BlackBerry Desktop Software 6 is now available in limited beta to select BlackBerry Beta Zone members.  According to Inside BlackBerry, the desktop client used to manage your BlackBerry from PCs and Macs has been completely overhauled as part of the overall BlackBerry 6 experience.

Check out the gallery of BlackBerry Desktop Software 6 images over on RIMarkable.com.

Best Buy announced yesterday at a summer preview event that Virgin Mobile will offer a Novatel MiFi router next week just like the one’s offered by Sprint and Verizon.  Instead, however, of a contract, the Virgin Mobile MiFi will be pre-paid.

Virgin Mobile MiFi Data Plans

The price of the device will be $149.99 up front and data plans range from $10 for 100 MB to $60 for 5 GB.

We almost titled this post “Reason 437 Why You Should Never Buy an iPad 3G”, but, figured that a lot more people will be interested in a pre-paid MiFi than just those with or wanting iPads.

[Via Gearlog]

OpenTable, the free online dinner reservation service, recently put out a press release stating that they have seated more than 3 million customers at participating restaurants through its mobile applications marking a 200% increase in growth over the last 8 months.

OpenTable is available for the BlackBerry, the iPhone, webOS, and Android devices.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. —May 4, 2010—OpenTable, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPEN; www.opentable.com), a leading provider of free online reservations for diners and guest management systems for restaurants, today announced that it has now seated more than three million diners through its mobile applications, marking a 200 percent increase in eight months . Based on a $50 average check per diner, OpenTable estimates that diners using its mobile applications have generated more than $150 million in revenue for its restaurant partners.

“The significant growth in usage of our mobile applications tells us that they are resonating with people who need a quick and simple way to make reliable restaurant reservations on-the-go,” said Jeff Jordan, CEO of OpenTable. “By integrating the core functionality of OpenTable.com with intuitive mobile applications that take advantage of the geo-location functionality available on most smartphones, we’re giving diners the power to find and book nearby tables from almost anywhere.”

OpenTable allows diners to find and book reservations at more than 13,000 different restaurants in multiple countries from the Web or a smartphone. By using any of the company’s mobile applications, diners can quickly and easily view a list of available tables at nearby restaurants and make reservations right from their phones, allowing people who are away from their computers to still benefit from the convenience and ease of booking their restaurant reservations online.

OpenTable currently offers mobile applications for the iPhone, Palm, BlackBerry and Android operating systems. Other smartphone users can book reservations through OpenTable by pointing their browsers to its mobile-optimized Web site at http://mobile.opentable.com. For more information about the mobile suite of applications from OpenTable, please visit www.opentable.com/mobile.

About OpenTable, Inc.
OpenTable is a leading provider of free, real-time online restaurant reservations for diners and reservation and guest management solutions for restaurants. The OpenTable network delivers the convenience of online restaurant reservations to diners and the operational benefits of a computerized reservation book to restaurants. OpenTable has more than 13,000 restaurant customers, and since its inception in 1998, has seated more than 150 million diners around the world. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and the OpenTable service is available throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

####

OpenTable, OpenTable.com, OpenTable logos and other service names are the trademarks of OpenTable, Inc.

I’d be lying to you if I didn’t tell that I am struggling to find the value in the Kin One and the Kin 2, both, launching on Verizon tomorrow, May 6th.  The Kins run a locked down bastardized version of Windows Mobile 7 that you can’t install applications to… at least not initially.

I guess you could say that the devices are relatively inexpensive coming in at $49.99 and $99.99 respectively after $100 mail-in rebates, however, you still end up spending at least $70 a month on voice and data plans.

I don’t see why folks wouldn’t wait until Windows Phone 7 comes a getting a device that isn’t so locked down.

SanDisk is now shipping the XBox 360 USB Flash Drive 8GB and XBox 360 USB Flash Drive 16GB. The drives cost $34.99 and 64.99 respectively and are the first licensed XBox 360 Flash Drives. The USB Drives can be used to transfer Arcade downloads, game saves, map packs, & gamertags from one console to another.

The drives come with XBox Live Gold One month subscriptions.

Press Release

SanDisk Ships Licensed Xbox 360 USB Flash Drive

Pre-configured USB Drive Delivers Best Experience On Xbox 360 Console

MILPITAS, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), the global leader in flash memory cards, today announced that it is shipping the Xbox 360® USB Flash Drive by SanDisk for the Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming and entertainment console. The new drive makes it easier than ever for gamers to take their gamertags, saved game progress, map packs, Arcade game downloads and bonus content with them for fast and convenient access on another Xbox 360 console†.

“The Xbox 360 USB Flash Drive by SanDisk provides a great solution for gamers who need portable storage for their Xbox 360 content. It’s plug and play simple.”

