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Nokia N97 sells two million units in three months, Nokla sells two dozen
Well, maybe Nokia recently announced a 66 percent yearly drop in Q2 profit. And perhaps N97 reviews have been, how we say, less than stellar. But there definitely seems to be a fan base for the handset: according to Mobile News, sales of both this guy and the 5800 XpressMusic combined to total 10 million in the last 10 months, with sales for the former adding up to a whopping two million since its launch three months ago. In fact, half of the XpressMusic sales were generated since the launch of the N97 -- certainly suggesting that the younger sibling successfully raised the company's profile and brought its fellow handset along for the ride. Does this make Nokia the "undisputed leading player in the smartphones space," as the company's chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo put it? By sheer volume of devices, perhaps -- but mindshare continues to be a problem that we're guessing they're eager to see if Maemo 5 and the N900 can solve. The CEO of Nokla could not be reached for comment.[Thanks, David D]
Motorola Morrison engineering sketches emerge, has Android written all over it
Okay, so maybe there's not literally any text penciled in on these drawings, but if you've been looking for multiple angles of Motorola's sure-to-be-forthcoming Morrison, these are about as good as it gets. Not surprisingly, the design here seems pretty conventional; for all intents and purposes, it's just a QWERTY-packin', full touchscreen slider smartphone with all the makings of a sub-$100 (on contract) Android offering. Hit the read link if you're eager for more, and go on grab another handful of patience while you're at it.
Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXVII: Rolex watchphone is, in fact, neither
The Rolex watchphone is neither a Rolex nor a watchphone -- unless your definition includes handsets with a watch face embedded on the outside (and ours doesn't). But either way, it's probably safe to say that this bad boy does not sport a precision-made Swiss timepiece. Features include a 2.6-inch display, dual SIM, an FM radio, and presumably some sort of camera. Unlike the Swiss Rolex, the Shanzhai Rolex can be yours for the low, low price of 690 yuan (that's about $101). More mouth-watering KIRFness after the break.[Via Cloned In China]
O2 Germany's TG01 handset, now with virus!
It's bad enough picking up a virus because you've made an uncharacteristic (to you at least) illegal software acquisition, but bringing one home when you're just minding your own business, trying to enjoy your legitimate and hard-earned purchase, is totally uncool. Case in point: according to Inside-Handy.de, a few unlucky customers of O2 in Germany have purchased the TG01 handset only to discover a virus present on the device. While Toshiba tries to determine the impact and the cause of the infection, O2 has halted sales of the smartphone, though there's no word on when sales will resume nor if this infection has spread to other European nations.[Via Unwired View]
Modu's next handset to sport a touchscreen?
Modu may be down, but unlike one Ricky Hatton, it ain't out. We haven't heard a whole heck of a lot from the niche handset maker since it handed out pink slips to around one-forth of its workforce, but now that things are looking a bit brighter, it seems as if innovation is back in full force. In fact, a new report on the outfit has it that its next cellphone will pack a touchscreen in order to fit the mold of today's finger-friendly array. Aside from being "iPhone like" (its words, not ours), little else is known about the forthcoming device, though we're told that development should be complete in around eight months. So, anyone wagering that R&D accelerates that just a touch to get this thing out by CES 2010?[Via Talking Mobile]
Renesas's 1080p-decoding processor coming soon to a cell phone near you
Plenty of modern cell phones have HD-quality screens on them, but few can manage any sort of high-definition video content at a respectable frame rate. That's set to change with the release of the Renesas SH7370, a chip we first got wind of back in December with its promise to offer 1080p video at 30fps in a package small (and efficient) enough to be included in a handset. The first units are now shipping to manufacturers, and while the size has increased (it's about 1cm square vs. the 6.4 x 6.5mm package previously discussed) it's still impressively small given its functionality: 1080p H.264 video decoding and encoding along with on-chip Dolby Digital 5.1-channel output. Overkill? Maybe for now, but you might change your mind when the first head-mountable satellite speakers with subwoofer seat cushions hit retail.
Best Buy Mobile to get some Pre stock on June 7th?
If this latest bit of Pre intel scored by Boy Genius Report is to be believed, it looks like you might be able to pick up one of 4,500 of Palm's latest and greatest as early as June 7. According to a tip from a supposed Best Buy insider, the venerable retailer could be gearing up to launch the hotly anticipated handset in just over a month's time, though it's not clear whether this'll coincide with Sprint's full-scale launch or come before or after. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, they've got some possible numbers on what this beauty will run you: $199.99 for new customers with a 2-year plan, $299.99 for upgrades, and a cool $999.99 contract-free -- though in our experience, Best Buy Mobile frequently has its pricing wrong ahead of launch, so these are definitely subject to change.
