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Rogers getting the LG Vu in May, too
It turns out that AT&T won't be the only network picking up the Americanized version of LG's Prada -- the blacked-out, touch-tastic Vu -- come this May; Rogers wants in on the action up north of the border, too, and they'll be keeping pace with their GSM brethren below the St. Lawrence by launching the phone in the very same time frame. We can only assume that Rogers will be launching the CU915 variant (or TU915, as it'll probably come to be known to them) since the carrier doesn't feature a MediaFLO network that would warrant the need for the CU920's additional hardware and expense. As we already know, the phone will feature a 2 megapixel camera, HSDPA, microSD expansion, and it comes as no surprise that the phone will support access to the full host of Rogers' media services. It looks like pricing will be announced closer to launch, but you might want to just start putting away the occasional dollar now, because this one ain't exactly going out the door free on contract if you catch our drift.[Via Mobile In Canada]
AT&T announces AT&T Mobile TV for May launch
They haven't revealed anything we didn't already know, but AT&T's finally come out with a semi-firm date for the launch of its MediaFLO-powered mobile TV service which will be branded simply as "AT&T Mobile TV." It'll be available to subscribers in May -- no specific date just yet -- on two exclusive handsets, the Prada-esque LG Vu and the more pedestrian Samsung Access; the Vu features an expansive touchscreen and 2 megapixel camera, while the Access makes do with a smaller landscape display and a 1.3 megapixel sensor. Both feature Bluetooth and 3G data, but the real story here is Mobile TV itself, which will come with two new channels that are exclusive to AT&T (in other words, unavailable on the other live MediaFLO service, VCAST TV from Verizon). The latest, hottest way to burn productivity on the go gets real in just a few short weeks, folks, so finish up whatever remaining work you have now.
LG Vu goodies showing up in AT&T stores
So we still don't have solid word on exactly when the MediaFLO-equipped LG CU920 Vu (and its TV-less little brother, the CU915) are going to launch, but we're figuring it's a good sign (pun totally intended) that signage is showing up in AT&T stores. Then again, it seems that the branded K850 was canceled after the promo materials were shipped, so we guess we can't stop holding our collective breath just yet.[Thanks, Kal]%Gallery-18861%
AT&T page mentions the LG Vu -- in two flavors
An eagle-eyed tipster noticed that AT&T's imminently-launching LG Vu superphone has finally made an appearance on an official page of the carrier's. A glance at the list of TTY-compatible phones lists the CU915 and CU920, seemingly confirming a rumor we've heard in various forms over the past few months -- that the Vu will be offered in two versions, one with and one without MediaFLO. The upcoming mobile TV service will only be initially launching in a fraction of the markets where AT&T offers 3G service, so it makes some sense that they'd ask LG to spin a special version of the high-end phone that could be offered elsewhere -- potentially at a slightly lower price point. We can only hope.[Thanks, Alex]
A look at AT&T's pipeline, early March 2008 edition
We've already mentioned that the LG Vu is looking solid for a late March release after being held up (or so they say, anyway) to work through a few MediaFLO issues; we've now received independent confirmation that it's true -- assuming no more issues arise, of course -- but that's not all. No, far from it, in fact. The Sony Ericsson Z750 is apparently inbound for a release within two weeks, and along with the rugged Motorola W760 "Hurricane" (pictured), that should close out AT&T's March docket.Moving on to April and beyond, the Pantech "Breeze" is expected some time next month, but don't get too excited -- it's an entry level flip that should move out the door free on contract. The Motorola Z9 slider should lackadaisically stroll into stores in late April, and finally, we've heard that the Nokia N95 has been approved by the carrier's powers that be (!!!) and should be available in the second quarter; no word on whether it's the standard N95 or the N95 8GB, though. How about an N96 with MediaFLO while you're at it, guys?[Thanks, Kal]Update: We've just heard from another tipster that the N95 in question is the original for the North American market, the N95-3. It apparently just started going through the arduous approval process last week, a testing marathon that takes roughly 400 hours -- four to six months -- to complete. By then, we'll all have 4G radios embedded directly within our brains and be living in terraformed colonies on Mars, but it was a nice thought on AT&T's part nonetheless.
LG Vu tracking for a late March release?
We knew there had to be a good explanation for the Vu's name starting to show up on AT&T's wares, and this just might be it. We're hearing rumblings that the device, one of AT&T's likely inaugural MediaFLO handsets, is apparently now set for a March 18 release into distribution channels with March 20 availability in stores. Of course, AT&T originally wanted this thing out at the beginning of this month, so we'll believe it when we're standing at the cash register with a box in our hands.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
AT&T may not have the LG Vu yet, but it has Vu accessories
We're still waiting on the Vu to make its grand entrance on account of legal and technical woes, or so we hear. We guess we can hold ourselves over for a bit by staring at those two simple letters on the packaging for this lovely mono earbud, though, and deciding to ourselves whether we prefer the "voo" or "view" pronunciation.Please hurry, AT&T. We beg you.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
A fresh round of AT&T release dates
Wouldn't it be pretty awesome to have the launch dates for, like, all of AT&T's most anticipated devices on one convenient 440 x 330 image? Well, that's not quite what we have here -- the Sony Ericsson K850 is nowhere to be found, for one -- but this is a solid start. It sounds like that SMT5700 (codename "Bulldog," how cool is that?) that we've been anticipating for nearly a year now will finally get outed on February 5 alongside the Vu. We still don't know whether AT&T's MediaFLO network will launch at the same time, and we've heard rumors that there will be a second Vu without MediaFLO support, so we could be seeing that here but we're really not sure. Despite the missing K850, Sony Ericsson's still putting up a reasonably strong showing here with a pink W580i launching this week and the 3G Z750 in grey, pink, and purple on March 11. In addition to the Vu, LG will be offering the CU720 Shine in red on January 22 and in black (ooh, that might look hot!) on February 28. Option's HSUPA data cards are now targeted for January 24, and last -- and probably least -- the Motorola V3xx outstays its welcome by making an encore appearance in "lavender" on the 22nd of this month.[Thanks, Kal]
LG Vu, AX565 quietly break cover at CES
Phone Scoop appears to have caught LG a little unprepared with a pair of handsets that haven't been officially outed, and as far as we can tell, aren't on the docket to be announced this week at CES. First up, the AX565 clamshell is allegedly Alltel-bound (and we'd tend to agree from the silkscreened label on the front and all) and features an unusual square touchpad for external music control, stereo Bluetooth, microSD expansion, and a 1.3 megapixel camera. Now, onto the moneymaker: the mighty Vu, a Prada-esque handset that should usher in AT&T's MediaFLO age when it gets around to launching in the next few months. We'll keep you posted if we get any more intel on either of these suckers.
