If you own a BlackBerry Tour, you'll be happy to know that there is update to your operating system available from Verizon.  BlackBerry Tour OS 4.7.1.61 fixes many glitches, enhances features and has been reported to give the BlackBerry Tour an all-around speed tune-up.

Before you complete your BlackBerry Tour update make sure to backup your data. You can get the  BlackBerry Tour OS 4.7.1.61 through Desktop Manager.

To  Back Up Data:

Open up the Blackberry Desktop Manager Program and click on Backup and Restore.

• Delete emails while composing messages, for greater efficiency.
  
• Save contacts with only a company name.
  
• Add email accounts in the simplified setup wizard at a moment's notice.
• Geotag your photos and find a GPS connection with our BlackBerry Tour GPS upgrade.
  
• Get music quickly and easily with V Cast Music with Rhapsody.
• Enjoy smooth playback of your music through your device.
  
• Enjoy crisp, vibrant video with the video player upgrade.
  
• Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road with simplified headset set up and removal.
  
• Make calls quickly and accurately with improved dialing from the home screen.
  
• Keep things organized more easily with recycle bin enhancements.
• Be on time every time with the improved alarm application.

The ARM Solution Center for Android (SCA) offers developers new to Android or to ARM, the widest range of Android resources for ARM architecture.  SCA members come together to share their expertise, solutions and services, including:

• Development tools.
• Complete Android solutions.
• Android software components.
• Android services.
• Android training.

Existing and new post-pay customers can sign up by visiting a retail store, contacting customer service or accessing their account at uscellular.com. New customers who activate service on uscellular.com can also request that Overage Protection be added on to their account.

The customer decides who will receive the alerts. Once set-up is complete, the service runs nightly, calculating their usage. If a predefined threshold is reached, a text alert will be sent the next day during normal business hours.

Before you head out for the holiday weekend here are ways mobile ways to access free Traffic.com alerts this holiday week and whenever you need it:

1. Connect to http://mobi.traffic.com - a free wireless website for mobile traffic hotspot reports. Traffic flow patterns are displayed as familiar color overlays, which indicate free-flow traffic (green), traffic congestion (red), and shades of yellow and orange in between

2. Text your CITY CODE (NY, CHIC, PHL, LA, etc.) to TRAFC (87232) to get instant traffic updates for the worst city area delays. NAVTEQ Traffic.com city codes can be found at: http://bhelp.traffic.com/city-codes-used-for-sms

3. Call 1-866-MY-TRAFC (1-866-698-7232), a free automated voice hotline for speed dial access to roadway updates.

The Samsung Omnia II has been rumored to be coming out for a while. Finally, leaked documents reveal that the the Samsung Ominia II will go on sale at  Verizon on December 2.

The Samsung Omnia II  will be running Windows 6.5 with an impressive feature list includes 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED display, a 5-megapixel camera and 8GB of internal storage expandable up to 48 GB with a microSD card. Probably the most stunning feature of the Samsung Ominia II is the AMOLED display with DVD quality video viewing.

You can use the TouchWhiz interface or the Windows UI.  It comes with widgets and you can multi-task while using them. Users can also access and download content speedily while on the move thanks to the Omnia II's HSUPA 5.76Mbps, HSDPA 7.2Mbps and Wi-Fi capabilities

The price tag for the Samsung Omnia II is $199 for the  with a two year contract and two year agreement after a $100 mail-in rebate. You can use the Mobile News' Verizon online coupon-link to get the rebate instantly with an online purchase.

T-Mobile has started offering T-Mobile Complete, a pre-packaged no-annual contract solution that offers the value of a monthly plan and the first pay-in-advance BlackBerry smartphone from a national U.S. carrier. Prepaid BlackBerry smartphones include the BlackBerry Curve 8520 for $299.99 and BlackBerry Pearl flip for $149.99.

With T-Mobile Complete, customers can choose from four handsets starting at $59.99, which includes first month free. Customers can also choose from a range of unlimited plans starting at $50 per month. T-Mobile Complete is currently available nationwide at Best Buy and at select  Walmart locations.

Bytemobile issued its first mobile data report for the industry. The Mobile Minute Metrics report anonymously sources the data traffic in a global cross-section of larger Bytemobile customers' wireless networks and provides insight into the current state of the mobile ecosystem.

What is most notable from the data gathered in this report is the impact that touchscreen smartphones - the Apple iPhone in particular - is having on operators' wireless networks. Accounting for 39% of the total volume on networks, video has already become the dominant form of mobile data traffic. Considering that only 1-2% of wireless users are currently using their devices to watch video, it will be critical to keep a close watch on mobile media consumption trends.

The Mobile Minute Metrics Report provides a view into the type of insight carriers will be able to leverage using the Bytemobile Analytics service, using a cross section of Bytemobile's global carrier client base to highlight current industry trends including:

• Mobile video consumption trends.
• How device type is driving data traffic.
• Data volume changes over the course of a day.

