While many users of the iPhone have been enjoying Sirius’ XM radio for a while now it will soon be an issue of the past as Sirius has recently announced that their XM radio subscription will be coming to Android devices, like the Nexus One “soon.”

While Sirius is not giving any specific dates on when you can expect this service to be available on your Android device a sign up page that went live recently promises that it will be “available soon.”  The application itself will be free but you will need a monthly SiriusXM subscription to continue to use the app after your 7 day trial is up.

One downside to this announcement is for those people who are hoping to use this app to get their fix of Howard Stern, Major League Baseball play by play, NFL play by play and NASCAR radio.  These programs will not be available on the Android devices due to “contractual rights things.”  This certainly does lower the appeal of this app and signing up for the SiriusXM subscription it is not going to diminish my excitement completely.

Having the ability to play SiriusXM radio wherever you go is a definite appeal to getting an Android device and SiriusXM subscription.  If you are a huge music buff this could be a real treat and a great way to stay in contact with your favorite tunes.  Having the ability to tune into SiriusXM radio will make your Android device much more than just a cell phone and portable MP3 player.  You will now have access to thousands and thousands of songs on your mobile device, such as the HTC Hero, anywhere in the world.  I know for myself I will be downloading this app as soon as it becomes available in the Android market place.

BlackBerry is at it again with some more great news for their mobile device consumers like BlackBerry Bold 9700.  RIM’s co-CEO Mike Lazaridis recently announced that the company’s next platform, which is being called BlackBerry 6, will be available “in the next calendar quarter,” which can be assumed as the third quarter of 2010.  While there was no video preview of the platform at BlackBerry’s most recent event the demo they did have showed a touchscreen interface and with the assistance of a follow up question from the audience it was confirmed BlackBerry 6 will be available for both touch and non-touch devices.

Lazaridis also mentioned that the company’s all-new WebKit-based browser is part and parcel with BlackBerry 6 pointing out that the rendering engine will have implications throughout the platform and the apps that run on it not just the browser alone.  In other words you should not be expecting a release of WebKit browser for OS 5 based devices.

While it is RIM’s intention to for every device in the RIM portfolio to eventually run BlackBerry 6 not every device on the market today will be upgradeable.  Lazaridis says they will do their best but he is not making any guarantees, so check and see if it will be available for your BlackBerry Curve.

With the recent improvements made by RIM and their OS 5.0 release I am very eager to see what features BlackBerry 6 is set to include.  OS 5 was a major upgrade to the earlier operating systems BlackBerry was employing so it will be very exciting to see what BlackBerry 6 will look like.  The idea of having a touchscreen on my BlackBerry is very thrilling to say the least.  It sounds like BlackBerry is really making some strides to catch up with other smartphones on the market today.

In a rather seemingly interesting move mobile device manufacturer Motorola has decided to remove Google’s locations services from their mobile devices in favor of those from Skyhook.  Motorola states that they are proudly become the “first Android device maker to abandon Google for its location services.”  The device maker is set to add Skyhook’s GPS, WiFi and cellular location to the “vast majority” of its phone models, like the Motorola Milestone.  This news apparently has developers giddy as the Skyhook technology is hardcoded into the OS which means every single app can reap the benefits.

It is still unclear why Motorola would want to distance itself from Google like this by using Skyhook’s technology to power all of the GPS, WiFi and cellular location for their mobile devices.  It will be interesting to see what sorts of apps developers will be able to come up with now that they will have access to all of this GPS technology.  I am sure there are some really cool features that they will be able to add to many different apps.

Also, it would be intriguing to see how consumers react to Motorola’s Android devices when they are lacking the familiar Google technology.  Many consumers have become accustomed to these various technologies so it will be interesting to see how they react to the new Motorola devices.  Ultimately if smartphone consumers do like the way that these features function on these various new Motorola phones it would be pretty hard for the mobile device manufacturer to continue making these devices.  While I think this could be a good thing for the Android market and really push device makers to enhance their products like the Motorola Cliq and include new features when new devices are released I will be sitting back and seeing just how good Skyhook’s technology really is first.