Samsung unveils Blue Earth, a solar-powered mobile phone
Samsung's Blue Earth handset might just be taking the green thing to a whole new extreme. Made from PCM, a recycled plastic from water bottles, the phone boast an "eco" mode for efficiently adjusting screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth usage, and an "eco walk" app / built-in pedometer to tell you how much CO2 emission you've saved by walking instead of driving. The best part? It's got a giant solar panel on the back that'll apparently charge it enough to make a phone call anytime the sun's peaking out. Of the form factor, Sammy says it "symbolizes a flat and well rounded shiny pebble" -- which we hope means it can skip puddles with the best of 'em. It'll come in recycled packaging with an energy efficient charger. What we don't know, unfortunately, is what makes this phone tick, neither OS nor hardware specs. Not a word on price yet, but UK environmentalists can look forward to this one second half of this year.
Yubz Swarovski-covered cellphone handset plunges us into a sea of despair
Sometimes we get the impression that somewhere out there is a community of ultra-wealthy individuals that live lives of unimagined excess and opulence. And when they get together to do whatever it is that they do -- think of ways to take over the world, perhaps -- they can be recognized by the fact that all of their belongings are encrusted in Swarovski crystal. From cameras to coffee makers, they live in a world of such rarefied elegance that any non-Swarovskified gadget is a blight, an eyesore. Even if you think we're a bit off base, it appears that someone at Yubz might know where we're coming from. The company is known for its plug-in handsets for cellphone users who want to kick it old school (like, "bakelite" old school). These things are usually available in cool colors like "Russian Red" and "Regal Gold" for somewhere around $45 ($75 if you want Bluetooth support). According to Chip Chick, the company has announced their newest handset line: beginning with "Lust" and working its way up through the Seven Deadly Sins, these guys will feature Bluetooth, a hell of a lot of Swarovskis, and an $1,800 price tag. Should be hitting the streets in the spring, if you can wait that long. And we've included a couple pictures of the standard device after the break, so you could see what all the fuss is about. You're welcome.
Hello Kitty lineman's handset fills a niche: Hello Kitty-lovin' linemen
What do you give the Hello Kitty fan that has everything? Oh, never mind...
The iPhone's camera jumping up in the Flickr ratings
This makes sense when you think about it, but it just seems really wild to me: in the list of Flickr's most popular cameras (compiled from the metadata attached to any photos that upload to the popular site), our favorite cell phone is climbing up the ranks. In fact, it had just recently overtaken the Canon EOS 40D digital SLR when the screenshot above was taken (though stats may have changed since then, as now it appears the iPhone never did cross that line).Obviously, it's not for reasons of quality -- the iPhone's camera doesn't compare in the least to any of the others on that list. But when you consider that the iPhone is now the US's most popular handset, and that there are so many ways to quickly and easily shoot pictures snapped there up to Flickr, it becomes pretty clear why pictures from the iPhone are so popular on the site.Unfortunately, they don't provide a timeline to these graphs, so we can't really trace the causes of that jump recently, though the App Store probably has something to do with it (doesn't it always?). Another arena where the iPhone is quickly becoming wildly popular. [via MacBytes]
Renesas aims to bring 1080p playback to your next cellphone
Believe it or not, this is far from the first we've heard of bringing high-def video to cellphones, and it's not even the first application to dabble in mobile 1080p. Still, we'll take all the innovation we can get in this space, and when the real Touch HD ever arrives, we'll be ready and waiting with Full HD capabilities. Announced at ISSCC 2009 in San Francisco, Renesas Technology is showing off an application processor that enables handsets to process 1,920 x 1,080 resolution video at 30 frames-per-second; the processor's core has a maximum operating frequency of 500MHz and supports MPEG-4 AVC / H.264, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 video formats. There's no telling when the 6.4- x 6.5-millimeter chip will be available en masse, but we need the HTCs of the world to get us a 1080p phone and a retina implant or two to read 0.2-size fonts before it even matters.
