The Apple iPhone continues its attempt to take over the world one step at a time by rolling out in more than a dozen Latin American countries, beginning later this year. The company inked a deal with Carlos Slim's America Movil SAB, the top mobile service provider in Latin America, which operates in 16 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico.

"We're excited to be working with America Movil to bring the iPhone to Latin America later this year, and we can't wait to get this revolutionary phone in the hands of even more people around the world," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris told the Associated Press.

Specific details of the plan, including carrier exclusivity, have yet to be announced. Apple recently signed a deal with a second carrier in Italy, raising some questions about the company's commitment to one carrier per country.

Among the array of phones presented by Samsung during Mobile World Congress 2008 is the Samsung i200 candybar smartphone. More than a couple of months later, the company announced the official launch of the i200 and I was considerably...underwhelmed. Based on the official press release, it seems that Samsung is banking on the smartphone's slim form--after all, an 11.8mm thickness is rarely seen on its peers. Another notable feature would be its HSDPA 3.6 Mbps connection.

For its display, the Samsung i200 has a 2.3-inch QVGA TFT screen with glossy finish (a characteristic observed on most of Samsung's handsets presented during MWC). It runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 OS and can operate MS Office programs. Other specs include Bluetooth and USB connectivity, music player, 25MB internal memory, and a micro SD card slot. Aside from its mundane aesthetics, camera specs also disappoint at only 2-megapixels. The Samsung i200 will first be released in Europe on June, and will roll out in other markets a month afterwards.

How's this for a promotion: Sign up for a broadband package and get a free computer. Scottish carrier and IT retailer powerupmobile.com is giving user exactly that. When customers use the Edinburgh-based company to sign up for T-Mobile's Web 'n Walk mobile broadband service, they'll get a free Asus Eee PC.

Says powerupmobile.com's CEO of the portable notebook, which has recently become his company's best-selling item: "The best thing is you can connect it to the internet from anywhere using the USB modem and T-Mobile Web n Walk service. You don't need Wifi or a hot spot or anything, plug in the USB modem anywhere and you get internet access."

The package, which also includes a T-Mobile USB modem is £35 a month, for 24 months.

Best Buy is heading across the pond to form a new company with British consumer electronics leader, Carphone Warehouse. Best Buy will purchase 50 percent of Carphone Warehouse's retail business for $2.1 billion, and the two companies will launch a completely new venture. (The U.K.-based company operates more than 2,400 stores in nine European countries, but those of us in the U.S. might know Carphone Warehouse from HBO's "Extras" as the place of employment for Andy's inept agent, Darren.)

iPod accessory manufacturer, Mophie, today announced that their new Juice Pack has officially become the first battery extendeder to receive Apple's coveted "Works With iPhone Seal," almost certainly rendering all other iPhone battery extenders insane with third-party jealousy.

According to Mophie, the pack should add eight hours of talk time, six hours of Web surfing, seven hours of video playback, 24 hours of audio, or 250 hours of standby time. The Juice pack features an LED charge indicator and a separate dock connector. It also features an "ergonomic, comfort-grip case with a soft-touch, non-slip finish," which sounds way cooler than anything Hi-C or Capri-Sun ever offered in the space. Squeeze-it, on the other hand, is kind of a toss up.

The Mophie Juice Pack should run you around $99.95.

T-Mobile's mysterious 3G announcement yesterday got a lot of people excited, but it also raised a lot of questions. How fast is the network, really? Why no smart phones? What about Google Android? And will consumer phone owners finally be able to run Opera Mini? We got a chance to ask Neville Ray, T-Mobile's SVP of Engineering and Operations our questions, and here's what he said, somewhat paraphrased to make it chattier.

Q: Why only launch in one city?

A: The GSM 1900 spectrum environment in NYC is constrained over time, and we've been hugely successful in the NY marketplace. So to maintain the growth trajectory that we've been on, it was critical for us to secure new spectrum. But we're commencing our rollout on a nationwide basis.

Q: Is the network UMTS or HSDPA?

A: Right now it's HSDPA 1.8. But HSDPA 3.6 is just a software upgrade, and T-Mobile Europe is already running networks on HSDPA 7.2. What we're seeing with test devices is a very good average experience in the 600 kilobit range, with bursts into a megabit or slightly north of that.

