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Filed under: Handsets , Features , Reviews , Nokia , ATT-Cingular , Symbian , GSM , GPRS , EDGE , UMTS Unlike some of the phones we test, the Nokia N75 elicits... well, very little response whatsoever from passers-by. After all, it's certainly not going to win any awards for its stunning beauty or its size -- save those for the not-for-US-consumption N76 -- but be that as it may, the N75 is a very significant product launch. Why? Well, if you're bothering to read this little rundown, you probably already know -- but for starters, it's Nokia's first WCDMA 850 / 1900 device to actually make it to market. Second, it's an S60 device launching on a US carrier, which in itself is a landmark event. Third, it gives us some hope that Nokia intends to support and develop for our very special flavor of RF spectrum that we're blessed with in these parts. A lot of pressure for one otherwise-unremarkable smartphone to take on, is it not? Read on for our take on whether the N75 lives up to the hype. We won't spend much time here waxing philosophical about the N75's physical appearance; like we've already said, there's not much to report here. It's a black block. The screen, external controls, and camera lens are all raised slightly. Stereo speakers hide behind metal mesh grills on either side of the back, directly behind the hinge (more on those bad boys in a bit). Flip it open and you're greeted with a matte silver, chrome, and glossy black palette. We found that the glossy area around the screen and the screen itself seemed unusually prone to attracting smudges from holding the phone to our face, but maybe we're just unusually oily (gross). The numeric keypad is pretty flush and doesn't offer much tactile feedback, but they're plenty large so we had very few mistypes here. The d-pad was another story, though -- the menu, music, direction, and enter keys are all placed just a little too close to one another for comfort. We'd occasionally find that we meant to hit 'right' and would...

Filed under: Handsets , Pantech , ATT-Cingular , GSM , GPRS Like the C300 and C3 before it, Pantech's C3b stays true to the ultra-small flip form factor that brought it notoriety. Passers-by will barely be able to tell the difference, really; the difference lies all in the guts, where the C3b adds sorely-missed Bluetooth into the mix (hence the "b") and MMS support. Meanwhile, the VGA cam with flash carries over from the C3. Grab it now on AT&T for $20 after contract and discounts. [Via MobileBurn ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Handsets , Motorola , ATT-Cingular , GSM , GPRS , EDGE , HSDPA , UMTS It seems AT&T is intent on keeping Video Share phones in the pipeline (as well they should, considering that LG CU500v owners are the only ones invited to the party at the moment). Next up might be this, a gold V3xx dummy unit received by a tipster that clearly has its front-facing cam intact. As much as we'd like to believe the dedicated front cam is intended for true two-way video calling -- something HSDPA is perfectly capable of supporting -- we suspect it's to make the Video Share functionality just a little more useful when compatible firmware arrives. Makes sense, right? [Thanks, anonymous tipster] Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Handsets , HTC , ATT-Cingular , Windows Mobile , GSM , GPRS , EDGE , HSDPA , UMTS Following new firmware to rebrand the handset's software, sources are reporting that the 8525 -- AT&T's variant of the venerable HTC Hermes -- has gone under the knife to get external branding to match. Though new branding in itself is barely notable, the move seems to suggest that AT&T intends to keep the 8525 kicking around for the long haul rather than replacing it any time soon with one of its fresher contemporaries like the Kaiser. That's all well and good considering that the Hermes is still a fairly formidable device by Pocket PC Phone Edition standards -- but boy oh boy, the Kaiser's flip-up screen sure is trick, is it not? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Handsets , ATT-Cingular , GSM , GPRS , EDGE , Apple , OS X The iPhones are coming! The iPhones are coming! AT&T is said to be starting the prep work to get iPhone displays installed in retail spots countrywide in preparation for the big day. We know this should be no biggie, and is usually accomplished by taking the phone, slapping on a security device, and placing on shelf / in cabinet. Of course Apple "thinks different," so it's purportedly shipping seven-foot tall, three-foot wide displays that will require a dedicated power supply and network connectivity. And we thought LG and Prada were picky! Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Handsets , Nokia , ATT-Cingular , Symbian , GSM , GPRS , EDGE , HSDPA Hard to believe we had to wait until 2007, but here we are, finally able to say Symbian, 3G, and US all in the same sentence. Even after last week's misfire launch of the N75 , Nokia's uber-hot flip phone made its way into our grubby hands under more legitimate circumstances than last time . Knowing how slim HTC made the Star Trek, it's hard to call the N75 anything but a little chunky, but besides having, you know, 3G, it's got a few other things going for it: we really dug the classy black, copper-flecked finish, but crack it open and it's got a very spacious keypad and large bright screen (littered with Cingular app-swag). We took a ton of shots of this thing, including some size comparison's to Nokia's other Cingular handset, the E62, as well as the aforementioned Star Trek. Launch is thankfully still scheduled for sometime in May (i.e. this month) -- we can almost taste it. Update: We just got an official launch date! The N75 will go on sale tomorrow (Friday, May 4th) for the price of $200 (with two year agreement and with $50 mail in rebate). Gallery: Nokia N75 hands-on Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments