Cellphones

You probably weren’t expecting yet another luxury model of Nokia’s long-lived 8800 fashionphone, right? Well, the company continues to prove its dedication to the crazily expensive slider with its newest model, the Gold Arte. This precious puppy is dipped in 18-carat gold and has white leather on the front and back — just in case the gold wasn’t enough to prove its owners are living on the edge of obnoxious ostentation. Other than its looks, you can expect the newest 8800 to be pretty much identical to its Carbon Arte predecessor, with 3G, 4GB of flash memory, an OLED display and a 3.2 megapixel camera. We don’t know exactly when it’s slated for release in Europe, but we expect it to carry a pretty “impressive” price tag.

[Via Phone Arena]

We already found that the Cupcake branch of Android made available a software keyboard on Nokia’s line of Internet Tablets, and now that very functionality is being showcased on a bona fide T-Mobile G1. We can’t say how stoked we are to see a real deal on-screen keyboard on the handset, and we’re even more jazzed about the eventual release of these caloric goodies to the masses. Have a look yourself at the vid just after the break.

[Thanks, TareX]

Oh, HTC. Why do you tease us? For the legions of phone fanatics not located in Russia, the images hosted up in the read link are about as close as you all will ever get to Yota’s HTC MAX 4G. The world’s first GSM WiMAX handset has been acquired by an evidently affluent individual who reportedly threw down around $1,300 in greenbacks in exchange for this gem. Those familiar with the HTC Touch HD won’t find too many dissimilarities, but we’ll stop bothering you with these “words” and allow you to give the images some careful attention.

[Via wmpoweruser, thanks Daniel]

We’ve gotten a few decent looks at the LG Prada II in weeks past, but the Daily Mobile Forum has happened upon a veritable treasure chest of views of the device in glorious detail — which, if you didn’t already know — is now on sale in Europe. Lucky devils. We’ve included a few of our favorites after the break, but hit the read link for all 17 (Yes, seventeen!).

[Thanks, Daniel]

Not that the whole using-cellphones-for-disease-detection is completely fresh, but the latest handset hack for medical purposes is still mighty impressive. UCLA researcher Dr. Aydogan Ozcan has essentially converted a standard cellphone into a portable blood tester of sorts, which is capable of detecting HIV, malaria and various other illnesses. Put as simply as possible, the device works by analyzing blood cells that are placed on an integrated off-the-shelf camera sensor and lit up with a filtered light source. Said light source exposes unique qualities of the cells, and from there, the doc’s homegrown software interprets the data and determines what’s what. So, has anyone given this guy the main line to NTT DoCoMo, or what?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We’re not sure if this is meant to prove that texting on Samsung’s line of handsets is remarkably quick or if the ten individuals selected to text quickly whilst skydiving are just amazing multitaskers, but either way, the exercise has been executed. Samsung Mobile rounded up ten skydivers and equipped them with a Propel, Alias, Gravity, Rant or Messager in an attempt to set the “Guinness World Record for fastest test messaging while skydiving.” The crew took a total of two jumps and landed safely each time, and now the Guinness team is breaking down the video to see if an award is in order. Check the read link for more images and a vid, but don’t bother looking for an application to get on the 2009 team.

So, here’s what’s awesome: Nokia’s well received 5800 XpressMusic will be making the trip to US soil with US 3G support baked right in. Here’s what’s just so-so: there’s no AT&T logo on the photos, so we’re assuming Nokia will only be selling this one here in unlocked, unsubsidized form. Of course, we’re just thrilled to know the phone will be making a proper debut in the US of A, but those looking to pick one up will certainly need to expect a lofty price tag.

After what feels like centuries of waiting (and suffering through that painful CeBIT demo), we finally get to see the Meizu M8’s OS in action… and it’s not as bad as you think. Sure, the interface is totally derivative of the iPhone, and there is that pesky cursor floating around, but all-in-all it looks like the company has managed to knock out a decent — if incredibly familiar — UI for its long-delayed phone. Still, there’s some low rent hilarity in this video. Our favorites? The smattering of soft porn pictures and video, and Meizu CEO and all-around bon vivant Jack Wong revealed in a reflection… wearing a face mask! Check the clip after the break (and freeze frame of Mr. Wong).

Update: Despite our excitement about Jack Wong in a face mask, some readers have pointed out (and we agree) that it’s actually the camera he’s using to film the video.

[Thanks, Patrick P.]

From the looks of it, Sprint has gone and gotten a decent chunk of its playbook leaked all over the interblogs, and it’s chock-full of titillating information. Thanks to slippery fingers and loose lips, we already knew that the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro were headed to the carrier, but now we have some solid dates (mid-September for the Diamond, October 19th for the Pro), and pricing ($549.99 and $579.99 unsubsidized, $249.99 and $320 with contract). Of course, this is all according to the above document, which admittedly could be the work of an extremely bored Photoshopper — but this jibes pretty tightly with a lot of other chatter we’ve been hearing.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sonim has chosen IFA this week to show off its latest hardcore G’zOne killer, the in-your-face, take-no-prisoners LM801 candybar. Highlights of the rugged set include an integrated flashlight, laser pointer (for those times when you’re stranded in the Rockies and you need to blind you some bears, we figure), magnetic compass, barometer / altimeter, FM radio, and thermometer, all bundled neatly into a yellow shell that repels all the water and dust you can toss at it. Most carriers aren’t terribly talented at offering a rugged lineup, so we can think of a few who’d be well-served to investigate adding something like this into the mix — and seriously, what’s with no other phone having a laser pointer?