The developer team over at alldroid.org has  managed to gain root access to the version of the Motorola Milestone which was recently released by Telus Mobility in Canada.  At first glance this doesn't seem like news; both the Droid and Milestone were rooted months ago.  The difference is the Telus version was released with the root exploit patched.

A few days after the Droid/Milestone exploit was discovered, a developer submitted the patch for it to the Android Open Source Project.  The patch was accepted and merged into the source code.  Interestingly, this developer was Steve Kondik aka Cyanogen who is best known for his custom ROMs which he has developed for rooted HTC phones.  You can review the patch here.

The way to root a Telus Milestone is covered in detail here.  Basically it consists of completely wiping the memory of the phone and then flashing the memory with the Brazilian Milestone's operating system.  This version of the Milestone software doesn't have the exploit patched.  Once this is flashed, you simply continue as normal by downloading and running a modified 'update.zip' file which piggybacks the root access inside an over the air update file.

Although this does give the user root access, none of the Milestone branded devices will run a boot image unless digitally signed by Motorola.  This means no overclocking, custom roms, or custom recovery menu; but there are already tutorials for running interactive wallpapers, blocking unwanted advertisements, removing unwanted apps, and installing customized themes available over at alldroid.

I wonder how long until these guys figure out how to digitally sign custom ROMs?  At this pace we should see them by Friday.

Sources:  alldroid.org; telusmobility.ca

Last week we got a hold of some images of the upcoming Verizon Wireless Android phone, the HTC Incredible. Now we have some more, in full Verizon color scheme, along with some possible specs. Rumors are that it will have 512mb of RAM (with about 320mb available to the user), an 8MP camera, and an underclocked Snapdragon processor at 768MHz (like the Acer Liquid). It will also have Android 2.1 with SenseUI. Measurements are 117.5 x 58.5 x 11.9mm. Its expected to head to Verizon in Q2 2010.

Source: AndroidForums

In a deal that's reportedly worth $720 million over four years, Verizon Wireless subscribers will now be able to watch live games on Thursday and Sunday nights, as well as 24/7 content from NFL Network. You will also get access to the RedZone channel.

“For Verizon Wireless, it is NFL content delivered over our 3G network so football fans can extend the excitement of the sport long after the last touchdown of a season,” said John Stratton, Verizon’s executive VP, in a prepared statement. “And the NFL content is customizable in that consumers have options from video to ringtones to alerts; the choice is theirs.”

The service is expected to go live before the draft in April, and it will offer live coverage. There's been no official word on which devices it will be compatible with or what pricing you can expect.

Source: IntoMobile

"The interesting thing is that when she plugged the phone to her PC via USB her Panda Cloud Antivirus went off, detecting both an autorun.inf and autorun.exe as malicious. A quick look into the phone quickly revealed it was infected and spreading the infection to any and all PCs that the phone would be plugged into.
A quick analysis of the malware reveals that it is in fact a Mariposa bot client. This one, unlike the one announced last week which was run by spanish hacker group “DDP Team”, is run by some guy named “tnls” as the botnet-control mechanism shows…"

You must take this article with a grain of salt though, because the source of the article was a Panda Security employee and it was first posted on a Panda Security Research Blog.

Vodaphone released the following statement:

"Vodafone takes the security and privacy of its customers extremely seriously and launched an immediate investigation into this incident
Following extensive Quality Assurance testing on HTC Magic handsets in several of our operating companies, early indications are that this was an isolated local incident
Vodafone keeps its security processes under constant review as new threats arise, and we will take all appropriate actions to safeguard our customers’ privacy."

Source: Phandroid (Thanks for the tip Mordy)

Our user platin465 was kind enough to post an image of the Sprint Small Business Catalog.

Source: AndroidCentral

What we know so far is that these devices won't be running Windows Phone 7 Series, but instead another platform that is centered around social networking and messaging, but it will support apps, its just not known exactly how yet. To protect the tipster's identity, Gizmodo is only releasing the one graphic, but they're saying its legit. There's also no release date or official name (although its rumored to be released around April).

Update: The image above is the "Turtle" phone that's been around the web for some time now. Gizmodo just posted some leaked images of the "Pure", which is similar to a Sidekick. Again, no release date or specs, but their tipster got a chance to play with the phone and said its "better than Android, and decorated with Windows Phone 7-style animations throughout", but its not Windows Phone 7.

Update: The other big news here is that the ROM for the Droid Eris also includes HTC's SenseUI, which is the first time we've seen SenseUI on an Andriod 2.0+ ROM. This paves the way for the other HTC Android devices and confirms that SenseUI will run on 2.1.