Whirlpool's expansive centralpark system gets new upgrades
At this point it's fairly safe to say the whole concept of technology-integrated refrigerators hasn't really caught on, but certainly not because people aren't willing to drop coin on a nice new cooler. Really, it's got more to do with the fact that you simply can't upgrade anything once you've dropped that first chunk of change. Unfortunately for GE, since it was introduced last year, Whirlpool's centralpark hasn't been much more effective at tackling that problem, despite offering up a common -- but not ubiquitous or open -- interface for fridge devices. But there is that single, revealingly-named Whirlpool GD5VVAXT to connect this year's centralpark devices to, including: Ceiva digital photo frame - 8-inch display, media reader, $250, looks a bit familiar. Brandmotion iPod dock - Guess what it does! Price not yet announced. Clio Vu - Dock and display mount for your Clio NXT, running Oh yeah, you don't have a Clio NXT, because pretty much no one does. Quartet Qnote Message Center - Simple, boring glass note taker with dry-erase markers. %Gallery-12644%
The Boy Genius Report: AT&T gets Vu in January, K850i in March
Field tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, The Boy Genius.Remember way back when we caught wind that AT&T was eying Sony Ericsson's initial American 3G efforts -- the Z750 and K850 -- for release? Well, it's looking good! This slide, imploring employees to focus on "exclusives," shows us that AT&T has locked onto launching a version of the K850 as the "Ansel" (seriously?) come next March. Seems like an awfully long time to wait, but in the meantime, we can check out the MediaFLO-equipped LG Vu in January. Why must you make it so hard on us, LG -- Voyager or Vu? Decisions, decisions!
LG's Shine and Vu for AT&T: colors, dates, and FLO -- oh my!
So here's the deal for AT&T's CU720 Shine: AT&T looks to be preparing the anticipated slider (or, at least it was anticipated like a year ago) for a Black Friday launch. The silvery model will launch first, with black and red both planned for early '08. The Vu -- alias Prada, alias CU920 -- is still on track for an early '08 launch, too, though LG and AT&T are apparently pushing hard to get it rolled out in December, presumably to catch some last-minute holiday sales. MediaFLO support is confirmed in this bad boy, meaning that glorious display should see a little more action than the Cellular Video and MobiTV options AT&T subscribers have today. Oh, and are you wondering how that name's pronounced? Turns out it's "view," not "voo." Thank goodness.[Thanks, Kal-El]
Update on LG's dealings with AT&T: Shine is the Shine, Prada is the Vu?
We'd recently mentioned that LG was about take it to the limit with AT&T by pushing out two of its halo devices -- the Shine slider and Prada luxury touchphone -- over the course of the next few months. We'd also mentioned that AT&T would debut the "Vu" branding for the devices, and while we still haven't figured out whether that's pronounced "voo" or "view," we can provide a bit of an update on how that branding's gonna go down. It turns out that the Shine will hang on to the Shine name, probably a good idea considering the global appeal the name has garnered (Chocolate, anyone?), while the Prada will be christened the Vu. Thing is, we're hearing it'll come in two versions: the Vu with MediaFLO mobile TV (we're still reeling from the fact that AT&T actually made that move) and the Vu2 without. So yeah, if you only wanted AT&T to carry this thing so that you could get the Prada branding slapped on a carrier-subsidized handset, you're probably out of luck for the time being -- but regardless of what it's called, it should be an exceptionally hot device and a helluva competitor for that Voyager over there on Verizon, a phone that just happens to hail from the same manufacturer. What tangled webs we weave![Thanks, anonymous tipster]
LG Shine, Prada coming to AT&T as Vu, Vu2?
If the iPhone is AT&T's cake, its own version of the LG Prada may very well be the icing. Gizmodo has scored shots of what appears to be LG's high-end, touchable superphone running AT&T firmware that's clearly been tweaked for the better from the original KE850 (better web browser, please!). Don't expect to stuff stockings with this one, though -- despite earlier rumors that it might squeeze in by December, we're hearing that AT&T and LG are targeting a Q1 '08 release for the device, apparently called the "Vu2." If there's a Vu2, there's gotta be a Vu, right? Indeed, it turns out that AT&T's Shine will bear the moniker when it gets released. The carrier had originally targeted September for the Vu, but that obviously didn't happen; word on the street is that they're back in the labs tweaking the user interface as we speak and we haven't heard when a launch might actually go down. Both phones offer 3G, of course -- so between the Vu's nav stick and the Vu2's expansive touchscreen, we've got a couple of unique offerings on our hands here. Strong work picking these up, AT&T![Thanks, anonymous tipster]Read - LG Shine for AT&T (Vu)Read - LG Prada for AT&T (Vu2)
