Alias2
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Samsung's e-ink texting Alias 2 now on sale at Verizon Wireless
Electronic ink ain't just for readers. Samsung's Alias 2 is here, making use of a cleverly segmented display to make a mighty-morphing, e-ink keypad, which you can now get thumbing at Verizon Wireless -- right on time, no less. The price with a two-year contract is $129.99, but another $50 instant discount brings it down to a tick under $80. Go get your text on.[Via PhoneArena]
Video: Samsung's Alias 2 dynamic E-Ink keypad in action
JenJen, a forum jockey over at HowardForums, was lucky enough to coax a Verizon sales rep into selling her Samsung's new Alias 2 a few days early. Fortunately she did as any of us would and posted a video of her fresh out of box experience to YouTube. While this featurephone isn't much of a looker, it's nice to finally see the dynamically changing E Ink keypad in action. Check it after the break.[Thanks, Mike M.]
Samsung Alias 2 and Motorola Rival a445 appear in the wild
Got enough electronic ink yet this week? Hope not, cause here's the Samsung Alias 2 in the wild, complete with that segmented E Ink keypad. Apparently mode changes happen smoothly and quickly, so our usability fears now just boil down to feel -- those buttons do not look fun to press. We'll see when it launches on May 11. Oh, and teenyboppers on the V might want to check out the blurry pic of the Motorola Rival a445 / Rush 2 after the break -- it's not going to blow your mind, but we hear you're into the colorful QWERTY slider scene these days. You scamps.
Samsung Alias 2 launching on May 11, E Ink confirmed?
We're hearing that the Alias 2 is on track for a release in less than two weeks from now -- May 11, to be exact -- which would mean that we're just a few short days away from seeing the very first E Ink handset launch in the States. Yes, that's right, we said it -- after all the heated debate over the technology powering the Alias 2's configurable keypad, our tipster tells us that new information floating down from corporate confirms that the device is using E Ink, which would explain why it's able to maintain state even with the power off. We still think it's one awfully ugly phone, but this might be one of those all-too-frequent cases where cool tech ends up winning our hearts anyway. As for pricing, the tipster thinks it may come in at $79, which seems improbable even with deep contract discounting and a big mail-in rebate -- but if by some miracle it does end up being accurate, they're going to be selling tons of these to text-heavy geeks like ourselves. [Image via PhoneArena, thanks ehjun]
Samsung's Alias2 in live shots, still not looking awesome
Don't get us wrong, the concept of a truly dynamic keypad on a phone is awesome, and we're sure that the concept is going to be going places in the next few years -- we just don't think that a handset that looks like this is going to be the one to light the fire. Pictures of the Alias2 from Samsung have filtered in after yesterday's user manual leak, giving us a better idea of what the phone looks like; we still can't put our finger on what technology the keypad is using, but given that we've heard that it'll retain its layout with the battery out, we're starting to think that it might be segmented E Ink. Active matrix E Ink would've been ten times cooler, but we imagine it's not quite at the price point yet where it makes sense for a product in this range. Keep on keepin' on with the innovative stuff, though, guys -- just make sure it spends a little more time in the design department next time.
Verizon Alias2 leaks out, features dynamically changing button layout
Verizon's original Alias U740 dual-hinge phone may not have rocked any worlds, but it was a clever attempt to provide the best of both a QWERTY keypad and a standard clamshell number pad in a single device -- and it sounds like the Alias 2 we're seeing leaked here improves on that concept by using dynamically-changing button labels to hammer home the mode switches. It's not clear what tech is being used to switch layouts -- there are some whispers that it's an E-Ink display, since the labels apparently remain even without power -- but given this phone's expected price point, we'll say we're expecting more along the lines of one of those segmented LCDs found in cheap universal remotes. In other words, garbage. Hopefully we'll be proven wrong at CTIA, we'll let you know. Slightly bigger pic after the break.
