Libra
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Qwest picks up HTC S720 as "Fusion"
If our brief time with the GSM variant (the S710 Vox) is any indication, Qwest subscribers should be pretty freakin' stoked about this. The regional carrier has just picked up HTC's S720 Libra, the CDMA radioed version of the manufacturer's slide-out QWERTY smartphone rocking Windows Mobile 6 Standard. The naming is a little confusing -- Qwest calls it the "Fusion HTC 5800" -- but whatever they want to call it, it's pure gold by HTC and Windows Mobile standards. The spec sheet tells of a 2 megapixel cam, A2DP, microSD expansion, and EV-DO all packed into a pleasantly compact (we know from our experiences with the Vox) shell. Grab it now for two bills on contract.[Via Phone Scoop]
Verizon preps for launch of UTS XV5800?
Is Verizon having a busy summer? We guess it depends on who you ask. For some, the time for the HTC Vox (aka UTStarcom XV5800) finally hit the hands of employees last week and the device should be available for sale sometime in August. All the stats remain the same like a Qualcomm 7500 series EV-DO Rev A chipset and a 400MHz processor. The only thing we noticed was the change for internal storage which is claimed to be 162MB, which sounds a little strange to us. Let's hope that Big Red can pull this one off in time for Labor Day. [Thanks, HTC Kid]
Telus HTC S720 in the wild
Our favorite Canadian carrier, Telus, is launching another HTC product before everyone -- this time it's the the Libra running Windows Mobile 6.0 Standard. Featuring a full numeric keypad and a slide down QWERTY keyboard, a 2 megapixel shooter, microSD expansion, and stereo Bluetooth, this device is built to please. Click on through for more pics!
A look at Verizon's busy summer
Please, we beg of you, take these dates with the proverbial grain of salt -- but according to sources, the dates draws near for what could be one of the busiest phone launching quarters for The Network ever. Word on the street is that several phones should be launching shortly including UTStarcom Libra at the end of June, the Palm Treo 755p, UTStarcom Titan, Sierra Wireless 595U USB aircard, and the Motorola Q9M (aka iPhone Killer) rounding out the month of July. A few other honorable mentions we'd like to throw in for ya: looks like the Samsung I760 might be forced to downgrade to Windows Mobile 5.0 in order to make the summer launch schedule, the Treo 800W is on track for late August and BlackBerry Pearl 8120 some time in the fourth quarter of the year. Not a bad list, eh?[Thanks, Jesse and HTC Kid]
HTC Libra clears FCC
Verizon customers, give yourselves a little pat on the back; for the moment, anyway, it's you that are the envy of the world's HTC fans. As you may recall, the Libra is essentially a Vox with the GSM radio switched out for a CDMA one -- and with it, of course, comes 3G data, a feature sorely missed in the Vox. Even better, the Libra will allegedly be software upgradeable to EV-DO Rev. A for an added boost. The slide-out QWERTY form factor is still a bit fresh and unusual for a Windows Mobile Smartphone-class device, so the jury's still out on just how hot this is going to be in Verizon's bumper crop of smart devices for 2007 -- but any way you look at it, variety is always a good thing.
Verizon UTStarcom SMT5800: Libra comes stateside in green?
We knew the UTStarcom SMT5800 was headed for the States, no doubt, but we didn't know Verizon was going to be picking it up in... nasty ass green. Seriously, what's the deal? Plus they took that hawt Hermes-style keyboard and gave it the MDA-style oval keys, not our idea of a nice changeup. Still, you'll have tetherable Rev A EV-DO, 128MB flash memory, 96MB RAM, microSD, Bluetooth 2.0, and a 2 megapixel camera. Big ups to Roc A Fella and HTC Kid on landing this, the third hot Verizon leak today.See also: Samsung i760, UTStarcom XV6800
HTC Vox (S710) smartphone revealed
Deets were slim when we first got wind of this HTC Vox phone, a purported GSM counterpart to the HTC Libra, but now The Boy Genius Report has managed to track down some more juicy details, including the first "live" pic of the phone. As rumored, the Vox -- officially titled the S710 -- goes with a messaging-friendly setup, running Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone instead of the Pocket PC featured by some of its QWERTY-sliding companions in the HTC lineup. Contrary to initial reports, the phone is supposed to feature 128MB of ROM and 64MB of RAM, and with a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g WiFi, a 2 megapixel camera and a microSD slot, the phone is by no means a total slacker on specs. Of course, the most interesting part of the device is that numeric keypad on the face of the phone, with a semi-automatic sliding QWERTY keyboard tucked behind, but at 0.7-inches thick, it looks like HTC managed to keep things relatively slim, despite the extra keys. What's still up in the air is whether or not the phone will sport 3G data -- the spec sheets list quad-band EDGE as the tops, but that tacked-on smartphone screen up above reads "UMTS operator," so at least there's hope.
HTC Vox, the GSM version of Libra?
Many fans of the form factor proposed by HTC's upcoming Libra (pictured) -- numeric keypad when closed, QWERTY when open -- probably felt a little snubbed when it seemed like CDMA customers would be the only folks lucky enough to put one in their pockets; we know we did. The latest intelligence coming off the wires suggests that we can all finally rest easy, though, with a device being called "Vox" taking the torch for the GSM side. Details are slim, but it sounds like Vox won't have the 3G capability of its EV-DO rev. A equipped Libra cousin, merely topping out with EDGE instead. HTC will apparently be positioning the Vox as a messaging-friendly phone (a la LG VX9900) rather than a full fledged PDA -- and with a meager 96MB of internal storage to its name, it shows. Look for it to drop shortly after the Libra in the first half of 2007.
HTC Libra / UTStarcom 5800 also revealed
Among the other unannounced-announced HTC devices at CTIA this fall: the HTC Libra (aka UTStarcom 5800). Details are yet scarce (so what else is new), but the super thin device will have a compacted keyboard (even by HTC's standards) with an offset space bar as well as an external numeric keypad. But wait, it gets better. EV-DO Rev. A radio. Q1 2007 launch. GSM version inbound for 07. Yeah, we know, we're pretty stoked too.
Roc A Fella shows three new Verizon Wireless WinMo devices
Roc A Fella's back, people! The word we got from a very recent Verizon Wireless timeline he sent in is that the V's releasing three new EV-DO Windows Mobile devices by year's end. The Pantech 820 (after the break) appears to have had its launch date pushed back to September 29th, but as far as we know the Smartphone will still feature a 1.3 megapixel camera with flash, miniSD slot, and Bluetooth when it hits stores. The other two devices are manufactured by UT Starcom, and are codenamed Libra and Titan, which should both run Pocket PC and have pushemail support with AKU2; the Libra is looking at a November 15th launch date, just a month before the December 15th launch of the Titan (which we don't, in fact, believe has any relation to the TyTn). Other details on the devices are kinda sketchy right now, but we're sure that they'll surface sooner than you think.
