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Huawei’s latest Porsche Design collab is a fancy Mate 20 Pro
Huawei doesn't launch a new flagship these days without teaming up with Porsche Design for a flashier, and always much more expensive variant. It was a given, then, that the Mate 20 Pro announced today would get the Porsche Design treatment. As the entire front of the device is occupied by display, the aesthetic differences are limited to the back, where glass cuts a racing stripe down the length of the device between two panes of soft leather. There's a black on black model, as well as a limited edition, red on black version that's only headed to China.
Huawei’s latest Porsche phone has an in-screen fingerprint reader
Along with its P20 and P20 Pro, Huawei also unveiled its Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS smartphone today. Built with Porsche Design's signature aesthetic, the phone comes with a Leica triple camera -- which features a 40-megapixel RGP sensor, a 20-megapixel monochrome sensor and an 8-megapixel sensor with telephoto lens -- as well as a 24-megapixel front-facing camera. The phone also features an in-screen fingerprint sensor. Hover your finger over the screen to wake up the phone or touch the sensor to unlock it. Users can also unlock the phone with a back fingerprint sensor.
Huawei's Mate 10 Pro and its Porsche Design variant are coming to the US
Huawei's deal to sell its Mate 10 Pro through a US carrier has fallen apart, but you'll still be able to get one around these parts. The company confirmed today that it will sell the Mate 10 Pro for $799, unlocked, through Best Buy, Amazon, Microsoft, Newegg and B&H, starting on February 18th. If you're really itching to nab one of Huawei's flagships, you'll be able to pre-order one on February 4th.
Huawei's Watch 2 costs $550 more with a Porsche Design logo
Android Wear still pretty clunky despite the version 2.0 release, and most of the smartwatches using it are somewhere on a scale between homely and fugly. Huawei's Watch 2 is a decent looking exception, though, and it's hoping to boost profits from brand-conscious, deep-pocketed consumers with a Porsche Design version. Launched earlier this year, it now has a price: €795 ($920, or £710). That's around $550 more than the Watch 2 Classic, a similar model with a metal bezel on a plastic body.
Porsche Design reveals a Windows 2-in-1 convertible
Porsche Design had another Mobile World Congress revelation besides a limited-edition version of Huawei's Watch 2. The design group has also announced a laptop-tablet convertible and detachable hybrid of its own called Book One, which looks like it was designed to rival Microsoft's Surface Book. It runs on Windows 10 Pro and is loaded with all the features you'd expect on a Windows hybrid: It has Cortana and facial recognition through Windows Hello. Plus, you can take notes and draw all over the tablet's touchscreen using Windows Ink.
Huawei's fancy Porsche Design watch is rather ordinary
Huawei's Watch 2 is getting a limited edition version, courtesy of Porsche Design. While we've already strapped on the company's basic Android Wear device, the VIP version was behind glass in a corner of one of several Huawei booths here at MWC. (This company takes Mobile World Congress very seriously.) While there's no price, Huawei's last collaboration with Porsche Design on its Mate 9 smartphone resulted in a limited-run phone that cost four times the price of the muggle version. (The standard Huawei Watch 2 will hit retail for roughly $350, so multiply that a few times.) However much it does eventually cost, you'll get a thick leather strap with red stitching, as well as a specially engraved ceramic chronograph bezel. Other than that, it looks a lot like the original Watch 2, albeit made for Asia's gui zu (one-percenters). If Apple can do it, why not Huawei?
LaCie's latest hard drives offer extra space via USB-C
As USB-C arrives on more machines, accessory makers will need to update their products accordingly. That's just what LaCIe has done for CES with its latest Porsche Design Desktop and Mobile hard drives. The aluminum-wrapped storage units now offer USB Type-C connections to your laptop or desktop. What's more, you can still charge your laptop while you're transferring files, so long as the drive is plugged in. If you haven't yet splurged for a new machine with the latest ports, there's a USB 3.0 adapter included with each of the hard drives. In March, the Porsche Design Mobile Drive will be available in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB models starting at $110 and the Desktop Drive will be offered in 4TB, 5TB and 8TB options from $210.
BlackBerry 10 phones get the Amazon Appstore in the US
If you're a BlackBerry-toting American, you're about to get a ton of Android apps on your plate. As promised, BlackBerry has started the US rollout of an update that gives all BB10 devices access to the Amazon Appstore, saving you from having to sideload some of the Android titles you can't live without. You'll also get better anti-theft protection and a "fresh look" that includes faster access to common tasks.
LaCie's latest portable drive is (almost) ideal for your new MacBook
Dead set on snagging one of those extra-slim MacBooks, but won't make the leap until you have an easy way to back up your files? LaCie has your back. It just unveiled a new version of its Porsche Design Mobile Drive that uses the same USB Type-C port as Apple's latest portable (and eventually, other computers), saving you the hassle of using an adapter just to offload that photo project or back up to Time Machine. It's not quite a dream storage device, though. You'll still need an adapter (thankfully included) to hook up to regular USB devices, and there's no passthrough port. Unless you get a hub, you'll have to choose between powering your Mac and expanding your storage. If that's no barrier, though, you can get the Mobile Drive in the second quarter in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB models. Pricing isn't available yet, but the regular USB models cost $80, $100 and $150 -- it won't be surprising if the USB Type-C versions are in that ballpark.