The Xbox 360 USB Flash Drive by SanDisk delivers the best experience on the Xbox 360 console. Pre-configured for seamless plug and play action, the drive eliminates the need to format storage or download an initial software update for an Xbox 360 console. For gamers looking to get in on the fun or for those with existing accounts who want to extend their play, a one-month Xbox LIVE Gold membership is included with purchase of the drive††.

“Xbox LIVE contains a world of content for gamers to explore and download, including full-length games, movies and music,” said Shuki Nir, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Retail, SanDisk. “The Xbox 360 USB Flash Drive by SanDisk is specifically engineered to deliver a great user experience and maximum compatibility with the console, offering gamers greater freedom and flexibility in how they store, manage and enjoy their favorite files.”

“SanDisk has a proven track record of creating high-quality storage solutions,” said Ilan Spillinger, Vice President, Xbox Hardware and Technology, Microsoft. “The Xbox 360 USB Flash Drive by SanDisk provides a great solution for gamers who need portable storage for their Xbox 360 content. It’s plug and play simple.”

Pricing and Availability

The Xbox 360 USB Flash Drive by SanDisk is available now on SanDisk.com and at major retailers. The drive is available in 8 gigabyte (GB)1 and 16GB capacities, carrying suggested retail prices of $34.99 and $69.99, respectively.

More pictures of the BlackBerry Slider running OS 6.0 have made their way onto the web and it made me wonder if RIM has gotten the touchscreen right this time around… The clickity screen in the BlackBerry Storm and Storm2 was a novel idea (that didn’t pan out), but, it doesn’t look like RIM will be implementing SurePress, TruePress, or whatever they are calling the clickty screen to the BlackBerry Slider.

Whatever RIM does, let’s hope they get the Touchscreen right.

If Palm would have put webOS adds that look like this out from the start, they may be about to be acquired by HP.

Looks like HP is the winner in the Buy Palm For a Ridiculously Low Price Sweepstakes…

Press Release

PALO ALTO, Calif. & SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–HP (NYSE: HPQ – News) and Palm, Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM – News) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which HP will purchase Palm, a provider of smartphones powered by the Palm webOS mobile operating system, at a price of $5.70 per share of Palm common stock in cash or an enterprise value of approximately $1.2 billion. The transaction has been approved by the HP and Palm boards of directors.

The combination of HP’s global scale and financial strength with Palm’s unparalleled webOS platform will enhance HP’s ability to participate more aggressively in the fast-growing, highly profitable smartphone and connected mobile device markets. Palm’s unique webOS will allow HP to take advantage of features such as true multitasking and always up-to-date information sharing across applications.

“Palm’s innovative operating system provides an ideal platform to expand HP’s mobility strategy and create a unique HP experience spanning multiple mobile connected devices,” said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. “And, Palm possesses significant IP assets and has a highly skilled team. The smartphone market is large, profitable and rapidly growing, and companies that can provide an integrated device and experience command a higher share. Advances in mobility are offering significant opportunities, and HP intends to be a leader in this market.”

“We’re thrilled by HP’s vote of confidence in Palm’s technological leadership, which delivered Palm webOS and iconic products such as the Palm Pre. HP’s longstanding culture of innovation, scale and global operating resources make it the perfect partner to rapidly accelerate the growth of webOS,” said Jon Rubinstein, chairman and chief executive officer, Palm. “We look forward to working with HP to continue to deliver industry-leading mobile experiences to our customers and business partners.”

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Palm stockholders will receive $5.70 in cash for each share of Palm common stock that they hold at the closing of the merger. The merger consideration takes into account the updated guidance and other financial information being released by Palm this afternoon. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of domestic and foreign regulatory approvals and the approval of Palm’s stockholders. The transaction is expected to close during HP’s third fiscal quarter ending July 31, 2010.

Palm’s current chairman and CEO, Jon Rubinstein, is expected to remain with the company.

[Via RIMarkable]

Apple has announced that the Worldwide Developer’s Conference 2010 (WWDC10) will be held in San Francisco June 7th through the 11th.  WWDC is the premier technical conference where  developers learn advanced concepts for creating innovative applications for iPhone OS and Mac OS X.

If I had to go out on a limb I’d venture that WWDC10 is where Apple will unveil the iPhone 4.  We can’t say this for sure, however, it seems likely.

Registration for the 5 -day  WWDC10 event costs $1599 and this gets you access to over 1000 Apple engineers and 5000 developers.

Sessions and Labs include:

• Application Frameworks
• Core OS
• Developer Tools
• Graphics and Media
• Internet and Web

Get more information about WWDC10 and buy your ticket here…

[Via SMR]

There is no question that RIM took a page or two from the iPhone, Android, and even Windows Phone when they came up with BlackBerry 6, the next version of the BlackBerry operating system.  Due out sometime in Q3, presumably after the release of the iPhone 4, will BlackBerry 6 be able to compete?