Could Apple UK be shopping around for a new carrier deal? Expect a flurry of denials from O2 and Apple themselves, but Orange and T-Mobile UK are both apparently in talks regarding carrying the iPhone 3G, Apple’s entry-level device now that the iPhone 3GS has arrived. According to the latest rumors, T-Mobile’s customer services team has been telling callers that the carrier is negotiating with Apple regarding the second-gen smartphone.
Less than twenty-four hours ago we were waiting to see the TG01 unveiled (albeit already knowing what was coming); now Orange’s latest exclusive is on our desk waiting for its full SlashGear review. At first glance, this smartphone is a whole heap of superlatives: biggest touchscreen, thinnest Windows Mobile device, first to market with Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon CPU; check out our video unboxing and UI overview after the cut
Unboxing video after the cut
As you’ve probably seen, Orange launched the Toshiba TG01 today, and SlashGear went along to the launch event 31 floors above the city of London. There’s not much about this smartphone we didn’t already know – after all, we were also there in February when it officially debuted – but today was an opportunity to play with the Orange branded version and the latest firmware. Read on for our first impressions, plus a hands-on gallery, video demo, and comparison shots with what up until now has been the Windows Mobile heavyweight, HTC’s Touch HD.
Hands-on video demo after the cut
We’re not sure whether Orange have scooped Toshiba in advance of their event later on today, or this is all carefully planned, but the carrier has announced it will exclusively be offering the Toshiba TG01 from July 10th. Already on sale with Orange France, the UK version of the handset will be priced from free with a £39.15 ($63) 24-month contract with unlimited on-device browsing.
Video demo from Orange after the cut
UK carrier Orange may not have secured the Palm Pre, but from the sound of it they don’t really mind; their next high-end device is far more unusual than a simple slider smartphone. The carrier has revealed that it will be exclusively offering LG’s GD910 Watch Phone in the UK this August, complete with capacitive touchscreen and integrated video calling.
Video demo after the cut
Given that we’re going to the official UK launch event on July 9th, it comes as little surprise to see Toshiba’s TG01 Windows Mobile smartphone appear on the site of carrier Orange UK. Listed as “coming soon”, the 4.1-inch touchscreen has no pricing or specific availability given, but we’d expect all that to change by the end of next week.
LG have announced that their GD910 watch phone will begin shipping in Europe come July, initially on carrier Orange, before spreading to unnamed carriers in Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Latin America. The LG GD910 has a 1.43-inch touchscreen LCD and supports 7.2Mbps HSDPA, video calls and media playback.
Sometimes, all we need is the bare essentials and that’s precisely what Orange, the UK wireless provider, is offering with their Vegas phone. It’s small, inexpensive and provides a touchscreen on a device that normally wouldn’t have one.
The Vegas has a 2.4-inch touch display. There’s a standard 1.3-megapixel camera, a built-in speaker, a microSD memory card slot with 64MB of built-in storage, Bluetooth and support for MP3 files and FM radio.
It also has a headphone jack and GPRS networking, rather than 3G. You can get the Vegas phone from Orange now for just the equivalent of $72 in either pink or black color options. This phone is sold on a pay-as-you-go plan. There’s no doubt this phone is basic, but it offers some of that highly-coveted touch appeal for a fraction of the cost.
We’re so used to seeing the spec list, press photos, leaked hands-on videos with pre-production samples and early reviews of new cellphones that it’s something of a surprise that the LG Viewty II has remained so discrete. So far it’s just been a few snaps and a partial spec sheet to whet our anticipation; not bad, since according to Electricpig the touchscreen handset itself is set to hit Orange UK in June.
Obviously smarting from the touchscreen attention paid to the O2 Joggler, Orange France are planning to bring out the Tabbee. Unlike the Joggler, which is resolutely desk-bound, the Tabbee is a 7-inch touchscreen WiFi tablet with a battery good for 3hrs “intensive use”; that can include media viewing, internet widgets and more.
Video demo after the cut
SlashGear Japan
