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VeryKool's i280 reminds us of Helio's days gone by
Remember VK Mobile? No? We can't say we blame you, so allow us to jog your memory: these were the guys that made Helio's curious Kickflip back in the day, and for a while, the company was seen as The Next Big Thing to come out of the South Korean cellphone industry before its financial collapse a couple years ago. VK stood for "VeryKool," so imagine our surprise to see a "VeryKool USA" get a new touchscreen set approved by the FCC this week. It's a relatively simple GSM / EDGE device, though it's got analog TV reception on board -- not very useful around here, seeing how that's about to disappear from the airwaves -- and the UI appears to be a direct rip of LG's pre-S-Class touchscreen design. In other words, we can't imagine a North American carrier even dreaming of picking this thing up, so we suppose VeryKool USA exists solely for the purpose of garnering FCC approval on devices bound for other markets that can roam stateside. Either way, VK, that was a nice, quick trip down memory lane for us -- thanks.
Westinghouse's 13 new SK, TX, and VK series HDTVs
We've seen firms let loose entire clans of HDTVs before, and apparently Westinghouse is aiming to be the next to direct you straight to overload. Without further ado, let's get to the VK Series. The 40-inch VK-40F530S sports a 1080p resolution, a pair of HDMI inputs and a 6.5-millisecond response time, while the 42-inch VK-42F130S / VK-42F240S shares the same resolution and response time while adding an NTSC / ATSC / Clear-QAM tuner. Rounding things up is the 47-inch VK-47F130S, which looks to sport the exactly same specs as the 42-inch siblings. For the rest of the gang, head on past the jump.
The VK160: yet another VK handset gets FCC approval
So maybe South Korea's VK Mobile isn't doing so bad after all. Despite recent financial woes, VK handsets continue to trickle through the FCC's halls -- certainly not at a Samsung-like pace, but hey, slow 'n steady is better than nothing. This here VK160 happens to be a quadband GSM device with Bluetooth, leaving us to wonder whether there might not be a plan to introduce it as a low-cost option on a US carrier. We haven't seen any VK hardware 'round here since the Kickflip, and considering how cool that thing was, we'd certainly be willing to give 'em another shot.
Bankruptcy, shmankruptcy: VK Mobile gets i230 through FCC
Hey, Helio, maybe you guys can help us out with this one: just what the heck is VK, maker of your Kickflip, doing with a new phone in the FCC's hallowed halls? Isn't the luxury of FCC approval reserved for companies with, oh, we don't know... solvency? Granted, last time we heard from these folks it sounded like they were going to be allowed to continue on their merry way in some capacity, so maybe this is all part of that grand recovery scheme. Anyhoo, what we've got here is the "verykool"-branded (verykool, VK... get it?) i230, a quadband GSM unit that we'd wager bears the candybar form factor. Other than that, details are nonexistent -- including whether any American carrier is looking to pick this thing up -- but we'll be keeping an eagle eye on the sitch.
The VK-X200: VK Mobile's swan song?
As a phone manufacturer, it could be argued that one of the first steps you'd better take to get yourself out from under the financial gun is to release some quality products. That's exactly what VK Mobile looks to be doing here -- or trying to do, anyway -- in offering the VK-X200 for Korea's SK Telecom. The smart-looking X200 clocks in at 9.9mm, slim by all but the most extreme standards, and apparently rocks a 2-megapixel cam and media player. Good luck to ya, VK; we hope this thing sells like hotcakes.
Bankrupt VK Mobile: down but not out
Would-be Kickflip owners, Helio employees, rejoice: VK's back in the ring for another round. After a July 7 scare that had the Korean manufacturer facing liquidation, a bankruptcy court has ruled that they can conveniently forget their debts and obligations, freeing up cash for things like -- oh, you know -- manufacturing of phones. It'll apparently take the court a couple months yet to decide exactly if and how VK will be allowed to continue its turnaround, a decision that will be based largely on how the defunct company fares in the interim. If they agree to cut it out with the SLVR knockoffs, we're all for a complete recovery.
VK goes belly-up
Officially, it was the discrepancy between the value of the dollar and that of the won, combined with aggressive marketing strategies of companies like Nokia and Motorola that have driven Korean battery-turned-handset maker VK into receivership, a form of bankruptcy. Personally, we believe it had something more to do with the boatload of unimpressive and stylistically unoriginal handsets (Kickflip notwithstanding) they've released since they entered the mobile phone game in 2002. Either way, they'll surely be missed; if not by us, then by SK Telecom and other investors who parted with billions of their won earlier this year in a failed attempt to keep VK afloat. Our only regret is that we won't get to pocket the 4-megapixel VK 2200, but since we don't live in South Korea, there's a good chance we never would anyway. Oh well, at least we'll always have CeBit.
