The BlackBerry and ATT plan on introducing the BlackBerry 9800 Slider. This device features a touchscreen like a Storm and a QWERTY keyboard like the Bold. The latter slides out in portrait orientation. Featuring the new multimedia-centric BlackBerry 6 OS and a new WebKit browser, this phone has turned into one of the most anticipated handsets this year. What if you could pre-order the phone now, before it is even introduced? A store based in New York City, MobileCity Online is accepting pre-orders right now.

 

For a non-contract price of $599.99, MobileCity will reserve you a BlackBerry 9800. According to the web site, this is $100 off the actual retail price of 699.99. There is no precise shipping date because, after all, until Tuesday's announcement there is no such phone to sell. The last word we had on the name is that the device will be called the BlackBerry Torch 9800 although we won't know for sure until everything becomes official. For those BlackBerry fans, this phone seemingly will give you all of the usual BlackBerry features but also presents a first rate web surfing experience similar to what you might have on an  Apple iPhone, Motorola DROID X or a Palm Pre. Learning from the problems that they had with the Storm, BlackBerry has also beefed up the multimedia capabilities of the device. If you want to be the first on your block to pre-order the phone, here is your chance. Or, you can wait until Tuesday like everyone else and see what AT&T and BlackBerry have to say.

 

It has been an amazing year so far here at BlackBerry App World HQ. Twenty-five million of you have downloaded BlackBerry App World and are experiencing some of the great apps available for your BlackBerry smartphones. There are some really popular apps out there, and judging by the response to our blog posts, Inside BlackBerry readers are also really excited about the Twitter® for BlackBerry smartphones beta currently in BlackBerry App World Test Center.

We’ve been hard at work getting ready to bring some great new features to BlackBerry App World and today we’re excited to share them with you.

Top 25 Themes and Top 25 Apps

Let’s get started! You’ve asked and we’ve listened – you enjoy your BlackBerry smartphone themes, but you want to see them listed by themselves. You also asked to see what’s new and what’s been updated recently in BlackBerry App World, and we’re happy to deliver.

In our new “Top 25” screen, you can see the Newest apps, Recently Updated apps, Top 25 Free Apps, Top 25 Paid Apps, and Top 25 Themes. These lists update every 24 hours, and are based on a combination of number of downloads and user ratings.

BlackBerry App World Barcode Scanning

Another cool feature we’re adding is the ability for our developers to use a QR barcode to promote their apps. BlackBerry App World 2.0 will have a new menu option called “Scan a Barcode” – which works just like scanning a barcode for a new contact or group in BlackBerry® Messenger 5.0. Just point the camera of your BlackBerry smartphone at a QR barcode and the details page for the app you’re scanning pop right up!

More Billing Options

In addition to the ability to purchase apps with a PayPal® account, we’re adding support for two new billing methods to BlackBerry App World. To access these new billing options, you will be able to simply log in and choose ‘Payment Options’ from the menu.

Credit Cards

We know that many of you will be happy to hear that you will soon be able to use a major credit card (cards vary by region) to purchase apps. If BlackBerry App World credit card payments are available in your country, you’ll see the new “Credit Card” option where you can securely enter and save your credit card information for all your App World purchases.

Carrier Billing

We’re also excited to tell you that we’re working on integrated billing with various carriers to enable carrier billing as a payment option in BlackBerry App World.

PayPal

If you prefer the simplicity of paying with PayPal, then just choose the PayPal option. You’ll be asked for your PayPal account email and password once, and then all your purchases can be made using your PayPal account.

Introducing BlackBerry® ID

We’re also proud to introduce the new BlackBerry® ID, a device-independent user identification. With your BlackBerry® ID, you can easily download and purchase apps, then manage them in My World. Also, if you ever need to switch to a new BlackBerry smartphone, logging in with your BlackBerry ID will bring all your apps to your new BlackBerry smartphone so you can always have the apps you need, when you need them!

We’ll have more information on how you can be one of the first people on your block to try the BlackBerry App World 2.0 beta, so stay tuned!

The BlackBerry 6 operating system has been further revealed, offering video sharing, improved photo organisation, and even a podcasts app. 

BlackBerry owners are well aware that multimedia has not been one of the strongest features on the devices. However, with its new BlackBerry 6 OS, Research In Motion (RIM) is expecting the functional aspect of the devices to change.  

Before the system is launched officially, the company has showcased the operating system\'s capabilities. This includes new features for music, as well as for video uploads. According to a news report from Mobile Choice UK, album art has been added to the music player, and the OS also has the capacity to search through users\' audio libraries in search of tunes. 

Pictures are also targeted, with the capacity to group photographs by date or event, rather than simply being bundled together. RIM also now offers the option of a picture slideshow, as well as pinch-to-zoom touchscreen control and inbuilt picture editing functions. 

A new YouTube video uploader will allow for easy sharing, but if users simply want to view video clips, then they can do so with either original size or full screen with OS 6. A new universal search feature also enables internet video searching of a variety of sites, not just YouTube. 

The BlackBerry podcasts app allows new podcasts to be downloaded on the go without having to use a personal computer. Finally, the new BlackBerry 6 OS offers an easy way of finding multimedia apps via a direct link to the BlackBerry App World storefront. 

 

Check Video Below

LG has launched the LG Optimus Z, which goes for the current high end Snapdroid formula a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU running Android 2.1 Eclair. The LG Optimus Z is 11.05mm thin and encased in matte-finish metal and Sadly, it's South Korea only.

The LG Optimus Z will launch with Android 2.1 but there will be a 2.2 Froyo update by the end of the year. The screen is a "Hyper HD LCD", 3.5" big with WVGA resolution.

The LG Optimus Z packs a 5MP camera though no mention of what the video capture is like. Anyway, DivX and Dolby Mobile vouch for a quality multimedia experience. And if you get bored with the content on your phone, the T-DMB mobile TV should keep you entertained. The 1,350mAh battery should have enough juice for hours being doing your couch potato routine on the go.

The LG Optimus Z has something called "On Screen Phone", a feature which lets you control your Optimus Z from the computer. The phone’s UI is displayed on the computer screen and you can go ahead and use apps as you would on the phone. The connection can be made over the data cable or even Bluetooth.

Another interesting sounding feature is the Drag & Shake, which lets you share files with other phones “with a simple shake of the handset”. The press release is kind of vague on how this works though.

Oh, and here’s the fun part LG has preloaded the Optimus Z with the top 100 popular apps in the Android Market and an extra 70 apps that aren’t in the Market.