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BlackJack revisited: Samsung readying "Ace" smartphone for Sprint?
From a distance, this thing looks just a little too much like the BlackJack (the old one, not the new) for comfort -- but when you zoom in a bit, it looks like Samsung's spinning a few cute touches into its SPH-i325 "Ace" for Sprint. Mobiledia has this one pegged for the first quarter of next year, offering a Windows Mobile Standard alternative to the BlackBerrys of the world with a slim shell, QWERTY keyboard, and landscape QVGA display; it's probably not going to make any BlackJack II owners envious, but at least this gives Sprint customers a chance to keep up with the Joneses. Even better, Boy Genius Report claims that we might see a little GSM radio stuffed in there for the globetrotters in the crowd. Anyone have an old Samsung Ace for Mobile ESPN, by the way?[Via Boy Genius Report]
Palm finally posts Windows Mobile 6 for AT&T's Treo 750
Some ten months after we first saw Treo 750s running Windows Mobile 6, AT&T and Palm have finally dropped an official upgrade today for the carrier's branded units. Turns out that Windows Mobile 6 is just the start with this little gem of an update, though -- you'll also get HSDPA support (yeah, that's right, you've been rocking plain ol' UMTS up until now), access to AT&T Cellular Video, functional Voice Command while using a Bluetooth headset, device charging via USB, and the list goes on. Head on over to Palm's site to kick off the download, and naturally, be sure to let us know how it goes.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Update: Aaaand there we are with the problems. Fortunately, we're not (yet) hearing about bricked phones, just upset customers who are being blocked from downloading the updater, thanks to Palm's janky serial-checking tool. Way to go, Palm, we're sending air kisses your way. Thanks, Zack.Update 2: Palm says that the serial number issues that plagued some of the first few folks to try to grab the update have now been resolved, so if you haven't updated yet, have a go at it, will ya? Thanks, Paul!
Windows Mobile 6.1 gets pictured, detailed
So this weird Motorola Q9 that Boy Genius Report came across is turning into quite a gold mine. First it revealed AT&T's apparent intention to let its guard down just a tad and start bringing more devices into the WiFi fold -- despite the obvious risk to data revenue -- and now it turns out that she's dressed to the nines with none other than Windows Mobile 6.1. A fleeting glance at most of the screens doesn't indicate any obvious changes from 6 (it is a .1 release, after all), but the devil's in the details: goodies like threaded SMS (Yahtzee!) and cut-and-freaking-paste on Standard (double Yahtzee!) alone should make it a worthwhile upgrade. 'Course, it's up to the carriers and manufacturers as usual to ultimately decide whether to push updates to existing devices, but it would be pure, unadulterated torture if the lion's share of devices didn't see official releases. Seriously, we'd cry.
An AT&T-branded Q9 with WiFi -- wait, what?
AT&T has a long, storied history of shunning WiFi on the lion's share of its smartphones in an effort to corral folks into picking up a hearty helping of its own HSDPA instead (much to the chagrin of many a BlackJack, N75, and Curve owner, may we add). Not only is an unlimited data package a significant additional expense, but coverage is still spotty at best -- and don't no one want to do serious internettin' over EDGE. Times may be a-changin', though; Boy Genius Report has somehow managed to unearth, of all things, an AT&T-branded Motorola Q9 with WiFi on board. With the Tilt reppin' AT&T's WiFi-equipped offerings in the WM6 Professional range, it only stands to reason that there should be some WiFi kit down in the WM6 Standard arena, too, so we hope this thing makes it to production. Any Q9 owners feeling a little twinge of regret right about now?
