Remember that wild, sporty W6 that Moto unveiled a few weeks back? TmoNews is claiming that T-Mobile will be picking up a suspiciously similar handset known as the MOTOACTV W450 in early September. There's really not terribly much going on here other than water resistance, apparently, with a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, media support with microSD slot (the phone's designed to be jogged with, after all), and that's pretty much it. Fortunately, the pleasure of shrieking at your own yellow keypad should only run you $30-50, so they say, when it launches.

The lowly Moto V365 really can't soldier on forever as AT&T's only "rugged" (and we use that term loosely) clamshell; we'd thought the W760r was coming in to save the day, but sadly, it's yet to materialize. So what's a butterfingered AT&T subscriber to do? With any luck, the answer is to wait just a few more weeks, because Boy Genius Report claims that the Samsung a837 will launch in the mid-September timeframe with HSDPA, Video Share, Bluetooth, GPS, push-to-talk (naturally), and a 1.3-megapixel cam, making it AT&T's first and only beefed-up 3G set. Yes, it could be prettier, but something tells us that's not really the market AT&T's going for here -- then again, with de facto competitor Casio trotting out the Boulder in orange, maybe we're off base on that one.

Well, here's one we didn't see coming: it seems that AT&T has wised up to the fact that Americans like their Symbian (well, at least a few of 'em do, anyway) and wants to keep S60-equipped options on the table. Yes, granted, AT&T is a founding member of the Symbian Foundation, but the proof is in the pudding, and the last Nokia smartphone to land there was the N75 in May of last year -- an eternity by mobile standards. More recently, the N75 grew up, got sexy, picked up some brushed metal, and emerged in Europe as the 6550; now, it's surprisingly and unexpectedly been retooled as the 6650 for North American 3G spectrum. It's got a 2.2-inch QVGA primary display, 160 x 128 secondary, 2-megapixel cam, AT&T Navigator (which means GPS), push-to-talk support, and HSDPA 850 / 1900 to compliment quadband EDGE. We don't know exactly when it's coming, but for S60 fans who cringe at the thought of having to blow several hundred on an unlocked set every time they want some fresh hardware, this should be welcome news.

[Thanks, Al and Oscar M.]

Hey, Verizon customers, you're feeling a little warm to the touch over there. Could it be that you have -- be still our hearts! -- Motorola fever? As Motos go, Verizon's currently signed up to get two of the hotter upcoming models in the next few weeks, the ZN4 Blaze and the VU30 Rapture, both of which have been spied in the wild once more (looking basically ready for retail launch this time around, may we add). The VU30 is a fashion flip that takes some cues from its GSM-based U9 cousin featuring a glossy translucent shell, fat external display, and according to the latest rumors, a September 9 release date. The Blaze meanwhile looks more or less the same as the last time we saw it, leaving us to wonder what possessed Motorola to keep rolling with that eyesore of a giant, red-ringed medallion on the hinged lid. It's also rumored for a September date with destiny, though the exact day is unclear at this point -- and honestly, Motorola, if you want to push that back a month or two to make the badge less obnoxious, be our guest.

[Via phoneArena]

Along with the all-new form factor will come an all-new -- well, kinda new -- software build for RIM when it releases the BlackBerry Pearl (or KickStart, or whatever the hell they decide to call it) 8200 series later this year. The most fliptastic of the Pearls will join the Bold in sporting BlackBerry OS 4.6, and shots are surfacing of what exactly that'll look like once it gets grafted onto T-Mobile's WiFi-equipped 8220 model. As one might expect, it looks like it's taking a lot of UI cues already seen and enjoyed on the Bold with the usual T-Mobile twists added in like myFaves support; in particular, we're loving the insanely slick stopwatch display. Too bad we'll use it... oh, never. Cell Phone Signal likes October for the 8220's release, which runs the risk of burying it beneath the Dream -- maybe that rumored $50 out-the-door price can move a few, though. That, or overflow once the Dream stock dries up.

