E-Ten's Glofiish X800: everything but the QWERTY

Let's start with what E-Ten's latest Glofiish -- the X800 -- doesn't have: a QWERTY keyboard. Otherwise, it's packed to the, uh, gills. We're talking Windows Mobile 6, large VGA display, HSDPA/WCDMA like we heard, GPS, WiFi, quad-band GSM (like the X500, we presume), Bluetooth, and a 2 megapixel camera on the back with a second up front for video calls. Hell, it even sports a Skype client which may or may not be in the final product as they "work out the final details." All this without any noticeable increase in size from the already svelt X500. Expected to hit globally before summer is done with an MSRP somewhere between $850 and $900. Hands on? You betcha, just check the fat gallery below.

Gallery: E-Ten's Glofiish X800: everything but the QWERTY

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[E71 @ Mar 15th 2007 8:58AM]

I'll tell you what it's missing: GPS!

HTC Trinity is still better than this phone, except the only thing about this phone that's better than the Trinity is the VGA screen.

Assuming the X800 has an IrDA port too (I need it for turning my phone into a universal remote control).

WM6 is no biggie since the XDA-Developers community is hard at work cooking up a WM6 ROM for the Trinity and it's possible HTC release a WM6 ROM in the near future anyway.

[Tekno @ Jul 1st 2007 11:37AM]

Except it has GPS in huge letters stamped on the top, lol!

[E71 @ Mar 15th 2007 9:02AM]

I'll tell you what it's missing: GPS!

HTC Trinity is still better than this phone, except the only thing about this phone that's better than the Trinity is the VGA screen.

Assuming the X800 has an IrDA port too (I need it for turning my phone into a universal remote control).

WM6 is no biggie since the XDA-Developers community is hard at work cooking up a WM6 ROM for the Trinity and it's possible HTC release a WM6 ROM in the near future anyway.

[Martin @ Mar 15th 2007 9:38AM]

E71, it isn't missing GPS. Check the buttons and maybe the press release:

http://msmobiles.com/news.php/6162.html

[boe @ Mar 15th 2007 11:33AM]

HTC Trinity 108 x 58.2 x 18.
ETEN X800 113.5 x 60.5 x 15.8 - Pretty comparable

HTC - 240 x 320
ETEN - 480 x 640 - 4 TIMES the resolution better for browsing, e-mail, documents, GPS etc.

HTC USB 1.1 - Maybe they are some sect of amish and can't go beyond 99 technology
ETEN USB 2.0 - they noticed USB 2.0 came out around the turn of the century and decided to try it.

HTC - 128 MB
ETEN - 256 MB

HTC - No FM tuner
ETEN - FM

HTC - NO GpS
ETEN - GPS on board

HTC - WM5 - but it came out sooner and I wouldn't be surprised if someone does come out with it.
ETEN - WM6 - logical since it won't come out until this summer.

If I weren't stuck with a good contract with Sprint, I would get this new phone as soon as it came out.

[Daniel Wu @ Mar 15th 2007 8:07PM]

you are missing:

HTC: HSDPA only
ETEN: WCDMA AND HSDPA

HTC: QWERTY
ETEN: no QWERTY

[Ike @ Mar 15th 2007 1:58PM]

The HTC Trinity has a GPS (Qalcomm chip) It's already enabled on Orange and Vodaphone's latest ROMs

[boe @ Mar 16th 2007 2:58AM]

Daniel - considering that is pretty much the title and in the subject - I guess I didn't think anyone was so oblivious that they wouldn't notice - I stand corrected.

[js @ Mar 15th 2007 3:14PM]

*insert pro-iPhone comment here*

[Anthony @ Mar 15th 2007 4:23PM]

I want this... I don't care how much. Forget the mortgage this month, lets get this phone.

[Martin @ Mar 15th 2007 3:25PM]

Daniel Wu, you are wrong with both comments on the HTC (I assume you think of HTC Trinity/P3600). It has both WCDMA and HSDPA - actually I don't think you can have HSDPA without WCDMA, just like you can't have EDGE without GPRS. And the HTC Trinity/P3600 doesn't have a QWERTY keyboard.

I haven't seen the amount of ROM on E-TEN Glofiish X800, but unless it's something like 1 GB I would go for the HTC Trinity/P3600 if storage space matters, since it has miniSD instead of microSD and with the latest Dopod ROM should be able to handle miniSDHC cards.

That said, I think I would go for the E-TEN, but it's also more than half a year newer than the HTC.

[BB @ Mar 15th 2007 4:16PM]

lets just hope they come out with a qwerty version of it just like with the X500/M700

[Z @ Mar 15th 2007 9:39PM]

I'm with you on that. This phone is exactly what I've been looking for - everything's there except the keyboard, which I HAVE to have.

Take this phone and add a keyboard and an FM radio, and it's perfect.

[3rdsun @ Mar 15th 2007 7:16PM]

Wow iPhone dont got nothing on this. Apple was suppose to shake up the industry, maybe they the ones who got shooked.

[E71 @ Mar 15th 2007 8:07PM]

HTC Trinity has more features than the iPhone and was available before iPhone's release! :)

Martin, thanks for pointing out that it does have GPS, I must have overlooked that.

Boe, I'm sure you read the other comments about the Trinity having on-board GPS. There are rumors going around that an FM tuner is also built-in, however disabled just like how the GPS rumor started (which obviously turned out to be true).

I really really want this phone, it looks great and meets HTC Trinity's specs except for one darn thing that's killing me, no IrDA... what the hell am I gonna do with around $50 worth of remote control software now?! Heh.

[Roma @ Apr 5th 2007 2:59PM]

I honestly don't care who's shaking who, but X800 definetly looks like the best smartphone so far. I am planning on getting one, probably buying Tomtom 6 in addition to that. I'm not a fan of qwerty boards (I have Sony clie and got used to using stylus...), so that phone will work for me. And, man, it's good!...

[E71 @ Mar 15th 2007 8:34PM]

Oh, I'm also really curious where you got 256MB ROM and FM Tuner specs from...

[oj @ Mar 16th 2007 1:12AM]

full keyboard yes. why the hell do you want qwerty? do you touch-type w/ your thumbs? please stop people from equating physical keys to letter layouts. if theres one place QWERTY doesn't belong its on pocket devices. it certainly doesn't belong on anything in this century, except a museum typewriter. please, i beg of the gods of technology to kill qwerty. continuing to do something out of tradition and not knowing why is not progress. even alphabetical is better than qwerty. and theres others to choose from you can even make one up, design it for the device. stop being a sheep and following the herd off the cliff.

[Z @ Mar 16th 2007 7:17PM]

That post didn't make a single bit of sense.

[Mr.Doel @ Mar 23rd 2007 9:59AM]

Price of Eten X800

[TimuM @ Nov 22nd 2007 1:14PM]

$600 - $700


Timu
http://primori.com

[TimuM @ Nov 22nd 2007 1:50PM]

Just got one ..paid $599 :)

Timu
http://primoris.com

[baki dekel @ May 25th 2007 7:18AM]

as a e-ten user (eten M600) how often shuld i buy a new comer unit ? i allmost send order for X500 and here comes the newest X 800 - shuld i buy this one now ?
baki

[Dead X500 owner @ Apr 13th 2007 7:18PM]

Bought an Eten X500 last November. Sorry to say I've been without a phone for many months now after the screen just went white one day. It was extremely difficult to find out who to contact and where to send it in for repair... a place with no phone number and no corporate name. They kept it for months and only updated me when I bugged them endlessly. After many months they said the MFR determined that I had damaged the unit and they would send it back to me dead or I could pay over $200 for the "repair." I immediately paid the over $200 fee and at the same time screamed bloody murder there was no trauma to the device by me and what are they saying they found. Word came back that they will not say any details, just pay or consider your $700 purchase a waste. I still have not received the "repaired" device back and it has been weeks since I paid the repair fee. So... I advise you to think again before you slurp up eten products. I can't wait to sic my state attorney general on everyone involved - yet at some point it obviously becomes not worth my time to fight the battle.

[Z @ Apr 14th 2007 8:39AM]

Adding to my initial comment, from what I've read, this X800 in fact, WILL have an FM Radio, as well.

So this phone will have Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA, Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WiFi b/g, BT 2.0 + EDR, SiRFstarIII GPS (w/TMC), and an FM Radio. That's NUTS! But FINALLY, one company got it ALL in there! So many of us have been waiting FOREVER for this! (And I'm not certain whether it has consumer IrDA, as well, but even if it doesn't, that's not in anyway shape or form a deal breaker considering everything else).

Along with dual cameras (VGA video in front and 2mp in back (the latter of which will not only have a flash and shoot video (like many do), but will have autofocus, as well!), a fast 400 MHz Samsung processor, a VGA screen, microSD slot, 1530 mAh Lithium-Polymer battery, and WM 6.0 Pro, this phone really does have it all... that is, except for the keyboard, as we already know.

I'm also not sure if the X800 will support USB 2.0 or just 1.1. It still has the standard 64 MB RAM/128 MB flash ROM (they need to increase these to 128 MB and 256 MB, respectively). Maybe these things aren't a huge issue, but these transfer speed and memory increases should be there on a phone this expensive ($800 - $900 USD). (We'll see about the USB, though).

I also don't know if this phone will have a scroll wheel, but that's always a great touch that makes one-handed operation more possible; one that HTC always seems to make a part of their WM phones and that Eten should, too.

