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Gigabyte GSmart G1362, G1342 and M1348 at Computex 2012 (hands-on video)
Want a dual-SIM phone running Ice Cream Sandwich? You've come to the right place. Here at Computex in Taipei we uncovered three of the handsets Gigabyte announced yesterday -- the GSmart G1362, G1342 and M1348 -- and took two of them for a spin. First up is the G1362 which sports a 4.3-inch FWVGA (854x480) display, 5 megapixel AF camera with LED flash, 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU, 512MB or RAM and 4GB of internal storage. Next is the G1242, featuring a 3.5-inch HVGA (480x320) LCD, 5 MP autofocus camera with flash, 800MHz single core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512MB of RAM and a lowly 1GB of built-in flash. The M1320 M1348 was non-functional and hidden in a display case. It's expected to match the G1342 in specs but uses a 1GHz MediaTek CPU and offers 4GB of built-in storage. As previously mentioned, all three phones include two SIM slots (one of them HSPA 7.2Mbps-capable) and run Android 4.0.4. Despite packing a Snapdragon S4, the G1362 looks and feels like a mid-range handset, with a less-than-stellar display (poor brightness and viewing angles). The UI was reasonably responsive, however, which is pretty much what you'd expect from a phone with such a powerful processor. As for the G1362, it's basically your standard fare low-end Android handset albeit with dual-SIM support and ICS. Build quality was in line with other prototypes we've handled -- that is to say a little rough around the edges. Of course, it's important to keep in mind that we played with pre-production units running non-final software. The G1362 should be available in July for less than $300 unsubsidized, the G1342 is shipping this month (June) for under $200 and the M1348 is expected later this summer at a sub $150 price point. Want to know more? There's a gallery below and a pair of hands-on videos after the break.
Gigabyte outs four dual-SIM Ice Cream Sandwich phones at Computex
While Gigabyte was grabbing headlines at Computex with its world's lightest Ultrabook, the Taiwanese firm was also sneaking out a gaggle of new phones. Four new models, in fact, all of them Android 4.0, all of them dual-SIM. The rest of the specifications are a mixed bag, with the Gigabyte GSmart M1420 winning the camera wars, with an 8-megapixel shooter, backed up with a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 display and 1GHz MT6575 MediaTek processor. A lower specification M1320 was also announced which is more of the same, but with a smaller, 3.5-inch, display and weaker 3-megapixel snapper. The GSmart G1362 might be more interesting if 4.3 inches is a must, and Snapdragon's your thing (1GHz), but you'll lose 3 megapixels on the camera compared to the GSmart M1420 as a trade. Finally the GSmart G1342 which only packs in 800MHz (Qualcomm) and 3.5-inches of display. There's scant detail on price and availability at the moment, but have a sift through the source link if you want the blow-by-blow breakdown, and head to our Chinese site to get a hands-on with the G1342 and G1362.
Gigabyte GSmart G1355 leaked ahead of MWC, offers dual-SIM goodness for small wallets
Gigabyte doesn't crank out handsets with the same frequency as, say, Samsung or HTC, so it's a momentous occasion to see a new addition to its lineup getting dressed up and ready to go. The outfit's latest model, the GSmart G1355, is getting some unofficial face time before Mobile World Congress and appears to keep things simple: it's said to bring dual-SIM capability to the table as well as a lightly-skinned version of Android 2.3, 5MP rear camera with LED flash, an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7227T CPU with 512MB of RAM and Adreno 200 GPU. The 11.5mm-thick device also sports a 4.3-inch WVGA display, which is par for the course in today's smartphone market but a behemoth when compared to the rest of Gigabyte's offerings. Since it hasn't officially been announced, we also are unsure about the pricing and availability, but the specs certainly indicate that it's aiming for entry-level status. The G1355 is expected to make its official debut in Barcelona, and we'll be there to get some quality one-on-one time with the new handset.
Gigabyte's first Android phone in the flesh?
