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Sidekick 3 available to current T-Mobile customers
It pays to be a T-Mobile customer: while the rest of the country will have to endure nearly two more weeks of excruciating waiting to get their hands on a Sidekick 3 (well, except for us), current Mobbers have been snatching up the new device since it became available at one minute after midnight. Agreeing to a one-year contract extension will net you an SK3 for $350, while two more years of living the Mob life will knock off $50, and a "naked" unit will set you back an even $400.[Thanks to everyone who sent this is]
Nokia E62 to drop for $299/$199 in September/October
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the E62 was namechecked in the slew of Cingular material we got today, but we also managed to land some additional information not from Boy Genius. Looks like the E62 is set to drop on Cingy on or around September/October if not earlier (we hear business accounts could get their units in June/July), and will set you back $599 $299 without a contract, or as little as $399 $199 with a two year. Still a pretty hefty cost for the castrated non-UMTS, non-WiFi verion of the E61, but it'll still be ready and willing to take on just about any push email solution under the sun, and considering what it's up against in the US market, this guy still ain't half bad.Update: our source on the prices sent us some new information, which has the E62 weighing in at $299 without a contract and $199 with a two year -- a totally compelling development which would have Cingular and Nokia taking dead aim at Verizon and Motorola's Q. Guess we'll have to wait this one out.
LG's "Agis" Black Label phone
LG continues to grow its chic "Black Label" series of phones, and a keen reader in Brazil appears to have captured one of the next devices to be graced with the name. We don't know much about this diminutive GSM candybar -- apparently codenamed "Agis" -- but frankly, we don't think it will catch many eyes when it hits the streets. Besides the rather plain appearance, the Agis will be rocking a music player and camera. We know that's not much information for you to chew on, but it's rumored to be coming in the next couple quarters, so you shouldn't have to wait long to get the full rundown.[Thanks, Henrique]Update: Our trusty readers have pointed out that the Agis looks essentially like the LG KG320, plus or minus some minor differences in the keypad. Thanks to everyone who pointed this out.
The Boy Genius Report: HTC Hermes & StarTrek, and iPAQ hw6920 coming to US
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, the Boy Genius.If this latest Boy Genius scoop is correct, then Cingular's also launching a slew of Windows Mobile phones this summer, some less surprising than others. The HP iPAQ hw6920/25 was more or less expected any time now, and should have WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, EDGE data, and MSFP / AKU2, as expected (you probably already knew the rest). The HSDPA-equipped HTC Hermes is also making its way to these shores, not exactly to the surprise of anyone at Engadget who've been expecting this phone on Cingular for quite some time -- but all the same it's pleasant knowing we'll finally wrap our mitts on a Hermes of our own some time in the September / October range. But what we weren't expecting (at least not so soon) was Cingular to launch the HTC StarTrek in August / September, which will quickly shame all you early adopters and RAZR-haters who wanted to get their hands on an import as quickly as possible. Keep an eye out for further details as we snag 'em.
Qool Labs intros pair of Pocket PC phones
Singapore's CommunicAsia expo, which ended last week, is still leaving us with little bundles of mobile joy here and there. Today we present for you Qool Labs' QDA Icon and QDA Lite, Windows Mobile 5.0 follow-ons to last year's QDA Oh!. The Icon is the more interesting of the two, rocking four honest megapixels on a CCD sensor, A2DP support, and a RAZR-like etched keypad. The Lite offers a more run-of-the-mill 2 megapixel CMOS camera and mainstream design but includes WiFi, which the Icon does not. Expect both tri-band Pocket PCs to make their way into Asian consumers' hands later this year.[Via Slashphone (Icon / Lite)]Read - Qool Labs QDA IconRead - Qool Labs QDA Lite
Hands-on with the HTC Monet (Trilogy)
Typically, we believe there are no excuses for smartphones to sport giant, unbecoming humps, but we do have at least two exceptions to the rule: in-built WiFi, and support for one mobile TV standard or another. The Monet certainly falls into the latter category, and it may fall into both since its guts are Faraday-based, and indeed, the tumor on the Monet's side is monstrous. The phone should be dropping on Virgin Mobile's UK network any time now, but meanwhile, Sogi has taken an up-close look at the Monet in Dopod trim. After going through the Babelfish wringer, the review itself doesn't mean much, but golly, the pictures sure are purty. The Monet -- as we said, basically a repackaged Faraday plus mobile TV -- packs a 2.2-inch QVGA display, MicroSD slot, and Windows Mobile 5.0. See more after the break.[Via Smartphone Thoughts]
LG's U300 flip for the 3G masses
