Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Looks like there just may be two new E series Nokia phones in the works if images on the ‘Net are to be trusted - the upcoming E72 and E75. Apparently, preventing leaks from those doing proto testing, or having promo videos leaked onto the web before they are supposed to be, is a problem companies are seeing more and more often. These images were initially found on the ever-popular YouTube site, before tech and gadget fans started to discover them.

It appears the E72 has the benefits of the E60 with a side sliding form factor. With text messaging, email and sms being all the rage, the full QWERTY keyboard both styles feature will probably also be considered a bonus by many.

Obviously, at this point there is no word on release date or price. Stay tuned for more updates as they come in.

Via [symbianfreak]

Mystery has surrounded the whole HTC Dream G1 launch from T-Mobile since word broke about the Android-powered Dream. There has been speculation running rampant about what the first Android headset is going to look like. Websites had mock-ups showing different views of what people thought it might be. There was even a video. Well, apparently, there have been photos leaked “from a trusted source” of what the G1 is going to look like...and there are a few things people didn’t see coming.

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Samsung has just granted MetroPCS the honor of being the first wireless carrier to release the Samsung Messager, otherwise known as the SCH-r450. Although the Messager may not be the most popular Samsung handset due to the lack of hype surrounding its release, it still packs some great features that could probably earn it a fairly good number of unit sales.

The Samsung Messager boasts of a sleek-looking and sporty horizontal slider-design complemented by a full QWERTY keyboard. It features a 1.3-megapixel camera, SMS, MMS, email and IM messaging functionality, advanced voice recognition, Bluetooth, speakerphone, MP3 player, a micro SD slot for additional storage and a 2.1-inch 262K TFT display. The Samsung Messager retails for around $199 at various MetroPCS outlets.

Product [MetroPCS] Read [Business Wire]

Developer: VTech
Price: $99.95
Availability: Out now
Pros: Great phone, great instant message/instant voice tool
Cons: Spare a USB port buddy?
Overall: Decent phone, does all it says with aplomb.  If you’ve got a lot of IM’ers or just want to have IM without booting up, check out this combo.

Like a product stolen right out of Spaceship Earth at Disney’s Epcot, VTech advances the lowly house phone into something from our ancesters wouldn’t have even guessed.  Our Arnold Zafra picked up this phones release a while back and expected good things from it.  After reviewing it, he was spot on.  V-tech has done a pretty good job at merging the texting fun of your cell phone into your home phone format.

The phone itself is nice, the form factor is pretty similar to a Palm.  The qwerty keypad is nicely laid out and is quite usable.  I had no issue tapping away messages or answering the phone.  What I really enjoyed about the VTech is the ringer choices.  Not only do they stock some nice ones, like you’d expect on a cell phone, but they offer the ability to download new ones.  Really nice for those of us with short attention spans.

The phone comes with software you’ll need to install on your home PC.  Once installed and running, it drops a tray icon in and your phone can now IM at will.  Connecting through the phone was as easy as hitting the Messenger button.  It can connect with MSN Messenger, Windows Live and AOL.  You can have multiple text conversations going at once, which is handy.  It also has voice chat for VOIP applications.  I didn’t get to try that.

One minor annoyance was the need for the unit to plug into an open USB slot and the phone line.  For many of us, these two things are not far apart but it would have been so nice to have this hook into WiFi.  Just saying, I am running out of USB slots and I seem to be too lazy to get a hub.  To it’s credit, the cordless phone didn’t interfere with any of the crazy things of got going on; its interference-free DECT 6.0.

In fairness, the phone and recharger can be almost anywhere in your house; it doesn’t need to be by the home base.

All in all, a great phone that can be much more, especially for your teens who hog up your computer time.  Now you can let them IM without monopolizing your computer.  Sweet.

Company site: [VTech]

While the latest round of details to surface for the Paris are not exactly as flattering as the rest, this should still prove to be a worthy handset. The new details that have come to light reveal a solid offering coming from SE. The P5 is a slider style phone with a QWERTY keyboard and will be UIQ based.

The handset also offers a touch sensitive display with one-touch screen rotation, the ability to browse or view bookmarks without sliding the handset open and one-touch zoom in/out navigation.

