Fans of HTC’s hybrid-messaging handsets like the HTC Libra will be glad to hear that HTC is updating their smartphone lineup with a US variant of the HTC S740, dubbed the HTC S743. With both a numeric keypad and slide-out QWERTY keyboard, the HTC S743 offers a Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard (no touchscreen here, folks) experience unlike anything else in HTC’s current Diamond-inspired lineup.

The HTC S743 has been announced for the US market and will support the 850Mhz and 1900Mhz 3G frequencies (allowing for HSDPA data speeds) used by AT&T (NYSE: T) in The States. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard makes text and email messaging a breeze, while the numeric keypad highlights the handset’s emphasis on making voice calls. And, even with a 2.4-inch QVGA display offering generous screen real-estate, the HTC S743 manages to keep things nice and svelte - an ergonomic 1.7-inches wide.

On the design side of things, HTC has infused the HTC S743 with Diamond-styling, bringing it aethestically in line with the manufacturer’s WinMo portfolio. Like the HTC Touch Diamond, the HTC S743 sports sleek lines, glossy-black finishes, and a high-end feel. But, with a slide-out keyboard, the S743 will appeal more to text-happy users with no need for a touchscreen.

Expect the HTC S743 to hit select retail channels in the US in the first quarter of 2009.

We told ya’ it’s coming and voila - Nokia (NYSE: NOK) USA’s website now features the 7510 Supernova with T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) branding. Apparently this phone will help you “add a little fun to your social life,” or at least the Finnish giant wants us to think so.

Specs wise, the Supernova flip phone boasts a 2 megapixel camera with LED flash, FM radio, QVGA screen, microSD memory card slot, and a hidden external screen that makes the device really stand out.

No details about the pricing nor availability are provided, meaning we’ll have to wait for few more days for CES to get all the details.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

Philips seems on the rage with new phone releases. Just when we posted about two other models — Xenium 9@9q and Xenium X620 — the electronics giant has unveiled another handset. The Philips Xenium X710 is a candybar-shaped device with “standard for Philips” great battery (Li-Ion 1900 mAh). In addition, it also comes with two SIM card slots, allowing users to have a single device running on two networks - a feature that is in demand in parts of Asia.

Other specs include:

• Tri-band GSM/GRPS/EDGE (900/1800/1900 MHz) radio
• 2.4-inch QVGA (240×320 pixels) screen
• 3 megapixel camera with auto-focus that can take both photos and videos
• FM Radio
• Bluetooth with stereo support (A2DP)
• 20MB of internal memory that is further expandable with microSD cards

We’re not sure about the release date, but we do know western hemisphere probably won’t get a chance to try the Xenium X710 out. It’s heading to Russia and parts of Asia…

[Via: JampBLOG]

Pantech is out with yet another Korea-only handset called Sky IM-S400L. The stylish slider is made to sing along CDMA networks and also has a solid 2.6-inch screen. However, what really sets the IM-S400L apart — or at least Pantech thinks so — is its keypad which uses the so called “Glide Sensor” technology. Apparently, thanks to this tech mambo-jumbo, users should expect the keypad to operate like a laptop trackpad. Are we talking about a “capacitive touchscreen kind of technology here or what?” It certainly sounds like that.

Anyway, most of us will never be able to find out more about this phone as we’ve no information it will ever leave South Korea, where interested buyers could grab it for about $395. Kinda steep for a feature phone, but I guess that’s the price for an unlocked device.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

Goldstriker announced a new member of its luxury family. It’s the beautiful Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 8800 Princess Edition which will go on sale in the Colette store in Paris in January 2009.

There is, however, some reasoning beyond the price. The custom-made Nokia 8800 will boast 8.2 carats of diamonds on the front and rear, solid platinum finish and will be housed in a handmade, leather-lined, granite or marble box.

Specs wise, the Princess Edition is identical to the original 8800, but I guess tech features are not what potential buyers of this piece of jewelry are looking at, anyway.

