Back and completing the real-time coverage for Q3. Every upcoming Verizon and T-Mobile phone in one article. Combined with our existing Sprint Quarterly Report, and Cingular Quarterly Report, this is the first-ever full compilation of every single device to be launched in the United States.
We’ve taken a lot of feedback in about the Quarterly Report, much more than expected. We’re working hard to make sure that we make the next round even better than this one.
Verizon
Kyocera K323 – Sources are reporting that this phone will be on-display at CTIA Wireless IT Expo next month, if it doesn’t launch before then. The K323 returns Kyocera to the mid-to-low range market with a compelling dual-band tri-mode offering. The Bluetooth & VGA Camera phone will directly compete with the Samsung A645 and A870, as well as the Nokia 6215i. Also of note, it is one of the first Kyocera phones, flip aside, to have an internal antenna. Kyocera has clung to external antennas since the Qualcomm phone days.
LG VX8600 – LG’s Chocolate phone campaign will continue with the VX8600. The clamshell will be modeled with the same sleek design, but will maintain the touch-sensitve controls. However, the VX8600 is not significantly different from the VX8500 feature-wise. Both devices will remain in the lineup offering bar and flip versions of what is otherwise the same device.Expect the VX8600 to launch within the next 45 days.
LG VX9900 – The VX9900 is an upgrade to the existing VX9800. Not a major upgrade, but the VX9900 will be a sleeker and thinner rendition of the VX9800. In addition, the upgraded “V” handset will carry a higher quality display, and Flash-enhanced VZW UI themes.
The VX9900 has already appeared on Verizon’s web site in various places, and is expected to launch within the next 30 to 45 days.
Motorola K1c KRZR -The K1m has not changed from its announcement, and will replace the Motorola V3m as a high-end music phone.
Motorola L7c SLVR – Nothing significantly new from SLVR since its official announcement. Sources are reporting the device will launch in a second color in addition to the classic Black that the SLVR series was introduced with. It is not clear however, if this will be silver, similar to the L7i, or in a limited-edition Verizon Red.
Pantech PN-820 – Despite being covered for months, clear pictures of the Pantech 820 Windows Mobile Smartphone have yet to surface. The clamshell flip phone replaces the aging Samsung i600 as Verizon’s second clamshell WM Smartphone. The device will launch with Windows Mobile 5.0, however it will lack EV-DO.Likely to be carried under the Verizon Wireless brand, the device is expected within the next 60 days. It is expected to be priced significantly less than the Motorola Q.
RIM BlackBerry 8703e – The 8703e is certainly in the release cycle, and returns the more-traditional BlackBerry to Verizon’s lineup.
Some sources are rumoring a second wave of the 8700 series, similar to the i730/i830 releases from Samsung. The secondary device will include dual-band GSM international roaming support.Samsung A645 – Despite making a return to the United States on regional carriers, this is the least likely in the lineup to fully launch. The basic phone is similar to the Sprint Samsung A640, though slightly more low-end. Bluetooth 2.0, displays, and build quality have all been downsized from its Sprint counterpart.
Samsung i830 Windows Mobile 5 Upgrade – Though already launched earlier this year, the i830 will receive a Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrade similar to its camera counterpart, the i730.
USB BroadbandAccess – Verizon will match Sprint’s offering of a USB 2.0 aircard, closing the loop for people who transition between PC Card, ExpressCard, and no-card devices. The specific ODM is under wraps for now, but Verizon hopes to launch shortly after Sprint, in time for the holiday buying season. The most likely candidate is the EV-DO Rev A AirCard 595U by Sierra, which would explain Verizon’s extended delay in launching the device.
T-Mobile
HTC Excalibur – The HTC offering targeting the Motorola Q’s market has been rumored for weeks, but has been bouncing between carriers. Much of this is due to the recent shift by HTC to tap Dopod for device manufacturing. However, HTC hopes internally to launch the Excalibur on both Cingular and T-Mobile, much as it did with the HTC Wizard.
While rumors of a Sprint RIZR come and go, the T-Mobile version appears on-track. The RIZR will replace the PEBL in T-Mobile’s portfolio, and carry all the new Motorola features.
Click to enlarge…
Nokia 6136 – The Nokia 6136 is T-Mobile’s much-rumored-about UMA phone. The GSM/WiFi combo phone will be sold with a UMA-enabled router. The result will allow customers who sign up for T-Mobile UMA/VoIP service to place free or low-cost calls for a flat fee, avoiding cellular costs… while still keeping their phone numbers. T-Mobile has yet to disclose terms of UMA service, which will determine the general consumer cost/advantage.
We do expect early next year that T-Mobile will offer the Treo 750, at or around the time of the launch of their UMTS national network.{mospagebreak}
RIM BlackBerry 8100 – RIM’s first multimedia BlackBerry. Long hampered by limitations of the MIDP 2.0 platform, this is the first BlackBerry to feature a camera. In addition, the BlackBerry 8100 will also feature MP3 playing, and most multimedia playback features you would expect from a standard phone.
Launch dates are within the week of September 12 to the 18th. We suspect it will launch on the 12th to coordinate with the launch of the CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment Expo, which opens on the 12th.Samsung T519 – The T519 is a custom version of Samsung’s foreign SGH-X820, with GSM 850 MHz band support for T-Mobile’s network. The phone is extremely thin, rivaling recent T600-series entries. However, the T519’s main advantage is in features. EDGE is standard on the device, as is a CMOS 2 megapixel digital camera. Despite being thin and modeled after the SLVR, the phone touts an impressive 210 hour battery standby time, though promotes a paltry 150 minutes of talk time (with Bluetooth off).
The T519 has been in testing for several months, and is expected within the next 60 days.Samsung T619 – PCS Intel recently covered the T619, it is the GSM variant of the Sprint Samsung M500. The mid-range handset is aimed for a late Q4 release.
Samsung T629 – The T629 is an evolution of the popular Samsung D807. Specifications on the device are not fully developed; the device just cleared FCC approval earlier this month. The only clear advantage over the D807 (aside from being slightly less thick) is the added benefit of Samsung’s recent developments in low-cost TV-out. However, Samsung has been known to kill such features at the last-minute, and such a feature would not require FCC re-approval to remove during carrier customization.
The T629 (left) and T519 (right) in possible silver color schemes
Samsung T709 – Though behind the Nokia 6136, the T709 will be T-Mobile’s first Samsung UMA phone. Complete with tri-band GSM, and WiFi, the phone otherwise is almost identical to the Samsung T809 and D807.
Samsung T719 – The Samsung T719 is the first GSM Samsung device to launch in the U.S. with Samsung’s SureType keyboard. The innovative keyboard compresses a BlackBerry 7100-style two-key-per-button keyboard into a traditional flip phone. Not much is known about the specifics of the device, other than it carries Bluetooth and a megapixel camera.
