Hasta La Gadget!

That fancy Vertu Ti handset we saw pop up last month? It’s finally been priced, predictably out of the average buyer’s price range. Sticker shock for Vertu’s first device since the EQT acquisition starts at €7,900, or about $10,587 $9,600 in the US, and buys eccentrics with money to burn a sapphire-covered 800 x 480 display, 1.5GHz 1.7GHz of processing power and a 1,250mAh battery — all wrapped in a durable titanium shell. What’s it missing? 4G connectivity, unfortunately. “Vertu will never be at the bleeding edge of technology,” Vertu head of design Hutch Hutchison told the BBC. “It has to be about relevant technology and craftsmanship — it’s not a disposable product.” At those prices, we’d certainly hope not. Vertu phones might not be packed with the mobile world’s latest tech, but Hutchison says that the top dollar pricetag buys better durability. “People think sapphire is just posh glass,” he explained to the BBC. “The only thing that scratches it is a diamond.” At the very least, Vertu customers won’t have to worry about which pocket they keep their keys in.

Update: Now with official product shots below and press release (including details on the various stress tests) plus promo video after the break. Also, here’s a detailed list of specs: Android 4.0, dual-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 SoC, 64GB storage, 3.7-inch sapphire crystal screen, titanium casing, 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front camera, NFC and “Full/Micro/Nano SIM capability” (we’re waiting for clarification on that one). The prices are as follows:

o. Titanium Black Leather – $9,600
o. Titanium Pure Black – $11,500
o. Titanium Black Alligator – $12,800
o. Black PVD Titanium Red Gold Mixed Metals – $19,900

Richard Lai contributed to this report.

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Source: BBC

Shortly after the latest rumor that Vertu’s prepping its first-ever Android-based device, eagle-eyed Blog of Mobile delivered further evidence to support the claim, and it even managed to dig out what it claims to be product shots of said phone. First of all, the name “Ti” and model number “RM-828V” are spotted across Bluetooth SIG, GLBenchmark and telecom regulator databases in Singapore and Macau. Having scanned through these pages we now know that the Ti will come with Android 4.0.4, an 800 x 480 display, a 1.5GHz processor, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. Blog of Mobile added that it’s a Snapdragon MSM8260A SoC with WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 radio, accompanied by a rather lame 1,250mAh battery. Bluetooth SIG’s page provided the following design description of the device:

“VERTU Ti possesses the classic Vertu design DNA and characteristics – strong, unique & distinctive. The design and craftsmanship positions VERTU Ti alongside other iconic products in the luxury market.”

If the above images are authentic then the Ti does indeed maintain the classic Vertu look. The only real changes we can see so far are the three new physical keys — presumably “Back,” “Home” and “Recent apps” for Android. If all goes well, we should see this wallet-busting gadget at MWC next month, so start saving up now.

Update: Russian retailer spblux.ru lists four variants of the Ti or, as the site calls it, the Constellation Ti: “Titanium Black PVD black leather,” “Titanium Black Alligator,” “Red Gold Mixed Metal” and “Titanium Black Leather.” Interestingly, the red gold version has a search button instead of “Recent apps,” but we guess that was an earlier design. Regardless, we have all four designs after the break for your viewing pleasure. [Thanks, Roman K.]

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Source: Blog of Mobile, GLBenchmark, Bluetooth SIG, DSRT, iDA

Pico projectors are slowly getting better and better as the years go by, and DLP’s latest chip architecture announced at CES aims to raise the bar once more. The platform, which the company is dubbing Tilt & Roll Pixel, is the same size as the current generation, but it promises that products will be able to offer twice the resolution, 30 percent higher brightness and 50 percent increase in energy efficiency. Given our fondness for products like the Samsung Galaxy Beam, we’re pretty excited to see how good movies look on our living room wall. Don’t get too anxious, however — the new platform is currently sampling to manufacturers and products are expected to arrive “as early as the end of the year.” We have the press release for your viewing pleasure past the break.

Update: DLP emailed us with an updated press release to confirm the name of the new architecture. We were also informed that chips using WVGA resolution will be slightly smaller, shrinking from 0.3 inches to 0.2.

Continue reading DLP unveils Tilt & Roll Pixel chip architecture, promises brighter projectors with better resolution

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Texas Instruments signaled its intentions to back away from the volatile mobile market as the summer came to a close. Unfortunately, we’re now learning that the shift comes at a price — as part of a wider set of cost-cutting measures, TI is shedding roughly 1,700 jobs worldwide. The chip designer hasn’t said how soon the layoffs take effect, but these and the overall budget trimming should lead to savings of about $450 million per year by the end of 2013. That’s not going to be reassuring to those who’ll soon find themselves looking for work, although it may be necessary for TI to survive when the market for off-the-shelf mobile processors is rapidly thinning out.

Continue reading Texas Instruments to cut 1,700 jobs as part of its shift away from mobile

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Texas Instruments to cut 1,700 jobs as part of its shift away from mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With a seemingly endless stream of flagship phones hitting the market before the holiday season, it can be easy to forget some of the other devices that play a more niche audience. The Samsung Galaxy Beam definitely belongs in this category, as it includes a built-in Texas Instruments DLP pico projector. All told, the phone faces a lofty challenge: while the projector could be useful for the PowerPoint crowd, the phone itself falls on the lower end of mid-range, and isn’t powerful enough to do business users much good otherwise. With a 1GHz dual-core NovaThor CPU, an overly outdated OS, a 2010-era display and a middling 5-megapixel camera, the Beam’s target demographic appears to be ridiculously small. Still, might the projector be enough to carry this device to its full potential? Does a niche device like this have a place in such a crowded market? Read on to get in touch with our thoughts, feelings and emotions regarding the Samsung Galaxy Beam.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Beam review: stay for the projector, but nothing more

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Beam review: stay for the projector, but nothing more originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Nov 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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