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Verizon Razzle starts twisting on October 6

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 1st 2009 @ 1:27AM

Call it a cool idea, call it ridiculous, call it a one-off novelty -- whatever the case, Verizon's unique Razzle will be hitting stores next week. The PCD-sourced handset is Verizon's branded version of the TXT8030 and features a totally unique twisting bottom half with stereo speakers and music controls on one side and a full QWERTY keyboard on the other. This is a truly low-end handset on account of its 1.3 megapixel camera and forgettable 2.2-inch display, but on the plus side, it's got microSD expansion and GPS -- and there's the nice little bit about the price, too, which comes in at $69.99 on contract. It'll be available to order from Verizon's web store starting the 6th, while brick-and-mortar locations pick it up "later this month."

Nokia Twist for Verizon hands-on

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 23rd 2009 @ 1:30PM

We've got to give Nokia credit: they managed, against all odds, to come up with a truly unique form factor in creating the Twist for Verizon -- a combination of shape, design, and mechanism that had never quite been seen before. Thing is, it's the year 2009 and virtually every legitimate form factor has been explored, so how'd they pull that off? In a word, the Twist is... well, weird. A perfect square that swivels 90 degrees on a chrome ring with multicolored lights isn't the most obvious way to put a phone together, but the old adage of "different strokes for different folks" definitely applies here. Follow the break to find out why.

Gallery: Nokia Twist for Verizon hands-on

Continue reading Nokia Twist for Verizon hands-on

Nokia Twist given a proper photo shoot, priced $100 for Verizon

by Ross Miller posted Sep 10th 2009 @ 11:52AM

Not that there was any doubt, but Nokia's gone official with its Verizon-bound 7705 Twist, just shy of one month after its KIRF counterpart hit the market. Espoo's released a handful of glamor shots to celebrate, and although the hardware is still crazy enough to thoroughly pique our interests, all the airbrushing in the world won't break that UI from its "mid-nineties dumbphone" shackles. Price is less than what we previously heard, $99.99 with two-year contract thanks to a $50 mail-in rebate.

Gallery: Nokia Twist given a proper photo shoot, priced $100 for Verizon

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

Storm 2, Motorola Sholes, Nokia Twist dated for Verizon, according to leaked doc

by Ross Miller posted Aug 23rd 2009 @ 5:35PM

We've heard about a good number of these phones were bound for Verizon Wireless already, but if this leaked doc via Boy Genius Report is to be believed, we now have a much better idea when they should be within reach of consumer hands. First up is Samsung Rogue for sometime this month (we previously heard today, but that's looking very doubtful at this point) for an estimated $370 subsidized. Next on the calendar is the "female centric" Nokia Twist 7705 in late September for $230, which more likely than not is the swiveling device we've seen on two prior occasions. Also due out next month is the Samsung Intensity for $130 (screenshot after the break). LG Chocolate Touch was rumored by Best Buy for today, but here it's listed for an October debut, along with Storm 2, a "low cost QWERTY" HTC Razzle / Blitz 2 (XV6175, perhaps?), and the Motorola Sholes "Google Phone," red D-pad likely in tow, all with TBD price tags. Rounding out the list in late November is the BlackBerry Curve 2, which we wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be the 8530. The first one expected for public is the Rogue, replacing the Alias 2 that just launched back in May. What gives Verizon, no love for e-ink textpads?

Continue reading Storm 2, Motorola Sholes, Nokia Twist dated for Verizon, according to leaked doc

Has your Palm Pre learned to do the twist?

by Donald Melanson posted Jul 23rd 2009 @ 11:48AM

No, that's not a Blurrycam shot of a rumored Palm Pre follow-up with a rotating screen. It's actually one of the more extreme cases of the Palm Pre "twisting" right out of its shell, which, as far as we can tell, still seems to be a fairly rare occurrence. This particular Pre belongs to one Royer, who was apparently able to get it replaced without too much hassle, but other folks are also reporting some slight screen wobble, and even a few cracks appearing here and there. Somewhat interestingly, Royer says that the Sprint repair center he went to said they're not allowed to try to fix the Palm Pre, and are instead instructed to simply exchange it for a new one. So, has your Palm Pre learned any new moves it shouldn't have? Let us know in comments.

