Although rumors of the BenQ-Siemens SF71 have floated around the web for quite a while now, will the handset be released any time soon? The SF71's shiny metal "armor plating" and flat keypad stay hip to the brushed-metal housings we're seeing in fashionphones these days -- and with UMTS, a microSD slot and Bluetooth 2.0 along with a QVGA display and 2 megapixel cam, specs are right in the mix, too. Alas, with BenQ-Siemens falling on really hard times these days, even this armor-plated phone may not be able to save the company from shooting itself in the foot.

[Via Unwired View]

Despite being down on its luck as of late, BenQ-Siemens somehow still found the time and money to come to Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6 party with the new E72 candybar last week. With data topping out at measly EDGE speeds and an emphasis on VoIP via its WiFi connectivity, the E72 smacks of the also-announced iPAQ 510 Voice Messenger from HP -- and like the 510, it'll also be running the Standard version of the platform atop 64MB of RAM and 128MB of ROM. Where the E72 wins, though, is with its QVGA display (versus 220 x 176 on the 510) and a slightly snappier 260MHz TI OMAP core. Don't hold your breath for an American release though (we weren't anyway) on account of a tri-band radio.

[Via CoolSmartphone]

Save for a recent cameo in the FCC's files, BenQ's latest P51 Pocket PC phone has been a longstanding resident of vaporware land -- and thanks to the relentless, ever-onward march of time, a phone that had some folks drooling when it was first announced is now relegated to the midrange. Yeah, we're a little jaded about the whole thing, but anyone still interested in picking up the GPS-enabled QWERTY Pocket PC can apparently now do so over in China for around 6500 yuan ($825, give or take). Now if you'll excuse us, we need to walk to the Cingular store to pick up an HP hw6925 for, like, half the dinero.

[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]

Nokia's research and development team have kicked it up a gear with an attractive "aeon" concept phone showing up in the R&D section of the company's website. The most prominent design feature of aeon is a touchscreen that stretches over the full surface area of the phone, similar to BenQ-Siemens's Black box concept phone we saw recently. Currently mobile technology isn't quite up to realizing this fantasy, but we'll sleep better tonight knowing that at least one of the cellphone industry's biggest names shares the same dream as we do -- BenQ's dream didn't count, unfortunately.

You know, it's too bad that BenQ-Siemens' European operations had to go under before it managed to get this slick handset out the door. From what we can make out based on these photos spotted on a Czech website, BenQ-Siemens had developed a "Black Box concept phone," which took home some Chinese design award earlier this year. The idea apparently is to turn the phone into one large screen, and change function depending on whatever application you need at the time: a calculator, an FM radio, the phone itself (duh), and something that looks like a game involving a goldfish and possibly a bathtub drain (we're not really sure). You know, this reminds us a lot of that possible iPhone patent we spotted earlier this month -- hopefully Apple can pick up where BenQ-Siemens left off?

[Via Slashphone]

Auf wiedersehen, BenQ-Siemens, we hardly knew ye. Yes, the struggling German mobile division of BenQ has just filed for bankruptcy protection as per orders from BenQ headquarters in Taiwan. The International Herald Tribune reports that BenQ estimated the company has lost $762 million on the mobile division (which employs 3,000 workers) since it took over the Siemens business in October 2005. Further, The Associated Press adds that the German division will be completely excised from BenQ "financially and operationally once the bankruptcy protection is approved." It's too bad that we won't have the maker of "feminine luxury" or of the "Treo 600-killing" P50 to kick around anymore, because really, who doesn't love a good underdog?

Read - IHT
Read - AP
[Thanks, Antti]

Siemens' SL75 slider is all growed up now, and besides adding 5 to the model number, the SL80 (now by BenQ-Siemens, of course) seems to have developed an affinity for the fairer sex. Unlike its older sibling, the SL80 is only available in the decidedly feminine "Mauve Sensation," and BenQ is pulling no punches in saying the phone is aimed squarely at women. Skimming through the specs, it seems to be a modest upgrade from the SL75, offering an identical shell and button layout, the same tri-band GSM and EDGE support, 1.3-megapixel camera, 52MB of internal memory, Bluetooth, and music player. In fact, the more we look, the more it seems the SL80 is just a pink SL75. The boys among us are feeling far less excluded now than they were a few minutes ago; as for the ladies, you can pick up your own Mauve Sensation starting in October.

