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i-mate Ultimate 5150 in the wild
That gold sheen just oozes tri-band HSDPA in its natural environment, does it not? This here is one of i-mate's new Ultimate devices, the 5150, packing pretty much every specification we could hope for in a Windows Mobile 6 package: quad-band GSM / EDGE plus the aforementioned tri-band UMTS / HSDPA, 802.11b / g, 256MB of onboard ROM and 128MB RAM, microSD expansion, Bluetooth 2.0, FM radio, 2 megapixel camera, and VGA (yes, we said it, VGA) display atop a 533MHz XScale core. The unusual layout and style of the navigational controls could throw users a curveball, but, uh... did we mention it does tri-band HSDPA? Check out the gallery for some more champagne-hued hotness.%Gallery-1574%
i-mate JAQ4
By any measure, i-mate and one of its post-HTC era manufacturing partners, Inventec, had some explainin' to do after the debacle that was the JAQ; while packing Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition into a device of its form factor was pretty innovative for its time, the chubby dimensions and somewhat bizarre appearance left us wanting. Enter the JAQ4, which will become i-mate's first phone to launch with Windows Mobile 6 (Professional, no less) and makes good on the JAQ's indiscretions with a more understated look integrated into a black shell. Specs are pedestrian but workable, starting with a quad-band GSM / EDGE radio (no 3G here), 802.11b / g, 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM, Bluetooth 1.2, a camera of the 2.0 megapixel variety, and a 2.8 inch QVGA touchscreen. Follow the gallery link for some shots of the JAQ4 doing its thing, including some alongside i-mate's Ultimate 5150, which is also being announced today. Oh, and don't worry about the blasphemous presence of Windows Mobile 5 on the phone -- we've been assured that it'll be hitting with 6. i-mate JAQ4
OQO Model 02 goes HSDPA at 3GSM
The UMPC that brought the sexy back, the OQO Model 02, is being shown in Barcelona with HSDPA, according to OQO. That doesn't mean much without a corresponding carrier announcement, being that all they had to do was take out the Sprint or Verizon EV-DO module, and throw in dual or tri-band HSDPA, but it's safe to say this is a precursor to embedded Cingular 3G stateside.
RIM's BlackBerry 8800 launched
If you weren't paying attention these last few months, RIM has been working on a new full-QWERTY BlackBerry, which is finally here: the 8800. Expect the 0.55-inch thick device on Cingular, er, AT&T, this month with quad-band EDGE (blah), a QVGA display, GPS, a microSD slot, Bluetooth 2.0, scroll ball, and a relatively uncomfortable looking keyboard. Still no word on price or an exact date, but we're sure you've got a pretty decent ballpark in your head for what this thing's going to run.P.S. -What the hell is up with the WiFi indicator on screen? The press release and BlackBerry site certainly make no mention of it.[Via Mobile Burn]
HP iPAQ 510 Voice Messenger
It looks like HP's taking another shot at the Smartphone market -- a market it's only halfheartedly attempted to breach in the past -- with the new iPAQ 510 Voice Messenger. The candybar (which, in our humblest of opinions, bears an uncanny resemblance to the Nokia N70) will run Windows Mobile 6 Standard and top out with quadband GSM / EDGE, though the inclusion of 802.11b / g spices things up a bit on the data side and throws the possiblity of VoIP into the mix. A quick glance at the spec sheet shows a 220 x 176 display, 128MB ROM and 64MB RAM, microSD expansion, Bluetooth 1.2, and a lowly 200MHz OMAP850 to keep everything humming along without killing battery juice. See the latest iPAQ minus the glitz and glamor of the press photography in the gallery! HP iPAQ 510 Voice Messenger
More shots of Samsung's i760
We came by a few "wild" shots of Samsung's i760 -- it's finally powered on and we can finally confirm it's running Windows Mobile 6 Professional. Unfortunately, it looks like they've yet to fix that godawful frontal-key layout (call and end on the sides? no Windows and ok button? are you kidding?). Judge for yourself in the photos, friends. Coming soon to a Verizon-covered neighborhood near you. Gallery: Samsung's i760 runs Windows Mobile 6
LG has two Windows Mobile 6 devices slated, one similar to the Prada
We don't have much information yet, but as you may have noticed, LG is now on Microsoft's official list for Windows Mobile licensees. We have it on authority that they've got two devices planned, one of which being a Windows Mobile take on their KE850 Prada Phone. Being that Microsoft mandates Windows Mobile devices require a certain minimum of hard buttons to operate, LG is working on a specially tweaked WM6 Pro interface to make their device actually usable without all those cluttering buttons. The other device LG's working on, as we understand, is something a little more Chocolate-like. More, of course, as we get it.
Windows Mobile 6 out, supports new resolutions too
Yeah, we know it was unofficially officially announced earlier this week, but Microsoft's release finally hit the wires about Windows Mobile getting pushed out the door (for 3GSM). It's pretty much everything we already knew about the OS, but now more info about the devices and who's getting what. But before we hit that, we also got some interesting information about additional screen resolutions: yes, WVGA (800 x 480) is now supported, as well as 320 x 320 -- you know who's been asking for that res. Now, a few more bits on where 6 is headed: T-Mobile is indeed putting it on the Dash ("in the coming months"), still no word on the MDA Orange's SPV E650 (HTC) AT&T, Chunghwa, Sprint, Telefónica, and Verizon Dopod, HP, LG (more on that in a few), Moto, Palm, Samsung, SoftBank, Toshiba, and Vodafone Probably a lot more, too.
Omnifone to be the first with 3G subscription music downloads?