[Via Engadget Chinese]

Conceptual baton phone does the twist

by Darren Murph posted Jul 22nd 2008 @ 8:36AM

The tried-and-true Hamburger phone is still our fav (what, there a problem with that?), but Marc Schömann's baton-styled concept phone is very worthy of a look. Laden with LEDs and ready to be turned, users can dial up friends and family in painstakingly long procedures that involve all sorts of inefficient rotating maneuvers. Still, we can't help but adore the hat tip to yesteryear's rotary phones, though we have no doubts that this will never, ever see a retail shelf. Please, someone, prove us wrong.

[Via PhoneMag]

More details on Samsung's U700, U900 for Verizon

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 4th 2007 @ 10:56AM

phoneArena's scored some more details on the U700 and U900 flips from Samsung that had previously been mentioned as contributors to Verizon's rumored lineup for the remainder of the year, and at least one of the two looks from the outset like a high-end winner. First up, the U700 Gleam offers pretty much everything you'd expect from a midrange Samsung circa 2007: 2 megapixel camera, QVGA display, microSD expansion, yada yada -- plus an updated Flash-based UI. We can allegedly expect this puppy in the next month or two. Later on in the year comes the U900, heir apparent to the A990, likely making it Verizon's new king of the Samsung hill. This one rocks out with a 3 megapixel autofocus cam, stereo speakers, touch sensitive external controls, and a rotating display (it seems to us like the twist top makes this puppy perfect for VCAST TV, but there's no indication that it'll be available here) in your choice of red or black.

UTStarcom's DV007 camcorder phone

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 13th 2007 @ 6:28PM

'Round these parts, UTStarcom's best known for its hodgepodge of low-end offerings and its on-again, off-again relationship with HTC. In Hong Kong, though, well... check this out. You're looking at the UTStarcom DV007, a twist flip with a penchant for video recording. It rocks out with some flavor of Linux, a 2 megapixel camera, 40MB of onboard storage, and microSD expansion. The best part though? It's in your pocket for the equivalent of $140, if you can stomach the triband GSM radio.

[Via Slashphone]

Sharp 911SH does one-seg for Softbank

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 1st 2006 @ 7:29PM

Sharp is showing off a nifty little (if you can call 22 millimeters of thickness "little") one-seg clamshell with a pivoting screen for Softbank customers, the 911SH. The phone apparently looks to displace the outgoing (and similarly-styled) 905SH, though it's not much of an upgrade -- the camera remains unchanged at 2 megapixels, Bluetooth carries over, and the Aquos-branded screen rocks the same 400 x 240 resolution, though it gets upped to 3 inches. The major draws here, then, appear to be the switch from miniSD to microSD expansion (if you can really call that an upgrade) and the availability of seven tasty colors.

[Via Mobilewhack]

Nokia's L'Amour Collection adds three, sort of

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 4th 2006 @ 2:27PM

True, the new 7390 is the first 3G capable phone to grace Nokia's L'Amour series of fashion phones, but other than that, we're not too sure what the fuss is about. The 7360 is being re-announced here, perhaps on account of its new color and design options, and the 7373 seems to be a dead ringer for its older sibling, the 7370, with the exception of a upgraded camera. Nokia is calling "tribal art and ethnic decoration" the inspiration for their latest designs, which will be offered in several colors (for those looking for something slightly, shall we say, less pink) when shipments begin this fall.

Continue reading Nokia's L'Amour Collection adds three, sort of

Hands-on with Samsung's 3-megapixel SGH-P858

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 2nd 2006 @ 4:18PM

Considering what Samsung has managed to do with 9.9mm, we're struggling to understand how they're just now trying to position the tri-band SGH-P858 as their crown jewel -- all brick-like 26.5mm of it. Nonetheless, it's worthy of a review, and that's just what our counterparts at MobileBurn have undertaken. You might recall mention of the P857 earlier this year, and we're told these phones are functionally identical, which means the 3 megapixel camera carries over -- as does the, uh, pleather coating on the phone's surface. MobileBurn's reaction to the phone is overall a negative one, panning the lack of multitasking support, sluggish microSD access, lack of simultaneous vibrate and ring, and generally exorbitant price tag considering its spec sheet. Check a couple more shots of the P858 doing its thing after the break.

Continue reading Hands-on with Samsung's 3-megapixel SGH-P858