Puma started a teaser campaign a few days ago for a product called Puma Phone. It attracted moderate interest, but, really - how excited are you supposed to be about a feature phone from a sports apparel company? Well, they've officially used MWC 2010 as the platform to make it official.
Developed by Puma and Sagem, the device is a feature phone with capabilities that are geared towards sports and outdoor use. It's sufficiently small (102 x 56 x 13 mm) and light (115 grams), making it easy to carry throughout the course of an active day. Billed as having been “engineered to facilitate and encourage an active way of life,” it comes with a slew of sports-oriented applications that include a bike speedo, a run tracker, a pedometer and a sailing compass.
Phone details include a 2.8” QVGA touchscreen, a 3.2 megapixel camera module, aGPS, Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, a 3.5mm audio jack, FM radio, microUSB port and microSD expansion. It comes with 7.2Mbps HSDPA and 2.9Mbps HSUPA data speeds. Battery is an 880mAh Li-ion with a rated talk time of 5 hours. It uses a custom carousel-based UI
Since it's geared for outdoor use, the Puma Phone has been outfitted with a solar panel around the back to add a little trickle of charge. Release is slated for April, although price hasn't been announced.
[via Unwired View]
Sagem Announces The Puma Phone, A Sports-Oriented Feature Handsetunratednoel2010-02-17 11:59:00
NewsSagem Announces The Puma Phone, A Sports-Oriented Feature Handset
LG announced another addition to their popular Cookie family of touchscreen handsets. Billed as the LG Cookie Plus GS500, it's an entry-level feature phone that boasts slight improvements over the original KP500.
Looking to compete against the widely successful Samsung Corby, LG endowed the new device with a similar cartoon-like, widget-heavy UI. In fact, the promo pictures show icons that look suspiciously familiar to anyone that has used Samsung's entry-level number.
The biggest update for the Cookie Plus is 3G connectivity, paving the way for faster browser page loads, better performance from web-connecting apps and, hopefully, streaming media support. Social networking is a primary focus, with both the SNS (which supports Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other social sites) and the LiveSquare apps onboard. Most of the hardware set should be along the same lines as the original Cookie. Other details mentioned in the press release include a 3.2 megapixel camera and an FM tuner.
In a not-so-surprising move, LG also announced that the company will be releasing a slew of Cookie-branded handsets in 2010 (each one likely to bring only slightly different features from the rest). Yep, a strategy that directly copies a page from what Samsung has began doing with the Corby (e.g. Corby, CorbyTXT).
The LG Cookie Plus GS500 will debut in 45 countries beginning with Italy and France this coming May. No pricing details have been given. They also mentioned a second Cookie handset in the press release, dubbed as the LG GS290. No details yet, but they're priming it for the UK sometime in March.
[Press Release]
LG Cookie Plus GS500 Announced, Adds 3G And More Social Featuresunratednoel2010-02-10 12:39:41
NewsLG Cookie Plus GS500 Announced, Adds 3G And More Social Features
Despite the label, the LG Shine II GD710 is actually the third handset with the Shine branding (and the second to come out in the US under AT&T). Like its predecessors, it uses an unusual navigation array, midrange multimedia capabilities and the signature shiny exterior that gives the phone its name.
Physically, it sports an attractive slider design, with a sturdy metal body that sets it apart from the mass of plastic handhelds that flood the market. It feels particularly solid in the hand, with an exceptionally solid construction and sturdy slider mechanism that delivers an assuring click when it moves into place.
The 2.2-inch LCD (320 x 240 pixels) offers bright colors and sharp graphics, as well as good performance under sunlight. Unfortunately, the differently-styled navigation array doesn't really work all that much better compared to its predecessors, making it a bit of a mixed bag.
As a phone, the quad-band, world-capable Shine II offers satisfactory call quality, with loud and natural-sounding voices. There's some amount of static, especially when using the speakerphone, although it should handle conversations well. Battery life is rated at a little over three hours, which makes for about a day or so of regular use.
On the features end, it comes with all the usual fare, including a 1,000-contact phone book, PIM tools, stereo Bluetooth and a well-rounded messaging set (both POP3 and IMAP email, IM, SMS and MMS). There's also aGPS (with support for AT&T Navigator) and a 2.0 megapixel camera (limited editing options and average image quality).
With relatively fast 3G, it brings support for AT&T's range of broadband multimedia services, including streaming audio and video, XM radio and music downloads. It only comes with a WAP browser, though, so your use of the web could be a little limited.
Overall, the LG Shine II offers a decidedly midrange feature set. Available without a contract for $269 (or $119 with a two-year tie-in), it should prove a good purchase if you're looking for a physically attractive 3G phone with decent multimedia capabilities.