The concept of entry-level 3G is starting to pick up a good head of steam in some parts of the world, and manufacturers are standing at the ready. LG is next to the party, dropping its stylish U300 clamshell exclusively on Hutchison's 3 network this month. Phones like the U300 aren't likely to cause a commotion in Europe where UMTS and UMTS-capable handsets are seemingly omnipresent, but golly, what we'd do to get our American paws on this: dual color displays, 1.3 megapixel camera, MicroSD slot, and A2DP support are all included in the phone's very attractive packaging. And when you consider that the U300 will likely go for a song on contract -- well, it's all we can do to contain our jealous rage.[Via T3]
Samsung prepping dual-mode WiMax handset for 2007
It looks like Samsung might be gunning to put another "world's first _____" title under their belt, announcing at CommunicAsia last week that a dual-mode WiMax / GSM handset is in the works for a H1 2007 release. The flavor of WiMax in question here is presumably 802.16e which Samsung says will presently haul 10.2Mb down to you each and every second, with a boost to roughly 40Mb/s in Q3 2007. Of course, Korea generally loves them some WiBro, but WiBro holds the promise of 802.16e compatibility so there may be no conflict of interest here. Samsung has said they expect their dual-mode phone to go on sale worldwide, so we can likely (read: hopefully) expect quad-band GSM in the box -- but whether any substantial population outside Korea will have access to an 802.16e network by 1H 2007 is another question entirely.[Via Mobile Magazine]
You can't escape: Carnival brings cellular to the open sea
Some of us take cruises to escape the crushing reality of being within reach at all times, but for everyone else, Carnival Cruise Lines has announced a partnership with Wireless Maritime Services to outfit its entire 21-ship fleet with cellular networks. WMS is a joint venture of Cingular and Maritime Telecommunications Network, but despite Cingular's affinity for GSM, the system supports both GSM and CDMA handsets and has roaming agreements in place with Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile, among several other major carriers. Staying in touch from the middle of the Atlantic ain't cheap, though: even Cingular's own customers can look forward to paying $2.49/minute for the privilege.[Via Mobiledia]
Lenovo releases the Superman i750, Phone of Steel
Much to our surprise, it looks like China will beat out US carriers on bringing a co-branded Superman phone to coincide with the upcoming release of Superman Returns. Lenovo is rolling out a special edition of its i750 candybar to mark the occasion, bundling the phone with a cornucopia of forgettable Superman-themed trinkets. Unfortunately, there's really nothing super about the phone itself -- just your average tri-band GSM piece with 220 x 176 display, 1.3 megapixel camera, and MiniSD slot, though the TV out is a bonus. If you happen to be in mainland China, you can pick up your own piece of Superman history starting the end of June for 1500 Yuan, which rings up just shy of $190 USD.[Via Mobilewhack]
Philips' S900 touchscreen candybar
Philips got busy with a Korean touchscreen candybar, or so it would appear. Their new S900 probably isn't soon going to see the light of day outside select Asian markets, but it's got handwriting recognition, a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, MiniSD, mini USB, and an unfortunate QQVGA display. Just thought you'd like to know, ok?[Via Engadget Spanish]
Cingular beefs up the low end with Nokia's 6102i
If you're looking for a virtually free clamshell on Cingular, you have an impressive selection to choose from, with entries from Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG, Pantech, Motorola, and Nokia all in the mix. They've gone ahead and re-upped that selection just a bit by replacing the aging 6102 with the 6102i, which adds Bluetooth but otherwise sounds about the same as its predecessor: you get dual color displays, VGA camera, speakerphone, and EDGE support for next to nothing on contract (we show $9.99 after rebates in the Midwest). Now, how's about adding a couple Nokias on the high end while you're at it, Cingular?[Via MobileTracker]
Samsung SGH-i858 launches with a little help from IBM
When we saw the mysterious SGH-i858 first appear courtesy of our pals at the FCC, we had nary a clue what platform the phone might be sitting atop. Since then, the GSM / EDGE slider has launched on China Mobile, and IBM Korea is ready to talk about their role in the project. It turns out the i858 rocks Linux -- not at all unusual for smartphones marketed in China -- but IBM tossed an embedded Java subsystem into the mix, which we can only hope will make for some wicked fast Spore play. They also hinted that the i858 is just the beginning of a broader collaboration between Samsung and IBM, suggesting more handsets packing IBM heat are in the pipeline.
China first to get Motorola ROKR E2
The ROKR E2, which has been fermenting in Motorola's labs for a good six months is finally ready for public consumption, it seems, and China is the lucky first country to be blessed / cursed with its presence. On sale now at GOME outlets across the country, the E2's specs (QVGA, USB 2.0, 3.5mm jack) soundly put the E1's to shame, but with the E3 already in the pipeline -- not to mention the countless music phones available now from other manufacturers -- it's anybody's guess whether savvy Chinese buyers will give a hoot.[Thanks, CoreyTheGent]
HP iPaq hw6915 ready to ship on July 4?
