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BlackBerry 8800 in the wild
Now that RIM's gone and whetted our appetites for fashion-conscious business phones with the Pearl, the logical next step is a full QWERTY equivalent for the SureType haters in the crowd. That model would be the 8800 -- a handset that holds onto all the modern luxuries of the aforementioned 8100, while tacking on the requisite additional keys to make it a true CrackBerry in every sense of the word. A HowardForums member has gone out on a limb to grace the world with the first live shots of the 8800 (which he actually identifies as the "8900c" -- we'll have to see if that name sticks), looking pretty much as hot as we'd expected it to. It seems like every subsequent RIM release brings the BlackBerry closer and closer to the consumer mainstream; if anything, this one looks like it might be a smidge too thick to conveniently pocket, but we'll just have to reserve final judgment until we get our paws on the beast. Cingular, T-Mobile, care to pick this one up on the double?
Nokia 8800 Sirocco Edition + diamonds = Vertu price tag
We're not sure what the story is behind this shining example of modern excess, but we think it's safe to say that taking a Nokia 8800 Sirocco Edition (not a cheap phone to begin with) and tacking on this amount of designer hardware sends the sticker into Vertu territory and beyond. This fashion slider to end all fashion sliders apparently rocks out with the usual array of diamonds, sterling silver mesh, and stingray (yes, stingray -- as in, the sea creature) leather. We don't know how to buy this, who to talk to, or what it's worth, but we can think of a few stingrays that'll thank you for spending your cash elsewhere (like say, here or here).[Thanks, Steve L.]
Brian Eno hooks up with Nokia for charity Siroccos
We bet you didn't know that this was the punchline to the question, "What's better than a Nokia 8800 Sirocco Edition?" Sho' nuff, Roxy Music's own Brian Eno (and creator of the Windows 95 "Start" sound clip -- betcha didn't know that, either) is blessing ten of the high-end Nokia sliders with his engraved signature, which will then be auctioned online with all proceeds going to the Keiskamma Aids Treatment Program and The World Land Trust. Look for the bidding action to kick off January 8 and run until February 12 at nokiacharityauction.com. (And yes, Mr. Eno composed the Sirocco's music, too.)
Nokia and Lamborghini serve up special Sirocco
One might think that a Lamborghini owner would be more the Vertu type, but alas, it's Nokia proper that's partnering with the Italian marque to produce a phone worthy (apparently) of bearing the charging bull crest. The high-end 8800 was recently reworked and re-released as the Sirocco Edition; the Lambo variant adds the aforementioned crest etched on its front, "automobili Lamborghini" and the handset's serial number on the posterior, along with the expected selection of exotic Italian wallpapers, screensavers, ringtones, and a "short documentary video by Lamborghini." No word on pricing or availability, but with only 500 in the pipeline, it might not even be worth trying to find one unless you've got a Gallardo parked in your driveway.[Thanks, James]
NVIDIA "G80" specs revealed
We saw this bugger in all its liquid-cooling glory the other day, which was impressive enough, but now NVIDIA has released the official specs for their upcoming 8800 GTX and GTS graphics cards, and we're pretty much in awe. Without further ado, the specs are as follows: the GTX measures "just under 11-inches" long, and sports a 575MHz "G80" processing core, 768MB of 900MHz GDDR3 memory, a 384-bit memory bus, for 86GB/s memory bandwidth, 128 unified shaders at 1350MHz and a 38.4 billion pixels per second theoretical fill rate. The GTS version features a "mere" 500MHz G80 core, 640MB of memory, 320-bit memory bus, for 64GB/s memory bandwidth, and 96 unified shaders, clocked at 1200MHz. The GTS edition also shaves that card length down to a more realistic 9-inches. Both cards are HDCP compliant and SLI capable, and they require 450 and 400 watt power supply units, respectively. The cards are also, of course, DirectX 10 compatible, so we should be seeing some performance gains beyond the mere horsepower gains -- which are immense in themselves. No word yet on price or exact availability, but we'd be clearing off a nice chunk of room on the credit cards for a Windows Vista Ultimate / NVIDIA 8800 combo purchase come this January, at least if you have any Windows gamer cred to maintain and/or procure.[Via AeroXperience]
BlackBerry 8800 specs leaked?
