Planning on hitting the stores (or the Web) this weekend? Here are some of the best deals out there on today's hottest smartphones.

BlackBerry Curve 8330: Best Buy is offering it for FREE with a new Sprint service plan.

BlackBerry Curve 8520: Radio Shack is offering it for FREE with a new service plan.

BlackBerry Curve 8900: Amazon.com is offering it for 1 cent with a new AT&T service plan.

BlackBerry Storm 2: Amazon is selling it for $150 with a new Verizon service plan.

BlackBerry Bold 9700: Amazon.com is offering it for $150 with a new T-Mobile service plan.

BlackBerry Tour: Amazon.com is selling it for $50 with a new Sprint service plan.

HTC Pure: Amazon.com is selling it for 1 cent with a new AT&T service plan.

Motorola Cliq: Radio Shack is selling it for $80 with a new T-Mobile service plan.

Image © RIM

Google's excellent -- and free -- GPS application is now available to even more Android users. In a blog post earlier this week, Google said that Google Maps Navigation (Beta) is now available to devices that are running versions 1.6 and higher of the Android operating system.

Google Maps Navigation delivers spoken turn-by-turn driving directions through your phone, just like apps made by GPS manufacturers TomTom and Magellan. It also incorporates Google's search features and Google Map features like Street View.

The app was released a few weeks ago, but was limited to phones running Android version 2.0. And the only phone running Android 2.0, so far, is the Motorola Droid. But now, users of other Android-based phones, including the T-Mobile myTouch 3G and the T-Mobile G1 will get access to this excellent application. Unfortunately, though, users of the pretty impressive Motorola Cliq won't -- yet. That phone runs Android version 1.5, and it is not known when it will be updated.

If you have an Android phone running version 1.6 or higher, you can find Google Maps Navigation (Beta) in the Android Marketplace.

Image © Google

The Motorola Droid may be grabbing all the headlines, but it's not the company's only -- or first -- Android-based smartphone. That honor belongs to the Motorola Cliq, which is just about as different from the Droid as an Android-based smartphone could be. And, to be honest, I think I like it just a bit better.

The Cliq, with Motorola's Motoblur software for gathering information from social networks, is a decidedly consumer-friendly phone that makes the Droid feel deadly serious in comparison. I'm not saying the Cliq can match the Droid feature for feature, though, and it's social bent may not be for everyone, though. Read my full review of the Motorola Cliq and its Motoblur software to find out why.

Image © T-Mobile

Just yesterday, T-Mobile resumed sales of its Sidekick smartphone, hoping to move past last month's embarrassing data loss. But today comes word of another problem for the company: T-Mobile UK employees are being accused of selling data on thousands of customers to rival carriers.

In a statement posted on its Web site, T-Mobile UK says: "T-Mobile takes the protection of customer information seriously. When it became apparent that contract renewal information was being passed on to third parties without our knowledge, we alerted the Information Commssioner's Office. Working together, we identified the source of the breach which led to the ICO conducting an extensive investigation which we believe will lead to a prosecution."

A separate statement says, "T-Mobile is able to confirm that NO financial data has been passed on to any third parties."

The information that was leaked reportedly contained information on mobile phone contracts and expiration dates.

It is not clear how many employees are involved, and how many customers have been affected. But the news comes at a particularly bad time for T-Mobile. Yesterday, the carrier resumed selling Sidekick phones for the first time since last month's server failure at Microsoft's Danger subsidiary. That failure caused many Sidekick users to lose personal data. T-Mobile is now selling Sidekicks at slightly reduced prices in order to lure back customers. And earlier this month, many T-Mobile customers suffered a lengthy service outage, when they were unable to access voice or data service on their cell phones or smartphone.

Image © T-Mobile

The Motorola Droid may be getting all the press, but it's not the only new smartphone available from Verizon Wireless. The carrier recently released the BlackBerry Storm 2, the updated version of RIM's first (and widely panned) touch-screen smartphone.

The BlackBerry Storm 2 is a nice update, no doubt about it. RIM has fixed most of the flaws with the phone, including its finicky touch screen and its lack of support for Wi-Fi. But can the Storm 2 compete with today's hottest smartphones, like the Motorola Droid, the Palm Pre, and, yes, the iPhone 3GS? Read my full review of the BlackBerry Storm 2 to find out.

