utstarcom

Virgin Mobile and Personal Communications Devices (formerly known as UTStarcom) have announced the Shuttle, the carrier's first-ever 3G handset. Equipped with EV-DO, GPS, and a slew of high-end features, the Shuttle is one of the first signs of Virgin's Helio acquisition, in that it is enriching its rather basic lineup with strong full-featured devices previously associated with Helio.

Indeed, the Shuttle will feature Virgin Mobile's first location-based services from uLocate, like Buddy Beacon, a friend-finder application found previously on Helio phones, as well as Where, an application that delivers local information such as nearby events and restaurants. … Read more

As someone who likes to text more than I like to talk, I am a fan of phones with QWERTY keyboards like the BlackBerry and the Treo. However, not everyone is into smartphones, so there are "dumb phones" out there with QWERTY keyboards too. LG has the enV(2) and the Rumor, both of which have "hidden" QWERTY keyboards underneath a number keypad.

Last week, I had the chance to review the Verizon Wireless Blitz, made by UTStarcom. Aimed mostly at teens, the Blitz takes a different approach from most messaging phones with its square and … Read more

Texters rejoice, for Verizon has just introduced the Blitz, a phone made primarily for messaging.

Manufactured by UTStarcom, the Blitz has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard; a dedicated MyMessaging key that will lead you directly to the messaging menu; a 1.3-megapixel camera; a speakerphone; a music player; and even stereo Bluetooth. Even though you can use V Cast Music with Rhapsody for PC downloads and subscriptions, do note that the Blitz does not support over-the-air music downloads, probably because it doesn't have EV-DO support.

The Blitz is definitely no smartphone, but for text messaging fanatics who just want a … Read more

Virgin Mobile has announced that it will carry yet another UTStarcom phone, and this time it's dubbed the Arc. The Arc is a simple camera phone with trademark Virgin Mobile black and red colors, as well as Bluetooth, a VGA camera, and it's available for only $49.99 without a contract.

Source: Engadget Mobile

UTStarcom announced earlier today that it will sell its Personal Communications Division to a part of AIG Vantage Capital for approximately $240 million plus $50 million based on a three-year earn out provision. UTStarcom states in its news release that it is focusing more of its efforts on its core IP-based product offerings and the PCD business will be cordoned off as its own standalone company. The new company will be known as Personal Communications Devices (Still PCD, get it?) and will be taking over UTStarcom's mobile device distribution, though UTStarcom's handset business unit will continue to design … Read more

Casio showed off its new G'zOne Type-S for Verizon Wireless in black and silver at the UTStarcom booth here at CTIA. It's almost exactly the same as the original rugged clamshell, but it now supports push-to-talk capabilities. The rest of the Type-S Casios will have this feature as well, it's just that the black and silver version is the first out the gate with it. It's saddled with only a VGA camera, but a rugged phone like this doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles. Verizon is offering it now for $99.99 after … Read more

Day two of CTIA 2008 is over, and it was quite a breather compared with day one. Our feet actually did not hurt at the end of the day! Here are some highlights from day two of the show.

Nokia kicks off the day by announcing two new basic CDMA/AWS handsets: the Nokia 1606 and the 3606, both of which are probably set for the entry-level to midtier market. Next, Senior Editor Kent German talks up the Samsung Alias, which we knew about before, but was officially trotted out at CTIA.

Sanyo also put out a few new devices, … Read more

UTStarcom didn't have much of a presence at this year's CTIA, but it did sneak in an announcement of the AWS-enabled CDM-7126 handset for both Cricket and MetroPCS. The Cricket version is dubbed the CDM-7126C and the MetroPCS version is dubbed the CDM-7126M. They're both about the same, save for the look of the front surface. As for the phone itself, it's a pretty standard device, made for the entry-level market though it does have Bluetooth as well. The front surface is pretty unique in that there are LED indicators for incoming calls and text messages, … Read more

CTIA Fall 2007 isn't really the place for most cell phone manufacturers to announce new devices; in fact, many companies come here to reannounce devices that have already been, well, announced. That's how it is for the UTStarcom Coupe from Verizon Wireless, that back-to-basics emergency phone that we reviewed a month or so ago. UTStarcom has released a press release announcing that they're launching the phone today, even though it was out a while ago. As we said back then, the UTStarcom 8630 is a phone made for the elderly or older adults; it has a clear … Read more