Despite the incredible popularity of videogaming, there's still a stigma attached by many to those who play them, thinking gamers fat or lazy and generally not good people to be around. For anyone sensitive to those criticisms, the Cool8800C offers an escape, looking like a perfectly normal imitation of Nokia's 8800 on the outside, but, like a transformer that runs illegal ROMs, quickly changes into a portable gaming console in disguise. Flip it open to reveal a full D-pad and four input buttons plus a 2.8-inch WQVGA LCD for playing emulated NES games or watching analog TV, or snap it shut to make use of its VGA camera and 900/1800MHz GSM connection. No, it's not likely this one is destined for release anywhere too far outside of China, meaning you, dear reader, are probably going to have to come out of the closet with that gaming addiction of yours already.

[Via Boing Boing Gadgets]

How do you improve on a phone that's already been diamond-studded, layered in carbon fiber, and then dipped in gold? Why, you add more diamonds and some hints of gratuitous platinum, of course. Meet the Nokia Royal Edition, an 8800 that succeeds its predecessors in terms of pretentiousness -- but not necessarily in looks. It has 1160 wee diamonds around the edges and platinum plates on the fore and aft, all surrounding the same internals as those other, plebeian fashionphones. Only 50 of these will be sold at an undisclosed price that surely is equally excessive.

[Thanks, Robin]

We're hearing from a source -- a source who's pegged big stuff before, we'd like to add -- that Sprint will be replacing its BlackBerry 8830 this quarter with a CDMA version of the Bold. The move would certainly make sense, seeing how the Bold is essentially a direct replacement for the 8800 series (though this could be bad news for those who appreciate the 8830's camera-less nature) and the handset's probably just about due for a refresh. We're told that the Bold will feature EV-DO Rev. A, more memory, and a revised UI to match Sprint's current corporate branding. We'd also guess that it's a global phone in the same vein as the 8830 and the Storm, though we don't know that for certain. More as we get it!

The N85 at retail in October? Yeah, sounds totally believable, especially considering that an October release would give the populace enough time to wrangle one for the holidays, the fact that Nokia's known to be revealing two hotties this month, and that the date comes from none other than Mobile-review's scoop-tastic Eldar Murtazin. A graphic scored by Murtazin has the N85 and the just-announced Carbon Arte variant of the 8800 series both slated for grand entrances in the tenth month of the year. One, we stand a fighting chance of affording; the other, just like the Artes of old, probably not.

[Via Mobile Phone Helpdesk]

Besides the RAZR, few handsets have milked longevity like Nokia's 8800 slider -- first introduced in April 2005 (spied in March). Unlike RAZR, however, the 8800 somehow manages not to annoy... too much. The latest Carbon Arte model brings 3G, a 3.2 megapixel camera, 4GB of flash memory, and OLED display with anti-fingerprint coating. Fine, but it's the rocket-esque carbon fiber, titanium, and stainless steel materials that help push the price tag to €1,100 (that's about $1,600) before taxes and of course, carrier subsidies. Expected to brazenly appear in the smoking dens of Europe's finest gentlemens' clubs sometime in Q3.

Okay, we'd like to issue a retraction here. That Nokia 8800 we called "diamond-studded" earlier this month is actually just "diamond-accented." This, however, is patently studded. Crafted by designer Peter Aloisson, the 8800 Arte Pink is quite literally covered in 18-karat white gold and encrusted with over 680 pink and white diamonds. Best of all, the totally obtainable handset is being offered now to the peons of the world for a mere €85,000 ($131,673). A bona fide bargain, we tell ya.

[Via Ubergizmo]

We don't know what it is about Nokia's 8800, but fashionistas and high-end designers just can't seem to keep their fingerprints off of it. Enter Thomas Heyerdahl, the same artisan who gussied-up an iPod shuffle earlier this year. This fellow has crafted a version of the handset laced with 112 authentic diamonds, and it's said that only 100 of the coveted (and individually numbered) mobiles will be made available. All told, you'll find 0.7 carats of United Nations-approved diamonds per phone, and while the bulk of these things will be sold in select outlets for 30,000 Norwegian kroner ($5,933), numero uno is set to be auctioned for charity to the highest bidder. Pony up, son!

[Via LuxuryLaunches]

Crave UK had a chance to check out Nokia's 8800 Arte and Sapphire Arte luxury sliders recently, and the reviewer discovered one... uh, "feature" of the Sapphire model not shared by its cheaper (but still very, very pricey) sibling. The box -- it's colossal. Not for any reason, mind you; no, Nokia just saw fit to line up the accessories contained within in a very linear, spaced-out fashion. Pretty weird for a Greenpeace-praised company with an obsession for everything environmental, isn't it?

[Thanks, T.I.]

From afar, it's really, really hard to understand the concept of a €1,000 (about $1,470) cellphone. Touch one, though, and it starts to make sense. The 8800 Arte -- the latest in a long line of luxury phones from Nokia dating all the way back to the trick 8110 "Matrix phone" in the mid 90s -- is a feast for the senses, thanks in no small part to a simply gorgeous 2 inch full color OLED display front and center. Of course, it also helps that the 8800 Arte once again sets a standard for quality materials and craftsmanship in Nokia's line, featuring perhaps the most satisfying slide mechanism we've ever had the pleasure of actuating. Put simply, this little beast feels as though it's crafted from a single hunk of metal, and indeed, that's probably not too far from the truth. The 3.2 megapixel camera is decent for a phone of its size and target demographic, and the same can be said of the 1GB of integrated storage; if it weren't for the lack of US 3G, we'd be just a hair away from being able to fully justify the monstrous price tag. For most of us, these gallery shots will be as close as we ever get to an 8800 Arte, so savor them, won't you?

Thanks to the good folks at Wireless Imports for the hookup!

Well look at what our favorite (and speedy) parcel carrier dropped off at our door today -- it's the BlackBerry 8800 for T-Mobile. For your viewing pleasure, we took some unboxing pics of T-Mobile's latest 'Berry in all its svelteness. Even though the specs are nothing new, we'll run 'em down one more time -- quadband GSM / EDGE, expandable memory via microSD, myFaves support, and BlackBerry's reliable network. Make sure to check out more pics after the break!

Right on cue, T-Mobile; nicely done. The BlackBerry 8800 is now available on T-Mobile's website to anyone will to plunk down the requisite cash, though word has it brick and mortar stores won't be seeing them for a little while yet. The price? A penny shy of $350 after instant discount -- a princely sum, yes, but can you really put a price on BlackBerry nirvana?

AT&T may have had first dibs, but all told, the wait T-Mobile peeps will have had to endure won't be that bad at all. The T-Mobile-branded BlackBerry 8800 hits the nation's number four carrier this coming Monday, April 23, bringing Pearl-like style to the more traditional (read: non-SureType) form factor preferred by many. Just like its AT&T sibling, T-Mobile's 8800 will obviously top out with EDGE data on all four GSM bands and offer microSD expansion, a media player, Bluetooth 2.0, full HTML web browsing, and a variety of instant messaging clients. Unlike other 8800s, though, T-Mobile's offers myFaves support -- a decidedly personal feature for a decidedly business-oriented handset, we reckon (not to suggest we're complaining, of course). Look for it Monday through "select channels" including the carrier's website; no word yet on when it'll be a commodity item in brick-and-mortar stores.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]