There's apparently a 'Gold Edition' BlackBerry Passport
Which is to say, it's time for Queen Beyonce to drop that BlackBerry Porsche Design. It's so 2012.
BlackBerry's latest Porsche Design smartphone is real, ridiculous
Well folks, the rumors and leaks were true (as usual): the heated BlackBerry/Porsche Design love affair has once again borne fruit, this in time in the form of the new Porsche Design P'9983. At its core, we're looking at a device running BlackBerry 10.3 along with a few Porsche-produced bits like a custom wallpaper and watchface, but you're not going to buy this thing just for BBMing your dearest pals (did we mention you get a specific BBM PIN perfect for remote flaunting?). No, if anything, you'd buy this thing for its peculiar (some would say silly and overwrought) sense of style.
BlackBerry's upscale P'9982 visits the FCC sporting AT&T-ready LTE
BlackBerry's luxurious Porsche Design P'9981 reached the US, but it wasn't really for the US -- it originally sold to British and Middle Eastern business tycoons. If a new FCC filing is any indication, the as yet unannounced P'9982 may be a different story. The upscale smartphone has just passed through the FCC carrying AT&T-native LTE and HSPA data, suggesting that it's built with American use in mind. It's not clear as to when and where the BlackBerry 10 device might launch, though. Tbreak has heard from BlackBerry partners in Dubai that the P'9982 may be unveiled before November 20th, but we don't know much more; there's a chance that AT&T support exists purely to accommodate travelers. Even if that's true, US buyers willing to import the premium smartphone will at least get the first-class cellular service they expect.
LaCie wants to put a Porsche key in your pocket
OK, so that headline was bit ... link-baitish. But the real news is that storage accessory manufacturer LaCie and Porsche Design have teamed up to create a keychain flash drive that is both speedy and stylish. The LaCie Porsche Design USB Key (starting at US$29.99) is available starting today, and the company provided one for our review and testing. Design The key is lightweight (.3 oz, 8.5 gm) and tiny (2.1" x .5" x .15", 53 x 12 x 4 mm), while still retaining a feeling of solidity through the use of stainless steel in construction. It's available in both 16 GB ($29.99) and 32 GB ($49.99) models, and it's a bit surprising that the company didn't choose to offer a 64 GB model as well. I used one of LaCie's USB keys on my keychain for about four years until it finally split in half this year. That model was made of two pieces of aluminum that were pressed together, and it always had a somewhat flimsy feel to it. Not so with this USB key -- it feels extremely solid, and the case is made in one piece. It should definitely put up with the day-to-day pounding it will get on a keychain. The LaCie Porsche Design USB Key is USB 3.0, so copying files to and from a USB 3.0-equipped Mac is quick. LaCie provides key owners with several utilities if they wish, one of which provides AES 256-bit encryption and another that provides a year of cloud storage of the same capacity as your key through the company's Wuala storage service. LaCie doesn't "trash up" your Porsche Design USB Key with this software -- you just download it from a website if you want it. Benchmark When connected, the Porsche Design USB Key was initially formatted as MS-DOS FAT 32. I chose to open up Disk Utility and reformat the key as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) because that's the way I roll. Beginning with this device review, TUAW is using the Intech SpeedTools QuickBench benchmark app to do comparisons of disk drives. We performed the Standard Test suite in numeric view, which performs sequential and random reads and writes with varying transfer sizes. The results were pretty impressive. LaCie notes that the key can "deliver speeds up to 95 MB/s" and our testing showed that to be true -- small file read and write speeds reached approximately 91 MB/s, and for large files, read speeds were in the range of 85 - 86 MB/s. As with most drives, write speeds slowed down considerably with larger transfer sizes, dropping from an average of 66.2 MB/s below 10 MB to 24.0 MB/s between 20 MB and 100 MB. Conclusion The LaCie Porsche Design USB Key not only looks great, but has speed to match. With the one-piece stainless steel construction, the key should be able to survive jangling against a pocketful of keys for quite some time. Pros Sleek design, small footprint Solid construction USB 3.0 speed Good capacity Utility software is optional and not pre-loaded onto the key Cons None to speak of Who is it for? Anyone who needs a keychain USB flash drive who wants both speed and good looks -- kinda like a Porsche sports car
LaCie and Porsche Designs reveal USB 3.0 thumb drive, flash storage never looked faster
LaCie and Porsche Designs are at it again, but this time their storage collaboration has a slightly smaller footprint. The companies' latest effort is a brushed steel USB 3.0 thumb drive that's available in 16GB and 32GB varieties, starting at $30. For the security minded, files onboard are password-locked and protected with AES 256-bit encryption -- there's a free year of Wuala cloud-storage included too. You won't have to worry about a speeding ticket with this Porsche's transfers either -- the're rated at so-so 95MBs.
