Dell Lightning Is a Beauty Who Runs Windows Phone 7 [Dell]

The Dell Lightning slider is apparently not coming out until the end of the year, but it looks rather good—aesthetically and feature-wise. The Windows Phone 7 device has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 4.1-inch OLED display, and more:



Seems like this will be worth keeping an eye on.

[Gizmodo via Engadget]

Swiss Watch Maker Ulysse Nardin To Launch Luxury Android Handset [Luxury]

Looking to blow some cash? Here's a thought. Swiss watch maker, Ulysse Nardin has partnered with SCI Innovations to craft and sell a luxury Android handset. That's right, a luxury Android handset!

According to the Ulysse Nardin website, the handset will be named the 'Ulysse Nardin Chairman' and feature a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a fingerprint reader, 8-megapixel camera and 32GB flash drive. It will support playback of HD video and come pre-loaded with applications for YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, Google talk and Facebook.

Additionally, the smartphone will be equipped with a Ulysse Nardin Rotor kinTetic power system and Crown (for winding the phone), which is designed to recharge additional electrical power for the battery. With this, the battery will provide up to 8 hours talk time and 30 days standby time. That's pretty damn impressive if you ask me.

No word yet on when this phone will be released, but the phone will cost between ISL 47,375.41 ($12,800) and ISL 183,209.61 ($49,500). As always, the price goes up as the options go up. So, who is interested?

[AndroidGuys via Ulysse Nardin]

Innocomm Reveals Ambitious Android Plans [Android]

Smartphone developer Innocomm Technology might be small when compared to players like HTC and Motorola, but their plans for Android are just as big. Around the middle of the year, the handset maker plans to drop their first of many Android-based handsets. Called the Shark, Innocomm's smartphone will be a high-end device with a considerably lower cost.

Innocomm's hopes are that wireless providers might be able to offer their handsets free with contacts. Our hopes are that this happens!

Innocomm Skate

Shark's tentative specs include a 3.2-inch touchscreen, 8-megapixel camera with flash, GPS, 3G, HSPA, Wifi, and Bluetooth. The Shark will be also have a 3.5mm headset jack, a microSD card slot, and mini-USB connection. Also getting squeezed in will be an analog TV tuner with future versions expected to offer a digital tuner.

Other handsets in the Inncomm pipeline are the Shadow, which features a 4.3-inch screen, the Gemini, and Scorpion. Previously, the company showed their Skate handset off at 2009's MWC which sports 'the World's smallest 2.8' smartphone based on the Android OS.' As of right now, the Skate has been pushed back due to changing the chipset inside.

Innocomm has no plans to work with any other mobile platforms, even the recently unveiled Windows Phone 7. 'Windows is nice, but it can't beat the price on Android. It's free and the Google brand is already well known. Android is the only OS we're working on.'

[AndroidGuys via PC World]

LG Mini GD880 Phone Has 16:9 Ratio And Looks Hot To Trot [Phones]

This LG Mini GD880 is so good-looking it makes my brain hurt at the injustice of it (presumably) running LG's S-Class OS, and not Android. Still, there's some nice spec to back up this slim 16:9 phone.

Just like the Chocolate phone before it, the display has a 16:9 aspect ratio, in this case at 3.2-inches. LG hasn't released many details about the internals just yet, but we do know it has a 5.0-megapixel camera with face detection, Wi-Fi, and HSDPA 7.2Mbps connectivity.

The lack of buttons, metal finishings and square corners make it look like it'll be part of their more "premium" range of handsets, so expect to pay a pretty penny if you want it PAYG, otherwise it'll most likely go for the usual month contract fees when it goes on sale in March in Europe—with worldwide availability expected shortly. I'm going to harass LG for confirmation of the OS, but with Mobile World Congress starting this weekend, I'm sure we'll find out a whole load more then.
[Gizmodo via LG]

Separate Keitai: Meet Japan’s sexiest new handset (videos)

For years, Japan was the innovation leader in the cell phone industry, until South Korea and the US started catching up rapidly. If you look back at what Nippon's mighty carriers have released in the past few months, you mainly see super-powerful handsets with large OLED screens, 12MP cameras, Blu-ray recorder connectivity, double digital TV tuners, etc.

