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E-TEN's VGA and HSDPA-packin' Glofiish X800 now shipping
We've had our eye on this willowy little minnow ever since we first gave it a proper once over at CeBIT earlier this year, and now E-TEN has announced that its everything-but-the-keyboard Glofiish X800 WM6 Pocket PC is finally shipping (we saw it unlocked on MobilePlanet for $650). Very similar to a number of 3.5G HTC devices already on the market, the X800 steps up the game by offering a sexy 2.8-inch, 640 x 480 screen, 500MHz Samsung processor, and dedicated SiRFstar III GPS chipset. Still, if you can hold out just a little bit longer, a QWERTY-fied M800 boasting the same specs is right around the corner.
E-TEN glofiish X600 in the pipe
There's still apparently no 3G to be found, but E-TEN looks to be prepping the successor to its arguably attractive (and unarguably thin) X500 and X500+ Windows Mobile handsets. The new X600 model -- allegedly being announced any day now -- should feature 128MB of ROM with 64MB RAM (isn't 256 and 128 the standard nowadays?), 2 megapixel cam, microSD expansion, Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPS all stuffed into a case measuring 14.7mm thick. If it rocked a VGA display we'd be in business, but we'll have to make do with the 2.8 inch QVGA example instead. We'll live.
E-Ten's Glofiish M800: a better X800 with QWERTY
As we noted back in March, the only thing missing from E-Ten's quad-band GSM, UMTS/HSDPA, and GPS packing Glofiish X800 was the QWERTY. No more. Meet the Glofiish M800, ready to throw down with the best that HTC has to offer when it hits Europe in late November / early December for about €599 (nearly $850) pre-subsidy. For that you get all the best of the X800 -- WinMo 6 Professional on a VGA (480 x 640) touchscreen, SiRFstar III GPS, HSDPA data, standard 2.5-mm audio jack -- but with a beefier 500MHz processor and 1530mAh battery and suit-tacular QWERTY in tow. Without a doubt, a worthy contender... on paper anyway. [Via mobility site]
E-Ten's X800 gets the nod from the FCC
E-Ten's glofiish X800 has received recognition for doing its job in every band -- both GSM and HSDPA -- VGA-style. The X800 will mark the first in a series -- apparently four will be released this year -- in E-Ten's collaboration with Arima, and if this is a hint of what's to come, we're positively stoked for the closing months of this year. Like the Asus P750 hinted at a few days ago, it seems our manufacturing friends are finally catching on that all-flavored GSM and HSDPA sets are where it's at. Now if they could just turf out a similarly svelte set with QWERTY, we'd not even think of complaining.[Via Phonescoop]
E-TEN, Arima collaborating on 3G handsets
Despite a seemingly successful (and continuing) run with Quanta on 2.5G goodies, E-TEN has announced that it's working with ODM Arima on its 3G lineup. The first device to bear the fruit of Arima's labor will apparently be the glofiish X800 with HSDPA, VGA display, and Windows Mobile 6 -- so we've gotta say, the new kid on E-TEN's block is doing alright for itself. The company says that it plans to introduce four new smartphones by the end of the year, though it's unclear at this point exactly how many will get WCDMA under their hoods (our vote: all of them).[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
E-TEN Glofiish X500+ gets unboxed
The new E-TEN Glofiish device we hinted at earlier in the month has arrived in all of its 2.8 inch VGA screened, Windows Mobile 6 Pro (see that? We're already shortening that name up 'round here) goodness. Nothin' has changed in the specs, but previously unnoticed (at least by us) is the fact that the X500+ supports RDS-TMC -- so not only will the GPS support get you where you are going, it will help you dodge traffic, too. The package contains all the bits and bobs you would expect: a headset, USB cable, case, charger, and of course some bundled software. Still doesn't seem to be anything official on pricing, but at least you hit the link to check the rest of the unboxing pics.
