E-TEN G500 is here

Though most of the pictures out there still look suspiciously like renderings, the E-TEN G500 is now official, and has some pretty good specs. The Pocket PC-based smartphone includes GPS, Bluetooth, quad-band GSM, Windows Mobile 5.0 and a 240 x 320 display.

[Via Phone Arena]

[PEZ @ Jan 26th 2006 2:24PM]

With such an advanced phone, where is the EDGE or HSPDA/UMTS? I can see exclusing WiFi, but at this point, anything coming out of the gate has to have some sort of highspeed gate to lure us freaks! :) So far, I like it, though :)



Here are the source specs:

After lots of rumors, unofficial details and pictures surfacing the net, E-TEN has finally introduced its first GPS-enabled Pocket PC phone � G500. The device seems to be similar to the previous model - M600, but it lacks Wi-Fi. The quad-band GSM phone measures 4.7" x 2.4" x 0.9", which makes it similar in size to traditional GSM handsets. The main features of the slide-designed PDA, based on Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, are:

- 65k color TFT touchscreen display
- Bluetooth
- 1.3 mega pixel CMOS camera with video capture
- SiRFStarIII GPS receiver
- S3C2440 400MHz Samsung processor
- 128MB Flash ROM / 64 MB SDRAM
- miniSD memory expansion slot
- built-in speakerphone

[Jus @ Jan 26th 2006 3:03PM]

No WiFi? Say Bye Bye.

[shakeboy2k @ Jan 26th 2006 3:20PM]

probably a stupid question, but is this thing touchscreen? i don't see any mention of it or a stylus. i'm assuming it is.

also, any deets on price/release date?

[JGEMBERTON @ Jan 26th 2006 3:43PM]

Wow!!! And it has a "replicable" battery, according to the website, so that must mean there is no need to ever buy a new one. You can just replicate one when needed.

[Nick @ Jan 26th 2006 4:36PM]

Where can I get one!!!

[david spector @ Jan 26th 2006 4:46PM]

And no Wi-Fi or EDGE, un f-ing believable. Sounds like a great phone, but when you leave out those features its worthless.

[aws910 @ Jan 26th 2006 5:26PM]

I was thinking that GPRS is good enough for me, and that I don't need EDGE/HSDPA/UMTS... but then I realized that the only thing my 6315(GPRS only) doesn't do well is streaming(audio or video). I'd like to get an EDGE-equipped device. I wonder if that'd work with a slingbox.

also, was laughing at the flash animation on the eTen website. It shows a map and a line from Paris to "Frankfurk". I wonder if you have to misspell city names to get anywhere with the GPS.

[Domo @ Jan 26th 2006 5:46PM]

What abt this model E-TEN M-600
http://www.etencorp.com/products/Communication/600.php

[fogd00d @ Jan 27th 2006 4:26AM]

How many times do we have to tell you guys that these are not "smartphones" ???

Are we not tech journalists? No. We are Engadget.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/about/faq.mspx#2

[Crossblade @ Jan 27th 2006 6:04AM]

G500 is based on the M600. But it misses WiFi and adds GPS. G500 also has miniSD and not SD/I/O / MMC slot for memory expansion
G500 specs: http://phonearena.com/htmls/Eten-G500-phone-p_1457.html
M600 specs:
http://phonearena.com/htmls/Eten-M600-phone-p_1451.html

As you can see, they ARE pretty much the same ;)

[Sean @ Apr 4th 2006 9:14PM]

I just ordered one and I ordered a wifi sd card too. So this seems to give the best of everything.