fastap
Latest
Telus intros ZTE TXTster, "wow factor" nowhere to be found
While we patiently wait for certain other hotly anticipated handsets to drop on Canada's Telus, we can try and make do with the ZTE TXTster. This vowel-dropping flip boasts a 1.3 megapixel camera with flash and video capabilities and a 180 minute talk time and 120 hours of standby. This Fastap-equipped device -- you know, that quirky input method with tiny letters inbetween larger number keys -- can also take advantage of Telus' mobile music and navigator services. You can nab it now for a paltry $29.99 on a 3-year contract, or $229.99 straight up. You'd better really like Fastap.[Via mobilesyrup]
LG Swift clamshell launches for $49.99 on Alltel
So, you're looking for simplicity, huh? Have a gander at the LG Swift, which is now available on Alltel Wireless for those with the most basic of needs. The clamshell boasts a "next-generation keypad featuring Fastap Press-to-Experience keys, which integrates six raised one-touch access Quick Keys with a traditional numeric keypad," and beyond that, it also offers up external music control buttons, twin speakers, Bluetooth support, a 1.3-megapixel camera, one-touch speakerphone and a memory card slot. Sadly, the headphone jack is of the 2.5-millimeter variety, though you can choose between red and blue color schemes. If you're sold already, all's that left to do is hand over your $49.99 and agree to being locked in for two solid years.
Fastap keypad layout certified for action in China
Fastap-equipped phones aren't exactly commonplace in North America, so hey, maybe taking the input method to the world's most populous country (and one of the most prolific consumers of cellphones to boot) is the answer. Digit Wireless has announced that the Chinese version of the Fastap keypad layout has now been officially blessed by China's "Standard Scheme of Chinese Phonetic Alphabet Input with Universal Keypad" protocol, allowing phones sporting said layout to be sold within the country's borders. The platform apparently makes Pinyin entry and mixed Chinese / English entry a snap, though we're really none the wiser; any Chinese speakers in the house want to chime in on whether the layout makes sense?
Telus releases Fastap-equipped D90 from ZTE
Digit Wireless' quirky Fastap text entry system doesn't have the biggest following in the world, but every once in a while, some random manufacturer will release a Fastap-equipped handset on some random carrier. Case in point: China's ZTE -- of all companies -- has hooked up with Telus up in Canada to release the rather nice looking D90 flip this week. Specs ain't shabby, either, with EV-DO, stereo Bluetooth, integrated GPS, multimedia support, and a 1.3 megapixel cam. Get it now for $80 CDN (about $76) on a 3-year contract.
ZTE's Evolution handset sports dual alphabet support
Here's a bizarre one. ZTE's latest mobile not only sports a sleek, black enclosure and 3G connectivity, but also includes a "dual level, multilingual Fastap keypad based on Digit Wireless' Fastap Keypad Global Language Platform." As you'd expect, both English-speaking individuals and those proficient in Romanized Ukrainian and Russian should have no trouble entering text messages, as the keypad clearly sports both Cyrillic and Latin-based letters. Although the minutiae of this here device has yet to be unveiled, we do know that it'll be distributed by PEOPLEnet -- the first national provider of 3G communications in Ukraine -- and while nothing was written in stone, ZTE also suggested that the Evolution could be used by "international operators for authoritative certificates and assurances to overseas markets." Click on through for a more detailed shot of the bilingual mobile.[Via Slashphone]
Telus brings Fastap to Canada with LG 490
It looks like Canadians are getting a second shot at Digit Wireless' love-it-or-hate-it Fastap keypad layout with Telus' introduction of the LG 490 clamshell. As you might recall, this same model came to Alltel a couple months back, though we're guessing the Telus incarnation is cleansed of the NASCAR fodder strewn about on its American equivalent. Strangely, Telus customers are going to pay a good deal more for the phone, commanding $129 CAD (about $115 USD) on a two-year contract compared to Alltel's $60 -- the carrier must be brimming with confidence that 38 keys are exactly what text-savvy Canadians yearn for.
Alltel rolls out LG AX490 with Fastap
Ah Fastap, it's been a minute since we heard from you -- glad to see you've stuck around to find your way into a US release. The unique layout, which squeezes a mind-boggling array of keys into an area the size of a traditional keypad in an effort to simplify text entry, has never managed to break into the States -- though it's previously come as close as Canada. Alltel will do the honors here, getting Fastap on its new Bluetooth-enabled LG AX490 clamshell, "designed with the racing enthusiast in mind" featuring NASCAR-themed ringtones, games, and graphics. If texting on a good, old fashioned 38-key keypad and NASCAR are your two passions in life, expect the AX490 to drop for $59.99 after rebate on a two-year contract starting this Thursday.[Thanks, Peter]