Q: Where are the smart phones, data cards, etc?

A: We're moving and working very hard with the Open Handset Alliance, and that's our focus. You will see at least one Android based converged device from T-Mobile this year. More converged devices are weeks, rather than months, away. PC Cards won't be our core focus, but early in the new year we may have a data-card-like product.

Updated, 9 AM: The official spec sheet on HTC's site isn't quite what we got in the mail, but it makes a little more sense. Yes, this phone has GSM, but it's the 900/1800/1900 European flavor. Meanwhile, Engadget reports that the browser on board is Opera Mobile and the phone will be exclusive to the European carrier Orange. Zzz. Wake us up when there's some sort of US angle to this story. HTC tends to customize its devices heavily for the US market, like they did with the Touch, so you're not likely to see this exact gadget on our store shelves.

Original post, 7:30 AM: Talk about the kitchen sink. HTC announced the Touch Diamond this morning, their latest Windows Mobile handheld with a flashy touch-screen interface and super-high-end specs.

The Touch Diamond, which looks like a black slab with a big touch screen, has a VGA (640x480) 2.8" screen, 3.2-megapixel camera, 4 GB of memory, Wi-Fi, GPS and a Qualcomm 528 Mhz processor. According to HTC, the device also has a new version of HTC's TouchFLO interface, which puts a finger-friendly skin on Windows Mobile. A newly customized Web browser will let users navigate by swiping with their fingers, and a built-in accelerometer rotates the screen when you rotate the device. HTC has also developed a special YouTube application for the gadget, the company said in a press release.

"The HTC Touch Diamond will make browsing the Web and using Web-enabled applications just as practical and easy to use as making calls," HTC CEO Peter Chou said in a press release.

Questions about this one abound. Has HTC gotten its fingers deep enough into the Windows Mobile interface so TouchFLO no longer feels like a superficial skin? Is this browser not Windows Mobile's standard Pocket Internet Explorer? And how will the Touch Diamond compete against Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X1, which seems to come from very similar thinking?

The bad news for US readers is that the Touch Diamond's cellular radio is so European that it won't work at all in North America - according to the spec sheet, it's a doorstop here with only 900/2100 Mhz UMTS supported and no 2G GSM. That last bit shocked us - no 2G means the device will have some coverage problems - but that's what the spec sheet says.

HTC says they'll come out with an American version in the second half of this year.

Last week, I desperately tried to get sleep on a red-eye flight. With the ongoing turbulence, it was extremely difficult to get even the least bit of rest. I decided to listen to music instead. I fumbled through my backpack and grabbed my iPod, but the screen was black. It was out of power, and without a computer there was no way of charging my music device. No question about it: I need a portable charger.

Maybe I'll pick up one of these: Kensington Computer Products Group just released a new portable battery-pack charger for iPods or iPhones. It's compact, weighing about 3 ounces and small enough to fit in backpacks, handbags, and briefcases. An even smaller version, the Mini Battery Pack and Charger, is small enough to fit in your pants pocket

T-Mobile has finally stumbled into the world of high-speed data transfer today: The company is rolling out a 3G network in New York City. The last of the major American networks to make the leap, T-Mobile's network bump is focused more on improving call quality than on resource-heavy activities such as Web browsing. The new network uses UMTS and HSDPA systems.

According to T-Mobile, 3G coverage will be rolled out across the country throughout 2008. "By year's end, T-Mobile expects its high-speed data network will be available in those cities where a majority of its subscribers currently use data services," said the company in a release issued today.

At present, the carrier offers four 3G phones: the Nokia 6263, Nokia 3555, Samsung T639, and Samsung T819. But, as Sascha Segan points out at PCMag.com, none of the four have true Web browsers and all rely on UTMS, rather than the higher speed HSDPA.

More from T-Mobile's release: "In the coming months, T-Mobile plans to offer its first HSDPA device, along with new and compelling data-centric, all-in-one devices that help make the most of T-Mobile's high-speed data network."

Over at PC Mag, our lead phone analyst Sascha Segan took a look at AT&T's new LG Vu CU920, calling it, "the closest thing so far to a true iPhone competitor." We asked him to take us through the paces of the phone including its cool touchscreen interface and excellent TV service, all while explaining why it doesn't quite live up to the standard of Apple's much-loved handset.

