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Mio codename “Amber” on the way with WinMo 6.5? July 2, 2009

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As HTC’s already eager to demonstrate with the Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2 and Toshiba with the TG01, Windows Mobile 6.5 should bring with it a pretty wide range of interesting compatible hardware — and we’ll admit that we’re a little intrigued by this alleged device from Mio codenamed “Amber.” All we’ve got here is a render, but it’s certainly within the realm of plausibility — it looks quite a bit like the company’s G50, after all, and we’d certainly expect them to be releasing new WinMo devices in conjunction with 6.5. Anyhow, we’re told that we can expect a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7200 series (we would’ve preferred Snapdragon-class silicon, of course), a whopping 3.61-inch WVGA display, 256MB of RAM paired with 512MB of ROM, a 5 megapixel AF primary cam, full HSPA, and an integrated FM transmitter. If it’s real, it looks like this one has the Touch Diamond2 squarely in its sights.





AT&T considering cheaper iPhone plans? May 22, 2009

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We’re getting close to WWDC, which means the Apple rumor mill is nearing redline — today it’s BusinessWeek saying AT&T’s working on cheaper iPhone data plans. It’s not clear exactly how that would play out, but the most popularly-discussed option is a $20 “limited-access” plan potentially offered alongside a cheaper iPhone to be introduced at WWDC — an option that’s almost certainly being discussed as the two companies sort out that exclusivity extension. Of course, we’re extremely curious to see what “limited access” means, given AT&T’s recent SlingPlayer debacle — cheap certainly isn’t worth it if you’re not allowed to do anything worthwhile. Phil, you have anything to say?



Motion detecting SIMSense SIM card opens new world of possibilities February 18, 2009

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File this one away in the “man, I should’ve thought of that” category. Here at Mobile World Congress, Oberthur Technologies is making a name for itself by introducing the planet’s first motion detecting and handset-independent SIM card. SIMSense, as it’s so eloquently named, could open up a whole new world of interaction with phones that don’t come with any sort of accelerometer built in. For instance, a user could simply shake their cellphone upon receiving a second call in order to send out a pre-written SMS that explains the situation. Or they could navigate phone menus by simply moving or tapping. Or, better still, they could program their handset to dial an emergency contact if it detected a sudden fall while close to the person’s body. There’s been no indication of anyone grabbing this thing and running with it, but we can’t imagine this not making it out to the commercial realm.



Gigabyte to debut GSmart S1200 WinMo phone and more at MWC February 13, 2009

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Gigabyte is understandably saving most of the details for its official announcement at Mobile World Congress, but the company has let out word that it’ll be introducing three new series of phones at the big show, which it says fall under the Multimedia, Business, and Style categories. The former of those will apparently include the MS820, which made a brief appearance last year, as well as an all new model with “higher specifications.” Gigabyte is even less specific about its new business offering, with it only saying that it’ll be “something very different to what they have before,” but it does thankfully have quite a bit to say about the GSmart S1200, which fills out the company’s style quotient. As you can see above, this one’s a touchscreen phone, and runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 with a new Gigabyte-developed interface atop it dubbed Smart Zone. At 0.43-inches, the phone is also reasonably slim, and it doesn’t look to be too underpowered with a 528MHz Qualcomm 7200A processor under the hood. More details as we get ‘em.


Keepin’ it real fake, part CLXXXII: HKC Touch clone sports Android looks at a WinMo price February 11, 2009

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The folks at “HKC” are back on the scene with the Imobile V413 handset. This Touch-esque KIRF boasts a dual WinMo 6.1 / Android OS — and we’re not entirely sure what this means. Other HKC phones have claimed compatibility with both operating systems, and we must admit that the screenshot does look pretty legit. Compared to the for real Touch, this thing appears to have some pretty OK specs, including: a 2.8-inch touchscreen, GPS, WiFi, a 2 megapixel camera and support for audio and video playback. Well played, Imobile. Your move, HTC. available for $410, or in lots of 50 for $398 each.