Following the recent official announcement of the BlackBerry Pearl 3G Canadian carriers Telus and Rogers have announced that they will be carrying the Pearl 3G in the coming months.  The Telus announcement reads:
Starting in May, this smartphone will be available from TELUS in pink and in black for as little as $29.99 on a three-year plan. For more information about the new BlackBerry Pearl 3G smartphone, please visit www.blackberry.com/pearl3

While the Rogers announcement was a bit more non-committal as far as dates go:
Pricing and availability will be announced in the coming weeks. For additional information about Rogers’ lineup of BlackBerry smartphones, please visit www.rogers.com. For more information about the BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100, please visit www.blackberry.com/pearl3G
Also, in addition to these two networks Bell Canada has also announced that they will be carrying the new BlackBerry device:
Bell Mobility will carry the device is May and it will operate on our HSPA network.

All of this sounds like great news for Canadian BlackBerry fans.  The eagerness of these three wireless networks to carry the new Pearl 3G is a great sign for how popular they expect this device to become.  With the past success of older Pearl models it is no wonder that these three Canadian wireless networks are so eager to announce they will be carrying the device as soon as possible.  Undoubtedly this new Pearl 3G will bring new customers to their wireless networks and keep some of their old customers happy as well.  The Pearl 3G is expected to become one of BlackBerry’s most popular smartphones and has a line of specifications that are sure to rival many other mobile devices on the market today.

It appears that more and more evidence is starting to mount that the next iPhone will feature support for video chat.  Multiple references have been discovered in the latest iPhone OS 4 beta code.  It looks there have been several mentions of one on one and group video chats within an iChat app for the new iPhone OS.  Apple already has three different servers set up to handle the load for this service but they are currently only accessible through Apple’s intranet.

Also found within the build were mentions to chat rooms and moderation which the website 9to5mac.com speculates will be used for a new Game Center.  As is always the case just because something is included in the pre-release software is no guarantee that it will be included when the final product is launched.  But since there has been instances of several well connected people eluding to the fact that video chat appeared to be on the horizon this looks like just another bit of evidence that something along the lines of an iChat app is on the way.

With each passing day the iPhone OS 4 is creating more and more buzz.  It looks like there are going to be a lot more updates and upgrades included in this latest OS release for the iPhone than initially expected.  The big buzz generated by the upcoming release of the iPhone OS 4 was the ability for users to multitask and run several apps at the same time.  Now throw in the ability to stage one on one or group video conferences and it sounds like the iPhone OS 4 is set to be one of the best smartphone operating systems on the market today.

For all of the BlackBerry users who are also avid Twitterers you will be pleasantly surprised to find out that there is a new Twitter app for BlackBerry devices that was recently released into public beta.  With the first release of the Twitter app for BlackBerry many users complained about several controls and features associated with the app.  It looks like the developers took your concerns into consideration and have a large list of new features that are available with this latest release.
Notifications of New Tweets and @Replies/Mentions
• When an @reply/mention is received, the user will be notified with a splat on the BlackBerry home screen ribbon as well as the application icon
• Users will also be notified of new tweets in the BlackBerry Messages list
Twitter Lists Functionality
• Comprehensive option to build a list of Twitter users on any subject
• Ability to add members to the list and view subscribers of the lists
• Users can also view other users’ lists
Profile Editing
• Users can edit their own Twitter profile from the application
• Users can also change their profile image from the application
Personalization Settings
• Users can customize the look of the application with the ability to:
• Show/hide the navigation bar and tweetbox
• Change the font/style to their own preferred choice
Enlarged Avatar (Profile Picture) Viewing
Users can click on a Twitter profile image and it will be enlarged for better viewing abilities.

These new features build on Twitter for BlackBerry’s strengths at its original preview launch:
• Push Notifications for Direct Messages
• Timeline Support
• Following & Followers
• Posting, Sending, Deleting, Replying and Re-Tweeting Tweets
• User/Saved/Keyword/Proximity Search
• Tweet Photos/Links
• Trending Topics
• Seamless integration into core BlackBerry Applications
• URL Shortening
• Auto Update

In one of the better rumors flying around the internet it appears there is a new smartphone from LG that has surfaced in Korea.  This new phone known exclusively by its model number LG LU2300 is just another Android phone to be released.  The Android 2.1 device is on par with Google’s Nexus One and HTC’s Desire.  The LG LU2300 comes equipped with a 1GHz processor, 3.5” WVGA AMOLED capacitive display, 5 megapixel camera, 720p DivX compatibility, DMB tuner and of course the ever popular GS, Wi-Fi and 3G combination.  With a set of features like this it is no wonder why people would put this device on par with the other Android power houses such as the Nexus One and Desire.

While it is unknown if this device will ever see a US release it is certain that this device would be able to compete with the other big players in the Android market space.  With comparable features the LU2300 would have no problem attracting buyers in the US market.  I highly doubt that many consumers would have a problem with another fantastic smartphone hitting the market from which they could choose.

