There's been a lot of buzz these past couple days about the iPhone's FCC filing and what it says -- or rather, what it doesn't say -- about the handset's internals. The fear basically revolves around the fact that a lack of testing on the GSM 900 and 1800MHz bands indicates that it lacks those bands entirely, but we can assure the globetrotters out there jonesin' for an iPhone come next month that there'll be a full range of RF spectrum waiting for you. How do we know? Well, first of all, in the year 2007 (or 2005, for that matter) it's simply idiotic to release a wide-appeal phone with any fewer than four GSM bands. Quadband GSM chipsets have been commodity items for some time now and add virtually no expense to a handset's internals. Second of all, quadband phones never have their non-US bands mentioned in a filing, particularly in a test report. Follow the break for a walkthrough of exactly what we mean.

So after a bit of a wait Cingular went ahead and launched the 3125 today in line with that September launch grid we peeped last week. This re-branded HTC Star Trek will set you back $149 after online discounts assuming you go for the ol' 2-year contract, that is. And yeah, we'll run down the specs on this WinMo flip one last time for ya: Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone, 1.3 megapixel cam, Bluetooth, Direct Push mail, quad-band GSM with GPRS/EDGE, 128MB ROM / 64MB RAM and a 2.2-inch TFT display all powered by a 200 MHz TI proc. So giddy up dog, just don't tell 'em Engadget sent ya.

You know it, you need it, and now you can finally loose your wild-eyed gaze upon these non-blurry pics of the HTC Excalibur. Or more appropriately, the Xda cosmo as this fully-functional, pre-release device from O2 Germany has been re-dubbed. Yeah, Germany, which explains the Z and Y switcheroo on zee handy's QWERTY QWERTZ keyboard. Still, with an expected September/October European release (coming to The States a few months later), we'd expect the specs and cosmetics of this quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WiFi, Bluetooth, and 1.3 megapixel cam WinMo 5.0 Smartphone to push through to production with few, if any changes. Click-on for a few more hi-res shots courtesy of the::unwired.

[Thanks, Martin]

After adding a slider and flip to its stable of autofocus camera phones, ASUS is turning its attention to the candybar form factor, showing the V80 last week. Other than the autofocus 2-megapixel shooter with macro, there's not much to write home about -- though the FM recorder is kinda nifty. Other features include a QR code reader, Bluetooth 1.2, 220 x 176 display, and EDGEless Class 10 GPRS. ASUS is making a big deal about the V80's 16mm thickness, but we're not entirely sure why, considering that Samsung's 9.9mm D830 alleges autofocus capability just the same. No word on availability or pricing, but thanks to quadband GSM, we might just keep an eye out for this sucker stateside.

Sony Ericsson has took off the wraps off its quad-band GC86 EDGE PC Card, which will replace their tri-band GC85 card. The card promises up to 247kpbs when connected to GSM / EDGE networks, although the quad-band capabilities mean it'll be all the easier to fall back on GPRS and stay connected -- no matter how slowly -- no matter where you are. While Sony Ericsson describes the GC86 as an "entry-level solution," they don't provide an actual cost, and as far as a launch date goes, Q3 is as definitive as Sony Ericsson's willing to get for the time being. The card is also both Mac and Windows compatible, assuming you Apple users have a Mac with a PC Card slot, that is (you know who you are).

[Via I4U News]

Nokia has been gaining a bit of a reputation for being on the chubby side of the thin phone wars. So the 14-mm slim, 6126 flip which the FCC just approved, still passes for thin these days in the Nokia camp of plumpsters. Other than the 32MB flash and 16MB RAM we now know this thing packs, the filing doesn't tell us more than we already knew: quad-band GSM/EDGE, a 2.2-inch, 320 x 240 internal display, 1.3 megapixel cam, and microSD slot for storage expansion. Worth the wait we guess, if you're a Series 40 fan.

Much to the delight of our friends across the pond, British phone e-tailer Expansys has posted a page for the Qtek 8500/HTC Star Trek claiming a May 10th availability, further stating that UK customers can expect shipment in nineteen working days. In case you've been living in a cave for the last few months, the Star Trek, also sold as the i-mate Smartflip and Dopod S300, is HTC's first flip phone, and they've managed to pack a Windows Mobile 5.0-powered 200MHz OMAP processor, quad band GSM radio, 1.3 megapixel camera, 64MB of ROM, and music playback from a microSD slot into a 99-gram package. Expansys is charging £360 to get your hands on the 'Trek, which means we'll probably be importing ours from Asia, for like, $200 cheaper.

[Via Reg Hardware]