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Posts with tag cebit

HTC black Magic (Sapphire) hands-on: a Vodafone exclusive

by Darren Murph Mar 5th 2009 @ 10:31AM


Make no mistake, the all-black HTC Magic is for real. Separated here at CeBIT from its glistening white counterpart by an equally white G1, this near-final Magic looked just stellar in its glossy dark coat. We chatted it up with an on-hand representative who confirmed that the handsets on display weren't absolutely finalized, and that when launched exclusively on Vodafone in Europe (you read that correctly), the Voda logo would be proudly plastered on. He stated that there were no immediate plans for selling an unlocked one in Europe or abroad, but that's just the standard line given when a carrier has yet to get their special toy. He also affirmed that HTC "believed deeply" in Android, and that the world at large would be seeing a lot more where this came from in the near future. Have a look at what these lucky Europeans will soon have access to in the gallery below.

HTC's black Magic (or Sapphire, if you prefer) spotted in the wild

by Chris Ziegler Mar 4th 2009 @ 5:17PM


We personally think it looks just grand in white, but we can understand that white isn't for everyone -- so for the rest of you, enjoy these shots of HTC's Magic in black spotted at CeBIT. Interestingly, this unit isn't Vodafone branded; instead, it's rocking the HTC logo, which might mean they're planning on offering an unlocked, unbranded unit at some point. Wouldn't that be... magical? It's not clear whether the "Magic" name is exclusive to Voda, so we might see this sucker under a different name if the unlocked thing actually happens -- maybe the "Sapphire" it went by in its codename days. Either that, or this is nothing more than a one-off used for testing, and we can all go back to dealing with Vodafone and T-Mobile contracts. Time'll tell.

[Thanks, Andy]

Mio launches the Explora K70: beauty, 3G, and GPS abound

by Sean Cooper Mar 3rd 2009 @ 11:36AM


Mio's rumored Explora K70 is sitting pretty at CeBIT, and while we wait for the full hands-on treatment, we thought an introduction to what appears to be a stunningly loaded GPS phone was in order. Network connectivity is a blow out in the K70 with quad-band GSM, triple-band HSDPA / HSUPA, Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPS which is handled by Qualcomm's gpsOne chip. The 3.5-inch touchscreen display is a 400x240 WQVGA number, a 3 megapixel camera hides around back, a jog dial's included for quick scrolling, and it is all powered by Windows Mobile 6. Looking at the spec sheets it seems there will be two different SKUs, a handset-only package and a "Full SKU" that includes in-car charger, device mount, and so forth. We're suitably impressed, expect more news including dates and pricing as soon as we can get them.

[Via GSMArena]

Quigo ad placement

Meizu CeBIT booth shut down by German authorities

by Joshua Topolsky Mar 5th 2008 @ 9:53AM


Remember how the folks at the Meizu booth swore up and down that the M8 Mini One wasn't that similar to the iPhone? Well apparently the Hanover police think otherwise. According to a report, the booth (shown above in its vacated state) was shut down by cops for piracy during CeBIT and passersby were told that, "The venue is closed until further notice." It appears that after stopping down the M8 show, cops proceeded to confiscate equipment and literature associated with the painfully obvious knock-off, and will be making a more detailed statement on Thursday in regards to the action. Meizu, it might be time to get yourself a makeover... and a good attorney.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in; Image courtesy Heise Online]

Vodafone's Otello draws a blank on Chancellor Angela Merkel query

by Darren Murph Mar 5th 2008 @ 8:24AM


If there's one person at CeBIT you don't want to not recognize, it's German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, we can only assume that Vodafone booth workers were left with their tails stuck between their legs after said figure gave its recently announced picture-based search engine a go. Upon Otella returning nothing after a picture was presumably snapped of Merkel, she quickly asserted: "I am not in the database." Better still, she continued by proclaiming: "That's a major gap." Heck, maybe she should be happy -- after all, Vodafone's set to trial the service with Europe's "best selling tabloid," and not being in there would most certainly be a good thing.

Eyes-on with the teensy Sony Ericsson T303

by Paul Miller Mar 4th 2008 @ 7:43PM

Here's the story: this Sony Ericsson T303 is a tiny one. Like, really small. We spotted it behind glass at the Sony Ericsson booth here at CeBIT, and we could easily see it becoming a top fashionista pick. Unfortunately, the paltry specs are going to divert all but the staunchest supporters of fashion minimalism. We're also a little confused why Sony Ericsson still hasn't replaced that generic "SE 123" logo the phone was sporting when we first saw it in February. Forget to pay the sticker guy? Perhaps we'll never know.

Gallery: Eyes-on with the teensy Sony Ericsson T303

Quigo ad placement

Nokia 6650 hands-on

by Paul Miller Mar 4th 2008 @ 5:59PM

T-Mobile gave us a quick look today at Nokia's latest clamshell, the 6650. The Series 60 phone is pretty sexy as far as Nokia flips go -- and quite the looker in its own right -- but it's still clear that Nokia's struggling to make any of its S60 units truly "skinny." The QVGA screen is naturally stellar, and the secondary display on the back includes a few capacitive touch buttons to control music playback. We also liked the main keypad, which is a bit of a departure for Nokia. The phone won't blow any minds, but it's certainly a solid play by Nokia for the budget set in Europe -- how about a little Stateside love, eh Nok?