E-TEN Glofiish X500 and M700 get Windows Mobile 6 updates
Hot on the heels of T-Mobile's Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for the Dash, E-TEN is rolling out the first Windows Mobile 6 Professional updates for its handsets. As of a few days ago, if you happen to have an X500 kicking around with that oh-so-long-in-the-tooth Windows Mobile 5 on it, head on over to E-TEN's site to freshen it up. It seems that M700 owners will have to keep that download finger waiting for another week as the Microsoft certification process seems to be stopping that ship from sailing. The update process is pretty straightforward, register your handset, E-TEN will send you an "action key" which coupled with your IMEI will let you get at the goodies. Good luck on those updates, and if you have a happy or nightmarish story about your upgrade, let us know. Hit the read link to head on over to E-TEN's site for all the details.[Via the::unwired]
E-TEN's glofiish X500+ gets official
First, the good news: the glofiish X500+ takes the original X500's thin formula and packs in a glorious VGA display. Now, the bad: 3G data is still nowhere to be found. We suppose we'll have to wait for the upcoming X800 to sup the sweet nectar of HSDPA from an E-TEN device, but in the meantime, it seems the X500+ is a worthy upgrade its predecessor thanks to a stylish new black casing, Windows Mobile 6 Professional, and, of course, the aforementioned 640 x 480 touchscreen. No word on pricing or availability just yet, but we can probably guess "a lot" and "not here."[Via the::unwired]
E-TEN's glofiish M700 gets FCC approval
HTC naturally gets the lion's share of the Windows Mobile QWERTY fun, but E-TEN's doing its best to steal some of that thunder with the upcoming M700 in its "glofiish" line of Pocket PC phones. Happily for those of us well west of zero degrees longitude, the M700 packs quadband GSM plus EDGE; we suspect no American carriers will be picking it up directly, but as the FCC will happily vouch, it'll be a trivial matter to get it imported. 3G data is missing, but the M700 makes out with a SiRFstar III GPS receiver built in -- much like other devices in the glofiish line -- plus WiFi and a 2 megapixel cam.
E-TEN set to release X500+?
Remember the Glofiish X500? Well we do too, but just barely; E-TEN may be hustling an upgrade out the door in the coming weeks in the form of the X500+ (yeah, they added a extra character). The plus brings a few changes to the device most notable of which is the resolution bump from QVGA to VGA – higher res is always okay with us -- and Windows Mobile 6, and a conspicuous lack of 3G. While we get that E-TEN doesn't want to step on its higher end devices by adding WCDMA, we don't have to like it.[Thanks, Gti]
E-Ten's Glofiish X800: everything but the QWERTY
Let's start with what E-Ten's latest Glofiish -- the X800 -- doesn't have: a QWERTY keyboard. Otherwise, it's packed to the, uh, gills. We're talking Windows Mobile 6, large VGA display, HSDPA/WCDMA like we heard, GPS, WiFi, quad-band GSM (like the X500, we presume), Bluetooth, and a 2 megapixel camera on the back with a second up front for video calls. Hell, it even sports a Skype client which may or may not be in the final product as they "work out the final details." All this without any noticeable increase in size from the already svelt X500. Expected to hit globally before summer is done with an MSRP somewhere between $850 and $900. Hands on? You betcha, just check the fat gallery below.%Gallery-2121%
E-TEN to go WM6, 3G at CeBIT
Never mind 3GSM -- for Taiwan's E-TEN, the big news is happening at CeBIT this month in Hannover. Despite being pretty active in the Windows Mobile arena as of late, there are two big things E-TEN has failed to do thus far: 3G data and Windows Mobile 6, and they intend to rectify both of those grave injustices with a new "glofiish"-branded handset to be introduced at Europe's largest consumer electronics tradeshow. That's all we have at the moment, but we're guessing that anonymizing mosaic on the left of the CeBIT invite here is the device in question.
Real pics emerge of the E-TEN glofiish M700
Remember that iffy picture a few days back claiming to be the unannounced E-TEN M700 Pocket PC? Well, thanks to a Russian site with a comprehensive gallery of far more legit-looking pics, those among us who weren't believers are believers now. Not surprisingly, it looks like the production unit will be "glofiish" branded like the X500 before it, and it'll pack quad-band GSM with EDGE, 128MB of ROM and 64MB of RAM, 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0, a 2 megapixel shooter, and a SiRFStar III GPS receiver. Even crazier, though, are the glowing blue lines between the keys -- an unexpected carryover from the mockup picture. Click through to the source for plenty of additional imagery.[Via PDA247]
E-TEN prepping M700 Pocket PC phone?
