We've been hearing talk of thoroughly Google-branded phones since before Android was announced -- and if you want to get really technical about it, you could argue that it's already happened twice in the form of the Dev Phone 1 and the Ion. Thing is, those are strictly developer-oriented one-offs based on existing models, and TechCrunch is reporting in a rather authoritative tone today that Google's just about to launch a consumer phone all its own designed to in-house, no-compromise specifications with signs suggesting that either Samsung or LG would be responsible for OEM duties. Allegedly, the device was supposed to be at retail in time for the holidays but ended up getting pushed back into early 2010, at which point we can expect a big marketing push -- but the question is, why? Google had a heavy hand in the design and development of the chunky, geeky HTC Dream, so we already know they're probably better off leaving the details of the industrial design to the guys who've been doing this for a while -- and with strong new partnerships with Verizon and Motorola just now bearing fruit, it's safe to say that Big Red wouldn't be a launch partner. Our most interesting theory here is that AT&T -- which has gone totally radio-silent for all things Android in the past six months -- is responding to the probable impending loss of its iPhone exclusivity by scoring a coup on a gorgeous, aspirational device with the Google logo all over it. Given the time frame that TC's suggesting, it sounds like we wouldn't have to wait long to find out what's what.

When the bulk of your business suddenly shifts virtually all of its marketing and engineering resources to Android, certain things are bound to fall through the cracks -- take the "Ruby," for example, once said to be the fallen would-be successor to the RAZR 2. We guess Moto got far enough along on engineering with this one that they figured they'd toss it over to one of its lower-volume markets rather than canning it altogether, though, because the higher-end flip has reemerged in South Korea as the KLASSIC. For anyone who keeps track of these sorts of stats, that's exactly three more letters than the typical Moto model name has, but the phone breaks all sorts of rules -- after all, it combines an old-school 2G radio (which in operator SKT's case, means CDMA) with a relatively fresh 5 megapixel cam, not unlike the ZN5. There's no word on a release outside South Korea at this point, but frankly, we're pretty sure the DROID would eat it anyhow.

[Via AVING]

What exactly does the equivalent of roughly $830 buy you in Pantech's home market these days? Well, it'll apparently get you signed up for the priciest device South Korea's third-largest handset manufacturer has ever made, the Dupont from subsidiary SKY. As far as we can tell, this thing is more show than go, thanks largely to a weakling 3-inch WQVGA display and 3 megapixel camera -- but then again, it's hard to argue with designer tie-ins and questionably tasteful gold accents, isn't it? Look for this one on local carrier SKT, and for once, we're totally fine with the fact that Pantech is concentrating on low-end messaging devices over on AT&T.

[Via Unwired View]

Pantech's Korea-only SKY brand has launched a new flip that it's very overtly targeting at a female audience, the IM-S500K Crystal -- and as the name implies, it's a visual feast. The major differentiating "feature" here is a diamond patterned shiny plate up front with concealed lights and icons that seemingly illuminate at random (though are probably configurable enough to make sense to the user, just not those of us looking at a couple pictures from halfway around the globe). It's available in no fewer than four colors and features a 2.4-inch QVGA display, FM radio reception, a 2 megapixel camera, and a document viewer -- not the most Earth-shattering spec sheet we'd ever seen, but then again, can you really put a price on a shiny diamond pattern with LEDs underneath?

What, you didn't know you couldn't buy the iPhone from at least one carrier in all 193 widely-recognized sovereign nations of the world? It's true; one need look no further than South Korea, one of the most technologically-advanced wireless societies, where much of the growth over the past several years has occurred in a self-imposed bubble thanks to the existence of policies requiring the presence of a custom software layer for connecting to data services -- a layer that gave local players like Samsung and LG an almost impenetrable advantage over foreign competition. Local authorities have been loosening those restrictions in recent months, and the Wall Street Journal is reporting this evening that they've just signed off on a waiver that would allow the iPhone to be sold despite a "technical ban" that had been keeping it off shelves. Local carrier KT had been saying for a while that it intended to carry the phone, so this step seems like little more than a formality -- but in a market accustomed to T-DMB tuners, limitless color choices, and wide VGA AMOLED displays, it'll be interesting to see whether there's profit to be had.

