Just over a year ago RIM announced that they would be adding a LTE and HSPA+ version of the BlackBerry PlayBook into the mix along with the WiFi one. We saw Sprint decide to go against the Wi-Max version and many thought RIM would do the same with these. Earlier this year however the leaked roadmap revealed the HSPA+ version again, and now it has strolled its way right through the FCC. Unfortunately not much new information is carried along with it, but if rumors are true we could potentially see NFC and a 1.5GHz processor packed onto the HSPA+ version.

Is an HSPA+ PlayBook something you'd be interested in? Would you rather your PlayBook have its own data connection or is wifi working fine for you? Sound off in the comments!

Update: And with the blink of an eye the LTE model has hit the FCC as well.  Judging by the bands this shows support for AT&T in the US or any of the big three Canadian carriers.

Source: FCC(1) (2); via: Engadet

The Porsche Designed BlackBerry P9981 is no secret, it is for sale in Dubai, we have gone hands-on with it, and we don't even want to know the things our very own CrackBerry Kevin would do to get one for himself. We have seen the outside of the device plenty but what we have yet to see was what it was packing on the inside, and a recent filing to the FCC was able to show us just that. While it sure isn't anything like an iFixIt teardown it does still show us what exactly is running in the device -- spoiler, not much different than what you would expect -- but we all know the nerd in you is loving this. Be sure to hit the links below for more images, and the full FCC filing.

Source: FCC; via: Wireless Goodness

The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates telecommunications in the United States has now spoken and taken some concern with Verizon’s $2 convenience fee which, is set to go in effect as of January 15th.

“On behalf of American consumers, we’re concerned about Verizon’s actions and are looking into the matter,”

The FCC, who normally gets hated on for not doing enough for consumers has been going after a lot of carriers as of late so, what -- if anything -- they will do about Verizon's $2 convenience fee is still up in the air. Given other carriers have had such things in place for a while now, it's plausible they will allow it to continue but time will tell.

Source: NYTimes

Ironically, following Kevin's latest If I Ran RIM rant on focusing, a new BlackBerry has surfaced at the FCC. Sporting model number REA71UW, we don't really know much about this newbie device other than it has bands that match up with AT&T (850/1900) and is running BlackBerry OS 7 -- Oh, and it has Bluetooth since the Bluetooth SIG also has details on it as of October 5th.  Any guesses on what it may be?

Source: FCC via Engadget; Bluetooth SIG

As we inch closer to release of some new BlackBerry smartphones, the FCC is laying their hands all over them as always to be sure they meet approval. This time around the BlackBerry Torch 9850 / 9860 are under the microscope and while no secrets are held within the documents, they do lend some confirmation to which carriers will be picking the device up. As it stands right now -- the different models listed at the FCC have the frquencies onboard for CDMA (Sprint, Verizon) as well as GSM (AT&T, Rogers) and GSM AWS (WIND, T-Mobile) so as expected, all major carriers are covered. Now, if we could just get them on store shelves the BlackBerry World would be a happier place.

Source: FCC; via: Engadget

One more hurdle has been crossed when it comes to actually getting the BlackBerry Bold 9900 into the hands of impatiently waiting BlackBerry users. Having now passed through the FCC the next stop for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 is retailers shelves and online stores across the globe. According to the documents, the FCC has had the device for quite a while. RIM's initial testing was started in February and the last bit of testing concluded on June 1. August, September? Either way, it's not near soon enough for some folks. 

Source: FCC; via: Wireless Goodness

So it seems RIM really was trying hard to make that Calendar Q1 launch date for the BlackBerry PlayBook but just couldn't quite make it. Turns out RIM actually had to file an extension with the FCC to keep the details on the tablet private until launch day on April 19th. Apparently the original date was in fact March 31st - if RIM planned to launch later they would have done an April date from the start. The document asked to withhold information regarding the External photos, test setup photos, user manual and internal photos. So any hopes of seeing the FCC approval notes before April 19th looks to be slim. With the BlackBerry PlayBook being shown off more than any other BlackBerry device to date prelaunch, you gotta wonder what's actually in there hiding that we don't already know about. Maybe a surprise or two? Sound off in the comments!

