Google's translation engine ain't exactly perfect, but it seems to get at the edges of facts in a de internet.com article posted today that implies the BlackBerry 8800 will be unveiled February 12 and released sometime in March.

I just love the way Google translates this stuff. It has a rhythmic, almost high-tech pidgin English ring to it.

But you don't want me to talk about the translation. You want me to write about what the translation says.

OK, then, as linked from BlackBerryForums, it reads as such:

In light of this week's Internet and BlackBerry service interruptions caused by the earthquake off the Taiwan coast:

Late news tonight from Singapore Telecommunications, who offers SingTel BlackBerry service in several southeast Asia nations.

SingTel (as it is often referred to) says SingTel Blackberry service has been fully restored.

The company also added it had establish a command center to restore other services. These include emailing, Web browsing and ecommerce- services which now have been normalized

Southeast Asia's largest telecom operator, Singapore Telecommunications, said it had established a "command centre" to restore full service as quickly as possible.

"Access to services such as gaming and video downloading, which require higher bandwidth, may experience some delays," SingTel added in a statement.

One more thing. About that pix: beware of women with a drink in one hand, a cellphone in the other and a smile on their face. I could tell you some stories...

According to an article in today's Times of India, some 60% of India's Blackberry users are based in Bangalore. That's the Bangalore Public Utility Building, where I am sure some Blackberry users work.

This is based on units sold, since BlackBerry first entered India a year ago this month.

Runners-up are Delhi and Mumbai with a little more than a 10% share each. Chennai is right at 10%, while other cities, mostly Pune, Hyderabad and Calcutta, sshare the remaining amount.

It is now known that an earthquake off Taiwan's coast disrupted communications across the Pacific region and Asia yesterday.

Scattered anecdotal references to BlackBerry outages have been received, but the extent of these disruptions is not known at this time.

As we receive more info, we'll report. Send us info as well.

Yesterday, Christmas Day, Flickr user pandadustt had as yet-unopened Christmas presents.

Then, her black cat posed for her in a most appropriate spot for the day.

It was then that pandadustt maneuvered her Cingular BlackBerry Pearl into position.

But cats, you know, they ain't supermodels. So the big question of the moment was, will the cat stay still long enough for pandadustt to take her pix?

I was a little bit surprised by this story.

In the UK T-Mobile has added their Content Block to BlackBerrys. The service defaults to being on and it blocks adult sites, gambling sites, illegal sites, and online child abuse content.

You have to go in a store or online and provide credit card or id to prove you are over 18 to have the block turned off. However even with the block turned off some pages are still blocked.

T-Mobile may mean well, but I am capable of deciding for myself if I want to visit a website. I do not need my phone provider deciding what I should and shouldn't see. And if I am giving a child too young to decide that a BlackBerry I might be worried about myself.

What are your thoughts?

Taiwan Mobile has announced fees for their BlackBerry services.

Currently offering the BlackBerry 7290 and BlackBerry 8700g, monthly fees will range fromNT$899 (US$28) to NT$1,799.

The company will offer the BlackBerry 7290 and 8700g handsets for sale at NT$7,990 (US$245) and NT$12,990, respectively.

For NT$899 a month, a subscriber of the service can transfer up to 2MB (megabytes) of data with additional data transfers charged NT$0.15 per KB (kilobyte), according to TWM. The NT$1,799 plan allows for unlimited data transfer, noted the company.

Overseas roaming will operate this way: 40% off in the seven countries that are members of the Bridge Mobile Alliance, of which TWM is a member; 20% off in the US for T-Mobile users and 50% off for Cingular users; in China, NT$0.23 discounted per KB for users of China Mobile.

Ooly 2,000-3,000 handsets are initially available for sale, TWM president Harvey Chang said. But he added that enough BlackBerrys would be available to serve an anticipated 10,000 BlackBerry subscribers within a year to year and a half.

