The C630 is not based on Symbian OS – this was a slip-up at the original source. Please disregard this article in its entity!
So far, Pantech has been known for its touchscreenless Windows Mobile Smartphones. As some analysts think that the WMS platform is on the way out (I don’t think so), the Pantech boys have started to develop smartphones based on Symbian.
According to BetaNews, their debut device will become official next month: it will be a low-end 3G phone which will go for about 50$ on an AT&T contract. The device’s specs will be extremely meager:
Pantech asked journalists shown the device to hold off on publishing photos until the C630 is announced next month. Spec sheets and press materials also are not yet available. But the C630 displayed last night is a candybar phone which features that include (but aren’t necessarily limited to) Advanced GSM (AGSM), a 1.3 megapixel camera, a speakerphone, Bluetooth, an MP3 music player, a microSD slot, Internet Yellow Pages, e-mail, instant messaging, and AT&T’s Video Exchange and Video Sharing.
Unfortunately, nobody currently knows what kind of Symbian the device will run – while both UIQ and FOMA have been discontinued, both houses won’t be excessively unhappy about a last quick buck. As PanTech does not have an UIQ license though, I consider this highly unlikely (bad news for UIQ yet again).
symbian-freak managed to get onto this image via FCC filings – if the keyboard layout indeed is final, the device can not run S60 as it lacks keys. As FOMA keyboards also look different (5×3), PanTech could theoretically want to roll its own UI.
Anyways: stay tuned – we will keep you in the loop!
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