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HTC Hermes launch roundup!
A spectrum of HTC's highly-anticipated Hermes variants are finally coming around in the retail pipeline, and what better way to celebrate than with a launch roundup? Regardless of your continent, odds are one or more of these flavors are available in your parts -- and if not, your friendly local import shop shouldn't have a difficult time hooking you up. As you come across other launches, do your fellow readers (and us) a favor and post 'em in the comments. Thank ye kindly![Thanks, Leigh]Read - Orange SPV M3100Read - T-Mobile Germany, UK MDA Vario IIRead - Vodafone VPA Compact III / v1605Read - HTC TyTNRead - HTC ZRead - Dopod 838ProRead - Dopod CHT9000
Skype rolls out 2.1 beta for Pocket PC
Folks patiently waiting for UMA (and some that aren't, for that matter) have just been thrown a bone to hold them over. Skype for Pocket PC 2.1 has officially hit the streets in beta form, and the feature list looks to be fairly upgrade-worthy: you get SkypeIn and voicemail support, multi-user chat, a more finger-friendly dial pad, and one-click Skype access from the Today screen. 'Course, beta is beta -- so proceed at your own risk, but the bugfix list alone makes this a worthy download for Pocket PC Phone Edition users with data aplenty.[Via CrunchGear]
AKU2 for Motorola Q is / is not available
Manufacturer posts OS update, manufacturer discovers update wasn't quite ready for prime time, manufacturer pulls update from web. Sound familiar? Moto teased us with the long-awaited AKU2 update for their Q, but pulled it from their website a scant two days later after "realizing" that it was still in beta. Needless to say, the prerelease cut's still floating around the web and shouldn't be terribly hard for hardcore Q users to get their hands on, but the faint of heart might just be better off for the real deal to drop since it wipes your device clean -- not to mention that Moto's hinting the beta does nasty things to your warranty.
Specs, rendering of HTC Artemis?
Previously, we'd mentioned three crucial details about HTC's rumored Artemis: it'd lack 3G, the d-pad would be replaced or augmented by a trackball, and GPS would be on-board. Newfound specs appear to confirm what we'd known thus far, and now we have a possible rendering of the device to fuel the fire. All the new deets seem believable enough; we'll apparently get 128MB of ROM and 64MB of RAM, quad-band GSM / EDGE, 802.11b / g, a 2-megapixel shooter, MicroSD expansion, and an FM radio when she drops sometime this quarter. A little more exciting than the Oxygen, if we do say so ourselves.[Via phoneArena]
Silly translation of HTC Oxygen review yields good pics
We imagine tenacious readers desperately seeking solid hands-on details for HTC's new low-end Smartphone could probably glean most of what they're looking for from Pocketinfo's Dutch review -- but needless to say, after reading and re-reading the first few sentences, we decided we were only in it for the eye candy. We did notice that they didn't care much for the Oxygen's keypad, something we've already suspected from prior shots. Orange will be offering the handset as the C100, but frankly, we're a little too distracted by other goodness in the HTC pipeline to pay much mind at the moment.
ASUS P525 wins FCC approval: US release possible?
We know durn well that an FCC nod means absolutely nothing for a handset's chances of stateside release, but doesn't this seem like a no-brainer for ASUS? The quad-band P525 fills a niche that no other manufacturer has in the States, offering the versatility advantage of Pocket PC Phone Edition with the usability advantage of a traditional keypad. Granted, the device lacks EDGE or any form of 3G, but built-in WiFi makes the situation (arguably) bearable. Ah well, wishful thinking; we're sure we'll this thing'll ultimately be destined for import shops at prices that leave only ASUS fanboys' mouths salivating.
E-TEN M600+ gets the review treatment
phoneArena's been recently blessed with the opportunity to put E-TEN's upgraded M600, the M600+, through its paces -- and they appear to have been left with a pretty lukewarm impression of the company's latest Pocket PC Phone Edition effort. While it's hard to argue with 256MB of internal flash and a 2-megapixel autofocus shooter (by Pocket PC standards, anyway), sound quality was apparently awful via both earphone and speakerphone, a lack of soft keys made one-handed operation tricky, and its GPRS data speeds are so 2002. The device's 400MHz Samsung core, while not necessarily anemic, wasn't breaking any speed records either; add that to the 2.5mm jack and there's not much to love here. Sorry, E-TEN -- we know the M600+ is quad-band, but we're going to have to pass. Better luck with your G500, mkay?
Beefed-up Treo 700w for Sprint on September 3?
