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Sony Ericsson's £530 Pureness is 'iconic' not ironic
There's nothing typical about Sony Ericsson's Pureness handset so why should details about its launch differ? Brand Republic, a magazine focused on advertising, quotes Sony Ericsson's director of marketing, Cathy Davies, saying that the low-spec'd (said to lack GPS, camera, WiFi, and gasp, a touchscreen) candybar with translucent display will go on sale in November for £530 at Selfridges and "design museum shops." And if it wasn't already clear (get it?), SE says that it's positioning the device as "an iconic niche product, not mass-market." In other words, Harrods shoppers need not apply.[Via Techradar and Pocket-lint]
LG's GB270 is the rare LG that doesn't look like an LG
Looks like this one quietly launched in a few markets several weeks ago -- but bear with us, because we think it's a pretty interesting little device. The first thing you'll notice is that it really doesn't look like an LG -- if anything, it looks like a cross between a Sony Ericsson and a no-name knockoff. The second thing that you may not notice is that the two phones you see here are really one and the same. The GB270, a member of LG's Dynamite series, has interchangeable covers that change both the color of the phone and its physical traits, swapping keypad and d-pad styles, the shape of the bezel, and even the presence of an external lanyard in the upper corner. Cool, yes -- less cool, though, is the triband GPRS radio, VGA camera, Bluetooth 1.2, and microSD support up to a meager 2GB. It's already available in some regions, and we're willing to bet you can find it unlocked for a song. [Via mobil.cz]
Nokia's 3208c proves Series 40 can be touch-friendly, too
Unless you're talking about S60 5th Edition, the terms "Nokia" and "touch" don't typically go together in the same sentence -- but over in China, stylus-based touchscreens make a heck of a lot more sense for character input than they do in locales with with Latin character sets. Following the bizarre (by Nokia standards, anyway) 6208c, the company's now rolled another China-only Series 40 model modified for on-screen character recognition in the form of the 3208c candybar. It's got EDGE, a QVGA display, and a 2-megapixel cam -- nothing to write home about there -- but on the plus side it features a 3.5mm headphone jack, that aforementioned trick touchscreen, and if you squint hard enough, it sorta looks like an N79. Of course, the dilemma of whether to sink the cash for it will never enter most buyers' minds; it'll never see the light of day outside China's domestic market, where it'll be launching in the fourth quarter. [Via GSMArena]
Gresso's Grand Monaco, for if you're too poor for Vertu and too rich for common sense
It doesn't take but a few dollars (or euros, rubles, reais, yuan, you name it) to pick up a fully-unlocked 2G candybar these days. At least it usually doesn't -- unless you happen to source it from Russia's Gresso, in which case it's going to run you about $2,100. For that sum you'll have your choice of the company's new Grand Monaco model in black or metallic ceramic, featuring a 2 megapixel camera, triband (yes, triband) EDGE data, Bluetooth, FM radio, and microSD expansion up to an anemic 2GB. In other words, you're paying purely for the materials and the assembly, because the specs are south of suck and Gresso's got about as much name recognition as ZTE in most parts of the world. When's the last time you paid over a grand per megapixel, anyway? [Via Unwired View]
Pantech C180 for AT&T frugally tiptoes its way through the FCC
If you're looking for the most basic of basic candybars and you happen to be using AT&T service, today is a glorious day, friends, because Pantech's submitted a doozy for the FCC's perusal. The C180 lacks virtually every modern mobile convenience, eschewing even EDGE data -- though they have managed to keep a memory slot and FM radio aboard. Mentions of MEdia Net in the manual and the "C" model name -- historically reserved for Cingular, which is now AT&T -- tell us where this one's going, but we can't imagine that it'll see duty beyond GoPhone. [Via Phone Scoop]
Dell Mini 3i smartphone gets official outing in China
At last, the much rumored Dell cellphone has made its first official appearance. The 3.5-inch 360 x 640 pixel device with capacitive touchscreen was on display in China running the Android-based Open Mobile System (OMS). The Mini 3i was on-hand as part of the launch of China Mobile's new Application Platform that offers music, video, and app downloads to mobile phones from Nokia, Samsung, LG, and apparently, Dell. The candybar device lacks WiFi (or Chinese WAPI) and is strictly 2G GSM (no 3G) but does come with a 3 megapixel camera, microSD slot, Bluetooth, and 950mAh battery. Guess now we know why the early prototypes were met by a collective meh by mobile carriers earlier this year. No idea when this will ship but it looks China-bound for at least the near future. A few more pics after the break.[Via Cloned In China]Read -- China Mobile's Application PlatformRead -- Dell cooperating with China MobileRead -- Dell Mini 3i unveil
Vertu Ascent Ti Neon screams 'I'm rich and I watch Saved By The Bell reruns'
Variants of existing Vertu models are a dime a dozen. Actually, come to think of it, they're the exact opposite of "a dime a dozen," but we digress -- the point is that we don't really get too worked up these days when Nokia's luxury brand decides to refinish one of its hilariously expensive models in another shade of ostrich hide. There are a few key differences with the new Ascent Ti Neon, though: one, they've actually reshaped it to better fit in a purse; two, they've changed out the leather bits for rubber; and three, it's neon, for goodness' sake. Despite the revised shape, the phone is exactly the same on the inside as any other Ascent Ti already on the market, which means euro 3G, a 3 megapixel cam, and 4GB of storage. It'll all go for the bargain basement price of £6,000 (about $9,900) when it hits in October.
Oh, by the way: August 7, 2009
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Friday, August 7th, 2009: In addition to the BL40 and BL42, it looks like LG's upcoming Chocolate series is also going to include a lower-end BL20 according to a newly-uncovered user agent profile. Whatever it is, it's got a QVGA display -- a far cry from the epic 21:9 unit on the BL40. [Via PhoneArena] Motorola's W562 candybar for China has broken cover, and needless to say, you won't find any Android here. CDMA and a 2 megapixel camera, yes, but no Android. More baby steps are being taken in states' fights to jam phone signals in and around prisons. This time around, a Senate subcommittee has sent a bill to the full Senate that would allow individual states to plead their jamming case to the FCC, which -- as of right now, anyway -- seems pretty lukewarm to the idea in general. [Via Phone Scoop] Acer -- like Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, RIM, Palm, Google, LG, Samsung, and your cousin Ralph -- is opening an app store. It expects the store to be ready in the next few months as it ramps up the barrage of new WinMo devices it's been pimping over the course of the year. [Via PHONE Magazine] South Korea's KT has confirmed that it'll carry the iPhone at some point, though it's refusing to spill details on exactly when or how that'll go down. SKT's apparently still in the mix, too, so we could end up without carrier exclusivity here. [Via Unwired View]
LG Masterpiece now available on Telus
Look familiar? Sure enough, LG's Masterpiece for Telus up in Canada is really nothing more than a rebrand of the Glance for Verizon. It's not a terribly high-end phone by any stretch -- think 1.3 megapixel camera and a striking lack of 3G data -- but seeing how LG candybars are relatively rare in North America, we feel like there's still an aura of importance to this phone that we can't seem to shake. Of course, it doesn't hurt that it's under 11mm thick and is pretty easy on the eyes; give us a new version with EV-DO and a 3.2 megapixel cam and we might even be in for the ride ourselves. As-is, we'd like to see it free on contract -- but alas, you'll be grabbing it for CAD $49.99 (about $46) on a three-year plan.[Via MobileSyrup]
Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXIX: we see right through the N68's antics
If you absolutely, positively must be able to see the palm of your hand while dialing, you might think that LG's lovely GD900 is the only game in town -- but you'd be very, very wrong. In fact, for the price of a single GD900, you could have a whole army of these $70 N68s delivered to your door, each bearing a pirate's booty of knicked branding and design. From the Nokia Nseries-esque model name, to the nav button layout vaguely reminiscent of the N95, to the thick slab of Lexan masquerading as a keypad, this one's a keeper -- and if that's all not enough to convince you, the "8.0 pixels" camera around back just might seal the deal. Still not sold? See some sample output after the break. [Via Engadget Chinese and 52sogi]
Oh, by the way: August 4, 2009
Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Tuesday, August 4th, 2009: Following the G'zOne C731 Rock, Casio's C741 Brigade for Verizon has nabbed FCC clearance. Not much is known about the phone -- we can assume it'll be ruggedized to one degree or another -- but one interesting tidbit is the inclusion of VCAST TV support, something Verizon's been getting lax on as of late. [Via PhoneArena] Have you seen a white / silver Samsung i7500 Galaxy? Now you have. [Thanks, Ruben W.] China's regulatory peeps have had the good fortune of seeing a couple new Philips Xeniums in their midst, a K700 full touch model and an X501 candybar. Philips has yet to announce either unit, but you can bet they'll