We've seen it up close and even knocked-off already, but when it comes to a $2,000 phone, we're guessing that a proper unboxing is as high on your list of must-sees as it is on ours. Thankfully, the folks at T3 have come through and done the honors and, as far as unboxings go, this one certainly doesn't disappoint. As you can see above, the phone comes packed in a rather stylish and sturdy box that likely won't be seeing too many trash cans any time soon and, of course, the phone itself is looking as envy-inducing as ever. Hit up the link below for plenty more shots, and keep an eye on T3 for a complete review that's promised to be coming soon.
It's already been done on the iPhone, and it looks like G1 users can now use their handset of choice to control their computer as well. Given the G1's preponderance of input options, this new so-called RemoteDroid app is also quite a bit more capable, with it letting you take advantage of the G1's keypad, and use either the trackball or the touchscreen as a mouse (with a pair of onscreen mouse buttons provided for good measure). Head on past the break for a demo video, and hit up the link below to grab the app for yourself.
It certainly isn't for everybody, but if you've found yourself regretting your choice of handset and are still stuck on a lengthy contract, you may want to look into upstart Rentobile, which will let you try out a phone for a month or more and switch to another one whenever you get tired of it. Things could get a tad pricey if you decide to stick with the rentals for the long haul, however, with most of the phones running $24 a month for members or $36 a month for non-members, while some unlocked phones like Nokia E90 or even a 16GB iPhone will run $34/month for members and a hefty $51/month for non-members. According to RCRWireless, while the company has been around for three months already, they say they've only managed to sign up 50 members to date, although they're apparently planning to step up their marketing and advertising efforts in the not too distant future, and even hope to work out some special deals with manufacturers to sweeten the deal a little.
Nokia's QWERTY-equipped E63 handset hasn't exactly been making itself shy since those first few spy shots turned up way back in October, but it's been another matter getting some solid impressions of the device from folks that have actually spent some quality time with it. Thankfully, PhoneArena has now stepped in and provided one of their usually thorough reviews for those that still prefer a good 'ol keypad. On the whole, while the site says it may not be the ideal choice for business folks or the more demanding users out there, they say that most everyone else will find plenty to like, with the phone boasting decent enough sound quality, a solid keypad, and an all-too-often overlooked 3.5mm jack, all in a sturdy and compact body. On the downside, the camera is apparently decidedly lackluster, and some of the function buttons could cause a bit of frustration, to name a few quibbles. Hit up the link below for the full rundown including, of course, plenty of pics (and even a 360 degree view).
The handset itself is hardly anything new, and we had a pretty good indication that Android was heading its way, but there's still nothing like a few good 'ol fashioned blurrycam shots to make a plan really come together. From the looks of it, the handset doesn't appear to have gone under any major changes for its new Google-fied incarnation, with it still packing the same 2.8-inch VGA display, 400MHz Samsung 2442 processor, GSM and GPRS connectivity as before, plus the usual built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, and AGPS, among other standard fare. Still not word on a price or release date, unfortunately, but according to the folks at iMAndroid, that is "just around the corner." In the meantime, you'll have to make do with the few more equally blurry pics available at the link below.
We're not sure if he's been taking notes from fellow countryman Jean-Michel Jarre or not, but it looks like prolific designer Philippe Starck now has a tower-style speaker system to call his own. Considering that Starck has paired up with the wireless-minded folks at Parrot, however, there's a few more surprises in store with these -- namely, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth to accommodate your laptop or cellphone of choice. You will still get an iPod / iPhone dock, of course, along with a remote control (also designed by Starck), and some newfangled NXT technology that apparently "revolutionizes traditional acoustic design." All that comes at an expectedly premium price, however, with the speakers set to run $1,500 when they're released sometime in the spring.
Well, it looks like O2 customers in Germany now have yet another exclusive handset at their disposal, with the carrier today unveiling its new Xda Guide, which will apparently replace the equally exclusive Xda Orbit 2. As you can see above, this one doesn't stray too far from its HTC-built predecessor, although it does up the connectivity options a bit with both GSM / GPRS / EDGE and UMTS / HSDPA / HSUPA, plus some Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi, and GPS for good measure. Otherwise, you can expect the same 2.8-inch touchscreen and 3-megapixel camera as before, along with 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM, and a microSD card slot for some further expansion. No word on a price just yet, but you'll apparently be able to pick one up sometime in February.
AT&T's SideKick-esque Quickfire handset has been up for grabs for a little while now, but if you're still undecided, you may want to take a gander at Phonescoop's review of the phone, which covers just about every aspect of it in minute detail. On the whole, they seem to be mightily impressed with the phone, saying that it "almost makes good on all that it sets out to do," with only a few relatively minor problems holding it back somewhat. Those include a lack of threaded SMS, and some general slowness in the music and gallery apps. On the upside, the phone re-orients itself between landscape and portrait mode "immediately," the camera takes decent pictures and, while not the most responsive around, the capacitive touchscreen apparently gets the job done. Hit up the link below for the full rundown and, of course, plenty of pics.