But the form factor never really changes, as the majority of Japanese consumers still demands clamshell phones with jog dials enabling them to conveniently thumb-text emails. But if a country churns out 100 different handsets per year, there have to be some exceptions. And the most notable exception (that now has been priced and dated) is Fujitsu's F-04B featuring the world's first separable two-module body.

[CrunchGear]

Sony Ericsson announces the Aspen

Sony Ericsson today announced the Aspen, the latest handset in its GreenHeart line of eco-friendly devices. A no-nonsense Windows Phone geared towards business users, the Aspen’s features include a full-QWERTY keypad, 2.4″ QVGA dispaly, 3.2 megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and SPB Mobile Shell floating on top of Windows Mobile 6.5.3. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the Sony Ericsson Aspen is scheduled to drop in Q2. And yes, this puppy is available with some US 3G love, albeit only on the 850 MHz band. Oh well. 1900 is teh suck anyway.
[BGR]

Nokia launches 16GB X6

A somewhat tame version of the X6 has been announced by Nokia today and will become available this quarter. The new 16GB X6 has half the memory capacity of the 32GB version, and it’s also missing the Comes With Music feature. If you think you can live with that, the 16GB X6 has an impressive battery life of 11.5 hours talk time and 18 days of standby, 4.5 hours of video playback and 35 hours of music playback. Of course, Nokia doesn’t cut any corners with cameras on its high-end devices, and this one features a 5 megapixel shooter with Carl Zeiss optics and a dual LED flash — pretty much par for the course on Nokia devices these days. The new X6 also has in-phone video editing capabilities and TV out support so you can watch your amateur cinematography on a big screen. No details on pricing, but we’d imagine it to be less than the full-fledged 32GB version.
[BGR]

Nokia Files Patent For a Bendy Phone With Many Functions [Patents]

Images of the Nokia Morph, a flexible concept phone with a transparent screen, cropped up nearly two years ago. The company's recently-filed patent for a device with a bendy screen suggests that the Gumbyphone may still have legs.

Nokia recently filed a patent for a device with a flexible screen that takes on different applications when the hardware is bent into different shapes.


While that diagram might make it seem like Nokia is trading in camping gear, the patent illuminates some of the phone's possible uses:

In one embodiment the pre-specified shape is also associated with a movement. As a pre-specified shape is detected and followed by the detection of a pre-specified movement an associated function is executed.'
'FIG. 10a shows a device having been bent to resemble a can, possibly used to hold beer or soda. A search will thus be performed for a bar or a pub either a specific franchise or any bar or pub in the neighborhood.
FIG. 10b shows a device having been bent to resemble a bowl. A search will thus be performed for a restaurant either a specific franchise or any restaurant in the neighborhood.
FIG. 10c shows a device having been bent to resemble a roof or a tent. A search will thus be performed for a hotel, motel or guest house either a specific franchise or any hotel, motel or guesthouse in the neighborhood.

There's no telling if this patent will amount to anything, but for now just be happy that Nokia's bendy phone may eventually see the light of day.
[Gizmodo via Go Rumors via Slash Gear]

Oppo Android phone arrives next year, straight from the 22nd century [Android]

We've reviewed Oppo DVD players — the world's best — and now it looks like the company's learned something from its foray into building sexy portable media players. Check out this smartphone Oppo will be releasing next year, running the Android operating system and sporting a 3.5' WVGA capacitive touchscreen.

Nice. At first, that looked like a slide-out transparent display with edge lighting, but no, it's a bit thick for our tastes. See the gallery below for details. Slim it down a bit, Oppo, and price it right, and you'll have our undivided attention.

[DVICE via Cloned in China, via Ubergizmo]

Gallery of Nexus One Pics Arrives

Engadget scored themselves a nice bounty this morning with nearly a dozen photos of the Nexus One standing still. Nothing too super new here, just more confirmation of what we’ve already heard. You’ll see that the background appears to be dynamic with moving colors that move around. A button at the bottom of the screen brings previews of all (5) home screens in a look that mimics Palm’s webOS cards. The app tray also picks up a 3D effect which is definitely the attention to detail that we like!

[AndroidGuys via Engadget]

First Pics: ViewSonic's VPC08 Windows XP Phone is Freakin' Huge [Cellphones]

Here are the first shots of the VPC08 in action. The hardware looks faithful to those renders we saw mid-November, and includes a 4.3-inch touchscreen, 800MHz Atom Z500 CPU, and separate phone controls with a second 2-inch screen.

I'm fascinated, but pretty skeptical of the VPC08. As you can see, the thing dwarfs the Nokia N97, and its design doesn't appeal to me as much as the even crazier xpPhone (which will also run Windows 7).

Other specs on ViewSonic's effort include 512MB RAM, 8GB SSD, Wi-Fi, 1200mAh battery, 3.5mm headphone jack, a mini USB port, 2-megapixel camera, and microSD storage expansion. There had been talk of a roughly $800 price, but that's all speculation until it actually arrives. Maybe we'll get to play with it at CES.
[Gizmodo via Shanzhaiben (translated) via Pocketables]

LEAK: The Google Phone "Is a Certainty" [Rumors]

According to a trusted source who's seen it with their own eyes, the Google Phone 'is a certainty.'
And by 'Google Phone' we don't simply mean another Android headset. We're talking about Google-branded hardware running a version of Android we haven't yet seen.
Over the next few weeks, Google Phones (most probably in early, prototype form) will flood the Mountain View campus. They'll don large LCDs while running a new version of Android—either Flan or the version of Android beyond it—which our source spotted running on Google's handset as well as a laptop. (Whatever the software was, it most certainly wasn't Chrome OS, we were assured.)
But maybe the most intriguing bit is what someone said to our source offhandedly, that the current Android, the we all know and love, is not the 'real' Android. So what makes for a 'real' version of Android?
Our best guess is an Android OS with Google Voice at its heart.
[Gizmodo]

Fujitsu and Docomo debut Separate Keitai modular phone

NTT Docomo, in partnership with Fujitsu, updates its modular cell phone concept with the debut of the new Separate Keitai F-04B. The cell phone's main innovation is its ability to separate into two pieces, one acting as the keyboard/computer the other acting as the display, both communicating via Bluetooth.
The amazing thing about this device is that the separation doesn't cripple the functionality of the two pieces. The display can be used separately as a touchscreen interface and telephone, while the other part can be used as a keyboard, microphone and speaker. When joined the unit functions as a kind of slide-out keyboard phone. The set-up also has an optional projector attachment that allows you use the phone to view movies. Pricing has not been announced, but this is probably the closest we've come to a true mini-desktop dynamic in a mobile phone format, so the bar has been officially raised.
[DVICE via Nikkei]

HTC Kicks off Ad Campaign Centered Around ‘You’

For years, HTC has been the biggest handset maker that nobody had ever heard of. Content to stand back in the shadows and defer the spotlight, the Taiwanese manufacturer has remained relatively unknown. If someone were to ask you who made your Windows Mobile smart phone, chances were good that you either said ‘T-Mobile’ or ‘I don’t know’. That’s because the devices were marketed as carrier branded handset (think T-Mobile Dash, T-Mobile Wing). Until now, they’ve been one of those companies who didn’t get the credit they deserve. That’s all changing.
HTC has started a major push for brand awareness here in the United States and deservedly so. As of today, they are responsible for nearly every Android handset released in the US, with more to come. Some of the best cutting-edge phones in the world are their products and the public should know that. Enter the “Quietly Brilliant” campaign.
We’ve come to have a very emotional relationship with our phones. Many of our key experiences in any given day come through this one device and yet most of the advertising in the category is still about utility. HTC’s whole design philosophy is very personal. They make phones where your experience is completely unique, so we think there is a connection between how people feel about their phones and how HTC makes them. – Eric Hirshberg, co-CEO and chief creative officer, Deutsch LA.
We’ve embedded the first two advertisements from the campaign. As Androinica points out, Android is bound to grab some extra attention as a result of this push;The handset featured in the commercial is a Hero from Sprint. Further, HTC is heavily vested in Android and will continue to develop a majority of their handsets using the platform.



[AndroidGuys]

LG's Pop touchscreen phone set to challenge the iPhone

South Korea's LG just rolled out its latest would-be iPhone killer called the LG GD510 aka the Pop. The company calls the phone 'the most compact 3-inch full touchscreen phone ever made.' In the green tech category, the unit offers an optional solar charging replacement battery cover.
The device also features a 3-megapixel camera, MP3 player, Bluetooth functionality, 8 gigabytes of memory and an FM radio. LG's Pop will go on sale in Europe later this month, with more countries added later. You can see video of the phone's feature set in action here.
[DVICE via LG]

Samsung takes a moment to announce the Android-powered Moment

Hot off the presses! Samsung has announced a new Android-powered phone: the Moment. The new Android-powered Samsung Moment is the first Sprint phone to use Samsung's new 3.2' AMOLED touchscreen display and will feature a landscape sliding QWERTY keyboard. And it's not priced all that bad either.

It's got a 3.5-mm headphone jack and SDHC expansion (compared to an awkward mini-USB combo and a microSDHC), but it's also significantly thinner and loses the G1's chin. It's got a 3.2MP camera on the back.

Unlike the Motorola Cliq or HTC Hero, Samsung hasn't messed with the stock Android interface very much at all, merely sprinkling in some carrier-specific widgets like Nascar, Sprint Navigation and Sprint TV, which actually works quite well.

Specs:

* 3.2-megapixel camera with flash and camcorder with auto-focus
* Stereo Bluetooth® 2.0 wireless technology
* Expandable memory up to 32GB
* Sprint TV® with live and on-demand programming
* NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM
* Easy access to social networking sites, including Facebook®, Flickr® and TwitterTM
* Media player with 3.5-millimeter headphone jack
* Visual voice mail for quick and easy access to specific voice mail messages
* Access to personal and corporate email through Active Sync

[Via Gizmodo, CrunchGear]

Samsung Behold II, TouchWiz Wonder for T-Mobile

If you happen to leave in the USA and looking for a new Smartphone, here you are the Samsung Behold II, an Adnroid Powered device with 5Mpix AF camera module, a 3.2” AMOLED screen, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 and microSD card.

But the most interesting part of this release is the portage of Samsung TouchWiz 3D Interface to android, a nice alternative to what HTC is now offering on its Smartphone line-up.

[Akihabaranews.com]

LG Shows Off GW620 – Plenty of Pictures and Video to Go ‘Round

We’re finally learning a little bit more in terms of what LG is doing with Android. The fellas at Le Journal du Geek (translated) were in attendance at a show where LG was showing off the GW620 handset. Thankfully for us, they were able to film a few minutes with the phone.


Physically, the phone resembles your typical slide QWERTY (in this case AZERTY) handset. The 5 row keyboard is said to be very easy to use, however the resistive touch screen might turn a few buyers away. Bye bye multi-touch!

The user interface gets a bit of a makeover, but it’s nowhere near what’s been done with MOTOBLUR or HTC Sense. LG has done away with the 3 frame sliding window in favor of a cube-like approach. Similar, but just enough difference help it stand out from the stock Android UI.

The brushed aluminum phone looks to be slightly less bulky than the G1, but the 5MP camera with LED flash and 3.5mm headphone jack help ensure you’ll never confuse the two.


Here’s a video courtesy of CNET France.

Specs:

• GSM (850/900/1800/1900 Mhz), EDGE, 3G (900/2100 Mhz), HSDPA (3G+) 7.2 Mbps
• Resistive touch TFT screen 3,0 inches (7.6 cm) 320 x 480 pixels
• Qualcomm MSM7200 / 528 Mhz
• Digital Camera 5 Mega pixels with autofocus, LED flash and video recording in 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA)
• Memory 300 MB
• Bluetooth 2.0 AD2P
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and DLNA
• microSD HC (up to 32 GB)
• MicroUSB 2.0
• Accelerometer
• Lithium-Ion removable 1500 mAh with a talk time of 4 hours and standby of 20 days (500 hours).
• 10,9 x 5,4 x 1,6 cm
• 143 g
• Google Android 1,5 (Cupcake)

And if video isn’t your thing, here’s a slew (20) of pictures showing the GW620 showing the handset from every angle imaginable.

[AndroidGuys]