Inbrics M1 is the thinnest Android slider we've seen, probably everything we ever wanted
By Paul Miller 
posted January 9th 2010 9:40PM
posted January 9th 2010 9:40PM
Inbrics actually has a lot of custom UI and software running on top of Android, but the most interesting part is what they're doing with video calling and beaming media from handset to videophone to TV to laptop over DLNA or through an access point device that plugs into the TV over HDMI. Inbrics also has a Cover Flow-style media browser that isn't super deep in functionality, but still puts the stock Android stuff to shame, and some rather sexy custom widgets.
The plan is apparently to get a carrier to bite and rebrand this phone in the US, so price and availability are still pretty hard to pin down, but if this phone can hit the market soon it sure could give the rest of the QWERTY Android sliders out there some body image issues.
@HighestRanked who the heck is Inbrics by the way?!?
not sure that I like that ui. or the idea of carriers controlling what gets put on it.
@gonintendo
Nice icon!
@gonintendo thanks :)
@gonintendo
totally agree
@gonintendo
Dock was really copied from Mac OS X...
If this ever came to stores - whey will be sued by Apple - i'm sure.
FAIL.
@fontendet
Apple don't own any sort of copyright on a Dock, hence how Dell can sell laptops with RocketDock pre-installed.
Do you really think a company can lay claim to a row of icons?
rofl
@HighestRanked
I beg to differ
I need to change my underwear now..
"The plan is to get a carrier to bite and totally gimp this phone for US market", that's what the plan is! :(
@Gorilla800lbs
That means AT&T is going to get it.
ultimate android phone? seriously? every decent android phone has a 5mp camera. i dont see why you would need a slider thinner than the droid anyway. theres only so much space that you need saved. it wont make a big difference
@bmar29
ya, progress and improvement can suck it!
@bmar29
5 MP cameras on phones are only marginally better than 3 MP cameras. On camera sensors that small, megapixels don't matter much anyway.
The highlight here is not just that this phone is thinner than the Droid, but that its keyboard is actually usable. I love my Droid, but its physical keyboard is a pain to use.
@bmar29
I second that. 3mp phone cameras are 2008 not 2010. Aside from that it looks snappy.
@bmar29
My phone has a 5MP camera, but I always resize the pictures in half.
Just because it's 3MP it doesn't mean it can't be good or even better than some 5MP ones.
I do hope it has flash, tho (it looks like it does). I'd never take a phone without a flash light for the camera, that's for sure.
@risk I respect your opinion.
Never heard of them O.o Another random Android phone springing out of the blue
@RuckingFetard
Yeah, I think it's awesome. I remember when I didn't get all the hype about Android and why people saw so much promise in the platform. From the way I understand it, it's open source so it's essentially--if not completely--free for people to customize and implement.
Google--SkyNet fetus--you're rocking my socks.
@derX
I 100% agree, I didn't get Android at first and was *all about* the iPhone and its great UI, but seeing Android 2.1 and the things you can do with it... its so amazing. I'm a proud Android user now.
Based on how many devices and carriers are signing up for Android their app ecosystem is definitely going to rival if not trump the app store.
@derX Android is partially open source. Also Google doesn't make any of its apps open source, those are kept tightly shut. And also, being open source is no secret formula to succeed in any given market.
@HighestRanked
I can't unrank you, but I sure can gawk at the immaturity, and obvious psychological aversion to the opinion of the masses. All kidding aside... REALLY higest Ranked? Really.
Am I the only one that really digs the trackball on Android phones? They seem to keep dropping the track ball lately for a pad or something else.
I'm really anxious to see what the next LG Android phone for sprint is going to be.
@Serus
go to your local Verizon store and try the trackpad on the newer blackberry and tell me which feels better, the trackpad is super precise also it moves smoother. trackballs will be phased out in the next year ..at least i hope so. seriously try it out though i read a review and didn't believe it until i went to the store. Once you try a trackpad you wont want a trackball anymore... at least most of us.
that looks fantastic! cmon, sprint has been totally left out all ces, save for overdrive. throw us a bone :)
put a 1GHz Snapdragon in there and im sold
@patlennas88 snapdragon, a 5megapixel cam c/o AF and webOs and i'm sold
@patlennas88
Dude this has the Samsung C100 processor - ARM Cortex A8 with Power VR SGX graphics core h/w accelerated OpenGL ES 2.0.
This chip can beat the pants of a Snapdragon twice over.
Snapdragon is powered by a generation old ARM 11.
Please read ARM's own comparison of ARM11 and Cortex A8 core for more details.
This is the same kind of chip that powers iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre, the Droid.
@Girish you make a good point. compelling argument, except that snapdragon is based of the ARM Cortex A8 as well...so your point is moot.
snapdragon please.
@Girish
Indeed, Engadget, THIS IS NOT THE SAME PROCESSOR AS THE ONE IN THE MOMENT!
The Moment, Jét, Omnia II and Omnia Qwerty all use the S3C6410, which is far less powerful (As it uses an ARMv6 (ARM1176) processor compared to the ARMv7 (Cortex-A8) in this, and the GPU is nowhere near as powerful), this is more in the lines of the OMAP3 platform.
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/productInfo.do?fmly_id=229&partnum=S5PC100&xFmly_id=229
@patlennas88
The Snapdragon core is based on the Scorpion architecture, which is similair to Cortex-A8 since it's based on the same instruction set (ARMv7), but definitely not the same.
But yes, it is way more powerful than the S5PC100. (CPU wise that is, I believe GPU wise it's about the same level)
@Girish I suggest you read up on the Snapdragon processor. It has a similar architecture to the Cortex-A8 core.
@Jak Crow
I read up on Qualcomm Snapdragon, and as usual Qualcomm fails to mention some of the most important details:
Which OpenGL ES version do they support, they just mention some millions of triangles, all other chip manufacturers always mention OpenGL ES 2.0, or 1.0.
When they talk about video, they fail to mention the bitrate. This again is an important factor all other chip manufacturers always mention.
As an OEM I can never trust that Qualcomm will deliver on its claims.
Also notice that none of the graphically intensive platforms ever choose Qualcomm - Palm Pre, Moto Blur, iPhone 3GS, all three have graphically intensive UI and provide excellent h/w acceleration for 3D games.
The samsung S5PC100, Omap 3430 both have ARM Cortex A8 and Power VR SGX and in my experience a good graphics core is the heart of a compelling visual platform.
@Girish
Adding FirstElse to the list - powered by TI Omap 3430
Send it to AT&T...please!
Thank you!! I hope it steals the droid spotlight
looks pretty slick. Multitouch?????
Why can't HTC make something this thin? Give me something like this with a Snapdragon, 5MP camera, and Touch Pro 2 class keyboard! Either OS is fine, WM or Android.
@Peter F
sigh... HTC can do just about everything right, they have to let you down somewhere. Hell, they make WinMo look really slick! I love winmo (most of the time!) and i'm still glad to admit HTC is the only one that does it right =P
@dez They usually let you down on the battery.. a slim stock 2000 maH battery would be nice.
I dont know why the sasmung processor would concern you, I have the samsung moment and it's snappier then the Droid Dont ask me how but it is.
@michaelad It's because the Samsung process is also a Cortex-A8 based CPU, and since it's over 250mhz faster than the Droid's Cortex process, that's why it's snappier
What do they mean by their biggest concern being the Samsung 800mhz processor? Does it suck?
@SuBCoNsCiOuS
It doesn't have the gpu hardware that the Droid or the Nexus One have.
@SuBCoNsCiOuS It's an ARM 11 CPU, not an ARM Cortex A8, thus it should be much slower (iPhone 3G = ARM 11, 3GS = A8). I have a (slower clocked) ARM 11, and it is, well, slow.
The headphone jack placement bothers me too, worst placement, ever.
@Machinedog While the CPU core may not have the GPU hardware, that does not prevent the manufacturer from adding a separate GPU to the phone.
Me likey. A lot. And good luck to them.
Well with the front facing camera, I am guessing it will have video calling and for video calling to be seamless it would need to be on a fast network, and who has the fastest network? Probably a company with 4G... wonder who has that??? ;)
@danielbello92
The standard videocalling over 3G (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP19WoVBeU4) doesn't require a lot of bandwidth. It works with the most basic UMTS that we've had since 2004 or so..
I'm actually surprised that the US carriers still don't offer that, since it's not a feature many people would use regularly anyway, so it shouldn't clog the network.
If you're talking about a higher quality videocalling over Skype or something, that's a different story. That would require a much better network (and it would use your internet data, of course).