The Jet ushered in a new era of highly stylized directional pads for Samsung, and its latest midrange full-touch handset for its domestic market is no exception. The B900 features a sort of shield design down below the screen that looks like it might not be so fun to use, but the specs aren't bad for a stylish midrange unit: EV-DO, 3-inch WQVGA display, a 3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and T-DMB mobile TV tuning (which you'll find on virtually all phones destined for South Korea). If you're feeling it, you'll have to be on (or willing to switch to) SKT -- otherwise, the odds of getting your hands on this one are very, very low indeed.

Phones like the W910 serve as a stark reminder that design house Giorgio Armani really isn't doing much (if any) actual work in its ongoing partnership with Sammy; just compare it to the W820, for example. Both phones have golden shells, push the boundaries of understated tastefulness, and have little in the way of unique industrial design -- yet only the W820 bears the Armani name. The W910 instead goes by the "VVIP" moniker for release on Korean carrier SKT, featuring a 2.6-inch WQVGA AMOLED primary display, HSDPA, and an FM radio for something in the range of 500,000 won (about $406). Hey Armani, if you're listening: trust us, checker patterns are the next big thing, so you might want to get in on this.

Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Monday, September 7, 2009:

• Samsung's got a version of the Jet for its domestic Korean market, the clumsily-named "Haptic AMOLED." Unlike its international cousin, the Haptic AMOLED packs a T-DMB tuner (as just about all Korean phones do) and it's available in spicy pink and white shades for the usual carriers SKT, KTF, and LGT.
• Did you know that AT&T used to have a stake in the Indian wireless market? Yeah, us neither, but they did prior to the Cingular merger -- and rumor has it they're looking to get back in by buying a chunk of state-owned operator BSNL, ostensibly because the market -- which is still in a heavy growth phase -- is seen as a powder keg waiting to explode.
• This one's been going around for a few days, and with the carrier's full-court press on Android, it makes total sense: the Bluetooth SIG is reporting that the Samsung T939 Behold2 for T-Mobile will feature "Google Mobile services," which would fit in with an earlier user agent profile leak. [Via Cell Phone Signal]
• There's a new Samsung i8910 HD firmware that's starting to hit some regions, and it's a good one -- it features an all-new 3D task switcher and a built-in weather forecast widget for TouchWiz. [Via PhoneArena]
• Surprise, surprise: Toshiba is relaunching the mighty TG01 with Windows Mobile 6.5 next month, a move that was fully expected all along. If anything, there'd be riots had this not happened.
• Sony Ericsson's Panel SDK for the X2 is now available, featuring new "Panelizer" tools to convert existing apps into panels in a few easy steps -- and starting in the next few days, devs will be able to submit their work for inclusion in the PlayNow arena.
• Vodafone has launched a range of eight new self-branded devices that'll be available in time for the holidays this year, and as usual, they're positioned squarely at the lower end of the market. Some of them like the E71 ripoff 1240 (pictured) are straight-up KIRFs, while others like the "Crystal" member of the 533 Catwalk Collection are trying to ooze fashion and style without killing the wad of cash stuffed in your pocket. Whether they've succeeded in doing that... well, that's another question altogether. [Via Unwired View]

So far, "understated" isn't a word we've been comfortable associating with Giorgio Armani's telephonic ventures with Samsung -- particularly the flashy Night Effect, featuring a glowing Armani logo on the side. We'll go out on a limb and say the latest effort out of South Korea isn't quite as insane as the Night Effect, but a gold finish is always a step in the right direction if attracting as much attention as humanly possible with a piece of electronic equipment stuck to your face is your goal. It looks like the slider will find a home on domestic carriers KTF and SKT, and as far as we can tell, it's not the rumored WinMo-based Armani 2 -- but it does have a 5 megapixel cam, WVGA AMOLED touchscreen, T-DMB tuner, and the adoration of... well, someone, we're sure. Let us know when you find 'em. No word on pricing or a release date, but take this as a sign that the Armani lovers out there have nothing to fear if they're looking to replace that tweaked F480.

[Via Samsung Hub]

The problem with your product not existing is that it's hard to make money off of it, and after a while, would-be buyers start to hate you and everything you stand for. On the plus side, redesign costs hover near zero, so why not play around and shoot for the moon with wild specs that we'll likely never have the opportunity to own? As far as we can tell, South Korea's MIU is no closer to launching its do-everything HDPC than it was a year and a half ago -- and if anything, they've actually managed to regress a bit since they actually had a real live prototype back then. Anyway, the latest round of virtu-changes gives us a larger primary display that's up to 1024 x 600 (we'll take all the resolution we can get since the $900 flavor is supposed to run XP), a grand total of three cameras, integrated GPS, HDMI out, and a T-DMB tuner. Strangely, the MID's phone face has taken on a distinctly E90 accent, right down to the inexplicable S60 screen shot used in the mockup -- but rest assured, you'll be able to buy, sell, and buy an E90 again before you'll be able to get your paws on the HDPC, which MIU says it's shopping around to distributors. We're keeping our easily-dashed hopes in check.

