Canadian telecoms provider Bell just announced the latest in LG's touchscreen lineup.  Called the LG Bliss, the multimedia-centric feature phone sports a unique-looking shape that curves inward at the sides, with a panel of color right around the edges.

Display is a 3-inch touchscreen with a 240 x 400 resolution.  It's likely resistive, given that the handset ships with an accompanying stylus.  It uses a four-page home screen that can be customized with your pick of icons and widgets.  Hardware details include a 2.0 megapixel camera module (with video), GPS radio, 3G connectivity, dual speakers, stereo Bluetooth and microSDHC card expansion (up to 16GB).

Feature set is along standard lines, with a media player, a full HTML browser, USB data tethering, full messaging suite (including IM and email) and onboard navigation software (trial only).  It comes with support for Bell's range of broadband services, including Live TV, satellite radio, streaming music and media downloads.

The LG Bliss is now available to Bell customers with numerous purchase options.   Without a contract, it can be bought for a flat price of $279.95.  Those looking to shave off the price for the initial payment can get it for either $79.95 on a three-year contract,  $129.95 with a two-year tie-in or $229.95 for 12 months with the company.

[via Mobile Syrup]

Terms like "eco-friendly" and "feature phone" are rarely muttered in the same breath.  While we've seen our fair share of phones that purport environmental awareness, they've largely been nominal units, in keeping with the conservationist theme.  The new Samsung Reclaim, announced for the US market by Sprint, looks to fill the void, bringing a handset that's marked by both its "green" characteristics and better-than-basic specs.

Pegged to retail at less than $50 on contract, it will be the first phone in Sprint's roster that offers both 3G connectivity and a QWERTY keypad at such an affordable price point.  It's running the company's One Click UI, which allows for quick access to social networks and other web services (especially eco-conscious ones).

Details of the semi-square-shaped handset include a slide-out QWERTY panel, 2.0 megapixel optics (with camcorder function), stereo Bluetooth, personal and corporate email support, aGPS (with Sprint Navigation) and microSDHC card expansion (up to 32GB).  Naturally, it's got an integrated web browser and support for broadband services to take full advantage of the HSDPA capabilities.

Its green claims are bolstered by the use of 80% recyclable materials throughout the device, including the corn-sourced bio-plastic which makes up 40% of the housing.  Hazardous materials are ditched (for the most part), as it uses no PVC and phthalates, with only the necessary amount of BFRs employed for the internal components.  Phone tray and packaging are made from 70% recycled material, with all images and text printed using soy-based ink.

The Samsung Reclaim will be available beginning August 16th in two colors - Earth Green (pictured) and Ocean Blue.

MetroPCS and Samsung just announced a special edition of the Samsung Messager R450.  Designed in collaboration with SA Studios Global and acclaimed LA-based artist Mark Machado, the limited-run handset will sport the latter's Mister Cartoon branding, along with original graffiti-style artwork.

Best known for putting ink on the skin of numerous celebrities, including Eminem, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake, Machado's art will appear both inside and outside the yellow-and-black-themed phone.  The back panel will sport an original piece from the artist, along with Mister Cartoon wallpapers, ringtones and animations preloaded.

The Samsung Messager is the first mass-market messaging phone to support CDMA 1700 and sports largely basic capabilities.  Details of the handset include a 2.1-inch LCD, 1.3 megapixel optics, two sets of keypads (T9-style on the front panel and a slide-out QWERTY), aGPS, music playback and microSD card expansion (up to 2GB).

According to Samsung, a portion of the phone's sales will go to funding for community art centers, youth outreach programs and art supplies for schools in the Los Angeles area.  A total of 30,000 Mister Cartoon Samsung Messagers will be available for sale, with the first ten units to be signed personally by the artist and auctioned off from MetroPCS' website.  No pricing has been announced for the jazzed-up handset model.

Samsung USA

INQ just announced two new phones that further their original direction of integrating social media into the handset experience. Called the INQ Chat 3G and the INQ Mini 3G, the duo of "3G Social Mobiles" promise a full range of social media features, without the hefty price tag that's usually attached to well-connected phones.

You might remember INQ with last year's highly-acclaimed INQ1, which impressed consumers with its clever integration of Facebook, Skype, Live Messenger and Last.FM into the overall phone experience. The two new phones build on these specialized talents, adding new native capabilities (yes, they're built in to the system, instead of being add-on software) such as push Gmail and Twitter.

