Swivel -- Engadget Mobile

swivel posts

Verizon's Razzle gives them the old razzle-dazzle

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 28th 2009 @ 11:31AM

Verizon's on a bizarre form factor kick lately, having just released the Nokia Twist -- and now we've got this strange little sucker, supposedly coming to market as the "Razzle." Astute observers will note that the Razzle is basically Verizon's branded version of the PCD TXT8030 first seen back at CTIA in April of this year, offering a 1.3 megapixel camera, VZ Navigator compatibility, and -- here's the big one -- a lower half that swivels 180 degrees to choose between a full QWERTY keyboard and stereo speakers. Interestingly, an older leaked roadmap misidentified this as an HTC product -- but the "Blitz 2" branding definitely makes sense considering both the Razzle and the Blitz are clearly geared toward a younger, funkier audience. PhoneArena says we can expect this one next month for "under $60," so this is one CDMA oddity that hopefully won't break the bank.

Nokia Twist launching on Verizon starting September 13

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 4th 2009 @ 12:02PM

The Keepin' It Real Fake industry has become so good, so fast, so well-tuned to market trends that we knew it was just a matter of time before it'd be consistently beating the real phones to market. What we didn't expect, necessarily, was for Nokia to start making its own fakes. We can't tell what's going on exactly, but it appears that the twisty E81 that we saw a while back could've very well been a genuine article -- either that, or it was scooped up well ahead of release in China and cloned ages before Nokia had intended the phone to be announced. Anyhow, this thing is launching as the Twist for Nokia, the bizarre swivel phone that's been rumored for a while now. Alongside the Surge, the Twist proves that Espoo's committed to releasing totally customized gear for US carriers, and we'll be especially curious to see how well the swivel works in practice here. It'll run $149.99 on a two-year deal before rebate, featuring a 3 megapixel autofocus cam with flash, full HTML browser, so-called "Habitat Mode" (like the Intrigue before it), EV-DO Rev. 0, and a full QWERTY keyboard that swivels away to turn the phone into a near-perfect square. It also features replaceable faceplates and is said to have some sort of lighting arrangement around the swivel ring that's user-customizable -- perfect for your next fog-filled rave. The interwebs and "select NYC locations" all get it on September 13 with everyone else following on come the 21st, so go ahead and make some square-shaped room in your pocket right now, why don't you?

Gallery: Nokia Twist launching on Verizon starting September 13

Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXII: Nokla strikes again with E81 rehash

by Paul Miller posted Aug 16th 2009 @ 10:17AM

Due to Nokia's continued dismissal of the ripe-for-the-picking E81 model number, the diligent folks at "Nokla" (fresh off their E97 design win) have seen it fit to issue a second handset under that fake moniker. Surprisingly, this one actually boasts a rather unique swivel design -- even beating Nokia's own effort in this regard -- a QWERTY keyboard and some decent specs. There's even a mirror on the swivel-up back (we hear that women love mirrors), along with a hole at the swivel hinge for working a lanyard through. We'd venture to say it's the best E81 Nokia never made.

[Via Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]

Nokia's swiveling wonder for Verizon passes FCC?

by Chris Ziegler posted May 14th 2009 @ 5:46PM

Here's what we know: a Nokia RM-526 (all Nokia handsets receive internal RM codes in addition to their consumer-friendly marketing model numbers) just passed the FCC, and the outline of the device pictured in the FCC ID label documentation makes it look a little... shall we say, "weird." In fact, had we not been privy to earlier rumors of a squarish swivelphone from Nokia destined for Verizon, we'd almost think we were looking at a wireless router or some sort of accessory -- but nope, we think this is a phone. It's a dual-band CDMA device, which certainly jibes with what Verizon would need; we're still having a devil of a time picturing a Series 40-based Sidekick-esque Nokia with CDMA support in our heads, but we'll get used to the concept eventually. Maybe.

[Via Cell Phone Signal]

Nokia making a crazy Sidekick-esque phone for Verizon? (Update: looks like!)

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 13th 2009 @ 12:09PM

This rumor's got more holes than swiss, but stranger things have happened, so it'll be an interesting scoop to keep an eye on nonetheless. A tipster to Boy Genius Report claims that Nokia is working on a "swiveling E71-type handset" for -- get this -- Verizon, of all carriers, featuring a full QWERTY keyboard and running Series 40. Judging from the mockup here, that sorta puts it in the same vein as the Sidekick -- a form factor most carriers and manufacturers (especially Nokia) have avoided. Given that Espoo's still basically dipping its toes in the CDMA waters -- and the fact that a Verizon device running Series 40 proper seems implausible at best -- we're going to be shocked if this thing sees the light of day. Pleasantly surprised, yes, but still shocked.