It's been no secret that Sprint customers could expect their very own Treo 700w once Verizon's exclusivity clause ran its course, but until now, we haven't had a date on when it'd all go down. Well, things are finally starting to come into focus, and if the rumor mill's aim is true it looks like it'll drop on August 27 for business customers and September 3 for us lay folk. But here's the real scoop: folks are whispering that the device Sprint will bring to market is a souped-up 700w re-dubbed the "700wx," rocking twice the RAM (amid other tweaks). So far this is all unconfirmed, but given the 700w's paltry 32MB of the stuff, it seems like a reasonable change -- and it shouldn't take long to get this all confirmed with the rumored release date looming near.
Symbol's invincible MC70 Pocket PC phone
She may not be pretty or pocketable (and "invincible" might be going a bit far), but unlike your typical consumer-grade Windows Mobile device, Symbol's beefy MC70 is probably going to handle the occasional drop, dunk, toss, or burn. The quad-band GSM / EDGE handheld comes equipped with your choice of Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Premium or Phone Edition, 802.11a / b / g plus "comprehensive VoIP support," Class II Bluetooth 1.2, and -- being that this is a Symbol device and all -- the obligatory barcode scanner, all sitting atop a crazy fast 624MHz PXA270. Of course, we're suspecting everything-proof smartphoning doesn't come cheap, but for the accident prone among us, it does have a certain strange appeal.[Thanks, Cristian P.]
HTC Excalibur viewed from every which angle
If the Excalibur is nothing more than a figment of the smartphone community's imagination, the level of Photoshop skill required to keep us fooled continues to rise by leaps and bounds. Check this composite shot out, fr'instance -- as we mentioned before, the rumored QWERTY device from HTC will clock in 2mm thicker than the 11.5mm Samsung i320, and the side shots here (if legit) confirm that 13.5mm ain't bad at all. If this thing is piquing your interest, T-Mobile just might have your hookup before too long.[Thanks, Joe]
Weekend Windows Mobile rumor roundup
For anyone concerned that all's been quiet on the HTC front (which is a pretty tough sell, considering the Excalibur news), we've got yer scoop right here. Pocket PC Thoughts is reporting that the oft-rumored but never-materialized 4GB HTC Muse / Melody may have been euthanized. Without a clear parallel in HTC's lineup, we'd like to believe that the beast has merely been pulled back for re-engineering, but we simply don't know at this point. Now turning our attention to less somber news, Smartphone Thoughts sez that an HSDPA-ready variant of Samsung's i320 might be in the works for Cingular for Q4 2006 or early 2007. Of course, we've also heard that we can expect a UMTS / HSDPA Q around that time frame, and it seems improbable that they'd pick up two head-to-head business-oriented devices like that in the same launch window. If true, though, well... the more, the merrier.Read - HTC Muse killed?Read - Samsung i320 for Cingular?
Samsung's 8GB SGH-i310 gets FCC approval
Unless you actually work for Samsung, packin' 8GB of storage in your phone is a mighty good thing, we say; happily, the FCC agrees. Samsung's SGH-i310, perhaps the only Windows Mobile 5 smartphone with enough street cred to truly deserve the "music phone" title, looks to have won approval this week. Lending to its air of legitimacy are the true mechanical scroll wheel and relatively vast storage -- all well and good, we say, but what's really promising is the fact that the i310 rolls on all four GSM bands. Even if your carrier frowns on this kind of goodness, import with wild abandon, knowing this sucker's got you covered for spectrum no matter where you might be.
