This one seems rather strange since the XPERIA X2 hasn’t even come out yet and has also been rumored to have a January release, though Sony had mentioned the X2 will be available in select markets in Q4. However, MobileCrunch is reporting that according to “good word” the Android-Based X3 will be launched in January, possibly right alongside the Windows Mobile-based X2. The X3 has been reported to feature a 4-inch touch-sensitive screen with 800 x 400 res, an 8.1 MP camera with 8 x autofocus, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi Fi and VGA video recording. We’ll see if the rumored launch holds true. [via MobileCrunch]

Those who have been waiting for more function and selection in the Android phone market should be hearing the answer to their wishes within the very near future. Google has released the Android 1.6 SDK “Donut” and has said that the update should be included on new devices by October. The new Android version includes many upgrades including CDMA support, support for new resolutions like QVGA and WVGA, QuickSearch and a text-to-speech engine. The stated October launch date means that 1.6 could be found on many upcoming phones such as the Sprint Hero, Motorola CLIQ and Verizon Sholes. [via Engadget]

Early is a pretty relative term when it comes to a service that millions have waited an entire summer for with nothing but a vague promise to hang onto. However, after announcing two weeks ago that MMS would finally be available to iPhone 3G and 3GS users, AT&T has begun implementing the messaging service and many iPhone users are reporting that they already have it, despite a projected date of 9/25. So it appears that for some AT&T did actually make good on the end of summer promise. While these reports have been hitting TUAW for months, their frequency has increased recently. So far no established pattern has emerged, as some users in cities such as Chicago, LA and New York have reported having access, while others in the same cities still don’t have it. How about you–do you have access to MMS on your iPhone or are you still crossing the days off on your calendar? [via Switched]

When a company in your portfolio is suffering in a lowly number 4 market spot that has it bleeding money, a logical course of action would be to purchase a better company, say the #3, to help augment the overall performance in that market. That is what Deutsche Telekom, the telecommunications company that owns T-Mobile is preparing to do. DT has reportedly been in discussion about acquiring Sprint Nextel, speaking with advisors at Deutsche Bank about the deal, and is expected to submit a bid within the next few weeks. Despite Catherine Zeta Jones’ best efforts, T-Mobile has been struggling behind more advanced networks like AT&T and Verizon and has also lost business to lower-priced services from smaller networks. DT hopes that the potential purchase of #3 Sprint can strengthen its overall place in the U.S. market, bringing in a total of 78 million customers. In a similar move, the company has also recently begun merging the equally poor-performing T-Mobile U.K. with French telecomm Orange. [via Telegraph]

It’s obviously hard to know what makes investors tick (if we did, we’d be rich), but they seem to have taken an unnatural liking to Motorola’s Android-powered Cliq phone. Motorola shares rose 6.5 to $8.49 on the news, after an initial 1.5 percent increase, so it seems the phone got a second wind of excitement after its initial reveal. Analysts love the Motoblur social networking integration, which displays e-mail, text, Facebook, Twitter and other sources right on the user’s home page. And partly, the high expectations are partly because Motorola doesn’t really have anywhere to go but up, with its mobile phone division currently taking on losses. We’ll see if shareholder interest correlates with consumer interest when the Cliq launches later this fall. [via Reuters]

If you’re a Sprint customer, there’s surely a day or two that you’ve regretted your decision nearly as much as the time when you invested “start-up capital” in that African oil field. Today isn’t one of those days. Sprint just announced an unlimited mobile-to-mobile plan that provides subscribers with unlimited calls to other mobile users no matter which provider they use. The Any Mobile, Anytime plans start at $69.99, which also buys you unlimited data, unlimited messaging, and 450 anytime minutes for calling landline numbers (if you still know anyone with a landline). The new mobile-to-mobile feature also applies to family plans. Sprint subscribers that currently have an Everything Data plan will be automatically upgraded on the first day of their next billing cycle and other current customers will be able to upgrade without renewing their contracts. [via PC Mag]

God bless the Internet. For a second there, we thought you’d have to be a Sprint Premier customer to get early intel about whatever “big” and “exciting” “wireless revolution” Sprint has in store. Fortunately, all it takes is one benevolent subscriber to copy the message, save it as an image file and send it to a major gadget blog, and suddenly Sprint’s secret is everyone’s gossip. So, what is Sprint serving up, exactly? Engadget thinks it’ll be service-related, as Sprint prefaces its promises of revolution by mentioning the Simply Everything, Right Plan Promise and ReadyNow plans. And if it’s hardware, we’ll just be disappointed. So check back tomorrow, when the news is undoubtably leaked again for the whole world to enjoy. [Boy Genius Report via Engadget]

Over at CIO, Al Sacco promptly thrust his middle finger at an embargo request from T-Mobile, and so now we have our first official image of the Blackberry Bold 9700, or Onyx depending on where you live. The smartphone has some nice trappings — 3G, Wi-Fi calling, visual voicemail and support for both corporate and personal e-mail accounts — and comes with pre-loaded apps such as Amazon’s MP3 store and turn-by-turn GPS from TeleNav. Earlier unconfirmed specs include a 480 x 360 resolution display, a 3.2-megapixel AF camera, 256 MB of application memory, Bluetooth and a new “trackpad” instead of the old trackball. For pricing and a release date, you’ll have to wait for the next broken embargo. [CIO via SlipperyBrick]

According to  Tech Crunch, Palm will be dropping its second WebOS phone as part of Fashion Week in New York, stealing a bit of Apple’s thunder. The new Palm, which is known so far as “Pixie,” will be a Pre Lite of sorts, combining a Pre-like OS with a lighter $99 price tag. Reported specs on the phone include a 320 x 400 touchscreen, 4 GB of internal memory, a 2MP camera with fixed focus and flash, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and EDR, and A-GPS. While Tech Crunch cited a “source close to the company” in detailing this week for the launch, past speculation has put it anywhere from the second half of ’09 to 2010. We’ll just have to stay tuned to see how it pans out. [via Tech Crunch]