ZteMonteCarlo
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ZTE Monte Carlo arrives a month early, now available on Orange UK
Okay, we'll just come out and say it: in the hierarchy of classy names, Skate doesn't hold a candle to Monte Carlo. As the flagship of ZTE's lineup at Mobile World Congress last February, it feels much more appropriately titled with Orange UK's branding. No matter what you want to call it, however, the handset's now available on the carrier's online store -- no doubt a surprise, since we weren't expecting the phone to show up on sale for at least another month. For a device aimed at the budget-conscious, it's got some worthy specs: it's adorned with a 4.3-inch WVGA display, an 800MHz CPU, Android 2.3 and a five megapixel shooter. Will it whisk you away to a luxurious city lined with beaches and gorgeous views? No, but the phone can pull up some pretty pictures of it on Wikipedia.
ZTE Skate coasting into UK retailers... in September
Oh, now it's on. Not too long ago, we learned the ZTE Skate Monte Carlo would be "coming soon" to Orange in the UK. While the citrus-flavored network has yet to pin down an actual release date -- or price -- Clove Technology, a mobile-centric reseller based in England, is telling its customers to expect a September 19th arrival and £250 price tag (subject to change, anyway). Naturally, the announcement of an actual, honest-to-goodness Skate falls in line with ZTE's recent announcement that it would begin selling its hardware -- replete with ZTE badging -- directly to UK consumers. If you've got the gamblin' spirit and are willing to put money on Clove, the pre-order madness has already begun. So, ZTE, who's claiming the coveted "First!" dibs?
ZTE Skate dubbed 'Monte Carlo,' will be classing it up on Orange in the UK soon
Odds are that mentions of the Skate caused your mind to immediately wander to roller derbies or marine biology, but that's clearly not the sort of imagery ZTE is looking to evoke with its forthcoming smartphone. After all, the Gingerbread device does seem a step up from the company's usual offerings, and therefore deserves a far classier name -- like the Monte Carlo. The rechristened phone will be arriving shaken, not stirred on Orange -- no word on an exact date at the moment, just "soon." The Android handset has a 4.3-inch screen, an 800MHz processor, and a five megapixel camera. From the looks of the Orange page, however, the giant Android drawing appears missing from the rear of the device. So much for class.