If you spell happiness T-W-E-L-V-E M-E-G-A-P-I-X-E-L-S, you're looking in the wrong place. Samsung's SCH-W830 -- along with its SPH-W8300 and SPH-W8350 cousins for other networks -- finds inner peace through the simplicity and beauty of a scintillating light show set around an ultra-low res display. You've only got two megapixels to work with around back, but seriously, who has time to snap pictures when you're being dazzled by a seemingly endless array of colored lights? Between that and the spring-loaded opening mechanism, this is a flip fit for the fiddler / fidgeter in all of us, and it's available now on South Korea's LGT, SKT, and KTF.

[Via mobile-review]

At some point, every form factor will have been explored, every phone will be capable of transferring data faster than we can consume it, and every possible non-silly combination of words will have been used to create model names. Amazingly, we think we might be approaching that apocalyptic point, because Samsung's "Honey Bubble" slider crossed the wires in the past few days. Yes, that's right: Honey Bubble. The camera's only 2 megapixels, but like virtually all Korean domestic models, it's at least got a T-DMB tuner, media player, and Bluetooth -- and a positively unforgettable name, for better or worse. No word on availability, but our understanding is that you'll be able to pay for it in gumdrops and children's laughter.

Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of mobile for Friday, August 7th, 2009:

• In addition to the BL40 and BL42, it looks like LG's upcoming Chocolate series is also going to include a lower-end BL20 according to a newly-uncovered user agent profile. Whatever it is, it's got a QVGA display -- a far cry from the epic 21:9 unit on the BL40. [Via PhoneArena]
• Motorola's W562 candybar for China has broken cover, and needless to say, you won't find any Android here. CDMA and a 2 megapixel camera, yes, but no Android.
• More baby steps are being taken in states' fights to jam phone signals in and around prisons. This time around, a Senate subcommittee has sent a bill to the full Senate that would allow individual states to plead their jamming case to the FCC, which -- as of right now, anyway -- seems pretty lukewarm to the idea in general. [Via Phone Scoop]
• Acer -- like Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, RIM, Palm, Google, LG, Samsung, and your cousin Ralph -- is opening an app store. It expects the store to be ready in the next few months as it ramps up the barrage of new WinMo devices it's been pimping over the course of the year. [Via PHONE Magazine]
• South Korea's KT has confirmed that it'll carry the iPhone at some point, though it's refusing to spill details on exactly when or how that'll go down. SKT's apparently still in the mix, too, so we could end up without carrier exclusivity here. [Via Unwired View]

Is this phone capable of putting its lips together and blowing air so as to create a high-pitched tone of some sort? Doesn't seem like it -- phones don't typically have lips or breath -- but that doesn't explain why LG decided to christen its latest clamshell for the domestic Korean market the "Whistle." No matter; the LV7500's still pretty cool, owing in no small part to its front-facing array of some 115 LEDs that can be user-customized, presumably to flash messages such as "KEEPIN IT REAL" and "LG 4 LYFE" -- not a totally unique feature, but something we don't see much of around these parts. It'll roam in just 18 countries, which suggests to us that CDMA figures prominently in its radio circuitry; look for it now in three colors for around 400,000 won (about $325) on LG Telecom. If you're in Seoul, that is.

There aren't many products in the world that have been produce for so long that they bridged right from the "modern" to "ho-hum" to "retro chic" categories without ever pausing production (actually, the hula hoop is the only one that comes immediately to mind). A year ago, it was cool to hate on the debilitating age Motorola's original RAZR V3 and the fact that it was still being sold in countless shops and by countless carriers around the world; now, though, it's gone on so long that we've got to wonder whether there's some magical, hidden force at play here that will keep this phone on shelves and in hearts until the very end of time. Evidence of that certainly exists in the freshly-launched LuK Hot Pink edition, an apparent follow-on to the LuK launched back in February of this year with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, video call capability, Bluetooth, and that's about it. At a price under 500,000 won (about $400) on carrier SKT, it doesn't seem like a particularly good deal -- but then again, if you look at it as a perfect replica of a vintage collectible device, maybe it's a downright steal.