That name -- yeah, don't ask us. We have to believe it has something more to do with the phone than the fact that the model's posing with one eye closed, but beyond that, your guess is as good as ours. Specs on SKY's latest Korea-only slider include a 2.6-inch wide QVGA display, HSDPA, GPS, FM radio, microSD slot, and a meager 1.3-megapixel cam; if we had to guess, it's being positioned as a fashion device, so we can give 'em a pass on the sensor if the price is right.

Announced all the way back at MWC in February, the glofiish X610 and V900 are finally nearing release -- or so E-TEN claims, anyway. Though the X610's spec sheet isn't going to get any motors running, it's a pretty sharp-looking entry level WinMo 6.1 Professional device that should find its way into a few pockets where 3G isn't needed. More interesting of the pair is the V900 (pictured), a multitalented mobile boob tube that can handle DVB-H, DVB-T, T-DMB, and DAB broadcasts in one convenient package -- and a VGA display certainly doesn't hurt its case, either. So far, the launches on these two are pegged simply as "soon," so keep an eye on the shop of your choice.

It seems that Nokia's luxury brand Vertu has finally decided to take a bold leap into the 21st century with its top-of-the-line Signature series, blessing it with a refreshed design, 3G for the very first time (though not the first time for a Vertu), and -- get this -- WiFi. That should all make for a candybar that even the peasant technophiles among us can appreciate, especially when you factor in the extra little tidbit that it's apparently sporting an OLED QVGA display (not unlike the just-introduced Nokia N85). We haven't seen anything super official on this yet, but everything jibes: the Signature is long, long overdue for a thorough overhaul, and both WiFi and IECEE certifications exist for a recently-approved RM-266V (historically, Vertus have rocked Nokia model codes with "V" tacked on the end). Of course, unless you wear a monocle, odds are you can't afford this -- but if you do happen to wear a monocle, we'd really like to see.

[Via friedblogs]

Read - WiFi interoperability certificate
Read - IECEE certification

So we might not have a physical device here, but these packaging renderings are pretty solid evidence of exactly what BlackBerry fans on Verizon -- particularly those jealous of the Bold -- can expect in a few weeks' time. It looks like RIM's first foray into the scary world of touchscreens will be officially branded the 9530 Storm, will be global (it includes a SIM card, after all), and will feature an 8GB SanDisk microSD card preinstalled. Wondering what happened to the Thunder name? Turns out that'll apparently be reserved for the version of the phone launching on Rogers up in Canada and on Vodafone across the pond. Those Storm users on the screen there sure look happy, don't they?

Well, here's one we didn't see coming: it seems that AT&T has wised up to the fact that Americans like their Symbian (well, at least a few of 'em do, anyway) and wants to keep S60-equipped options on the table. Yes, granted, AT&T is a founding member of the Symbian Foundation, but the proof is in the pudding, and the last Nokia smartphone to land there was the N75 in May of last year -- an eternity by mobile standards. More recently, the N75 grew up, got sexy, picked up some brushed metal, and emerged in Europe as the 6550; now, it's surprisingly and unexpectedly been retooled as the 6650 for North American 3G spectrum. It's got a 2.2-inch QVGA primary display, 160 x 128 secondary, 2-megapixel cam, AT&T Navigator (which means GPS), push-to-talk support, and HSDPA 850 / 1900 to compliment quadband EDGE. We don't know exactly when it's coming, but for S60 fans who cringe at the thought of having to blow several hundred on an unlocked set every time they want some fresh hardware, this should be welcome news.

[Thanks, Al and Oscar M.]

Looking for the Touch Pro in a slightly less conspicuous package? HTC (who else?) thinks it has the answer in the S740, the first thorough revamp of the S710 of old. The basic concept is the same -- wrap Windows Mobile Standard into a candybar package with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard -- but the S740 takes design cues from the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro for a thoroughly 2008-ish look. The feature list has naturally been refreshed, too, with 7.2Mbps HSDPA on the 900 and 2100MHz bands (read: screw you, North Americans), quadband EDGE, a 3.2-megapixel fixed focus cam, WiFi, GPS, and a 2.4-inch QVGA display. And, you know, if all that isn't enough to impress your snobby friends, just slide open that keyboard, say "boom," and watch the jaws drop. Look for it to filter across Europe starting next month.

Nokia's Indian division recently announced that its customers there would be able to snatch up N96s of their own starting in September, so it comes as no surprise that European carriers are starting to confirm September release windows, too. Dutch carrier KPN, specifically, has announced that the N96 will start to flow its way in just a few tantalizingly short weeks -- September 15, to be exact -- while other carriers will have to wait an additional month until October 15 to get in on the action. One month isn't much of an exclusivity period, but when it comes to Nokia's most anticipated phone of the last few months (Tube notwithstanding), we're sure KPN will take what it can get.