AMOI busts out vaguely familiar Windows Mobile smartphone
If we were to pick two smartphones to use as inspiration for our own work, we're not sure we'd go with a curious amalgamation of Motorola's Q and the BlackBerry Curve -- but here it is, AMOI's memorably named "GSM6711A." For what it's worth, the phone actually looks like it could be a solid (if not plain) Windows Mobile 6 Standard handset on account of its utilitarian design, seemingly well-spaced keyboard, BlackJack-esque matte black finish, and trackball navigation. We'll leave it at that since the lack of GSM 850 puts this outside the grasp of our American readers anyhow, but we're still holding out hope we'll manage to get our hands on some legit AMOI kit via AT&T's SMT5700.
Hands-on with Sprint's HTC Touch
We'll admit, when we caught wind that there was a CDMA version of HTC's stylish Touch in the pipe, we were skeptical that it'd be a faithful reproduction. We can't even really put our finger on why, either; we just somehow assume (unfairly so, may we add) that when you take a GSM device and shove it through the CDMA transmogrifier, the phone that comes out the other end is going to be a little thicker, a little less attractive, a little slower, a little harder to use, or some combination of the above. We're delighted to report, though, that the fears are utterly unfounded with this little gem. In fact, if it weren't for the silkscreened Sprint logo front and center, we wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The similarities carry through to the UI, where the TouchFLO-driven interface gets an ever-so-mild Sprint makeover to add in support for Sprint TV (also, notice how all the icons have a Sprint Yellow hue -- cute). The thing about TouchFLO is that the finger friendliness doesn't go far beyond the home page -- all the standard Windows Mobile apps are here and are designed with a stylus in mind -- and while the stylus is there on the Touch if you need it, we were pleasantly surprised with how accurately we were able to navigate using one hand and a thumb alone. Bottom line: if you liked the original Touch, you'll like Sprint's version, and the addition of 3G certainly doesn't hurt.%Gallery-10899%
Samsung BlackJack II launches Friday on AT&T
Hoping to catch a little Black Friday love, Samsung and AT&T will be launching the BlackJack II at the tail end of this week, November 23. The Windows Mobile 6 Standard device -- successor to AT&T's pretty darned popular BlackJack -- features integrated GPS, a 2 megapixel camera, HSDPA, support for Video Share, and stereo Bluetooth and will be available both in the original's black (albeit a bit glossier) and in "red wine." Black launches first, with red wine following on December 6 for $149.99 on contract after rebates.Update: Sounds like some AT&T stores are already hawking this thing ahead of schedule. Go pick 'er up now, or hold your peace until Friday![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
O2 finally getting HTC Kaiser as "Xda Stellar" -- or "Stella" perhaps
Seems like a pretty egregious error on O2's part to throw up a promotional image of its upcoming HTC Kaiser variant with a big, fat typo up top -- but at the same time, we have an easier time believing that they're coining it the "Xda Stellar," not the "Xda Stella." The text below the picture uses the Stellar name, so that's what we're going with for the time being until we hear otherwise. Anyhoo, by all appearances, this is pretty much the same Kaiser everyone else has gotten, and with a projected release window in December, we're a little surprised to see O2 so far behind the curve here. Too little, too late, or is HTC's finest QWERTY device still going to find droves of buyers by the time it finally launches?[Via MoDaCo and Mobiholics]Update: O2's already corrected its mistake, it's officially the Xda Stellar. Makes more sense that way, eh? Thanks, Gears!