Image © RIM

Dell this week confirmed long-standing rumors that the company will manufacture a smartphone, but it may be some time before anyone in the U.S. can get their hands on the device.

Dell released a statement on Friday saying that the new phone, called the Mini 3, will run the Android operating system, but did not release any specifics about the handset itself.

"Our entry into the smart phone category is a logical extension of Dell's consumer product evolution over the past two years," said Ron Garriques, President, Dell Global Consumer Group in the statement. "We are developing smaller and smarter mobile products that enable our customers to take their internet experience out of the home and do the things they want to do whenever and wherever they want."

Dell said that the Mini 3 will be available starting in China later this month and in Brazil by year's end, but did not say when it would be available in the U.S.

Dell said that China Mobile will offer the Mini 3 in China, while Claro will be the carrier in Brazil. Dell did not say when the Mini 3 would be available in other countries, but did note that it has existing agreements with AT&T and Verizon Wireless in the U.S. Carriers will release information about available Mini 3 models closer to launch, Dell says.

Image © Dell

I was prepared to like the Motorola Droid. Actually, I was prepared to love it. Verizon's new Android-based smartphone has been hyped (endlessly, it seems) as an iPhone killer, so I expected great things. Maybe that's why I was so disappointed.

The Droid does have some killer features, like its gorgeous 3.7-inch display and great call quality. But it also suffers from performance that's sometimes sluggish, and a few odd design quirks. Not only is it not an iPhone killer, the Droid isn't my favorite Android-based smartphone. That honor still belongs to Sprint's HTC Hero. Read my full review of the Motorola Droid to find out why.

Image © Motorola

The Motorola Droid wasn't the only Google Android-based smartphone that Verizon Wireless launched last week. The carrier also announced availability of the HTC Droid Eris, which shares the Droid name, but offers a slightly different feature set.

Not sure how these phones differ? At first glance, it may be hard to tell. But they do differ -- in many important ways, including price, software, and design. If you need help telling the Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris apart, my handy guide can help. For more information, read Motorola Droid vs. HTC Droid Eris.

Image © HTC

The Motorola Droid, which has been endlessly hyped as the newest iPhone killer, hit stores yesterday. So, how does the launch of Verizon's first Android phone compare to recent launches of high-profile smartphones, like the iPhone 3GS and the Palm Pre? Reaction, so far, seems to be mixed.

CNET.com reported that more than 100 people waited in line at a Verizon Wireless store in Manhattan on Thursday night. The store began selling the Droid at midnight.

By Friday morning, however, fewer -- if any -- people were waiting in line for the Droid. Both EngadgetMobile.com and CNET.com had reports of smaller crowds at Verizon stores on Friday morning. A Computerworld reporter encountered a line of about 20 people at a Boston-area Verizon store on Friday morning.

On Friday afternoon, I encountered no lines at a Verizon Wireless kiosk in a retailer near my Boston-area home. I saw three Verizon reps wearing Droid t-shirts, one of whom was showing the Droid to a customer. But no one was waiting nearby.

Verizon Wireless, however, reportedly is pleased with what the company has seen so far. A Verizon spokesman told CNET, that while long lines may be "flashy," they're not the ultimate goal. "What we really want to see is this: a steady stream of people coming today and for the next few weeks buying new phones."

Image © Motorola

An eight-hour service outage that affected more than one million T-Mobile customers has come to an end. T-Mobile says that all voice and data services are up and running as of 1:25 am Eastern time on Wednesday.

The service outage, which began Tuesday evening, affected 1.7 million T-Mobile subscribers, about 5 percent of the company's 33.5 million subscribers. They were left without access to voice and some data services, including text and picture messaging. T-Mobile says it is investigating the cause of the disruption.

This latest service disruption comes just weeks after users of T-Mobile's Sidekick smartphones suffered a similar service outage. Many Sidekick users lost data in that incident, which was caused by a server crash at Microsoft's Danger subsidiary.

Image © T-Mobile