BlackBerry Curve 8980 is one step closer to a release in China, as the device resurfaced after almost a year, bearing the China Mobile carrier branding. The official announcement is imminent, and will probably include the Bold 9700 also, which is released through the same carrier.

Leaked in October 2009, Blackberry Curve 8980, also codenamed Atlas, reappeared on a Chinese website, and is now preping for a China Mobile launch.

Even though we were sceptical that the smartphone could be launched in China, as the device was known for carrying Wi-Fi technology, it seems that RIM managed to avoid the Chinese regulatory restrictions, which didn’t approve this kind of technology.

If one year ago the device was closer to a presumable Verizon launch, we are now in the position to tell for sure that Blackberry 8980 will be launched through China Mobile in a next couple of weeks.

The smartphone is coming with full Wi-Fi capabilities, but misses the 3G compatibility. Fortunately, those that are looking for such a smartphone from RIM will be able to choose the Bold 9700, which should launch about the same time.

So, it will either be Curve 8980 with Wi-Fi or Bold 9700 with 3G. Other key features of the device include: 3.2-megapixel camera, HVGA display, GPS, 624 Mhz processor, and 128 (or 256 MB) memory, microSD card slot for memory expansion.

The included Curve-like QWERTY keyboard will probably make it more appealing than the Bold 9700, but tastes may differ.

Unfortunately, technical information about the current device is a little bit scarce, so we can only assume that it will get most of the Bold’s features, less the 3G.

There’s no info regarding its price tag and release date, but we can assume that the smartphone will be launched in the coming weeks and will be cheaper than the Bold 9700.

LAS VEGAS — Getting money down on your favorite sports team is getting a little easier in Nevada with the first-ever legal wagering application for smart phones.

It won’t work in the U.S. outside the Silver State — the only place where sports gambling is legal — but its technology is sophisticated enough to let visitors from other states conveniently place bets while they’re here, even if they’re not inside a casino.

American Wagering Inc. is launching the program for BlackBerry devices in time for the start of college football and the NFL regular season. The public company, which operates nearly 60 Leroy’s Horse and Sports Place sports books throughout Nevada, plans to launch new apps for iPhones, Droids, and Windows-based phones soon.

“I’m all-in on this,” said Vic Salerno, American Wagering’s chief executive. “We’ve reinvented the company entirely.”

Salerno said it took 14 months to develop the application and get it approved by Nevada gambling regulators. Each version for other phone operating systems requires separate approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which will scrutinize their security systems and other features.

The application requires bettors to appear at a sports book in person just once, when first creating their account with Leroy’s.

That allows the company to verify a person’s age and tie their account to one specific phone. When that person then logs into the system, a combination of GPS and cellular tower coordinates verify he or she is within Nevada’s borders before allowing them to place a bet.

Placing bets on sports through phones isn’t new in Nevada, said John English, the company’s senior vice president for business development. A beeper system, affectionately known as a “wager pager,” lets gamblers call in their bets and verify their position through a code sent to the beeper from a limited-range tower, he said.

Salerno and English said custom versions of the apps will likely be offered in future years to major gambling operators like Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., MGM Resorts International, Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Wynn Resorts Ltd.

An American Wagering subsidiary, Computerized Bookmaking Systems, Inc., currently supplies equipment and software for 85 percent of the race and sports books in the state.

Verizon’s plans to offer prepaid smartphone service were solidifed on Tuesday with escaped details that surfaced this afternoon. Android Does has obtained memos that show virtually all of Verizon’s phones, including advanced smartphones like the Samsung Fascinate, BlackBerry Bold 9650 and Pre Plus, having plans much like regular subscription service but with just a $5 premium. Voice would range from $45 for 450 minutes to $75 for unlimited; data would cost $10 extra a month for media phones and $30 for smartphones.

Supporting the data is a leak that shows a prepaid box for a BlackBerry Curve 8530. The Engadget snapshot shows the same plans and is accompanied by corroborating reports that the plans extend to all smartphones.

