2008 May 20 | high tech blogger

May 20 2008

Mobiado’s Professional 105 ZAF is thin, costly

Posted by: admin in Mobile Tech

Filed under: Handsets, Others, GSM, UMTS

Vertu isn’t the only game in town when you’re looking to blow thousands on a handmade designer handset, and believe it or not, it’s not the only game in town when you’re looking for a Series 40 luxury phone, either. Mobiado crafts lovely shells of premium materials (you know, like steel) around the same guts that power Nokia’s latest standard-issue dumbphones, producing devices that are more exclusive than they are powerful — but let’s be honest, power isn’t necessarily what Mobiado’s clientele is going for. The company’s new Professional 105 ZAF takes its lengthy name in part from the fact that this is the “thinnest luxury phone in the world” at just 10.5 millimeters and features a 2 megapixel camera, 3G radio on the 2100MHz band, microUSB connector, and — get this — a battery cover “made entirely from one piece of sapphire crystal.” If that’s not form before function, we really don’t know what’s. Though it’s not available in the US, the Professional 105 ZAF should be showing up shortly in boutiques around the world in a choice of six conspicuous shades.

[Via Mobile Phone Helpdesk]

May 20 2008

US handset sales droop in Q1, RIM rides into top 5

Posted by: admin in Mobile Tech

Filed under: Culture, Handsets, Studies

Unless you’ve been squarely camped out under an atypically massive boulder the past few months, you aren’t prone to be taken aback by this news. Sure enough, handset sales declined 22-percent in Q1 2008, though the industry did move some 31 million mobiles during the post-holiday quarter. It was noted, however, that smartphones comprised 17-percent of all mobile sales, which marks a 10-percent increase from the prior quarter. When taking a look at the top five handset manufacturers, you’ll find Motorola shakily perched at the top (27-percent), while RIM slipped past Sanyo to grab the five spot with 5-percent. Check the read link for all the gory details.

May 20 2008

Rogers getting BlackBerry Pearl 8120 soon?

Posted by: admin in Mobile Tech

Filed under: Handsets, RIM, Rogers Wireless, GSM, EDGE

Rogers adores it some BlackBerry, and seeing how the Canadian behemoth’s closest American analog, AT&T, now has both next-gen Pearls in its stable, we see no reason to believe that this won’t happen. MobileInCanada is reporting that Rogers is gearing up to add the WiFi-packing 8120 alongside the GPS-equipped 8110, a phone that it already sells for $199.99 CAD (about $201) on contract. Heck, Rogers still proudly sells the original 8100 for a hundie less, so they could very well end up with a Pearl trifecta if they play their cards right. No word on when we might see this pop up exactly, but as for pricing, it’d have to slot in above the 8110 if AT&T’s strategy is any indication.

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Via Engadgetmobile

May 20 2008

Helio Ocean now $99 after rebate, Ocean 2 around the corner?

Posted by: admin in Mobile Tech

Filed under: Handsets, Pantech, Helio, EV-DO, MVNOs, CDMA

As Virgin Mobile, Helio, and SK Telecom debate their collective futures behind closed doors, life goes on for Helio’s customers and potential customers. It’s been a tiny while since the scrappy MVNO’s released any hardware, let alone a blockbuster like the Ocean; we’d reckon they’re about due to wow us, and a new offer on the original Ocean might just foretell that new stuff’s around the corner. After rebate, the Ocean now goes out the door for a completely reasonable $99 — which might actually end up seeming like the most unreasonable $99 you’ve ever spent if the rumored Ocean 2 gets official soon. We’re just sayin’.

[Thanks, Tyler]