There's little doubt that the Storm 2 is real, but where's it going, exactly? Not long after its debut in some 1960s-era Verizon mainframe that occupies two and a half acres of rural real estate in an underground bunker in North Dakota (we totally fabricated that, by the way), the phone has shown up in a Vodafone Germany computer of similar vintage and unfathomable size. RIM's latest attempt at the touchscreen craze is undoubtedly being pursued with some vigor by the world's top-tier carriers, and it makes sense that all of the original model's launch partners -- Vodafone Germany included -- would have first dibs. No word on a launch date, but we take it as a good sign that everyone's feverishly entering this stuff into inventory databases now.

[Thanks, anonymous BlackBerry lover from Germany]

If you're the cranky type who's protesting the move from analog to digital TV for some bizarre reason, you probably don't care about LTE, either, so this story won't do much good in convincing you of the benefits of the switch -- but for the rest of you, check it out: Vodafone Germany has partnered with broadcaster WDR to repurpose decommissioned analog TV spectrum for LTE trials. The so-called digital dividend frequencies lie between 790 and 854MHz, a nice little nook to drop some 4G data services in rural areas, which is exactly where Voda intends to use it. Digital TV and LTE? Sounds like a win / win to us.

Vodafone Germany and HTC have risen above some nasty legal spats to get the Android-powered Magic out of the door, following the path forged by the carrier's Spanish cousin by a mere 24 hours. Depending on your plan, you can end up nabbing the thing for as little as a single, solitary euro -- all it takes is a minimum of €44.95 (about $59) on the monthly bill to make it happen. Otherwise, you're looking at paying €59.90 for the phone on a €24.95 plan, which still isn't too shabby as far as we're concerned. Care to get this show on the road, T-Mobile?

[Via portable-devices.net]

The list of carriers around the world with designs on selling both the Bold and the Storm is a pretty small list indeed. Actually, as far as we know, there's only one name on it right now -- Vodafone -- and a new page on Voda's German site confirms that the Storm is getting ready to unite with its keyboarded sib for a one-two punch of zesty BlackBerry flavor in the coming months. Verizon's presumed exclusive means that we won't likely see a similar lineup materialize in the States any time soon, but even from afar, it's got to give you a warm fuzzy to see two RIM models in a tearful reunion, doesn't it?

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Sony Ericsson finally came clean with that September 30 launch date for the XPERIA X1 this morning, and now the carrier situation is starting to resolve itself -- as previously hinted, Vodafone will launch the sleek WinMo slider in the UK, and both Voda and O2 will have it in Germany. O2 UK hasn't confirmed anything yet, and we still haven't heard from any carriers in the third launch country of Sweden, but we'll keep you posted over on Engadget Mobile as soon as we hear anything.

For fans of Windows Mobile's Smartphone (or "Standard," if you prefer) variant, the Vox pretty much represents the pinnacle of the platform's evolution. HTC's always been good at letting users of its devices have their cake and eat it too -- the Vox is no exception, rocking a numeric keypad up top and a slide-out QWERTY for when the texting starts to get intense. Unfortunately, the phone is still a bit scarce, so there's nothing like news of its release somewhere in the world to perk us up a smidge. This time around Vodafone's German and British outposts are the lucky winners (or their customers are, we guess), offering the Vox as the "VDA V" and "v1415" respectively. The German version goes for €209.50 (about $281) on contract, while Brits have a bit cheaper go at it, ranging from free to £25.53 (about $51) depending on the contract selected. Enjoy, folks; meanwhile, our patient wait continues.

Read - Vodafone Germany's VDA V [Via the::unwired]
Read - Vodafone UK's v1415 [Via the::unwired]

With the MAXX and V3xx both coming out of the woodwork recently and into customers' hands, it's already been a helluva week for Motorola launches -- but there's no rest for the wicked. The MOTORIZR Z3, alternatively known in some circles as the RAZR slider (but not that RAZR slider), has gone ahead and dropped on Vodafone Germany for the reasonable sum of €100 on contract (about $128). Though the RIZR falls behind its launch-mates with nothing more than old skool EDGE data to its name, it's a solid alternative to the K1 KRZR for those that prefer sliders and just can't bear to give up that Moto look. Here's hoping the Voda launch is only the first of many in the next few weeks, eh?

[Thanks, Jewburg]

If you've been curious about Orb but you're sweating the installation process or you're worried that your carrier might frown upon your indulgent use of data, life just got a little easier -- if you're on Vodafone Germany's UMTS network, that is. Their new "Vodafone-Mein PC" service, which is in public trial through September, includes a PC installer that reportedly does just about everything for you -- just add content and you're ready to roll. The service communicates with Vodafone's Live! portal, which you then access via your compatible, UMTS-capable handset. If the service flops, Vodafone is reserving the right to drop it following the trial period, but if it takes off, they're reserving the right to charge a few euros, too. If Vodafone's bandwidth wasn't already saturated with streaming Knight Rider and Baywatch reruns, this might just do the trick.

[Via the::unwired]

Speed freaks, rejoice: another carrier's customers are ready to be comforted by HSDPA's warm embrace. The Samsung SGH-ZV50 has dropped on Vodafone Germany, and although we're seeing some mention of the term "UMTS Turbo," let's be honest with each other and take this phone for what it is -- Voda Germany's first HSDPA handset. Data rates, which can be piped to the device of your choosing via USB or Bluetooth, are claimed to top out at 1.8 simultaneous-voice-callin' megabits/sec. Other than the blazing data speeds, the 105-gram handset itself isn't anything too spectacular, serving up 30MB of internal flash, QVGA display, and a MicroSD slot with a 64MB card thrown in the box. Without contract, the ZV50 will run you a whopping €799.50 -- yes, a shade over one grand US -- but that comes down to €229.50 with a signup.

[Via Slashphone]