It is a shame that this device is not currently being offered in the US.  From the sounds of it this phone appears to be a powerful Android device and has many of the characteristics that unlocked mobile device consumers are looking for.  Personally I would like to get my hands on one of these phones to test out the various functions along with the full QWERTY keyboard while checking out that impressive 1GHz processor that this device boasts.  Only time will tell if those of us in the US market will get to see this device up close and in person.

If you are currently in the market for a new cell phone but not interested in all of text message driven smartphones then Sony Ericsson may have a new phone for you.  Sony Ericsson recently launched a pair of Walkman phones known as the Zylo and Spiro.  Both phones feature the Sony Ericsson Walkman music player as well as built in apps for Facebook and Twitter access.  Other than these two features these two new phones are true featurephone devices with QVGA resolution screens and a numeric keypad.

The Zylo is the more upscale model of the two new devices.  With a larger 2.6 screen the Zylo also gets a high-quality music playback option.  The Walkman on the Zylo can handle lossless FLAC flies as well.  One of the cool features of the Zylo is that the device has the ability to play music files in the background during conversations so you can let a caller listen to your playlist.  The Zylo even comes with ambient noise tracks for the background so that you can pretend to be calling from a work office, street or restaurant.

The Spiro is lacking in the additional features department from the Zylo.  The Spiro does not have FLAC support and also lacks the background music playback and ambient noise tracks.  The simpler Spiro comes with a 2.2” QVGA display to go along with the Walkman player.  The one standout feature of the Spiro is the one-touch access to TrackID which is Sony Ericsson’s music identification service.

While many mobile device customers are into the various unlocked smartphones that have infiltrated the market it is nice to know that there are still other options out there if you do not have a need to be connected on Facebook or Twitter all of the time.  The pricing for the Zylo and Spiro is unknown at this time but the two devices are expected to be available in Q3 of 2010.

Last year, in an effort to help reduce crime the Mexican government passed a law that required all pre-paid, anonymous mobile phone users to submit their personal information to their wireless provider and have their cellular line linked with their name and personal information.  The law was enacted to try and combat what Mexican authorities called “mobile extortion.”

Many ransom demands from organized crime and drug cartel kidnappings are often made via anonymous, pre-paid cell phones.  This is also the preferred method of communication for ‘common criminals” in Mexico.

The vast majority of Mexico’s estimated 84 million mobile phones are of the pre-paid variety.  With a weekend deadline looming for compliance with this new law over 30 million pre-paid users have failed to submit their information to the wireless companies.  If users do not submit their information by the deadline the wireless companies have been instructed to shut off these devices that are not in compliance.

As is the case with many laws there is opposition to this new ruling.  Critics say that these criminals will just register their devices with fake or other people’s credentials.  These critics also feel that denying the Mexican people access to cell phones, including unlocked cell phones, is a violation of their constitutional rights under Mexican law.  Telcom company America Movil is predicting losses of around $10 million a day if the 30 million unregistered lines are actually shut down.

While this new law seems like a good idea on paper I am sure it will not entirely deter the criminals from committing their crimes.  They may need to develop a new method of communication or register their mobile device in a fake name but will more than likely not stop crime altogether.

One of the most highly anticipated phone releases in recent memory is that of the HTC Incredible.  Recently, details of the specs for the HTC Incredible have surfaced on the internet and this phone looks to be quiet incredible indeed.  Here is a list of some of the key features that we will be seeing when the Incredible is finally launched.
• 4.63″ x 2.3″ x 0.47″, 4.59 oz.
• Android 2.1 “Eclair” with Sense UI
• 1GHz Snapdragon QSG8650 processor
• 512MB ROM / 512MB RAM
• Dual-band EV-DO Rev. A
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• GPS
• 3.7″ WVGA OLED capacitive display
• 8 megapixel camera with auto-focus and video capture
• HTML browser with Flash Lite 4.0
• Microsoft Exchange support
• 8GB internal memory
• microSD support for up to 32GB
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Accelerometer
• 312 minutes talk time / 149 hours standby
• Pre-loaded with Google Calendar, Gmail, Search, Maps, Latitude, Navigation and Talk
With a list of features like that it is no wonder why people are eagerly awaiting the release of the Incredible by HTC. 

The 8 megapixel camera with autofocus is sure to be one of the highlights for those unlocked mobile phone consumers who love to take pictures wherever they go.  Throw in the fact that this device can s