Obviously having learned their lesson from the bland physical specimen that was the INQ1, the new pair of devices both sport a more mature design aesthetic. The INQ Chat 3G takes on a Blackberry-style form factor, complete with a front-mounted set of QWERTY keys and sleek-looking lines. The more conservative INQ Mini 3G, on the other hand, comes with a candybar form factor and touts a similar black and red motif as its larger counterpart.

Other features of the handsets include microSD card expansion (up to 4GB), USB tethering, an integrated camera module, downloadable apps and media-syncing with iTunes on both PCs and Macs (via DoubleTwist). The Chat 3G also comes with a GPS tuner.

Both phones will debut in European markets beginning in the fourth quarter. Price is not yet disclosed, but INQ is claiming that the units will retail very aggressively (hint: relatively cheap).

INQ

RIM finally put the official stamp on the much-talked-about Blackberry Curve 8520.  While it's not yet officially released, the phone now has a dedicated page on the company's website, with plenty of photos and complete details, to boot.

As usual, it will fit in Blackberry's typical messaging and productivity talents, along with a few features more attuned to modern smartphone uses.  Multimedia seems to have been given particular attention for the long-awaited handset, which comes with a robust onboard player and a set of dedicated media keys situated on top.

Details of the phone include a 2.64-inch TFT LCD with 320 x 240 resolution, a 2.0 megapixel camera module (with 5x digital zoom and video recording), 256MB default storage, microSDHC expansion (up to 32GB), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.  It fits in a 35-key backlit QWERTY keyboard and a unique optical trackpad.

RIM is promising "out of the box Mac compatibility" for this iteration of the Curve, with the BlackBerry Desktop Software to be fully-available on OS X machines.  It also supports RIM's download storefront, Blackberry App World, for those who'd like to extend their handset's functionalities, apart from shipping with a number of social media and IM tools built-in.

The Blackberry Curve 8520 is listed for availability on August 5th.  T-Mobile will be carrying it for $130 with a two-year contract.

Blackberry

After seemingly countless delays, Garmin-Asus is finally ready to roll out two of their navigation-centered phones. Both the Nuvifone G60 (pictured) and the Nuvifone M20 will debut in various Asian markets within the next few days and weeks.

First to roll off the production line is the Linux-powered G60, which will line retail shelves in Taiwan this Monday, with a Singapore and Malaysia release by the end of August. The handset's specs seems to be the same as originally planned, featuring quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth and mini-USB connectivity.

It will be running a proprietary Linux brew (closed platform) and will, of course, highlight Garmin's time-tested GPS capabilities. Other details of the phone include a 3.55-inch resistive touchscreen display, a 3.0 megapixel camera module, standard email support (POP3, IMAP and SMTP) and a custom Webkit-based browser.

The Nuvifone M20, on the other hand, will hit the streets of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia in August. It will run Windows Mobile 6.1, with support for upgrade to 6.5 when it finally comes out, and will use Opera as the default web browser.

Details include tri-band GSM, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth and mini-USB connectivity. Other specs consists of a 2.8-inch TFT LCD with touch lens, 3.0 megapixel optics, full email suite (Enterprise, push, POP3 and IMAP) and Garmin's GPS technology.

Despite the imminent release, there are still very few details out about how the actual handsets work, though that should start changing, as some users are able to get their hands on the G60 beginning next week. No pricing has been given for either of the two units.

Back when Modu debuted their modular phone prototypes in February of 2008 (and the production versions on February of 2009), it made quite a buzz. A year and a half after the first unveiling, the innovative handset finally makes it to store shelves, although any excitement it generated from before has noticeably withered.

Release has been restricted to Israel for now, with future dates slated largely for emerging markets. While on the surface (literally), it looks poised to be capable competition for entry-level handsets, the reality seems to be different, according to an Israel-based website who had a chance to test the retail units first-hand.

According to the review, the phone "has potential," although everything about it feels like it was made two years ago. This, of course, is as obvious a pronouncement as you can make as Modu apparently changed little about the units from their original versions (which they first showed the world a little under two years before). As such, everything feels so slow, that even a nominal activity like sending a text message can take forever

As before, Modu still holds on to the claim of the product as being the world's smallest phone. The review backs this up, even going so far as to warn that you might end up accidentally swallowing it when you're making voice calls.