last until the next ice age on a single charge. [Via Unwired View] Microsoft's MSDN -- its official developer network -- has published a case study on porting an iPhone app to Windows Mobile. A year ago, you'd have been more likely to see case studies going in the other direction, but, you know, times are changing. [Via Tweakers.net] Digia put together a nice little web browser for UIQ called @Web, but then UIQ sorta went away -- so they're back at it again, this time on S60 5th Edition in beta form. S60 does a decent job browsing out of the gate, but @Web's got some interesting UI elements that might make it worth a look. [Via All About Symbian] We don't see much of it in the States, but Samsung's got a whole brand -- DuoS -- for dual-SIM capable handsets. Mobil.cz has dug up a new model in the series, a low-end candybar dubbed C3212 that'll run the equivalent of around $195 and go on sale in Russia later this summer before expanding to other European markets. [Via Mobile Phone Helpdesk] Value brand Cricket is adding yet more value to its unlimited voice plans that start at a bargain-basement $40. The $40 price point now includes web access; $45 gets you unlimited email, backup, and 30 roaming minutes a month, and $55 ups the roaming to 200 minutes.
Samsung Comeback, Gravity 2 carry on the QWERTY legacy on T-Mobile
There aren't any surprises in this particular batch of announcements, but we're sure Samsung's new Comeback and Gravity 2 will sell like gangbusters for T-Mobile considering the overwhelming popularity of the text-savvy segment. First up, the Comeback flips to the side to reveal its inner goodness, featuring a 2 megapixel camera, microSD support up to 16GB, and a pair of displays -- one 128 x 128, one wide QVGA. Next up, the Gravity 2 succeeds -- you guessed it, the Gravity, with a more traditional side-slide QWERTY layout; like the Comeback, it features a 2 megapixel sensor and 3G. The Comeback drops today for $129.99 on contract with the Gravity 2 following on in August for a to-be-announced price.
Nokia makes 3720 official, its "most rugged mobile handset to date"
Nokia's not exactly known for its beefy, ultra-survivable gear, but unless the human race plans on getting a whole lot less clumsy, rugged phones will always be a good idea -- and Espoo's 3720 certainly seems to fill the bill. The Series 40-based candybar features a 2 megapixel cam with LED flash, triband EDGE (sorry, North Americans), FM radio, microSD expansion, and the latest and greatest Bluetooth 2.1, but the real news here is that the phone is built to meet IP54 standards. A quick check with our handy-dandy IP code reference tells us that means that "ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact" -- in other words, your phone might get nasty dirty, but it'll keep chugging -- and it can withstand "splashing" water. Scuba divers, the search for your perfect phone probably continues. Refreshingly, the 3720 will run just €125 (about $175) unlocked when it ships later this summer.
Motorola VE440 "Cadbury" shows up with the Bluetooth SIG folks
Want a sneak peek at Motorola's first Android phone? Well, you're looking in decidedly the wrong place -- but if you want to know what's coming down the pike in the company's low-end stable (and who doesn't?), look no further than our dear friends at the Bluetooth SIG. Ever since the SIG's database started offering Mr. Blurrycam-style shots of upcoming products, we've really started to warm up to their ways -- and the VE440 is the latest to roll up to the counter. There's not much to see here, but we know from the SIG filing that it's a CDMA phone destined for North American markets, so we wouldn't be surprised to see this on, say, Cricket or MetroPCS in the near future.[Via mobile-review]
Nokia 3720 ready to take your abuse?