What does 9,000 rubles (about $300) buy you these days? If mobile-review's intel is right -- and it often is -- it'll get you this, a phone that seems poised to become Gigabyte's first Android handset. The site had previously rolled out a render of the thing -- but now they've got it in the wild, seemingly -- showing the company's typical GSmart branding and a suspiciously Magic-like layout below the display. As for specs, we're looking at a 2 megapixel camera (as evidenced by the silkscreening on the battery cover), a lackluster QVGA display, WiFi, GPS, a 528MHz MSM7225 core, and -- get this -- dual-band EDGE. Sound like fun? Yeah, we're not feeling it either, especially considering that it's rumored to be launching with Donut on board -- not to say that shoehorning Eclair onto a phone with yesteryear's specs makes things much better. As for timing, they're thinking late February or early March -- and like we said before, we wouldn't be at all surprised to see it pop up at MWC.
Gigabyte steps out of its WinMo comfort zone, first Android GSmart comes to light
If the term "GSmart" didn't really mean anything to you, we can't say we'd blame you -- Gigabyte, after all, has absolutely no mobile presence in North America and limited presence outside Asia. If you were familiar with the line of smartphones, though, GSmart would probably instantly conjure images of Windows Mobile in your mind -- but that might be about to change. Mobile-review appears to have scored a render of Gigabyte's first entry into the Android phone world, showing a vaguely Magic-esque piece with a downmarket 2.8-inch QVGA display, EDGE data, Donut, and a 2 megapixel autofocus cam. High-end, it's not -- but you've got to start somewhere, right? Rumor has it we'll see this one launch next month for something in the range of 9,000 rubles ($304) or less, so we wouldn't be surprised to see it on the ground at MWC.
Gigabyte's S1200 and Smart Zone user interface on video
Same story, different company: yet another Windows Mobile ODM has broken down, taken the plunge, and invested some cash engineering its own unique skin for the platform. This time around it's Gigabyte's GSmart division with its "Smart Zone" UI, and to kick it off on the right foot, they're grafting it onto the all-new S1200. We spent some time fiddling with the S1200 at MWC today, and we're actually pretty impressed; it's sleek, a wacky thin 11.4mm, narrow enough to comfortably fit in the smallest hands, and feels pretty well-built -- and with full HSPA and a 3.1-inch WVGA display, it's spec'd with the best of 'em. Gone are Gigabyte's days of chunky plastic, thank goodness.We talked to Gigabyte about its announcements, and it turns out they've designed both Smart Zone and the S1200 with aspirational feature phone users in mind -- these are people who might not otherwise consider a smartphone because they're worried about sacrificing style and ease of use in the process. To that end, the skin definitely seems to get the job done. The transition animations got choppy in places, but we felt immediately at ease with the swipe gestures for getting to different screens, and the graphics look particularly superb at these resolutions.The S1200 launches this quarter in a variety of colors (it's fashion-friendly, after all) with WiFi, a 528MHz Qualcomm core, 3 megapixel autofocus cam, a microSD slot to bump up the storage to something more usable than the 256MB built-in, and -- perhaps most importantly -- upgradeability to Windows Mobile 6.5. Follow the break to see it in action!%Gallery-44997%
Gigabyte to debut GSmart S1200 WinMo phone and more at MWC
Gigabyte is understandably saving most of the details for its official announcement at Mobile World Congress, but the company has let out word that it'll be introducing three new series of phones at the big show, which it says fall under the Multimedia, Business, and Style categories. The former of those will apparently include the MS820, which made a brief appearance last year, as well as an all new model with "higher specifications." Gigabyte is even less specific about its new business offering, with it only saying that it'll be "something very different to what they have before," but it does thankfully have quite a bit to say about the GSmart S1200, which fills out the company's style quotient. As you can see above, this one's a touchscreen phone, and runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 with a new Gigabyte-developed interface atop it dubbed Smart Zone. At 0.43-inches, the phone is also reasonably slim, and it doesn't look to be too underpowered with a 528MHz Qualcomm 7200A processor under the hood. More details as we get 'em.