HP's everything-to-everyone hw6xxx series of Pocket PC phones have taken their fair share of criticism for some flaky software, sluggish performance, and bizarre 240 x 240 display resolution, but as we previously reported, the hw69xx looks to be a worthy upgrade. Besides the obvious bonuses like a faster processor and integrated WiFi, the keyboard is allegedly more usable thanks to a revised key shape and, well, it's just good to see that HP finally showed up for the Windows Mobile 5 AKU2 party. Folks that have been waiting for these bad boys to drop might want to reach for their wallets: MobilePlanet is now showing July 4 availability for the hw6915, coming in just shy of $890. Despite the decidedly patriotic release date, the first round of units will likely be European, but the quad-band GSM / EDGE has our American readers covered either way.[Thanks, Daniel]
Novatel's XU870 HSDPA ExpressCard
It's not exactly a mystery as to which US carrier would be interested in picking up an HSDPA ExpressCard, but now that we're finally starting to see these 3G devices announced (by Novatel, anyway), our appetites are whetted and we're sitting on our hands awaiting carrier announcements. Novatel's Merlin XU870, when snagged by Cingular (or T-Mobile Europe, or Vodafone, etc.) will serve as your basic tri-band HSDPA / UMTS / EDGE / GPRS device capable of 3.6mbps speeds out of the box, and future upgradeable to 7.2mbps (via software update as new HSDPA revisions roll out). In other words, please get us a few of these immediately, thanks.
Motorola launches Motomobile brand with low-enders
Looks like Moto's slipped us another couple of low end phones (and a new brand) this week at CommunicAsia, the W220 (which we've already seen), and the W210 -- the CDMA and GSM versions of the same device, so far as we can tell. Much like the W170, W208, and W375 we saw announced this week, these two should also have about two weeks of standby time and an FM radio. More interesting than the phones, however, is the new brand they're rolling out in conjunction with them: MOTOMOBILE (say, shouldn't that be MOTOMOBL?). Aimed at "connecting the next billion" -- referring, of course, to the 2 billion mark just reached by GSM phones -- we can surely expect to see hordes of cheapy, low-margin MOTOMOBL phones in the future.[Via RCR]
BlackBerry's Asian invasion continues, Taiwan next
BlackBerry launches seem to be all the rage in Asia these days. After Korean and Japanese announcements, Taiwan is next on RIM's hit list, partnering this time with Taiwan Mobile -- Taiwan's second-largest carrier -- to addict yet another nation's unsuspecting masses. Details are few and far between at this point, but look for the launch to happen sometime this summer. We're not sure which model will serve as RIM's weapon of choice here, but Taiwan Mobile is a GSM carrier, so the fresh GSM 7130 is a strong possibility.
Motorola Capri, a.k.a. the RAZR slider, previewed
The guys over at PhoneScoop have sure made the site live up to its name today: not only did they get some serious hands-on time with Motorola's upcoming RAZR slider -- codenamed Capri -- they also got to preview the next version of Moto's much-maligned Synergy UI that will show up in such models as the Canary and the SCPL. At least on paper, the Capri seems to offer a very compelling feature set that will probably attract anyone into the RAZR lifestyle- you're getting a model only slightly thicker and heavier than its clamshell counterpart, but which sports a 2.0 megapixel camera, A2DP-capable Bluetooth, and what sounds like a greatly improved user interface. Especially noteworthy in the overhauled Synergy is an address book that seems to work much more intuitively than past iterations (remember the one on the StarTAC?), allowing you to organize entries by name and search for contacts using multiple letters. Although Phone Scoop was only testing a pre-production model, they have identified some potential problems to watch out for on the final version, such as the unusually crappy quality of what should be a decent camera, and most importantly, a spring-assisted slider that's difficult to activate due to the raised antenna bulge so familiar to RAZR owners. Click on if you want to peep a few more snaps, but you're really doing yourself a disservice if you don't head over to PhoneScoop for the full gallery and a very thorough write-up...
Sidekick 3 review roundup
By the time the Bluetoothin', memory expandin' Sidekick 3 drops on T-Mobile come next month, it's our duty here at Engadget to make sure our readers practically know more about the phone than your average Danger employee. The next phase in that plan involves a barrage of reviews, presented here for your perusal. Complaints centered around the device's weak-but-common 1.3 megapixel camera, while the redesigned glossy keyboard earned mixed ratings. The critical reaction has been generally positive, with some reviewers suggesting that the third iteration of the Hiptop is the first one strong enough to serve as a dedicated phone. Read - Mobileburn Read - PC Magazine Read - LAPTOP Magazine Read - Phone Scoop