Launch timing is still vague and has missed a rumored August 22 date, but the existence of finished boxes suggests a launch is imminent.

A prepaid strategy on this level could begin a major assault on AT&T, as it would give prepaid devices equal treatment on a major network for the first time. AT&T and others have often deliberately kept some of their better phones out of the prepaid mix to steer customers towards more lucrative contracts. Phone prices will be much higher without the carrier subsidy but could accommodate part-time smartphone owners that only need service some days of the year or who want to drop service without paying a cancellation fee, even if service itself costs more.

Labyrinth, the popular tilt-based maze game that has been in the app store space for a while now has just updated for Blackberry Torch users to enjoy. Available on BlackBerry App World, Labyrinth is available for download with 10-free levels! Labyrinth is also available RIM’s two touch-screen only phones, the Blackberry Storm and Blackberry Storm 2.

If you’re interested, and you’ve taken the plunge to the new Blackberry Torch, head over to Blackberry AppWorld today and pick up Labyrinth!

Blackberry Bold 9700 Deals can be bought with contract deals and people who need a desperate change from this deal can go for pay as you go and SIM free phone deals.

Blackberry phones in a very short period of time have created a brand name for themselves as the best used business phones which are very easy to use. The mobile market in the UK is full of cheap Blackberry phones which can be purchased with various network providers like Vodafone, Virgin, T-mobile, Orange, O2, Three, etc. You can search thoroughly on the websites of these companies and the websites of different web portals where you get the details about the features and functions of the Blackberry mobile phones.

The Blackberry Bold 9700 is a smart looking gadget which comes with a 2.44 Inches TFT screen with Full QWERTY keyboard and Touch Sensitive optical trackpad. This phone weighs just 122g which can be easily slided into your pocket. The Blackberry Bold 9700 Deals range from the contract, pay as you go and SIM free phone deals. The contract deals are the one where you are supposed to sign a contract with the network provider for a duration of 12- 24 months. In this duration you cannot change your services with any other network. The contract deal is famous for giving the customers variety of free gifts like laptops, gaming consoles, refrigerators, Sony Playstation3, LCD TV, DVD player, home appliances, mobile accessories, mobile insurance, free messages, free talktime, discount vouchers and above all you get free handset with this deal.

The other mobile phone deals like pay as you and SIM free phone deals can also be availed for the Blackberry Bold 9700. These two are considered cheap mobile deals with more flexible options to people who are desperate to change their services from the contract mobile deals. The Blackberry Bold 9700 deals are very cheap and you can compare them online before planning to buy them.

The smartphone from RIM is not the only danger to dark regimes. The internet, cellular phones and facebook are also dangerous. Where else has technology and free speech been blocked in the world?

The developing story of banning Blackberry use in Saudi Arabia the UAE and maybe even India soon, brought Time magazine to make up its own top ten most prominent technology bans.

The Blackberry

What’s the deal with Blackberry? Earlier this month, UAE ministry of communication announced the ban on Blackberry use.

Over half a million subscribers in the small emirate (4.5million residents) were asked to return their devices and visitors at the airport were asked to entrust their devices before passport checkin. The reason for the panick? Research in Motion, the Canadian company, responsible for the Blackberry technology created such a successful encryption for the messages send and received by the device that the security services in the emirates cannot follow.

Claims regarding he successful encryption of the device have been made a long time ago by countries such as India (who’s threatening a ban starting the end of the month and has so far reached a compromise with RIM) and Kuwait that have also tried resolving the issue to ensure oversight over SMS and email messages.

Of course, the countries are claiming “the fight against terrorism” as their reason, which has long ago turned into a synonym to following citizens. The UAE have just lost their patience.

The Saudi’s, the neighbors from the west, quickly called a ban of their own – which led to debates with Canadians who promised them a solution to the “excessive” encryption problem. What doesn’t work with brawn will probably work with a little more (consumer) brawn.