Bermuda-based Digicel, the largest GSM operator in the Caribbean, has just introduced introduced BlackBerry Connect for the Sony Ericsson P990.

Yes, the handset you are looking at over there on the right.

Nine of the carrier's 22 markets are involved in this rollout. We're talking Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, as well as Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks & Caicos; with plans to expand the offering across all of Digicel's 22 markets.

But in keeping with the song I may have planted in your head with this Post's title, no Kokomo.

Unless you are talking about Indiana, I guess.

Just this morning, India telecom provider Hutchinson Essar announced that it would be carrying BlackBerry for its more than 22 million customers.

Initially, Hutch- which the name it does business under- will be offering the BlackBerry 8700g, BlackBerry 7130g and BlackBerry 7290. The emphasis will be on Hutch's enterprise customers, a press rlease issued by Hutch and BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion said.

A Pearl launch is expected soon, but the Hutch gave no date for that.

OK let me tell you how I came to that conclusion.

I'm reading a press release entitled "Americans Lag Behind Europeans in Smartphone Adoption."

The release, which I link to below, is from consumer research firm Telephia. And yes, the press release (linked below) does mention that BlackBerry is one of the smartphones included in their research.

In Table 1, "Penetration of Smartphones in Europe and the U.S. Among Recent Phone Buyers", Italy leads with 19.2%. That's more than twice runner-up Spain's 9.5%. Probably the 3G networks.

Wireless communications company Dopod Inrernational Corp. and BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion said yesterday that BlackBerry Connect software would be available for 838Pro and C720W devices in Asia.

Both the 838Pro and C720W devices are HTC products.

Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia are the first three nations where BlackBerry Connect will be available for these devices.

Now this is one of the more interesting applications I have seen for BlackBerry in quite a while.

Personal, which is the mobile unit of Telecom Argentina has signed a deal with Argentine grain cooperative Compañía Argentina de Granos which will provide nearly 4,000 Argentine grain farmers with BlackBerrys.

The devices (model numbers unavailable, will be made available to grain producers in Córdoba, Buenos Aires, La Pampa, San Luis, Santa Fe and Tucumán provinces.

And to do what, you ask?

The BlackBerrys will include a Personal-developed appliance that will allow producers to check grain prices, monitor machinery movements on their land as well as receive sanitary alerts.

Those of us who have worked on farms will especially appreciate the latter application.

As of today the BlackBerry 8703e is officially available on Canadian carrier TELUS. It can be used on TELUS' wireless high speed EVDO and 1X networks.

Download speeds for TELUS' EVDO are 400 to 700 kbps, with theoretical speeds up to more than 2 megabits per second.

Prices (all Canadian)

• no contract price $649.99
• one-year contract $599.99
• two-year contract $549.99
• three-year contract: 249.99

I know these prices sound like a lot, but keep in mind that $649.99 CDN is $570.00 U.S., but $249.99 CDN is just $220.00 U.S.

Look for some volatility in that pricing model.

Taiwan Mobile says it plans to submit pricing proposals for its BlackBerry service to that Nation's National Communications Commission (NCC) in time for approval in the mid-December time frame.

If this sounds familiar to some of you international telecom policy wonks (OK, both of you international telecom policy wonks), it is just that a previous pricing proposal submitted in late August was sent back to Taiwan Mobile for more standards-monitoring specifics insisted upon by Taiwan's National Police Agency.

Those standards have been resubmitted and accepted by the NCC. If pricing plans are also OK'd, BlackBerry service on Taiwan Mobile could start within days after the rate structure is approved.

This campaign basically consists of automobiles with BlackBerry Pearl signage driving around London and stopping at special events where the Pearl is being marketed and demonstrated (as if there's a distinction between the two).

These "BlackBerry On The Move" events, as well as the Pearl itself, is being marketed by some pretty cool signage as well.

I've already shown you one of the cars with "BlackBerry Pearl" signage. And no, I didn't Photoshop this.

Now let us look at another example of motorized marketing, as well as a poster about this campaign.