Over the last few years, we've seen some good QWERTY candybar smartphones pass through these pages. So far, though, I don't think we've seen an Android handset in that form factor that looks as good as this Spriiing Smile Smartphone.
Designed in Sweden and manufactured by Huawei, the sleek-looking budget phone was recently announced for Thailand. It's also available in Australia under a different name (carrier-branded), so maybe this could make it in other markets, too (fingers crossed -- it looks really pretty).
Details of the phone are rather modest: a 2.6-inch touchscreen display (320 x 240 resolution), a 3.0 megapixel camera, 3G with HSPA, WiFi and microSD card expansion (up to 16GB). Core hardware consists of a 528MHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of ROM and 256MB of RAM. There appears to be no GPS chip on board.
It's running Android 2.1 at the helm, with the stock UI in all its glory. No word on the price for Thailand, but Boost Mobile Australia has it for an affordable $149 (AUD) on prepaid, so this should be light on the budget wherever market it hits. Seriously, with a touchscreen and keyboard combo, it might offer a more compelling option for people looking for an entry-level smartphone.
[via Engadget]