LG Shine II Sports Attractive Design, Mid-Range Multimedia Featuresunratednoel2009-12-16 13:07:12
Phone ReviewsLG Shine II Sports Attractive Design, Mid-Range Multimedia Features
Looking for a budget phone with some excellent social tools? I'm not sure what regions it's available in (except for the ones on the official site - UK, Singapore and a couple of others), but the INQ Mini 3G sounds like a great option.
Physically, the candybar handset looks leagues ahead in terms of appearance, compared to INQ's previous cellphone effort. Heck, it's considerably more attractive than a lot of the mid-range phones with the same form factor that's available right now. Small and light, it fits very comfortably in your pocket. It feels a little fleeting in the hand, however, with a predominantly plastic make.
The Mini 3G comes with a 2.2-inch screen showing a 320x240 resolution. Quality is gorgeous, showing off plenty of brightness and excellent colors. The T9-style keypad facilitates comfortable use, although the navigation array doesn't exactly work seamlessly with the menu interface.
As a phone, it manages excellent calls, with clear and natural-sounding voices. The speakerphone works equally well, although it could have used just a slight more volume. While the interface works decently, overall phone operation feels a little sluggish, sometimes pausing in mid-operation for a split second. The 3G speed also doesn't appear to be that fast. Battery life should be good for 2.5 hours of regular use.
Being a social networking device, the Mini 3G's main strengths lie in its native integration of social-based services, namely Facebook, Twitter, Skype and Windows Live Messenger. Using them is literally a breeze, with performance (for the aforementioned services) that's better than 90% of phones around. The inbox structure - which gathers all messages and conversations in one place - is downright brilliant.
All other features, however, aren't as souped-up, but they work well enough, especially at this handset's price point. The 2.0 megapixel camera, for instance, takes rather lacking shot quality - a shame since the interface from shooting a photo to uploading it to Twitter is very well-done. There's also a decent media player, Bluetooth and compatibility with a variety of streaming services. One feature many will like is the built-in tethering support - yep, simply connect it to your laptop and use your phone's 3G to get online.
Despite a few complaints, the INQ Mini 3G is a serious value for its price. Available for just $100 unlocked and free with a contract from any network, it's an excellent mid-range phone, especially if you're heavy on the social networking.
INQ Mini 3G Brings Amazing Social Features At A Low, Low Priceunratednoel2009-11-25 09:32:53
Phone ReviewsINQ Mini 3G Brings Amazing Social Features At A Low, Low Price
Slim and light, the Samsung Mythic is the latest mobile TV handset from AT&T. Marrying familiar Samsung design with a solid multimedia feature set, it's among the more interesting entertainment devices currently in the carrier's roster.
Physically, the Mythic comes with a sleek, albeit understated, design. It sports rounded corners, chrome lining and a glossy chassis, marked with a solid construction. Display is an ample 3.3-inch touchscreen with a generous 640 x 360 resolution. Images appear vibrant, with excellent color and sharp details. It uses Samsung's proven TouchWiz interface, paired with a highly-responsive touchscreen facility.
As a phone, it manages generally good call quality with a very feint amount of distortion. It's barely noticeable and won't distract, so don't worry. Speakerphone performance was similarly good, adding just a little bit of echo to conversations. The phone's 3G performance was acceptable, managing decent speeds during surfing, downloads and video streaming. Battery life is a little lacking at only 3 hours of talk time. Given that it's geared towards heavy multimedia use, you'll either need to replenish every night or carry a charger along.
It comes with the usual set of basic conveniences, including a 2,000-entry phonebook, full messaging support (SMS, MMS, IM and web email), stereo Bluetooth and GPS. You can watch broadcast programming via AT&T's Mobile TV, which is powered by Qualcomm's MediaFLO network. For as low as $10 a month, you can get up to 150 simulcast and time-shifted programs on a regular basis. Along with TV shows, the phone also plays nice with AT&T's various streaming services, including mobile video and mobile music.
The 3.2 megapixel camera manages above average photo quality for similarly-armed cellphones, with a good range of editing options. It comes with AT&T's full HTML browser, which is based from Opera Mobile. For casual surfing, it works well enough, although I would have appreciated a few more functionalities.
Overall, the Samsung Mythic does well where it's supposed to: TV viewing and multimedia playback. If you're looking for a feature phone that can manage those capably, this should prove a worthy choice. Price isn't that cheap, however, at a $199 price point with a two year contract.
Samsung Mythic Offers Mobile TV, Quality Multimedia Performanceunratednoel2009-11-17 16:21:16
Phone ReviewsSamsung Mythic Offers Mobile TV, Quality Multimedia Performance