Apparently a London firm that goes by the name of Omnifone is working with Vodafone and 3 to support what could be among the first 3G-based over-the-air subscription music download services. Apparently the biggest of all record labels, Universal, is on board (we wonder how much cash they had to bribe, er, subsidy them with) for Omnifone's sub-£10 per month service, but we've still got questions that need be answered, like: is this PlaysForSure? Can you move tracks to your PC? Can you move PC tracks to your phone? Hopefully we'll find out at 3GSM this week, so watch out.[Thanks, John]
Toshiba's G900 QWERTY HSDPA TyTn killer
Looks like Toshiba's bringing the pain to HTC's TyTn with their new G900, a new 3GSM-bound Windows Mobile device that is sure to raise a few eyebrows. Besides the familiar looking face, this Windows Mobile 6 Professional phone will have an insanely high resolution 3-inch WVGA (800 x 480) display (wait, WinMo supports WVGA?), biometric scanner, 64MB internal memory, miniSD slot, tri-band HSDPA, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, USB, video calling, and supposedly also have USB On-The-Go. No more word than that just yet (we just came by early pics from the show floor on the internets) but it's only a few hours until 3GSM gets underway in Barcelona, so we're sure to hear more then.[Thanks, George]
Wisair and Nokia showing off WUSB in phones at 3GSM
Despite the WiFi, IR, Bluetooth and USB connections we already have to our phone, not to mention 3G or 2.5G in-phone connections to the internets, it always seems a bit of a chore to pull the pictures off our camphone. So what do we need? Another connection of course! Wisair and Nokia are teaming up to show off WUSB at 3GSM, with a Wisair 542 chip embedded in a Nokia Nseries cameraphone to send images and video to a laptop. We're guessing Nokia isn't about to get into the business of retrofitting its phones with new radios, so perhaps Nokia is planning some new models before too long with the chip built-in, or perhaps Wisair will at least have some ready-to-go products of the WUSB variety -- we're getting a little tired of all this talk and no action.[Via Everything USB]
Nokia's E90 set for 3GSM release next week?
With the 3GSM World Congress just about to kick off next week in Barcelona, Nokia's machine is somehow allowing the beans to spill on the newest Nokia Communicator, dubbed the E90 (unofficially). This new Communicator will most likely be released next week and we'll be sure to see all the nasty info then. Until then, a lucky soul was granted a pass to play with the E90 recently and used these words to describe the experience: beautiful, short and thin, squarish, solid hinges, S60 third edition, HSDPA / EDGE / WiFi and black plastic. If that's not enough to whet your whistle, get over to the forum post at mobile-review.com and read all the excruciating details, minus any official photos for now. We're trying to score some nicer high-res pics of this thing -- anyone have any? To the right is the older 9500 -- which looks positively ancient.[Thanks, EC]
ACCESS to partake in 3GSM festivities
It's perfectly understandable if you're still grieving after yesterday's news dashed any hopes of Palm OS ever resurrecting itself, but your new leader has just announced that it'll be showing its stuff at the 3GSM World Congress next month in Barcelona, Spain. Working with the "Unleash Your Digital Life" them, it looks as if ACCESS is planning on showcasing elusive "ALP products, NetFront Browser, and the NetFront Mobile Client Suite / Media Player," all while dodging arrows from Palm OS fanboys, we're sure. Furthermore, the firm does throw in a snippet about Garnet OS along the way, but doesn't specifically mention any hardware partners that might be getting announced on the big stage. Nevertheless, at least ACCESS can't conquer Palm OS and then run for cover, as you'll be hearing a good bit more from this crowd come February 12th.[Thanks, Alan]
BlackBerry 8800 to be announced next month?
Never mind announcements, we want RIM's Pearlescent (sorry, we can't help ourselves) 8800 series in our grubby paws. Alas, we'll take what we can get, and rumors are brewing that we might see a formal announcement at 3GSM next month in Barcelona. We're a little bummed that the latest gossip has this thing shipping without a camera -- not to mention the knowledge that a 3G version is in the works -- but if this thing drops post haste on Cingular and/or T-Mobile after the announcement, we know a few folks that should be game.
Motorola Q2, EDGE Q to take center stage at 3GSM
Anyone out there still care about getting their hands on the GSM / EDGE Q pictured after the break? Anyone at all? Come on now, don't be shy. Alright, well, anyhoo, Moto's recent webcast detailing its 2007 financial outlook makes mention of just such a device, brining all that love Verizon customers have been enjoying for many moons now to GSM users -- minus the 3G radio, of course. Perhaps the more provocative announcement, though, involves the mysterious Q2 (is that pronounced Q squared?), a device whose formal introduction is promised for 3GSM next month. All we know for now is that it'll come in EV-DO and HSDPA (finally!) flavors, but if we were the betting type, we'd say that this hullabaloo probably has something to do with the "Norman" we saw a while back. Anyone holding off on BlackJack purchases until this all gets sorted out?[Thanks, Kelvin]
Telstra launches Next G mobile broadband network
While most our Australian readers will no doubt know about this already, those that don't follow mobile developments from down under as closely should still be interested to know that Telstra flipped the switch on its Next G mobile broadband network on Friday, covering a full 98% of Australia in speedy HSDPA goodness. Coming in at a cost of $1 billion Australian dollars (just under three-quarters of a billion US), Next G looks to be the world's geographically largest national 3G network and, according to Telstra, is up to five times faster than other 3G networks, with download speeds averaging between 550Kbps and 1.5Mbps and peak network speeds reaching up to 3.6Mbps, further increasing to 14.4Mbps early next year. Telstra's also putting all that speed to use right off the bat, offering 12 FOXTEL channels exclusive to Next G handsets, as well as access to Telstra's BigPond service, which'll give users news, entertainment, and other exclusive content, including Warner Bros. movies and BBC television programs.