[Via Mobile Phone Helpdesk]

If you're looking for pictures from every conceivable angle of Sony Ericsson's first foray into the danger-fraught tar pit that is Windows Mobile, well, here you go. In fact, Smape goes so far as to take a look at both the black and metallic versions of the X1 (but don't get to attached to the metallic one just yet, seeing how it might have gotten the axe in some markets), noting that they're assembled exceptionally well and exude a premium look that's rarely seen in the WinMo realm. Unfortunately, they've dinged the keyboard for the same crappy feel observed elsewhere, something we're all hoping gets fixed by the time it hits production in a couple months' time. With that wild panel interface, you might expect some pretty miserable performance when you have the thing going at full tilt; fortunately, though, Smape reports that lags occur "only occasionally," which is better than "frequently" or "always" as far as we're concerned. Camera performance is said to be better than the Touch Pro's, though both HTC and Sony Ericsson (via HTC, ironically) still have plenty of time to tweak that via a well-placed firmware update or two. At any rate, we're definitely looking forward to seeing this thing finally materialize so the Touch Pros and X1s of the world can start duking it out in those rough, dog-eat-dog professional trenches of the world.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

The uncertainty of trying to predict exactly when -- and where -- Sony Ericsson's beastly X1 would launch has come to be one of the more entertaining dramas in the mobile world this year, but it looks like Vodafone's ready to shut down the rumor mill. The Windows Mobile superphone has now been slapped with an "expected" launch date in October for Voda's UK audience, which means we can probably expect it in at least a few other European locales in the same timeframe. Americans (of both the South and North variety), Asians, Africans, Australians, and Antarcticans, though -- well, there's no telling where you guys stand at the moment, so hang tight.

[Via CoolSmartPhone]

Just how badly do you want the iPhone 3G, Singapore? Badly enough to do without two of its headline features? SingTel kicks off sales today (local time) along with a whole host of other countries, but neither visual voicemail nor the iTunes WiFi Store will make the cut. In the case of iTunes, the reason is kinda obvious: Singapore has no iTunes Store at all, and it never has. The explanation behind the mysterious absence of visual voicemail is less clear, other than carrier laziness in getting the feature implemented on its back end. The silver lining here seems to be pricing, though -- subscribers will be able to pick up the phone for diddly squat, assuming they sign up for a S$205 monthly package (about $145).

[Via mocoNews]

When Sony Ericsson's TM506 was leaked earlier this month, there was no mention made of the flip's support of AWS 3G. Thankfully (thankfully!), the official launch brings along confirmed support for the protocol. SE is linking up with T-Mobile USA once again, providing a stylishly small handset that sports a 2-megapixel camera, built-in A-GPS (TeleNav), stereo Bluetooth support, an M2 card slot, multimedia playback, outer / inner displays and 9.5-hours of GSM talk time (250-hours on standby). Curiously, no price is mentioned, but you can find out for yourself when this lands in stores early next month.

Two megapixel camera, triband GSM, 2100MHz 3G. Sound familiar? Of course it does, because it's the exact same thing luxury handset maker Mobiado has been pushing for eons now in an ever-so-slightly revised, ultra-limited, ultra-expensive new package. The Luminoso Lucido is little more than the Luminoso of old, repackaged in a curved, CNC machined stainless steel case that's really no fancier than the insane casings Mobiado turns into reality for any of its models. If the specs, four-figure cost, and recycled guts aren't enough to outrage you, though, then maybe the Lucido is for you -- but act fast, because there are only two hundred to go around, and you've got to have a few months to save up for the next special edition, now don't you?

[Via Unwired View]

The secret sauce to extending any phone's shelf life by at least a few months seems to be adding a new color or two into the mix (the Curve comes immediately to mind), and smartphones are no exception to the rule. It falls short of the lime green CDMA version's sheer wackiness, but AT&T's apparently getting ready to re-launch its venerable Motorola Q9h in gray, which is kind of like the original black except... you know, lighter. Seeing how Windows Mobile 6.1 is now official on this one, it comes as no surprise that these gray ones are showing up with the update preloaded; it's always a nice touch when you don't need to christen your new purchase with a hastily-installed update, isn't it? It's unknown what we'll be charged for the pleasure of owning one of these, but we'd assume it'll fall in line with the current version at $100 after rebate.

Just as we'd envisioned, the Invision candybar (if a phone this stubby can, in fact, be called a candybar) from LG is now a reality for AT&T. The phone becomes just AT&T's third to support its MediaFLO-based Mobile TV service, taking a similar line to Samsung's Access by stuffing a landscape display, 1.3-megapixel camera, and HSDPA into a squarish case that's sure to make minimalists and traditionalists swoon; what's more, it also takes the honor of being AT&T's smallest Mobile TV-equipped handset to date. It's available today for $99.99 with a $50 rebate and two years' worth of commitment -- just be sure to factor the cost of the Mobile TV add-on into your budget.

Hold up just a second, this is more than your average WiFi-powered Skype handset for yakking it up while you're wandering around the abode in your skivvies. In fact, it's none other than the follow-on to 3's Skypephone of last year -- the aptly-named Skypephone S2 -- offering HSDPA data, a 3.2 megapixel camera, 50MB of memory with a microSD slot for plenty more, and pretty much all the Skype support you can handle (hence the name, we suppose). Skype-to-Skype calls are completely free from the phone, and the Skype service can be kept active by adding £10 (about $19) monthly on a pay-as-you-go arrangement; otherwise, the phone can be had for as little as zilch if you sign up for a monthly plan. It'll work as a broadband dongle, too, which we think officially makes this thing oodles more useful than even the most capable of WiFi phones, skivvies or otherwise.

[Via Tech Digest]