Handsets -- Engadget

Blinged out Michael Jackson phone is fashionably late

by Laura June posted Nov 6th 2009 at 12:25PM

Michael Jackson may never take the stage again, but that doesn't mean you can't commemorate him in your pocket, right? This special, "limited edition" mobile phone appears to have been dipped in gold and diamonds, and, if we're not mistaken... it's basically a Vertu KIRF that's dressed like a headless MJ? We're pretty light on specs and pricing information here, but rest assured that unless you live in China, you'll probably never be able to get your be-gloved hand on one of these. Nothing like cashing in on the dead.

[Via Shanzhai]

LG to announce Snapdragon-boasting Android phone, Korea-bound in 2010

by Laura June posted Nov 6th 2009 at 11:58AM

It's looking like LG will be offering an Android phone boasting Qualcomm's hot Snapdragon chip -- which has recently squeezed its way into handsets such as the Xperia X10 and Acer's Liquid. The new LG mobile phone is expected for the Korean market in the second quarter of 2010. While the device is still unnamed and specs are still a mystery, LG is promising that the device will be "more mature" than the GW620 Eve, an Android device announced earlier this week for Rogers in Canada. There's no solid word on what availability of the device will be like, though LG says its considering possibilities outside of Korea.

[Via Slashgear]

BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

by Laura June posted Nov 5th 2009 at 12:00AM

RIM's successor to the original Bold -- the BlackBerry Bold 9700 -- has finally landed on our doorsteps. The 9000 is in many ways a hard act to follow. Hardware-wise, it lived up to its name, going where most phones never went with its retro, leathery, nearly clunky looks in an age of rounded edges and shiny curves. Don't get us wrong -- we loved the 9000's aesthetics obsessively -- which is why we couldn't wait to get our hands on its newborn child. A few questions we had in mind: would the 9700 live up to its predecessor's notoriously uncompromising fashion sense? Would the new Bold feel as good to hold and use in the hand as its loving parent? How would it stack up against other, new devices from RIM? If these are the kind of questions you think you might want answers to, read on for our impressions.

Continue reading BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

Kempler & Strauss launch Billionair 6 WinMo phone

by Laura June posted Oct 6th 2009 at 11:34AM

Kempler & Strauss (who just the other day unveiled an epically cool watchphone) have just announced the imminent arrival of its newest Windows Mobile handset, the touchscreen Billionair 6. This 3G HSPA devil has a 624MHz ARM processor, boasts GPS and WiFi, and has a micro SD slot for up to 4GB of storage, plus a 3 megapixel camera. The B6, as it's affectionately called, runs a custom interface over WinMo and boasts an accelerometer to boot. The B6 runs $260 and it's available now.

Continue reading Kempler & Strauss launch Billionair 6 WinMo phone

Samsung InstinctQ for Sprint passes by the FCC and turns a few heads

by Laura June posted Sep 22nd 2009 at 9:29AM

It's been a little piece of time since we saw that photo of the G1-esque Samsung InstinctQ emerge, and we were starting to wonder what had become of our newest QWERTY cutie. Well -- the M900, as it's also known -- has just ducked through the old FCC, and though we didn't really learn anything we didn't already know, it was just nice to see its face again. The Sprint-bound, CMDA / EV-DO-loving Android slider will pack Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and we have to say that it's looking pretty fly to our eyes. We're not sure when this bad boy's going to hit reality, but the FCC appearance makes us think it won't be too long now.

[via Unwired View, thanks Ryan]

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXVI: Soniphone C908 takes a little o' this, a little o' that

by Laura June posted Jul 16th 2009 at 11:32AM

Well, what do we have here? The Soniphone C908 is just a confused mishmash of branded signals -- Sony Ericsson is plainly visible across the top of the LCD, but a little Walkman branding was thrown in under it just for added fun. And, just in case you needed another, completely different reason to have your interest piqued, they threw in a wheel that is suspiciously iPod-like. This classy baby is undoubtedly worth every penny (it'll run you about $117 to grab one), if you decide you can't live without one. One more shot after the break.

[Via PMP Today]

Continue reading Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXVI: Soniphone C908 takes a little o' this, a little o' that

Poll: How's your Palm Pre holding up?

by Laura June posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 5:04PM

It's been nearly a month since the launch of Palm's newest handset, the Pre. Since then, we here at Engadget have heard some vague and hard to substantiate claims of hardware failures -- cracked screens, a little broken plastic here and there -- but nothing on a large scale, so far as we can tell. We thought it was about time to turn it over to you the readers (the ones lucky enough to have a Pre, anyway), to tell us how the phone is holding up physically. Is it tough as nails or is it falling apart? Poll is after the break.

Samsung Blue Earth finally gets a hands-on treatment

by Laura June posted Jun 17th 2009 at 12:39PM

We've been hearing about the Samsung Blue Earth -- an eco-phone, if you will -- since way back at MWC. Now CNET's finally gotten its hands on one at CommunicAsia in Singapore, and we have to say that we're pretty intrigued with what we're seeing. The back of the phone is covered with a solar panel, and Samsung says that one hour of sunning time for the mobile equals about 10 minutes of talk time. The handset also has a built-in pedometer to count steps for the Eco Walk carbon footprint app -- certainly something prospective buyers of the Blue Earth might be interested in. We still don't know full specs, pricing or availability for the phone, but we'll let you know when we do. Hit the read link for a video.

