If the phones you handle define your attitude, your style and you are passionate about some utility as well, then an Armani made smartphone may attract you. Now here is a Samsung-Giorgio Armani venture into the Windows Mobile World: a $1030(700 euro) smartphone with all new Windows Mobile 6.5. 

With the classic brown finish, the phone will don both touchscreen and mechanical QWERTY keyboard. Other specs include- 5MP camera, GPS, MicroSD and 3.5 inch screen.

Steve Ballmer said the device was "a statement of style" and the partnership as "a unique thing” though declined such associations of MS with any fashion house.

 

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AT&T gets its first Windows Mobile 6.5 phone for sale and before the official release of the new OS. HTC Diamond 2 presented as HTC Pure by AT&T is on the floors of AT&T at $150 with a 2-yr contract and after a $50 rebate. The same price rebate is available on HTC Tilt 2(codified version of HTC Touch Pro2)  as well, making it cost around $300 with a 2-yr agreement. The Tilt 2 release is said to be in the queue for a bit more weeks.

The Touch Flo 3D and the new mobile OS are the highlights of the devices. AT&T’s official site is updating itself for now.

Have a look at some tit-bits from the press release:

Marketplace

AT&T will support Windows Marketplace for Mobile in 2009 for access to a variety of applications on new AT&T devices, including the HTC PURE and HTC Tilt 2. Additionally, AT&T customers’ purchases from Windows Marketplace can be added to their monthly statements. After Microsoft delivers Windows Marketplace later this year for other versions of Windows Mobile, AT&T will make it available to customers using those versions.

Windows Mobile 6.5

Windows Mobile 6.5 received several upgrades that enhance ease-of-use, such as a touch-friendly user interface and improved browser with Flash support. Content and applications are just a fingertip away on the redesigned Start Menu and Internet Explorer Mobile will support the rich experiences that many Web pages offer for desktop computers.

HTC Tilt 2
Designed for the business professional, the HTC Tilt 2 is designed with distinct style and strength while delivering the most powerful productivity experience available on a mobile phone. The HTC Tilt 2 features a high-resolution 3.6-inch widescreen WVGA display which can be easily tilted for an expanded viewing area and a large QWERTY keyboard, which is optimized for heavy email use. A quality speakerphone experience is enabled by dual speakers and dual microphones with advanced noise cancellation, and HTC’s Straight Talk™ which allows for simplified conference calling and activation of the speakerphone by simply turning over the device. The HTC Tilt 2 also features a 3.2 megapixel camera.

HTC PURE
Leveraging HTC’s TouchFLO 3D experience, the all touch screen HTC PURE offers an advanced touch experience that is optimized for one-hand use, which further evolves the compact smartphone design. Incorporating a large, brilliant 3.2-inch WVGA touch screen, the HTC PURE is crafted to fit perfectly into the hand and accentuates one’s sense of style. With a crisp advanced five megapixel auto-focus camera with video capture, expandable memory, gravity sensor and an ambient light sensor, the HTC PURE brings many of the most sophisticated features to a broad consumer audience looking for the professional benefits of a smartphone, without sacrificing size, looks or functionality.

Pricing and Availability
The HTC PURE is available at AT&T retail stores nationwide and online at www.wireless.att.com for $149.99. The HTC Tilt 2, will be available in the following weeks for $299.99. (For the HTC PURE, pay $199.99 and receive $50 mail-in-rebate, for the HTC Tilt 2, pay $349.99 and receive a $50 mail-in-rebate. Two-year agreement on a minimum $69.99 plan required.)

Small business customers also can subscribe to AT&T’s new, industry-first BusinessTalk voice plans, which start at $60 a month for five users and 700 Anytime Minutes and can be expanded for $9.99 a line to accommodate up to 40 users and 20,000 Anytime Minutes. AT&T Music, AT&T Navigator, Video Share, Push-To-Talk and MobiTV all require separate monthly subscriptions.

Read the full release here.

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All the gossip-mongers can have rest for a while. The Verizon HTC Touch Pro 2 gets an unveil – yes, its Aug 12 and you can have your hands on the smartphone ‘officially’ now. Touching the US land for the first time, T-mobile may disappoint its customers without offering the 3.5mm headphone jack(though its competitors like Verizon are very much into it). The reviews on the handset speak out on its pros like better battery-life, 3.6 inch WVGA display, the spacious QWERTY keyboard, better web experience and not to forget-Touchflo 3D UI. The 3G and WiFi enabled phone has been scrutinized with some cons too with respect to its camera, processor, RAM and storage(access to micro-SD card’s a bit weary.) For a detailed discussion, visit Engadget, Gizmodo Anyway, the price leak we got you gets a nod – yes it’s $349.99 for the two-year contract(quite on a higher side for a T-mobile customer.) The Sprint version is yet to show up;so, be ready for comparisons. For getting the G-censor handset, visit the T-mobile website. [...]

The Canadian Telecom Co. is all set to catch its eyes on the HTC Touch Pro 2 and Snap. Both the HTC handsets come with a Qwerty keyboard and WiFi connectivity. While HTC Snap includes the inner circle feature that helps focusing on messages, Touch pro 2 comes with Straight Talk Technology and an easy conference call system. With Touch having 3.5 mm headphone jack, it seems quite a tempting smartphone. If you enter a 3 year contract, Pro 2 comes at $249.99 while Snap’s free of charge. Without the contract, Snap comes at $399.99 and the Touch at $649.99(while the 2 year contract’s $100 less on each of the handsets.) Let’s see how is the Telus customers feedback in this regard. [Telus] [...]

HTC TOUCH PRO 2 has been one of the most awaited devices of 2009. Immediately after its announcement at MWC, 2009, people have been waiting badly to know more about this device. Folks at mobile-review have done a huge review of the HTC TOUCH PRO 2. Unfortunately, the review is in Russian, but thanks to Google Translate, we were able to make out what the reviewer was trying to convey. Here are some notable points from the review: HTC TOUCH PRO 2 is not a light device by any means: 176gm. If you want to go light, go for HTC TOUCH DIAMOND 2 (reviewed here) There is still NO 3.5mm headphone jack. I'm still unable to make out, why HTC is ignoring this part so much. This can turn off [...]