Got an AT&T Premier account at your disposal? Does your nine to five require you to wear a suit on every day that ends in "y?" If you're nodding your head and simultaneously thinking about just how tight that top button is around your neck, there's a decent chance that you can get AT&T's version of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 right now. 'Course, those on T-Mobile have already been enjoying the spoils for a few hours now, but judging by the unboxing shots in the read link, that window of US exclusivity looks to be all but shut. So, anyone jabbing the boss for an upgrade?

Nokia's Maemo-based future has begun: the N900 is shipping. According to Nokia CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the eagerly awaited handset is now en route to at least some pre-order customers. We'll soon see if this new generation of Nokia smartphones will be enough to generate the type of mass-market / high-margin appeal that Nokia needs at the top end of its product portfolio or if it's just a tentative first step on a potentially wobbly new platform.

Update: Nokia's official blog says to expect the Maemo 5 device to land in "Europe, the Middle-East, Russia and North America" shortly. However, it won't be compatible with the new 3G SIM cards from 3 in the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark and Austria until a software update hits sometime later this year.

[Thanks, Juhana J.]

We heard it'd be here in mid-Q4, and sure enough, it's here. And by "it," we mean "BlackBerry support for Celio's largely unwanted REDFLY Mobile Companion." Starting today, those looking for the Foleo's long lost cousin can snap up a REDFLY and download a free driver that adds compatibility for RIM's BlackBerry Bold 9000, Curve 8900 and Tour 9630. Granted, it's not like the BlackBerry web browser will be any less painful to use on an enlarged screen, but hey, whatever suits your fancy.

[Via TestFreaks, thanks Nirckolas]

Right on cue, the smaller-but-just-barely N97 mini is now ready for public consumption over in Europe. Granted, we're certainly at the tail end of October, but we can't say that we caught Nokia in a lie or anything based on what was said last month in Stuttgart. You've already committed the specifications to memory and read all about firmware 2.0, so now all that's left to do is run along, fork out €450 ($667) and wonder forever if this decision will positively or negatively change the course of your life.

Too impatient to wait for October 11th to arrive? Yeah, we feel you. If you're up with killing a few minutes and dealing with what may end up being four or five CSRs, word on the street has it that the Android-powered Hero can be ordered this very moment via Sprint telesales. A number of members over at Sprint Users have had success in getting the phone headed their way, and one even mentioned that his SERO plan was set to remain firmly in place even with this new phone on the bill. Let us know if you stumble across similar luck in comments below, won't you?

[Thanks, JayTV]

If you've preordered one o' them fancy new myTouch 3Gs, check your mailbox, front porch, back door, administrative assistant, or dirty, thieving neighbor -- because it might be there. T-Mobile said that preorders would be shipping at the tail end of July, and sure enough, some folks are starting to get lucky; plebes without preorders will still need to wait until August 5, though, so, you know, either sit there and drool or shout nasty remarks about how you'd rather have a Hero in the meanwhile.

[Thanks, sun]

Waiting days in the blistering sun for a phone that more level-headed folks (that is, not us) will be able to get by simply waltzing into a store a few days later just isn't what it used to be, is it? As iPhones make the inevitable transition from wildly-anticipated objects of lust to commodities, it seems that Apple's putting progressively less effort into carefully orchestrating and micro-managing launches -- and if you want solid proof of that, look no further than the shipping tracking numbers coming off of the online Apple Store's order status site where you'll find that some iPhone 3G S units should be in buyers' hands tomorrow. If you're counting, that'd be a full two days before the official release of this Friday -- and while we suppose the company could have some agreement in place with its carriers to hold onto the units until the official release, we're not giving UPS that much credit.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: It seems that many, if not all, of the individuals with tracking numbers leading to phones already stateside are now seeing the following status update on their packages: "THE RECEIVER REQUESTED A HOLD FOR A FUTURE DELIVERY DATE. UPS WILL ATTEMPT DELIVERY ON DATE REQUESTED." In other words, Apple's having these guys queue up the phones until they give the word, presumably not until Friday. Maybe some distribution centers with loose reputations might let you run down there and pick 'em up, though? Worth a shot, right?