NPD reports iPhone was top US handset in Q3
There's word this morning that the NPD Group's latest research shows a surprising finish for the iPhone in the 3rd-quarter sales competition among US cellphones bought by consumers; for the first time in three years, there's a new top model. The Motorola RAZR, long the most popular handset for adult consumers, has fallen before the touchable juggernaut from Cupertino, CA. Yes, even while the overall consumer unit sales for cellphones declined 15% from the year-ago quarter (ouch!), the iPhone 3G kicked the RAZR out and took over as the #1 most popular handset sold in the US. LG also bypassed Motorola as the #1 overall vendor in consumer phone sales. Even though the RAZR is now offered as a free phone on new contracts with many carriers, those phones still count as sales for the purposes of the NPD analysis -- making the iPhone's ascendancy even more stunning. "The displacement of the RAZR by the iPhone 3G represents a watershed shift in handset design from fashion to fashionable functionality," said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for NPD (and recent TUAW talkcast guest). Four of the five best-selling handsets in the third quarter were optimized for messaging and other advanced Internet features. The top three phones (the iPhone, the RAZR, and the Blackberry Curve) address some different markets and diverse user needs -- but to have the iPhone on top, even counting in the pent-up demand for a 3G version, is pretty astonishing. Considering that Apple has ramped up from a v1 iPhone which gave up some key functionality in the interest of getting to market in a hurry, and even the 3G model lacks some popular items (copy/paste, tethering), getting to the top of the heap is an achievement worth celebrating.
Motorola to prevent secondhand AURA sales on eBay?
We'll be completely straight-up with you: we don't believe this for a second. Okay, maybe for a nanosecond, but not a full-on second. An unnamed source close to Motorola has reportedly informed Register Hardware that in order to maintain the AURA's appearance of exclusivity, buyers will be required to "sign into a contract that states they can't sell it on eBay." As if that wasn't preposterous enough, this so-called "source" also added that "if an AURA owner wants to sell their phone after they've bought it then they'll only have one option: to sell it back to the manufacturer." Even if this does miraculously prove true, we can't imagine Moto actually doing anything should someone decide to sell, and besides, there's always Yahoo! Auctions the flea market, right?
IPEVO's TR-10 speakerphone makes nice with iChat
Seems like there's a VoIP device for every temperament -- you can go supa classy, or you can try to be as bland as possible, but most of them are intended for Skype. Not IPEVO's TR-10, though; it's designed for iChat, and it does VoIP with support for four-way conferencing as both a speakerphone and a handset. If geeky rebel radio is your thing, it records podcasts in tandem with GarageBand, too -- all IPEVO asks is that you fork over $79.90 before you start living the iLife with Bruce Willis.
Microsoft reaffirms that it's steering clear of handset manufacturing
We've heard it time and time again, but the inner Zune Guy within us refuses to believe Microsoft is really shunning the chance to pump out a handset of its very own. Unfortunately, Lady Luck hasn't done us any favors since the last time this question was posed, as Scott Rockfeld, group product manager for Windows Mobile, recently confirmed that Microsoft has "no plans to build [its] own phone." He continued by adding that "right now [it's] happy to share the limelight." C'mon Scott -- where's that tenacious spirit you had that first day in Redmond? Where's the unrelenting determination to conquer the competition? Where's... oh, never mind.[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]
Hulger's PAPPA*PHONE luxury Skype handset could turn your life around
You're such a sleaze on Skype, with that janky headset you bought five years ago to play Counter-Strike making indentations in your unwashed hair. You're not impressing anyone, especially not your four cats. What you need is the Hulger PAPPA*PHONE, a hand crafted Skype handset forged from walnut, brass and pure classiness. Just $300, and we all know you spent that much of your mom's money last month on Cheetos alone. You're good for it.[Via textually.org]
Folding Plica concept phone makes our eyes widen
Mmm, touchscreens. Expansive, gorgeous touchscreens. That pretty much sums up our initial impressions after taking one hard look at James Piatt's Plica concept. As you can tell, this foldable cellie opens up to reveal a pair of touchscreens just begging to be used for web browsing, texting and photo viewing. There's also a mini-USB port and a headphone jack, though we'd certainly be interested to see how he plans on slipping a battery in there that lasts more than a hour or two. Can we get a major handset manufacturer to look in this direction -- pretty please?[Via gadgetell]
How would you change LG's Vu?
With all this hubbub floating around about the elusive 3G iPhone, let us not forget about the latest touchscreen smartphone to land at AT&T: LG's Vu. After getting official earlier this month, we were able to sit down with the Mobile TV-supporting handset and form a few opinions of our own. Here, however, we're interested in your take -- do you feel the $549.99 (or $299.99 on contract) price tag is reasonable for what you get? Are you pleased with the hardware / software? Are you feeling buyer's remorse like never before? Go on and spill it, we're all friends here.
LG aims for Android handsets by 2009
It looks like Android will have more than just its openness and pretty face to show to the world soon. According to a report from Reuters, LG has officially set a time-table for bringing a Google-powered handset to market (and obviously not the phone above). "We will bring it out late in 2008 or early 2009," said Chang Ma, the company's vice president for marketing strategy. The plan sounds shockingly close to competitor Samsung's scheme for a rollout of the Linux phone in early 2009. Clearly, companies are doing more than just putting pen to paper on the platform -- let's just hope those minor kinks get straightened out before the new year.[Via Phone Scoop]
