Far from being the first dual-mode handset we've seen (heck, it's not even the first WiMAX-friendly dualie), Qsida's recently showcased slider is still quite intriguing. The currently unnamed cellphone supports both 802.16e WiMAX as well as GSM / GPRS / EDGE networks, and just in case you're hankering for another way to get connected, there's a built-in WiFi module too. Reportedly, the smartphone is a test device used in the M-Taiwan initiative to promote WiMAX, and aside from handling voice calls via (almost) any flavor of wireless protocol, you'll also find Windows Mobile 6.1 running the show. Granted, this particular unit wasn't down with 3G, but a spokesperson was adamant that such a handset would be added to its portfolio eventually.

Certain features we really never get tired of reporting, because, well, they're far rarer than they should be. Case in point: the elusive 3.5mm headphone jack, a drop-dead obvious spec that allows real, actual headphones to be plugged in without the aid of a device curiously referred to as a "dongle" in some circles. The LG KM501 for the Taiwanese market is pretty plain by most definitions -- 2 megapixel camera, dedicated music controls, polarizing black / red styling, EDGE data, microSD slot, and A2DP -- but the thing that keeps drawing us back in is that darned jack. Why don't all phones have one of these? Can someone please explain that to us in simple terms? No word on if or when this one might be found outside of Taiwan, which as far as we're concerned, is a travesty for real headphone lovers everywhere.

[Via Unwired View]

For most of us, the Porsche Design P'9521 is hard enough to find as it is -- but throw a limited edition into the mix, and, well, you have a very special phone indeed. The P'9521 is being re-clad in a rather striking white as part of the design firm's Pearl White Collection being launched in Taiwan this month, and the privilege of adding this one to your stable will run a mere 62,800 Taiwan dollars -- about $2,063. Pricey, yes, but at least Porsche has the common decency to throw in a 2GB microSD card and the reassurance that the odds of running into another P'9521 Pearl White user are nearly zero.

[Via Slashphone]

Wait, Taiwan? i-mode? Yep, turns out that Far EasTone Telecommunications licenses NTT DoCoMo's well-known mobile internet brand for use in Taiwan, and they've partnered with Nokia to deliver the service on a customized version of the 6124 classic candybar -- the first Nokia ever to offer it. Of course, no i-mode handset is complete without blazing data speeds, and sure enough, the 6124 classic delivers with support for HSDPA in addition to a 2 megapixel cam, QVGA display, and S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1. Yep, that's right, not only is Nokia tying up with i-mode, they're doing so on an honest-to-goodness smartphone. Kudos!

[Via IntoMobile]

As expected (sort of), Gigabyte's GSmart division came packing at MWC this year with a small army of WinMo handsets ready to battle -- and this time, they're taking the war to Europe. The headliner is the MS808, featuring HSDPA and GPS alongside support for a healthy majority of the world's digital TV standards: DVB-T, DVB-H, T-DMB, and ISDB-T. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually feature the cool skeleton view currently showing up on GSmart's website, but you get the idea. Also being shown are the MS800, MS820, and MS804 -- the last of which looks suspiciously like the O2 Xda Denim -- all with the same integrated HSDPA and GPS as the MS808, but lacking the television tunerfest. Separately, Gigabyte announced that its phalanx of new handsets will feature Garmin's Mobile XT software and are all cocked and loaded to be unleashed on an unsuspecting (or at this point, suspecting, we suppose) European market in the near future, leaving the glut of Windows Mobile Professional hardware packed with more choice, more confusion, and arguably less differentiation than ever. There are worse problems to have, we suppose.

Read - GSmart Unveils 3.5G Mobile TV and GPS PDA Phones at Mobile World Congress 2008
Read - GSmart introduces 3.5G GPS PDA phones with GARMIN Mobile XT to European market

According to Bill Chen, General Manager of Motorola Taiwan's Mobile Device business, the second generation Linux-based Ming handset won't launch until Q2 of 2008. Not February as initially rumored. What's more, the handset will be introduced in high-end and entry-level configurations -- unfortunately, both are GSM/EDGE, not 3G capable. DigiTimes says that Inventec won the manufacturing contract of this MOTO Beijing designed handset. Given the unusual (for MOTO) use of a lower-case vowel in the name, there's a good chance this was never meant for Stateside consumption anyway. Too bad, eh?

While we've been ogling Q9s, RAZR 2 Luxury Editions, and nonexistent Palm-powered Q2s in these parts, Motorola's been preparing a pretty freakin' aggressive attack for our friends across the Pacific. Though Moto's chilling in third place for global handset sales, they rank a measly fourth in Taiwan, and it looks like they want to do something about it with an astounding 20 to 30 Taiwanese launches planned for 2008 -- according to the company's regional general manager, anyway. By our calculations, that's anywhere between one and three phones per month, making Taiwan the place to move if you happen to be a diehard fan. Interestingly, Moto used the same occasion to reiterate that it has no timetable established for launching Android-based handsets, so we guess you can hold off planning the move if you're only interested in its Google wares.

[Via Slashphone]

Hello Kitty has certainly claimed her fair share of cellphones in the past, but she's going totally diva on the Okwap C150T. From top to bottom, side to side, this GSM handset is smothered in cuteness, and reportedly, it boasts a built-in media player, a two-megapixel camera, and a myriad Hello Kitty themes / backgrounds. Regrettably, there's no word on a price just yet, and it's doubtful you'll find this thing anywhere in America, but go on and click through for shots of the interface if you just can't get enough.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

DigiTimes is reporting that Qualcomm has openly expressed interest this month in setting up a joint venture in Taiwan to get the ball rolling on MediaFLO there. Having bagged two of four national carriers in the US (with the distinct possibility of bagging one or two more still in the cards), Qualcomm appears to be turning its attention to distant lands. As DigiTimes points out, the company has already set up a joint venture with Japan's KDDI (a CDMA carrier, unsurprisingly) to push its proprietary mobile TV tech in that country, so it seems like similar ventures elsewhere are a foregone conclusion. Noting that a joint venture could be either "financial or technological," Qualcomm already runs a MediaFLO-based trial in Taiwan that kicked off earlier this year, so we figure that it may be looking to get an infusion of local cash to take the service commercial -- especially considering that it'll be going up against a handful of recently-awarded DVB-H licenses in the country.

[Via mocoNews]

Yeah, the keypad is... uh, "modernist" in a super annoying way, we guess, but the exterior of this handset (which seriously is Picasso branded, for the record) is about as run-of-the-mill as it could possibly be. Scheduled to hit Taiwan, the glossy clam features a translucent cover that lets an OLED external display peek through when on, a 1.3 megapixel autofocus camera, A2DP, Picasso-themed content, and that's about it. So if you want to get enraged by some nonsensically-placed navigation keys in exchange for some low res Picasso wallpapers, this may be your phone -- but be warned, you may be causing the dude to spin in his grave once or twice.

Remember all those version 2 iPhone rumors rumbling about back in May. Well, they're back and running amuck in Taiwan. According to DigiTimes, Taiwan's Chinese-language Commercial Times says that Taiwan's Wintek has gained the touch-screen panel orders for the second-gen iPhone. The report claims that Wintek has already begun test production in small volumes with Apple intent on selling their newest model of the iPhone in September for somewhere between $249 and $299. Unfortunately, the article doesn't state where this flavor of the iPhone will be sold. An important omission given that September is the same rumored delivery for Quanta's iPhone variant meant specifically for non-US markets. Of course, that would be too early according to (some) JP Morgan analysts although Kevin Chang, and his vision of an iPhone nano, would surely disagree. To muddle things further, Wintek was just fingered as the supplier of panels for future touch-screen iPods set to launch in August. However, DigiTimes sources are now reporting that the iPod's capacitive touch-screen will be "less complicated" than the panel used for the current iPhone. No multi-touch? Who knows. Man, rumor mongering is a silly business... interesting, but silly.

P.S. Yes, that's a mock-up to the right.

While AT&T went and hired an extra 2,000 or so customer care representatives in preparation for the iPhone launch and Sprint gave its CSRs a rest by nixing some 1,200 customers, HTC is hoping that a new support facility in Taipei will boost awareness and trust in the brand. Reportedly, the center will provide customers in Taiwan with a comprehensive range of services including "personalized consultations on new and existing HTC products, warranty repairs, and other valuable after-sales support." Notably, the HTC Care facility promises "speedy turn-around times" for all items sent in for repair, and unlike Apple's $29 rental fee, HTC customers can look forward to a free loaner should their handset fall ill. Click on through for more snapshots of the sparklin' facility.

File this under hero of the Apple fanboy world friends, an Apple reseller from Taiwan flew to the US to lineup with the rest of us to get his hands on the precious. After a 30 hour wait in line and some serious transit time, the iPhone -- and only a 4 gig version it seems -- is now at home in Taiwan. Activated and roaming on Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom, we're betting that the gadget geeks in electronic mecca are likely lined up four abreast to get a quick peek. We're thinking he could have saved himself some time -- plus the brutal roaming charges -- and just put a decent knockoff on display.

[Via Slashphone]

Although BenQ has been through more reshuffling and renaming in the past few years than we care to ponder on, the remnants of a mobile division could be cranking out a trio of new handsets this August. DigiTimes has it that the E72, M7, and T51 could hit store shelves in the second half of August after the firm's SF71 (pictured), but not much was known outside of that. Interestingly, Hank Hung, general manager of BenQ Taiwan, was quoted as saying that the company had hopes to move "250,000 handsets in Taiwan" before the year's end, and if it plans to keep on producing mobiles in the years to come, it better be right.

Good news for those of you in Taiwan (and America, too) who can't wait to get acquainted with HTC's Touch, as its creator has reportedly announced that it will be deployed shortly in its "home base," with an American launch to go down before the dawn of 2008. Peter Chou, chief executive officer at HTC, has purportedly stated that it would "only be fitting if the first country in Asia to sell the Touch was Taiwan," and also noted that Chunghwa Telecom would be its "exclusive partner in distributing and retailing the handset" in that country. On the home front, all we know is that the Touch should indeed be found on American shelves before the year's end, but here's to hoping it's closer to today than December 31st.

Read - HTC launch in Taiwan
Read - HTC launch in USA