TechCrunch » velocity mobile

Pharos take the wraps off Traveler 117 and 127

Peter Ha — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:23:52 +0000

Well, well, well. Looks like Velocity Mobile finally found someone to pick up their Windows Mobile devices.

Today, Pharos introduced the Traveler 117 and Traveler 127 GPS smartphones. Each device hasn’t changed a whole lot since we first saw them at CTIA last year, but they’re now equipped with Pharos’s Smart Navigator software, which is specifically designed for Windows Mobile.

Read the rest at MobileCrunch

Hands on galleries of Velocity Mobile’s new handsets (103, 83, 301)

Greg Kumparak — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 23:55:20 +0000

Velocity Mobile brought a trio of shiny new handsets to CTIA today, and we got to spend just a bit of time with all three: the 103, 83, and 301.

In the flurry of crazy that is CTIA scheduling, I wasn’t able to spend enough time with’em to write a full hands on for each. Velocity hooked us up with a 103 to review, so we’ll have more to say about that one in just a few days.

Hands on galleries of Velocity Mobile's new handsets (103, 83, 301)

Greg Kumparak — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:51:49 +0000

Velocity Mobile brought a trio of shiny new handsets to CTIA today, and we got to spend just a bit of time with all three: the 103, 83, and 301.

Velocity 103:

Velocity 83:

Velocity 301:

Velocity Mobile 103 Windows Mobile device is now available

Peter Ha — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:44:04 +0000

Picture on the right

It’s been five months since Velocity Mobile hit the scene and now they’ve announced that their first Windows Mobile device is finally available. The touchscreen 103 will ship by the end of the month for £334.99.

Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Qualcomm Mobile Station Modem™ (MSM™) MSM7201™ chipset
GSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA 850, 1900, 2100
640×480 VGA touch screen
Odyssey Interface
Velocity Over The Air updates (VOTA)
256MB ROM, 128MB RAM
Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11b/g WiFi, GPS
2.0 megapixel camera, 0.3 megapixel videoconferencing camera
TV/VGA out
MicroSD expansion slot

LONDON – September 10, 2008 – Velocity Mobile, a nine month collaboration between one of the world’s largest notebook computer manufacturers and a team of veteran wireless designers and engineers, today announced the retail availability of its first touchscreen phone, the Velocity 103. Built on the belief that the simplest solution is the best solution, the Velocity Mobile 103 combines an easy-to-use Odyssey Interface, Velocity Over The Air updates (Vota) and a sleek and attractive design, to change the way people think about and use smartphones. The unlocked Velocity 103 is available for pre-order online now through Expansys for £334.99 and will ship by the end of September.

Velocity Mobile’s easy-to-use Odyssey Interface, built on top of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone operating system, and the Velocity Over The Air (VOTA) updates, bring immense market value to the mobile industry. No longer do consumers need to buy new phones to get the latest software. The ability to easily update devices through VOTA means the device is longer lasting and more cost effective for users. Through this service, Velocity Mobile is directly engaging its customers and keeping them up-to-date with mobility.

“Consumers these days are demanding more from their phones. Our research tells us that people want experiences, not applications and functions,” said David Hayes, president and managing director, Velocity Mobile. “Velocity Mobile has brought together some of the greatest minds and best of breed partners in the industry to deliver positive experience and value to consumers.”

Velocity Mobile’s core leadership team collectively has nearly forty years’ experience in innovative mobile engineering, design, sales and marketing, and is working in collaboration with Inventec Corporation, one of the world’s top three original design manufacturers (ODMs) for notebook computers with revenues of more than US$8 billion in 2007. Together, the two companies share a vision for mobility that is powerful and innovative yet intuitive and familiar – all at a great value for consumers.

Featuring Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1, high-resolution screens, ample memory and much more, Velocity Mobile’s first device significantly raises the bar for smartphones in their class. Specifications of the Velocity 103 include:

Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Qualcomm Mobile Station Modem™ (MSM™) MSM7201™ chipset
GSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA 850, 1900, 2100
640×480 VGA touch screen
Odyssey Interface
Velocity Over The Air updates (VOTA)
256MB ROM, 128MB RAM
Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11b/g WiFi, GPS
2.0 megapixel camera, 0.3 megapixel videoconferencing camera
TV/VGA out
MicroSD expansion slot
For more information, please see http://www.velocitymobile.com.

FCC reveals Velocity Mobile is not vaporware

Peter Ha — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:58:16 +0000

I was just thinking about Velocity Mobile this last week and was wondering when they might actually launch one of their Windows Mobile devices. We first saw them at CTIA in April, but haven’t heard a peep out of them until now. The 103 is now in the FCC database, which leads us to believe an official launch date may be announced in the coming weeks. I’m still a bit skeptical as to how the company will make the Windows Mobile experience less painful than it is now, but I won’t rain on VM’s parade until a final version of their re-skinned WinMo OS is available to the masses. Read all about the 103 here or here.

Hands on: Velocity Mobile

Peter Ha — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:33:47 +0000

Just returned from a meeting with Velocity Mobile. The 103 and 111 are impressive devices in their own right, but what VM wants to do with Windows Mobile is even more impressive. They don’t want to put a top layer over it with something flashy, which others have done and failed at a number of times. I’m excited to see the finalized version in a few weeks when we get the devices in for review.

What I can tell you right now is that they’ll eventually have a OS X-like dock that pops up from the bottom whenever you need your list of favorite apps. The current version of the OS is just a hint at what VM has in mind for Windows Mobile. All VM employees have worked with every iteration of WinMo since its inception in one capacity or another. Their goal is to make it less crappy and more user friendly. I hope they succeed because the hardware is pretty nice and I really like the all black finish.

Velocity Mobile launches at CTIA

Peter Ha — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:19:27 +0000

Launching at CTIA is Velocity Mobile, a new smartphone player. The only downside is they run Windows Mobile. Heh. The company’s first two WinMo devices, the Velocity 103 and 111 will run on 3.5G, has built-in GPS, Wi-Fi and 2-megapixel cameras. We’ll get a hands-on shortly. The V103 will be available Q2 while the V111 comes out in Q3. Both will be unlocked.

Details on both devices after the jump.

Specifications of the Velocity 103 include:

· Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional

· Qualcomm Mobile Station Modem™ (MSM™) MSM7201™ chipset

· GSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

· UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA 850, 1900 (1700), 2100

· 640×480 VGA touch screen

· 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM

· Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11b/g WiFi, GPS

· 2.0 megapixel camera, 0.3 megapixel videoconferencing camera

· TV/VGA out

· MicroSD expansion slot

Specifications of the Velocity 111 include: