Spanish firm GeeksPhone launches "One" Android set

It looks exactly like a Samsung Omnia, but don't be fooled -- what you're actually looking at here is Spain's first go at producing an Android handset (which is especially ironic considering we just reported on the andromnia project). Our colleagues from Engadget Spanish were live in Barcelona today for the grand unveiling of the GeeksPhone One, a Cupcake-powered phone featuring a 625MHz PXA310 core, quadband EDGE plus HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, AGPS, 3.2 megapixel primary camera plus a front-facing cam for video calling, and microSD expansion -- sounds great, but the package is marred a bit by the fact that it's rolling with a resistive 3.2-inch touchscreen. Hard to complain with the price, though -- GeeksPhone expects to sell the set for somewhere between €250 and €300 (about $352 to $422) unlocked when it launches this fall.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

[nvidiagtx @ Jun 27th 2009 8:44PM]

Yeah right now they are geeks...

[darkmax @ Jun 28th 2009 12:39AM]

Actually almost all smartphone users are geeks..... Geeks rule the world now remember?

[HZ @ Jun 27th 2009 8:55PM]

This kind of phone for only 422 USD ? Sign me up for one NOW.

[Information Central @ Jun 29th 2009 1:33AM]

But does it have a headphone jack?

[Erik @ Jun 27th 2009 8:55PM]

Hey an iphone...

"No thats Samsung's copy... er version"

[AutumnBringer @ Jun 27th 2009 9:32PM]

Hey a commenter named Erik...

"No that's a fanboy ... er troll."

[robpetrin @ Jun 27th 2009 9:45PM]

Ooooooh troll fight.

No hair-pulling or pinching, girls.

[Mmmm... Dohnuts. @ Jun 27th 2009 10:33PM]

I'll get out my finest stone club... ^^

[robpetrin @ Jun 28th 2009 1:27AM]

Short of being lumped into iPhone fanboyism.....

Obvious iPhone ripoff is obvious

You can't deny that phone resembles the iPhone.... by design. Jeez.

[James @ Jun 28th 2009 1:28AM]

Girl fights are boring unless they pull each others clothes off.

[G @ Jun 28th 2009 4:56AM]

Robpetrin, are you serious? It's a rounded rectangle with a big touchscreen and that makes it an iPhone ripoff?

[Giles @ Jun 28th 2009 9:51AM]

@G

I think Robpetrin is being sarcastic.

[bolezhinkov @ Jun 27th 2009 8:59PM]

does cupcake not need the multiple buttons on the phone anymore?

[AlexL @ Jun 27th 2009 9:05PM]

It still does. There's no way this phone will work as it is right now because Android still needs three more buttons: Home, Back, and Menu.

Also, a resistive touchscreen for an Android phone is an atrocity. The whole OS was designed with finger touch in mind, and capacitive touch is perfect for that. Resistive touchscreen on a non-stylus device is tantamount to a misuse of technology. The use of the wrong screen technology and the lack of required buttons tells me the company behind this is not even capable of engineering a phone for ODMs to produce, it could only hack an existing phone.

[bachviet @ Jun 27th 2009 11:12PM]

If you click on the read link, you should see the phone with three extra buttons (Home, Menu, Back) right below the screen.

[albi @ Jun 27th 2009 9:15PM]

so since this is not made in china, therefore not KIRF?

[Giles @ Jun 28th 2009 9:51AM]

Yeah, I was surprised there wasn't a KIRF headline/tag.

[Jonathan S @ Jun 27th 2009 9:20PM]

resistive touchscreen = competitiveness fail

[James @ Jun 28th 2009 1:30AM]

Unless you like to use handwriting recognition, then its a must. Haven't used android for more than a few minutes at a time so i dont know if they support it though.

[Pedro Gonzolez @ Jun 27th 2009 9:25PM]

Hey look! It's an iPhone designed by a bunch of lawn care guys looking to break out of their rut. Si o no? Si.

[chonkyfire @ Jun 27th 2009 9:46PM]

You're thinking of Mexico, not Spain.

[Jose Garcia @ Jun 27th 2009 10:24PM]

@ chonky

Different day, same sh*t.

[chris @ Jun 27th 2009 10:51PM]

Spain still runs Mexico but don't tell the Mexicans.....

[James @ Jun 28th 2009 1:35AM]

He is just mad because there are people out there willing to work harder than him so they get jobs over him. And if you are really that mad about losing out on a lawn care job to an immigrant then maybe you should have went to college so you could get a better job. Have fun flipping burgers for the rest of your life.

[loopyoyo @ Jun 27th 2009 9:26PM]

zune phone ftw!

[Erik @ Jun 27th 2009 11:16PM]

Zune and "FTW" in the same sentence... so wrong.

[Lando Calrissian @ Jun 28th 2009 12:12AM]

Oh to the contrary! "Zune" and "FTW" in the same sentence is so right!

[Erik @ Jun 28th 2009 12:31AM]

Its against natures laws...
Its like saying blackberry ftw... just doesnt make sense lol

[Information Central @ Jun 29th 2009 1:36AM]

Spelling "WTF" backward: Not funny then, not funny now.

[Danny @ Jun 27th 2009 9:59PM]

I just don't get it.

[bimmerfreak0 @ Jun 27th 2009 10:42PM]

yeah

[Cyrus @ Jun 27th 2009 11:21PM]

Resistive touch screen? Hey what time is it now? 1990-ish?

[Ethan @ Jun 27th 2009 11:42PM]

How about you guess what gesture I'm doing Kurt?

[Phineas J. Whoopie @ Jun 28th 2009 12:34AM]

Their PDF document calls it a TFT touchscreen. Is this synonymous with resistive?

[Tim @ Jun 28th 2009 5:31AM]

No.

[g3user1usa @ Jun 28th 2009 3:07AM]

Next.

[g3user1usa @ Jun 28th 2009 3:12AM]

It looks rather familiar.

[LaughingMan @ Jun 28th 2009 4:13AM]

It wouldn't surprise me if these were hacked Samsung Omnias... The specs are identical, and the look and feel are definitely the same.

[Javier Aguera (GP) @ Jun 28th 2009 2:29PM]

Dear all,

I'm Javier Aguera, COO of GeeksPhone SL. I'm trying to keep up with most improtant blogs and be there for answering any question readers may have.. so here you have me!

Forst of all, I don't really know why, but some details are missing from here... unlike with other blogs, we didn't get any e-mail from Engadget asking for the full details.

First of all we are NOT Mexican. We are based in Madrid, Spain (which is, indeed, in Europe). Just to clarify ;)

ONE is based on Accord, a platform which has been used other times by other manufacturers. Samsung brought it to occident under the name of Omnia with light mods. We took the platform, tweaked it to our needs, and we are implementing Android. The platform is developed by the same company, both Samsung and us are clients, at the same scale. We even share the assembly lines.

We presented a prototype. For our own convenience, our prototypes carry the reference design from manufacturer. The pre-production model, as we announced, has an updated button layout with the basic 6 buttons required. Will be ready soon.

And well, we had knowledge at the "Andromnia" team at the same time as you... so as the phones are internally pretty similar, we will probably invite them to join our development team.

Any question.. please don't hesitate to ask through here or by e-mail. If you want me to reply, use my personal address: [e-mail]

Best regards,

Javier A.

[Mark II @ Jun 28th 2009 4:58PM]

I am Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

[arkweld @ Jun 28th 2009 5:25PM]

now that every touchscreen phone is turning into the same slab of black plastic and glass it's about time that non-Apple developers change tactics. The iPhone isn't selling because of it's "amazing" hardware features now, it's selling because of the App store. That's the one thing that nobody else has.

So everyone else needs to start forgetting the hardware and make the software better and with more choices from third parties.

[anonymous j @ Jun 29th 2009 12:02AM]

Since this is nearly an exact replica of the Omnia, why isn't this in one of your keepin it whatever series? Or do only products from certain countries get that label?

[Javier Aguera (GP) @ Jun 29th 2009 4:25AM]

It's not a replica. Both Omnia and this one are based in the same platform. Inside they carry the same components, sightly different layout to accomodate our changes, but the "core" is the same. But don't be mistaken, Samsung does not play any role here. With their Omnia, they just "stamped their name" on it and did some software works. We are clients from the manufacturer, just as Samsung is.

It's the same as with the MSI Wind. You will find it under many many names with small hardware changes. And it's authorised by MSI of course. (Check the WIki article for more info).

It has nothing to do with territories or countries ;)

[RobertX @ Jun 29th 2009 7:14AM]

Javier: Okay. Good. But 1) Is it really a resistive touchscreen? 2) For god's sake: WHY?! WHYYY?!
I'd buy it, definitely, except for that little fact.

[cthulhu @ Jun 29th 2009 8:47AM]

And why the low resolution on the display? Please consider upgrading it to WHVGA or at least HVGA.

[cthulhu @ Jun 29th 2009 8:48AM]

...oh and make it an AMOLED display and you'll have my money instead of Samsung. ;-)

[lrp1985 @ Jun 29th 2009 8:52AM]

I'm, spanish it's a good project, but I think resistive touch screen it's a fail.
This fact made me change my Touch diamond for T-mobile g1.


Maybe if it has an special inteface could work better than original android 1.5.

[Eneko @ Jun 29th 2009 12:31PM]

It's missing in the news but it's got an embedded DVB-T tuner as well. We're talking about an Android phone which costs 300€ or less and unlocked.

[jilly @ Jun 29th 2009 7:13PM]

China phones are improveing check this one out.http://SecurityCameraSystemnow.info/Catalog.aspx?CategoryID=8