N97 disassembled on video... sort of

by Laura June posted May 29th 2009 at 6:16PM

Are you dying to see Nokia's latest, the N97 ripped to shreds in glorious moving pictures? Well, that's too bad: we don't have that. What we do have, however, is a series of photographs of said shred-ripping, turned into a video. A creepy, silent film, if you will, complete with subtitles. Lack of movement and sound aside, it gives us a pretty great look at the innards of the handset, if that's what you're into. Sure, it's not The Goldrush, but if you want to see the N97 in a talkie, there's always that Royksopp video, right? Full video after the break.

[Thanks, Mike]

Continue reading N97 disassembled on video... sort of

Motorola announces W7 Active Edition for fitness and sporting enthusiasts

by Laura June posted May 11th 2009 at 10:02AM

Sure, we were a little hard on it back when we first saw its rumored, horrifying existence but it turns out our nightmare scenario has come true: the W7 exists. The one we're seeing above however, has had at least a little sexy added to it -- ditching the three-part color scheme for blackish silver -- and it also has 3G which lessens the pain a little. The fitness and sporting targeted handset sports an accelerometer, which can be used to do all sorts of things like silence the ringer and pause or restart the tunes on a run, and it also boasts a pedometer for those of you who like to enumerate every step you take. The W7 (which will be available in white as well) is going to be available by June of this year in Asia and Latin America, but there's no word on pricing or availability elsewhere. There is one more shot after the break -- if you dare.

Continue reading Motorola announces W7 Active Edition for fitness and sporting enthusiasts

Sony Ericsson president: PlayStation phone "could happen"

by Joseph L. Flatley posted May 8th 2009 at 4:32PM

Well, this is certainly one rumor that just won't die -- nor is it likely to, not as long as the company has its hands in both manufacturing handsets and game consoles. According to an article in the Financial Times, Sony Ericsson president Hideki "Handsome Dick" Komiyama discusses his struggle to reposition the company as one the world's top three phone makers. Among bright ideas and desperate measures mulled over, the man in charge lets slip that no plan is too crazy or far-fetched to consider. Even a PlayStation-branded phone? "Could happen," he is quoted as saying. And there you have it! Begin warrantless speculation: now.

[Via Unwired View]

Sony Ericsson video shows two new handset renderings

by Joshua Topolsky posted May 18th 2008 at 3:03PM

A video doing the rounds on the interblogs is apparently showcasing not one but two new Sony Ericsson handsets. It's unclear just exactly what models we're seeing in the clip, nor do we know if they're prototypes or actual production versions, though they do bear a few similarities to the forthcoming X1. One thing is for sure, Sony is definitely pushing the convergence angle on its new phones, highlighting lots of multimedia, data sharing, and a suspiciously familiar chat app. Check out another pic and the full video after the break.

[Thanks, Dion]

Continue reading Sony Ericsson video shows two new handset renderings

GSM cellphone technology celebrates 20 years, aims for 20 more

by Darren Murph posted Sep 7th 2007 at 11:16PM

Just this summer we saw text messaging party down after turning 15, and now its time to get your weekend started right by celebrating 20 whole years of GSM. Reportedly, "15 phone firms signed an agreement to build mobile networks based on the Global System for Mobile (GSM) Communications" on this day in 1987, and while it took "12 years for the first billion mobile connections to be made," things have pretty much taken off since then. So here's to 20 incredibly fruitful years, GSM, you've earned it.

[Thanks James; image courtesy of RetroBrick]

Samsung looks to patent two new gaming phone designs

by Brian White posted Aug 13th 2007 at 11:04PM

Samsung looks to move forward into the realm of mobile gaming with two new U.S. patents involving gameplay-oriented handsets. For starters, patent #1 (pictured above) describes a "portable communication terminal for games." The display on this design involves a hinged "flip" that unveils a dual-row numeric keypad complete with phone navigational array when opened, and a gaming d-pad when closed (we hope that hinge is solid); the 'A' and 'B' buttons are near the earpiece and always visible. More info on the second patent application after the break.

[via Unwired View]

Read - Patent 1
Read - Patent 2

Continue reading Samsung looks to patent two new gaming phone designs

Hop On promises aggressive defense of MP3 phone patent

by Evan Blass posted Apr 5th 2007 at 2:39PM

If you've already got yourself a music phone, you might wanna hold onto it for awhile, because some forthcoming patent "extortion" promises to jack up prices on any model with side-mounted speakers. You probably remember handset manufacturer Hop On from some of its low end wares that we've covered, and now the company has just received a design patent on an "MP3 Phone with speakers on the side, in addition to front and side buttons to activate its camera/video features." No big deal, except for the fact that Hop On plans to seek royalties for all past and future cellphones that it considers to be infringing on its IP -- in other words, millions upon millions of units. So keep your eyes open, because if the Moto's, Nokia's, and LG's of the world aren't down with Hop On's licensing proposals, it's likely we'll see a whole slew of lawsuits in an industry that already has more than its fair share of squabbling players.

[Via Electronista]