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T-Mobile Dash 3G slips into availability on T-Mobile's website
Well, there wasn't exactly much mystery left around this one, but it looks like the HTC-made Dash 3G (or Maple, or S522, or Snap) has now finally rolled its way into availability on T-Mobile's website, just as expected. While its full suggested price is $349.99, T-Mobile will gladly let this one go for just $169.99 on a two-year contract, which'll of course get you a Windows Mobile 6.1-based device with a full QWERTY keyboard, and plenty of niceties like built-in WiFi, GPS, Exchange support, a 2.4-inch QVGA display, and some nifty red accents and refined touches that certainly make the original Dash look a bit dated in comparison.[Via Mobile Burn]
T-Mobile Dash 3G sits down for a photo shoot
We personally prefer having phones in our own hands -- call us crazy -- but a close second would have to be full, revealing pictorials that do a great job of breaking down every little detail. That's where MobileBurn swoops in with its 11-strong gallery of shots of T-Mobile's branded Dash 3G from a New York event this week, showing a distinct lack of Inner Circle support -- and no, T-Mobile, we hate to inform you that the inclusion of myFaves support is not an even trade. That said, we've no doubt this'll still be a decent seller for folks looking to replaces their aging gen-1 Dashes with something a little speedier when it hits retail next month.
HTC S522 gets FCC blessing with US 3G (but don't call it a Snap)
We're still not sure we understand the business justification for leaving the Snap name off the US version of the phone, but that's all good -- the dryly-named S522 just got hooked up with FCC certification on its way to a likely summer release. This means that there'll ultimately be two versions of the phone specifically with North America in mind, since T-Mobile USA's getting an AWS-equipped model as the Dash 3G. Let's be real, it's not as exciting as a Touch Pro2 launch -- but at least the S522 branding will save us from countless "oh snap" jokes (Josh, we're looking straight at you).
HTC Dash 3G for T-Mobile gets pictured
If you're longing desperately for that T-Mobile Dash replacement, you don't have that much longer to wait, because the Maple / S522 / Snap / Dash 3G (and yes, sadly, those are all pretty much synonyms) is right around the corner. All signs point to a release this summer -- and we're now seeing the phone for the very first time in T-Mobile branding, which is a good sign as far as we're concerned. We've had chances to play with the unbranded Snap in the past, and while it's definitely a great looking handset in the flesh, it doesn't typically photograph well; strangely, we're digging this fuzzy, dirty, out-of-perspective shot as-is. Something about the T-Mobile logo just does it for us, we guess?
T-Mobile rolling out visual voicemail this summer?
Newly-leaked projected training and launch dates on T-Mobile are revealing a treasure trove of goodies for the summer months, not the least of which seems to be a visual voicemail system -- a trend already validated by AT&T's and Verizon's past and future launches -- expected on July 16, though it's not clear what devices are lined up to get it. On the hardware front, we're getting some much-needed validation on dates we've already heard: we've got the Dash 3G (alias Snap, alias S522) in the mix for July 1, the 8 megapixel Sony Ericsson CS8 slider for June 24 (and its kid brother, the CS5, for July 8), and the HTC Rhodium / Touch Pro2 for July 22. We've also got a couple "hero" Samsungs listed in here, though we're fairly certain they're not Android devices -- Houdini, where are you?
HTC Snap reviewed: QWERTY keyboard, Winmo 6.1, no great shakes
We know you've been dying to get your hands all over the HTC Snap... oh, wait. You haven't? Well, neither have we -- but no matter, 'cos Smartphone Daily has a review, and they've filled us in on the luscious deets. For the uninitiated, this is a 2.4-inch, Windows Mobile 6.1, touchscreen deficient candybar, and something of a BlackBerry doppelganger (if only in the looks department), featuring WiFi and a camera. Wild, huh? Overall, the reviewer found it to be "decent" -- if you're looking for a "business device," that is. The Inner Circle feature was singled out for some praise: little more than an Inbox filter for your, erm, "inner circle," you have to wonder why a manufacturer hadn't thought of it before. On the downside, he did find the inclusion of a TAB key (where the A key belongs) to be particularly annoying. This bad boy will go on sale this summer in Europe, at which time the S522 (as it's known 'round here) should hit the shops Stateside. One more pic after the break.[Via Slash Gear]
T-Mobile-bound HTC S522 throws open FCC's oaken double doors, flexes
Well, here's one rumor that's looking destined to pan out: the S522, which we'd heard was being readied for availability on T-Mobile, just hit the FCC as the MAPL100 (that's "Maple" for short, the device's codename) bearing 3G on the AWS band. That would make it fully compatible with T-Mobile's HSPA network -- but what we still don't know is whether the device's new Inner Circle service will be stripped from the retail unit like we've been hearing. Either way, this is interesting in light of the fact that HTC has said an unbranded S522 would be made available in the States this summer, so it looks like T-Mob won't have much -- if any -- North American exclusivity on this one.
HTC Snap coming to T-Mobile sans Inner Circle?
So the juicy part of this rumor has to be the fact that T-Mobile could get a branded version of the lovely HTC Snap (or rather the US-specific S522, which doesn't carry the Snap name), a belief based on a leaked ROM rife with references to the carrier's name and logo. Of course, seeing how T-Mobile was HTC's partner on the Excalibur / Dash, it makes a lot of sense that they'd want to carry on the portrait QWERTY tradition there with an updated model, which is precisely where the S522 fits into the puzzle. This is where it gets weird, though: the ROM apparently has wiped all references to Inner Circle, HTC's software tweak that lets you selectively filter out emails from anyone not on your whitelist. Why they'd want to get rid of it is unclear since it wouldn't seem to affect carrier revenue in any way, so we're holding out hope that it'll reappear by the time the device ships -- if this rumor even ends up checking out, that is. [Via pocketnow.com]
HTC Snap hands-on
What the Snap lacks in flair, it makes up for in sheer, unadulterated function -- and having an utterly awesome keyboard certainly helps in that regard. It's easy to pass off HTC's latest portrait QWERTY handset as a bit frumpy from photographs, but trust us when we say that it's totally passable in person (some might even call it insanely attractive) -- think of it as the anti-8900, if you will. Pictured on the Snap above is the configuration screen for Inner Circle, which HTC also introduced this week. There's really not much to it -- you can add email addresses from your address book or from incoming emails, and when Inner Circle is enabled, only emails from those contacts will be visible in the Snap's unified account-agnostic inbox. It's a great idea for shutting out the electronic noise most of us experience in our day-to-day lives, and we're hoping this little feature finds its way to HTC's full WinMo lineup going forward. Follow the break for a video tour of the phone (and pay close attention, Yanks, 'cause it'll be coming your way as the S522 in the next few months).
HTC Snap snaps to life, coming to US as S522
Since the Excalibur and Cavalier, HTC's shown an unhealthy aversion for the immensely popular portrait QWERTY format -- until now, that is, with the introduction of the rumored 12mm-thick HTC Snap. The Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard smartphone features a 528MHz Qualcomm core, 256MB of ROM, 128MB of RAM, 2 megapixel camera, microSDHC expansion, and the requisite QVGA display, all paired with AGPS, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, WiFi, and HSDPA data. "What kind of HSDPA?" is the next logical question in that progression, and the answer is that you're looking at two versions of the device: one with 900 / 2100 for Europe and Asia, one with 850 / 1900 for North America (interestingly, the North American version won't be known as the Snap -- instead, it'll simply be called the S522). The new device also marks the introduction of HTC's "Inner Circle" feature, which can selectively pull emails from certain contacts to the top of your inbox -- the perfect way to ignore Terry from Accounting who's been on your case for the past three weeks about filing expense reports. Look for the Snap to launch globally this quarter, while the unlocked S522 hits "during the summer."