Nokia isn't the first name that comes to mind when we think of rugged phones -- that honor would probably go to Sonim or perhaps Moto -- but alas, Dutch site Mobile Cowboys says that there might be a 3720 candybar in the works that'll be compliant with the IP54 standard for water, dust, and shock resistance. The tip they received suggests this miracle of modern engineering might be released in the September timeframe for a date with T-Mobile destiny (European T-Mobile destiny, that is), so get ready to get sloppy for this one. Go ahead, learn how to knock over glasses of water with effortless grace -- just make sure we're not around, if that's alright.[Via IntoMobile]
Samsung Omnia Pro B7610 slider gets official reveal
Samsung's being tight-lipped with the details, but at least it did us the solid of making its Omnia Pro B7610 (aka, B7610 Louvre) QWERTY slider official today at CommunicAsia. The phone on the right is the Omnia Pro B7320, which, if we're not mistaken, is just the Jack candybar already available to AT&T customers. Unfortuantely, Samsung isn't giving out any detail on the B7610 so we'll have to go on believing in the rumored 3.5-inch AMOLED display with 800x480 pixel resolution, 5.1 megapixel camera, 7.2Mbps HSDPA data, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, 1GB built-in with microSDHC expansion, and 800MHz processor driving Windows Mobile until they tell us something different.[Via Akihabara News]
Samsung's E1107 packs solar power, not much else
ZTE already proved that solar power can make a ton of sense in the low end of the market, so we're not sure why Sammy thought it could get away with the "World's First Solar Phone" tagline here -- but at any rate, Asian, European, and Latin American locales can look forward to the E1107 hitting retail this month. The ultra-basic candybar claims to get 5 to 10 minutes of talk time for every hour sitting in the sun, and depending on how much you talk, that could be enough to take the place of a wall charger altogether. One look at the phone should tell you that there isn't much going on here gizmo-wise outside of the solar cells, but one nifty feature is a built-in fake call app that'll let you call yourself in a pinch to get out of an unwanted conversation. Sure, the iPhone already has an app for that, but is the iPhone solar? We didn't think so.
Vertu's Ascent Ti Damascus Steel makes being wealthy slightly more stylish
Stainless steel's great, but there's a very simple problem with the alloy that's plagued mankind for hundreds of years: it doesn't have any pattern on it. Happily, that's easily solved with a quick trip to Vertu's British headquarters, where master craftsmen are hard at work hand-carving designs into exactly 100 copies of the company's new Ascent Ti Damascus Steel -- just the latest in a long line of five-figure handsets with two-figure functionality. Yes, true, the Ascent Ti series features 3G, but even that isn't enough to justify the kidneys and other organs you'll have to sell (or the pittance you'll have to withdraw from the trust fund, depending on your lifestyle) to become the proud owner of one of these. Is it seriously time to upgrade the Ferrari version already?
Samsung's B5100: S60, but it's no i8910
When we think of S60-powered handsets coming out of Samsung right now, it's pretty difficult to think of anything other than the mighty i8910 HD -- but just like Nokia, Sammy's got a full range of hardware it wants to put out to market, so you've got to fill in the lower-end nooks and crannies just as you would any other. And actually, calling the B5100 "lower-end" really isn't doing it justice since it's got a 3.0 megapixel camera and HSDPA of some non-US variety; it's just that when you put it up against one of the most impressive phones ever made, this thing simply pales. At any rate, it's not announced yet -- the FCC's just seen to it that pictures and the user's manual are now available -- so we'll hold back on not buying it until after it's available.[Via GSMArena]
Sony Ericsson C901 and Naite GreenHeart phones can make a hippy smile
Hear about the green feel-good bandwagon? Yeah, well Sony Ericsson's on it, straw hat and all. Meet the first GreenHeart products bent on sustainability: the Nait and C901 GreenHeart candybars, MH300 GreenHeart headset, and EP300 GreenHeart charger. The GreenHeart label means reduced packaging, recycled plastics, waterborne paints, and an electronic in-phone manual instead of a paper booklet. The Naite even includes an Ecomate application with Carbon Footprint Calculator that shows how much CO2 you're saving while walking your fields of organic tie-dye ink. As for the phones, the C901 brings a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Xenon flash and smile shutter tech when it lands in Q2 (hey, that ends this month) supporting GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSPA 900/2100 frequencies. Naite scales things back with a 2 megapixel camera, a 2.2-inch 240x320 pixel display, and GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS HSPA 850/1900/2100 band support when it hits in Q3. And hey, if they make lousy phones you can probably just smoke 'em.
