Filed under: Cellphones

Right on cue, now that everyone’s got an Excalibur (i.e. T-Mobile Dash), HTC’s latest creation shows up online. Obviously the successor to the sleek Excalibur, the Cavalier doesn’t look as refined to these jaded eyes, but it’s certainly got the horsepower under the hood to make up for its sharper, more Blackberry-esque lines. For starters, that 200MHz OMAP is now a 400MHz, which is just what’s needed to power the UMTS / HSDPA. It’s also got a higher capacity battery (though not by much — 1050mAh over 960), a 2 megapixel camera, and the requisite 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. Don’t worry about it though, it won’t make it to America until late spring by our wholly unscientific estimates, so your investment is safe for at least a couple months before importers make you miserable with longing.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Cellphones

Ah yes, this is what we’ve been so eagerly awaiting. Enough pussyfooting around with the Palm Treo 680 and HTC Hermes / 8525 coming to Cingular — we know they’re due. We need prices, we need dates. And according to what appears to be a recent Cingular marketing presentation, we’ve got ‘em:

• Treo 680: $424.99 straight, $349.99 one year, $249.99 one year with unlimited data (and $100 rebate), $274.99 two year, $174.99 two year with unlimited data (and $100 rebate; their ad, however, shows a $200 list price, but it’s good to know we can count on around two Benjamins. Expect it November 5th (tentative).
• Cingular 8525: $559.99 straight, $484.99 one year (not including $50 rebate if included with unlimited data), $409.99 two year (also not including that same rebate); expect it October 29th.

See, now that wasn’t so bad, was it? Both came in right around where we’d expected and hoped; between the Dash, the Q, and the 680, it looks like that $200 price point is the sweet spot for ever-slimming smartphones. And the 8525 ain’t too bad either, considering what you’re getting.

[Thanks also to djnth]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Cellphones

Thar she blows. We’re not going to pretend like there’s any surprise left here — it’s the 8525 in all its tri-band UMTS / HSDPA glory, it was on Cingular’s page, and it looks like they’re about ready to go. Yep, all we’re waiting for is a price and release date. Yep, just gonna keep on waiting. Cingular?

[Thanks, JeShUa, Matt, and jetfxr]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Handhelds

All four of these phones have had their fair share of leaks, but now HTC is ready to fess up and assign some names to their Q4 lineup of phones, which is all set to bust up on Europe this fall. Starting from the left we’ve got the S3300, codenamed Artemis, which is due for an October launch, and features TomTom software to power the GPS action, along with a 2.8-inch screen and a snazzy new “RollRTM” trackball / track wheel. The P3600 (aka Trinity) picks up where the Prophet and Magician left off with a bit of bulk, some cute looks, but sadly no QWERTY action. The phone does, however, manage HSDPA speeds and a 2 megapixel camera, so it won’t be all tears when this thing drops in September. Next we have the Q-killin’ “Excalibur” S620, which measures a mere 0.5-inches thick, weighs 4.6 ounces, and manages that lovable QWERTY keyboard and 2.4-inch screen. The phone, due for an October launch, will also come with quad band GPRS/EDGE (3G is conspicuously absent), WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Finally, HTC’s S310 “Oxygen” candybar isn’t anything too terribly interesting, but it’s a nice new look for HTC candybar fans who found the HTC Breeze to be a bit too squarish. The S310 should be out this September. Possibly the best news among all this action is that it seems HTC has decided to abandon the frightening naming convention they adopted for the “TyTN” and “MTeoR.” That was a slippery slope if we ever saw one. The worst news is, of course, HTC is only self-branding these phones in Europe right now, and will be letting US carriers adulterate these phones with garish branding and spec drops before we ever get a chance at ‘em. Oh well, such is life. Keep reading for entirely-too-large pr0n of all four phones at their shiniest.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Oh hell yes, did we call it or did we call it? That mystery device has a keyboard, and it turns out that HTC’s totally sick successor to the Hermes / TyTn is the O2 Mars which nails the aesthetics where the Hermes suffers so, and will supposedly come equipped with a 520MHz XScale, GPRS / EDGE / UMTS (sorry, no HSDPA), 64MB ram, 128MB flash, WiFi, Bluetooth, miniSD, and a 2 megapixel camera. Ok, so maybe we’re only excited about this thing because it’s one of the only QWERTY devices we’ve seen lately out of HTC that wasn’t a little hard to look at (Excalibur, we’re lookin’ at you, buddy), but we don’t need to excuse our love of gadgets, so if you’ll let us continue our fawning. Thank you.

