Tons of new videos released courtesy of PhoneDaily. The new videos covered the overview; the 3D TouchFLO demo; the phone and SMS demo; end call demo; picture browser and YouTube demo; and the pen and keypad input demo.
The list price as reported by PhoneDaily is HK$5,680 (US$728). Chain stores such as Broadway and Fortress will be getting the phones shortly after the initial release by CSL.
This from the HTC’s press release at today’s roadshow -
“HTC is also extremely pleased to announce that Hong Kong’s leading mobile company, Hong Kong CSL Limited has been appointed the exclusive Hong Kong distributor and operator partner of the HTC Touch Diamond™….
With the introduction of the Touch Diamond™, HTC delivers an entirely new mobile Internet experience that utilizes broadband-like speeds with HSDPA wireless connectivity of up to 7.2 Mbps. Committed to improving Web browsing, HTC provides a new customized mobile Web browser that enables easy viewing and effortless navigation of Websites in the way they were designed. As part of this browsing experience users can zoom and pan Websites with one-hand and automatically view optimized content that has been specially created to fit the display. Turning the device sideways automatically rotates the web page view from a portrait to landscape view.
In addition to Web browsing, the Touch Diamond™ includes a customized new, HTC-developed, YouTube application for watching a variety of user generated video content….
The HTC Touch Diamond™ will be available in Hong Kong in June. A special connection price will be available from 1O1O and One2Free*. For more information, call hotline 2988 1010 and 29722 123 or check out www.1010.com.hk and www.one2free.com.”
Click here for the full press release and the full specification for the HTC Touch Diamond that is going to be release here (note the 4GB internal memory and like the iPhone, it doesn’t cater to any form of external storage).
The Sharp SX862 with a titled 16:9 screen is finally out. Price tag - HK$5,680 ( US$728 ) or HK$4,180 ( US$536 ) with a SmarTone contract. Check out the following vids from phonedaily.
[14 February ] The second generation of the HTC Advantage have just been announced. Spec wise, it features a Marvell PXA270 624 MHz processor, 16GB of flash memory, 5-inch VGA screen, 3 megapixel camera, 256 MB ROM, 128MB RAM, quad-band GSM, tr-band HSDPA, built-in GPS and a whopping battery of 2,100 mAh. Click here for the product sheet from HTC or here for the full specs from phoneArena.com. No news yet on the pricing but will update it once we hear more.
[Updated: 29 April] We’re closer and closer to the release of the HTC Advantage X7510. Mobile01 posted a review (in Chinese, warning: slow loading) with tons of pics of the HTC X7510, link here.
This just in from Gizmodo, Walt Mossberg confirmed at CTIA that the 3G iPhone will be out in 60 days. WOOT. For more details, check out Gizmodo’s article here.
Press Release from Microsoft below, link to full article here.
LAS VEGAS— April 1, 2008 —Windows Mobile is improving smartphones to better meet people’s rapidly expanding work and personal needs, Microsoft Corp. today announced. At CTIA Wireless 2008, the company unveiled the newest version of Internet Explorer Mobile, which adds desktop-grade Web browsing to Windows Mobile phones. In addition, Microsoft announced Windows Mobile 6.1, an update for its Windows Mobile software that includes new time-saving features, easier phone navigation and management, and increased security safeguards.
“People want a single phone that’s flexible enough to meet their needs throughout their day, whether it’s connecting to work or your everyday life,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “The innovations we’ve added to our Windows Mobile software ultimately make it easier to manage your world.”
Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division, delivers the keynote address at CTIA Wireless 2008, Las Vegas, April 1, 2008.
“Microsoft is taking the necessary steps to broaden its consumer appeal while also addressing the complex mobile needs of the enterprise,” said Ben Bajarin, analyst with Creative Strategies. “Internet Explorer Mobile and Windows Mobile 6.1 demonstrate Microsoft’s ability to harness its technologies to bring tangible innovations and benefits to customers and partners.”
Updated Internet Explorer Mobile Brings the Quality of Desktop Web Browsing to Phones
The new version of Internet Explorer Mobile adds the ability to easily view full-screen Web pages and multimedia on the Web with a smartphone. By taking advantage of Internet Explorer 6 technologies and supporting established and upcoming industry standards such as H.264, Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight, the updated Internet Explorer Mobile gives people a rich mobile Internet experience. The update will be available to mobile phone partners in the third quarter of 2008, with the first Windows Mobile phones using the new version expected to be available by the end of 2008.
Windows Mobile Update Drives Simpler Experience
Windows Mobile 6.1 features several key updates based on customer feedback, including the capability to make the most critical information readily available at a glance, quicker phone setup, and enhanced features adapted for the small screen. In addition, if coupled with System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 or Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Windows Mobile 6.1 provides the best experience for IT professionals to manage mobile phones for businesses.
Windows Mobile 6.1 will help people get more from their phones by bringing updates to what they care about most. With Windows Mobile 6.1 users will be able to accomplish the following:
Stay up to date and share from a single location. Glance at and respond to notifications such as missed calls, upcoming appointments and new messages from the home screen as well as play music and share photos.
Get up and running in minutes. From setting up e-mail, a Bluetooth headset or Wi-Fi, the new Getting Started Center makes the phone experience intuitive and simple.
Save time with features adapted for the small screen. Easily flag, delete or move groups of messages and keep track of conversations through threaded text messaging. Zoom in on text or pictures, or view an entire Web page at once.
Help keep business information protected. Support for System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 helps administrators manage phones similarly to a Windows-based PC or access company data that may be behind a firewall; and support for Exchange Server 2007 SP1 advanced mobile policies helps businesses manage and administer security for phones while enabling people to find, share, and use information no matter where they are.
Couple mobile/tech sites reported the leaked Sprint smartphone roadmap listing the Treo 800W for possible July release. Specification as reported coincided with the earlier released specs and they are -
Windows Mobile 6.0 OS (with possible upgrade to 6.1 when released)
320×320 pixels resolution
2 megapixel camera
256MB built-in memory
microSD support
full qwerty keypad
WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR, EV-DO Rev
A-GPS
mini USB
a possible quad-band GSM version and a tri-band 3G (HSDPA) version
If you like the iPod coverflow, you’re gonna love this application to death. It’s the Face Contact from CNetX (US$14.95). It’s a today plugin application where you contacts can be swiped left and right exactly like the coverflow. Once you hit the contact you want, you have a choice to call, send email, SMS or browse their homepage. Really nifty application and I’m loving it the minute I installed it. Bummer, I spent US$19.95 on FunContacts (thought that one was cool, this one even better).
ZoomBoard
I like Pocket CM Keyboard a lot not because it’s free, but the touch is really sensitive and seldom do I miss on any of my key inputs. But the downside is that since it’s still in beta, one have to go back and re-install it every now and then since the beta copy have a time-out function on it, real pain.
This week, I found ZoomBoard (US$9.95), another nifty keyboard input application from VITO technology. The input is accurate and quick, that is without the zoom function on. I personally turn off the zoom function but others might find it useful to double-check what key they hit.
[Updated: 17 March 2008] The import version of Samsung F490 is out in Sintat Centre (Mongkok) for HK$4,680. The Cruix UI sure looks pretty sweet. For more pics, check out the latest article (in Chinese) from PhoneDaily, link here.