The FCC got first dibs, but now it's Target's turn to show off Motorola's latest iDEN debacle. Don't get us wrong, it's not that bad looking now that we get a better glance -- but still, that hulking external antenna sets off a gag reflex for us that's hard to suppress. Anyhoo, Target's product page reveals that it'll be a prepaid device for Sprint's Boost division, offering 600-contact capacity, 3.5-hour talk time, GPS, and oh yeah, did we mention a giant stub protruding from the top? It's claimed here that the i776 can be found in stores, but without an official announcement from Boost, it might be a little tricky to come across just yet.

[Via PhoneNews]

Far be it from Verizon to get left out of Motorola's RAZR-ish evolution recently observed in Sprint's VE20, the VU30 Rapture (no relation to the LG Vu -- trust us) should be hitting Big Red next month according to the latest data we've got on hand. The wait's always excruciating, we know, but phoneArena's picked up a few juicy bits of the user's manual for us all to chew on in the meanwhile. Looking over the documentation, it really is striking to see just how much the VU30 shares in common with its Sprint contemporary: a touch-sensitive external display for music controls, 2-megapixel camera, EV-DO, and a curvy shape that somehow manages to evoke the RAZRs of old without prompting us to gouge our eyes out, for example.

True, ZTE's C79 clamshell becomes one of the relatively few phones released to market to support CDMA on the AWS frequency band in addition to the old-skool cellular and PCS bands, but to buyers, that doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot at this point. Instead, they'll be more concerned (and rightfully so, may we add) about the stylish red shell, the 1.3-megapixel camera, 220 x 176 primary display, external music controls, and 69MB of memory on top of a microSD slot. Strangely, there's no EV-DO involved, but this is MetroPCS we're talking about -- which also means we're met head on with a contract-free price of $169. It's available now.

Okay, Samsung, we get it: you're really good at pounding out the cheap clamshells. Point taken. Oh, what's that, you say? You still feel like you have something to prove? Oh, well then by all means, dump another couple $20 flips on Sprint! Please, we insist. As expected, it looks like we'll all have the fabulous opportunity to pick up our choice of the M220 or M320 for $19.99 come September 2, offering Bluetooth, speakerphone, and in the case of the M320, a VGA camera.

Out of the Moto camp, we get the i365 ruggedized brickphone for iDEN fanboys and fangirls -- you know who you are, so stop looking around -- which will run $90 and include Bluetooth despite its early-90s appeal. Finally, the most exciting of the foursome has to be the V950 Renegade, but excitement comes at a cost: $199.99, to be exact. In this case, your pair of Benjamins is going to net you QChat capability, Bluetooth, a 2 megapixel cam, microSD expansion, and external music controls, which makes it just about the coolest Direct Connect phone going. Line starts over here, folks.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Sanyo handsets are like cats: you either love them or you just really, really loathe them with every fiber of your being. Sprint and Sanyo both seem to be pretty okay with that; clearly, not every phone in Sprint's lineup is going to be for everyone, and the Katana Eclipse is no different. Sanyo fanatic or not, though, our gripe list added up pretty quickly with this one, so would-be buyers might want to put it through a good workout in store before taking the plunge.

The phone's hinge design causes the upper half of the phone to rest behind the bottom half; that is, the intersection of the planes containing the two halves is not the center of the hinge (think MacBook, for example). We thought that felt a little weird against our face and made it more difficult to get a good seal between the earpiece and our ear. Also, the front of the phone -- arguably the most attractive of any Katana to date -- isn't the most user-friendly. The tiny external display was difficult to read even in a moderate amount of shade, and the music controls are nearly flush with the shell which makes actuating them trickier than it should be. Speaking of displays, the primary one is pretty small, leaving a huge gray bezel with no function whatsoever (don't be fooled by the white dots at the bottom, they serve no function other than to make you think that they're touch-sensitive soft buttons, which they're not).