We've got a number of tips this morning about lucky iPhone 3G S pre-orderers getting shipment notifications from Apple. Naturally, with a high profile launch like this we're guessing Apple has done all it can to ensure shipments won't slip through earlier than the June 19th launch date, but hopefully at least few folks will get lucky -- and at least they've got one of the only guarantees of a launch day phone going. In other news, an anonymous Apple Store employee has done some homework and tallied up average reservation numbers at other US stores -- he estimates about 800 people on average are on the reservation list per Apple Store (ranging from a couple hundred to well over a thousand), which amounts to about 200,000 reservations as of now, a number he believes could double before launch. There's no way to back that number up, but it sounds fairly rational. Finally, the iPhone 3G S firmware download link has made its way into the wild. Sure, it doesn't do you any good if you don't have an iPhone 3G S, but we thought you just might want to know all the same.

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]

Read - iPhone 3G S shipping notice
Read - iPhone 3G S firmware

We've received confirmation from Nokia that preorders of the beastly N97 have now started shipping to American customers in both available colors, black and white. That puts the white model a couple days behind the black, true -- but any way you slice it, this still beats the online store's old estimate of July by a mile, so we can't complain too hard. Anyone out there already (creepily) strategically positioned on their porch in preparation for the FedEx dude's arrival later today?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Just under two months. That's how long it took Nokia's N86 8MP to go from FCC to store shelves here in America, as the cats in Espoo have just announced to the world that the aforementioned cellphone is now shipping globally. In case you've forgotten, this 8 megapixel slider touts variable aperture, a mechanical shutter and automatic motion blur reduction, not to mention 8GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot. There's no official mention of price, and as of right now, the phone's not even listed on Nokia's American e-store; still, based on early estimates, we'd say you best break out the bank just in case.

If you've a proven track record of delivering solid products to consumers (much like Garmin has), we'll cut you some slack for awhile if you happen to hit a snag or two along the way while bringing a completely new device to market. But after more delays than we care to count and a 1.5 year gap between announcement and right now, the benefit of the doubt vanishes. To that end, we couldn't be happier to report that Garmin's president and COO Cliff Pemble feels that it's "getting very close" to a carrier launch (AT&T, perhaps?) in the US. Said statement was given at a shareholders meeting today, and he also mentioned that the Asian market would see the Nuvifone "this month or in early July." We appreciate the update, but at this point, the burden of proof is squarely on you, Garmin.

[Via Electronista]

Two of Samsung's smallest beamers just got prices and release dates, but sadly, neither are in US dollars. The MBP200 pico projector will reportedly ship this May across the pond for €499 ($637), while the i7410 (more commonly referred to as the Show) will hit during the summertime for a price still to be determined. We know, it's not the bucketful of information you wanted, but it's something to whet your appetite until the suits at Sammy give us the dirty details we're really after.

Can't hop a flight to Chicago or New York? No worries, as Nokia just announced that its QWERTY-packin' E63 can be found in independent retailers across the US along with e-tailers and the aforementioned flagship stores. Just think -- all that Symbian S60 fun, a full keyboard, 3G connectivity, WiFi, a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack and a free 12-month subscription to Nokia's Files on Ovi service, all for $279 with no contracts or related strings attached. Catch one now in red or blue at your favorite Nokia outlet.

It's been tough getting out of the starting gate for Sony Ericsson's X1a (that's the Americanized version of the X1), particularly when you realize that it was supposed to ship en masse way back on Black Friday of last year. Oh sure, a select few have managed to procure one of the QWERTY-packin' WinMo powerhouses, but we've heard far more complaints about "no stock" than tips on excess inventory. Now, however, SonyStyle.com has the handset listed as in stock, with an estimated ship date of tomorrow. Furthermore, UnwiredView is reporteding that many of Sony's retail locations are also well stocked with the unlocked smartphone. Of note, SonyStyle is offering up the X1a in silver, but there's always spray paint if you're lusting after a black model like the one we tried out.

[Via UnwiredView]

Just days after Nokia's highly desirable North American N85 emerged for pre-order at Amazon (and Nokia, for that matter), we're now seeing reports that some of the earliest orders are beginning to ship out. The N85 NAM, of course, includes that lovely tri-band GSM support with NA 3G compatibility baked right in, and the US warranty doesn't hurt either. So, has your pre-order shipped out yet? No? Then get on the horn and find out why!