P.S. -Sorry, we didn’t mean to gloss over the Jupiter, which appears to be the successor to the Breeze — there’s just not a lot of info there. Click on for some pics.

[Via the::unwired]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

If you’re familiar with the Hermes and you know that it’s coming to Cingular ‘fore too long, these supposed renderings of Cingular’s variant (henceforth known as the 8525) should come with no surprises — except one, that is. Note that the Hermes’ front-facing cam is conspicuously missing here, allegedly removed at Cingular’s request since their video calling infrastructure isn’t quite ready for prime time. Of course, we would’ve preferred that they leave the cam in, disable it, and cut a new firmware down the road to re-enable it when video calling is live rather than ask HTC to cripple their hardware, but we’re sure the corporate suits had their reasons.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

With info and pic originating from Hungary, you know it’s gotta be good. Someone over at HowardForums just spotted this new, unconfirmed i-mate model, the i-mate Jaq, at Hungarian site PDA Mania, and were kind enough to share. Notably, i-mate doesn’t appear to be relying on HTC (who has that little Q-killer of their own brewin’) for the design here, and while their in-house designers might take a little while to warm up, a bit of diversity in the market never killed anyone. Also of note is that this phone purportedly runs the full-fledged Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition, allowing pen input on its QVGA screen and the software advantages that OS provides. As for the rest of the specs, the phone is a quad-band GSM, GPRS and EDGE unit, with 64MB of RAM, 128MB of ROM and a miniSD slot for expansion. There is IrDA and Bluetooth 1.2, but no WiFi, and the 1.3 megapixel camera is a bit lackluster these days, but with that QWERTY action this just might turn out to be a decent contender from i-mate.

[Via HowardForums]

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Cingular, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE

Quick survey: who just sort of assumed that the Star Trek had been FCC approved for some time now? Yeah, us too. Turns out HTC's flipalicious WM5 Smartphone ("STAR100," as it's labeled here) passed muster not long ago, paving the way for Cingular to make good on its launch plans. So, if you picked up an imported unit in the past few months and you've been, uh, patiently awaiting FCC word to turn 'er on, consider this your seal of approval.

[Via phoneArena]

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile

Not sure if this would be Artemis, Trinity, or another device entirely, but Dopod has announced that they intend to drop a GPS-enabled phone in the late Q3 / early Q4 time frame -- and needless to say, it's rather probable that the device will be coming from bestest buddy (and owner) HTC. No other deets seem to be available right now, but our money happens to be on Trinity, being the most well-revealed and seemingly close to market GPS-enabled phone we're aware of in HTC's stable. That being said, Dopod is a fairly exotic brand outside of Asia -- depending on your location, you might be better off looking for the Trinity under one of its other guises by the time it drops anyway.

[Via the::unwired]

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Filed under: Peripherals, HTC

If your HTC-branded TyTN just doesn’t feel complete without the matching branded range of accessories, it looks like HTC feels your pain. Browsing on over to the company’s European site, a couple of accessories have popped up with more promised in the pipeline: the BH S100 A2DP headset and BH M100 mono Bluetooth headset, both with expected August availability. Neither unit looks exciting, special, or different in any notable way — just HTC branded. If you’re into that sort of thing.

