Smartphony.net

“First time surfaced last CeBIT, now it seems Tatung is ready to release their first Windows Mobile powered Smartphone, the M1. Tatung has started the mass production of its M1 Smartphone Platform that should be available during Q2 2006 in the shops across Europe as branded and ODM. This bar type Smartphone is lightweight, compact and integrates a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 1.2 and advanced features for the discerning professional and demanding consumers. (By The Unwired)”

With an an external MiniSD slot, MSFP, 128MB memory and 64 MB SRAM the Tatung could become a very nice smartphone and probably won’t have to hide from it’s competitors. You can find pictures of the phone as well as more information here.

At least this is what Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer believes will happen:

“Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer expects smartphones powered by the company’s Windows Mobile software to sell for $100 within one or two years, which would create a huge market. “We will get smartphones at consumer style prices,” Ballmer said in an interview on Tuesday at the 3GSM wireless trade show. “I think it will take a year or two before we get to $100 type offerings (of Windows Mobile devices). I may be wrong, but not by much,” he told Reuters. Today’s Windows Mobile smartphones sell for between $200 and $300, before operator subsidies.”

You can read the rest of the interview with him over at Reuters.

“The Cingular 2125 ($299.99 with contract) is a powerful, good-looking smartphone that brings Windows Mobile flexibility to a truly pocket-sized handset. It’s a good choice for making phone calls, syncing with PIM data, and surfing the Web. Although it’s better-looking than the very similar T-Mobile SDA, we prefer the SDA’s added Wi-Fi power.”

This time the review is done by the PC Magazine and the main criticism is the lack of built in Wi-Fi as well, which leads to “only” a score of 4 out of 5.

Bonnie Cha from CNET has reviewed the new Cingular 2125 and the T-Mobile SDA smartphones. The SDA scored slightly better and received a rating of 8 out of 10 while the Cingular 2125 only got a rating of 7.3, mostly because it lacks Wi-Fi. You can find the review of the Cingular 2125 here and the one of the T-Mobile SDA here.

“The first Qtek clamshell EDGE music phone is here! Your new Qtek 8500 weights only 99 grams with battery and touts a breath-taking 16mm with a build-in 1.3-megapixel camera and music control buttons. Qtek 8500 is not your ordinary clamshell phone. With EDGE, you enjoy faster data download.* With the convenient music buttons in the front panel, a simple touch and enjoy your favorite music stored on the micro SD card right away.”

You can read the full press release for the Qtek 8500 here. The smartphone is announced to be released in Europe around May and will be an ultra thin clam-shell phone with many high end features like EDGE.

“T-Mobile will soon be releasing their SDA Smartphone to the public in February. Priced at $299.99 with activation, it’s aimed to be a decent entry-level phone for those looking to try the Windows Mobile platform out. Unfortunately, the phone has a few flaws that make it more trouble than it’s worth. A limited camera, horribly placed memory card slot and a bad UI make the SDA suffer. Join us as we take a ride through what the SDA has to offer and whether it’s good enough to meet your standards of phonology.”

Designtechnika have taken a look at the new T-Mobile device as well. You can find their review of the smartphone here.

“This is a review of “CloneDVD mobile” by SlySoft. “CloneDVD mobile” will convert feature lenght DVD movies or your home movies into media suitable for a number of Mobile Platforms including our favorites, Windows Mobile Smartphones and PPCs.”

You can find the review of this useful smartphone program over at the MobileGadgetNews website.

“Tired of carrying multiple chargers, one for each different device (the Pocket PC, the Smartphone, the iPod, the Portable Media Center, the Bluetooth stereo headphones, the Bluetooth stereo adapter, the rechargeable Bluetooth GPS, and more)? I was too. Until I found that Socket’s Mobile Power Pack was actually available in New Zealand. I bought one of these for my own use (plus a couple to give to some geek friends) and immediately reaped the benefits. The idea is simple: a super 5 volt rechargeable Lithium Ion battery, with 7,200 mAh capacity (output is 5 volts @ 1.8 Amps) – and a USB Type A plug.”

Geekzone has reviewed the Socket Mobile Power Pack, that allows you to recharge all your phones, PDAs and other gadgets with one single device. You can check out the review here.

“Orange has expanded its business range with the excellent SPV C600 smartphone (£199). The device bolsters Orange’s range of mobile devices based on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, allowing users to connect to their company’s Microsoft Exchange 2003 servers without additional software. It also supports high speed data access by using EDGE technology (up to 247Kbit/s), although the UK does not currently support EDGE (we have to make do with GSM and GPRS connectivity). Those in France, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Belgium are in luck.”

You can find the full review of the C600 smartphone here.

“Whether the “S” stands for small, smart, or super-duper, the T-Mobile SDA (on sale February 13) packs in more power per cubic inch than any other phone on the market. Whether syncing with Microsoft Outlook, playing music, or surfing the Web over Wi-Fi, the SDA ($299.99 list) puts an irresistible amount of power into your pocket. That makes this delicious little Microsoft Windows Mobile Smartphone our new Editors’ Choice among keyboardless smartphones. Also known around the world as the iMate SP5m, the SDA Music, and the HTC Tornado, the SDA is the true successor to the beloved Audiovox SMT 5600 smartphone. But everything’s been redone here, most impressively the addition of Wi-Fi connectivity.”

You can read the full review of the T-Mobile SDA over here at PCMag.com.