July 10 - 4:35pm EDT   Rockchip Electronics recently announced it is planning on releasing a new chip for use in mobile phones that would support Google's Android mobile operating system. At the same time, the company believes it could seriously undercut competing ARM-based chips used in other Android devices. [full story]

July 10 - 4:00pm EDT   Canadian wireless provider Bell on Friday announced it is now offering the 3G BlackBerry Tour handset in its lineup. The smartphone can access both local EVDO and global HSPA 3G networks. The handset otherwise sports a 3.2-megapixel camera and a 480x360 resolution screen, and the prerequisite QWERTY keyboard. [full story]

July 10 - 3:10pm EDT   Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette today said that Palm Pre sales are still healthy over a month after the phone launched. Referring to his own checks, he estimates that about 40,000 of the multi-touch phones are now shipping each week and that the numbers could hold through at least August. He also expects that sales could improve if Palm can improve its shipments to Best Buy and Radio Shack, which have had short supply ever since launch. [full story]

July 10 - 1:40pm EDT   Nominally a Sprint exclusive, the Palm Pre has been successfully hacked to work with Verizon, one owner claims. In a demonstration video, the owner shows himself calling a Verizon number to authorize the device; visible in one corner of the Pre's screen is what appears to be the proper carrier identifier. The hack is said to be relatively complex, involving multiple steps, such as getting a recognized MEID number. [full story]

July 10 - 1:35pm EDT   AT&T stores to get Sony Ericsson C905a on the 19th The 8.1-megapixel Sony Ericsson C905a will soon become available at wireless provider AT&T, BGR recently reported. This would be the first 8.1-megapixel phone from AT&T, and the second expected appearance of the C905a in North America after a parallel T-Mobile leak. The leaked photo of the AT&T-branded handset reveals a front-facing camera as well, though whether it makes it to the production version is questionable; AT&T so far doesn't believe it can support two-way video calls. [full story]

July 10 - 12:20pm EDT   A tip regarding Palm's future webOS 1.1 update hints that the smartphone OS is about to receive a significant upgrade, particularly for business users. The new firmware described by PreCentral should give the Pre and future Palm phones much requested Microsoft Exchange features such as support for company-initiated remote wipes, requiring a PIN to unlock the phone, forcing a certain complexity of PIN, and automatically locking the phone when it goes unused for a certain amount of time. All of the additions are considered essential for the phone, which has seen unusually high interest from corporate buyers and to compete against the iPhone in the workplace. [full story]

July 10 - 11:20am EDT   An image has surfaced today that appears to confirm plans to give the BlackBerry Onyx its recently rumored optical trackpad. The photo (pictured), which also shows the Curve 8520 on the right, supports notions that RIM is phasing out trackballs not just on entry-level phones like the 8520 but also high-end upgrades and likely all non-touch phones. Leaks have supported beliefs that the Onyx will replace the Bold for AT&T and other GSM carriers. [full story]

July 10 - 10:50am EDT   Google CEO Eric Schmidt as part of his presentation at the Allen & Co. conference later on Thursday revealed that he had initially resisted both Chrome the web browser and eventually Chrome OS. In addition to discussing the possible conflict of interest with Apple after the unveiling of the full operating system, Schmidt told those gathered that he had originally wanted to avoid Chrome, and the OS as a result, after being soured by the early browser competition that eventually gave Microsoft's Internet Explorer the lead. It wasn't until company founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page showed a promising demo of Chrome that the chief executive eventually agreed to move ... [full story]

July 10 - 10:00am EDT   Both Sprint and Verizon have said late Thursday that they're working to add Wi-Fi to their smartphones to address a significant gap in their networks. Talking to FierceWireless, Sprint business product marketing head Jeff Clemow says his carrier decided months ago to require that all its smartphones use Wi-Fi and will soon put the requirement into effect. As a consequence, a 2010 version of the BlackBerry Tour will add Wi-Fi to the existing EVDO Rev A-based 3G it depends on so far; it only ships without due to a need to get the Tour to stores. [full story]

July 10 - 8:45am EDT   T-Mobile UK today confirmed through its Twitter feed that the HTC Hero will come to its network, rebadged as the G2 Touch. The carrier doesn't detail how if at all the phone will change from the reference version, but it does say the G2 Touch will ship in July and come for free with a £40 per month, 18-month contract. Orange UK has already said it would offer the phone this month for free on a two-year plan. [full story]

July 9 - 6:55pm EDT   Over one-third of mobile phones are expected to integrate accelerometers by 2010, according to the research firm iSuppli. Widespread adoption of the Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) sensors is being driven by popular devices such as Apple's iPhone and the recently-launched Palm Pre. Although the trend continues to develop in the smartphone segment, the technology is also being used in simpler devices. [full story]

July 9 - 2:50pm EDT   A Thursday MobileCrunch report has confirmed that smartphone maker HTC will switch from its proprietary ExtUSB format to the near industry-standard 3.5mm audio jack. The new jack will be included on handsets including and released after the Android-powered Hero, though some devices that have already been announced and due for a release after the Hero will retain the old, proprietary format. [full story]

July 9 - 2:30pm EDT   Palm Pre owners are ironically complaining that their smartphones don't have onscreen keyboards, a study by Strategy Analytics found today. Despite Palm having added the QWERTY keyboard in response to gripes about touch-only devices like the iPhone, many users want a software keyboard like Apple's, as Palm's design gives them no choice but to use the hardware solution. The opinion holds even for those who chose the Pre for the physical input, senior analyst Paul Brown says. [full story]

July 9 - 1:40pm EDT   UK wireless provider Orange on Thursday officially confirmed at an expected event that it will be the exclusive provider of the Toshiba TG01 touchscreen smartphone. The 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered device will ship to stores on Friday. [full story]

July 9 - 1:25pm EDT   Sprint has signed a deal to hand over daily network operations to Swedish firm Ericsson, according to an announcement. Set to last at least seven years, the agreement will see Ericsson manage services, provisioning and maintenance for CDMA, iDEN and wired connections. Although Sprint is expected to maintain full ownership and control of its network, and operate all aspects seen by customers, some 6,000 Sprint workers will find themselves under Ericsson's aegis in the third quarter of 2009. [full story]