[Thanks, Tim]

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Samsung, Orange, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS

Talk about sensory overload — MoDaCo got its hands on a bunch of semi-official Orange debuts for a number of devices over the weekend, and we have to admit, we’re insanely jealous. Perhaps the most interesting of the bunch, Samsung’s “Blackjack” WM5 Smartphone comes fresh on the heels of the i320, offering basically the same functionality plus 3G data and a forward-facing camera for video calling (feeling the heat, Moto?). Also shown were the HTC Breeze and Oxygen, known on Orange as the C700 and C100 respectively; no real surprises here, though we can now confirm that the Oxygen won’t be sporting DTV like we had previously heard might be the case. In case that all doesn’t have ya impressed, the Hermes (M3100) and Star Trek (F600) showed up for the party, too. Don’t know about you, but we’re feeling a bit overwhelmed here; excuse us while we lie down for just a few minutes.

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, NTT DoCoMo, UMTS

When you’re trying to console yourself after perusing NTT DoCoMo’s extraordinary lineup of hotness, it looks like the “at least we’re getting the Hermes” argument no longer holds much water. HTC and NTT DoCoMo have teamed up to put together the “HTC Z,” a Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC with rather obvious Hermes roots. The FOMA-compliant handset shares all of the Hermes’ critical stats — right down to the secondary cam for video calling — and sports a Japanese cut of Windows Mobile to make things easy on the home crowd. Okay, so maybe you’re thinking “at least we get our Hermes first.” Not even: the Z allegedly drops in late July, so unless you’re one of the lucky few, it looks like NTT’s got you beat every which way. Typical.

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Filed under: Handsets, Reviews, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, UMTS

French site PPCReviews has managed to score a Qtek-branded copy of the hotly anticipated HTC Hermes, and thanks to some decent Google translation, we’ve managed to take away quite a bit from the thorough review. Many folks are expecting the Hermes to be a superstar compared to its already good older brother, the Wizard, but PPCReviews is a bit bummed out about the switch from miniSD to microSD expansion, the lackluster battery performance, rather portly 175 grams, and lack of true VGA display. Of course, we all know the good stuff the Hermes brings to the table by now, and the review ends on a happy note, confirming that the 3G and fresh 400MHz Samsung core work wonders for the device. Pardon the interruption, everyone; you can go back to incessantly refreshing Expansys’ TyTN product page every few minutes in the hope of an early shipment.

[Via kaitech.hk, thanks Ajit]

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Vodafone, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA

Looks like Cingular customers aren’t the only ones expected to get an HTC windfall this summer; according to The Unwired, come July and August it appears that the Hermes and Star Trek will be launched on German Vodafone as the Vodafone VPA Compact III and Qtek 8500, respectively. Apparently the VPA Compact III will set you back as much as €900 ($1,150 US) without contract, or €409 ($522 US) with a two-year, whereas the 8500 will go for €600 ($766 US) and €170 ($217 US) the same ways — something tells us they want their customers to snag these subsidized.

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, HSDPA, UMTS

We may not be able to pronounce the name of HTC's self-branded variant of the Hermes -- TyTN -- but we will be able to rock one toward the end of this month, if Expansys' UK site is to be trusted. Expansys is showing an alleged July 17 availability date for the device, and while our European friends are already well-acquainted with its imminent availability in several flavors of carrier, this could be the only shot Americans have at 1900MHz UMTS smartphone goodness until it officially drops on Cingular in the fall (knock on wood). The Hermes is physically a dead ringer for the Wizard it replaces, but mercifully upgrades the woefully underclocked OMAP to a 400MHz Samsung piece, adds a second camera for video calling, and bumps the primary to 2 megapixels. The price north of $1,000 USD might seem stratospheric to most of us, but we suspect we can find a few Wizard-toting folks willing to shed it to get themselves out of EDGE purgatory.

[Thanks, Daniel S.]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

We've just spotted what purports to be the HTC Trinity, and while it's looking quite a bit different (and a bit less sleek) than the last time it surfaced, the specs are just as spiffing. The Windows Mobile 5.0 actually doesn't look too much different than HTC's Hermes, with the main addition of GPS and some reworked face buttons. There's 64MB of RAM, 128MB of ROM, a 2.8-inch QVGA display, Bluetooth, WiFi, EDGE, HSDPA and a microSD slot. Just like the Hermes there are VGA and 2.0 megapixel cameras, and the phone is similarly slim at 0.7-inches thick. No more info as to when this will be out, and we can't say we aren't disappointed about the fairly generic look, but there's always a chance (hope) this report is a bit off.

[Thanks, Sean]

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA

We've just spotted what purports to be the HTC Trinity, and while it's looking quite a bit different (and a bit less sleek) than the last time it surfaced, the specs are just as spiffing. The Windows Mobile 5.0 actually doesn't look too much different than HTC's Hermes, with the main addition of GPS and some reworked face buttons. There's 64MB of RAM, 128MB of ROM, a 2.8-inch QVGA display, Bluetooth, WiFi, EDGE, HSDPA and a microSD slot. Just like the Hermes there are VGA and 2.0 megapixel cameras, and the phone is similarly slim at 0.7-inches thick. No more info as to when this will be out, and we can't say we aren't disappointed about the fairly generic look, but there's always a chance (hope) this report is a bit off.

[Thanks, Sean]

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Filed under: Cellphones

It's been a crazy few years for the once unknown Taiwanese OEM known as High Tech Computer. Although still not a household name like Sony or Samsung, HTC has leveraged its strong ties with Microsoft to offer tantalizing products that have made us early-adopters stand up and take notice, and now the company feels that it's in a strong enough market position to ditch the Qtek brand and begin selling phones under its own name. The Qtek phase-out was announced as part of HTC's official unveiling of the 3G Hermes Windows Mobile Pocket PC phone -- now known as the TyTN -- as well as the compact, UMTS-capable Breeze smartphone -- which is now called the MTeoR (yeah, we're noticing a MOTO-like naming trend too; see the rebadged STRTrk for further proof). In announcing July's European launch of these self-branded handsets, HTC reemphasized its dedication to the many carriers selling its products under their own names, but this development certainly bodes well for the company's overall name-recognition; imagine, instead of lying and telling people we have a Treo because Sprint-branded-UTStarcomm-PPC-6700-based-on-the-HTC-Apache sounds so nerdy, we may one day be able to proudly proclaim "Oh, it's an HTC." [Warning: PDF link]

[Via Geekzone, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Handsets, Multimedia, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS

Well, that didn't take long. Just a couple weeks ago, we didn't know what the heck the HTC Oxygen was, and now we have some shots of HTC's freshest candybar Windows Mobile 2005 Smartphone doing its thing. PocketPT.net is reporting 64MB of RAM, 64MB of ROM, a 220 x 176 display, 1.3 megapixel camera, and a 201MHz OMAP850. Fairly pedestrian specs for an as-yet-unreleased HTC smartphone, but according to our sources, we believe they missed a crucial line item: some sort of mobile TV support (though we're not sure what standard). HTC tends to be good about quad-banding their GSM devices, so let's all hold hands and wish for this bundle of joy to cross the pond.

[Via Smartphone Thoughts]

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Filed under: HTC, Windows Mobile

HTC, seasoned manufacturer of highly desirable Windows Mobile devices big and small, has agreed to acquire at least 51% of Taiwanese VAR Dopod in a transaction that "will not surpass $150 million." The deal smells a bit improper, seeing how HTC Chairwoman Cher Wang is a controlling shareholder in Dopod, but there is some logic to the acquisition -- it positions HTC a little closer to its adoring public, giving it a recognized brand name (at least in some parts of the world) and a sales channel to push its wares. Of course, Dopod doesn't have much brand awareness outside Asia, but if HTC decides to go big with their new toy, the Qteks and i-mates of the world might have reason to find a different line of work -- or at least a different OEM of choice.

[Via Smartphone Thoughts]

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC, O2, Windows Mobile, GSM, HSDPA, UMTS

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Filed under: Handsets, HTC, Windows Mobile, GSM, GPRS, HSDPA, UMTS

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