If you were hoping for more system sound configurability, better notification control, or an equalizer in the music player (heck, we'll settle for bass and treble), your wait might be nowhere close to over -- but the good news is that it appears there's some sort of update on the way for Pres in the field that's significant enough to justify a 0.1 bump in webOS' version number to 1.1. Corporate types will get all fired up over better managed Exchange policy integration with support for device wipe after failed PIN attempts, auto PIN lock, minimum password complexity, and a bunch of other things that your average Pre owner isn't going to give a flying iPhone about. Perhaps more interesting to everyone else is the claim that additional built-in apps are a possibility for 1.1, though there's no detail there -- it could be best-of-breed stuff culled from the App Catalog, new first-party apps, or a combination. PreCentral's hearing "within 30 days" for the release, so go ahead and get your firmware upgrade pants on now just in case.

By the time Sprint gets around to releasing the 9630 Tour with WiFi, due out sometime early next year, we think most everyone'll have moved on to any one of the numerous BlackBerry devices likely to hit in the interim. What's more important in this FierceWireless report is that Sprint's requiring WiFi "in all its major devices going forward" -- which should mean pretty much every smartphone that lands in its CDMA-loving mitts. Verizon Wireless, who along with Sprint is also launching the WLAN-less Tour this Sunday, said that the company's working with RIM to get WiFi into future BlackBerry, but didn't oblige us with any hopeful descriptors that'd help us understand just how strong of a push was being made. Frankly, smartphones without WiFi at this point is downright criminal, and with CDMA phones trailing behind their GSM counterparts in this category, kudos to Sprint for taking the initiative.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Investment firm Allen & Co's Sun Valley, Idaho media summit is a place for the world's wealthiest and most influential decision-makers to chill out, enjoy a couple double Macallans on the rocks, and talk shop. It might even be a rare opportunity to escape to the comfort of a competitor's product -- a guilty pleasure you wouldn't dream of indulging in more buttoned-up environments. Google CEO Eric Schmidt was caught snapping a candid shot from a BlackBerry (we're pretty sure it's a Curve 8900) at the event -- and yes, granted, Google makes apps for BlackBerrys, but when there's a phone that bears your company's own name, it feels just a little bit like cheating, doesn't it? We guess the big, ratty Google sticker adds back a sliver of street cred, but it's not like this thing's packing some furiously awesome camera that a Magic, Dream, or Hero doesn't. How's Gmail treatin' you there, Eric? You're using that, at least, right?

[Via CNN]

Yeah, we're sure there are only so many ways you can feature a bit of Brian Eno-produced stadium rock in space in support of your hip, relevant tech company, but we'd say RIM copped a bit much of Apple's style in its new U2 ad. Check out "BlackBerry loves U2" and its iTunes-touting Coldplay inspiration after the break for all the shimmering, uncanny similarities. Though, to be fair, Apple has done its own share of ad swipes in the past, so perhaps RIM was just looking to imitate the master?

Seriously Apple, what's up with the patent application bender? Over the past week, we've seen a whole gaggle of new apps, though the latest few just might be the most intriguing. In essence, Apple engineers have outlined plans to integrate object recognition, face detection / recognition, a text message filter (for the parents, you know) and a new, smarter messaging interface that could remind you of unread messages before allowing you to make a call and spout off unnecessarily. Moreover, we're told of a new voice output selection that could enable Oprah or Cookie Monster to read your turn-by-turn directions, bedtime stories or recipes. Suddenly, iPhone OS 3.0 feels so... antediluvian.

[Via Unwired View]

Read - Unread messages application
Read - New messaging interface application
Read - Face detection application

Nokia's not exactly known for its beefy, ultra-survivable gear, but unless the human race plans on getting a whole lot less clumsy, rugged phones will always be a good idea -- and Espoo's 3720 certainly seems to fill the bill. The Series 40-based candybar features a 2 megapixel cam with LED flash, triband EDGE (sorry, North Americans), FM radio, microSD expansion, and the latest and greatest Bluetooth 2.1, but the real news here is that the phone is built to meet IP54 standards. A quick check with our handy-dandy IP code reference tells us that means that "ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact" -- in other words, your phone might get nasty dirty, but it'll keep chugging -- and it can withstand "splashing" water. Scuba divers, the search for your perfect phone probably continues. Refreshingly, the 3720 will run just €125 (about $175) unlocked when it ships later this summer.

