We can’t help but think that if OQO had seen this much interest a few months back, they may not have gone bankrupt. An OQO Model 2+ UMPC – the company’s most recent model, complete with OLED touchscreen, Intel Atom 1.86GHz processor and integrated Qualcomm Gobi 3G WWAN – is currently listed on eBay, with bidding already at $5,100.
Resembling the offspring of a Samsung Omnia, the Nokia E97 concept from back in April and Verizon’s LG Versa, this glorious Chinese knock-off is the Nokla E97. A touchscreen handset section with a 2.2-inch display, camera and Bluetooth can be hooked up to a folding QWERTY keyboard section for messaging.
UMID’s M1 mbook MID has fallen of the radar over the past few months, having made plenty of headlines and even clinched the title of “best UMPC available” from at least one reviewer. Over at UMPC Portal they’ve been talking with the Korean company, who apparently are yet to reach quantity shipping due to LCD shortages; that milestone should be met in September this year, with both white and black models produced in bulk. They’ve also dropped a few hints about upcoming model refreshes.
It’s not exactly new information – since we heard that T-Mobile USA would be charging $349.99 for the HTC Touch Pro2 yesterday, after internal pricing documents leaked – but a product page online certainly does hammer home that the carrier expects a healthy tithe for its latest Windows Mobile smartphone. The QWERTY touchscreen slider demands a two-year contract, together with an unlimited web package.
Is it the morning for Android-based MIDs? Jenn over at Pocketables has turned up evidence of two devices both running Google’s open-source mobile platform, in the shape of the Eston MID-02 slider and a video of French carrier SFR’s M! PC Pocket running the OS. Eston’s device – which is also branded as the M4301 – has a 4.3-inch resistive touchscreen and can dual-boot Windows CE 6.0 and Android.
Video demo after the cut
The Samsung A797 was one of those phones listed in a pre-release form outed over the weekend, but one of which there wasn’t much information about. Until now that is, as the phone has appeared on the classified site Craig’s List, in the money-loving hands of one Atlanta native. He’s heading away from AT&T, on his way to Sprint’s network, and so he’s trying to get rid of it before making the switch.
Specifications for Motorola’s upcoming entry-level Android handset, the Morrison, have leaked, and anybody hoping the company might have injected a little interest along with what’s presumably going to be a low purchase price will have to go home disappointed. The parts list sounds mighty reminiscent of HTC’s existing Android devices, with a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A processor, 256MB of RAM, a 512MB ROM and 320 x 480 HVGA touchscreen display.
Could this be Nokia’s upcoming Internet Tablet? Having heard little about the likely Maemo powered refresh from the company for a couple of months now, both the image you see here (more after the cut) and an FCC filing have appeared in short succession. Both the device, and the FCC diagram, seem to match the leaked image of what was called the N900 “Rover” Internet Tablet from May.
More live images after the cut
Pressure sensitivity in musical keyboards is nothing new – pressing the keys harder results in a louder note, just as if you sit down with ever-increasing force on a piano – but until now it’s not something we’ve seen on regular QWERTY keyboards. That could all change, if Microsoft Hardware decide to put their pressure-sensitive keyboard into production: developed as a prototype for the UIST 2009 student innovation contest, it can track 8-bit pressure information across all of its keys.
Video demo after the cut
Sprint have announced the Samsung Reclaim, not only its cheapest full-QWERTY phone – at $49.99 with a new two-year contract – but the first in the US to be made from eco-friendly bio-plastic and, in total, be 80-percent recyclable. The Reclaim also marks the start of Sprint’s new “environmental goals”, which include establishing eco design criteria for future products, using 30-percent less paper over the next five years, and installing in-store earth-friendly displays.
SlashGear Japan
