MSV shows off L-Series satellite phone prototype

On a typical day, anything shown off at CTIA with a "coming in 2010" sticker would cause some serious unrest, but given that we've already found that LTE is eons (or so it feels) away, we're just taking things in stride. The MSV prototype shown above will purportedly become a proud member of the L-Series, and its satellite / cellular hybrid system will enable it to play nice on traditional cell bands as well as snag sat coverage anywhere in North America. Apparently the firm is planning on shooting up a pair of birds in 2009 as well as landing a deal with an undisclosed US carrier, and the 0.6-inch thick unit itself should feature a 480 x 320 multi-touch screen, WiFi and an integrated camera. No word on a price just yet, but feel free to check back in a few years.

[Tim @ Apr 4th 2008 2:13PM]

The Tesla Roadster is a total Ford model-T rip off. It has doors, a steering wheel, and 4 wheels!

[Anonymoose @ Apr 4th 2008 2:05PM]

well, by then it'll probably be cheaper than a tank of gas, so sign me up for one.

[Flashpoint @ Apr 4th 2008 2:06PM]

pure iphone ripoff....


except this one actually would have a GOOD SERVICE PROVIDER behind it.

[Dan P @ Apr 4th 2008 2:07PM]

Is that the iCal logo in the center? O.o

[phanbouy @ Apr 4th 2008 2:14PM]

iBelieve it is!

[y3k.nik @ Apr 4th 2008 2:15PM]

Dude, stop staring at your iPod/iPhone 24 hours a day and try to put something meaningful in your brain, like the color of leaves.. instead of apple icons other companies are ripping off!

[phanbouy @ Apr 4th 2008 2:18PM]

actually, y3k, the icon first appeared in OS X. so now you're telling people not to stare at their computer all day? where do you think we are??!?!!1

[aardvark sandwich @ Apr 4th 2008 2:16PM]

MSV and Cloudbook Max: the race is on to see which one gets released first ^^

[lurker @ Apr 4th 2008 2:30PM]

They couldn't even be bothered to change the (arbitrarily chosen by Apple) number in the icon!

[catachip @ Apr 4th 2008 2:33PM]

It would be nice if all these devices had the camera on the front and the back. So you could do video conferencing and such as well. I know some do, but, not all.

[chrisaroz @ Apr 4th 2008 2:45PM]

Is that the phone from Lost?

[phanbouy @ Apr 4th 2008 2:57PM]

is it me or has that show really gone down teh tubez?

[Bill @ Apr 4th 2008 5:05PM]

Exactly what I was thinking. I'd bet a paycheck they ripped the idea from lost. Before now, there was no such thing as a satellite phone with an icon driven menu like that.

[Dan P @ Apr 4th 2008 2:48PM]

And just so that we aren't completely Apple-biased today, it appears that the MSN logo also made an appearance in the upper-right

[w00t @ Apr 4th 2008 2:53PM]

Well we're certainly not outside staring at leaves all day that's for sure :)

[Bart Lee @ Apr 4th 2008 3:00PM]

Plus, they totally copied the Yahoo and ESPN logos.

[catachip @ Apr 4th 2008 3:03PM]

@ Dan P

Actually, that is the iCal logo. Interesting why they would rip that off. Also looks like they just imported the Aqua-styled icon from MSN Messenger for OS X.

[Mike D @ Apr 4th 2008 3:09PM]

he's telling you to learn the color of leaves.. I don't think his argument is extremely valid either way

[Acerguy @ Apr 4th 2008 3:11PM]

But can it play Quake 3 Arena?

[injate @ Apr 4th 2008 3:13PM]

My thoughts exactly. Life imitates art.

[catachip @ Apr 4th 2008 3:16PM]

@ phanbouy

No, it's just you. Everyone I talk to agrees that Season 4 is the best yet. The thing is you have to watch every episode, in order, or you will not understand what is going on, and thus, will think that things are wacky. I have seen all of the episodes at least twice, and there is so many references, symbolism, etc. that it is amazing how they tie it all together.

[phanbouy @ Apr 4th 2008 3:19PM]

i love when the show is ominous, puzzling, and psychedelic. i hate when it's maudlin, manipulative, and melodramatic. i stopped watching this season after the 3rd or 4th episode about Kate's trial and the old love triangle thing coming back. has it gotten better since then?

[chickenator @ Apr 4th 2008 3:24PM]

a KIRF?

[catachip @ Apr 4th 2008 3:26PM]

@phanbouy

First of all, can you tell me how you got to actually reply to my message? Every time I click "reply" it will just post as a regular message.

Well, Lost is about drama and personal relationships as much as it is about anything. The personal stories of the characters are an important part of who they are and why we care for them. So, in that regard, I found those episodes to be especially poignant. But, for pure sci-fi, you really need to go back and watch the rest of the episodes after that - I've been consistently blown away with every episode. They are on a break now, until the end of April (due to the writer's strike).

[phanbouy @ Apr 4th 2008 3:43PM]

i'm all for building sympathy, but i've just found a lot of it to be heavy handed and overbaked. for example the relationship between heroin rockstar martyr dude and what's-her-face blonde girl to leave me cold.

anyway yeah sci fi FTW!

so you have to click on the time/date under someone's name and then click reply.

[Anonymoose @ Apr 4th 2008 3:57PM]

dude, the desmond episode was amazing. i think that was episode four of season four. that just might have been the best episode of the entire show.

[Johnny @ Apr 4th 2008 4:27PM]

I hate the iPhone rip-off comments as much as the next guy, but seriously what gives with all Calendar icons in the world looking the same these days? Can't they at least pick a different color or flip it to the other angle or something? Someone please correct me if Apple wasn't the first one to use this icon.

[Dankoozy @ Apr 4th 2008 5:02PM]

OMG, ITS A SATPHONE! but it will only work in North America. I will stick with my "Iridium iPhone" for now and use my Thuraya SO-2510 for backup

[Dr Buzz0 @ Apr 6th 2008 11:27PM]

What satellite system do they intend to use? There are only a few which allow for handheld phones: Irridium, Globalstar and Thuraya come to mind. None of those are exclusive to North America (Thuraya isn't even avaliable in North America). The only one I can think of in North America is the M-Sat system but that's a bit old and getting depreciated. It's a standard array GEO system so no handhelds either.