Source: BerryReview

Well, this a nice surprise that ultimately brings us one step closer to seeing an actual release date. The BlackBerry PlayBook has now appeared at the FCC in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions. Oddly enough, it appears to be the WiFi only version. Of course, not much else other then it having appeared there is revealed due to the confidentiality request filed but as history dictates that means further announcements are just around the corner.

Source: FCC, via: Engadget

The above image looks to be that of the BlackBerry 9670 in all it's clamshell glory. Also known as the BlackBerry Style, the BlackBerry 9670 is now showing up in the FCC database and is seeking approval. It carries the CDMA bands of Sprint and Verizon along with the test reports confirming that 802.11 b/g/n are on board as seen in the previously leaked UAProf documents. Love it or hate it, the BlackBerry 9670 is coming and we'd not be at all suprised to see some information about it show up during the BlackBerry Developers Conference. We'll keep you all up to date though if it does. We'll have an onslaught of coverage from DevCon this year so, stay tuned.

Source: Engadget

Though the FCC filings refer to the device pictured as "RCY71UW" rather than the 9800 or talledaga or Torch, there's no mistaking the BlackBerry slider just got its approval.  While the RC style name is new to the blogs, they're not new to RIM employees - in addition to the funky codenames that get tossed around, early-stage devices usually get referred to by an Rxx name. Cool stuff.

The timing of this couldn't be better - today AT&T and RIM are holding a special BlackBerry event which hopefully will officially give the RCY71UW a product name and introduce BlackBerry 6 to the world! Live blog coming up at 11am EST, so keep it locked to CrackBerry!

via: Engadget

Just because all the official announcements have come from Canadian carriers, certainly you weren't thinking that US carriers were going to be passing over the BlackBerry Pearl 3G were you? Engadget has just spotted both the BlackBerry Pearl 9100 and BlackBerry Pearl 9105 in the FCC approval database. No US carriers have stepped up to the plate to claim they will be exclusive or official carriers of the device. But, given that the BlackBerry Pearl 3G has been seen in every flavor but CDMA it's pretty much a lock in that AT&T and T-Mobile will be onboard. With RIM touting a May release across the board, expect to hear from the mentioned carriers soon.

Source: Engadget

Usually we hear about FCC approvals earlier on in the life of a device, but this one comes less than a few weeks from the launch of the Bold 9650. The device was officially announced last week, and we already know it will be arriving at Sprint on May 23rd. No statement from Verizon just yet, but if all goes as planned we should be hearing from them very soon. Nothing major to report on specs from the FCC docs here either. The actual documents are kind of a pain to read, so you're best bet is to just take our word for it. If you're feeling bold you can check out the full docs on the FCC site.

Source: FCC
Via: Engadget

It’s hard to imagine our lives without our cell phones now, but in reality cell phones are still fairly new technology. The original mobile phone was the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X which got FCC acceptance in 1983.

Believe it or not, it would have set you back $3,995 to be the coolest cat on the block. Even more astonishing is the fact that it took Motorola fifteen years of research and $100 million to come up with the technology. So what did “the brick” offer? How about 30 minutes of talk time, eight hours standby time, and only took 10 hours to recharge. It even let you store up to thirty numbers.

This was the start of the cell phone evolution, or should I say revolution. As more companies started developing cell phones and networks were established, consumers demand went up as prices fell. Now a day, some countries have more mobile phones than people, and in 2005 it was estimate that 2.14 Billion people were cell phone subscribers.

The DynaTAC has lead the path to the devices we’ve come to love now, such as the Motorola RAZR V3, Blackberries, IPhone, and Palm Treo. With cell phones offering the ability to SMS, check email, browse the internet, listen to mp3s, it really makes you wonder what’s in store in the future of cell phones.