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Nokia 5630 XpressMusic bows across Europe
If you've been desperately seeking a phone that could best be described as the Nokia E52's misbehaving younger brother who can't hold a job and spends most of his time in his mom's basement blaring death metal, look no further than the 5630 XpressMusic. The phone's essentially an E52 clone that's had some of its uptight bits swapped out for funkier ones (just look at that wild keyboard, for instance), emphasizing the music capabilities but toning down some of the productivity goodies like advanced profile support and integrated Nokia Messaging. Interested parties in many European locales can now latch onto a unit of their own -- take Nokia Finland's online store here, for example, where it's selling for a totally reasonable €255 (about $360). No sign of an American release at this point.[Via All About Symbian]
Nokia 6730 Classic is a Vodafone exclusive
Like this thing? We hope you don't -- or if you do, we hope you're on Vodafone, because that's the only way you're going to get it, it seems. The Nokia 6730 Classic candybar is an interesting device in that Voda intends to launch it globally across its entire wireless footprint, bringing turn-by-turn navigation and S60 to a wide audience spanning multiple continents and target demographics. It's also got a 3.2 megapixel AF cam, the usual microSD expansion, and a 2.2-inch display, all launching next month for an undisclosed (but we imagine very reasonable) price.
Verizon announces LG Glance, enV 3, and enV Touch
Three widely-expected models from LG have now gotten fully, completely, and utterly official for Verizon this morning. Starting at the bottom rung, the Glance is a low-end but surprisingly handsome candybar -- a form factor we don't frequently see from LG for Big Red -- with a 1.3 megapixel camera, a "woven metal" battery cover, and a QVGA display; it'll be available on June 5 for $49.99 on contract after rebate. Next up, the env3 replaces (you guessed it) the env2 with that now well-known landscape clamshell design featuring dual displays, dual keypads, and full QWERTY on the inside. It's got EV-DO, QVGA internal and 160 x 96 external displays, a 3 megapixel cam with video recording and flash, and visual voicemail support. It's just a smidge more expensive than the Glance, running $129.99 after rebate and it's in stores tomorrow. Finally, the big kahuna: the enV Touch succeeds the Voyager with a full touchscreen on the outside and an enV-esque QWERTY interior, rocking a 3.2 megapixel autofocus shooter, two -- yes, two -- wide VGA displays, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Touch drops in alongside the Glance come June 5 for $149.99 on contract after rebate.
Mivvy wants you to "enjoy mobile life," use two SIM cards
We'll be honest: we hadn't heard of Czech firm Mivvy before mobile-review's expose on the company's new models. We suspect most members of its European target audience haven't either -- but one thing they may be able to identify with is the Dual Touch TV's design (pictured), which combines the HTC Touch Diamond's unique prismatic battery cover with Motorola iconography (notice the "A" and "B" buttons), a genuinely puzzling numeric / nav pad layout, and words of encouragement that we should "enjoy mobile life" along the side and back. The other two new units in the company's lineup -- the Dual Nio and Dual Slider -- are more forgettable, but all three offer dual SIM support and GPRS-only data. In the case of the Dual Touch TV you've also got an analog TV tuner, which will slowly cease to do anyone any good as analog television goes dark around the world. Not the most stellar specs in the world -- but the most expensive of the three runs just $215 fully unlocked, so at least you're getting what you pay for and paying for what you get. [Via Unwired View and mobile-review]
Samsung announces 20-key SGH-t349 for T-Mobile
We saw this one coming -- and sure enough, Samsung's t349 is real, continuing the manufacturer's somewhat bizarre tradition of dropping 20-key configurations on T-Mobile. This one's yet again targeting the crowd looking for low-end, easy messaging with a 1.3 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth support, microSD expansion, and a funky silver / green color combo that the suits aren't going to dig as much as the kiddies. It doesn't do 3G, but the best part of the phone might be the easy-on-the-wallet price -- just $14.99 on contract.
Philips new Xenium X550 and X810 are, as usual, battery champions
You might remember that reasonably attractive -- but EDGE-impaired -- Xenium X800 full touchscreen phone out of Philips last year, and it looks like they've got a successor lined up nearly a year later. The X810 (pictured top) looks a whole lot fresher than the model it replaces and adds a sliding numeric keypad, EDGE (we would've preferred 3G, admittedly), and is said to feature a 3.2 megapixel camera and WQVGA display. Like all Xeniums, it takes battery performance to the extreme with a claimed one month of standby time. Moving downmarket, the X550 candybar shares some of the X810's styling cues and also features the 3.2 megapixel cam, but loses the touchscreen for a standard QVGA unit; like its big brother, it'll allegedly go for a month on a charge. It seems the X550 can be yours with a quick trip to China, while you'll find the beefier X810 hanging out in Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey. Book your flights, folks. Read - Xenium X550 Read - Xenium X810
Nokia rolls out 2720, 2730, and 7020 on the low end
Nokia has a tendency to roll out its low-end fare in big batches -- you might think of it as the polar opposite of, say, an NTT DoCoMo launch -- and the trend continues with today's announcement of the 2720, 2730, and 7020 (try saying that three times fast). The theme here is bringing internet capabilities to the very bottom-most reaches of the market, and indeed, all three devices offer email and basic web access. Starting with the 2720, you've got a super-basic clamshell with a mirrored finish that'll retail for €55 (about $74) in the third quarter. The 2730 switches over to the candybar form factor and becomes Nokia's cheapest 3G phone at just €80 (about $108) in the third quarter, while the 7020 follows in the fourth quarter with a concealed external display and 2 megapixel cam.
Samsung's C3060R sure to excite babushkas everywhere
Turns out Jitterbug hasn't quite found its way over to any of the former Soviet republics yet, but no worries -- Samsung has a plan B. Meet the C3060R, a candybar targeted squarely at the Russian senior set with huge (and we do mean huge) fonts, simplified menus and buttons, and an easy-access SOS function. Tech-wise, there's not much to write home about -- think 1.3 megapixel camera and 2.2-inch display -- but that's not really the idea here, so if you're understanding what this phone is really all about, you should be able to find it come June for about 6,000 rubles ($186). [Via Unwired View]
Nokia E52 caught bumming around
"Numeric keypad" and "industrial-strength email capabilities" may not be phrases that most folks associate with one another, but the Nokia E52 has a few things going for it: it's thin, it's sexy, it's got a battery that should last forever and a day, and hey -- let's not forget that some people can really burn rubber on T9. The recently-announced E51 successor (and E55 stablemate) has been caught doing its thing in the wild in a couple exciting colors, and we've got to say -- the phone's utterly malnourished appearance is killer, especially if your pockets are of the unstretching, unforgiving sort. Nokia's been consistently proving lately that it knows how to make world-class hardware, and we're hopeful from these early shots that the E52 won't be an exception.[Thanks, Daniel]
Nokia's E52 brings 8 hours of talk, 23 days of standby
Check it suits, Nokia just spat another E-series device into the boardroom. What the E52 lacks in looks it makes up for with battery specs: 8 hours of talk or 23 days of standby. Otherwise it's an A-GPS, WiFi, HSUPA data, and 3.2 megapixel candybar with generous support for your IT environments via built-in mobile VPN, Call Connect, and choice of corporate email options including Nokia Messaging, Exchange, and yes, Lotus Notes too for all you accountants. Ships in the second half of the year for €245, pre-subsidy and pre-tax. Get your corporate funk on with the video after the break.
Sonim's ultra-beefy XP3.20 coming to the US this summer
The launch date for a US version of Sonim's mighty XP3 toughphone has been a bit of a moving target for a while now, but it looks like we might finally have a firm date. According to Sonim's CEO, the XP3.20 -- a tweaked version of the original XP3 that features better talk time, better survivability, and 850MHz GSM for North American use -- will be launching this summer on rural US carriers, even conveniently coming packaged in a crush- and water-resistant box that you'll want to keep for... you know, things you want to keep dry and uncrushed. It likely won't be cheap, but if you're looking for something that meets the mega-rugged IP67 standard -- as opposed to the IP57 seal usually displayed by these kinds of phones -- this is your ticket to ride. No guarantees, but it might be available in an unlocked version, too, so start saving your dirty, wet, partially destroyed dollar bills.
Samsung t349 to continue 20-key tradition on T-Mobile?
Strangely, Samsung has somehow developed a bit of a niche reputation for rolling out SureType-esque 20-key devices on T-Mobile USA, going back to the t719 flip -- and more recently, the t729 slider. It's an odd claim to fame, but it's a relationship they're apparently looking to continue with the upcoming introduction of the t349 candybar if a freshly-leaked doc is to be believed. This would mark the third form factor in as many handsets for the 20-key Sammy meme on T-Mob, but don't expect any amazing specs to commemorate the occasion -- it looks like we can expect a 1.3 megapixel cam, Bluetooth, and an utter lack of 3G data, so yeah, "entry level" is an appropriate phrase here. Anyhow, Boy Genius Report has May 20 pegged for launch, so if you're looking for something between a numeric keypad and full QWERTY on your cheap texting phone -- aren't we all? -- circle that date on the calendar.
LG VX7100 Glance spied, probably not the form factor you were expecting
If you were to play an impromptu game of word association with us and we said "LG," "candybar for Verizon" probably wouldn't be your first response. Of course, that wouldn't be a legal response since it's three words, not one, but let's try to stay on task here -- the point is that you don't see a whole many LG candybars hit Big Red. Well, seeing is believing, and phoneArena now seems to have scored the first semi-decent picture of what will become the VX7100 Glance, a surprisingly okay-looking black candybar with silver accents. Rumor has it this one will be playing in the low- to midrange, which we can totally believe given its relatively low "VX" number designation and the fact that it'll lack EV-DO; other than that, though, specs are hard to come by at this point, and your guess at a release date is as good as ours. Call us easy sales, but the totally red-free menu here has us stoked already.
FCC approves Haier C300 in Virgin Mobile clothes, puts lab engineers to sleep
As far as we can tell, this totally nondescript candybar that just "rocked" the FCC as the C300 from Haier doesn't appear under the official Virgin lineup by any catchy name yet, which would put it solidly in the unreleased, unannounced category. Our normal instinct when that happens is to get excited -- maybe break out the bubbly and celebrate our fascinating find with a night of sinful debauchery -- but in this case, this thing is so positively uninspiring that we're having trouble getting fired up about the ordeal. The phone's ugly (at best) and ultra low-end -- you won't even find a camera on this one -- so we're guessing you'll find this in your local CVS for $20 or so within a few weeks, quite possibly without the fanfare of an official press release. One thing we can say for certain: this won't be a Helio-branded device, if you catch our drift.Update: Rich over at Phone Scoop points out that the C300 is CDMA800 only, which would seem to preclude it for action on Virgin Mobile USA; makes you wonder why they bothered with an FCC approval then, but who are we to question Haier's wisdom?
Tracfone intros three-pack of Samsung models
Motorola and LG fans have had no trouble getting their fix on Tracfone -- and Nokia's had its 15 minutes of fame, too -- but Samsung lovers have been out of luck until now. The GSM prepaid carrier has suddenly rolled deep with its Sammy offerings this month, brining the T101G candybar, T201G flip, and T301G slider to the table; all three are dual-band 850 / 1900 offerings, and while none of them are going to be mistaken for INNOV8s, the T301G starts to dive into some semi-modern goodies like Bluetooth, a VGA camera, and downloadable sports scores and weather data using airtime minutes. The trio range in price from $15 up to $50, though the T201G isn't listed for sale just yet. [Via Phone Scoop] Read - Samsung T101G Read - Samsung T301G
GoldVish Revolution isn't for the modest, poor
Some luxury phones manage to pull off their lot in life with a sense of understated elegance; on the opposite end of the spectrum, there's this. The GoldVish Revolution looks every bit as gaudy as its predecessors, but throws in a mechanical watch for good measure -- something that's become strangely popular in this market segment lately. All told, you're looking at some 29 carats of diamonds and a whole bunch of 18k gold, but act fast: only 9 are being made, and something tells us there are more than nine weirdos in the world willing to pay the €369,000 (about $485,500) being asked. [Via Phone Arena]
Land Rover S1 -- the phone, not the SUV -- hits the FCC
Sonim promised us Land Rover-branded handsets in 2009, and it looks like they aren't poised to disappoint. The S1 model recently hit the FCC, and to call it "rugged-looking" would be an understatement of epic proportions; we reckon this thing could probably be run over by a whole fleet of Land Rovers, in fact (though we wouldn't recommend trying such a stunt on a piece purchased with your own cash). Considering Sonim's kinda known for the whole rugged thing, that really shouldn't come as any surprise -- what might come as a surprise, though, are the price and launch date since we still don't have those. Stay tuned for that noise, and in the meantime, go hop some rocks in your $80,000 all-wheel drive luxo-yacht, aight?
Samsung flexes its muscles with a657 for AT&T
Flips not your taste? If you need a phone you can throw down a flight of stairs into a pool of muddy water without a care in the world, that's a problem, because AT&T's two headlining rugged sets -- the Rugby and the Tundra -- are both flips. Good news is that's all about to change with the introduction of the a657 from Samsung, a beefy candybar (gee, that sounds gross) with HSDPA, AT&T Navigator, microSD expansion up to 8GB, push-to-talk, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, and an integrated flashlight. Conveniently, the device is certified to meet mil spec 810F standards for moisture, shock, vibration, and all that good stuff, so you'll be able to toss this puppy around without a care in the world. It's only available through AT&T's business channel at this point, so pricing will depend on your company's agreement with 'em (oh, come on, it's not like you were going to buy this as an individual anyhow, were you?).
LG's midrange GM205, GM210, and GM310 go heavy on the music
LG's made no secret of its tie-up with the maestros over at Dolby to improve the quality of sound on the go, and the latest fruits of that partnership are coming together as the GM205, GM210, and GM310. Starting on the low end, the GM205 candybar features 2.1-channel audio, a 2 megapixel camera, and memory expansion to 2GB (seems like everything supports microSDHC these days, so this is a bit of a disappointment even in the lower market segments). Moving on up, the GM210 switches over to a slider configuration and ups the expandability to 4GB; the GM310 is the most interesting of the bunch, though, with 3G data, a 3 megapixel camera, and memory expansion all the way up to 32GB -- not to say you're going to have an easy time finding those kinds of cards at this point. The handsets feature LG's Sound Engine, which tweaks audio based on nine presets depending on the kind of music you're listening to; not particularly unique, but considering the price range we're expecting these to go for, they're packing a fair bit of audio technology. We don't have dates just yet, but look for 'em to hit in a variety of Asian and Latin American countries.
LG's GB210 makes phone calls, looks okay, promises nothing
Nah, this one won't make your eyes quite literally pop out of your head, but it'll handle the basics just fine. LG's GB210 sports a candybar frame, 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, microSD card slot, built-in FM radio, MP3 player and a 1.77-inch display that greatly assists Earthlings in making phone calls. You probably won't find this one wandering too far from its home market of Ukraine, but folks in the region shouldn't have to pay more than 950 UAH (around $118).[Via UnwiredView]