Sprint updates site, Motorola Q2 now Q9c
Remember that weird Motorola Q2 on Sprint's holiday promotion site featuring a Palm screen of all things? The tasty thought of Palm OS inside a Q shell was debunked pretty quickly thanks to a glance at the supposed Q2's spec sheet, and sure enough, Sprint has now updated the site with a hastily Photoshopped Windows Mobile screen replacing the Palm one. Oh, and it's now the Q9c, which we kinda expected, since we know the Q9c has a date on Sprint any day now. The detail view for the phone still shows it as the Q2, but we're pretty sure it's just another error in this comedy-filled Flash app Sprint has thrown together to send the mobile blogging world into a tizzy for a few days.[Thanks, mattemer]
Vodafone's v1520 WM6 handset goes for endurance
Is it just us, or does this teeny, tiny image bear a striking resemblance to one ASUS P550, a feature-packed Windows Mobile handset that hit the FCC a couple months back? The few specs Vodafone lists on its site for this coming-soon device match up with the aforementioned FCC docs, too, so we'd say it's pretty safe to assume ASUS is the ODM in question here. Anyway, it looks like Voda will be getting this bad boy as the self-branded v1520 -- and while the 3.5 inch screen is pretty hot, the headlining feature seems to be an astounding 12 hours of rated talk time (whether real-world results are anywhere near that remains to be seen). No word on price or drop date yet, but you UK folk keep your ears to the ground, k?[Via the::unwired and CoolSmartPhone]
E-TEN's VGA and HSDPA-packin' Glofiish X800 now shipping
We've had our eye on this willowy little minnow ever since we first gave it a proper once over at CeBIT earlier this year, and now E-TEN has announced that its everything-but-the-keyboard Glofiish X800 WM6 Pocket PC is finally shipping (we saw it unlocked on MobilePlanet for $650). Very similar to a number of 3.5G HTC devices already on the market, the X800 steps up the game by offering a sexy 2.8-inch, 640 x 480 screen, 500MHz Samsung processor, and dedicated SiRFstar III GPS chipset. Still, if you can hold out just a little bit longer, a QWERTY-fied M800 boasting the same specs is right around the corner.
LG's KS20 now available in Europe
Announced in August, LG's HSDPA-totin' touchscreen KS20 was just released for retail in Europe -- France and Germany to be specific with more countries coming on the quick. Nothing new to report, same business minded, 12.8-mm thick Windows Mobile 6 handset with 3.6Mbps data, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2 megapixel camera (VGA up front), up to 4-hours talk, and built-in stylus for navigating with precision on that busy, 240 x 320 pixel, 2.8-inch WinMo interface. No prices given but we're sure your carrier will happily oblige.
Samsung follows crowd, preps M4650 Windows Mobile touchphone
Don't be fooled: Samsung officially calls this the M4650 Multi-Touch, but get this, it doesn't support multi-touch. It does support single touches of its 2.8 inch screen, though, which'll have to do seeing how it lacks either numeric or QWERTY keypads. The Korean company is prepping the Windows Mobile 6-based touchphone for its domestic market, matching a recent trend toward keyless, finger-friendly input that LG, HTC, Apple, and others have adopted in recent months. A customized build of Windows Mobile isn't the only trick up the handset's sleeve, either: haptics give users a little bit of positive feedback when they make contact with the display, and when Office Mobile finally ceases to be entertaining, the terrestrial DMB tuner should come in handy. Ironically, the M4650 will be offered through LG Telecom -- of all carriers -- for something in the range of 500,000 won (about $550) before rebates.[Via textually.org]
Samsung gets official with Windows Mobile-based i780
Is it just us, or did this thing take a glancing blow from the ugly stick? Not a direct, brutal strike by any means, but it seems like there may have been a bit of an exchange before this sucker's announcement. Anyway, yeah, Samsung's i780 is all official now -- which we now know has absolutely no relation to the BlackJack2 for AT&T -- and while it may not be taking earning any points for sheer beauty, it makes up for the indiscretion with sheer braun. You get Windows Mobile 6 Professional (yes, Professional, not Standard), assisted GPS, a 2.6 inch 320 x 320 display, 256MB of ROM and 128MB of RAM, WiFi, and that crazy optical touchpad that lets you navigate via mouse pointer. Sadly, the triband GSM and single-band 3G are going to keep this one well off US shores, but then again, keep in mind that the i600 spawned the i607 BlackJack back in the day -- so stay positive, folks.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
