And now rumors appeared regarding a possible buyout of RIM coming from Vodafone. This news was so powerful that the shares of the Canadian giant increassed 11% this morning. Last we heard, RIM was planning to reshape the management system and hired investment bankers to raise optins for the company.

Investors aren’t satisfied with the way RIM is evolving and the PlayBook is certainly not the way things will change for the better. BB OS 7 also isn’t much of a novelty, while QNX is a good platform, but it’s not mature yet. There were also rumors about Microsoft wanting to buy RIM and honestly they seem more plausible than the Vodafone purchase.

Thus, we found out that the iPhone 5 will come in black or white and in 16 or 32 GB flavors. No trace of a 64 GB version, at least not yet and maybe Apple won’t even launch such a model, considering the costs of flash memory nowadays and the recent scandal with their maker, Samsung. One good thing here is that we won’t have to wait an year for the launch of the white iPhone 5, like we did with the iPhone 4.

I’m guessing that this could be a publicity stunt since Vodafone UK was keen on reminding us that they will be one of the companies to sell the next iPhone this fall. Who cares that a black or white iPhone 5 is compatible with the Signal Booster? Does the color change anything, so why mention all these versions? Fishy…

Reasons to get this model shown at MWC 2011 there are plenty, ranging from the 1GHz CPU, to the 8 megapixel camera and the Bravia-based display with a 3.7 inch diagonal. HDMI out is also on the specs list and the screens supports a 854 x 480 pixel resolution. The camera uses the Exmor R technology to make sure the photons come out nicely, even without flash.

Android has been customized with the usual MediaScape and TimeScape layers on this model, so the interface should be pretty similar to the one on the Xperia Pro, Xperia Play and Xperia Arc.

This is a portrait QWERTY handset with unknown features, but what we know is that it comes with a Facebook button and no OS. This is a feature phone, so it might be cheap and accessible to anyone who wants to socialize on the move without having to pay a lot for smartphones.

With the right price, this device could become a hit among Facebook users who are also Vodafone customers. Since we know that the carrier has special offers that exclude Facebook from the data plan (if I’m not mistaking), we could be dealing with a very good product here.

We expect it to be sold out pretty fast, since we are talking about one of the main challengers for Samsung Galaxy S II here. HTC Sensation packs a 1.2GHz dual core CPU, a qHD display, 8MP camera with 1080p video capture and 768MB of RAM. WiFi, a card slot and the latest version of Sense complete the appealing specs list.

From June Orange, T-Mobile and Three will also start offering this phone. We remind you that the ROM of the device has already leaked online, in an attempt to bring the newest HTC Sense UI to other devices.

Vodafone UK is responsible for this mistake and already has a notice out, telling salesmen to stop shipping devices till next week. As we’ve previously learned, the handset is supposed to debut next week, with the most likely date being April 27th. If this is real or not we’ll find out soon enough, but till then we can only envy the guy with the leaked unit…

We remind you that the white iPhone 4 was delayed multiple times, due to production issues and it has only now managed to reach the hands of the public.

We’re dealing with a dual core 1.2GHz smartphone here, one that uses an 8MP camera at the back, complete with dual LED flash. There’s also a 1.2MP camera upfront and a 4.3 inch SLCD display, with a 540 x 960 pixel resolution. 4GB of internal memory are also on board, plus an extra 8GB via the bundled memory card.

Official confirmation will come in a few hours for this Android device and we have a feeling that Gingerbread is the OS of choice. We’ll be back with more details, once the HTC London event kicks off.

Xperia Play pre-order customers contacted SlashGear, after having received a Vodafone update saying that pre-orders meant for April 1 shipping will be delayed. Sony Ericsson confirms the situation, but this problem won’t affect all of the retailers. Vodafone is also saying that the Xperia Arc is delayed, not just the Xperia Play, so it’s bad news for SE lovers.

We’ve been waiting for the “PSP Phone” for so long that it doesn’t even matter how long it will take to get here… it’s enough that it’s real and promising to be a hit. Will you buy an Xperia Play or Sony NGP?

LG Optimus 2X, the 3D phone LG Optimus 3D and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc are also included, plus the HTC Desire S. Dual core and Android 2.3 are key words for the new products, as you’ll learn for yourselves. Samsung Nexus S (above) is pretty familiar for us, since we’ve been testing it recently and we found it to be a pretty hot item.

It comes with a 4 inch touchscreen, a 5MP camera, 16GB of internal memory, a 1GHz CPU and Android 2.3. Next on the list is the slate pictured below, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, one that features a dual core Tegra 2 1GHz CPU, an 8 megapixel camera at the back and a 2MP one upfront. Android 3.0 Honeycomb is the software of choice on this unit.

Samsung Galaxy S II (pictured below) was one of our favorite new smartphones in Barcelona, thanks to its 4.3 inch touchscreen display, a Super AMOLED Plus screen that’s brilliant. Also, the device uses a dual core 1GHz processor and runs Android 2.3.

LG Optimus 2X also makes the cut, as the very first dual core handset in Europe, now ready for a Vodafone launch. It comes with a Tegra 2 1GHz CPU, an 8 megapixel camera with full HD capture support and HDMI mirroring.

3D technology is brought forward by the LG Optimus 3D handset, packing a 3D display and dual 3D cameras with 5 megapixel resolutions. We’ve handled this nifty gadget and aside from some minor eye strains, we liked its nifty graphics, cool gallery and 3D UI, plus the Gulliver gaming title on it, as shown below.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc will also be among the new arrivals, with its curved design and extremely thin waistline (8.9mm). It runs Android 2.3 and features a Reality Display, based on Sony Mobile Bravia engine technology. Its camera is also pure quality: 8 megapixel sensor, Exmor R technology involved.

HTC Desire S was another one of our favorites in Barcelona and the follow-up to the Nexus One twin sports an elegant design, a Snapdragon CPU (1GHz) and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. This model could also be spotted in our hands on sessions at MWC. Have you found your favorite on this list, yet?

Allegations claim that both Vodafone Romania and Orange Romania didn’t want to provide access to their networks for the people at Netmaster. The result of this action is a fine of 3% of the amount cashed by the carrier in 2010, 34.8 million euros for Orange and 28.3 million for Vodafone. To put it short, in the 2004-2006 time frame, the users of Netmaster’s services couldn’t call Vodafone and Orange clients, being deprived of this feature.

Both carriers have expressed their surprise and discontent concerning this decision and said that there’s no reason for it. It’s very likely the companies will reply with a lawsuit and in case their fines are suspended, the carriers will still have to pay 30% of the amount pending trial.