If you are interested in picking up a HTC Touch Pro2 and running it on T-Mobile, then you can go to Amazon and pick up this deal. They will even throw in free shipping! All you need to do is activate a new line of service and it is yours.

With the HTC HD2 coming out on T-Mobile for $199, this is a mighty hard sell for most of you to justify. However, this is the Great Recession, so that $50 dollar difference could buy you an app or two, maybe. The specs include a 3.5" 480x800 touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth, microSD card slot, 802.11g wireless, Windows Mobile 6.5, and more.

Source- DealNews.com

As we all know, the HD2 has a 4.3" WVGA screen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 5MP camera, but may or may not be upgradeable to Windows Phone 7.

The CLIQ XT, also known as the Quench, sports Android 1.5 with MOTOBLUR, a 5MP camera, and a 3.1″ 320 x 480 OLED touch display.

Source: IntoMobile

The Hero2 is actually the HTC Legend we've heard about, except modified to Sprint's liking, similar to how the original Hero was. There's no reported arrival time for this one though, so we'll have to sit tight and wait.

From Best Buy's Facebook page: "We lowered our prices on the Droid Eris by HTC to Free, DROID by Motorola to $99.99, and on February 25th are introducing the MOTOROLA DEVOUR™ with MOTOBLUR™ at $99.99. Pricing requires 2 year activation. Activation and termination fees apply. Handsets may vary by store. See store for details."

Features:

• Touch-sensitive navigation pad
• 3.1” capacitive touch screen
• Pre-loaded applications such as Gmail, Google Talk™, YouTube™, Google Search™ and Google Maps™ with Google Maps Navigation.
• Android Market™ gives users access to more than 20,000 applications.
• Happenings Widget – MOTOBLUR automatically pushes status updates, wall posts and photo updates from popular social networking sites to the Happenings Widget on the home screen. Customers can flick through the latest updates and fire back responses using the slide-out full QWERTY keyboard.
• Universal Inbox – MOTOBLUR gathers texts, social network messages and e-mails into one home screen widget for quick response.
• Back-Up and Security – Contacts, log-in information, home screen customizations, e-mail and social network messages are backed up automatically on the secure MOTOBLUR portal. The portal also allows customers to use the phone’s fully integrated aGPS to help locate the phone if misplaced. Remote wipe easily clears information from a lost device.
• 8 GB microSD™ card pre-installed
• Bluetooth® profiles supported: A2DP, HID, HSP, HFP, AVRCP and GAP

Source: Engadget

"The new Sprint Buyback program will allow customers to take advantage of the current value of their unused cell phones and will reduce the number of wireless devices that end up in landfills," said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. "The Buyback program is another step to help us reach our ambitious goal to recover and recycle the equivalent of 90 percent of the handsets we sell by 2017. We look forward to continuously increasing our collection rates with the support of customers through the Buyback program and all of our sustainability initiatives."

Source: Sprint

Together with their 4G partner Clearwire, Sprint has been hard at work since 2008 slowly rolling out the first 4G wireless network in the United States. But the question has always remained: what good is a 4G network if there are no 4G devices available to use with it? According to an article on Forbes, Sprint has now confirmed that their first WiMax 4G device will be available to consumers in the first half of 2010, and answering all of our questions. Well, almost all of them.

We still don't know yet what the device will be, but there is a lot of speculation that it will be the HTC Supersonic, a device that was first mentioned a few months ago. According to a few tipsters, the Supersonic will have a 4.3" display, an HD2 type (very thin) shell, a snapdragon processor and of course WiMax. The interesting twist for many is that the Supersonic is rumored, and shown in more than one leaked picture, to be running Android 2.1 with the usual HTC Sense overlay.

With Sprint still losing customers on an regular basis, their first WiMax device could not come at a better time. Their two year long investment into the future will clearly put them in front of Verizon and AT&T in the U.S. for 4G capabilities, and hopefully help their struggle against monthly churn. The good news for consumers is that once the first WiMax handest is released, there will certainly be more, not too far behind. Sprint CEO, Dan Hesse, told Forbes that they are working with "several equipment manufacturers that will embed 4G capability into dozens of devices." Sprint and Clearwire are currently able to offer 4G services to 30 million people in 27 markets, but are planning a major push this year and anticipate bringing the total number to 120 million people, by adding Boston, New York, San francisco and Washington.