It's not all doom and gloom, though. The dedicated speaker key is a nifty parlor trick, you've got a 1.3 megapixel cam in there, and it does stereo Bluetooth. Plus, it's a Sanyo, and we know that for a few of you out there, that's all that matters. For you guys, you'll be able to pick up the Katana Eclipse immediately for $99.99 with a new two-year contract.

We're going to confess a dirty little secret here: when we first started playing with the VE20, we didn't realize it was being branded and marketed as a RAZR. As we used it, though, it quickly became evident -- no one had to tell us this was a kindred spirit of the V3. For better or worse, the shape of the phone -- everything from the tapered upper edge of the display to the "chin" beneath the keypad -- looks and feels like an obvious evolution. You might call it a stepping stone in between the V3 and the V9, and considering that the V3 gets closer to its last breath on store shelves with each passing day (or so we hope), Moto and Sprint need something to slot in there beneath the mighty RAZR 2.

Call us insane, but for what the VE20 is, we liked it. It doesn't pretend to be a do-all, end-all superphone, nor does it try to wow you with its premium materials; it's just a decent midrange flip with what seems to be excellent build quality. The screen is exceptionally bright, clear, and rich, and the V9-aping secondary touchscreen is a nice touch (pun intended, of course). One area of concern: it froze up on us once, necessitating a restart, and the music app was completely broken in our tester. Our guess is that this'll be resolved in retail units or via a quick firmware update shortly after launch -- at least, it frigging better be.

The VE20 is available today for $99.99 on contract after rebates.

So we don't think Verizon really intended to leak any handset release dates via a slide about Mobile Email launches on various devices -- but alas, they did. At present, the Moto VU30 is scheduled for a September 9 date with destiny, and it seems that its name has changed from "Utopia" to "Rapture" somewhere along the way. Further out, the LG VX8360 (which we're guessing will be an update for the forgettable VX8350) gets real in October -- and unfortunately, that shiny, hot mess of CDMA technology from Nokia, the 7205, appears to be shelved all the way back to December. There's also a u440 "Cleo" from Samsung in there somewhere, too, though no launch window is listed. Anyway, sorry for the interruption, Verizon; please, continue fascinating us with your stories about mobile email.

When we think of a "fold" phone, we think of some sort of insanely complex origami-like contraption that might function a small handful of times before breaking into a dozen useless fragments. In reality, though, Nokia's new 3610 Fold is nothing more than your standard issue flip phone, which is probably just as well. It bears a fleeting resemblance to the 3555, but we'd argue that the 3610 is considerably more attractive and 2008-ish -- just too bad it loses the 3G somewhere along the way, presumably in an effort to keep the unsubsidized cost down to a bargain-basement €125 ($186). On the upside, it bundles a 1.3 megapixel cam, microSD expansion, quadband EDGE, and a Q3 ship date in two exciting colors, so keep your chin up, sport.

Relax, take your shoes back off and put down your car keys -- the Katana Eclipse still isn't released, so there's no point in running down to your local Sprint kiosk just yet. We do, however, have a full range of photography that should temporarily keep would-be buyers' heads from exploding for a dearth of information about Sanyo's latest American clam. The phone looks like it might be the most attractive Katana to date, and Sanyo owners tend to be among the most fiercely loyal around, so we think this one should get some good play at the cash register. Check out the gallery, and keep the drool off your keyboard for once, will ya?

[Thanks, Opie33]

Dealer documentation seemingly intended for Rogers dealers has, of course, leaked out onto the interwebs, possibly revealing the entirety of the carrier's third quarter offerings. With the exception of the Bold and KickStart / Pearl 8220, there's nothing terribly mind-blowing in the mix, though the lineup does include a pretty healthy range of goodies from the low end to the reasonably high. Highlights include the Sony Ericsson W350a music flip, a phone we've already seen meandering about in AT&T livery, so it comes as little surprise that we'd see it up north as well; the iPAQ 910c Windows Mobile smartphone from HP; and a refreshed RAZR 2 that'll probably mirror the V9x. All of these chewy technological morsels launch (in theory, anyway) by the end of September, which really only serves to makes us wonder: what's on tap up there for the holiday season?