It was back in December of last year when we first saw Nokia (NYSE: NOK) releasing the device specially for the Chinese market – 6208c. Now, they’re going the same route with a similar, though entry level device – Nokia 3208c.
Since it’s the China-only thing at the moment (and will probably remain so), we haven’t caught the press release from their international website — you’ll have to visit their Chinese site in order to get more details about this handset. On the same note, I doubt we’ll hear anything about it at Nokia World, which is starting tomorrow in Stuttgart, Germany.
Back to the phone itself. As I said, it’s a low-end device with specs that include 2.4-inch QVGA screen, 2-megapixel camera, tri-band GSM/EDGE connectivity, Bluetooth, standard 3.5mm audio jack, music player, FM radio, 1,020 mAh battery, and a memory card slot. Size wise, the Nokia 3208c measures 108.5×48.6×13.2 mm.
Finally, in case you’re wondering, we’ve no idea how much it will cost, nor which carrier will offer it…
LG is working on the Android-based GW880 smartphone for China Mobile (NYSE: CHL). As you can see from the image above — and more bellow — it will be an all-touchscreen device that will run OPhone “version” of Android, which is specially tailored for the world’s largest mobile operator.
Specs wise, the GW880 comes with China Mobile-specific 3G radio (TD-SCDMA) as well as EDGE data support, 3.5-inch touchscreen (WVGA? – sounds too ambitious, though you never know), Bluetooth, 5-megapixel camera, 256MB of RAM coupled with 512MB of ROM. Sounds cool and I’m wondering when will LG release this baby outside of China. There’s certainly interest in Android-powered handsets, and if it really comes with an WVGA display, I would want one.
What happens when a little-known manufacturer tries their hand at creating an Android-powered handheld gaming device? You get the ODROID Android “entertainment device” from Hardkernel. You also get a handheld device that not even its mother could love – because it’s so fugly (just to be clear). On the bright side, the feature-set is decent – you get an iPhone-esque 600MHz Samsung S5PC100 ARM Cortex A8, 3.5-inch capacitance-based touchscreen (320 x 480 resolution, just like the iPhone), 720p-capable HDMI-out, composite TV-out, headphone jacks, microSD and SD card slots, and WiFi.
The ODROID Android handheld doesn’t have any sort of cellular connectivity, so you’re not going to be able to make any phone calls or pull down 3G data. But, as a gaming device, all that processing power and all those hardware buttons should make for a really smooth gaming experience. It’s just too bad the ODROID looks like it fell from the ugly tree, hitting every branch on the way down.
We dig the idea that Samsung is preparing to launch another Android-powered device called I5700 Galaxy Lite. Heck, we’ve even seen such a phone passing the FCC hurdle, and behold, it seems we have the first image of the device. To be fair, we’re not 100% sure that’s the right image, but it looks viable, at least in my eyes.
According to specs we got from Frandroid, the Galaxy Lite will come with HSDPA, WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. Camera’s megapixel count is unknown at this stage and the same goes for built-in storage memory. Since it’s the “Lite” version of the phone, I bet on 3.2-megapixel camera and 4GB of on-board memory.
The rumor goes on suggesting France’s Bouygues Telecom will start selling the device at some point in October… Waiting and seeing is really all we can do at this stage.
The HTC Desire 6200 has shown up in Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s inventory system, hinting that it has something to do with Google (NSDQ: GOOG), which is presumably Android, and likely the “with Google” experience, which means no Exchange support, or the fancy new Sense UI we’ve seen in the Hero, but it will have an uncensored Market and over-the-air firmware updates. Little else is known at this point, but the world can always use another Android phone. I’m curious to see what HTC has learned from their extensive experience with the G1, Magic and Hero, and if this Desire will actually be worth drooling over, as implied.
If my previous post on the rumored Storm 2 launch dates has your heart racing, you won’t want to miss the video above. It’ll do it for ya, trust me. Reliable tipster/ninja/friend/whateveryouwannacallhim Salomondrin has managed to make a video comparing the Storm 1 and Storm 2, and he makes quite the hefty case for the new edition. No wonder Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has dropped pricing on the Storm to a paltry $50. Among Salomondrin’s points boosting the case for the Storm 2 are the following:
Storm 2 is better looking
Storm 2 has wifi (thank god)
Storm 2 has a whackload more memory than the Storm 1
Texting is easier/more accurate on the Storm 2
Storm 2 is much, much faster
Camera on the Storm 2 puts the first edition to shame
A couple of years ago, any handset that looked like the Dell Mini 3 would have been derided as an iPhone clone or knockoff or rip(off). Today, we’re past all that iPhone look-a-like nonsense. The iPhone helped change the face of the smartphone market, and it makes sense that touchscreen slates with heavy app-emphasis look a lot like the iPhone.