As an Android user I am definitely hoping that the device that Sprint is referring to this summer is the Supersonic, and I am exicted to see what other devices will follow. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Source: Engadget

Back in January, we reported on a rumor that At&t was getting the Milestone (GSM version of the Droid). It appears this version of the Milestone is headed for Telus. While Telus hasn't officially announced a release date for the Milestone, Best Buy Canada has put up a Pre-Order page that gives us a February 18th date. At&t users could be happy to hear this as well, since Telus supports the At&t 3G bands of 850/1900MHz. Of course you'll have to pay full price for it and unlock it, but given how popular the Droid has been on Verizon, it may be worth it if you want to experience full 3G with Android on At&t and don't want to wait for the Motorola Backflip or one of the 5 Android devices At&t promised is coming in the first half of 2010..

Source: Engadget (Thanks forum user Deimoss for the tip)

HTC and T-Mobile are teaming up for their latest campaign to sell you phones, and this one is a dandy folks. Anybody who signs a new 2-year contract with T-Mobile between January 20th and March 23rd of this year and decides on getting either a HTC Touch Pro2, a T-Mobile Dash 3G, or a T-Mobile Shadow is eligible for up to $500 in rewards. But instead of the usual "blah-de-bleh", these rewards are worthwhile (for some at least).

As seen below, one reward is awarded each month. It begins in April of this year and continues on until March 2011. Some of the rewards include-

• April (2010): Buy one night, get one night free at participating IHG properties (including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza®, Holiday Inn®) in the US and Canada (up to $350 value)
• June (2010): 40% discount on phone accessories at HTC.com (up to $32 discount)—US customers only. Puerto Rico customers eligible to receive a $25 flight discount on any airline.
• January (2011): $10 off purchase of an EA SPORTS video game at www.eastore.com (up to $10 value)

Does this entice you enough to switch to T-Mobile? Or are you waiting for the HTC HD2 to come out before making the move? Either way, this is a creative way to get new customers.

If you are interested, go here for more details!

Full list of rewards after the jump!

"To get the most from Motorola DEVOUR, customers will need to subscribe to a Nationwide Talk or Nationwide Talk & Text plan and a Data Package for smartphones. Nationwide Talk plans begin at $39.99 monthly access, and Nationwide Talk & Text plans begin at $59.99 monthly access. A Data Package for smartphones is $29.99 for unlimited monthly access."

Features:

• Touch-sensitive navigation pad
• 3.1” capacitive touch screen
• Pre-loaded applications such as Gmail, Google Talk™, YouTube™, Google Search™ and Google Maps™ with Google Maps Navigation.
• Android Market™ gives users access to more than 20,000 applications.
• Happenings Widget – MOTOBLUR automatically pushes status updates, wall posts and photo updates from popular social networking sites to the Happenings Widget on the home screen. Customers can flick through the latest updates and fire back responses using the slide-out full QWERTY keyboard.
• Universal Inbox – MOTOBLUR gathers texts, social network messages and e-mails into one home screen widget for quick response.
• Back-Up and Security – Contacts, log-in information, home screen customizations, e-mail and social network messages are backed up automatically on the secure MOTOBLUR portal. The portal also allows customers to use the phone’s fully integrated aGPS to help locate the phone if misplaced. Remote wipe easily clears information from a lost device.
• 8 GB microSD™ card pre-installed
• Bluetooth® profiles supported: A2DP, HID, HSP, HFP, AVRCP and GAP

Source: Motorola Media Center

Would you like to own your own wireless network? Do you hate those long term contracts and huge ETF's? Then I have a deal for you! Leap Wireless, better known under their operating name as Cricket, is looking for potential suitors to either merge with or sell to. Talks with both AT&T and Verizon Wireless have yet to garner a deal yet, so here is your opportunity!

If you have a taste for some Cricket Soup, here is what you will be getting in return for your investment-

• All-digital CDMA 1X and 1xEV-DO network
• 4.5 million wireless subscribers across parts of 34 states
• Enough Spectrum coverage to serve an estimated 110 million potential customers
• The eighth largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States

Looking at the image to the left, it seems that Souja Boy might be looking to purchase! So if you are interested, put your bid in today!

Source- Fox News via DSL Reports

“Thank you for contacting Sprint regarding the nexus one.

Unfortunately, this handset model is not on offer as of now.

Once it is launched, you will see promotional campaigns related to the launch date, cost and the features of the handset on our Web site and other promotional media.

Thank you for showing interest in our products & services. Please let us know if you would like us to assist you with anything else.”

Again, this isn't much to go on, but it sounds promising.

Source: IntoMobile