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Add another manufacturer to the Android bandwagon: Lumigon. The company is starting their Android initiative with an incredibly creative set of offerings with a feature we haven’t seen before on Android handsets… slide-out T9 keyboards. Typically Android phones have offered either touchscreen only or touchscreen with full QWERTY offerings so this is definitely a step in a new direction.
I like the move. The more the variety the better and I’m sure there are plenty of people out there – especially those transitioning from dumb phones to smartphones – who would prefer the hard T9 keyboard. Are you one of them?
As for the actual devices there are 3 of them:
- Lumigon T1
- Lumigon S1
- Lumigon E1
Check out what their website says about the specs:
Ultra small form factor smartphones with built-in remote controller, ultra-fast Freescale 1 GHz i.MX51 3D processor, TFT screen with capacitive touch, Wifi and bluetooth, A-GPS, 720P HDMI out, accelerometer, 5 mega pixel autofocus camera with flash, 3.5 mm jack for audio, FM receiver and FM transmitter.
The phones are based on open standards with Google’s newest state-of-the-art operating system Android 2.1 with a special Lumigon P-GUI software implementation, to give the user even more user-friendliness.
The press release indicates specs for the T1 and S1 but remains mum on the E1. Check out the press release below for all the nitty gritty details:
UNIQUE SCANDINAVIAN MOBILE PHONE
RANGE LAUNCHED
BARCELONA – February 15, 2010 – After two years of top secret international development work, Lumigon Corporation from Denmark is launching the first exclusive models of their mobile phone range. The models are based on open standards and Google’s newest state-of-the-art operating system Android 2.1 with a special Lumigon P-GUI software implementation, to give the user even more user-friendliness. Moreover, the ultra-fast Freescale i.MX51 processor is
utilized, as well as a TFT screen with capacitive touch, A-GPS, 720P HDMI out, an FM receiver and an FM transmitter.“The phones have foundation in the Scandinavian heritage of contemporary design, coupled with the finest materials such as steel, aluminum and scratch-free glass. These uniquely designed phones are furthermore packed with features not seen in mobile phones before”, states Pekka Kotiranta, VP of Sales and Marketing, Lumigon.
Some examples of the most innovative features are a universal remote control, which facilitates the usage of mobile phone as control for home appliances, and an HDMI desk station which enables the phone to be used as a source for HDTV or regular television, e.g. to see pictures or movies, or to be used as a browser device with Lumigon’s new bluetooth
keyboard.The first model, T1, shall reach the shops early Q2 this year, and the second one, S1, will be available toward the end of Q2. The difference between the models is that T1 is an elegant touch-screen phone, whilst S1 possesses additionally an in-built T9 keypad and slider in an extremely small form factor. The key features are the same in both phones. Later this year, E1, one of the most fascinating phones ever produced, will be introduced to the market. It has a unique navigation
system and a shape never experienced in mobile phones. “E1 is the most beautiful phone I have ever seen during my entire 10 year career in mobile business”, says Lumigon’s founder Lars Gravesen.“Interest toward the new phones has been overwhelming, pre-orders arriving from different parts of the world. The company has decided to launch the phones first in Nordic and selected European markets”, concludes Kotiranta, a VP level veteran from both Ericsson and Nokia.
Lumigon Corporation is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, having R & D facilities in London and manufacturing in metropolitan Hong Kong area. It is a privately held company having vast experience in consumer electronics, mobile software and distribution. Lumigon’s mobile platform M1 and proprietary software can also be found inside the new Ulysse Nardin Chairman mobile phone.
Think we should stop calling it an “android bandwagon” and just refer to it as the “winning team”?
I am not sure if I like these phones or not. I saw them yesterday on Engadget and I still cannot make up my mind. Something that I think is funny is that whenever any company does something that doesn’t look like what everyone else is doing it’s deemed “creative”. Sometimes it can be just ugly, which is what I am battling with these things. The look kind of like a first gen Zune when closed.
Another note. I am an Android Fanboy for sure, but I didn’t know that a “winning team” had to only have 5.2% of the market!
I won’t be replacing my Nexus One, but as a Scandinavian I can definitely acknowledge that there’s a large crowd of people used to T9, primarily through SMS texting. In fact my sister can type as fast on her Nokia as I can on soft keyboard. So it’s a definite win for Android as a platform.
Winning team indeed and by the time we reach the fifth iteration of Android…call it android 5….(2012?) Android phones will be number 1….and the Steve Jobs i-pad misstep will be looked back on as the beginning of Apple`s troubles.
BRING THESE TO VERIZON!
Definitely looking forward to this form factor. I was waiting on Pantech to come out with some android phones because they tend to do keypads well. The one pictured looks OK, but I’m waiting to see what others will look like.
I do not see anything creative in this poor device. Even the desing is plain and does not tell anything. This is another useless phone.
I really like the idea of a T9 keyboard, especially when you also have the option to use the on-screen qwerty for longer spells. I much prefer the T9 keyboard for sending text messages, or making quick notes, it is faster and more convenient than a qwerty a lot of the time for me. Another advantage (for me) is that I usually find it easier to control games with the T9 keyboard. “Unfortunately” I have just got a Milestone so won’t be getting one of these.
Forgot to say, built in FM-transmitter is a brilliant idea :-)
you’re all overlooking the ir port which will make this a badass universal remote/ internet device. i plan on getting one just for that.
More variety means more choices and competition. Good news for us consumers and techies. I like it, just not in white.
@sense. ..He’ll YEAH! The android wave is just buliding up bigger and bigger. …wow its amazing setting here just watching it get ready to splash over all….
hell yeah I meant…sometimes you got to pay closeeeee attention when your typing on the droid-I mean ALLL the time
i`d never heard of Lumigon,the design of this one is gorgeous,i like it so much ,especially the black and white contrast
OK. Let me get this straight. These phones have full qwerty on their touchscreens, but real slide out T9 keypads, as well. They can function as universal remote controls at home, and have high definition HDMI outputs to fully integrate with the home system. They have built-in FM radio (for local news or sports on the go), Android 2.1 OS, gigahertz CPU’s, wifi, bluetooth, gps, auto-focus cam with gps, and are actually a little elegant in their Scandinavian industrial minimalist style aesthetic. Phandroid people, what’s wrong with you? HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY COMPLAIN ABOUT A PHONE THIS WELL DESIGNED??? If it is marketed and promoted properly, this phone is the death of iphone, blackberry storm, sony xperia, nexus one, moto droid, and every other uber-phone out there because it offers features they have yet to dream up and doesn’t make it’s owner look juvenile or ridiculous. Where’s the T-mobile version? I’ll ditch my G1 for one right now!!!
LOVE the idea of a T9 Android phone… hope they come out with a candybar model…
I would buy this immediately if it were available.. I can never go back to my java based t9 phone, but lack of t9 was as close as it came to a deal-breaker on my current android. I can’t write a txt without looking at the screen anymore! I’m a hazard to myself walking down the sidewalk now! This was so easy on t9, once the dictionary was setup right. Must-have in a handheld, imo.