Touchscreen BlackBerry Thunder to launch in Q3?

If this is real, the Bold is not the biggest announcement of RIM for the year. The first information on the BlackBerry Thunder was reported by BGR, revealing the first all-touch phone of the manufacturer. This is one of its codenames and others refer to it as the BlackBerry Storm or BlackBerry 9500. As it can be seen from the illustrated picture (not real), on its front it has a huge display and only four keys: send, end, BlackBerry menu and back.

According to the source, Thunder will be a CDMA/EVDO and GSM/HSDPA hybrid that can be used all over the world. It will be exclusively available with Verizon (in the U.S.) and Vodafone (in the rest of the world). However, if they cannot meet a specific sales quota, BlackBerry may dissolve the exclusivity and bring the phone to other carriers also. A 4G (LTE) support is also mentioned, but we don't really expect to see one in a device, rumored to launch in Q3 this year.

Moto RAZR2 V9 Ferrari Edition Announced
After the Moto Z8, it's now the RAZR2 V9 getting the Ferrari brand name and design. Yes, Motorola has introduced the Ferrari edition of the RAZR2 V9 that will feature the Ferrari theme, videos, ring tones, and wallpapers.

The Ferrari edition of the RAZR2 V9 packs standard V9 features such as a 240 x 320 QVGA 262K color display, internal antenna, 2 mega pixels camera with 8x digital zoom, and touch-sensitive music keys on the external display. At the same time incorporating new features such as 45MB end-user memory, 2GB memory with an optional microSD card, support for audio and video streaming, video capture and playback, and version 2.0 wireless Bluetooth technology with support for A2DP and AVRCP profiles. Apart from Bluetooth, other connectivity options of the Ferrari edition include Micro USB, USB 2.0 full speed, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps wireless Broadband, and EDGE/GPRS. And also part of the added new features are messaging functions via MMS, email, SMS, and MotoSync.

Motorola plans to launch the V9 Ferrari edition only in Asia and Latin America. No information on the price and launch date has been made available yet.

Dell XPS M1730 Notebook Released in India

The good-looking beast is here to entertain PC gamers. The best entertainment time pass, gaming allows users to face an entirely new world and virtually get hold of evils. But, to enjoy the mobile gaming performance a superior featured product should be used.

Dell, thus, expands its XPS line with the launch of M1730 gaming notebook PC in the Indian market. Boasting to be the world's first notebook to utilize AGEIA PhysX Mobile Technology and Logitech's GamePanel LCD, the XPS M1730 delivers realistic movement and environmental interaction at super fast speeds and at the same time allows gamers to view game stats, develop new macros and track important system information without signing off from the game.

Powered by Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 processor at 2.2GHz, the M1730 also supports Intel Core 2 Duo T9500 (2.4GHz) or Intel Extreme Edition Core 2 Duo X9000 processor (2.8GHz) with support for overclocking to 3.2GHz (Bin+2). This allows consumers to make a choice from any of the three processors.

The latest gaming laptop features the NVIDIA SLI technology with DirectX 10 graphics, a backlit keyboard with separate 10-key number pad, a 17-inch high-definition UltraSharp widescreen display with a resolution of 1920×1200 pixels, TrueLife technology (wide viewing angle), response time of 7 milliseconds and 260 nits brightness.

In addition, it is compatible with Dell's LightFX application to manipulate the system's multi-colored perimeter lighting LEDs.

"Dell is committed to the creation of PCs that will take hard-core gamers to new frontiers," stated Girish Mehta, Director of Consumer Marketing, Dell India. "The XPS M1730 engineering team worked with developers on leading titles such as such as The Orange Box from Valve's Half Life 2 and 2K Games' BioShock to help ensure this notebook can deliver the full-throttle power required for the most anticipated PC games."

The other features of the XPS M1730 include 4GB dual channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz, 8x DVD+/-RW, Intel Pro/Wireless 3945 802.11 a/b/g Wireless with WiFi Catcher, Bluetooth version 2.0+ and 2 megapixel webcam with microphones. It also sports 4 USB 2.0, Dual-link DVI-I (support for 30-inch displays), IEEE 1394a, S-video with component, composite, S/PDIF support, 8-in-1 card reader, HDMI via DVI adapter, Consumer IR, dual headphones, microphone (stereo line-in) and support for 5.1 audio out.

Also termed as the Beast, the laptop supports Microsoft Windows Vista Premium and Windows XP Professional and includes ExpressCard Consumer IR Travel Remote Control as well as 80WHr Lithium-Ion battery. It comes included with 200GB 7,200 RPM hard disc drive and an optional 64GB solid state disc (SSD) drives or traditional platter hard drives along with Optional Blu-ray Disc Drive are also available.

Three lively colors - Crimson Red, Sapphire Blue and Smoke Grey make the Dell XPS M1730 shine. At a price starting from Rs. 1,00,800, the gaming laptop is immediately available across the nation.