Pakistan and Facebook

In second place, is Pakistan where a court of law banned the use of Facebook in May this year. The wrath of the court was directed at a group of Pakistanian users who dared form a group called “we all draw Muhammad today!”. The group was established after a South Park episode where the prophet Muhammad was seen dressed, God have mercy, as a bear.

Comedy Central, the show’s producer, responded to muslim viewers who claimed the prophet should not be drawn and censored the episode (which led to Mat Stone and Trey Parker, the show’s creators to respond). But artist Molly Norris from Seattle in the US was not amused and she painted a poster called “Everybody draw Mohammad day” – in which she called on everyone to draw Muhammad as a protest for the religious censorship.

A few days later this group was established on Facebook and the storm began. Norris received thousands of emails and had to apologize and armed man came out on the streets in Pakistan with signs saying “We love Muhammad – so we say No to Facebook”.

The great fire wall of China

China, another country in which there are more internet users than residents in some of the countries in the world, joins the list. China who is seen as an internet nation of itself, managed to put up an additional impressive Chinese wall – the “great fire wall of China” which is what the massive block and filtering of sites is called.

The Chinese made a number of official statements regarding the internet, “which is in Chinese regime on the borders of China”. Within this regime, ‘foreign and dangerous’ sites such as the BBC in Chinese, opposition sites including words like ‘democracy’ or ‘June 4′ (The date of the Tiananmen riots) are left behind the “great fire wall”.

Chinese bloggers search for new ways to bypass the wall. Because of china’s homeland policy on the subject many bloggers are behind non virtual walls – Chinese prison walls.

The mobiles that were not in Cuba

The list on Time includes a few other technology bans, by sport, education and technology associations (Apple closes the list with its ban on sexual contents in the iPhone application market), some of the bans seem reasonable – like the ban on music player during marathons or the ban colleges forced on Napster (to avoid being sued for copyrights infringements). But in the context that interests us, meaning political and mind censorship on citizens, it is interesting to see number 7 on the list – the ban forced by Cuba on its citizens for purchasing mobile phones.

Fidel Castro, is the one banning Cubans from purchasing and using mobile phones, claiming it is required for the “idea struggle” against its greatest enemy, the USA, it is quite ironic, considering the fact that the black market for mobile phones is thriving there – with the courtesy of relatives and acquaintances of Cubans living in Miami. Fidel’s younger brother, Raul, has understood that you cannot hold progress back and on April 1, 2008 removed the ban.

Jordan censoring news sites

Another country, who didn’t make the Time list, but is also an example of a country that does not feel comfortable with technology, is Jordan. Jordan passed a temporary law in the beginning of the month giving authorities the power to censor local news sites including he right to raid sites offices and search them without the need for a warrant, along with the block of 50 such news sites under the claim of “increasing productivity”.

One of the journalists complained that writing about any political, economical or social issue may end up with being charged with damaging the country’s interests or economy and that he is certain it is meant to damage local online media.

To sum up

The enemies of technology, similarly to the enemies of democracy are those who wish to silence freedom of speech, narrow dialogue and keep the current political status quo, a challenge that keeps getting harder and harder and a constantly changing world. Sometimes, like in the case of Pakistan or the UAE they even succeed, at least for a moment.

We believe technology will eventually win and in the meantime try to do our part in keeping our small country from joining the ranks of such lists again.

Future Shop inventory has revealed that the BlackBerry Torch 9800 will begin its presale on Rogers on September 15th., relatively close to the rumoured September 16 launch on Telus.We haven’t heard much from Bell other than a landing page, but it’s probably a safe bet that they’ll be launching the BlackBerry Torch at around the same time.Those in the UK can expect a similar release schedule from Vodafone. You can ignore the $999.99 pricetag there, it’s more than likely just a placeholder.

The BlackBerry 9800 is RIM’s big next generation device, packing a new portrait sliding form factor complete with physical QWERTY keyboard, HVGA capacitive touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera, 624 MHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, GPS, Wi-Fi, and world roaming 3G. Be sure to check out our review if you’re thinking of picking up the BlackBerry Torch 9800 on Rogers. I wonder if Rogers will, in fact, get that white version…