K3 -- Engadget

HP triumphantly returns to AT&T with iPAQ K3 "Obsidian"

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 24th 2009 at 6:23PM

Tears well up in our eyes when we think back to the early days of Windows Mobile and HP's dominance; in recent years, the company has all but vanished from the scene, trudging along with a handful of poorly-marketed, underexposed devices that haven't launched on any US carrier. Turns out we haven't said our last goodbyes, though, because the iPAQ K3 -- codenamed "Obsidian," seemingly -- is scheduled for November 30 retail availability on AT&T. The device would launch with Windows Mobile 6.5 onboard and feature a 2 megapixel camera (a second cameraless version for high-security businessfolk might be available, too), 256MB of RAM, a half gig of ROM, microSD slot, GPS, triband HSDPA and quadband EDGE, WiFi, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a QVGA display to complement the full QWERTY keyboard. Looks like it won't be the most exciting smartphone on the carrier's shelves, but it might be a sensible choice for businesses and really, really boring people. Follow the break for a couple renders of the phone in action-packed angle shots!

Continue reading HP triumphantly returns to AT&T with iPAQ K3 "Obsidian"

Samsung Yepp K3 gets colorful GUI, as do current owners

by Evan Blass, posted May 9th 2007 at 3:05AM

So apparently the current version of the Samsung Yepp K3 only offers users a rather drab blue interface for navigating through menus, and with so many other colors in the rainbow to choose from, it's kind of sad that the "illegally sleek" player doesn't take advantage of them. Well turn those frowns upside down, K3 fans, because not only is Samsung giving the flash-based model a minor bump that enables multicolor displays, a forthcoming firmware update will bring the same cheery palette to current owners. Doesn't look like much else has changed here, with no capacity increases or additional features of note; we guess that until Apple adds video or wireless to the nano, Samsung -- unlike SanDisk -- feels it can rest on its laurels a bit.

Sony's NW-A800, Samsung's K3, and Apple's iPod nano stacked

by Thomas Ricker, posted Mar 7th 2007 at 8:26AM

With Sony's NW-A800 Video Walkman (pictured center) now globally released, we thought you might like to see how it stacks up -- literally -- against the Samsung K3 and the notoriously thin iPod nano. As you can see, Sony opted for chub and squat over slim and long by comparison. But just look at that relatively huge, 2-inch display for video playback -- something neither the K3 nor iPod nano can do. Now go check the rest of the pics over at French site Le Journal du Geek. Fortunately, the thousand words spoken by pictures don't need machine translation.

[Thanks, Aniki]

Samsung's K3 reviewed -- "so sleek, it's illegal"

by Thomas Ricker, posted Feb 21st 2007 at 10:07AM

We've seen Samsung's K3 in product shots, pre-release gropes, and out prowling the floor at CES. What we haven't seen until now, is a proper, full-on review of the tiny flash audio player. Fortunately, CNET Asia just corrected that in their usual good, bad, bottom-line review style. Their verdict? The player is sweet, but not tasty enough to warrant an editor's choice rating. Still it pulled a "Very Good" 7.7 of 10 points for its design which is "so sleek, it's illegal" (whatever that means) and "above average" battery life tested at 26 hours 50 minutes while looping 240MB worth of MP3 tracks. The new Media Studio software -- dubbed a "gorgeous" blend of iTunes and Sony's SonicStage -- didn't hurt the rating either. The only real nits are the K3's "smudgy surface" (read: attracts fingerprints) and its proprietary cable. Otherwise, it's one hot piece of DAP which we can already attest to.

[Thanks, Samsung Fan Boy]

Samsung's K3 goes lime green

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 14th 2007 at 7:18AM

Although the color pink seems to be stealing all the attention these days, we're definitely down with a bit of green mixed in too. Samsung's K3 has gone from black to red and now to green, but considering the firm announced both of these shades way back at CES, we're just glad to see it following through. Unfortunately for most of the planet, this lime green beauty is slated to hit the Asian market exclusively, but we're sure the importing savvy will find a way to bring it on over if they so desire. The next step in the K3 chronicles? Hopefully an 8GB version landing this summer.

Samsung's K3 in red

by Thomas Ricker, posted Feb 9th 2007 at 9:06AM

Here's some K3 love just in time for V-day. It's "Wine Red" mind you, not PRODUCT (RED) so Samsung will keep a tight fist on any profits from this swank little player. What is it about the color red that makes these thin flash players look so fine? Oh wait... the red K3 won't ship until the summer. No worries, now we don't have to feel guilty 'bout showing ourselves the love instead.

[Thanks, Aniki]

Samsung offers up DS200 speaker dock for YP-K3

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 16th 2007 at 10:25AM

Just days after Samsung's uber-slim YP-K3 DAP got all official on us, here comes news of a docking speaker attachment to give it the built-in sound projection capabilities that the YP-K5 already has. Although Samsung has also announced that the K3 will be landing in lime green and red flavors here shortly, the DS200 apparently only comes in black, and while it's admittedly less sexy that the integrated speaker on its larger sibling, it'll still get the job done when push comes to shove. We wouldn't expect this here horn to deliver anything awe-inspiring, but the battery-powered DS200 should provide your ears with a little rest when you're tired of wearing those earbuds. Reportedly, the speaker adornment should hit shelves sometime in March, but since it'll run you right around $50, it's probably a bit much for an impulse buy.

Video: Hands-on with Samsung's K3

by Randall Bennett, posted Jan 7th 2007 at 6:39PM

The K5 looked great and everything, but for those not digging the external speaker or people looking for a potential Nano competitor, the K3 looks like it could do the job. For the full specs, check out our earlier coverage, but in the meantime, check the video above or the download below for a first look at Sammy's slim portable media player.

[MP4] Download the video

Samsung's YP-K3 caught in the wild

by Thomas Ricker, posted Nov 30th 2006 at 9:03AM

Pssst... yeah, you. Want to see Samsung's YP-K3 getting groped? About as slim as a pair of mangled hangnails, eh? No price, date, or hard specs yet, just a bit more man-handed fondleage after the break.

Continue reading Samsung's YP-K3 caught in the wild

Samsung launching YP-K3, little bro to the K5

by Ryan Block, posted Nov 28th 2006 at 9:51PM

We thought the YP-K5 wasn't too shabby, but it really needed to be rid of that folding integrated speaker system. Looks like Samsung's new K3 did just that. We're lacking other hard detail but it's got a 1.8-inch OLED display and FM tuner and hopefully the same 1, 2, and 4GB options (and maybe if we're lucky an 8GB, too). Odd how much this one reminds us of the Philips GoGear SA9100 / SA9200, but watch out for it (and even maybe a Philips-led design lawsuit) shortly.

[Thanks, Tom]