Gresso takes another cut at diamonds

It's been a while since we'd heard from Gresso, the Russian phone maker that created a buzz back in 2006 with its unusual luxury handsets, followed by other interesting gadgets (and a clunker or two along the way).

Now it's back to doing what it does best--phones--with its new White Diamonds Collection. There are two models in the line, with the superior of the pair--the Royal White Diamonds handset--regally bearing 23 keys of 18k gold topped with 2.53 carats of its eponymous stones, according to BornRich.

As with all Gresso phones, both models are made of titanium, sapphire crystal, African Blackwood, and other high-grade materials. But if you want the royal version, get ready to shell out US$52,000. For the budget-conscious, however, the lesser model goes for only US$14,000.

Via CNET Crave

Bet you can't pronounce this: Soul^b

I've had embarrassing moments when I've pronounced words incorrectly. Needless to say, I saw it coming when I joked that the latest Samsung candy bar--the Soul^b--is called "soap" with a slight hint of "b" at the end. According to the Korea chaebol, the Soul^b is pronounced as "soul bi". "Soulb" is wrong. So are "soul bar", "soul to the power of b" and "soul bee". Frankly, if you really can't be bothered, just call it the U800.

Samsung puts its Soul into a candy bar

The Korean electronics giant has just announced a candy-bar version of its Soul (or Spirit of Ultra) handset. Called the Soul^b, this new mobile phone measures a slim 9.9mm and is described as "fully covered in an elegant metallic body which is softly brushed with a hairline pattern".

Among its key features are a 3-megapixel camera with LED light, FM radio, 1GB onboard memory with microSD card slot, and a 2-inch QVGA display. The triband-enabled Soul^b also comes with an onboard multimedia player, document viewer/editor, Bluetooth and HSDPA support.

Available in five color variations (including Soul Grey, Platinum Silver, Metallic Black, Soul Pink and Amethyst Violet), the Soul^b is expected to be available first in Germany in early June, followed by other markets such as Europe, Middle East Africa, Asia (China), Southwest Asia, Southeast Asia, and South America. Pricing will be made known closer during launch.

Via Samsung

HTC Touch Diamond with keyboard

The Touch Diamond hasn't even gone on sale in most countries and already, another new version has been announced. T-Mobile Germany launched three new MDA phones (its name for the HTC devices) and one of them is the MDA Vario IV, which is the rumored HTC Raphael. The other two are variants of the Diamond and Advantage.

This PDA-phone is largely similar to the HTC Touch Diamond, but comes with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard like the TyTN II. According to Netherlands-based site Mobile Phone Helpdesk, the Vario IV has all the features of the Diamond but comes with 256MB of RAM instead of 192MB. There's no indication if it will sport TouchFLO 3D like the Diamond. But looking at the flat front surface, it certainly looks ready for HTC's custom interface.

The T-Mobile MDA Vario IV will go on sale in Germany at the end of September. We have contacted HTC regarding its availability in Asia and are awaiting an answer.

Via ZDNet | Image credit: Mobile Phone Helpdesk Europe

Samsung L870 to debut in August

That's right. The Samsung SGH-L870 will come with the Safari browser developed by Apple with full Web-browsing capabilities. Unlike the iPhone, the L870 doesn't have a touchscreen panel, so things may work a little differently on this Samsung. Whatever the case, we'll find out when the phone launches in Europe sometime in August, with other regions on the GSM network to follow soon after. The rest of the features are pretty much standard with the Symbian S60 handset sporting a thematic UI, FM radio, Bluetooth, microSD expansion card slot and HSDPA connectivity.

Update: Apparently it was a mistake. The L870 will come with the S60 OSS browser which Samsung says is "also known as S60 Safari browser". From our understanding, the Web browser on the Nokia S60 3rd Edition phones is based on the WebCore and JavaScriptCore components of Apple's Safari Web kit, which is the rendering engine for mobile devices that Apple uses in its Safari Internet browser. Still, that's no excuse for calling it the Safari browser. Headline has been changed to reflect accuracy.

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