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Samsung Infinity for AT&T to bring touch to the masses?

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 25th 2009 @ 7:09AM

At a glance, you might think that this thing is ripe to succeed the Eternity -- it's clearly a better- and fresher-looking device -- but alas, the specs tell a different story. The so-called Infinity (we don't know if that's a go-to-market name or just internal) will feature a 3-inch WQVGA display and a 2 megapixel camera, down from the Eternity's 3.2 inches and 3 megapixels, respectively. It'll also do HSDPA plus quadband EDGE and microSD expansion; no word on MediaFLO support, but if we had to guess, we'd say it's probably missing here. The Infinity is tentatively scheduled for July 20 availability -- but like all of these AT&T leaks we've seen in the past handful of hours, we wouldn't drop money on that date. Follow the break for an ever-so-slightly larger view of the phone.

Continue reading Samsung Infinity for AT&T to bring touch to the masses?

HTC Touch Pro battery goes rogue, lights up an otherwise fine pair of pants

by Darren Murph, posted May 21st 2009 @ 10:04AM

Just a note to everyone who carries around a spare smartphone Li-ion in their rear pocket: buy thicker underwear. The scene you see above was all caused by an obviously volatile HTC Touch Pro battery, one that the pants-wearer claims is an authentic HTC cell and not a cheap-o alternative from eBay. As the story goes, a foul odor led him to a laundry pile, where he uncovered eight moist socks, a torched battery and a ruined pair of pants. Look, we're glad this guy's okay and all, but seriously, can you imagine what this testy little thing would've done when tossed into the dryer? It's a blessing in disguise, kiddo.

[Via phoneArena]

Keepin' it real fake, part CCI: dirty Vegas plays Orange UK

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 24th 2009 @ 12:28PM

Attention, Orange and the random supplier who's manufacturing these ripoffs: the world has moved on from the original HTC Touch's design language. Hell, we've actually moved on twice now; once to the Touch Diamond, and once to the Touch Diamond2. On that note, we're not sure what's possessing a Western European carrier to release a cheesy rip of a such a well-known late model phone -- whose manufacturer Orange has a great relationship with, no less -- other than the fact that they're looking to give entry-level customers a really inexpensive way to get into the touchscreen game. Indeed, the prepaid device will apparently run just £48.50 (about $71) when it launches, but in return, you're only getting a 1.3 megapixel camera, presumably EDGE data, and the mocking of everyone you've ever known -- including your own mother, who we understand uses an actual HTC Touch.

[Via mobile-review]

Update: If T-Mobile UK is more your style, turns out they're offering the very same device as the Vairy Touch. Thanks, everyone!

LG GC900 Viewty Smart, now more official than ever before

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 20th 2009 @ 1:26AM

Okay, now it's official. After a misstep late last week, LG's ready to pull the trigger for reals on the Viewty Smart, the follow-on to one of its more successful high-end feature phones in recent memory. Pretty much every major feature has been improved or revamped over the original Viewty, including bumps to WVGA display resolution, an 8 megapixel camera with claimed ISO 1600 sensitivity (we'll see about that), DVD-quality video recording, LG's recently-introduced S-Class user interface concept, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, integrated WiFi, AGPS, and 1.5GB onboard with microSD expansion theoretically to 32GB. What's more, LG has somehow smushed this all into a package just 12.4mm thick, which makes this just about the most desirable non-smartphone on the planet -- on paper, anyhow. Look for it to start hitting European carriers next month, with availability elsewhere to be announced later on.

[Via Akihabara News]

Gallery: LG GC900 Viewty Smart, now more official than ever before

Unlocked HTC Touch Pro2 to retail for $880, Touch Diamond2 for $725

by Nilay Patel, posted Apr 16th 2009 @ 12:44PM

HTC's been pretty coy with pricing on the Touch Pro2 and Touch Diamond2, but now that units are starting to trickle out overseas, the numbers situation is getting slightly clearer. HTC's just announced that an unlocked Pro2 will set Singaporeans back S$1,328 ($887), while a Diamond2 will hit 'em up for S$1,088 ($726) -- a little more than in Taiwan, but probably close to what we'll see off-contract in the States. A little rich for our blood, though -- let's hope T-Mobile cleans the goo off soon.

[Via Unwired View]

HTC Touch Diamond2 gets unboxed, shown off on video

by Nilay Patel, posted Apr 15th 2009 @ 2:09PM

We haven't heard much about the appearance of the HTC Touch Diamond2 on US shores apart from a few AT&T-related whispers, but the squared-off handset is starting to pop up overseas, and the requisite unboxings and video tours have started flooding in. Sadly, these early units are still running Windows Mobile 6.1, so beauty's only skin deep -- or at least as deep as TouchFlo2 3D. Hardware video after the break, but there's plenty more at the read links.

Read - Windows Phone Mix
Read - Tracy and Matt

Continue reading HTC Touch Diamond2 gets unboxed, shown off on video

Object-based media project brings iPhone and RFID together

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 15th 2009 @ 2:08AM

RFID technology has turned up in plenty of surprising places, but there hasn't exactly been the explosion of iPhone-related development that you may have expected. The lack of an easily accessible RFID reader may have something to do with that, but that doesn't seem to have stopped the folks behind the Touch research project, who rigged up a not-so-discreet RFID reader and put it to some fairly inventive tasks. That includes assigning various media to different objects, like a Bob the Builder video clip that's linked to a Bob the Builder toy, a clip of Chuck Norris kicking a car in the face that's linked to a Chuck Norris action figure (which doesn't even have an RFID chip), and a dynamically-updated MAKE podcast that's linked to a slightly nerdy fellow. Of course, all of this is primarily a proof of concept, and the researchers behind the project see plenty of potential for other applications, including everything from gaming to marketing. Head on past the break to check it out in action.

