The 4G BlackBerry Torch 9810 (.99) from AT&T and Sprint Touch Bold 9930 (9.00) have August 21 release dates.

The CDMA BlackBerry Torch 9850 has a September 1 release date and 9 price tag.  This most likely is the Sprint BlackBerry Torch . 

The BlackBerry TV (Cyclone) will have October 31 release date.

The AT&T BlackBerry Torch 9860 (Monza) is priced at 9 and 4G BlackBerry
Bold 9900(Dakota) priced at 9 are shown to have November 6 and
November 20 release date respectively.

BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900 9930 is the world’s thinnest phone with a dedicated QWERTY keyboard and 2.8″ touchscreen.  Features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 1.2GHz processor, GPS, NFC (Near
Field Communications), microSD slot, 5MP camera, 768MB of RAM, 8GB
onboard memory, and a 1230mAh battery.

The 4G BlackBerry Torch
9860 is called the “multimedia powerhouse” with a 3.7″ 253ppi high-resolution touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 1.2GHz processor, GPS,  microSD slot, 5MP camera, 768MB of RAM and 4GB
onboard memory.

As we know from the past, release dates for smartphones can be delayed and can change due to “issues” with networks.

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, AT&T said the deal will close in the first half of 2012, pending regulatory approval. Previously, AT&T had anticipated the deal closing in March 2012. The Department of Justice sued in August to block the deal on antitrust grounds, and a trial is set to begin Feb. 13. AT&T first announced the deal in late March 2011.

If the merger transaction does fall apart, AT&T will be required to pay T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom a billion breakup fee, which includes billion in cash and billion in spectrum and roaming agreements.

The legal troubles for AT&T grew after U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle ruled on Wednesday that Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) and C Spire Wireless could continue parts of their lawsuit to block the AT&T/T-Mobile deal. While Huvelle threw out many of the claims Sprint and C Spire, formerly Cellular South, made in their filings, she ruled that the two could continue to pursue claims that the deal will harm the mobile device marketplace. 

Interestingly, AT&T also said in the SEC filing that it now expects its proposed .93 billion purchase of Qualcomm’s (NASDAQ:QCOM) 700 MHz Media FLO spectrum, which was announced in December 2010, to close by the end of the first quarter of next year, later than its previous expectation for the deal to close by year-end. The FCC needs to approve the license transfer.

In August the FCC said it would consider the AT&T/Qualcomm transaction side-by-side with the AT&T/T-Mobile deal. While the FCC did not formally combine the reviews of the two acquisitions, the move was a setback for AT&T and Qualcomm, which argued that the two deals should be evaluated independent of one another.

For more:
- see this SEC filing
- see this WSJ article (sub. req.)

Related Articles:
Judge allows Sprint, C Spire to continue AT&T/T-Mobile legal battle
AT&T prepares for October legal battles over T-Mobile deal
Google wants confidential Android info protected in AT&T/T-Mobile litigation
AT&T’s Stephenson: We will argue for efficiencies from T-Mobile deal
Sprint’s Hesse: DOJ lawsuit against AT&T/T-Mobile won’t prevent consolidation
Cellular South jumps into fray, sues to block AT&T/T-Mobile

FierceWireless

AT&T said that those customers who are affected can still use unlimited data and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle. Before customers have their speeds throttled, likely down to 2G EDGE data speeds, AT&T said it will provide multiple notices, including a grace period.

The carrier said the new policy will affect a “very small minority” of subscribers who use an “extraordinary” amount of data. “In fact, these customers on average use 12 times more data than the average of all other smartphone data customers,” the company said in a statement, explaining that users in the top 5 percent are streaming very large amounts of video and music daily. “This step will not apply to our 15 million smartphone customers on a tiered data plan or the vast majority of smartphone customers who still have unlimited data plans.”

AT&T did not indicate what amount of data usage would qualify users to be in the top 5 percent of heaviest users, but noted that as demand for mobile data increases, the top 5 percent threshold will change from month to month. AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel told FierceWireless that the announcement is not tied to any specific product launch or change at AT&T. According to data from The Nielsen Company, 95 percent of average U.S. smartphone users in the first quarter used under 1.5 GB of data per month.

The blog 9to5 Mac first reported that AT&T would throttle users’ data speeds.

AT&T isn’t the first to throttle users’ data speeds. T-Mobile USA announced in May it would not charge customers for data overage fees but would instead throttle users’ down to 2G EDGE speeds if they went over their data allotments. Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) instituted usage-based smartphone data plans in early July and charges a /GB overage fee. However, Verizon said in February, ahead of the launch of Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 4, that it would begin throttling the data speeds of its the top 5 percent of its heaviest unlimited data users.

Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) does not charge overage fees or throttle its smartphone data users, but its Virgin Mobile brand will begin throttling the speeds of smartphone users who use more than 2.5 GB of data per month. The company said less than 3 percent of its customers currently use that much data monthly.

For more:
- see this release

Related Articles:
What does AT&T’s usage-based pricing adoption mean for Verizon?
Verizon CFO: We will combat heavy data users with overage charges, not throttling
The tiered-pricing dilemma on smartphones: Overage charges or throttling?
T-Mobile unveils new tiered data plans for smartphones, details throttling speeds
As iPhone looms, Verizon to throttle data speeds of heaviest users

FierceWireless

TS2R Wireless News from Wireless and Mobile News


AT&T Slashes Prices - AT&T has slashed the prices on some of its most popular smartphones with a two-year contract.  The Samsung Captivate now costs .99.  The BlackBerry Torch, Samsung Focus, and LG Quantum are all .99, while the BlackBerry Curve 3G has been reduced to .99.

Sony Ericsson No Japan Disaster Impact – Sony Ericsson does not expect any significant impart on its business operation due to the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

Google Paves the Way for Payments with MasterCard and Citi - Google is working with MasterCard and Citigroup to embed NFC payments.  Google will give retailers data about the payers.

RIM’s PlayBook Makes Play to Play Android Apps – RIM has added Android support for its PlayBook tablet.  The apps will work via app players for both BlackBerry Java apps, and Android (2.3) apps.  These new app players will allow users to download Java and Android apps from BlackBerry App World and run them on the PlayBook alongside native apps.

AT&T Coupon-Link  Off AT&T Wireless with Plan
for new customers with a contract.  See details at deals page.

Full news articles today include a new HTC Windows Phone app, HTC Compass, Motorola Atrix update, and a mobile email filtering miracle.

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

AT&T’s answer to their take on the difference is seen in a new commercial.  It shows a man in a conference room talking on the speaker phone and making a reservation at the same time.  Apple’s official iPhone commercial shows two iPhones on the two networks doing the same functions to the tune of the Blue Danube.

The Verizon iPhone sold out for Verizon presale customers the day it went on sale.  There will be some Verizon stores opening at midnight on February 10 for iPhone sales.  

WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

In two separate suits, filed in federal court in January in Georgia and Indiana, customers alleged AT&T taxed the mobile data portion of their bill when it shouldn’t. The suits, which were transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, alleged AT&T violated the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act, which bars state and local governments from levying taxes on Internet access between Nov. 1, 2003 and Nov. 1, 2014.

AT&T’s message Thursday directed subscribers to a website with more information about the case, including details about a court hearing set for March 10, 2011. AT&T did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the proposed settlement, but agreed to stop charging the taxes if the court approves the deal.

The case, of course, is not the first time a wireless carrier has faced questions over billing and tax issues. AT&T and most of the rest of the wireless carrier community have had to address, and in some cases modify, various state and local tax charges and billing efforts.

For more:
- see this IDG News Service article

Related Articles:
AT&T faces lawsuits over data fee taxes
AT&T proposes settlement for AT&T Wireless-related lawsuits
AT&T settles class-action ETF case for M
Former AT&T Wireless subscribers to get day in court

FierceWireless

RCR Wireless News

@FierceWireless: Rambus Sees ITC Ruling Helping Sway Other Potential Licensees (sub. req.) Article #Nvidia. | Follow @FierceWireless

> AT&T Mobility announced the Sharp FX from Personal Communications Devices, a feature phone with a touchscreen and slide-out Qwerty keyboard that features Qualcomm’s FLO TV service. Release

> HTC plans to push its brand in mainland China. Article (sub. req.)

> Chip technology vendor ARM beat its revenue forecasts. Article

> Canadian carrier Rogers enjoyed a rise in quarterly earnings. Article

> The “Qi” wireless power specification is now ready. Article

> Verizon Wireless suffered a service outage in parts of Manhattan yesterday. Article (sub. req.)

Mobile Content News

> Global financial services provider Citigroup warned customers its free mobile banking application for Apple’s iPhone contains a security flaw. Article

> Google appears to be eying the launch of a digital music store later this year. Article

> Google introduced Google Maps for mobile 4.4, promising more efficient access to information on nearby locations. Article

> According to a new survey, no one would pay for Twitter. Article

European Wireless News

> Ireland’s Imagine acquired Clearwire’s operations in the country. Release

And finally… An app from Cloud Music leverages Google’s Docs storage service to stream music to Android rival Apple’s iPhone. Article

FierceWireless

I have to chalk this up to poor AT&T data performance.

More AT&T fail.

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