Now this X800 is slated for a June/July 2007 release, but I've read that Eten will also be coming out with their new M900 later this year (don't have an exact month) which is just like this X800, but with an added sliding qwerty keyboard! Now THAT would be great news if it ends up being true, and I have no reason to believe it won't; besides, Eten will need a WM phone with a keyboard running WM 6.0 Pro, which they don't have yet. The M900 is what I'm waiting for.

Just thought I'd recap a few things and add some new info to give anyone who's interested in either of these new Etens, the heads up.

[Pat @ Jun 6th 2007 10:45PM]

"except qwerty"? That might well have been intentional. Some people do not want to type on a tiny keyboard. They send voice email and they doc the device and use a full-size keyboard to interact, so that typing speeds are faster. Studies have shown that the majority of users typing really do not need to. Typing an email from the device is passe given devices voice email capabilities. There are a host of superior alternatives to tiny keyboard typing and an entire class of users out there who do not see omission of tiny keyboard as an inconvenience. Then there are those who might not agree but opt for thin device over extra bulk that come with keyboard.

So what you conside an omission is actually an asset.

[Z @ Jun 7th 2007 6:09AM]

Well, that's why Eten will make two versions. One with a keyboard, and one without.

For me and many others, having to use a stylus or tap on a keypad is not practical when typing out messages; messaging is too important for us to not have access to the speed and efficiency of a tactile keyboard.

There's no right or wrong here - it's personal preference, of course; but for me, the efficiency of communication in daily life outweighs shaving off a few millimeters of plastic.

[giando @ Jun 24th 2007 7:57AM]

Un bel telefono Palmare
http://www.bloggiando.com/
BlogGiando

[nawa @ Jul 18th 2007 8:48AM]

ETEN GLOFISH X800 GPS GSM MOBILE PHONE WITH QWERTY
KEYPAD UNLOCKED............$350usd


the phone is not out yet....dumb ass and there is no QWERTY

[dd @ Jul 18th 2007 9:09PM]

eTen just seem to push the release date of this phone out further and further... It looks like a great phone but how long can one wait. Should we read this as the phone will be really bug free or a company that has problems delivering?

[hercot @ Jul 20th 2007 6:53PM]

Well, it is taking forever the release of Eten X800, we are at the ending of July and there are no news of the release of it.

Is there a similar product on the market that compares with Eten X800?

[Korndog @ Jul 25th 2007 3:00PM]

I really want to think I can live without physical keys, but it's hard to imagine.
I email and text message a lot. I use my browser a lot. Somebody explain to me how I can get by without one. I want this phone; I really do but....

[TimuM @ Nov 22nd 2007 1:15PM]

Korndog,

I keep asking my friends how confortable to use touch screen.. I really want to but this phone..But I am not sure if i can use touch screen effective enough...

Timu
http://primoris.com

[hercot @ Jul 27th 2007 4:21PM]

In some commercial pages, says that they will have it until August 30, 2007... too much wait, any other recommendation similar to this one?

[grinch @ Sep 2nd 2007 12:13AM]

looks like we only have 2 more weeks of waiting (according to mobileplanet)...

i have asked E-Ten about possible microSDHC support but have not heard back. maybe X800+ will do microSDHC and have more RAM. we can hope. (but i won't wait--meaning i'll get the X800 now and upgrade to X800+, or some competing device, when such an upgrade exists)

[Hercot @ Oct 6th 2007 4:49PM]

Well, it is taking forever the release of this one, I'm not understand why it is taking so long.. Late August, late Sep, then October 8, now Nov 5?

[Ipaq3115 @ Oct 7th 2007 5:20PM]

yea It looks awesome but if they never release it...

I say buy the HTC TyTN II/Kaiser it is already here...

[Hercot @ Oct 10th 2007 8:17AM]

WOW Thanks for the update on the HTC TyTN II aka Kaiser, it seems surprising, it has everything of the X800 plus the querty, right?

Kaiser still have the 320 x 240 as the predecesor, but it has a 3.0 megapixel camera

Some pages are announcing the X800 for next Oct 18, I know that the release has been delayed several times (for several months know), so, this will be my last hope to get it, if not, HTC will be my option.

Thanks for that.

[ne0phyte @ Dec 29th 2007 9:26PM]

extended batteries for Glofiish X800 are available now from Eten Webshop. 2 versions are available: 1800 mAh and 3600 mAh produced by Mugen Power - a well-known manufacturer of premium class batteries.

1800 mAh Glofiish X800 battery: http://shop.eten.hu/mugen-power-eten-x800-us454261-1800mah-extended-replacement-battery-p-240.html

3600 mAh Glofiish X800 battery: http://shop.eten.hu/mugen-power-eten-x800-us454261-with-battery-door-silver-3600mah-extended-replacement-battery-p-241.html