Now, it's entirely possible that this isn't an official Barbie cellphone (or even an actual cellphone) but, if you're looking for something that's more Barbie-ish and, well, less cellphone-like than your usual phone, you may want to consider this new P520 model that recently turned up in China. Apparently, this one includes 2-inch,176 x 220 display, a 1.3 megapixel camera, "up to 2GB of expandable memory" (we're guessing a microSD card slot), built-in Bluetooth, not one but two SIM card slots and, yes, an actual mirror. Sold? Then you can apparently pick one up now for 780 yuan (or $114), although getting one over here will likely take a bit more doing.
It's already made it past the Department of Justice and the FCC after making a few concessions, and Verizon has now cleared the last major hurdle blocking its acquisition of Alltel, with the Federal Trade Commission today giving the deal its all-important stamp of approval. Unlike the other regulatory agencies, the FTC apparently didn't require that Verizon make any further concessions, and instead simply approved an early termination of their antitrust review and indicated that they had "no objections." For those keeping track, the deal easily pushes Verizon past AT&T to become the largest wireless carrier in the United States and, as we have heard, it'll also likely have the side effect of some job cuts from the Alltel benches.
We've already seen it out in the wild, but those intrigued by Samsung's shiny new i7110 candybar handset will no doubt want to head on over All About Symbian, which has just delivered part one of an expectedly thorough review of the phone. Not too surprisingly, the phone's 2.6-inch OLED screen proved to be the real stand-out feature, with the site even going so far as to describe is as "something of a revelation." It was also especially impressed by the phone's 5-megapixel camera and dual-LED flash, which stood up well to and sometimes surpassed the one on the Nokia N82 (video capture, however, proved to be considerably more lackluster). On the downside, the optical joystick and control cluster, while "interesting," proved to be "somewhat flawed," with the joystick occasionally resulting in the wrong item being selected. As you might expect, they're reserving final judgment for part two of the review, which also promises to delve into the phone's software suite in greater detail.
It just been a few short days since it finally closed the deal with Sprint, but Clearwire is already out there busily rebranding its newly-acquired WiMAX assets, with Portland, Oregon first to get the new "Clear" WiMAX service, which the company humbly describes as "like lightning, but faster." To get in on that, you'll have to fork over between $30 and $50 a month (for unlimited service), or ten bucks for a 24 hour pass, with Clear's own USB modem setting you back an extra $50 (a desktop modem is also available for $5 a month). Somewhat interestingly, the company is also promising to offer WiMAX-ready laptops "soon," but it unfortunately isn't providing any further details on those just yet. Hit up the link below to check the exact availability of the service, and look for it to hit Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Grand Rapids, Michigan in the not too distant future.
RIM no doubt got a boost of confidence from AvianResearch's sales numbers a few days ago, but it looks to be in a bit of a gloomier mood today, as it has been forced to slightly lower its third quarter profit and revenue outlook. Apparently, instead of the previously forecast revenue of $2.95 to $3.10 billion, RIM now says it's expecting to rake in just $2.75 to $2.78 billion, with its adjusted earnings now expected to be 0.81 to $0.83 per share, and not $0.89 to $0.97 per share, as previously forecast. According to RIM's Jim Balsillie, the company is laying most of the blame on "product launch timing, general economic conditions and foreign exchange volatility," but it has nothing but good things to say about the Storm, which it says has "experienced particularly strong momentum in recent weeks." It further added that the Storm's first day of sales drew a record number of new net subscribers for the company, and that it also managed to pull in a record number of weekly net subscribers additions in the last week of the third quarter. Those interested in such things can look for the final numbers to be released on December 18th.
Well it looks like folks in Korea may not have to wait until March to get their hands on iriver's first cellphone after all, as the WavePhone (previously known simply as the "wave") is apparently now available (or will soon be available) at ten iriver shops in the country. That limited roll-out is apparently being done ahead of the full-fledged launch including a number of larger stores, which will presumably still happen in March, although there's unfortunately still no word of a release outside of Korea (or word of a price). As you can see above, the folks at AVING also managed to get their hands on the phone and, naturally, they've provided plenty pics of it, which you can check out by hitting up the link below.
We've already seen it unboxed and, of course, endlessly shown off by Meizu's own J. Wong, but it looks like some independent demos of the now infamous Meizu M8 are finally starting to crop up online, with one of the first coming from Chinese retailer CNMO.com. While some of the details are lost in translation, there's still quite a bit to be gleaned from the ten videos available at the link below, not the least of which is the fact that the touchscreen seems to be somewhat of an exercise in patience, to put things kindly -- check out part 8 for the challenge that is pausing a track. The phone's camera also seems to be a bit sluggish, but not completely out of line with your run of the mil cellphone camera. Touchscreen aside, however, the phone's interface does appear to be fairly slick and, yes, oddly familiar. Head on past the break to get started with part one of the blow-out, and hit up the read link to check out the rest.