Finally, you may want to know about the price, you ask (or not)? It’s 12,000 GBP, which may sound kinda steep, but the end result will make you bling no matter where you happen to be.

[Via: Pocket Lint]

Remember our post from September when we talked about ZTE’s plans to start making smartphones next year. We just got the solid proof of the Chinese company’s plans. It’s called the E810 and it’s an entry-level Windows Mobile smartphone. Why it’s an entry-level? Well, when I see 64MB of RAM (i.e. not quite enough), 1.3 megapixel camera, and lack of 3G and WiFi connectivity on a smartphone, that’s the way I call it.

Rest of the specs include 2.5-inch QVGA 65K-color screen, tri-band (850/1800/1900 MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio, microSD slot that supports memory cards of up to 4GB, Bluetooth, 1000 mAh Li-Ion battery, Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard edition.

As for the availability, the exact release date is unknown at this stage. What we do know, however, is that ZTE will make the E810 for Movistar, exclusively…

[Via: JampBLOG]

Philips is out with a new handset, part of their battery-savvy Xenium series. Nothing too spectacular here, although worth noting, nevertheless.

Specs wise, the Xenium X620 comes with a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio, 2.4-inch QVGA screen, 3.2 megapixel camera that can take both photos and videos, music player, Bluetooth, microSD card slot, and battery that can support up to 12 hours of talk time.

And that’s about it. Think of it as a long-lasting (in terms of battery power) music-centric phone that will hit markets of Russia and China. Price was not disclosed, though.

[Via: Engadget Mobile]

A new Nokia (NYSE: NOK) feature phone has been spotted at the company’s Chinese website - Nokia 6208c. What’s significant about it is that this is the first Nokia touchscreen-equipped feature phone, running Series 40 user interface. Somehow, we’re not surprised as touch input is preferred for Chinese (and some other language) characters, but we did expect to see the official release, nonetheless.

Anyway, here are the specs:

• Tri-band (900/1800/1900 Mhz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio
• 3.2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom and dual-LED flash
• 2.4-inch QVGA (240×320 pixels) 16 million color touchscreen
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Standard 3.5mm headphone jack
• microSD card slot
• Size: 109.8×49.3×13.3 mm, weight: 120.1 grams

There’s also one more thing that I find interesting — it’s the look of the stylus which is located on the back of the device. As you can see from the image above, stylus looks like a part of the device’s shell making it thicker and, I guess, harder to lose.

Finally, let me also mentioned that the Nokia 6208c will be available in such markets as China, India, the Middle East and North Africa — i.e. everywhere where stylus is preferred method for text input. Price is unknown at this stage, but as soon as we hear something, we’ll let you know, k?

[Via: Unwired View]

Philips has introduced a new low-to-mid range clamshell called Xenium 9@9q. The newly unveiled device looks very stylish and comes in two variants - Dragon and Phoenix.

We don’t have much information about the Xenium 9@9q, at the moment. We do, however, know that it sports two screens, with external one being used for displaying such information as unread messages, missed calls, and remaining battery power. In addition, we also know some bits about the battery used — it provides enough power to make the device work for up to 8 hours in talk and/or a whole month in standby mode.

Both Philips Xenium 9@9q Dragon and Phoenix will be available in Russia for 4,999 rubles, which is about $172.

[Via: Unwired View]

I always thought this will happen. Once Google (NSDQ: GOOG) releases Android to the open source community, all those Chinese handset cloners makers will start installing it on their devices. Today we present you with one such device called HKC Pearl. As you can see from the image above, the device clearly resembles the HTC Touch, yet uses the name of the popular BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) smartphone.

Aside from running Google’s Android OS, it also comes with a 624MHz CPU, 128MB RAM, 2.8-inch touchscreen and a 2 megapixel camera. We haven’t found 3G among the specs — EDGE is the best you can get…

I doubt we’ll see the HKC Pearl moving outside of Asia since both RIM’s and HTC’s legal departments would slap HKC with a lawsuite as soon as the Pearl starts hitting stores.

[Via: Gizmodo, Engadget China]