The Samsung based camera with auto-focus comes in at a nice 5-megapixels, and we can also expect to find Wi-Fi, an FM radio and standard Walkman player. The included GPS will default to Google Maps, however WayFinder 7 will also be installed as a trial option. Finally there will be support for Microsoft Office documents.

We also now know that the Paris is expected to retail for 400 Euros and is rumored to include UIQ 3.3 and Opera 9.5 at the time it ships. As of now it is expected to be available in early September.

Via [Mobile-Review] Image [My Symbian Forums]

Itching to get your hands on Motorola’s sexy new QWERTY smartphone, the Motorola Q 9c? Well then let this news story be the cure for your itch. Verizon is now offering the Motorola Q 9c in its full QWERTY keypad glory for just $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. Of course that includes a two-year agreement with Verizon, but hey, you win some, you lose some.

And with this deal, you’re actually winning a lot. Because the features of the Motorola Q 9c should be enough to keep you company for the whole two years of your contract anyway. Here’s a quick rundown of the Moto Q 9c’s features:

• Windows Mobile 6
• 2.4-inch screen
• 1.3-megapixel camera
• 128MB internal memory and support for memory cards up to 32GB
• Stereo Bluetooth
• Pre-installed MS Office mobile suite and Opera Mobile

So if you’re in the mood to acquire a new smartphone, and willing to lose nearly $200 (not to mention a bit of your patience), then go ahead and check out Verizon’s web site for more details.

Via [IntoMobile]

This latest patent from RIM indicates an interesting change of direction for the BlackBerry keypad, especially if this is also to be used on the touchscreen BlackBerry.

Patents don’t tell the whole story, and many don’t ever make it past the prototype stage, but this one would suggest a shift away from the current QWERTY style keyboard to a much more angular, slanting design that apparently makes inputting text much easier. That will have to be seen to be believed as they say, but it looks interesting and to me it looks like we may be about to see a bigger screen as well.

Via [Pocket Lint]

What you see here is the first smartphone from Cingular the new AT&T. It is the SMT5700, a full QWERTY, Windows Mobile 5 smartphone. Rumored specs include a 2 megapixel camera, microSD card slot, Bluetooth and EDGE transfer speeds. While we said it would be Windows Mobile 5 by the time this sucker comes out it may just be Windows Mobile 6 Standard—but then again AT&T may have changed their name as well.

Read [FCC] Via [Engadget Mobile]

The MOTO Q q9 and MOTO Q gsm continue to build upon the QWERTY phone that made thin in.

The MOTO Q q9 runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 and Motorola’s Good Mobile Messaging technology. The handset provides personal and corporate email, calendar access and content management wherever you are. HSDPA connectivity makes listening to music, watching videos or sharing pictures fast and “PlaysForSure” enables compatibility with music and video stores. A removable micro-SD card compliments the 256MB of on board memory. Motorola has also redesign the keyboard and five-way navigation key to enable fast, accurate text entry. MOTO Q q9 also boasts one a smart screen display, automatically adjusting to produce the best visual experience, indoor or out. Finally, the battery has been optimized for superior performance.

The MOTO Q gsm maintains the layout of the original CDMA Q (found on Verizon and Sprint) but includes quad-band GPRS and EDGE and upgrades to Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 OS.

MOTO Q q9 will be available in Q2 2007. MOTO Q gsm will be available in the second half of 2007.

Read [Motorola]

At 3GSM today, HTC officially took the wraps off of the new S710 - AKA HTC Vox.  The Windows Mobile 6 Standard-powered Vox not only has the classic HTC slide-out QWERTY keyboard, but also the more traditional T9 multi-tap.  Oh, and if that isn’t enough input methods for you, it also sports a touchscreen.  On the connectivity front, the S710 has quad-band EDGE, WiFi, and Bluetooth, of course.  The Vox comes with 128MB of flash memory build-in, which is expandable via the microSD port.  Also notable are the 2 megapixel camera and 2.4 inch QVGA display.  Look for this one to hit T-Mobile and/or AT&T Wireless (Cingular) in the near future.

Via [Engadget Mobile]