Nokia’s E63 NAM now on sale at Chicago flagship store February 9, 2009

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So when Nokia said “in the coming weeks” at CES, we definitely expected the North American E63 to be available in the US before now. But hey, if you’ve hung in there this long, there’s nothing sweeter than snagging a device you’ve been longing after for longer than originally anticipated. According to Symbian-Guru, the Chicago flagship location has received stock of the blue model, while the red flavor should be arriving at any moment; there’s been no direct word on stock at the New York location, but we can’t imagine the Nokia mother-ship leaving those in the Big Apple hanging. In case you’ve forgotten, $279.99 buys you a QWERTY-packin’ S60 handset, though you should be absolutely sure you’re okay without HSDPA.

  • Virgin Mobile launches Kyocera X-tc: inexpensive qwerty for all


Virgin Mobile launches Kyocera X-tc: inexpensive QWERTY for all February 6, 2009

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Virgin Mobile’s found this gem of a low-cost Kyocera set somewhere in the storehouses, dubbed it the X-tc and have started selling it. The X-tc has a slide out QWERTY keypad, 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, QVGA 262k color display, all manner of mail and messaging, all for $99 — which includes shipping and activation. Sure, Virgin mobile has the (ancient) Wild Card, and Ocean 2, but honestly, for the money and the basic good looks, we think this is a steal. So if you’re looking for a basic messaging handset and want to stick to, or provide some loved one with service, hit up Virgin Mobile to at least check it out.


GETAC’s rugged PS535F sacrifices beauty for brawn February 5, 2009

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Make no mistake — GETAC’s PS535F ain’t winning any beauty contests, but it just might survive an unplanned night out in the rain forest. The smartphone, which landed in the FCC late last year, has just popped official on the outfit’s website. For reasons unknown, the unit comes bundled with Windows Mobile 5.0, though the shell is compliant with MIL-STD 810F / IP54 standards, which means you can drop, kick and sprinkle it with liquid without worrying over its demise. There’s also a 400MHz Samsung CPU, 64MB of SDRAM, 2GB of NAND Flash, a 3.5-inch QVGA touchscreen, bluetooth 2.0+EDR, WiFi, USB connectivity, an SD card slot and a Li-ion good for eight hours of usage at “room temperature.” No telling how costly this pup will be, but those who can’t stand forking out cash each month for a new lightweight handset will probably not mind the premium.


Helio Ocean 2 Review February 3, 2009

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The original Helio Ocean burst onto the scene nearly two years ago, impressing with its dual slide design, Bluetooth, 3G, GPS and well-integrated messaging app challenging phones on both sides of the feature / smart phone line. 2009 finds the Ocean 2 once again topping the Helio line, but now facing even stronger competition. Luckily, it’s offering a lot more than an exclusive MySpace app to lure in users this time, with 2GB of internal storage, touch controls and a slew of software tweaks. Now that we’ve spent a few days comparing it to its predecessor, check after the break for some of the the highs and lows of this new handset.


Sidekick LX 2009 running Wind… er, NetBSD? February 2, 2009

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If Danger’s going to switch up its Hiptop platform strategy in the era of Microsoft ownership, you think that it might be to… oh, we don’t know, something even remotely Microsoft-related. Granted, shoehorning Windows mobile 6.1 onto a Sidekick LX sounds like a match made in hell, but at the very least, they could start with a Windows CE base and attach a bunch of Danger-specific stuff with wood glue until the end result looked familiar to users. Alas, Hiptop3 is reporting its own sources in combination with some telling open job positions and notes from Danger employees to suggest that the upcoming Sidekick LX 2009 — possibly to be known as the Sidekick Blade — will actually feature an entirely new kernel based on NetBSD. Our only guess is that this fancy little project started well before the acquisition completed, and in the interest of getting a thoroughly modern, 3G- and GPS-equipped Sidekick into the market as quickly as possible, maybe Redmond begrudgingly greenlighted the remainder of the project. Good on you, Microsoft.