handset

Cell phone subscribers in the U.S. are spending more on their wireless handsets, another sign that the smartphone revolution has arrived.

On average cell phone subscribers are spending about $101 on new devices. This is $9 more than they spent on handsets just six months ago, according to a J.D. Power and Associates survey released Thursday. This is the first substantial increase in the average sale price of mobile devices in two years, the consumer survey company said.

What's driving this price jump? Smartphones and other feature-packed phones. Devices, such as Research In Motion's BlackBerry and … Read more

It's been a while since we'd heard from Gresso, the Russian phone maker that created a buzz back in 2006 with its unusual luxury handsets, followed by other interesting gadgets (and a clunker or two along the way).

Now it's back to doing what it does best--phones--with its new "White Diamonds Collection." There are two models in the line, with the superior of the pair--the "Royal White Diamonds" handset--regally bearing 23 keys of 18k gold topped with 2.53 carats of its eponymous stones, according to BornRich.

As with all Gresso phones, both … Read more

AT&T and Vodafone could be eyeing Huawei's handset division, according to a story published Monday in the South China Morning Post.

The newspaper cited unnamed sources who said that phone companies AT&T and Vodafone had expressed interest in acquiring 50 percent of Huawei's handset division. Private equity firms Blackstone, TPG, and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts are also supposedly interested.

Huawei, based in China, is looking to spin off its mobile phone, laptop, wireless data-card, and home router businesses. Meanwhile, it will keep a 100 percent ownership in its network infrastructure business. The company doesn't … Read more

A bunch of blogs were reporting last week that Christian Dior would unveil its first mobile phone last Friday. Didn't happen. Now there are rumors supposedly coming out of the phone industry that it will make its maiden appearance in two weeks instead. Whatever.

All we know is that it supposedly is festooned with Swarovski crystals (ugh) and, according to the ad pictured here, has some kind of built-in remote control. The latter feature could add an interesting twist, at least technologically, to the growing trend of phones emanating from the Europe's leading fashion houses, such as those … Read more

So many cell phones look alike these days, but here's one that will definitely get noticed if you're an attention-starved millionaire. It didn't seem possible that luxury handset maker Mobiado could get more exclusive than its "Stealth" and "Luminoso" phones, but it's done just that with the "Professional Camo."

Like its predecessors this handset is made from aircraft aluminum and stainless-steel keys for less weight and more durability, but the Camo is noticeably different because of its hand-painted camouflage design. It looks even more unusual because the metal casing is … Read more

BenQ might not jump into your head when it comes to mobiles as fast as, say, Boris Johnson when you say "useless foppish toff," but it's still in the game. Its new C36 handset looks almost identical to 3's Skype handset we looked at back in October (and still use). It's a music phone with support for MP3, WAV, AMR, and good old MIDI files, has a 176 x 220 LCD display and--chickety-check this out--"health management."

No, it won't perform the Heimlich maneuver when you're choking on a granddad-friendly Werther's, … Read more

The Chanel Choco phone is a concept conjured up by designer Fred de Garilhe, and apparently Chanel had nothing to do with it. But neither of those facts will stop anyone from lusting for one.

If we understand it right, the phone is supposedly made of two movable parts. When you slide up the right-most column on the 4-by-4 design, it reveals the keypad as well as the screen. The internal optical-fiber system then projects the visual components, such as the digits on the keypad, onto the relevant parts made of still glass. All of which proves the point that, … Read more

Following a pair of new XpressMusic handsets last week, Nokia today unveiled three more handsets: the 6600 folder, 6600 slider, and 3600 slider.

The Finnish giant is marketing these three phones as "beautiful to use" even though we think they look just like regular handsets. According to Aki Laine, the man responsible for the 6600 clamshell, the phone is designed to fit the contours of your face (which sounds like the "banana" phone sometime back), and there's no need to manually open the handset because there's a dedicated button to do that. The pictures … Read more

As if the numerous events happening concurrently aren't enough to keep us busy, Sony Ericsson decided to pile on by dropping a couple of new handsets on us.

The G502 squeezes "a wealth of time-saving features into an affordable, pocket-sized phone" and is supposedly the first in its line to come with HSDPA connectivity. Features include a 2-megapixel camera, built-in FM radio with RDS, Bluetooth stereo A2DP, and A-GPS--all in an uninspiring candybar design. It's expected to be available in Asia in the third quarter of this year.

The second model is the Z780 with almost … Read more