Gigabyte's i200 takes on dual TV receivers

A Gigabyte representative at 3GSM Asia revealed to CNET Asia that the company's upcoming PDA-phone, the g-Smart i200, may feature not one but two TV receivers. According to Gigabyte's general manager for Global Sales and Marketing, Christopher Chen, the i200 is originally equipped with just a DVB-H receiver. However, there are plans to add a DVB-T chip to the handheld.

The i200 will offer an impressive feature set that includes a 2.69-inch VGA display, 512MB onboard memory, and it is expected to run on the upcoming Windows Mobile (code-name Crossbow) operating system, said Chen. The new Gigabyte device is expected to be launched early next year.

Click here to read more about Gigabyte's PDA-phone lineup at 3GSM Asia.

Just announced: Palm Treo 680

At a US launch event held recently, Palm introduced what it claimed is a low-cost version of its PDA-phone called the Treo 680. While pricing and Asian availability details are still sketchy at the moment, the new handheld is expected to be priced competitively to appeal to a wider audience, according to company CEO Ed Colligan.

From the product images, it seems the Treo 680 will sport a similar non-antenna design as the recently launched Treo 750v, complete with a familiar QWERTY keypad and a higher-resolution (320 x 320-pixel) touchscreen display. According to specifications listed on the Palm Web site, the quadband PDA-phone, which runs on Palm OS 5.4.9, will also come with a Bluetooth, a VGA camera, speakerphone and SD/MMC card expansion slot. In a nod to the need for more variety, the Treo 680 will be sold in four different colors: Graphite, copper, arctic and crimson.

Click here for our impressions of this new Palm Treo.

O2 Stealth to launch in late October

In a press statement released today, handheld maker O2 confirmed that the Xda Stealth will be available at authorized retail outlets in Singapore in late October. The PDA-phone is expected to retail at with a one-year local warranty. (At press time, O2 was unable to comment on the launch dates of the Stealth in other parts of Asia except for Hong Kong which is already selling the handheld.)

The O2 Xda Stealth is the company's latest PDA-phone offering with both an alphanumeric keypad and a touchscreen display. It is powered by an Intel Xscale 416MHz processor and will come with a 2.4-inch QVGA display, 192MB of ROM, 802.11b/g wireless LAN, Bluetooth v1.2 and triband GSM support.

HP announces prices for iPaq rx4540 and rx4240

The handheld maker has just announced the recommended retail prices for its iPaq rx4000-series handhelds. The higher-end rx4540, which comes with an additional 1GB onboard memory, will be priced at S$599 (US$394.08). The entry-level rx4240 will retail for an estimated S$499 (US$328.29).

Both handhelds are expected to be available in Asia in early November 2006. Some of the key features on the two rx4000-series editions are a Samsung 400MHz processor, 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth v2.0, 802.11b/g wireless LAN, SD/MMC expansion slot and 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen display. You can get our full review of the rx4540 here.

Leaked screenshots of upcoming Windows Mobile OS

Microsoft's next-generation Windows Mobile OS (code-named Crossbow) is once again in the spotlight as what appears to be screenshots of the new operating system were posted on the Web, courtesy of MSMobile.com. From the image of the Today home screen, it seems that Crossbow will adopt a glossier look-and-feel with icons that appear similar to those on Vista.

The new Windows Mobile OS will also come with "strong links to Office 2007 and Exchange 12 for push emails" as well as a built-in instant messenger (most probably Windows Live Messenger). Handhelds with the new OS are expected to be commercially available in the first half of 2007, while Crossbow's successor, Photon, is due to hit the market one year later in 2008.

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