Hasta La Gadget!

So, we played around with the new Windows Mobile-sportin’ nuvifone M20 from Garmin-Asus this evening, but there’s really not much to say: the software is barely even alpha at this point. Most every tap or swipe of the screen was met with a two or more second delay, and we managed to crash a couple of the phones. That said, it’s clear that Garmin-Asus aren’t just adding a pretty launcher to Windows Mobile and calling it a day, there’s some good navigation and location-based stuff happening here, and we look forward to playing around with it all once it’s closer to reality. We don’t look forward to meeting the resistive touch screen a second time, but we’ll just have to live with that fact — at least the Garmin-Asus apps are all touch-optimized, but you might have to pull out the stylus for a gander at the rest of Windows Mobile 6.1.

Update: Official media handed out for the M20 reveals a small handful of new screen shots, mainly a swanky new media player and calling screen that really don’t say a damned thing about the M20’s deep-rooted nav capabilities. Thing is, when you have a winged disco ball, you can get away with bending a whole lotta rules — but yeah, this is one phone where we think we’d rather let the hardware do the talking.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Garmin-Asus nuvifone M20 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We didn’t doubt it for a second (okay, maybe one second), but Sony’s so-called Idou is for real. Though, we wouldn’t go memorizing that name or anything, ’cause SE has plans to change it to something more commercial before summer. At any rate, the touchscreen-heavy handset — which will run Symbian Foundation at launch — does indeed sport a 12.1 megapixel shooter (which was hinted at last November), which sort of makes the also-just-official Samsung Memoir seem a bit dated already. It’s funny too, as the only dozen megapixeler we were actually expecting at this show was from Samsung. We’re still waiting on the minutiae, but we do know that it will pack a 3.5-inch panel (640 x 320 resolution; no word on capacitive or resistive) and “full media consumption,” a phrase we’re still struggling to digest. More as we get it!

Filed under: Cellphones

Sony Ericsson gets official with “Idou” 12 megapixel mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At this point, it’s tough to say the Memoir wasn’t official with a straight face, but Samsung and T-Mobile have jointly disclosed all (er, most) of the remaining details that were so sorely missing here at Mobile World Congress. The 8 megapixel handset will boast a Xenon flash, CMOS auto focus and 16x digital zoom, not to mention a full touchscreen and a sophisticated camera menu that enables users to adjust the brightness and flash, change the default destination of images, select a timer and zoom in or out. Moreover, the video recording and TV-out features should provide even more joy in the lives of multimedia lovers, and the blink detection, face detection, anti-shake and geotagging inclusions should shake off any remaining pundits who say there’s not a “real camera” in here. As anticipated, the phone will launch exclusively on T-Mobile USA in just ten days (February 25, if you’re too excited for math), though there’s still no mention of a price. Procrastinate much?

Update: Boom, pricing — $249.99 on a two-year contract with a $50 mail-in rebate. Not the cheapest thing we’ve ever seen, but you get what you pay for, yeah?

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung Memoir hitting T-Mobile USA on February 25 for $249.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already seen Samsung‘s OmniaHD via a massive MWC billboard, and now it looks like the gang at Samsung Central have managed to get their hands on an official shot of the handset. There’s also an image of the BeatDisc, another entry into the company’s new Beat series alongside the previously-spotted BeatDJ. Other than the appearance of widgets on the OmniaHD’s screen, we’ve got no details on the pair. We’re expecting all mysteries to be solved at Sammy’s press event tomorrow.

Filed under: Cellphones

Samsung OmniaHD and BeatDisc official images revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If the above picture is to be believed, Sony Ericsson‘s looking to release a new swivel-based QWERTY called the “Reese” that boasts one-click access to “your favorite networking sites.” Details beyond this ad are pretty light, and we’re not ruling out the possibility that this might be a fan render (as SE aficionados are fond of). Furthermore, the original poster told forum members at Esato that this device “will not be announced soon,” which makes the appearance of an advertisement even more perplexing. Regardless, we’ll know one way or another soon, as the company is just about to start its MWC press conference… and we’ll be there live.

[Via Boy Genius Report; Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Filed under: Cellphones

Sony Ericsson “Reese” flip QWERTY smartphone leaked? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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