Hey, Apple -- you know that inspiration you've been looking for in order to concoct a proper iPhone nano? We just found it. Over in some seedy warehouse in the depths of Shenzhen, the aptly titled iphone nano has emerged. As you could likely surmise, this completely improper knockoff gentle combines the best features from Apple's iPhone and the iPod nano to create a singular, if not awkward device. Heck, there's even a 5 megapixel camera, which easily trumps the 3.2 megapixel shooter on the iPhone 3GS. It's all yours for just 90 bones, and you don't even have to sign your cellular soul away to AT&T. Look out Apple, we get the feeling this thing's going to be huge.

[Thanks, facelessloser]

Peek always has been a company for the people, with its suits sitting down late last year to listen intently to input from users regarding hacks and tweaks. Now, the outfit's looking for a bona fide Linux guru, someone who could get Linux running on the Peek's ARM7 processor and look suave doing it. The kicker? Should you succeed (and impress), you could score a "mini-consulting gig" with the top brass at Peek, and your work could one day revolutionize the fabled email-only handheld. Seriously, there's nothing but fear and debilitating hesitation stopping you, so once you're over that, hit the read link and get to work.

[Via SlashGear]

Orange has come out this morning, in advance of the official UK unveiling of the phone, to confirm it will be the exclusive UK carrier of the TG01. We can confirm availability from July 10 (i.e. tomorrow), and the phone can be had for free on a 2-year contract costing £39.15 per month. To figure out if that sort of investment is worth it, we'll have an intrepid reporter stationed at this afternoon's event, who'll be bringing you up-to-the-minute details and imagery of the first Snapdragon handset to hit British shores. You'll find the full PR at the read link, or continue reading for an unshaven Orange rep walking you through the phone's specs.

[Via CoolSmartPhone]

Admit it, your 1150mAh stock Palm Pre battery is far less than stellar -- it's okay, we won't tell anyone. In fact, you can pick up an even larger, 1350mAh battery from Seidio that manages to keep the same physical proportions as its predecessor, meaning no dead giveaway / gaudy bulge the back of the phone. Ideally, that'd get ya an almost twenty percent bump in usage, but we doubt it pans out so nicely in field testing. Feel free to find out for yourself, it's on sale now for a cool $45.

[Via jkOnTheRun]

Two long lost siblings, at last reunited. But can there ever be unity? We don't think so. At every turn, the HTC Hero seems to trounce the myTouch 3G -- it's really hardly a contest. The myTouch is certainly lighter, and in many ways "feels" smaller because of it, but the size differences really are negligible. They're still both great phones, but the Hero really feels like a million bucks, while the myTouch feels a bit like a toy. Unfortunately, only one of them just went up for pre-order on T-Mobile, and it's not the one we want to marry.

Looks like Samsung's elves have been busy thinking up new ways to cram a QWERTY onto all those touchscreen phones they've been selling lately: check out this patent application for a side-mounted flip-down keyboard. We're not sure if this would be comfortable, usable, or even stable, but we do know that we support any design decision that makes our phones look more like super-awesome space planes from the future. Carry on, Sammy.

[Via PhoneArena]

Though the myTouch 3G is really just an HTC Magic at its core, T-Mobile seems to be doing everything it can to gussy it up with as much crapware bloatware value-add software that it can. All kidding aside, this really isn't crapware -- the carrier is apparently quite serious about calling out best-in-class apps in the Android Market, going so far as to create a separate "app pack" application that'll drill down stuff it wants to highlight. T-Mobile tells us this might even include T-Mobile's own visual voicemail application, which is currently in development, but whether that's available at launch or not, nothing in the app pack won't be findable in the regular Android Market, so there's no reason to worry.

The crown jewel in the myTouch 3G's arsenal will be Sherpa, an entertainment discovery app that learns your preferences in food, stores, and attractions over time based on your ratings and bubbles them to the top so they're easier for you to find. Naturally, it's location-based so that you can find things around you; it'll be interesting to see how well this works in practice, but at a glance, we're excited to give it a shot so that we can finally stop eating In-N-Out seven nights a week (not to say there's anything wrong with that).