A British smartphone maker is aiming to make a name for itself with the launch today of two 3.5G Windows Mobile 6.0-based handsets, the Velocity Mobile 103 and Velocity 111.
Maker Velocity Mobile says its handsets “offer a new vision of consumer mobility through simple functionality, leading-edge features and intuitive design”.
“People want more from their mobile phones, but they still point to price, design and performance as their top priorities when they walk into the store,” said David Hayes, president and managing director of Velocity Mobile. “Velocity Mobile was created with the goal to finally eliminate […] tradeoffs and bring leading-edge smartphones to the mass consumer market.”
Both Velocity handsets offer quad-band GSM mobile phone coverage, GPS navigation and high-resolution touchscreens along with 3.5G HSDPA/UMTS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity.
They run on the Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional smartphone platform, so have solid corporate credentials, but also boast 2Mp camera and a 0.3Mp video camera feature for video blogging as well as video-conferencing. A microSD card expansion slot means owners can enjoy music and photos on their Velocity phone, while the TV/out port offers a further entertainment option.
Velocity Mobile designed its Windows Mobile 6.0-based handsets in conjunction with notebook ODM maker Inventec. Qualcomm chips provide the Wi-Fi radio connectivity.
Pricing hasn’t been announced but we understand from the following comment by Alex Katouzian, VP of product management at Qualcomm CDMA, that it will be fairly aggressive.
“Demand for full-featured, low-cost devices such as those Velocity Mobile is bringing to market are testimonial to the fact that wireless consumers are expecting more from their devices. By using Qualcomm chipsets, Velocity smartphones deliver worldwide 3G connectivity, integrated GPS and a fantastic multimedia experience at prices that appeal to mainstream consumers.”
Velocity Mobile unveiled its two smartphones at the CTIA Wireless 2008 mobile event in Las Vegas and says it will start shipping the Velocity 103 from Q2 and the Velocity 111 from Q3. Both will be available unlocked and operator-independent.
Velocity 103 smartphone specifications
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional• Qualcomm Mobile Station Modem™ (MSM™) MSM7201™ chipset• GSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900• UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA 850, 1900 (1700), 2100• 640x480 VGA touchscreen• 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM• Bluetooth 2.0,• 802.11b/g Wi-Fi• GPS• 2.0 megapixel camera• 0.3 megapixel videoconferencing camera• TV/VGA out• MicroSD expansion slot
Specifications of the Velocity 111 smartphone
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional• Qualcomm MSM7201™ chipset• QWERTY keyboard• GSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900• UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA 850, 1900 (1700), 2100• 320x240 QVGA touch screen• 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM• Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11b/g WiFi, GPS• 2.0 megapixel camera, 0.3 megapixel videoconferencing camera• TV/VGA out• MicroSD expansion slot
The Velocity 103 will be available in Q2 2008 and the Velocity 111 will be available in Q3 2008, both in unlocked configurations.
For more information, please see Velocity Mobile.
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