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The Downside Of Living In A Digital World 
Australia, NZ And South Africa To Share Square Kilometre Array 
Watch That Tiny $74 1.5GHz Android-Powered Thumb-Puter In Action Google has just released a new version of their maps application that supports voice recognition search on the BlackBerry Pearl. That means Pearl users can load Google Maps, hold a side button, say “pizza, i said PIZZA…PEE ZZ UH” and have the application magically find tacos in your immediate vicinity. This upgrade doesn’t look to be automatic, so hit the link to have Google text message your phone for the “experimental” update. [Google Maps via Gear Diary]
If you were obsessing over Vodafone’s (and Optus’s) upcoming release of the iPhone, then you might try and extrapolate all kinds of hidden meanings from their decision to cut the cost of their BlackBerry data plans.
After all, the iPhone is likely to use even more data than a BlackBerry, and with the prices for data still quite expensive, you could argue that this is a move by Vodafone to try and test the waters for their iPhone release.
But we won’t do that. Instead, we’ll take it as it is. Vodafone have cut their BlackBerry data packages to start from $14.95 for 1.5MB of data (or approximately 500 emails) or $24.95 for unlimited data. Of course, when they say unlimited, they mean anything but. And you need to be on a $79 plan or a $49 plan to be eligible for those prices too.
They’re also giving away the BlackBerry Pearl 8110 for free on a $79 cap over 24 months.
This isn’t a bad deal, but it isn’t quite as good as 3′s Blackberry deal. Although in the case of 3, if you start downloading emails outside of their coverage zone… your wallet will say ouch. So weigh up what’s best for you before you make your choice…
[Vodafone]
I used to sleep through class by tuning my mobile’s FM radio to a classical station, sitting in the back, and putting a jacket over my face, so this XM Radio on BlackBerry is pretty spectacular news. All you need is a BlackBerry 8800, 8700, Pearl or Curve and US$7.99 a month. You’ll get 20 “exclusive” XM channels (list after the jump), and you can download the app here or text “XM” to 47201. Time for a nap. Since this uses the phone’s regular data connection, you hopefully won’t be forced to wear giant ridiculous looking headphones in order to get reception.
Coldplay, purveyors of middle-class mundanity to the eardrums of the worthy*, are having a garage sale at their studio. So, anyone who wants to pick up a gadget with Korg, Roland, Linn, Pearl, Hafler or Yamaha written on it, and which emanates a musical version of “Pew Pew,” then head off to eBay, ’cause that’s where you’ll find it. Oh, and proof that Chris Martin is a very funny man indeed, after the jump.
RIM’s response to the market-share-gulping iPhone is to try to appeal to the female consumer by splashing pink paint all over the BlackBerry Pearl. Sigh. Why do some manufacturers insist on churning out pink versions of their products for women? Research says women are not particularly into it—unless, of course, she is a crack-addled nutcase who has yet to leave her tweenage Barbie phase behind. [Reuters]
PinStack.com has posted new pictures of the upcoming BlackBerry Pearl 2, as well as some new spec information that will make your eyes bleed in profound joy. According to Pinstack, the new Pearl 2 will have a slew of improvements — from a better email layout and display to improved voice control software. It’ll also have a WiFi-browser, an external entry MicroSD, a 3.5mm headset jack and the 4.3 OS installed.
galleryPost('blackberrypearl2', 4, 'BlackBerry Pearl 2');
Still not much information on pricing or a release date, aside from the Thanksgiving rumor, but we’re definitely liking the slimmer body — it’s something we could really see ourselves settling down and starting a family with. [Pinstack]
Still intrigued by Palm’s ode to TV’s most famous mobster/family man? Then we’ve got some Palm Gandolf details for you.
To follow up on our own BlackBerry Pearl 2 details, Boy Genius Report has their own leak that’s telling them what RIM has in store for the second-gen Pearl.
A reliable tipster has filled us in on a juicy secret.
The biggest update? High speed EV-DO. And a new unbelievable form factor.