Regardless, the phone's real talent is the ability to add features to it by simply using different jackets. At the moment, four panels are available with none of them especially noteworthy. If Modu can replicate the same versatile talents using a more powerful core handset, though, they just might have a shot at breaking into the larger market. If they can set it up so that slapping on a new case can add usable GPS talents, a touch interface or smartphone capabilities, we'll really know they're in the game.

At the moment, though, the Modu is all about very basic functionalities, which is fairly represented in the price. It's currently available for the equivalent of $125 without a contract.

Photo Credit: Mobo

Samsung recently announced the upcoming release of two new mid-range cell phones. The duo consists of the Samsung Comeback and the Samsung Gravity 2, both of them messaging devices geared towards similar younger audiences.

The Comeback is easily the more notable of the two, sporting a side-hinged clamshell form factor that flips open to reveal a large display and a QWERTY panel. It comes with the standard set of messaging options, along with IM and email (AOL, Yahoo, and Gmail).

Details of the new phone includes dual displays, 3G support, stereo Bluetooth, aGPS (with a trial version of Telnav pre-loaded), a 2.0 megapixel camera module with multi-shot and microSDHC support (up to 16GB). It's due out today, in pearl white plum or frost silver cherry, with a list price of $129.99 on a two-year contract.

The Gravity 2, on the other hand, is Samsung's slimmer follow-up to last year's Gravity. It boasts a slicker and lighter design, while keeping the same side-sliding QWERTY panel form factor.

Specs of the new phone includes 2.0 megapixel optics, 3G connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1, microSDHC slot (up to 16GB) and a full set of messaging features. The phone will come in two colors, berry mauve and metallic pumpkin, and will be due for availability beginning August.

Via Crave

AT&T is going live this week with two Sony Ericsson phones that are making their debut in the US market.  The new releases consist of the Cyber-shot C905a and the W158a Walkman, both of which come fitted with their own specialized set of features.

The Sony Ericsson C905a Cyber-shot boasts a high-resolution 8.1 megapixel optics, with the usual set of the company's souped-up camera features that include a Xenon flash, GPS tagging, face detection and autofocus.  It can shoot up to seven photos in succession (single click) and print directly via USB to PictBridge-compatible printers.  Handset details include a 2.4-inch scratch-resistant display, slider form-factor, 3G connectivity and Memory Stick Micro expansion.

For those more interested in personalized media features, the Sony Ericsson W518a Walkman should fit the bill nicely.  As you may expect, it boasts high-end music playback as Walkman-branded units have long delivered, along with a few new niceties, including shake control and gesture recognition.  Phone details include a 3.2 megapixel camera module, aGPS, 3G connectivity and a unique Facebook interface.

Both handsets are available from AT&T beginning today.  The Sony Ericsson C905a Cyber-shot is priced at $179.99 while the Sony Ericsson W518a Walkman comes in at $99.99 (both on contract, after $50 mail-in rebates).

Via IntoMobile

T-Mobile is debuting a new entry-level touchscreen phone with a design that's a little on the cutesy side. Billed as the Samsung Highlight, it's presumably geared towards younger users clamoring for a trendy touchscreen display, but whose parents don't want to be stuck paying for an expensive data plan.

External panel is decked in either one of two eye-popping colors, namely fire (red and orange) and ice (a blackish turquoise shade - go figure). Samsung is claiming the handset to feature a good range of physical controls (bottom and sides) and a bundled widget suite that's perfect for today's younger phone users.

Display is a 3-inch capacitive display, with odd 1.61 x 2.64 inch dimensions and 16 million colors. Specs include a 3 megapixel camera module with video recording, stereo Bluetooth, microSD expansion (it's under the battery, however), USB mass storage, aGPS and speakerphone. It's running Samsung's acclaimed TouchWiz UI, which lets you navigate nicely around the full HTML browser, music player, IM apps, Web-based POP3 email and a number of nifty widgets (including Facebook).

While the Samsung Highlight is nothing too exciting, it should prove an attractive option for the oh-so-connected tween and teen crowd (and the parents who pay for their gadgets).   T-Mobile is debuting the phone on store shelves beginning today at a $149 price tag.

Via Gizmodo