RIM's BlackBerry Bold aims at business users

TORONTO (Reuters) - Research In Motion Ltd ((RIMM.O) is launching a new high-end version of the BlackBerry aimed at its core base of business users, but it hopes the sleek new smartphone will also catch on with the broader retail market.

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Shares of RIM jumped on Monday, climbing C$8.76, or 6.6 percent, to C$142.11 on the Toronto Stock Exchange. On Nasdaq, the stock was up $8.84, or 6.7 percent, at $141.61.

The BlackBerry Bold, as the new smartphone is called, is the first BlackBerry to support high-speed HSDPA cellular networks and comes with integrated GPS, Wi-Fi and a host of multimedia features.

"It's really a step up in function in many core aspects of the system," RIM Co-CEO Jim Balsillie said in an interview.

The smartphone rolls out globally this summer and will cost between $300 and $400, he said. AT&T (T.N) will be its lead carrier in the United States.

Citi Investment Research analyst Jim Suva wrote in a note to clients that the timing of the launch of the third-generation smartphone was ahead of his expectations. Third generation, or 3G, essentially refers to advanced and high-speed wireless services.

"We had expected a 3G device later this year," he wrote. "We estimate the Bold could increase RIM's quarterly shipments by 200,000 to 400,000."

While Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM hopes the Bold will entice corporate users to upgrade the handsets they currently use, Balsillie said he "wouldn't be surprised if it gets picked up by the consumer."

The device will be a test of whether the shaky U.S. economy is making corporations less willing to spend on new wireless hardware. Some analysts have expressed concern that companies will delay upgrades or cut back on spending on items such as the BlackBerry.

RIM helped dispel such worries last month when it delivered a higher fourth-quarter profit and a robust outlook.

UBS analyst Jeffrey Fan wrote in a note to clients he expects the company to launch between three or four new devices this year.

"We believe RIM's broadening portfolio should widen its appeal to the mass market," he wrote.

The Bold features the most vivid display ever on a BlackBerry, a 2-megapixel camera with video recording capability, and a media player for watching movies and managing music collections.

This isn't the first time a BlackBerry has been loaded with multimedia features to catch the eye of the retail customer. RIM has actively worked at diversifying its client base away from the executives, lawyers and other professionals who use the BlackBerry for sending secure wireless e-mail.

More than a third of RIM's 14 million subscribers are now classified as nongovernment and noncorporate.

The company has also rolled out customer-oriented applications such as Facebook software specifically designed for the BlackBerry. Last month, RIM said downloads of the application had topped the 1 million mark.

And in a separate announcement on Monday, RIM and Microsoft (MSFT.TO) said they will provide Microsoft Windows Live services such as instant messaging and e-mail on the BlackBerry.

Its pursuit of consumers has put RIM in increasingly direct competition with devices such as Apple's (AAPL.O) iPhone, which target the broad retail market.

Still, Balsillie said the Bold is aimed first and foremost at the business, or enterprise, audience.

"It's pretty fair to say that the Bold does quite a job for cementing our leadership in the (enterprise) side," he said. "We understand our roots and we understand the priority there."

RIM also announced that, along with Royal Bank of Canada (RY.TO) and Thomson Reuters (TRI.N)(TRI.TO), it will launch a $150 million venture capital fund that will invest in applications and services for the BlackBerry and other mobile platforms.

Asus-Lamborghini VX3 Notebook and PDA Phone Launched

Asus unveiled its Asus-Lamborghini VX3 Notebook in India. This limited edition range is developed keeping in mind the aesthetics and performance of the Lamborghini race car. The VX3 carries all the distinguished traits of the ASUS-Lamborghini VX notebook series. The 12.1" wide-screened notebook is based on Intel's next generation Penryn-based Core 2 Duo CPU and manufactured using the 45-nanometer process. It is available in the signature colors of Lamborghini, yellow and black. It has a  built-in high-resolution webcam on top of the screen that complements a sapphire crystal panel which is further complemented by the titanium alloy hinge backbone. The laptop comes with leather-bound palm rest. Along with VX3 notebook, Asus also introduced its PDA phone — ASUS-Lamborghini ZX1 — for luxury mobile users. The "beehive" textured air intake covers beside the front grille of the Lamborghini race car are incorporated on the top of the phone. The hood has a shiny surface, complete with the Lamborghini crest. It also has a highly-maneuverable 9-way navigational key. The back panel is covered with lightweight, but strong carbon fiber that is twice as tough as aluminum and five times stronger than steel. A high grade stainless steel casement is used to protect the camera compartment. The 2.8" touch screen phone is equipped with wireless 802.11b+g, Bluetooth v2.0+EDR, USB2.0 compatible and even GPS. The company claims that it is the first luxury PDA Phone that runs on Windows Mobile