Hasta La Gadget!

There once was a time when a 12 megapixel cameraphone would have been laughed at, and, though many are still smirking (guilty), they’re now a reality — a reality that Altek wants desperately to be a part of with its T8680 handset. Its face looks rather like a PMP with a 3-inch WQVGA LCD, but on the back is the standard sort of 3x pop-out zoom that you’d expect on a compact shooter, sitting next to a tiny xenon flash. It’ll capture unnecessarily high resolution images while being crippled to VGA video, play back MP3 and AAC files, and tune into the Weekly Top 40 over FM. Yes, it’ll even make calls, but with only tri-band GSM/EDGE support don’t expect to e-mail those gigantic pictures directly from the phone. The T8680 is expected to hit Chinese retailers in about a month for 3000 yuan (about $440), and probably won’t be making much of an appearance elsewhere.

[Via GSM Arena]

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras

Altek crams a dozen megapixels of wishful thinking into T8680 cameraphone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still having doubts that an iPhone will ever come to China via legitimate means? Have a gander at this. According to the listing after the break, which was discovered on China’s State Radio Regulatory Commission (SRRC; basically the Chinese version of the FCC) website, we’re looking at a GSM / WCDMA cellphone complete with Bluetooth, an internal model number A1324, a little-known manufacturer called “Apple Inc.” and an approval date of May 7th, 2009. We’re also told that the certificate expires in five years, which should give China Unicom plenty of time to capitalize on its reported three-year deal to offer the phone in mainland China. So, all we need now is what’s we’ve needed for years: a handwritten note from El Jobs himself saying that this whole thing is more than some sick charade.

[Image courtesy of Sina, thanks Joe]

Update: Looks like this may be the first live look at a China Unicom iPhone 3G, complete with no WiFi to speak of.

Continue reading China Unicom’s iPhone gets regulatory approval, pictured

Filed under: Cellphones

China Unicom’s iPhone gets regulatory approval, pictured originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve known about Nokia’s so-called Surge for months now, but at long last, AT&T has done its duty by making things official and giving us a price and release date to consider. The Symbian S60-based smartphone is aimed squarely at social media freaks, boasting a full QWERTY keyboard, a browser with Flash support (imagine that, right?), a pre-installed JuiceCaster app for easily updating your Facebook / Twitter status and a price tag that’s sure to turn heads. For just $79.99 after rebate, you’ll also get a 2 megapixel camera, AT&T Navigator, AT&T Video Share and the pleasure of handing over at least $30 per month for a required data plan (if you want the $50 rebate, anyway). If you’re sold already, you can get yours on July 19th.

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia’s Surge official on AT&T, ships July 19 for $79.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There it is, the first official press shot (see that HSDPA icon?) of the GSM version of the Palm Pre. The “more information” link isn’t working at the moment but it’s clear that Movistar has exclusive rights to the Pre in Spain. Of course, Movistar, like O2 in the UK, is owned by Telefonica which so far seems to have clinched exclusivity throughout Europe. We’re still waiting for all this to get officially official sometime this week, if not today.

[Thanks, Enzo]

Filed under: Cellphones

GSM Palm Pre makes exclusive first appearance on Movistar originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We heard earlier this morning that the GSM Pre was set for a UK launch, and now it sounds like things are coming together: The Guardian says the Palm’s baby will launch on O2. That makes perfect sense, O2 owner Telefonica reportedly secured broad global rights to the Pre back in March. Of course, this is all yet to be official, but with actual GSM handsets floating around out there and an announcement expected next week, we’re guessing we don’t have too much longer to wait.

Filed under: Cellphones

GSM Pre to launch on O2 in UK originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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