Unbranded Palm Treo 750s get hooked up with Windows Mobile 6
AT&T customers need not apply, but users of the generic, unbranded version of the Treo 750 finally have an official option for getting their units upgraded to Windows Mobile 6. The whole timeline is kinda silly, with Vodafone, Rogers, and others all coming out with Windows Mobile 6-equipped versions of the 750 (and in some cases, official upgrades for older units) well before Palm decided to get its butt in gear and update the unbranded peeps. We've said it before, and we'll wearily say it again: we have to believe this means the AT&T update is coming any freakin' second now.[Via MoDaCo]
The T-Mobile Shadow, October 31 for $149.99
Wing who? T-Mobile today has announced the long-rumored Shadow, a Windows Mobile 6 Standard device that looks not just better than its Wing stablemate, but arguably better than just about any comparably-equipped smartphone on the market today. Besides the "slick, slider design" and a juiced version of the standard Windows Mobile 6 UI, the Shadow features a rotating jog dial front and center, 2 megapixel camera, WiFi, and a new version of T-Mobile's myFaves interface allowing users to call, email, text, or MMS the peeps in their "fave five." Like what you see? If you do, good, because it turns out this is just the first in a whole line of upcoming Shadow-branded phones for the carrier -- a line that'll be focusing on multimedia connectivity and slanting the work / life balance a little more to the "life" side than some of HTC's and T-Mobile's other smart devices (ahem, Wing, we're looking straight at you). Grab the Shadow starting this Wednesday in "sage" or "copper" for a surprisingly reasonable $149.99 on two-year contract. %Gallery-9312%
Pantech Duo gets handled, one of four new phones showing up on AT&T
So the Duo's finally starting to land in stores (as is the LG CU515, we're hearing), and Boy Genius Report has wasted precisely zero time to check it out. It sounds like everything's just fine and dandy from the initial impression -- it turns out you can't slide out both the numeric and QWERTY keyboards at the same time like you can with the dummy units, but we're not too sure why you'd want to do that anyway. Oh, and if the Duo isn't to your liking, hang tight; we're hearing that the Q9 Global has starting shipping to stores (the Samsung A737, too), so they should be showing up any day now.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
WM6 upgrade official for Samsung i600; BlackJack version imminent?
The whole Windows Mobile 6 upgrade issue for Samsung's BlackJack is a little murky at the moment seeing how the BlackJack2 just got announced (come on, you just know AT&T would love to use Windows Mobile 6 as a selling point on the new model), but we're cautiously encouraged here. The i600, the BlackJack's European cousin, has just been blessed with an official WM6 ROM -- which, coincidentally, we're hoping looks nothing like the WM5 screen shots in Samsung's promo pic. So yeah, go grab it if you're lucky enough to be on an i600; meanwhile, adventurous i607 types can keep skulking around for an unofficial upgrade until AT&T gets its act together.[Via MoDaCo]
Hands-on with the Samsung BlackJack2
So Samsung and AT&T introduced the BlackJack2 today, but it ended up being none other than Microsoft that showed the device doing its thing on the CTIA show floor. While the original BlackJack could be seen as a revolutionary device for the carrier (it was AT&T's answer to the Q, after all), its successor is clearly destined to be an evolutionary upgrade; yeah, the GPS is great, but Windows Mobile 6 and 3G are both totally mandatory in new smartphones hitting the market at this point. From our brief impression, the new keyboard seems like a key improvement over the BlackJack's testy pad, there's a larger battery in store (no more high capacity kit needed for a full day of use), and the jog wheel, glossy shell, and choice of colors all give it a softer, more consumer-friendly look. Samsung tells us we can expect it for about $150 in time for the holidays. Click on for more shots!%Gallery-8993%
Engadget Mobile checks out the Samsung BlackJack2 for AT&T
Quick: which one's the new BlackJack? If you said "the one on the left," you've been following Samsung's BlackJack2 closely enough so that you'll probably want to check out our shots of it over on Engadget Mobile. If you said "the one on the right," you clearly need us to hit you up with some knowledge -- so yeah, check out Engadget Mobile anyway. Cheers!
