Samsung Pixon Gets Nick Turpin’ed

Creating mini-sites based on fictionally invented characters used to promote the hottest new gadget is all the rage these days and Samsung continues the trend with the Samsung Pixon. They’ve got a mini-site claiming to share “The Photographic Adventures of Nick Turpin” on October 2nd.

Whatever genius over there is doing the domain name selection needs to either read a tutorial or be moved to a different department. You read for this? You can check out the mini-site for yourself at: http://www.thephotographicadventuresofnickturpin.com/

Wow… try to type that into your URL bar and there is a 85.76 percent chance you’ll fall asleep midway through the word “adventures”. Thats just sad. The phone itself, however, seems pretty beastly.

Alright, Samsung… you got us. We’ll be back October 2nd!

Nokia Tube in 2009 with New Name

In a slide at the Evans Data Developer Relations Conference in Redwood City, California, Nokia either purposely or accidentally leaked information about the much rumored Nokia Tube. Teo from Symbian-Freak was cautious in reporting the information but did give us a bunch of new information for you to feast on.

First of all, it will NOT be called “The Tube” - that is nearly a codename. It won’t be an Nseries device or even a flagship model. It will come out in Q1 2009 and Nokia’s REAL iPhone killer will be released shortly after. But “The Tube” will hold its own ground, too.

Here are some features/specs that we’ve learned:

We’ll keep you posted as details emerge. Its a little disappointing that this won’t come out until Q1 2009 based on how long the rumors have been circulating. Lets see how long it takes for the officialness to pick up steam.

[Via Symbian-Freak]

Samsung Pixon Has Tea with INNOV8

The Samsung INNOV8 is no longer alone as Samsung’s only 8MP camera phone. The formerly rumored Samsung M8800 Bresson is actually the Samsung Pixon and is sporting the following specs:

Perhaps best of all is the way this thing looks:

Pretty beautiful if you ask me. Unfortunately, it appears as if GPS and WiFi may be missing. If thats the case, consider the Pixon the cheap version of the INNOV8. For people that want an 8MP camera phone, why not offer a high end and lower end? I like that they give the consumer the option.

It appears this thing already has a promotional video floating around, too. Take a look for yourself:

Whaddaya think?

[Via MobileCrunch]

Unlimited Music Downloads with Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson is set to unleash its Play Now Plus service which will allow subscribers unlimited downloads from the largest music collection allowing “unlimited” amounts. It will first be available in Sweden with other markets following in coming months.

This is a pretty big deal for Sony Ericsson who have struggled to regain the value of their Walkman brand. The Walkman, remember, once held the same type of status that the iPod does today. Whether or not it can regain its former prestige remains to be seen, but it doesn’t seem likely. However, Play Now Plus does a lot to increase the value of SE phones.

SE Phones with Play Now Plus will come preloaded with 1,000 of the most popular songs and promise to offer access to millions more. They promise that even AFTER your subscription ends, you’ll be able to keep your most played and favorite songs on use with ANY device for the rest of your life. Meaning you own them. Exactly how many that means was not identified.

[Via Sony Ericsson]

Nokia Tube Unveiled October 2nd?

Reuters is reporting that the Nokia Tube, Nokia’s XpressMusic Touch Screen Device once thought to rival the iPhone, will be unveiled on October 2nd at an event in London, England. Nokia officials declined to comment and its unseen whether or not the phone will actually be named “Tube” - or whether the phone will even be unveiled.

Nokia has always stuck to traditional screens and has yet to release a touch screen phone. They have a broad reach that covers low to mid range phones in a dominant manner and the Nokia Tube is seen as their “response” to the new age of mobile devices.

We’ll have our eyes focused on London on October 2nd… so keep yours right here!

[Via Reuters]

T-Mobile G1 Update Galore

If you’re wondering why MobileRoar coverage has been a little relaxed this week its because we’ve been SOOO busy covering T-Mobile G1 news with sister site, phandroid.com. We’ve got a ton of great information over there but we’ve summarized it for all our MobileRoar brethren (and uh, brethra?) below:

First off, take a look at this T-Mobile G1 overview video that highlights some of the coolest features and capabilities of Android on the new device:

Here are some first impressions of the G1 and the T-Mobile G1 User Guide was just leaked as well, which can’t really give you a better text/picture based overview of the device.

Its tough to explain to non tech enthusiasts what the heck Android is and actually means for the mobile industry and consumers. To illustrate that, I usually explain what the application Shop Savvy for Android does and below is a video of Rylan Barnes - a member of their team - demonstrating the application in action:

That’s one of the COOLEST applications for Android not to mention the most useful, but Android will have just as many applications that are fun and pointless, just to help you kill time. One of them is called Krystle 2 and all it does is make your screen look like a furry pet and it shakes/vibrates when you pet it. Dumb? Yes… but things like these could also become very popular.

There have been a ton of complaints about the G1, mostly from iFanboys, but some of them hold water. Here is a list of some of the more common concerns that have surfaced:

Those concerns are already being alleviated.

My only concern was whether or not the Black G1 and Brown G1 were actually different colors. Although I sounded like a complete, sarcastic jerk when questioning the color I was… simply… puzzled. I explain more about the T-Mobile G1 Colors on Phandroid but here is the video:

I’m guessing there will be a TON of Android news rolling in over the next couple days, it will die down by Monday and then we’ll go through the craziness all over again when October 22nd comes. We’ll update you here but if Android in specific is your thing, check out phandroid.com and AndroidForums.com!

BlackBerry Storm/Thunder Updates

With all the latest T-Mobile G1 slash Android news we’ve seem to let some juicy BlackBerry Storm/Thunder updates fall through the cracks. So, we’ve got a bunch of info to chew on:

BlackBerry Storm Internal Doc/Specs

Engadget got their hands on an internal document that shows off some of the BB Storm’s cool features and it also gives us more solid information about the specs. There is a 12 page PowerPoint document that includes much more… you can leaf through it at EngadgetMobile.

AT&T Disses BlackBerry Storm

At least they were courteous enough to say it behind the Storm’s back and not in front of her face. AT&T has sent out an internal info sheet that drops bombs on the Storm and explaining why the iPhone is a billion times better. Below are the reasons (from BGR) and the document in all its jpeg glory:

GSM Only & GSM/CDMA Versions

Apparently the Storm will have two variants - a GSM Only model and a GSM/CDMA version that will likely be split between Verizon/Bell in the States and Vodafone in Europe. These were captured by tipsters over at BlackBerryNews

Nokia Tube Pictured and (Launch) Dated

The Nokia Tube - aka XpressMusic 5800 - has LONG been rumored. We heard about a Touch Screen Nokia and the “Tube” name was often discussed at one point. Well, Tube talk had died down and rumor has it that Nokia is now looking to both Announce AND Launch the device on October 2nd in London to reinvigorate the once highly awaited device.

If you don’t remember, this is the phone people were saying was pictured in the Batman movie, Dark Knight. In addition to that rumored October 2nd announcement/launch date, Mobil.cz were able to get their hands on an actual press picture of the Tube, pictured here to the left.

We don’t have too long to wait before we find out whether or not this is true. If Nokia shoots for the low end touch screen market with this device they have a good chance at making a device. Low end touch screen market? Yeah, we know… there really isn’t one right now.

Sounds like an opportunity to me!

[Via UnwiredView]

LG Xenon & KC780 Leaked

LG has a few more tricks up their sleeves but it looks like the cats out of the bag, the cards are on the table, and the cliches officially butchered. The Xenon for AT&T and the KC780 have been leaked in what looks like 2 more strong handsets from LG.

LG Xenon

That looks pretty hot, right? Its a side sliding QWERTY with a 3MPcamera, A-GPS, Wi-Fi, an accelerometer, proximity sensor, Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 240×480 2.8″ LCD Screen, WiFi and More. It should be ready in time for the holidays! Its looks are drawing comparisons to a slider version of the LG Dare. If THAT is the case you can consider this phone a LOCK to ring up the register.

LG KC780

There doesn’t seem to be a ton of information on the KC780 but we do know that its camera focused. This phone should have an 8mp camera with autofocus, red eye reduction, face recognition, and 30 FPS video capture. Remember, the LG Renoir is coming out and is also an 8 megapixel device. I would expect that the Renoir has all the bells and whistles while the KC780 keeps the camera and drops most of the other luxuries. Its a pretty good strategy… we’ll see if it holds up.

[BGR, UnwiredView, via MobileCrunch]

Android, LIVE from NYC!

On Tuesday,9/23 at 10:30AM a little bit of mobile history will be made as T-Mobile, HTC and Google announce and unveil the first ever Android enabled phone… the T-Mobile G1 slash HTC Dream. Want to follow the coverage live? Our friends at phandroid.com will be at the event, live blogging DURING the event and bringing you coverage throughout the day.

Find the LIVE blog here:
http://phandroid.com/live

What are you all hoping for? Catious for? What do you want to know? What questions do you have about Android that you hope the 9/23 event will finally answer?

Treo Pro: AT&T in December?

