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Nokia’s official E63 announcement came just in time as earlier today, the FCC gave the E63 the green light (formal approval).  This mainstream E-Series device will join the E71 as the HSPDA-less younger brother with its heart set on a US launch.  While we are unsure of the retail pricing at US Nokia Flagship stores or online, a release date is approaching and we can’t wait.  Now the real question on our minds is whether to wait for the BlackBerry Curve 8900 or not?

Via FCC

The North American BlackBerry Curve 8900 variant has just made its round through the FCC database and received approval.  Current rumors indicate that the Curve 2 will be making an appearance on both At&t and T-mobile here in the states and now that T-mobile Germany released the device earlier today a launch is eminent.  While an exact release date is still up in the air, BGR is reporting that T-mobile USA will launch the Curve 8900 on Black Friday.  Whether the rumors hold true, the device is coming and T-mobile customers should be very excited.

As a bit of a reminder, the Blackberry 8900 Curve will bring a quadband GSM/EDGE, A 3.2MP camera, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g , Bluetooth and GPS.  T-mobile MyFaves and HotSpot@Home support are also expected to make the final release.

BlackBerry Curve 8900 (Javelin) Specifications

Via FCC

The Federal Communications Commission voted Tuesday to open up unused, unlicensed portions of the television airwaves known as “white spaces” to deliver wireless broadband service.  The vote is a big victory for public interest groups and technology companies such as Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. that say white spaces could be used to bring broadband to rural America and other underserved parts of the country.

“White spaces are the blank pages on which we which we will write our broadband future,” said Jonathan Adelstein, one of two Democrats on the five-member commission. Adelstein added that white spaces could represent a “third channel” to reach consumers beyond the telephone and cable networks that represent the primary competition in today’s broadband market. Continue reading

Federal regulators are signing off on Verizon Wireless’ planned $28 billion purchase of Alltel Corp. The deal will create the nation’s largest wireless carrier.  With partial dissents by the two Democrats on the five-member panel, the Federal Communications Commission decided Tuesday to allow Verizon Wireless to move ahead with the deal for Alltel. Verizon is paying $5.9 billion and assuming $22.2 billion of Alltel’s debt.

The FCC is attaching several conditions to the deal, including a requirement that Verizon Wireless honor Alltel’s existing roaming agreements for four years.  The Justice Department approved the deal last week after Verizon agreed to sell assets in 22 states.

Via AP News

Federal regulators are giving Sprint Nextel Corp. the green light to spin off and merge its new WiMax wireless broadband network with that of Clearwire Corp.

In a 5-0 vote Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission approved a plan to combine Sprint’s Xohm network with Clearwire’s WiMax-like network. Google Inc., Intel Corp. and a group of cable companies are investing billions into the $14.6 billion venture, which will carry Clearwire’s name.

The Justice Department has already indicated that it will allow the deal to proceed, but will continue to monitor it.

Via AP News

A letter requesting confidentiality of BlackBerry smartphone Model RCC51UW for FCC Certification application broke cover this morning over at the FCC website.  This mysterious device is the GSM version of the BlackBerry Storm which supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/1900, Bluetooth and GPS.  Additionally, support for GSM 900, CDS 1800 and WCDMA FDD 1 bands are also present, but this means that we are looking at the Vodafone BlackBerry Storm.  Sorry friends, no NAM BlackBerry Storm (US 3G) today

Please note this product: Model: BlackBerry RCC51UW is a variant of previously authorized, BlackBerry RBW71CW (FCC ID: L6ARBW70CW).  This applicant has declared that the only difference between the two models is that the BlackBerry RCC51UW does not support CDMA

Via FCC

BlackBerry Storm (9500 Series) Specifications:

The Presidential election is not the only political battle brewing on November 4th, the largest-ever continuous chunk of frequencies dolled out by the U.S. government for free public use is also in question.  While many of us (hopefully all of us) will be casting our vote for the next President, the FCC will be deciding whether to make a large chunk of airwaves for wireless high-speed Internet access available for free public use.  The proponents include FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and an interesting conglomerate of tech heavyweights including Google, Microsoft, Dell, Motorola and Philips Electronics North America.

The companies hope that the free spectrum would spur demand for wireless access and the equipment and advertising that would support it.  At the moment, FCC Charmin Kevin Martin has lined up the support he needs from two additional commissioners, but there is still heavy speculation that the vote on the issue may be delayed and possibly defeated.  November 4th will bring two monumental outcomes for the United States so we’ll sit back and let the suspense build accordingly.

Update: 11/03 - Monday, the FCC pulled the item from its agenda, which means a vote on these highly controversial issues will be delayed. The four commissioners are asking to reopen public discussion on several proposals with the hope that the item can be brought up again at the FCC’s December 18 meeting.

Formerly known by the codename ‘Cabo’, the Motorola i9 is the latest iDEN capable device coming soon to the Sprint Nextel network.  The i9 features a 3.1-megapixel camera, GPS, morphing touch-sensitive keys on the front that change based on the current application, and push-to-talk capability.  There has been little more than an announcement by Sprint that the device is in the pipeline so a release date and price point are still a bit fuzzy at the moment.  In the meantime you can take a peek at the FCC filings and rest well knowing that it has been approved for use stateside.

Via FCC

The ‘Storm’ is coming soon to Verizon Wireless and the latest sighting has us locked in to the FCC database.  The device has been approved, clear of harmful radiation and ready for a formal release this November on Big Red.  As usual, the FCC documentation is very limited with RIM keeping all but the device label under wraps.  Enjoy the schematic with device label or follow though to browse the additional FCC filings.

FCC BlackBerry Storm documents

BlackBerry Storm (9500 Series) Specifications: