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Flip MinoHD goes premium, we go hands-on
Flip Video just launched a new "premium" take on the MinoHD -- it's fundamentally the same as the existing MinoHD, but with 8GB of storage, a bigger two-inch screen and an HDMI port, all wrapped up in either a sleek aluminum shell or a personalized design from the Flip website. The 8GB of flash means the MinoHD can now record up to two hours of 720p video, and while there's still no image stabilizer, it's not like that's stopped anyone from loving the MinoHD before. There's also a new version of the FlipShare software, which features an automatic Magic Movie mode that'll trim and edit before shooting your video to Facebook, YouTube and MySpace. We're sure the kids will love it, but we'd rather do things the old-fashioned way. The new premium model will sell for $229, while the original MinoHD remains on sale for $199 and the old-school Mino hangs back at $149. After some time playing around with one, we'd say you're well-justified in dropping the extra $30 here -- the newer case and screen are quite nice, and HDMI-out is nothing to sneeze at. It's still the same MinoHD as far as image quality goes, however, so don't walk into this one expecting any surprises -- and no fancy al-yoo-min-ium case will quell the need for a proper stabilizer in these things. Video after the break! %Gallery-75477% %Gallery-75482%
T-Mobile Tap and Nokia 3711 are carrier's new low-end maestros
T-Mobile is rolling in with a couple new 3G-enabled devices for the holidays that manage to keep costs under control -- at least they should, though prices haven't yet been announced. First up, the Tap -- as its name suggests -- is a touchscreen phone that looks a bit like a dumbed-down HTC Touch of old; it's got a 2 megapixel cam with video capture, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, and availability in "berry" and midnight blue. Next, the 3711 fold from Nokia has a concealed (read: fashion-friendly) external display, GPS with Nokia Maps built-in, 2 megapixel camera, and a "sable" finish. This one should be on shelves "in the coming weeks," but the Tap's merely "anticipated" for availability later this year, so we'll see how that plays out.
Flip Video remote control shows up at FCC -- bigger things to come?
A brand spanking new filing with the FCC shows a Flip Video-branded RF remote control, produced by Foxconn, which frankly raises more questions than it answers. Looking at its robust size, which is comparable to that of the Flip Ultra Video HD, we can be pretty sure this isn't meant to remotely control anything that's out at the moment. Head honcho Jonathan Kaplan has already expressed a definite interest in expanding the brand, and Cisco's acquisition of Pure Digital was said to be "key" to its strategy of expanding its presence in the "media-enabled home." So, given the parent company's somewhat unsuccessful history of building media hubs, and the simplified control scheme that just screams for an on-screen menu, this may well be the prelude to a new Flip-branded whole-home DVR setup, an idea that Cisco discussed over the summer. Or it could be something entirely different -- we just know it's something. See more pictures after the break.
Nokia 6350 comes to AT&T October 4
Wouldn't it have been amazing if Nokia had managed to drop S60 on a brand-new flip for AT&T and push it out the door for just $29.99 on contract? Yes, well, that's not what's going on here -- but if you're looking for a basic featurephone with a distinctly Finnish accent, the 6350 might be right up your alley. The phone still manages to pack HSDPA, a 2 megapixel camera, and dedicated music controls without breaking the bank -- and thanks to the 3G radio, it'll work with that newfangled 3G Microcell if you find yourself needing it. It'll be available in your choice of red and graphite (Nokia calls them "seasonal shades") starting this Sunday.
Verizon adds Motorola Barrage today, Nokia Shade next week
There's a certain joy, an undeniable stress release associated with heaving your phone directly at a wall. Of course, your average handset isn't likely to respond favorable to that kind of maneuver, so you might want to pick up something that makes boastful claims about its ability to stand up to shock, vibration, and all the other ails of an abusive relationship with its owner -- something like the Motorola Barrage, for instance. The Barrage is a mil-spec 810F that can tolerate submersion in a meter of water for half an hour, dust, baking in the sun, and everything in between, giving Casio's place at the top of the rugged food chain on Verizon a run for its money. It's got external music controls, a 2 megapixel camera, and support for VZ Navigator, launching today for $129.99 on contract -- or if you prefer to skip on the camera, you can look for a blind version to hit on the 21st of the month. Separately, Verizon is trotting out yet another member of its heavily-renewed partnership with Nokia, though this one isn't nearly as odd as the Twist. The 2705 Shade is your basic, run-of-the-mill clamshell with a 1.3 megapixel cam and swappable covers that's ready to do battle in the very lowest shelves of the store thanks to a $29.99 on-contract price -- though it'll take a while to get to those shelves since it's an online exclusive for the time being starting October 6. Read - Motorola Barrage Read - Nokia Shade
Pantech Crystal's dazzling cover distracts us from its lame specs
Pantech's Korea-only SKY brand has launched a new flip that it's very overtly targeting at a female audience, the IM-S500K Crystal -- and as the name implies, it's a visual feast. The major differentiating "feature" here is a diamond patterned shiny plate up front with concealed lights and icons that seemingly illuminate at random (though are probably configurable enough to make sense to the user, just not those of us looking at a couple pictures from halfway around the globe). It's available in no fewer than four colors and features a 2.4-inch QVGA display, FM radio reception, a 2 megapixel camera, and a document viewer -- not the most Earth-shattering spec sheet we'd ever seen, but then again, can you really put a price on a shiny diamond pattern with LEDs underneath?
Motorola Barrage for Verizon sounds aggressive, has specs to match
Casio has a pretty tight lock on Verizon's market for ruggedized gear, but they don't own it outright -- Motorola's got the V750 in the mix, too, though it's a little stale at this point (it launched last July, which amounts to an eternity in phone years). That might just be where this puppy comes into play: meet the "Barrage," a phone that both sounds and looks like it's gearing up to kick ass and take names. Verizon boasts in the launch pack that you don't have to "be afraid of getting dirty" when you're carrying the Barrage thanks to its mil-spec 810F compliance -- and you don't have to be afraid of getting wet, either, since 810F covers submersion in a meter of water for up to a half-hour without ill effect. If EV-DO, a 2 megapixel camera, external music controls, and GPS all sound good to you -- and you can tolerate a meager QCIF display -- it looks like you'll be able to score the Barrage online on the first of next month, while in-store availability follows on come November 16.
Sony Ericsson TM717 becomes Equinox on T-Mobile, launching next month?
Are you a "connected socializer" or a "sharing optimizer" who's "motivated by the combination of affordability, style, and high-end features"? If so, good news: T-Mobile's directly targeting you with the release of its Sony Ericsson Equinox, a tweaked version of the T707 that we've seen in the FCC as the TM717 not long ago. Big features on this one include a 3.2 megapixel cam, a trick multi-colored pulsating light up front that can be assigned to individual contacts, and support for gesture controls, but don't get too excited just yet -- you'll have to wait until October 28 to enjoy this lovely little gem, it seems.
Motorola Entice comes to Verizon, available today
When we say "Motorola" and "Verizon" in close proximity to one another, you hope that it's got something to do with the Sholes (and we can't blame you), but alas, the next Moto to hit Big Red won't be running Android. The W766 Entice clamshell is a solidly midrange featurephone with a 2 megapixel cam, EV-DO, microSD support up to 8GB, touch-sensitive external controls, Bluetooth with A2DP, and USB 2.0 connectivity -- and at $39.99 on contract after rebate, it'll keep your wallet relatively well-padded. It's available online today and hits stores later this month.
Constellation F to be Vertu's first clamshell?
So far, Vertu's stuck to a tried-and-true candybar formula for hawking bejeweled, leather-bound handsets to the extraordinarily rich, but they may be shifting focus just a tad for their next release. mobil.cz seems to have scored a fuzzy little shot and a few specs of what's being billed as the "Constellation F" -- that's "F" as in "fold," which lines up with parent Nokia's off-kilter parlance -- with a 2.4-inch HVGA primary display, global GSM / EDGE and HSPA, 3 megapixel cam with dual LED flash, 8GB of storage, and in all likelihood, more ostrich skin finish options than any phone you've ever owned. The presence of HSPA 850 / 1900 combined with the clamshell form factor would seem to be a very material recognition on Vertu's part that it's selling a good percentage of its four- and five-figure handsets stateside -- flips are historically more popular there than in Europe -- and at $10,000 or more a pop, it shouldn't take too many to make the R&D expense worth their while.
Nokia Mural doesn't play nice with 3G, yanked from AT&T shelves
A North American Nokia with 3G that doesn't work on 3G, needs to be recalled and replaced... something about this story sounds familiar, doesn't it? Unlike the curious case of the 5800 XpressMusic, though, the Mural is a branded phone operated directly through AT&T -- so the fact that it was accidentally released without being able to connect to 3G is especially shady. It's a hardware problem which means a firmware update isn't going to magically make this particular quirk go away; replacement phones are expected next week, but if Mural owners prefer, they're welcome to come into an AT&T store and take a different device in its stead.
Sprint's Samsung M240 makes no attempt to be high-end
Tired of the flurry of Samsung announcements yet? Hmm? Of course you aren't, so here's another one to keep you fed, fat, and happy: the M240 flip is now available on Sprint. Samsungs without names are typically extraordinarily low-end, and the M240's no exception -- the company flat-out describes it as a "no nonsense device focusing on the basics" with a non-EV-DO radio, voice dialing, speakerphone, basic (and we do mean basic) web access, and support for up to 500 contacts. It runs a cool $19.99 on contract after instant discount -- in other words, roughly 10 percent of the functionality of a BlackBerry Tour for 10 percent of the price.
Samsung's gilded W910 'VVIP' has everything but the Armani logo
Phones like the W910 serve as a stark reminder that design house Giorgio Armani really isn't doing much (if any) actual work in its ongoing partnership with Sammy; just compare it to the W820, for example. Both phones have golden shells, push the boundaries of understated tastefulness, and have little in the way of unique industrial design -- yet only the W820 bears the Armani name. The W910 instead goes by the "VVIP" moniker for release on Korean carrier SKT, featuring a 2.6-inch WQVGA AMOLED primary display, HSDPA, and an FM radio for something in the range of 500,000 won (about $406). Hey Armani, if you're listening: trust us, checker patterns are the next big thing, so you might want to get in on this.
Nokia Mural announced for AT&T, coming September 6
It's really not going to move the S60 crowd much, but the Series 40-based Mural has finally been announced for AT&T following an FCC unveiling back in May. The clamshell puts an emphasis on style thanks to user-customizable multicolor cover lighting and a mirrored finish, but you've still got a reasonable dose of technology (sorta, anyway) thanks to a QVGA display, HSDPA, a 2 megapixel cam and microSD expansion up to 16GB. Look for it on the 6th for $49.99 on contract.
Nokia 2705 'Shade' lined up to replace Mirage on Verizon?
It's no Twist, but the latest Verizon-branded Nokia leak suggests that the newfound love between the two companies is showing no signs of slowing down -- good news for a carrier shunned by some manufacturers for its CDMA ways. The alleged 2705 "Shade" would replace the 2605 Mirage as its name suggests, which means that we're expecting strictly low-end specs here; that means EV-DO might not even be in the cards, so if you need anything other than a basic voice tool, you probably shouldn't bother getting all excited and marking down the days on the calendar until this thing is released. Oh, that, and also the fact that there's no guidance on when this might be released -- the Mirage arguably still has a little life left in it, so it's plausible that we might not see the Shade drop until the holidays or beyond.
Nokia 3710a, some Motorola (Morrison, perhaps?) get FCC approval for T-Mobile
For T-Mobile USA customers, the FCC slid a couple particularly interesting batches of docs into its vast library in the past week: the Nokia 3710a and a mysterious Motorola. First, the 3710a (pictured) is simply an Americanized version of the 3710 flip introduced a couple months back, offering a 3.2 megapixel cam, Series 40, and a concealed external display in addition to that all-important dose of 3G on T-Mobile's AWS band. The more interesting item, though, might be this Motorola -- as usual Moto has done a terrific job of concealing virtually all useful bits of information about this phone, but we have reason to believe that it could be the Android-powered Morrison since it's got WiFi on board in addition to 3G, Bluetooth, and the usual RF suspects. With Moto's big announcement just around the corner, we wouldn't be surprised. [Via Unwired View] Read - Motorola device Read - Nokia 3710a
Motorola W766 'Entice' ramping up for Verizon?
Seems like it was just yesterday that the W755 launched, doesn't it? Actually, no it doesn't -- it was a good fifteen months ago -- so it makes sense that Verizon would have a replacement all queued up and ready to go. The W766 has apparently graduated to the point of coolness where it's worthy of an actual name, getting the "Entice" title and featuring a 2.2-inch primary display, 2 megapixel cam, microSD support up to 8GB, and touch-sensitive music controls (just like the phone it's replacing). If you want it... well, the good news is that retailers are apparently already starting to take stock, but the bad news is that they're under strict orders to hold off on breaking 'em open until they've run out of W755s. So who's going to take one for the team and buy those up, huh?
FCC filing confirms Sony Ericsson Jalou could be the ugliest phone ever made
You'd think the FCC would have legal clearance to reject this on humanitarian grounds.
Verizon announces Escapade global flip, available tomorrow
Typically, dual-mode global handsets on carriers like Sprint and Verizon have a distinctly high-end (or at least a midrange) flair to them, but the Escapade is rolling up on this scene to ask "why is that?" Verizon's new Pantech-sourced clamshell -- which will be sold under the Verizon name alone -- lacks EV-DO, UMTS, and even EDGE data, concentrating instead on offering voice and text services in "220 destinations worldwide." It's got a 2 megapixel camera, support for voice commands, Bluetooth, and VZ Navigator, but the most compelling feature might be the price: $29.99 on contract after rebate. Look for it to launch online and in stores tomorrow.
Samsung's SCH-W830 is like a window to your soul, if your soul is a circular dot-matrix display
If you spell happiness T-W-E-L-V-E M-E-G-A-P-I-X-E-L-S, you're looking in the wrong place. Samsung's SCH-W830 -- along with its SPH-W8300 and SPH-W8350 cousins for other networks -- finds inner peace through the simplicity and beauty of a scintillating light show set around an ultra-low res display. You've only got two megapixels to work with around back, but seriously, who has time to snap pictures when you're being dazzled by a seemingly endless array of colored lights? Between that and the spring-loaded opening mechanism, this is a flip fit for the fiddler / fidgeter in all of us, and it's available now on South Korea's LGT, SKT, and KTF. [Via mobile-review]