[Via Slashphone]

We've certainly seen our fair share of Hello Kitty products -- heck, we've even gone through a few Hello Kitty cellphones -- but what BenQ-Siemens' Hello Kitty AL61 lacks in originality, it makes up in brand recognition (bear in mind the last Hello Kitty-themed handset we saw came from Taiwan's OKWAP). The AL61 is a fairly pedestrian slider, offering a marginal 130 x 130 display with not a camera to be found, but of course the draw here is what you get on the side: themed wallpapers, ringtones, games, and so on, not to mention the soft pink / translucent white case that only a die-hard Hello Kitty fan could love. Look for the handset to land in markets worldwide as soon as this month. Or, as in our case, don't look for it.

Suffering from one of the most excruciatingly long, drawn-out releases in smartphone history, BenQ's, uh, Treo 600-killing P50 had already fallen behind the pack by the time it made it to the masses. That being said, it's still a unique Windows Mobile device -- albeit 2003 Second Edition -- and worthy of an in-depth review, especially considering its quadband GSM capability. MobileTechReview's done the honors for us here, noting that the P50 is bundled with an array of high-quality accessories, including a screen protector (hallelujah). Build quality was found to be impressive, as was size, though anyone migrating from a Treo will find little difference there. The P50's 416MHz XScale satisfies the speed demon in us in ways most other Pocket PC phones have not, but the 128MB combined ROM and RAM is a disappointment -- a complaint the P51 happily addresses. In the end, MobileTechReview finds the P50's flaws too great to justify the cost of admission. With nothing but GPRS for data, we agree, especially with a successor waiting in the wings.

In the event Europeans are still unhappy with their selection of 3G-capable devices, BenQ's trying to come to the rescue this week, showing their UMTS SL91 slider and E81 candybar -- along with the more pedestrian EDGE-only E71. All three handsets share some visual cues, sporting glossy black finishes and rounded lines, though the similarities mostly end there; potentially most interesting of the three is the SL91, a Chocolate-esque, "mysteriously opaque" device featuring the LG phone's now-trademark disappearing navigation keys. Besides UMTS, the SL91 goes big with a 3.2-megapixel camera, QVGA display, and FM radio with RDS. One notch down the food chain is the E81, giving up some screen real estate with its 220 x 176 display and trading 3.2 megapixels for the more standard 1.3, but mercifully hanging on to the microSD slot. Finally, the EDGE-only E71 steps back up to QVGA, but the real draw here should be its "innovative non-stick coating" that promises to hide fingerprints on its shiny exterior. All three phones look to drop before the year's out, though odds are slim Americans are invited to the party. That's alright, BenQ; we prefer our phones good and smudged with fingerprints, anyway.

[Via Reg Hardware]

Before we go any further, let's lay out two very important points about BenQ's E61. First, it sports 1MB (yes, that's "megabyte") of internal shared memory. Second, it bears a strong resemblance to a doorstop. That being said, if you're still reading, the the tri-band GSM E61 could end up being a good bargain for you if you're in Europe -- Virgin Mobile is launching it for free with contract. The MiniSD slot will necessarily be where all your tuneage resides, and BenQ gets you started with a 512MB card in the box. Once you load it up, music playback is good for about 10 hours. Not much else to write home about -- you get a VGA camera, passable 160 x 128 display, and with that wedgelike design, you'll be able to chock aircraft and pry off manhole covers.

[Via Stuff]

Apparently, the folks at BenQ are looking to make a run on Nokia's "active lifestyle" category of phones, unleashing the shock / splash / dust-resistant M81 today in Munich. Besides the navigation (GPS module sold seperately) and weather clients, built-in flashlight, and relatively tough exterior clad in "high-quality synthetics and rubber," not much differentiates the device from your typical midrange candybar: 900 / 1800 / 1900 GSM with EDGE data, 176 x 132 display, 1.3 megapixel camera, music player, and MicroSD slot in your choice of Graphite Black or Steel Blue. The M81 starts shipping to joggers and snowboarders in August.

[Via Slashphone]

We here at Engadget Mobile tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there, we've gathered up all the raw info you may want (but probably don't need). Enjoy!

Phones
BenQ-Siemens EF51 - Read
Pantech's PG-3700 - Read
NEC KMP7N2K1-1A(?) - Read
Nokia 6233 - Read
NEC N344i - Read
VK Mobile VK4500 - Read

Peripherals
Samsung SBH170 - Read