Palm has announced that their Treo Pro WILL be available on a US Carrier sometime in the near future and all signs are pointing to AT&T in December or soon after. The phone is currently being sold unlocked, but the benefits of carrier subsidy will bode well for consumers AND Palm sales figures.

The US Carrier announcement was made in Palm’s Quarterly Conference Call and they excused themselves in advance for a poor November, citing an “extended carrier verification processes”. That would lead us to believe in a December launch and since T-Mobile and Palm aren’t exactly cozy, AT&T seems like the natural fit.

Keep your eyes and ears open and we’ll keep you posted!

[Via WMExperts]

HTC Touch HD Frenchified on Video

That’s Frenchified, not “french fried”… meaning, the video is in French. We can’t understand a darn thing but seeing the HTC Touch HD in action and next to the iPhone 3G and Samsung Omnia sure is a treat. Take a look at the video and - if you speak French - feel free to translate everything for us. We’re dying to know what they’re saying!

Actually, we lied. At about 5 minutes in we can hear a distinct “fruhn payjjj buh-tone” which, with our advanced linguistic skills, have translated to “front page button”. Take THAT high school French teacher!

[Via BGR]

LG Renoir = LG KC910

We learned about the LG KC910 a couple weeks ago, calling it the LG Viewty 2 because of its natural succession. In the Press Release, LG said that details would coming… including the phone’s “pet name” which we are now nearly certain is named the LG Renoir.

The LG Renoir is apparently named after the French artist, lending a little flavor to what could be a beast of a phone. Its got everything the Viewty has plus WiFi, GPS, an 8MP camera with Xenon Flash, Crisp video recording, Quad Band GSM, HSDPA, TV-Out support, Xvid and DivX video support and Dolby Sound…

Daaaammnnnnnn, Gina!

This thing certainly looks like it could be a favorite and its rumored for an October release. With the Storm/Thunder and Android slurping up all the buzz, we hope this thing doesn’t slide in under the radar.

[Via GSMArena]

BlackBerry Storm: Verizon’s Launch Details

The BlackBerry Storm has had unpredictable and gusting winds over the past week but the latest bit of info should solidify some of the Storm’s future. Call it our AccuPhone Forecast… although in reality its a Verizon Wireless internal document that outlines the BlackBerry Storm’s pre-launch details/strategy.

So, what does this document tell us? A few things…

So there you have it. By the way, several websites reported that Verizon had taken down their Storm landing page but it is now up and running, just FYI.

[Via CrackBerry]

Samsung Bresson M8800 Rumored

The Samsung Innov8 may not sit alone as soon to be 8 megapixel touch phones from Samsung. An online retailer was spotted pre-selling the Samsung Bresson 8800, a full touch screen device with an 8MP camera, quad-band GSM, tri-band HSDPA, Google Search & Maps, Accu Weather, and the latest Samsung CNN News & Sports application.

How do these jokesters get ahold of these devices we find on half baked retailers and Ebay is beyond us. And, we’re always weary of information from a source that is selling phones that haven’t even been announced yet. Make of it what you will, but we’ll be watching this one like a hawk.

All you geniuses out there probably guessed that the “question mark” means no photos of the Samsung Bresson have escaped the trenches. You were correct.

[Phones4U via GSMArena]

Xperia Gets “Latest Software Development Look”

The Sony Ericsson Xperia is oh so close to release and we’ve seen the hardware over and over for almost a year, but in this video, Arne from The Unwired takes a closer look at the Xperia Software stack which is pretty close to what will actually ship.

Arne has taken control of the interwebz and you’ll actually have to visit The Unwired site for a look at the 16 minute video overview: Xperia Overview Vid

The video isn’t all that exciting but it does give us a more current view of the “panel” interaction and the Xperia’s latest software builds seem to have greatly improved the speed and functionality. Near the end of the video he uses the full QWERTY slide out keyboard to type something into the web browser and it looks painfully uncomfortable and awkward, but Arne says this isn’t the most up to date hardware and they physical keys have improved since this build.

If they were able to improve the hardware as well as they have the software, we’ll all be in for a treat. One sad little note… no accelerometer.

[Via TheUnwired]

BlackBerry Storm LIVE on VZW… *poof*

We all know that when the BlackBerry Storm goes live it will be found at VerizonWireless.com/Storm. Engadget seems to have caught Verizon in the act of testing the live page and snapped a screen shot before it later went *poof* and disappeared.

You can expect it to reappear any time now, so put those browsers on 5-second autorefresh for the next 24-48 hours and make a pot of coffee. When it DOES appear, you’ll likely see this:

Basically an e-mail signup so it doesn’t reveal THAT much. At least we know the wheels are in motion. And now, we already know what the box will look like in all the inevitable unboxing videos:

See that “SanDisk” in Red Letters on the left hand side of the box? They’re in the news today too and thought you might like to know that Samsung is trying to buy SanDisk at $26/share.

[Via Engadget]

HTC Touch HD: Beastliest Beast On The Block

The HTC Touch Diamond looked sweet. Then the HTC Touch Pro was like… wow. But the latest in HTC’s Touch series - the HTC Touch HD - could be the illest multimedia smartphone in the Milky Way. While yesterday the Touch HD was only a rumor, the product page on HTC.com makes it all official.

The HTC Touch HD is touted as the “ultimate visual experience” and rightfully so… the 3.8″ WVGA screen that incorporates Touch Flo 3D and full HTML browser. The crisp picture and large screen of the Touch HD should make ordinary tasks - like using Google Maps, reading e-mail, watching video, browsing the web - MUCH more enjoyable.

Pictures are a cornerstone of multimedia and the Touch HD’s 5 megapixel camera is a nice upgrade from the 2-3 MP camera you see standard on feature phones. Combine the iPhone-like Touch Flow gallery browsing and this thing could be REALLY cool as a digital camera. We wish more folks would try to squeeze in an optical zoom, which this phone doesn’t have, but we understand the complications of cramming too much on the spec sheet.

Speaking of Spec Sheet:

Processor Qualcomm® MSM 7201A™ 528 MHz
Operating System Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
Memory
ROM: 512 MB
RAM: 288 MB
Dimensions 115 mm x 62.8 mm x 12 mm
(4.35 in x 2.5 in x 0.47 in)
Weight 146.4 grams (5.164 ounces) with battery
Display 3.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 480 x 800 WVGA resolution
Network HSDPA/WCDMA:

  • Europe/Asia: 900/2100 MHz
  • Up to 2 Mbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:

  • 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

(Band frequency, HSUPA availability, and data speed are operator dependent.)
Device Control
  • HTC TouchFLO™ 3D
  • Touch-sensitive front panel buttons
GPS GPS and A-GPS ready
Connectivity Bluetooth® 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate and A2DP for wireless stereo headsets
Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g
HTC ExtUSB™ (11-pin mini-USB 2.0)
Camera Main camera: 5 megapixel color camera with auto focus
Second camera: VGA CMOS color camera
Audio Built-in 3.5 mm audio jack, microphone, speaker, and FM radio
Ring tone formats:

  • AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV
  • 40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF)/SP MIDI
Battery Rechargeable Lithium-ion or Lithium-ion polymer battery
Capacity: 1350 mAh

Talk time:

  • Up to 390 minutes for WCDMA
  • Up to 310 minutes for GSM

Standby time:

  • Up to 450 hours for WCDMA
  • Up to 390 hours for GSM

Video call time: Up to 120 minutes

(The above are subject to network and phone usage.)
Expansion Slot microSD™ memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
AC Adapter Voltage range/frequency: 100 ~ 240V AC, 50/60 Hz
DC output: 5V and 1A
Special Features FM Radio, G-Sensor

That’s snagged directly from http://www.htc.com/www/product.aspx?id=64796 - so consider those specs rock hard.

A couple other sweet details that we should point out about the Touch HD:

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

XPERIA X1 Webcast

The good folks from Sony Ericsson demoed and discussed the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 which has had one leg in the factory and one leg in the store for the better part of a year now. While the amount of times they say, “unique xperiance” is utterly unamusing, its nice to get an officially solid look at what once promised to be the hottest phone of the year.

Excitement for the Xperia has since been eclipsed by anticipation for the HTC Touch line, Android, BlackBerry Thunder/Storm, iPhone 3G and many, many more. You can’t let 6 months go by between announcement and launch.

Props to InXperia.com for recording the Webcast and you can learn more about the Xperia at http://SonyEricsson.com/x1

Official BlackBerry Storm Video

Verizon Wireless DID announce the BlackBerry Storm today (as rumored)… but to employees and not consumers. First came the leaked specs. And now we’re seeing the internal announcement in the form of a 2 minute promotional video, claiming BlackBerry’s first ever touch screen device is ready to take the world by storm.

The video (inappropriately) looks and sounds like it was recorded in the middle of a hurricane, but there are captions to guide you to safety.

So now the wait continues. First the wait for the CONSUMER announcement and then the wait for the device LAUNCH. Another day, another struggle.

[Via Crackberry]

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