HTC STRTrk Approved by FCC; Cingular May Soon Launch the Smartphone With and Without Camera

[Kris Kumar]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=461586&fcc_id='NM8STAR'' target='_blank'>https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&RequestTimeout=500&calledFromFrame=N&application_id=461586&fcc_id='NM8STAR'</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Kris-jul06-fccstrtrk.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />The first clam-shell Smartphone from the HTC camp has been cleared by the FCC and is now ready for the US launch. Even though this Smartphone is now available in some markets in Asia and the Middle East, HTC has requested the FCC to keep the product photos and user guide confidential till August 25 2006. The only reason for that would be to keep the carrier branding a secret; but an earlier news leak about Cingular's future <a href="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11546&amp;highlight=genius">product road map</a> showed the HTC STRTrk positioned for August/September launch. Does that mean that around August 25th Cingular will launch this RAZR inspired beauty? So are you eagerly waiting for the launch? If you are then there is one good news, this clam-shell model will be available in two flavours - with and without the camera. :) The FCC test report confirms the two models.

[Kris Kumar]

HTC Hermes (Pocket PC Phone) has been cleared by the FCC as well and HTC has requested that information to be confidential till August 31st. Here is the link. (https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/cf/eas/reports/ViewExhibitReport.cfm?mode=Exhibits&amp;RequestTimeout=500&amp;calledFromFrame=N&amp;application_id=631989)

Looks like in the last week of August we will see a couple of announcements.

Also the US launch name for the STRTrk could be "STAR100." The FCC test report had this name. The FCC ID is NM8STAR.

[Rocco Augusto]

awesome! to bad im gonna hold out for a 3g Smartphone like the blackjack :)

[Jerry Raia]

I'll be holding out for the version without the media buttons.

[Mike Temporale]

End of August, eh? That's a nice little clue about when we can expect the phone to hit the streets. Cool. I like it, and I think I'll be picking one up off ebay. But I'm thinking my main phone will be the i320. It's just too cool to pass up. :mrgreen:

[rperalta]

I have the Qtek 8500 for more that a month. It's awesome device!!! It's so thin and I like holding it without the case, afterall the thinness is what people are paying for. It did not come with the case and had to buy the original pouch case (with hidden magnetic closure) from mobileplanet.com.

I'm glad I don't have to wait for Cingular to carry it and get nailed for a 2 year contract. Who knows if device will get delayed. Just a thought...

Regards,
Robert

[edgar]

The FCC link comes up as "not found" for me :(

I really want a flip - but that I320 has me hooked - but no 850Mhz. The Blackjack doesnt say if it has 850 either.

OPTI you know something?

[Kris Kumar]

The FCC link comes up as "not found" for me :(

Looks like FCC site is down. I tried to manually search the FCC ID "NM8STAR," but the search page won't come up:

http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/

Usually when the FCC site stops functioning over the weekend, you are stuck; you will have to wait till Monday for it to come back online. :-(

Don't worry there was nothing interesting anyway. The only thing I could find was the camera and non-camera version.

Now that the cell phone manufacturer will be offering a non-camera version, I am not sure if I want to go for a non-camera version. :?

[rdecker]

Major yawn - no high speed data. I can't imagine Cingular even messing with a smart phone release with only GPRS/EDGE data....

[Kris Kumar]

Major yawn - no high speed data. I can't imagine Cingular even messing with a smart phone release with only GPRS/EDGE data....

The uniqueness of this Smartphone is the slim form-factor and clam-shell design. I know a lot of people have been itching to upgrade their Moto MPx220s. Even though Cingular is supposed to launch 3G in most major markets by the year end, I don't think it will cover more than 50% of the current EDGE coverage.

[rdecker]

Major yawn - no high speed data. I can't imagine Cingular even messing with a smart phone release with only GPRS/EDGE data....

The uniqueness of this Smartphone is the slim form-factor and clam-shell design. I know a lot of people have been itching to upgrade their Moto MPx220s. Even though Cingular is supposed to launch 3G in most major markets by the year end, I don't think it will cover more than 50% of the current EDGE coverage.

I have a 220 so I understand. Putting a 3G radio in the phone is not represent a large cost delta. If HTC is claiming state of the art, why wouldn't they incorporate the radio. Just seems odd.

[Rocco Augusto]

OPTI you know something?

i do not know anything for certain, just rumors floating around and a couple roadmaps i got a peak at. i usually dont like talkig about rumors because they're usually never true and roadmaps usually drop a lot of the phones that are on there but since you asked ;)

rumor
cingular might release a 3G smartphone, not pocket pc, by years end.

roadmap
had a qwerty WM Smartphone on it but no manufacturer

take it all with a grain of salt, things change so fast in the mobile world. i remember when the mpx220 came out, a couple months later cingular had 3 motorola WM Smartphones on the roadmap for years end... luckily, we never saw them ;)

[Rocco Augusto]

If HTC is claiming state of the art, why wouldn't they incorporate the radio. Just seems odd.

If you take into account how tiny the footprint for UMTS/HSDPA is at the moment in the US it wouldn't make much sense for them to include it in the handsets. 3G covers less than 25 major cities at the moment here in the US, which isn't a lot at all. I wouldn't expect to see a full scale 3G deployment in the US until the end of 2007, maybe Q2 2008. Once we have a large portion of the US covered, then it wouldn't make sense to not include 3G. :)

[edgar]

Saint

You just don't get it! :wink:

It's in MY CITY (also in EU where I go for work)! - isn't that all that matters to all of us?

Now, get out there and get me a quadband/UMTS I-320 - scoot - go on git- quit reading - GO!

-Edgar

[Rocco Augusto]

Saint

You just don't get it! :wink:

It's in MY CITY (also in EU where I go for work)! - isn't that all that matters to all of us?

Now, get out there and get me a quadband/UMTS I-320 - scoot - go on git- quit reading - GO!

-Edgar

i know, im annoyed too since i have 3G in my city :lol:

[rdecker]

And I have it in mine; since November of 2005!! .... :?

[rdecker]

I have the Qtek 8500 for more that a month. It's awesome device!!! It's so thin and I like holding it without the case, afterall the thinness is what people are paying for. It did not come with the case and had to buy the original pouch case (with hidden magnetic closure) from mobileplanet.com.

I'm glad I don't have to wait for Cingular to carry it and get nailed for a 2 year contract. Who knows if device will get delayed. Just a thought...

Regards,
Robert

Have you had any of the problems related to the phone no ringing or alerting to voice messages? I looked at Howard Forums and a bunch of people are complaining about it....

Ralph

[rperalta]

Have you had any of the problems related to the phone no ringing or alerting to voice messages? I looked at Howard Forums and a bunch of people are complaining about it....

Ralph
No missed call issue at all for me. :)