Sure, E-TEN's managed to make some waves with its thinnish glofiish X500, but what about a slide-out keyboard? Aren't those things, like, standard these days? If the E-TEN rumor mill pans out this time around (as it has in the past), this here M700 should come to the rescue. The alleged device looks to be the spiritual successor to the M600+ with GPS, WiFi, boatloads of internal storage, and some manner of 3G radio. Of course, this particular picture looks totally bunk (though we're digging the psychadelic blue glow on the keyboard) -- but we'll give it a mulligan for being a potentially legit mockup.[Via Slashphone]
E-TEN glofiish X500 smartphone gets official
While its hard to take a Pocket PC phone seriously that goes by the name of "glofiish," and even harder to take it seriously when it ain't got no 3G data, we're still fairly impressed with E-TEN's new X500 phone. The glofiish X500 packs in SiRF Star III GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11b/g WiFi, and an EDGE radio all into a 0.6-inch thick form factor. While it was at it, E-TEN stuff in a 2 megapixel camera, 2.8-inch QVGA screen, 400MHz Samsung processor, 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM and a microSD slot. No surprises, since we spotted this thing a few weeks ago, but now it's getting "official," with an expected November launch and that silly glofiish moniker. Still no word on price.[Via Mobility Site]
E-TEN shows thin X500 Pocket PC phone
In a world of 6.9mm-thick phones, we use the term "thin" somewhat loosely, but what the heck -- it is a full fledged Pocket PC phone, after all. E-TEN's latest, the X500, manages to pack Bluetooth 2.0, microSD expansion, 802.11g, FM radio, GPS, and a 2-megapixel autofocus shooter into a sub-15mm frame sporting Windows Mobile 5 with AKU3. The device also rocks 64MB of RAM, 128MB of ROM, and a respectable 400MHz Samsung core, though the complete lack of 3G is starting to become a sore spot for us. No details on when or where the X500 might drop (or how much it might be, for that matter) on account of it not officially having been announced quite yet, but we'll keep our ear to the ground on this one.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
E-TEN M600+ gets the review treatment
phoneArena's been recently blessed with the opportunity to put E-TEN's upgraded M600, the M600+, through its paces -- and they appear to have been left with a pretty lukewarm impression of the company's latest Pocket PC Phone Edition effort. While it's hard to argue with 256MB of internal flash and a 2-megapixel autofocus shooter (by Pocket PC standards, anyway), sound quality was apparently awful via both earphone and speakerphone, a lack of soft keys made one-handed operation tricky, and its GPRS data speeds are so 2002. The device's 400MHz Samsung core, while not necessarily anemic, wasn't breaking any speed records either; add that to the 2.5mm jack and there's not much to love here. Sorry, E-TEN -- we know the M600+ is quad-band, but we're going to have to pass. Better luck with your G500, mkay?
E-TEN ups M600 specs, rechristens it the M600+
Hot on the heels of their M600 (and the M500 before it), Taiwanese manufacturer E-TEN has announced its M600+, essentially an M600 with the addition of Bluetooth 2.0, 256MB of flash (up from 130MB), and an extra 0.7 megapixels in the shooter (2.0, up from 1.3). They're throwing in MSFP as well, which likely means all of AKU2 will be coming along for the ride (A2DP included, hopefully; the inclusion of Bluetooth 2.0 is a good sign). Not a shabby upgrade considering the quick turnaround time, but in the unlikely event you have an M600 in the US, you might want to keep your wallet stowed since AKU2 should be just around the bend for ya.
E-TEN G500 reviewed
PhoneArena just posted an intensive review of the ETEN G500 / Torq N100 for your dirty little gadget spelunking ways. This Windows Mobile 5.0 PPC Phone Edition handheld, you'll remember, sports a 400MHz Samsung processor, 2.9-inch QVGA display, 64MB RAM / 128MB ROM, a 1.3 megapixel shooter, Bluetooth, miniSD slot, quad-band GSM, and SiRFstar III GPS. So yeah, it's "bulky" as pointed out in the review, but then again this is one of the more "sophisticated" pocket PCs you'll find making it the ideal choice for both the highest-of-tech junkies and corporate users alike. Definitely not for the fashion conscious or average user due to its "great complexity" thus requiring a bit of know-how with them thar 'puters. But if opening 15 apps on a PocketPC without any noticeable performance degradation is your (like the reviewers) idea of a good time, then this is the work-horse for you. A few more snaps after the break.
E-Ten's G500 GPS PocketPC phone drops by the FCC
No word as to a date or even the possibility of a US release for E-Ten's G500, but at least the FCC thinks everything is looking good with the unit, so we've got that going for us. Announced in Europe this January, the quad-band GSM phone features Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC, GPS, Bluetooth, and a QVGA display. Its lack of WiFi makes us think the unit would be a good fit for those WiFi haters over at Cingular, but your guess is as good as ours.
