Kris Kumar
07-08-2006, 01:55 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=3162' target='_blank'>http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=3162</a><br /><br /></div><i>"In addition to the VPA compact III announcement, Vodafone Germany also announced today to release the Qtek 8500 HTC Star Trek or as it is called now "STRTrk") this summer. HTC's first clamshell Windows Mobile Smartphone (see my previous review of the Qtek 8500 here) is sporting quad-band GSM, GPRS and EDGE, communicates in short-range via Bluetooth (but misses IrDA), weights only 99 grams with battery and touts a breath-taking 16mm with a build-in 1.3-megapixel camera and dedicated music control buttons. It's powered by Microsoft's latest Windows Mobile 5.0 and running with a TI OMAP CPU at 200 MHz, has 64 MB RAM and 64 MB ROM. The main 2.2" TFT LCD with LED backlight gives you crystal clear, crisp and vibrant image and colors. The secondary 1.2" TFT LCD on the front cover keeps you always informed of the time and date, identity of callers and what music is playing. Vodafone Germany plans to release it during August and with a 24 month contract it will retail for 169,50 Euro. Without a contract it will costs 599,50 Euro."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Kris-jul06-qtek8500voda.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />Vodafone Germany is the first carrier to <a href="http://www.vodafone.de/unternehmen/presse/28763_84687.html">announce</a> the launch of the HTC STRTrk on its network. Let's hope that the US carriers will follow with similar announcements. ;-) Some might argue that the slim and QWERTY Smartphones, the Q and the i320, have changed the Smartphone market. I think there is still a huge potential for a slim non-QWERTY clam-shell Smartphone.