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Got cash in the new phone budget? Do some good
'Tis the season for giving, which leaves the rabid phone fans among us in a tight spot: how do we get in on a little new mobile tech for ourselves and help those less fortunate at the same time? Our friends over at Phone Scoop are hoping to fill the bill by auctioning off a handful of hot, current handsets graciously provided by carriers and manufacturers with all proceeds going to benefit The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria -- the same fund (RED) benefits. Loot includes a T-Mobile Dash, LRG Sidekick 3, Motorola MOTOKRZR K1, unlocked Samsung i320, M500 for Sprint, and BlackJack, and a Helio Drift (see, we told you the goods were hot). Bidding will take place via Phone Scoops' forums, with all auctions ending this Friday. Bid generously, and bid to win!
Hands-on with the Samsung i320
The Excalibur wasn't the only Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone, um, smartphone we smeared our greasy mitts on last night. We got a chance to play around with the Samsung i320 not long thereafter, and we have to say, it was a mighty underwhelming experience dovetailing off the HTC. The screen feels much more cramped and offset a little high, and the keyboard was a big disappointment; each key is angled up in the center, making for a very strange, uncomfortable tactile feedback situation going on there. And that space bar is, in fact, a mite small. Ok, we'll stop with this one, but be forewarned, don't bet on this BlackJack.
Weekend Windows Mobile rumor roundup
For anyone concerned that all's been quiet on the HTC front (which is a pretty tough sell, considering the Excalibur news), we've got yer scoop right here. Pocket PC Thoughts is reporting that the oft-rumored but never-materialized 4GB HTC Muse / Melody may have been euthanized. Without a clear parallel in HTC's lineup, we'd like to believe that the beast has merely been pulled back for re-engineering, but we simply don't know at this point. Now turning our attention to less somber news, Smartphone Thoughts sez that an HSDPA-ready variant of Samsung's i320 might be in the works for Cingular for Q4 2006 or early 2007. Of course, we've also heard that we can expect a UMTS / HSDPA Q around that time frame, and it seems improbable that they'd pick up two head-to-head business-oriented devices like that in the same launch window. If true, though, well... the more, the merrier.Read - HTC Muse killed?Read - Samsung i320 for Cingular?
HTC's Q killin' Excalibur depicted?
We've gotta take this one with a grain of salt, thanks to an unconfirmed source and that sketchy paste job on the screen, but if this pic and its accompanying deets prove true, we're in for a treat. Codenamed "Excalibur," we heard about HTC's attempt at a Q/i320 killer last month, and it seems to be shaping up nicely. Beyond the obvious QWERTY action, the quad-band phone will supposedly feature WiFi, and will be 2mm thicker than the i320. To the side of the screen is an interesting touch-jog strip for scrolling (in lieu of the Q's jog dial) with top and bottom touch buttons to open the Start menu and go back. Looking good HTC, now if you'll just confirm the device, mix in some HSDPA and ship a few to the States at $150 each we'll be all set.
TechFaith's i320, SLVR, and Universal rips
You know, we might have done another TechFaith keepin' it real fake post, but honestly we don't really see the point. Oh sure, TechFaith is totally knocking off these other guys with their phony Q and Hermes and so on, but when they showed off their new fake i320, SLVR, and Universal at CommunicAsia this week, we started to realize not only were these guys moving at lightning speed emulating these phones, they were also improving them. The SLVR rip has an impressive 512MB integrated flash memory; the i320-alike uses Pocket PC -- similar to their Q ripoff, and differing, of course, from both the original devices which are stuck with Smartphone; we'd imagine the faux-Universal won't have a VGA display or some of those other ultra high-end niceties, but damned if they don't have the twist n' swivel display in a form factor smaller than the original. TechFaith Wireless, we think you're about one post away from getting your own category on Engadget Mobile.
Samsung's new i320N in the wild
It turns out our paranoia hunch was correct last week when we thought we spotted an alternate version of Samsung's Q-killing i320. The re-designed GSM device rocks a different keyboard shape than the original, but boasts similar specs, including a 1.3-megapixel camera (with flash), QVGA screen, stereo speaker, Bluetooth and EDGE support. Still no info on pricing or availability on this Windows Mobile powered hotness, but we've got our fingers crossed that this makeover won't drive the price tag through the proverbial roof. With all these Q knocks (like TechFaith, for one) making it out though, we imagine competition in price is gonna be pretty stiff.
Did Samsung rework the I320?
Wondering what's the holdup on getting Samsung's Q-killing I320 into your QWERTY-loving hands? We like conspiracy theories just as much as the next guy, and Sammy is doing their best to feed our rumor mill today with these seemingly incongruent pictures of two SGH-I320s side by side. Yes, we're as concerned as you that the model's hands appear to be attached backwards, but stay on task, folks: the device on the left appears to be lacking highlighted numeric keys and a slightly different D-pad. The device on the right, by contrast, looks essentially like the one we've shown you before. Go ahead and tweak that thing until you're blue in the face, Samsung -- we're just happy to know you haven't scrapped it. Hopefully you'll come to the party in time to do battle with the Q and Excalibur, eh?[Via the::unwired]
