| Windows Mobile phone sports custom interface |
Oct. 02, 2008
 Gigabyte Communications is shipping two new mobile phones that run Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and feature a proprietary "Smart Touch II" interface. The GSmart MW702 and MS802 have 2.8-inch touchscreen displays, quad-band GSM, WiFi, Bluetooth, FM receivers, and GPS, according to the company.
(Click here for a larger view of Gigabyte's MS802)
 The MW702 (left) and MS802 (above) look nearly identical, and share the same 4.6 x 2.35 x 0.58 inch (117 x 59.8 x 14.8mm) dimensions and 4.58 ounce weight. The difference between the devices is that where both include quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM connectivity, the MS802 adds 2100MHz UMTS, and provides HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access networking). Further, both devices have 3.1 megapixel camera on the rear, but the MS802 adds a front-facing VGA-res camera for teleconferencing.
The devices feature 2.8-inch touchscreen displays with QVGA (320 x 240 pixel) resolution, and use Marvell's PXA270 processor clocked at 520MHz. Both the MW702 and MS820 are equipped with 128MB of RAM and 256MB of flash storage, augmented via a microSD expansion card.
The MW702 and MS802 come with both Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11b/g WiFi, both pretty much de rigeur on contemporary Windows Mobile devices. They also feature GPS, which relies on the extremely popular SiRF starIII chipset, according to the company. Gigabyte adds that the phone can do automatic "geotagging" of photos, and can also append latitude and longitude to SMS messages if a user so desires.
The devices have all the capabilities of the underlying Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system, including new task manager, threaded SMS, improved Direct Push technology, and the ability to zoom out on web pages. However, the OS's media playback capabilities have been bolstered on the MS702 and MS802 by built-in FM receivers, says Gigabyte.
Smart Touch II
While waiting for the rumored Windows Mobile 7 OS, cell phone manufacturers have been busy creating their own user interface enhancements for Windows Mobile 6.x. The most well-known, of course, is HTC, whose Windows Mobile phones now typically include the company's TouchFLO UI. Other examples include E-Ten, with its Glofiish V900, Sony Ericsson, with its Xperia X1, and Samsung, with its Omnia, and Toshiba, with its Portege G810.
Gigabyte is joining the herd with its own "Smart Touch II" user inteface, touted as having been developed in-house. (This is in contrast to the E-Ten and Toshiba offerings, which are versions of the Spb Mobile Shell.) Smart Touch II includes a "speed rolling phone book," automatic inclusion of newly added programs in its enhanced "shortcut manager," customizable wallpaper, and the ability to switch rapidly back to the standard Windows Mobile Today screen, the company says.
Features and specifications listed by Gigabyte for the MW702 and MS802 include:Processor -- Marvell PXA270 clocked at 520MHz
Memory -- 128MB of RAM and 256MB of flash storage
Display -- 2.8-inch touchscreen display with 320 x 240 resolution
Camera(s) -- 3.1 megapixel camera with autofocus and macro mode; VGA-resolution camera for videoconferencing (MS802 only)
Wireless interfaces:- WAN -- Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM, plus, on MS802 only, 2100MHz UMTS with HSDPA
- LAN -- 802.11b/g
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
- GPS (SiRF starIII chipset)
- FM receiver
Other I/O:- USB port
- 2.5mm headset jack
Expansion -- microSD card
Battery -- 1300mAh (life not specified)
Dimensions -- 4.6 x 2.35 x 0.58 inches (117 x 59.8 x 14.8mm) Weight -- 4.58 ouncesThe MW702 and MS802 are shipping now, according to Gigabyte, though pricing and regional availability details were not provided.
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