Reuters is reporting that Google’s VP of Engineering, Andy Rubin, has been conducting talks with record labels in an attempt to launch an online music service “before Christmas.” The publication cites two sources familiar with the matter, and states that although record industry insiders are excited about the possibility of Apple and Google clashing on the digital music front, Google has yet to ink deals any record labels.... 

The BlackBerry Torch 9800 might be exclusive to one carrier in the U.S., but that hasn’t stopped the floozy of a handset from making the rounds in Canada. Bell Mobility recently announced that they too will be carrying the BlackBerry Torch slider — which we knew – beginning on September 24th. The device will retail for $199 on a 3-year contract and $599 off-contract. This brings the total number of Canadian networks launching... 

We have heard that Sprint is currently targeting a November release for Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablet. Pricing for the CDMA device has not yet been disclosed to us. UPDATE: We’re also hearing it is a 3G/4G device!  Read More →

We’ve just been given word that AT&T will be launching the LG Encore in four days on September 5th. The Encore is a full touchscreen feature-phone that packs a 3-inch display, dual band HSDPA/UMTS, quad band GSM, 3 megapixel camera with video recording, micro-SD card slot, and aGPS. The device will run AT&T’s Social Net, Adress Book, and Navigator programs and will have up to three hours of talk time. Hit the jump to check... 

Wow, for a Friday afternoon things sure are sultry on the Verizon Wireless front. We’ve just been sent in a Verizon training document that seems to indicate that the Samsung Fascinate will launch on September 9th. The document is part of a pre-paid training series being offered to VZW retail employees. You’ll notice that to the right of the Fascinate the date 9/9/2010 is listed. So  Read More →

Boost Mobile might have the Motorola i1 as a ruggedized Android handset, but we’ve just been informed that T-Mobile will be upping the stakes. A new Motorola Android phone, codenamed Jordan, is set for a November launch on T-Mo. The interesting thing about the Motorola Jordan is not that it is just a ruggedized handset, bur rather that we’ve heard the phone will actually be completely waterproof down to 10 meters (that’s just... 

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that BlackBerry maker Research In Motion sold right around 150,000 Torch handsets during its opening weekend. The sales estimate comes courtesy of RBC Capital Markets analyst Stifel Nicolaus. Curiously, the launch numbers keep being compared to the first weekend sales figures of the iPhone 4; which launched on June 24th of this year in five countries and on multiple carriers. The WSJ also calls into question... 

Yesterday, pre-paid wireless provider MetroPCS dropped a few more details about their first LTE phone and launch plans. MetroPCS CEO Roger Linquist noted that the company’s first LTE device would be the Samsung Craft and that its price would be comparable to that of smartphones currently in its lineup. Currently, the most expensive device in Metro’s lineup is the BlackBerry Curve 8530, which retails for $279. Mr. Linquist  Read More →

The Motorola Droid 2 has been anxiously awaited by Verizon Wireless customers wanting to grab the sequel to the carrier’s flagship Android smartphone, the Droid. The biggest frustration has been that no commercial launch date for the Droid 2 has been announced. Well, we may have one if an image leaked to Techtree is believed. The  Read More →

Netflix has just announced it’ll be taking its first tentative step abroad with a rollout of its video streaming service in Canada. Specifics are predictably light at the present moment, but interested Canucks can sign up now to be informed as soon as those details drop. So Canada in the fall… and the UK in winter, perhaps? We can only hope . [Thanks, Chris D.] Netflix coming to Canada this fall originally appeared on Engadget on... 

Sure, the Samsung Vibrant came out three days earlier, but you don’t care if T-Mobile customers beat you to the Galaxy S punch — you’re on AT&T, and it’s about time you had ( another ) high-end Android smartphone to call your own. Our recent hands-on showed it was a bit sluggish, so you might want to wait for our full review, but if your heart’s set on that 4-…  Read More →

And just like that, the UK has turned into a veritable treasure trove of carrier choice . Three has just announced that it too will be carrying Apple’s latest iPhone starting from June 24, expanding on the options to be provided by O2, Orange, Vodafone and, most recently, T-Mobile. That’s now the complete set of five UK networks all ready to take your name and credit card number on launch day, while Three is also the first to announce... 

Look what we have here…details on the upcoming LG Ally; the entry-level, Android-powered handset that is poised to take on the Motorola Devour. Not nearly as promising as the rumored 1GHz, HD-capable Aloha, the Ally will ship with a 600MHz processor and 256 MB of RAM. The side slider will run Android 2.1 “with Google,” and a LG-flavored theme that is dominated by LG’s own calendar, Weather+Time, and Socialite widgets.... 

Microsoft’s always said its Kin phones would come to Verizon in May and Vodafone in the fall, and now it looks like an internal Verizon email has spilled the details for us: Kin One and Kin Two will go up for pre-order on May 6th, and they’ll “launch to all channels on May 13th,” according to these screenshots. We can’t confirm it yet, but we’d imaagine tween hearts are a-flutter all over the country. Just... 

Some are calling NASA’s failed launch of a pair of telescopes using a balloon a ” debacle ” and ” calamitous ,” but we think these outlets aren’t giving the space agency the credit it deserves. These are rocket scientists after all. Perhaps, and bear with us here, turning millions of dollars in research equipment into an ad hoc wrecking ball was actually a calculated marketing ploy to capture the attention...