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UTStarcom announces CDM7075 flip phone
Nothing too exciting here, but UTStarcom just unveiled their new CDM7075 clamshell with a VGA camera. That's about all that's going on. There's a 1.8-inch 128 x 160 65k screen, a speakerphone (yay!), and a small black and white external display. The flip phone is reasonably thin at 0.9-inches thick, and the included 32MB of RAM is helpful, though the 3.5 hours of talk time seems a little weak. We're guessing based on this stellar feature set that this dual-band CDMA handset is due for a US carrier. No word on price or when we'll be seeing it on shelves.
Verizon's CDM-8945 musicphone reviewed
It's a little bit of a stretch to call the EV-DO equipped CDM-8945 from Verizon a musicphone, since it doesn't even have external music buttons, but you can use the phone's fast connection to snag songs off of the V Cast Music store at $1.99 a pop, (with a $15 monthly subscription) so we guess it counts. But even with that fast connection, PC Magazine thinks this phone is too much for too little, since the phone can range in price from $180 to $300, yet doesn't even have Bluetooth. They found the UTStarcom phone to be fairly solid, with decent reception and audio quality, but the 4.5 hour talk time wasn't so hot, and the speakerphone doesn't work when the phone is shut, making car-based conversations even more difficult. PC Mag calls the 176 x 220 color screen "thoroughly average," and the VGA camera isn't going to win any awards either. At least there is a TransFlash memory slot for storing downloads, and you can use the 2.5mm jack for a wired headset, though if you want to get music off of Windows Media Player you'll need a $30 kit with a USB cable and stereo headset
LG buys UTStarcom pal KTFT in bid for #2 in Korean handsets
It's not all quite official yet, but LG today announced a deal to acquire handset maker KTFT. A manufacturer of North American phones like the CDM-9200 in conjunction with UTStarcom, KTFT is the fifth largest handset maker in Korea, and should help number three LG regain its spot behind Samsung after losing position to Pantech who recently bought SK Teletech. Wild times indeed, though there's no word on the offering price or what will happen to current KTFT handsets like the 9945 (pictured) that UTStarcom has been showing off recently.[Phone Scoop]
Verizon's HTC Apache, the XV6700, reviewed
Those of you who already own Sprint's version of the HTC Apache, the Audiovox UT Starcomm PPC-6700, will no doubt feel a bit smug when reading how PC Mag suggests that Verizon's crippled version of this WM5 smartphone "should send power users running to Sprint." Besides its black facade, the XV6700 is mostly identical to the PPC-6700 (416MHz Intel XScale, 64MB RAM/ 128MB flash ROM, EV-DO, WiFi, Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel cam, QVGA display), but two key Verizon-specific differences should make you think twice before choosing this handset. First, unlike Sprint, Verizon does not allow the phone to utilize WiFi and cellular at the same time, meaning that you actually have to switch off the cellular radio if you're at a hotspot, and thus can't receive calls while pulling data packets. Not that you'll be pulling many of those packets in the first place -- Verizon charges more for 10MB of EV-DO usage ($25) than Sprint charges for unlimited transfers($15) -- and forget about Bluetooth DUN, because the big V doesn't offer a modem plan for this model.Update: Make sure to check out the comments for a not-condoned-by-us workaround that promises to thwart Verizon's nefarious anti-WiFi agenda.
UTStarcom CDM-7025 revealed by FCC
The kids over at phoneArena just spotted another unannounced phone in the piles of FCC docs. This time, it's a low-end UTStarcom clamshell branded with both Verizon (model CDM-7025) and Sprint PCS (CDM-7025SP) logos. The phones feature a 65K color display and partially retractable antenna with the Verizon model throwing in AMPS support for good ol' "advanced" analog backup action.
UTStarcom intros MobileCard
It sounds a heck of a lot like Willcom's W-SIM technology, but UTStarcom claims that their new MobileCard (which they've developed with Tessera) is the world's first plug-in cellphone module. A MobileCard manages to cram all of a cellphone's radios and other "essential functions" into a package that's less than 3mm thick and about the size of two SIM cards that you can pop into a "shell" with a keypad, LCD, speakers, etc. No mention of which kind of wireless technology they've managed to squeeze into one these MobileCards (GSM seems more plausible than EV-DO), but the idea here is that these things'll make it easier for manufacturers to design and produce phones since all they'll have to do is create the shell and then insert one of these modules.
Verizon launches CDM 8945, third VCast musicphone
Verizon released its third V Cast musicphone today, the CDM 8945 by UTStarcom- tunes go on a microSD card, and EV-DO provides the bandwidth for those overpriced impulse purchases. You also get a VGA camera (yawn), but a pretty solid 176 x 220 screen for all those TV clips you'll be watching. Being part of the exclusive V Cast music club (along with owners of the LG VX8100 and Samsung a950) will cost $130 with a two-year contract, along with another $30 for the "music essentials" kit, which includes PC software, sync cable and headphones, but no memory card it seems.
