Samsung i620: From candy bar to slider

There's no official announcement from the Korean chaebol yet, but Unwired View reports about an i620 QWERTY slider smart phone, presumably the successor to the current i600.

Some of the specs on the article point to a triband (GSM 900/1800/1900MHz) i620 with 3G and HSDPA connectivity. There's also Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, 2-megapixel main camera and front-facing shooter above the QVGA screen.

According to Samsung Asia, the i620 will probably be available regionally only in Singapore, though it wasn't clear to us exactly when.

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HTC to announce new device

HTC will be announcing a new product in the US today, and speculation is rife that it will be the Elf, a compact PDA-phone.

According to various online media sites, the device manufacturer will hold a US press event on June 5. Images of the HTC Elf were already leaked a few weeks before this. This included unboxing pictures of the device on blog site The Boy Genius Report. A separate rumor goes even further to suggest that multi-touch technology (similar to that found on the iPhone) will be incorporated into the new Windows Mobile 6 PDA-phone.

In another hearsay, Digitimes said Dopod will be releasing six new devices in China. The codenames of these are said to be Athena-c, Cruiser, Kunlun, Nike-c, Elf and Sedna-c. Four of the six codenames (without the -c suffix which may denote the Chinese variant) have been talked about before in rumor sites, with the Athena (Dopod U1000) and Cruiser already launched in various markets. The Kunlun and Sedna-c are new and expected to be launched in the second half of 2007.

HTC devices have been under the Dopod brand in the Asia-Pacific region. Dopod International was recently acquired by HTC, and will use the HTC brand name in this region come July. Devices in China will continue to be marketed under the Dopod brand.

When contacted, Dopod declined to comment on the rumors regarding the product to be launched and the supposed impending release of the six new devices in China. Check back with CNET Asia tomorrow as we bring you the details of the HTC announcement.

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Image credit: The Boy Genius Report

Jasper Morrison-inspired Samsung E590

What does a leading industrial designer and one of the world's largest mobile phone manufacturers have in common? A mobile phone--the SGH-E590.

Born in London in 1959 and a graduate of Design with a degree from Kingston (no, not that Kingston) Polytechnic Design School, Jasper Morrison should be a familiar name in the industrial design circle.

His most recent involvement saw the birth of the SGH-E590 mobile device, in a partnership with Samsung Electronics. The triband candy-bar phone comes with a 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera and half-shutter capability.

While we cannot comprehend how "the mobile phone provides dual face; one side features phone keypad and LCD screen while the other side is outfitted with dedicated camera functions" is in any way "true to Jasper Morrison's witty sense", the bundled bean bag which acts as a tripod for the handset sounds like fun.

According to the press release, the SGH-E590 will be launched in Europe, China and Southeast Asia in June, and be available in two colors: Noble Black and Snow Silver.

It's official, Apple iPhone on June 29

The time has come for all rumors about the launch date of the Apple iPhone to rest in peace. Apple has made it official on its Web site that the highly anticipated handset will be available on June 29.

The news doesn't apply to us sods in Asia, but hey, we could always butter up our stateside friends to get hold of a unit for us. Mark the date down on your calendar and, for these 20 odd days, tease yourselves with the iPhone ads on Apple's Web site here.

Nokia 8600 Luna: Fragile, this side up?

Nokia likens the Luna with a smoked glass cover over its keypad to a fine piece of jewelry. Well said, but what happens if we accidentally dropped the phone? What goes where?

In a query to Nokia, the Finnish company reverted saying that "the Nokia 8600 Luna has undergone the same stringent durability testing as all of Nokia's more conventional devices, and the hardened mineral glass construction, featuring anti-splinter film and a fingerprint-resistant coating, has proven itself to be reliable and robust".

However, the Luna "should still be treated with the same level of care that one would give a fine piece of jewelry, for example".

That's a mouthful of information to digest though it basically means the material is less likely to experience chipping and sticky fingerprints. But there's no word on what happens if we were to drop the phone.

The Luna isn't the first Nokia phone to feature unique materials on the device. The Nokia 8910, announced a couple of years back, uses titanium, and a number of stainless steel mobiles such as the 6300 and the 8800 Sirocco have made their way into the hearts, and wallets, of consumers. Latest in the lineup is the 8600 Luna that's crafted with opaque smoked glass and soft-touch stainless steel.

The 8600 Luna is expected to ship in the second quarter of 2007, which means it should be some time really soon, and will come with a premium leather pouch.

Click here for more details.

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