BlackBerry might re-try the Porsche Design thing with leaked P'9982
Those canny folks at Tinhte may have revealed yet another previously unknown handset, this time from BlackBerry. A leaked image appears to show a Porsche Design version of the Z10, packing what looks like a carbon fiber shell and other touches from the design house. Tinhte says the device would also run a custom version of BlackBerry 10 and cost $2,000 or more, while N4BB claims it'll be called the P'9982 (punctuation and all). Though the pictures look convincing enough, information about the naming, OS and price is purely speculative -- you might need an entire salt shaker to swallow it whole. Check the images for yourself at the source.
Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry gets cool matte black paint job, keeps crazy price
Is it even possible to get more exclusive than RIM and Porsche Design's P'9981 Blackberry? We're not sure, but the phone's coming back (at least to Porsche Design's boutique stores) in a matte black finish. For high-flyers with low expectations, the device packs a QWERTY keyboard in the same exotic typeface, 2.8-inch 640 x 480 touchscreen and Porsche Design's UI, running on a 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor. but if you're willing to shell out around $2,350 for this particular phone, you probably don't care about any of that. The Vertu-baiting smartphone will appear in shops mid-January 2013 -- unfortunately right before RIM takes the wrappings of its new OS and new hardware.
LaCie intros Porsche Design drive for Macs with SSD and USB 3.0, helps the speed match the name
Porsche Design may not be directly involved in building German supercars, but there are certain expectations to be met, aren't there? LaCie is rolling out a new version of its Porsche Design hard drive skewed towards Mac owners that should offer more of the performance you'd associate with the automotive brand. The P'9223 Slim SSD is a third thinner than its ancestor but carries the option of a 120GB SSD that makes the most of the USB 3.0 port. If all runs well, nearly any Mac launched in 2012 can shuttle data along at a brisk 400MB per second. Demanding Mac fans will need to pay $150 for the flash-based edition to have the P'9223 feel truly Porsche-like; others only have to spend $100 if they're content with the Volkswagen pace of a 500GB spinning drive.
Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry screeches into Canada
Hear that, Toronto-based readers? That's the sound of Porsche Design's P'9981 BlackBerry doing donuts at a store near you (well, relatively speaking). Fresh from satisfying many a midlife crisis in London, the luxury phone is now available in Canada via the fancy Porsche Design boutique store in Toronto's Yorkville neighborhood, according to MobileSyrup. Folks willing to pay the pinky-raising premium price of $1,899 essentially get a BlackBerry 7 OS phone featuring upscale Porsche Design touches like a metal keyboard, stainless steel frame and leather-wrapped back cover. Still need to do some tire kicking? No worries -- you can take the phone out for a virtual test drive with our P'9981 review.
BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 review
Research in Motion, regardless of how you may view its recent history or its long-term future, still has a stronghold on the corporate world. Its lineup of BlackBerry smartphones are known for great battery life, comfortable keyboards with intuitive shortcuts, top-notch native email and Enterprise clients and -- most important to businesses -- unrivaled security features. Sure, its influence is waning as competitors have caught up in some areas (and surpassed it in others), but there are plenty of companies that have clung to their CrackBerries and held on tight.RIM's been hard at work trying to regain lost momentum by introducing a series of new devices featuring its latest OS, BlackBerry 7, and the BlackBerry Bold 9900 / 9930 series has been the star of the show so far. The problem is, it's not flashy enough. How is a C-level exec supposed to walk proudly on the golf course with a $300 (subsidized) phone? Talk about embarrassing. Have no fear, poor corporate top dog, luxury brand Porsche Design has come up with a solution: the $2,300 BlackBerry P'9981, a Vertu-ized version of that lesser handset you wouldn't be caught dead using. BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 hands-on BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 hits FCC Porsche Design P'9981 introducedThe P'9981 is available only in the UK and the Middle East for now, so until the device arrives in the US this Spring, anyone who lives stateside will have to rely on retailers to import some in. Fortunately we got the hookup by our friends at Negri Electronics, who happily lent us one of the few handsets they have in stock. As a result, we're now able to discuss the real questions circling around such a Richie Rich smartphone: what in the blue blazes makes this so expensive? Is it even worth it? How different is it from a standard BlackBerry Bold 9900? You'll find these answers and plenty of mysteries unravelled after the break.
RIM's BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 gets splayed by the FCC
Thus far, the Waterloo-Stuttgart wünderchild's been scooped, made official and even toyed with back at this year's CES. What hasn't happened yet, is a proper review, but until that joyous day comes we'll take what we can get in the form of this quasi-teardown, courtesy of the FCC. Those with stellar memory and a keen eye will recall we'd seen it pass through governmental annals once before, yet at that time any revealing imagery of its internals were strictly verboten. That's changed, as that once barren page now houses a PDF titled "Temp Confid_Internal Photos" which conveniently splays three snaps of the teutonic device's interior. Sure, it isn't a proper iFixit dissection -- ripe with details and color -- but it'll probably be the closest anyone will get to the innards of the $2,000 BlackBerry for quite a while. Read this far? Go on, don't be shy, espy the governmental shakedown at the source link below.
