April 27 - 10:35am EDT   Vodafone Spain today got the edge on its other European counterparts by saying it would launch the HTC Magic early. The carrier's countdown has the phone shipping at midnight Tuesday and will make it the first country to get the handset, which is the second-ever Android phone and the first sold outside of T-Mobile. Unlike the G1, the Magic uses Android 1.5's on-screen keyboard alone for input and uses this to significantly slim down the design. [full story]

April 22 - 4:25pm EDT   DigiTimes reported on Wednesday that Compal Electronics reduced the budget and other resources for mobile Internet devices (MIDs) as the company believes the future of the market segment is uncertain. The report cites unnamed industry sources for the information, and Compal itself has confirmed that some of its MID focus was shifted into netbook development. It will continue to ship MIDs in smaller volumes. [full story]

February 17 - 7:30am EST   HTC today after a brief run-up introduced the Magic, the second-ever Android device and the first to rely on an iPhone-like virtual keyboard thanks to Google's impending Cupcake update to the software. The upgrade slims the device down without shrinking the 3.2-inch touchscreen or sacrificing the remaining hardware controls, which still include a trackball for using the phone one-handed. Cupcake should also bring video capture and stereo Bluetooth support, though whether these reach the final device is unknown. [full story]

February 9 - 4:15pm EST   The LiMo Foundation on Monday announced six new wireless providers have committed to release LiMo Platform based handsets in 2009. The Linux OS-based phones will become available from Verizon Wireless, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, SK Telecom, Telefonica and Vodafone sometime in 2009. The open-source Linux operating system in the devices will be based on the latest version of the LiMo Platform. [full story]

October 23 - 5:05pm EDT   The Archos Internet tablet, introduced earlier this summer, is now available for the first time via a wireless provider, France's SFR. The device is the Archos 5 3G+ and includes a 5-inch touchscreen, built-in access to 3G wireless data networks and Wi-Fi. Included with the device is a 30GB hard drive, the smallest of the range that also offer 60GB, 120GB and 250GB capacity disks. [full story]

February 13 - 3:00pm EST   Archos will be one of the first to provide a dedicated portable media player with cellular Internet access, the company has revealed during this week's Mobile World Congress show. While short on information, the news indicates that at least one device in Archos' next generation of players will include 3G or better services that allows it to connect to the Internet anywhere it can receive an appropriate signal from a cell tower. The feature should provide extended access to the web through the Opera web browser included with the company's higher-end players. [full story]