Check out the video, after the jump.

Yes, the zzzPhone - the somewhat unbelievable custom-built Chinese cell phone we covered back in February - exists. zzzPhone rep Jesse Nowlin stopped by our offices to show two models that he swears are shipping: a quirky $149 model with a TV tuner that looks very much like an oddball Chinese phone, and the sleeker unit shown at left, a $349 unlocked GSM handset running Windows Mobile 6.1.

No, we still can't get review units, and no, we still aren't sure the company isn't going to evaporate in a puff of smoke within weeks. But as I say in my PCMag.com story, the company seems to be run by guys with a high tolerance of risk. It sounds like they require that of their customers, too. Jesse, the company's US agent, is sincere, but who knows what's really going on in Haikou?

Check out our story on PCMag.com for a slideshow and a full rundown of what the company is up to.

Taking a cue from Verizon, AT&T, the nation's largest wireless network, is gearing up to launch its own television service.

The new service will offer content from networks like CBS, Comedy Central, NBC, and Fox, for a total of 150 shows, including popular programs like CSI and The Daily Show. The carrier will also have the exclusive mobile rights to CNN content like the May 6 Democratic primaries and programming from Sony Pictures Television movie channel, PIX. AT&T is partnering with QUALCOMM's MediaFLO USA Inc., to bring the service to 58 markets.

In order to take advantage of the new service, customers much purchase either the $300 LG Vu or the $200 Samsung Access--both require a two-year AT&T contract. The TV starter pack will begin at $15 a month.

AT&T and Apple today announced a new Text Accessibility Plan (TAP) for the iPhone. Aimed at customers who are deaf or hearing- or speech-impaired, the plan offers unlimited text messaging, Web browsing, and simplified e-mail access for $40 a month.

TAP is available to new and existing iPhone owners who qualify, via AT&T's National Center for Customers with Disabilities (NCCD). Potential subscribers must complete an application on AT&T's site to become eligible.

"Our Text Accessibility Plan allows customers who are deaf or have hearing or speech disabilities to literally tap out their communications on the go," said AT&T Wireless's 's vice president of product management, voice products, and affiliate marketing Carlton Hill of the new plan. "Now with TAP for iPhone, users can tap, flick and pinch the innovative Multi-Touch touch screen for a completely new world of functionality."

AT&T has announced plans to offer TAP for the majority of its handsets and is introducing more features to help assist disabled users, including Mobile Magnifier and Mobile Speak. For more information on the company's offerings for the disabled, check out AT&T's site.

As it currently stands, there are nearly 500,000 iPhone users in Russia - an ostensibly notable achievement for Apple. The only problem is that the world-popular handset is not officially sold there.

Of course this doesn't impede its mass availability nor lower its hefty $700 price. This is according to the Washington Post report, which also reveals that the iPhone's cachet in the new Russia has spilled beyond gadget lovers of means to include prominent politicians and even heads of state. Russia's new president Dmitry Medvedev and the minister of regional development Dmitry Kozak are just a two of the many civic leaders to join the phone's growing user base.

This would be of less concern if imported iPhones, bought in bulk in the US, were treated as mere electronic souvenirs. Instead, it is the phone's wireless integration that's raising eyebrows here in the West. That's because "AT&T is Apple's exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the United States, and the phone is locked to prevent its use on another wireless network." However, for roughly $40 tech-savvy Russian teenagers are able to unlock the phone, install a Russian language pack, and make it work with Russia's wireless telecoms.

All legal drama aside, Russian elite's fascination with the iPhone may actually do some good. At a recent business conference in the nation's southern city of Krasnodar, president elect Medvedev and Chechnya's willful leader Ramzan Kadyrov seemed to have put their political differences aside only to have fun with a hi-tech toy from America.

Sure, there are no Google Android phones yet. But that hasn't stopped the folks at QuickOffice from writing a Microsoft Office compatible editing suite for the upcoming smart phone platform. QuickOffice for Android supports Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents, edits documents from Google Docs, and even remotely accesses documents on your computer with the help of technology from SoonR. We have a slideshow of screens from the Android Office suite on PCMag.com.

When will it be coming out? Who knows? But T-Mobile VP Joe Sims recently promised his carrier would have an Android phone by the end of the year, and AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega told us at a press event that AT&T was also looking at Android.