The Boy Genius Report: AT&T gets Vu in January, K850i in March
by Chris Ziegler 
posted Nov 19th 2007 at 11:48AM
Remember way back when we caught wind that AT&T was eying Sony Ericsson's initial American 3G efforts -- the Z750 and K850 -- for release? Well, it's looking good! This slide, imploring employees to focus on "exclusives," shows us that AT&T has locked onto launching a version of the K850 as the "Ansel" (seriously?) come next March. Seems like an awfully long time to wait, but in the meantime, we can check out the MediaFLO-equipped LG Vu in January. Why must you make it so hard on us, LG -- Voyager or Vu? Decisions, decisions!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
crashclay @ Nov 20th 2007 10:33AM
I have heard rumors that the new rev of Good Mobile Messaging (v5.0) will have iPhone support. I wonder if that is what the business edition is all about???
Anthony @ Nov 19th 2007 1:07PM
k850 in March? Seriously? The world will have moved on. I wonder if this will be the same launch schedule as their promised k750.
In the meantime, I'm loving mine. Much better for my uses than the N95 ever was.
derX @ Nov 19th 2007 3:48PM
"k850 in March? Seriously? The world will have moved on."
Yes, the world would have, but the US would not have. Remember, this is American cellular technology we're talking about here.
Also, although it is a long time away, any American carrier getting a 5MP camera phone, with HSPDA, and the rest of those specs is a pretty-damn-big-deal.
Anthony @ Nov 19th 2007 6:35PM
Hey Anthony, where do you live? Where did you get your K850? 3G look good on AT&T? I'm switching to AT&T once I can get my hands on an unlocked on.
March date is a HUGE joke!.
Anthony @ Nov 19th 2007 7:11PM
To Anthony #2 - I got my k850 from ebay. The "powerseller" in "Las Vegas" had a very competitive price. Produce was actually shipped from Hong Kong, but arrived the very next day.
I've been happy w/ the speed of the data, the speed of the camera & the overall phone.
There are some complaints: music quality when patched from their proprietary cable to a 3.5 is somewhat muted, Audible.com doesn't technically support it &, while I've jerry-rigged something, it "pops" every minute or so. You forget about this about 20 minutes into a book, but still.
Overall I'm pleased. No going back to Nokia until they get the battery time under control- 5 days no recharging on my k850! & I'm on the phone for work/travel all day. Unbelievable.
Anthony @ Nov 19th 2007 9:26PM
Anthony #1, thanks. I have TMo currently and I have been trying to find an independent mobile shop that has it because I want to switch to AT&T and not pay $550 for the phone.
mroach @ Nov 19th 2007 1:22PM
Haha, March. What a joke. I've had my K850 for a month. I'm guessing the AT&T K850 will have the front-facing camera removed and probably other physical deformities. That's probably part of the reason it's taking so long.
Anthony @ Nov 19th 2007 6:32PM
mroach, where'd you get your k850?
Mark @ Nov 19th 2007 1:32PM
I just realized... Ansel = Ansel Adams. I wonder if they've switched out the color sensor for a greyscale one. hyuk hyuk
Anthony @ Nov 19th 2007 3:58PM
You can edit on the fly. So don't worry, Ansel Jr, you'll get your B/W & sepia toned shots of California Nat'l Parks soon enough.
John @ Nov 19th 2007 2:07PM
Target the business segment with iPhone? LOL! It doesn't even have 3G!
I'm already using my K850 for "business" with MS Active Sync (in the UK).
derX @ Nov 19th 2007 3:51PM
"Target the business segment with iPhone? LOL! It doesn't even have 3G!"
I am not saying the iPhone is this or that nor am I comment on its feasability as a business man's phone, however, it's lack of 3G is what eliminates it from targeting the business segment. How many GSM Blackberry devices do you know of with 3G?
John @ Nov 20th 2007 1:24PM
3G is handy when you want to connect your laptop to the corporate intranet. With K850 all I need to do is to connect the phone via USB cable and I'm good to go.
derX @ Nov 20th 2007 8:16PM
I am not doubting the usefulness of 3G to the business segment, but to attribute the iPhone's inability to appeal to that demographic is inaccurate. Once again, GSM Blackberry devices are without 3G and are holding up just fine.
derX @ Nov 19th 2007 3:54PM
OMG. Am I the only person drooling for the Vu? I doubt any device will be able to compete with the iPhone's multitouch UI, but a device with a similar form factor with specs that kills the iPhone that is (hopefully more) affordable. I'm game.
The only problem with the Vu is that it's made by LG. And we all know LG's GSM division is lacking BIG TIME. Let's hope this device is an anomaly.
Ryan [= @ Dec 6th 2007 7:54PM
all I can think and talk about is the vu, if you know anything at
all about this phone- please email me at rpe1994@yahoo.com