Other highlights from the Mobile Minute Metrics report include the following:

● Generally, there are 10-15 times more web users than video users. However, on average, video users generate an equal amount of network traffic - i.e., one video user produces the same amount of mobile data as approximately 10-15 web users.

Users rely on search engines to discover content but it often doesn't come up with the goods notes a new Mobile Content Discovery Report from Xiam Research by TNS Global. Users are  have having trouble accessing content, getting in quickly, search engines are preferred by mobile web browsers and they would buy more it was easier to get.

The study shows there are many indications that their mobile content usage is being limited by problems experienced. Here's the summary of problems experienced.

• 80% report some difficulty or problem when trying to access content.
  
• Most frustrated by time required to access the content they want - slow page loads, the need to click through too many pages, and having to navigate through irrelevant content.
  
• Overall, the provider's content store/portal is used less often than other methods to obtain content but is used more by downloader's and apps fans.
  

"In the US, carriers are charging up to $60 per month for a two year contract with the subsidized purchase of a netbook," says Jim McGregor In-Stat analyst. "While the subsidy costs the carrier $50-$100, it generates $1,440 or more in service fees over the life of the contract."

Carriers in the EU and Asia are also offering netbooks with a data contract, but typically at lower prices than in the US. As a result of the recent success of selling netbooks, carriers are now venturing into offering notebook PCs. Carriers in Asia have been offering MIDs and UMPCs for some time.

Recent research by In-Stat found:

• The total available market (TAM) for Internet-connected devices is projected to grow at a 22.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2013.
• 78% of Internet-connected devices will be using processors with integrated multimedia acceleration, including 85% of mobile PCs, by 2013.
• In-Stat projects that nearly 31% of notebooks will be sold through carriers in 2013.
• The innovation of the mobile market is being driven by four key factors: richer content, network access for communications and content, increased bandwidth to enable this access, and new technologies.

"On behalf of CTIA and the wireless industry, I would like to thank the Commission for moving ahead with this item. The Chairman's leadership and the efforts of the other Commissioners have given us a foundation for our continued deployment of wireless broadband.

"Tower siting is a vital piece of our industry. It enables mobile services, including voice and broadband, for consumers, public safety, and businesses. Both Congress and the Supreme Court recognized the importance of taking concrete steps to ensure that the zoning process does not become a barrier to the reasonable deployment of, and competition among, diverse wireless networks.

"We are unifying our products, so that users get the same experience, no matter the device or which particular Opera browser they are using," said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. "With Opera Mobile 10, we are raising the expectations of how a a mobile browser should perform. Today, users require a browser as powerful as the Web, one that can handle their daily tasks as well as their computers. That's Opera."

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), a global organization leading the way in promoting the development and sustainability of mobile marketing, announced the winners of its Fifth Annual Global Mobile Marketing Awards during the Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony on November 17 at the Mobile Marketing Forum in Los Angeles.

As the MMA's highest honors, these awards recognize companies and their campaigns for spearheading the adoption of the mobile channel for marketing purposes.

"The MMA, its members and the entire mobile marketing community come together each year to honor our industry's exemplary campaigns and remarkable leaders throughout the world," said Mike Wehrs, president and CEO of the MMA. "We congratulate this year's winners and finalists on their outstanding achievements, and look forward to their continued success as they help advance the mobile marketing channel's evolution in the years to come."

Each year, the MMA's highly anticipated awards ceremony serves as the conclusion of the Mobile Marketing Forum (www.mobilemarketingforum.com). The MMA received hundreds of submissions in 12 categories from companies across the globe. Winners are selected by the MMA Awards Selection Committee comprised of global industry leaders from wireless carriers, technology and content providers, agencies and industry publications.

Social Beat makes it easy for Verizon Wireless customers to connect to popular social media sites, including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.  Social Beat also displays more than 50 customer-selected feeds from the hottest names in news, sports and entertainment sources, which can be viewed in one central location. Customers can easily view and manage their social networks through live feeds and real-time notifications.

When customers sign in to Social Beat, they can easily view friends' activity, news feeds, status updates and new photos. Customers can even post new status messages and tweets, send comments and messages, and receive updates from their personalized news section through a single stream on their mobile phone in real time.

Social Beat is available now to Verizon Wireless customers as a free download on more than 20 feature phones, including the LG enV, enV2, enV3, the LG Chocolate, and Chocolate 3, as well as many other popular Verizon Wireless handsets. Customers can download Social Beat from their wireless phones by selecting Get Going in the Media Center/Get It Now®, by texting SOCIAL to APPS (2777) or by visiting the online media store at http://www.mediastore.verizonwireless.com or http://bit.ly/socialbeat.