’t expect seeing these implemented in RIM or any other handsets anytime sooner than a flawless Windows Mobile device is released.

Just in, the Curve 8900 is confirmed to be
$199.99 for 2 year contract
$249.99 for 1 year contract
$499.99 without contract

Telefónica o2 Germany will launch the BlackBerry option for consumers on January 19, 2009, which will enable users to benefit from the email push technology and mobile flat rate for surfing the web.  The new contract offering combines the comfort of the BlackBerry smart phones with the flexibility of the mobile data tariffs Internet-Pack S, M or L. The BlackBerry option can be ordered for € 5 a month with all postpaid mobile tariffs and all BlackBerry models. Available material includes stills of BlackBerry models as well as shots of the company’s headquarters.

The Harmony 1100 remote has received the CES 2009 Design and Engineering Award: Best of Innovations in the Home-Entertainment Accessories category. The latest Logitech Harmony 1100 advanced universal remote, replacing top-of-the-line, award-winning Logitech® Harmony® 1000 advanced universal remote, features a 3.5-inch, full-color touch screen and RF wireless technology

Users now have even more control with soft buttons for personalized setup and options to choose the commands visible on the touch-screen page.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, affecting approximately 15 million consumers per year, or one new victim every two seconds. Armed with personal information such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, names and addresses, identity thieves can drain their victim’s bank accounts and commit fraud in their name. The latest forms of this crime have expanded to medical, child and social networking identity theft. With the ever-increasing amount of consumer data that is available on the Internet, it’s becoming easier for cyber criminals to piece together the elements they need in order to steal someone’s identity. In the current economic downturn, more and more instances of credit fraud and data theft are being reported across the country, and unfortunately no one is immune. Fortunately, there are some simple and immediate steps that consumers can take to proactively protect themselves from identity theft.

The official release for the BlackBerry Curve 8900 is now out for Telefonica Venezuela now reaching version 4.6.1.114.  It is available on BlackBerry’s website.  Everyone welcome yourselves to update, but becareful using it for other carriers as you must delete the vendor.alx file.  Still waiting on T-Mobile’s 8900 next month.  Hopefully a stable sturdy OS will be equipped as we are getting late and after everyone else.

Download Here

Verizon Wireless has recently acquired Alltel Wireless, making them both the largest wireless networks in the nation.  They will remain to be two separate companies with their own plans and handsets for the time being until networks, plans, and devices all get integrated into one prime service.