Philips V808: Company’s First Smartphone Leverages Android
Here we are midway into 2009 and we’re already spoiled with existing and upcoming Android Phones. It seems like yesterday the tech critics were questioning the viability of Android and now they’re all drooling over the Xperia X3. When you’ve got a device running Android its hard to forget that bigger and badder isn’t always better – there is room for low/mid/high end handsets running Android and Philips is happy to squeeze in wherever they can.
Rumors leaked that the Philips V808 will be the companies first Android phone and there wasn’t a shortage of photography to at least partially prove the fact:
Well the screen isn’t illuminated so we can’t be completely sure this is Android, but the sources (pconline.com.cn) seems to be positive. Unfortunately for Philips everyone is looking for the biggest splash an Android can make and the V808 will likely pencil point into the phone pool with specs that will be run-of-the-mill by the time it launches:
- 3.2 inch touchscreen
- HVGA display (320×480 pixels)
- 3.2MP camera
- Dimensions: 115x61x14mm
That is NOT to say the phone won’t be successful. For the right price on the right carrier, any Android Phone has the power to be incredibly successful. The bottom line is that Android levels the playing field from a software point of view. Philips device will be immediately as powerful as other Android Phones, not counting of course proprietary add-ons a la HTC Sense, but its owners will (we assume) have complete access to Android Market. What’s not to love about that?
Philips won’t likely call this the V808 when it comes to market and the folks at EngadgetMobile think it’ll come with Xenium branding when it arrives – but maybe Philips will brand their Android phones with a new name? Any way you look at it we wish Philips the best of luck in putting together a stellar handset. It might not have that shock value now, but Philips aspirations in mobile manufacturing could get a nice jumpstart with even moderate mass market success.
[PConline.com.cn via MobileCrunch, EngadgetMobile, ClonedInChina]