Gigabyte's GSmart Smart Touch UI shown on video
Check it -- Gigabyte has just revealed details about a swank new user interface for its GSmart mobiles, and it has been coined Smart Touch. Sadly, multi-touch gestures aren't supported, but it does handle dragging / dropping and gives users oodles of customization options. Comically enough, the note on the new UI actually admits that it "works like [the interface on the] iPhone," but it claims to be superior due to its tight-knit integration and more "useful and interesting features." Sure, alrighty. We'll let you be the judge on this one -- jump on past the break for an excruciatingly long demonstration vid.[Via the::unwired]
Gigabyte intros HSDPA devices for Euro market
As expected (sort of), Gigabyte's GSmart division came packing at MWC this year with a small army of WinMo handsets ready to battle -- and this time, they're taking the war to Europe. The headliner is the MS808, featuring HSDPA and GPS alongside support for a healthy majority of the world's digital TV standards: DVB-T, DVB-H, T-DMB, and ISDB-T. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually feature the cool skeleton view currently showing up on GSmart's website, but you get the idea. Also being shown are the MS800, MS820, and MS804 -- the last of which looks suspiciously like the O2 Xda Denim -- all with the same integrated HSDPA and GPS as the MS808, but lacking the television tunerfest. Separately, Gigabyte announced that its phalanx of new handsets will feature Garmin's Mobile XT software and are all cocked and loaded to be unleashed on an unsuspecting (or at this point, suspecting, we suppose) European market in the near future, leaving the glut of Windows Mobile Professional hardware packed with more choice, more confusion, and arguably less differentiation than ever. There are worse problems to have, we suppose.Read - GSmart Unveils 3.5G Mobile TV and GPS PDA Phones at Mobile World Congress 2008Read - GSmart introduces 3.5G GPS PDA phones with GARMIN Mobile XT to European market
Gigabyte follows up g-Smart i300 with i350
Shown recently at Taiwan's Computex shindig, the g-Smart i350 appears to be the most incremental of upgrades to its i300 predecessor, especially in light of the fact that the i300's been signed up to get a Windows Mobile 6 upgrade. Both rock a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g, and integrated GPS, so it seems like the biggest boost for the i350 might be the move from a 2.4 inch QVGA to 2.6 inch VGA display (okay, we admit, that's a pretty big difference) and the addition of a fourth band of GSM support. We're not sure we're feeling the handset's sparkly white exterior, but we suspect it's one of those things you have to see in person before passing judgment.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
Gigabyte g-Smart i300 to get Windows Mobile 6
Not to suggest many among our readership have one of these suckers, but for the few (and proud) who do, rejoice. The g-Smart i300 is now slated to get an upgrade from Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition to Windows Mobile 6 Professional, though the translated press release doesn't seem to offer details on exactly how or when the upgrade will go down. Forgetting for a moment the sickly GPRS data speeds, the i300 offers up decent specs with a 520MHz PXA270 core, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, GPS, and a full 256MB of internal Flash with miniSD expansion. Look for the Windows Mobile 6-enabled version of the i300 to launch first in Taiwan with a follow-on launch in Turkey, of all places.[Via the::unwired]
Gigabyte gets official with g-Smart i120
Last time we touched base with the g-Smart i120, the Windows Mobile 5 candybar was making waves over at Taiwan's Computex shindig; this time around, the news is of a slightly more official nature, with Gigabyte triumphantly announcing the TV-friendly Pocket PC in a press release. Though we'd have to put that tricky keypad through its paces ourselves before signing off on its goodness, the specs don't lie: you get a 2.1 megapixel cam, 256MB of ROM with miniSD expansion, Bluetooth, FM radio, 64MB of RAM, 802.11b / g (for when the GPRS data speeds don't quite cut it) -- and perhaps most notably, a TV tuner capable of pulling in NTSC, PAL, and SECAM with recording capability. As is too often the case, North America is left in the lurch without GSM 850 (come on, Gigabyte!) but we're counting on our global readers to let us know how that offset keypad pans out, y'hear?
Gigabyte's dual-tuner g-Smart i200
Though Gigabyte's not much of a mobile presence here in the US, folks in Asian countries might want to listen up: the spec sheet on their g-Smart i200 Pocket PC phone makes it sound like the best thing since... well, the i120 and i300. The 512MB of internal storage is hot, the promise of Crossbow (if it's available by the device's launch in Q1 '07) is pure gold -- but what's really got us all fired up are the integrated dual tuners (DVB-H and DVB-T) and 2.69-inch VGA display. Yep, we said it: VGA. Everyone waiting for the promise of compromise-free mobile web browsing and remote desktop connections can come out of hiding, because this bad boy could very well be the phone you've been waiting for. The TV-out and DVR functionality don't hurt, either. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to book our flights to Taiwan.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]