Gallery: Nokia 6550 hands-on

Eyes on with T-Mobile's MDA Compact IV

by Thomas Ricker Mar 4th 2008 @ 1:10PM


What will it be, the good or the bad news first? How 'bout the good. After an initial rebuff, we finally managed to grab some photos of that exclusive T-Mobile MDA compact IV. You remember: 7.2Mbps HSDPA, GPS, VGA resolution screen, WiFi and 4GB of on-board storage. It'll also launch "mit neuestem Microsoft Betriebssytem" which we can safely assume is Windows Mobile 6.1 at this point. Oh yes, and the bad news. It's only a plastic dummy and our photographs were restricted by a glass cube. Still, this is as close as most of you will get for a long, long time. Full gallery over at Engadget.

Meizu prototype caught in the flesh at CeBIT, we handle it

by Chris Ziegler Mar 4th 2008 @ 12:48PM


We've finally seen the M8 in the wild, made with real molecules -- sort of. The prototype being passed around doesn't really function beyond showing a few screens, though a rough cut of the full interface was available on a decidedly un-M8 looking prototype board. Check out our comprehensive coverage of the device, which looks nothing like the iPhone, below!

Read - Video: Meizu M8 mini One OS looks very, very familiar
Read - Video: Meizu M8 mini One
Read - Meizu M8 mini One vs. iPhone... fight!

Sony Ericsson turns T303 slider into reality

by Chris Ziegler Mar 4th 2008 @ 10:50AM


Whoa, no EDGE? That's a surefire sign that Sony Ericsson is targeting the very bottom end of the market with its just-introduced T303 slider, a phone we saw in classic "SE123" form just recently. That seems a bit at odds with the fact that the phone's exterior is mostly constructed of chrome and metal, but we're guessing buyers aren't going to argue too much with that. Features include an integrated FM radio, 8MB of memory, a 160 x 128 display, Bluetooth, and a 1.3 megapixel camera in two flavors depending on which three GSM band combo you'd rather have. Look for it to launch in "mid 2008" for a price to be set by your local distributor -- but expect it to be cheap.

Vodafone's Otello search engine uses images, not text

by Darren Murph Mar 4th 2008 @ 9:36AM


We've certainly seen some clever methods of searching from one's mobile, but Vodafone's latest idea is quite the stroke of genius. Showcased at CeBIT, the Otello search engine simply uses images as input; in other words, handset owners just snap a picture of anything -- a landmark, DVD case, unidentified flying object, etc. -- and Otello then "returns information relevant to the picture to the mobile phone." Reportedly, Vodafone is expected to conduct a trial with German paper Bild in which readers can "find out more about specially-marked articles by photographing them with their mobile's camera and sending the image to [the aforementioned paper]." Unfortunately, the carrier is being tight-lipped with its plans for Otello beyond the trial, but if this stuff functions as advertised, we can't see it remaining a secret for long.

[Via Pocket-lint]

T-Mobile trotting out monster-spec MDA compact IV

by Chris Ziegler Mar 3rd 2008 @ 10:57PM


T-Mobile is unveiling its MDA compact IV at CeBIT this week, and despite its somewhat unassuming name, this one should command some serious attention. The HTC-sourced Windows Mobile 6 (possibly 6.1, if we're lucky) device sports full VGA resolution -- a feature that's still dismally uncommon on Western handsets -- along with a respectable 4GB of internal storage, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, quadband EDGE, Bluetooth, and WiFi; since it succeeds the Artemis-based MDA compact III, we'd reckon there's probably GPS in there, too. We'll try to catch this one in the wild as its being passed from hand to greedy hand around the T-Mobile booth in the next day or two, since it's the closest most of our American readers will ever get to it.

Nokia intros two phones for Europe

by Chris Ziegler Mar 3rd 2008 @ 11:55AM


Nokia used CeBIT as its stage today to introduce two new models destined specifically for the European marketplace (fine, Nokia, be that way). The 6650 flip will be found exclusively on T-Mobile -- and seriously, we really wouldn't mind having it on the US T-Mobile with its clean looks, external music controls, HSDPA, 2 megapixel cam, and QVGA display. Even better, it should be basically free on contract when it launches in the third quarter. Next up, the 6124 classic candybar is made just for Vodafone customers like the 6234 before it, offering tight integration with its services atop S60. Pricing wasn't announced, but it should hit Voda shelves next quarter.

Read - Nokia 6650
Read - Nokia 6124 classic

ASUS' new touchscreen GUI prettifies Windows Mobile 6.1

by Thomas Ricker Mar 3rd 2008 @ 6:23AM


Regardless of the cause, we certainly like the trend of these enhanced touch-screen UIs dominating the high-end cellphone market. Now meet ASUS' GUI slickness destined for their newest touchscreen devices including the ZX1. Starting with a Windows Mobile 6.1 core, ASUS slathers on a new customizable Multi-Home 3D interface meant to simplify access to your today screen, life and business applications. Think HTC's TouchFlo only sexier. ASUS even threw in some "album cover flow" to the media app and the ability to more easily manipulate all your digital media with enhanced figure gestures. You can even drop everything into a visual carousel if that's your preference. See for yourself in the video after the break.

Continue reading ASUS' new touchscreen GUI prettifies Windows Mobile 6.1

Eyes-on with ASUS ZX1 Lamborghini phone

by Thomas Ricker Mar 3rd 2008 @ 5:16AM


While poking around the ASUS booth this morning we had a chance to witness the world premier unveiling of the ZX1 Lamborghini. We even took a few shots before it went under the glass. However, the real treat is the UI based on a Windows Mobile 6.1 core running special ASUS tweaks. It's "just like the iPhone" according to our friendly ASUS guide. The device is expected to fetch an unsubsidized €1,000 ($1,500) price tag when this 3G world-phone launches in Europe this May. Maybe you'll think it's worth it when we get back to you in a few with a video of the GUI albeit sans all that Lamborghini theme nonsense.




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