[Thanks, Thorleif]

Continue reading Object-based media project brings iPhone and RFID together

Trio of 'thin touchscreen phones' inbound for Nokia later this year?

by Chris Ziegler, posted Apr 9th 2009 @ 8:02AM

One look at the N97 will tell you that Nokia intends to take this whole touch thing pretty seriously, and considering that we're talking about the largest handset maker in the world here, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that they've got new touch models in the pipe; the volume and style of those new models, though, might be a little shocking. TheStreet.com is reporting "people familiar with the plan" as saying that Espoo will launch up to three different thin touch-enabled models by this fall using the VibeTonz tech it licensed from Immersion back in the day, suggesting that the company's more traditional non-touch S60 devices might have to start to share the spotlight equally with touchier brethren. VibeTonz should give Nokia plenty of options for tailoring haptic feedback based on user interaction, but here's our question: what the hell ever happened to Haptikos?

[Via Unwired View]

Samsung officially intros S5230 and S5600 touchphones for Europe

by Chris Ziegler, posted Mar 10th 2009 @ 7:52AM

We're well past the point of touchscreens being relegated to the high end, and Samsung's out to drive the point home with a pair of fresh ones destined for Europe over the coming months. Starting at the bottom, the S5230 tops out at EDGE speeds but features a commendable 3-inch WQVGA display, 3 megapixel cam, microSD expansion, FM radio, and naturally, TouchWiz -- and it's all shoved into a mere 11.9mm. The real high-speed action starts up in the S5600 that we heard a bit about after MWC, where we pick up 7.2Mbps HSDPA on the 900 and 2100MHz bands -- only problem is, you've got to step down to a 2.8-inch QVGA display to get it. It'll slide into retail come May, while the S5320 gets a little bit of a jump start, hitting shelves in April.

Continue reading Samsung officially intros S5230 and S5600 touchphones for Europe

HTC's Touch Diamond2 gets a little more real with date and price on eXpansys UK

by Sean Cooper, posted Mar 1st 2009 @ 3:10PM

While we wouldn't bet the bank on this price and date from eXpansys, it does give us a warm fuzzy feeling to know it's at least en route. The oft mis-stepping -- you know, leaking and such -- retailer has tagged the HTC Touch Diamond2 at £399 (roughly $570) with a potential shelf date of the 17th April. While it will ship with Windows Mobile 6.1, there is a mention in the "liner notes" on the page stating that it will be upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5. Now we'll simply have to wait and see how it really pans out and how its bigger -- and likely pricier -- sibling, the HTC Touch Pro2 gets treated.

[Via WMPoweruser]

Keepin' it real fake, part CLXXXII: HKC Touch clone sports Android looks at a WinMo price

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Feb 10th 2009 @ 12:32AM

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.

Verizon's XV6900 sees official Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM upgrade

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 23rd 2009 @ 5:49PM

It's rather difficult to believe that Verizon's version of the HTC Touch -- less affectionately known as the XV6900 -- is just now seeing an official update to Windows Mobile 6.1, but yeah, that's exactly what's happening here. Just a few short months after the WinMo 6.1 update was leaked, we're now seeing the official ROM update rolled out to the people. The upgrade also provides much needed EV-DO Rev. A support, an updated MMS client, Microsoft Remote Desktop, VZNavigator and compatibility with 16GB microSD cards. Not like we really need to twist your arm here, but if you skipped out on the leaked version, now would be an awesome time to get with the program.

[Via Mobile Burn]

HTC's Touch Diamond / Pro, how would you tweak 'em?

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 9th 2009 @ 5:07AM

Once again, this week's How Would You Change over at Engadget Classic pertains to the Mobile realm, so we're pleading for your sure-to-be-insightful input on the matter. The question is quite simple, really, so head on over to read it and toss in your two pennies.

Nokia says touch interface and handset leaked in presentation don't point to new product

by Paul Miller, posted Dec 12th 2008 @ 6:06PM

Sure, we try to front as world-weary cynics, but when we pinged our folks at Nokia for a statement on that suspiciously-awesome slide about a previously unseen touchscreen interface and device concept, we were totally hoping for a "oh, our bad, that's a real phone and it's awesome and it's being released in the States tomorrow." Naturally, that was not the case. Here's what Nokia had to say on the matter:

"The story you sent over was from a non-public presentation that discussed some UI enhancements - NOT a new product. The form factor shown was a generic form factor and not meant to showcase a new device / product."

So, yeah. They're not really going to fess up to a lot here, but if we were to read between the lines we'd say these "UI enhancements" are much more likely to get real and official someday than whatever vaguely-hinted-at device was shown off beneath them. Maybe. Reading in further, we'd say it's a little odd that Nokia's demonstrating to investors its "best in class touch" capabilities by using a mockup interface on top of a mockup device, but perhaps that's why we were never so good with "the monies."

Video: Android rocking on the HTC Touch

by Nilay Patel, posted Dec 10th 2008 @ 2:32PM

If you're anything like us, you've been waiting for Android to work its way onto basically every device you own, so this video of the plucky open source OS getting busy on an HTC Touch is an encouraging glimpse of the future. Work has actually been going on for a while now, but this is the best we've seen so far --it's all there, including a custom soft keyboard, and it looks like it runs pretty well, although we're told there are some issues with scaling the UI to QVGA and that GPS, Bluetooth and USB aren't operable yet. The hack is actually available, and you don't have to be too daring to try it out -- all it takes is a restart to go back to WinMo. Who's taking the plunge?

[Thanks, Justin]

Continue reading Video: Android rocking on the HTC Touch