The Pearl's all well and good, but judging from the sheer amount of buzz, the full QWERTY-sporting 8800 might be the BlackBerry everyone is holding out for. New intel from BlackBerry Cool suggests that we might all have to cool our jets for a full half year before any of the handset's variants filter into stores, but at least we have a little reading material for you in the meanwhiles. The leaked spec sheet promises a landscape QVGA display, 1.3-megapixel cam with video recording capability, 64MB of ROM expandable via microSD, Bluetooth 2.0, speakerphone, and that all-important 802.11g radio. Of course, none of these details are confirmed, but everything seems in line with what we might expect -- including, sadly, the spring '07 launch window.[Thanks, Gary C.]
Boy Genius drops shots of the BlackBerry 8800!
Everybody's favorite scoopster is at it again over at Engadget Mobile. This time Boy Genius got his hands on pics for three different editions of the BlackBerry 8800, and has kindly shared them with the world. Treo killer? You decide.
The Boy Genius Report: The BlackBerry 8800
Well, now that the pearl's out and about, it's time we focused once more on RIM's utilitarian bizphone lineup -- except now the Boy Genius has gotten a hold of some pictures of the BlackBerry 8800. You guys remember the one, don't you? Probably not enough to push RIM's price above $90, but hey, it's got three different branded options. Right? Right? Click on for some more photos. Oh, and Boy Genius wants to give a shout out to Muellerlinger!
Up close with the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Edition
While Nokia's just now starting an up-market push in the States with its older 8801, it looks like the freshened model (pictured right) is starting to filter through Europe in earnest after making some cameos last month. Newly dubbed the "Sirocco Edition" but wearing the same 8800 badge, the Vertu wannabe shares most of its predecessor's characteristics: unusually excellent build quality, hardened sapphire display, and lots of hypnotically shiny metal. Unfortunately, as phoneArena found out, it carries over a number of the original's faults as well, namely uneven keypad backlighting and a crappy d-pad. Oh, and still no expansion slot, though the re-upped internal storage (now 128MB) may hold you over -- but with prices pushing an honest grand US, the real question is whether you want to fork over some serious cash for the privilege of a circa-2005 spec sheet.
The Boy Genius Report: BlackBerry 8705 / 8800
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius.So the Boy Genius has been digging deeper into all these rumors floating around about the supposed BlackBerry 8705 and 8800, and here's what we got: the BlackBerry 8705 will be a normal BlackBerry 8700 except with HAC (Hearing Aid Compatibility) and minor GSM Radio and component changes. No WiFi, nothing to email home about. We also got info on the next BlackBerry unit; the 8800 is code-named Gamma Ray (not 8200 as previously reported). The 8800 is basically the 8100 with a full QWERTY keyboard, and surprise, surprise as far as we can tell it will not have the pearl's camera. This can and might change, but as of now it will be thin, have a trackball, WiFi, microSD, and will not be released before the end of this year. The reason RIM has done away with the trackwheel on the side is because it was preventing them from making the devices thinner; they sure made 'em thinner now, but we're still not sure if that was the right move. We'll leave you with a quote from our man."RIM, I know you love how The Boy Genius has your stock above $80 per share for the first time since April. This is viral marketing at its best. Please look for all my scoops, and reviews here exclusively at Engadget."
Nokia re-ups 8800 specs with "Sirocco Edition"
Nokia's 8800 is what you might call a sit-there-and-look-pretty phone; despite its stratospheric sticker price, no one ever asked the Vertu-esque handset (or its North American cousin, the 8801) to lead the pack with its spec sheet. Nonetheless, with over a year of market availability under its belt, we wouldn't mind seeing 'er put out to pasture, and it looks like Nokia's on the same page. The 8800's successor is actually more of a mild refresh than a true replacement; in fact, they didn't even change the model number -- the 8800 "Sirocco Edition" sports a streamlined exterior with a funky-looking dent in its slide, a redesigned keyboard, and not much else. Some folks are claiming the new model will upgrade the cam from SVGA to a full 2 megapixels, which seems believable enough, but the German shop we've got here (currently) shows the same ol' 800 x 600. No word on a GSM 850-friendly 8801 Sirocco Edition in the works, but if the European price of €1099 (roughly $1400) for the 8800 were to carry over, we'd lack the wherewithal to rock it anyway.[Thanks, Gib]
Nokia's 8800 back in black
You know, we have to hand it to Nokia for keeping their luxury 8800 handset worthy since its launch over a year ago. Already available in original stainless steel, a limited Aston Martin Edition, with over-the-top gold plating, and even as a candybar-style knockoff -- she's now resurrected herself in Black stainless steel. And that £799/$1429 price tag makes this the most expensive version yet. You go old girl, you go. [Via CrowdedBrain]