Kinpo intros Saturn SP90 Pocket PC
Their SP70 wasn't necessarily the ugliest Pocket PC phone we'd seen, but we'd seen nicer, and the spec sheet certainly wasn't anything to write home about. Enter the SP90, their latest creation. We don't know much in the way of features or specs on this one, but it's a looker -- so much so, in fact, that we might forgive it for lacking, say, A2DP or a 3+ megapixel camera. Not to say it lacks either of those, we just don't have enough information. In fact, about all we can say is that it's a GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 device on Windows Mobile 5, making an American release relatively unlikely (a la everything else Kinpo has done), so why don't you just not worry about it and move on.[Via MSMobileNews]
Sprint's earnings call reveals Motorolas; Q included
We're sure Verizon's been having a blast with their American exclusivity on the Motorola Q, but the fun and games are about to come to an end -- and another domestic carrier's Windows Mobile-loving customers have cause to celebrate. COO Len Lauer spilled the beans during Sprint's earnings call Thursday, revealing that the company is planning to pick up the honorary RAZR of smartphones (the Q, that is) sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. Speaking of RAZRs, the Moto love continues with a SLVR and RAZR (the V3m, perhaps?) coming down the pike. Between this and the announcement that their Rev. A deployment is ahead of schedule, the good news nearly outweighs the bad stemming from the "earnings" part of the earnings call -- not surprisingly, some analysts are speculating that profits fell short due to Sprint's failure to offer a RAZR thus far.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
"Destination Q" no longer a destination
Well, that was quick. Motorola's Destination Q, a "pop-up" store devoted to the Q on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, has slipped the surly bonds of this mortal plane, moving on to the great EV-DO network in the sky. Moto's calling Destination Q's run "successful," though we don't know exactly what parameters define success here -- yes, they managed to increase the Q's visibility to inescapable proportions in and around downtown Chicago, but as we found out in our visit, the store paled in comparison to Nokia's permanent location down the street. So what's next for Motorola's retail presence? They're not telling us much, but they say they're "actively evaluating and developing" the pop-up concept further; personally, we're hoping a Destination MAXX might lie in Chicago's future.[Thanks, zedwards]
ORSiO Pocket PC phone in the pipeline
If you're wondering just who or what ORSiO might be, you're not alone -- but let's not get caught up in the details. Some rather fuzzy shots of spec sheets have been leaked, and it looks like we can expect fairly typical non-3G Pocket PC Phone Edition fare: quad-band GSM plus EDGE, 2.7-inch QVGA display, 2-megapixel shooter, 192MB of internal flash plus miniSD expansion, and a beefy 524MHz XScale to keep it all humming along atop Windows Mobile 5. MSMobileNews is reporting AKU3 will be in the box, but we beg to differ -- the feature list pretty clearly indicates AKU2. (Way to get us all excited, guys.) And a little tip to our anonymous sources: 5 megapixels would do wonders for those covertly-acquired shots.
Black Diamond - Diamonds - Black = White Pearl
If your dreams have been haunted by visions of VIPN's $300,000 Black Diamond but the thought of mortgaging a cell phone wasn't really sitting too well with you, might we direct your attention to the Black Diamond's less-costly sibling, the White Pearl. At "just" $1,500, the White Pearl's price should be music to the ears of folks who are merely rich -- you get the same Jaren Goh design in white instead of black and you lose the diamonds, but the rest of the specs remain the same. Heck, you even still get the 2GB SD card bundled in the box. We weren't able to track down the White Pearl on VIPN's site, but if this all checks out, look for the nifty candybar to drop about the same time as its bejeweled counterpart in early 2007.[Via I4U News]
BenQ P50 gets a (belated) review
Suffering from one of the most excruciatingly long, drawn-out releases in smartphone history, BenQ's, uh, Treo 600-killing P50 had already fallen behind the pack by the time it made it to the masses. That being said, it's still a unique Windows Mobile device -- albeit 2003 Second Edition -- and worthy of an in-depth review, especially considering its quadband GSM capability. MobileTechReview's done the honors for us here, noting that the P50 is bundled with an array of high-quality accessories, including a screen protector (hallelujah). Build quality was found to be impressive, as was size, though anyone migrating from a Treo will find little difference there. The P50's 416MHz XScale satisfies the speed demon in us in ways most other Pocket PC phones have not, but the 128MB combined ROM and RAM is a disappointment -- a complaint the P51 happily addresses. In the end, MobileTechReview finds the P50's flaws too great to justify the cost of admission. With nothing but GPRS for data, we agree, especially with a successor waiting in the wings.
FCC just fine with HTC's Star Trek
Quick survey: who just sort of assumed that the Star Trek had been FCC approved for some time now? Yeah, us too. Turns out HTC's flipalicious WM5 Smartphone ("STAR100," as it's labeled here) passed muster not long ago, paving the way for Cingular to make good on its launch plans. So, if you picked up an imported unit in the past few months and you've been, uh, patiently awaiting FCC word to turn 'er on, consider this your seal of approval.[Via phoneArena]
Dopod prepping GPS phone
Not sure if this would be Artemis, Trinity, or another device entirely, but Dopod has announced that they intend to drop a GPS-enabled phone in the late Q3 / early Q4 time frame -- and needless to say, it's rather probable that the device will be coming from bestest buddy (and owner) HTC. No other deets seem to be available right now, but our money happens to be on Trinity, being the most well-revealed and seemingly close to market GPS-enabled phone we're aware of in HTC's stable. That being said, Dopod is a fairly exotic brand outside of Asia -- depending on your location, you might be better off looking for the Trinity under one of its other guises by the time it drops anyway.[Via the::unwired]