Take, for example, the Dell Mini 3. This here side-by-side shot of the iPhone and Dell Mini 3 makes it obvious that Dell is looking to make their upcoming touchscreen smartphone as app-friendly as possible. Nevermind that the Mini 3 looks like the iPhone’s brother from another mother, it’s got a decently sized touchscreen and a slim-and-trim form factor.
More important than the passing resemblance of the Mini 3 to the iPhone is the Mini 3’s seemingly unpolished design aesthetic. There’s just way too much bezel and plastic surrounding the recessed touchscreen – and it all adds up to a bit of a pudgy-looking device. To be fair, a lot has changed in the smartphone space since Dell last had any kind of offering in the mobile space. Dell’s first gen Mini 3 will probably need some tweaking before gaining some serious traction. Of course, we might change our tune when we get actual hardware in our hands (sometimes photos just don’t do a smartphone justice).
CDMA customers are probably all too familiar with having to wait months for the hottest GSM devices to become available on Sprint (NYSE: S) or Verizon. Today, we learn that your wait is almost over. Sprint has gone official with the HTC Touch Pro2’s CDMA variant, announcing that the Pro2 will be available September 8th for $349.99.
In a little over a week from now, Sprint will be offering its customers the chance to own one of this year’s baddest enterprise-oriented smartphones. The Pro2 features a class-leading 3.6-inch WVGA touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel auto-focus camera, slide-and-tilt QWERTY keyboard, GPS, and WiFi – basically everything you’ll need to run your business from the road. And, with the TouchFLO 3D UI replacing most vestiges of Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the Touch Pro2 makes for a surprisingly touch-friendly smartphone.
In our heads-up review of the N97 and the Pro2, the HTC Touch Pro2 edged out the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N97 as the best business-class smartphone on the planet. It’s no small feat, besting Espoo’s high-end wares, and the Pro2 did in style. Despite its more hefty proportions, the Pro2 is sleek enough avoid being called a “brick.” And, with a 3.5mm headphone jack (which GSM Pro2’s have so far lacked), the Pro2 promises a good amount of “play” to balance all that “work” you’ve been doing.
You’ll need the $449.99 entry fee and a new 2-year contract in order to score a Sprint HTC Touch Pro2 for $349.99 (there’s a $100 mail-in rebate involved) come next Tuesday. Start digging through the couch for spare change!
iPhone hopefuls still waiting for Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) to bring the iconic smartphone to other US carriers may soon get their wish. With AT&T (NYSE: T)’s iPhone exclusivity agreement widely believed to end in 2010, Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster believes that Apple will bring the iPhone to other US carriers in the summer of 2010. The move, says Munster, will be motivated by the possibility of gaining even greater market share in the US.
Apple moved away from its carrier exclusivity model in France, allowing multiple French carriers to offer the iPhone. The multi-carrier model has helped Apple gain something like 40% of the market. That’s contrasts with the US, where the iPhone is tied to AT&T and only accounts for approximately 15% of the market. Munster believes that Apple is making up for lost revenue from exclusivity agreements (like revenue sharing) by selling more iPhones.
If Apple were to announce an iPhone for another US wireless carrier, like Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless, they’d likely do so alongside their iPhone 3GS refresh next Summer. Verizon Wireless has been showing more interest in the iPhone, and has been fast-tracking the launch of their 4G LTE network for early 2010. With a little luck, Verizon’s first iPhone could be the US’s first LTE handset.
A Wi-Fi-supporting model of the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Tour on Sprint (NYSE: S) is something we’ve heard about straight from the horse’s mouth, but according to the same reliable source who gave us a look under the Storm 2’s screen, the next Tour will be making use of that optical trackpad that has been getting packed into all the latest devices from RIM. We had heard that the codename Atlas was being used internally, but apparently the new Wi-Fi Tour will be called the Essex when it eventually hits stores sometime in 2010. Unfortunately, we don’t have any pictures of documents to back the claim, so take it all with due skepticism.
What happens when a little-known manufacturer tries their hand at creating an Android-powered handheld gaming device? You get the ODROID Android “entertainment device” from Hardkernel. You also get a handheld device that not even its mother could love – because it’s so fugly (just to be clear). On the bright side, the feature-set is decent – you get an iPhone-esque 600MHz Samsung S5PC100 ARM Cortex A8, 3.5-inch capacitance-based touchscreen (320 x 480 resolution, just like the iPhone), 720p-capable HDMI-out, composite TV-out, headphone jacks, microSD and SD card slots, and WiFi.
iPhone hopefuls still waiting for Apple (