Update: Since originally running this story, we've been contacted by a number of individuals who claim to have seen this phone in person; Boy Genius Report also emphatically defends the rumors legitimacy, so we're more inclined to think it's real. (Of course, that doesn't make it any less crazy.)

PCD's swively TXT8020 is Pantech born and raised

by Chris Ziegler posted Feb 10th 2009 @ 3:54PM

Remember how we noted an uncanny resemblance between PCD's TXT8010 -- better known as the Verizon Blitz -- and the TXT8020 revealed at CES this year? Turns out there's a great reason for the similarity: they're both made by Pantech. We've been sent this nifty little graphic showing one of those EV-DO-enabled TXT8020s bearing Pantech branding, and while we still don't know what carriers plan on carrying this sucker, Verizon sure does seem like the perfect fit, doesn't it? More on this bad boy soon, hopefully.

[Thanks, Jeremy]

LG's LU1400 swivels right into your heart

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 28th 2008 @ 8:37AM

It's not every day that you see a wide VGA swivel with DMB support launching in South Korea. Oh, wait -- yes it is! The LU1400 from LG doesn't bring anything particularly new or fabulous to the table, but just about anything with a 2.8-inch 800 x 480 display is still pretty fabulous by our count. It's got a 3-megapixel cam, and if you care to take your glorious little toy outside the homeland, the LU1400 will roam on CDMA in 18 countries around the globe (including the States). And yes, if we see someone walking around New York with one of these, we will yoink it right out of their unsuspecting hands. Just a fair warning.

[Via Akihabara News]

Mystery T-swivel handset identified as Compal Tabasco

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Dec 16th 2008 @ 9:47AM

It looks like that obscure Korean handset we spotted a week or so ago has been identified as a MID from Compal with the unlikely name of Tabasco. The images we saw were shot at Computex 2008 in June, and this is what Blog Times has to say about it: the non functioning prototype sports a rear facing 3.2 megapixel camera with 2x optical zoom and a flash, a front-facing webcam, and it measures about 6.3 x 3.3 x 1.3-inches with a 4.5 or 5-inch screen. It's impossible to determine the device's processor, OS or storage capacity at the this time -- so it seems that, after all this, the handheld is still something of a mystery. Of course, it could always turn out to be that fresh breath of Palm New-ness we've been warned of -- after all, it's been rumored that the company placed a significant order with Compal way back in August. Perhaps we'll find out at CES.

[Via Pocketables]

Nokia patent app suggests N97's form factor isn't complicated enough

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 13th 2008 @ 8:16PM

Combining huge screens with usable keyboards in a pocketable package is the challenge phone manufacturers are eternally doomed to try to solve, leading to an endless stream of (mostly comical) patent applications for ridiculous form factors that will never see the light of day. That's where we think -- well, we hope -- Nokia's latest app comes into play, combining a portrait-oriented QWERTY keyboard with a wide display that somehow swivels behind the body of the phone when you only need a little bit of screen real estate. Looks cool on paper, but realistically, we think this thing would be the most unwieldy Frankenstein of a handset since the MPx were it ever to be produced. Tilt-slide on the N97 looks fine, guys. Seriously.

[Via Cellpassion]

Mysterious T-swivel handset appears on Korean site, keeps us guessing

by Darren Murph posted Dec 7th 2008 @ 3:38AM

Here's a Sunday challenge for you -- what in tarnation is this thing? The mysterious T-swivel type handset has appeared on a Korean site, presumably signifying its status as a simple concept. Obviously, the device packs a full QWERTY keyboard, a front-mounted camera, a rather sizable display and a swivel contraption to keep things horizontal when texting and the like. Beyond that, your guess is as good as ours here. Any clues on this thing's origins? We only ask because, you know, we'd love to actually toy around with one.

[Via Pocketables]

Samsung files a gaming phone patent... again

by Joshua Topolsky posted Feb 22nd 2008 @ 8:25AM

If we didn't know better, we'd say Samsung really wants to develop some type of hybrid gaming / phone device. One need only look back on the plethora of patent applications from the electronics-maker to realize that something game-related is going on over at HQ. Whatever the case may be, the Korean company has applied for another iteration of device, this time taking a more modular approach to the layout of buttons and screen. In this new configuration, a RAZR-like clamshell would actually house a swiveling screen which allows the unit to flip open, thus placing the display squarely between two "wings." The resulting arrangement would be a symmetrical device that would encourage a more familiar hand position for gamers. Of course, like those other designs, these are just images on paper -- though it does spark the imagination considerably.

[Via Unwired View]

Samsung U470 for Verizon gets a name: "Juke"

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 26th 2007 @ 9:00AM

We may not know when this thing's going to be at retail, but hey -- at least we'll know our way around the external controls by the time it does. A tipster has graciously hooked us up with overview documentation for the Samsung U740 for Verizon, an off-the-beaten-path, swiveling musicphone that has apparently been christened "Juke." The key legend doesn't reveal anything too terribly special, though we're happy to see a speakerphone made the cut despite the unit's diminutive outline. Our tipster tells us "it's your basic Verizon Wireless phone," so beyond a music player, stereo Bluetooth, and a trick mechanism that'll impress friends (for a few days, anyway), we're banking on a reasonably low price point. How's everyone feeling about the form factor?

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Gallery: Samsung U470 for Verizon gets a name: "Juke"

Verizon rolls out LG VX9400, second VCAST TV phone

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 23rd 2007 @ 11:44AM

Sure, Samsung's u620 was the first on the scene when Verizon's MediaFLO-based VCAST TV service launched earlier this month, but the fashionably late VX9400 from LG seems to be the real prize. At least that's the impression we got when we had the opportunity to mess around with both side by side at CES in January, and starting today, Verizon customers can start buying and critiquing VX9400s of their very own (in VCAST TV markets, anyway). Your hard-earned $200 -- plus the standard issue two-year agreement, of course -- will net you the Chocolate-esqe handset with a swivel screen, 1.3 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, microSD expansion, and naturally, EV-DO data. We wouldn't mind a few more teevee channels, but beggars can't be choosers when it comes to the mobile TV landscape here in the US -- and besides, it's a pretty nifty lookin' handset anyway, right?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

The next Kickflip? Helio-branded Pantech in the wild

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 9th 2006 @ 12:35PM

So, we covered the Pantech PN-810 in passing a couple weeks back as part of our regular FCC Fridays series, and at the time, we had absolutely no idea what significance the device had. Those familiar with the FCC's online document repository know that the "External Photos" and "User's Manual" PDFs are usually the most exciting bits. The test reports, on the other hand, typically cause one's eyes to glaze over by page two or three, and attempting to digest the entire thing is akin to torture. Anyhoo, eagle-eyed (and brave) HowardForums members have picked out a couple telling pictures buried deep within one of those test reports; besides revealing the form factor and design of the handset, they also leak a carrier -- Helio. Since VK Mobile's implosion earlier this year, it only makes sense that Helio would be looking to replace the VK-sourced Kickflip with another swivel phone (although this could be a slider, too) from a manufacturer more likely to stick around for a while, and that's where Pantech comes into the equation. All this being said, we don't know much of anything about the phone besides what we see here, and we don't think this is the rumored QWERTY phone Helio's been said to have up its sleeve. With an FCC approval under its belt, though, we hope this'll all sort itself out sooner rather than later.

[Via HowardForums, thanks Simon]

Update: Our original tipster, Simon, has pointed out something very important: there appears to be another "layer" hiding on the bottom of the phone that would presumably slide out to reveal a full keyboard. Combined with the centering of the screen and the soft buttons up top, it lends credibility to the theory that this really is the mythical Danger-designed QWERTY superphone after all. Shouldn't be long now, folks. (We hope.)

Samsung delivers P930 TV swivel phone for Italy

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 3rd 2006 @ 12:06AM

Fresh out of Samsung's gates comes the do-it-all SGH-P930 swivel phone, a handset that rocks pretty much every acronym we care about: HSDPA and DVB-H, just to name a couple. The 20-millimeter thick phone presumably locks into the 90-degree orientation or swivels fully open at the user's discretion, making for a more pleasant viewing experience when vegging out with that mobile TV they've got goin' on over in Europe these days. Italy's TIM will be the first carrier to take delivery of the P930, which also packs in a 2 megapixel cam, VGA front cam for video calling, picture-in-picture (as if the 2.3-inch display is even big enough for a single channel), and microSD expansion. Grab it on TIM now for a stiff €529 (about $700), which we sincerely hope is a contract-free price.

[Via Tech-On!]