Sure enough, the ASUS-built O2 Xda Zest is more than just a figment of someone's imagination, though speaking of imaginations, we simply can't hear this phone's name without thinking about the soap. Sorry, just can't do it. All that aside, the handset has finally made its way onto the carrier's "Coming Soon" page, where we're told that it will include Windows Mobile for opening up Office documents, a 3-megapixel camera, 3G, WiFi, 356MB of internal memory and a microSD expansion slot. Looking for more? Strap yourself down and wait until November, vaquero.

[Via CoolSmartphone]

And now a little bit of news out of our "straight out of left field" department: Verizon's apparently getting the Omnia. We've spent so long trying to will a North American HSDPA-equipped version of Samsung's WinMo superphone into existence that we totally failed to consider the possibility of an EV-DO-equipped version materializing first, and sure enough, Verizon's latest rebate form lists an Omnia. We suppose it's possible that this'll somehow be watered down from its international equivalent, but we hope both Samsung and Big Red are smart enough to launch an unfettered, honest-to-goodness CDMA translation of the mighty 5-megapixel original.

Separately, we noticed a Samsung Saga listed on there, did a little Googling, and Wirefly seems convinced that the long-rumored global WinMo QWERTY i770 is going to be called the "Saga." So yeah, that settles that.

[Thanks, Donald H.]

Most of the Windows Mobile / iPhone cross-breeding we've seen has either involved elaborate WinMo skinning or terrible iPhone KIRFs, but we suppose it was just a matter of time before Microsoft's mobile OS was made to run on Apple's hardware -- or at least that's what it looks like here. Pretty much everything about this video is suspect, from the shadiness of the MyPhone2008 conference it was shot at to the interviewer's ridiculously inane questions ("You don't have girlfriends in Norway?"), but damn if that isn't WinMo happily booting on what appears to be an iPhone 3G -- we can't tell, but it's a good bet it's jailbroken. The developer, Erik Kristiansen, says that mod is in beta right now but that he's looking at a January release -- we'll see what more we can dig up before then. Video after the break.

Update: As several commenters have pointed out, this has the trappings of a bad viral for the crappy SonicEmotion app also on that page -- all of the other videos are suspiciously fake / ridiculous, and the phone responds oddly to several touches. So much for that, we suppose.

[Via MacToday.nl; thanks Daniel]

Best Buy already did the honors a few weeks ago, but it seems like the release of Telus' Touch Pro is imminent now that Future Shop is... oh, you know, actually listing it in its mailings with a price and all. Excited Windows Mobile fans (and converts -- if such creatures exist) can apparently look to pay $239.99 CAD (about $206) on a three-year agreement, and you get a $50 gift card to boot. We're hearing that these are still difficult -- if not impossible -- to actually come by in Future Shop locations, but they've got to be shipping any minute now.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Oh yeah, you've seen Sony Ericsson's succulent XPERIA X1 unboxed in still image form, but there's just nothing like a little unpacking on video to really whet your appetite, right? Oh, and there's also some comparison action thrown in with the HTC Touch Pro, and of course, we get to see the OS in action. Hop on past the break to have a look, but we're warning you, those who covet easily will want to restrain themselves.

[Thanks, Oscar]

What else can we say? Sure, 2010 is a long ways out, but you knew good and well alpha / beta versions of Firefox Mobile would emerge long before then, right? Here we have the first living proof that Firefox Mobile (or Fennec, as it were) is alive and well for Windows Mobile, albeit in decidedly alpha form. Currently, the browser is managing an 88 out of 100 on the strenuous Acid3 test, which surely ain't bad for a handset-stricken browser. Hit the read link for a few more looks, and cross your fingers for a beta release sooner rather than later.

We'd been encouraged in previous spy shots that AT&T was intending to keep a clean, brand-free look on the front of the Fuze, but what were we thinking? That'd never sit well with the suits up on the 49th floor of AT&T's headquarters (we just made that up, by the way -- we have no idea how many floors AT&T's headquarters has), and sure enough, the latest batch of shots is showing a big ol' logo slapped on the upper right of the face. The poster says release is currently planned for early November, but we'd say that target is about as solid as one of those Jello rings you make in a bundt mold. We'll believe it when it's on the shelf, as they say.

[Via wmpoweruser]

Wow, that was one hell of a wait, wasn't it? Some eight months after its February announcement, X1s are finally available for sale in some parts of the world -- and naturally, any retail availability comes with the distinct possibility of a properly-documented unboxing. The packing materials don't look like they're anything terribly special, but to the Windows Mobile faithful of the world, the contents certainly are. Ain't that black, brushed metal casing awfully purdy?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We're still waiting for that C820 to become reality, but in the meantime, we can just rest on our laurels while the poor Duo wastes away on some ancient build of Windows Mobile 6, can we? Of course not, it'd be inhumane -- and happily, Pantech agrees, finally releasing a 6.1 update for owners of AT&T's dual-sliding smartphone. Cheers to that!

[Via MoDaCo]

Funny story -- we pretty much heard this exact same rumor floating around last August, but given the current economic situation, we're inclined to believe this one a good bit more. A recent Reuters report is pointing out that RIM (like practically every other company right about now) is ripe for the picking, and any outfit with a serious load of cash reserves could get themselves quite a bargain. Given that the Redmond mega-corp has shown interest before (and clearly has plenty of Greenbacks), we were particularly interested in Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek's quote: "I'm fairly certain [Microsoft] has a standing offer to buy [RIM] at $50 a share." If you'll recall, RIM's stock sat at $148 per share just four months ago, and now, it's hovering around $60. As expected, Microsoft had no comment on the report, but don't be surprised to see something go down if Wall Street keeps hemorrhaging.

[Via Electronista]

With Sprint snagging the vast majority of the WiMAX limelight of late, we aren't going to complain with a similar network halfway across the globe yanking it back. Out of absolutely nowhere comes HTC's first WiMAX-enabled handset, the sure-to-be-delightful T8290. Reportedly, this bugger packs a 3.8-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, 802.11g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, GSM and WiMAX radios and is expected to launch soon on Russia's Yota. Granted, we can't take this as hard truth or anything quite yet, but the images that reside in the read link are more than convincing. Oh, and HTC -- given that you're passing on the US with the Touch HD, do you think it'd be possible to get this over here for use with XOHM? We'd really, really appreciate it.

[Via Slashphone, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

When, pray tell, was the last time you saw an LG running Windows Mobile on AT&T? Go ahead, take your time, we'll wait. Still struggling over there? Yeah, you're not going to think of one -- trust us. Looks like that's finally about to change this year with the so-called Incite, a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional beast that we're hearing AT&T hopes to launch in time for Festivus celebrations. We don't have any photography to ogle yet, but the specs sound dreamy: mirrored flush 400 x 240 touchscreen, 3-megapixel autofocus camera with flash, AGPS, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, and a full metal body that runs 106.95 x 55 x 13.9mm -- in other words, this thing could conceivably out-KS20 the KS20. Yikes!

As we already know, Sony Ericsson won't be unifying all the awesomeness that is its X1 in a single retail model -- there's just too much awesome for any one phone to handle, apparently. Instead, there'll be an X1a and an X1i, and thanks to a quick post over on Sony Ericsson's semi-official Xperiancers site, we now know exactly where the differences lie. The X1a will be sold exclusively in North America, Latin America, and Australia, featuring a different "networking configuration" (presumably referring to the presence of 850, 1700, and 1900MHz HSPA there) and 24fps video instead of 30 -- kind of out of the blue, but whatever. We also now know that the North American release date will be announced on November 3, which isn't nearly as cool as a release on November 3 last time we checked.

[Thanks, Dustan]

Not that Motorola's Q11 comes as any big surprise, but it's nice to see the Windows Mobile 6.1-packin' smartphone get all official on us. Now boasting its very own dedicated page on Moto's website, the Q11 comes to us with quad-band GPRS / EDGE (no 3G, for whatever reason), a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash, 64MB of RAM, microSD card slot, Bluetooth 2.1, a 320 x 240 resolution display, integrated GPS and a multimedia player with support for all sorts of file formats. You can also expect up to 450 minutes of talk time and up to 195 hours in standby, but you won't be able to wrap your paws around it until December. As for carriers and pricing? Patience, friends, patience.

[Via UnwiredView]

This week is the week for Pantech and Sony Ericsson fans on AT&T to break out the bubbly and throw a wild, crazy party, because the trick dual-sliding C740 Matrix will be joining the W760a (check the gallery) for release on Thursday; they'll be available for $79.99 and $129.99, respectively. Down the road, we're now seeing signs of a Pantech "Slate" running $49.99 and a Samsung "Propel" for $79.99 (in three available colors, no less), the latter of which is signed up for a late October release, but we really don't know much more about 'em.

We don't have dates, but it looks like that Samsung Epix will suck $199.99 out of your wallet after rebates, and the Fuze will run $299.99. Finally, we're seeing an AT&T "Quickfire" that's due in late October just like that Samsung Propel -- but unfortunately, we don't know much about this one, either. Any educated (or completely wild) guesses?

[Thanks, Kal]