Incorporating The Micron, Intelligible, and PC Independent News
|
|
|
Puma releases a solar smartphone
SPORTSWEAR OUTFIT Puma has raced to put its name on a mobile phone.
The Puma Phone isn't actually made by the firm, rather it chose to team up with Sagem Wireless for putting the device together. Puma is pitching its device as "an active smartphone", which should make the considerable mass of obese handsets feel ashamed.
Thankfully Puma has relied on features rather than a label to differentiate itself from the numerous other anonymous smartphones. The 2.8-inch touchscreen has a resolution of only 240x320 pixels but unlike its contemporaries, the Puma Phone has a solar cell on the back.
According to the firm, the cell is able to power the device for 90 minutes after being swathed in just 60 minutes of sunshine. Given the British weather, those are the type of efficiency figures we like to hear.
The phone's specifications show it to be a middle of the road smartphone, with a 3.2 megapixel camera, GPS and digital compass. Its 'active' credentials shine through with its inclusion of a pedometer.
As the firm is hoping to attract users more interested in their heart rate than their phone's data rate so the device's feature list has been watered down. Apparently the Puma Phone supports "Open Internet" and a "wide range of music formats" though quite what those formats are, is anyone's guess.
Storage on the device is handled by microSD cards, with a 2GB card included. Puma is claiming 350 hours of standby time with five hours of talk time. Apparently trying to cash in on Apple's Ipad, the device has a "tablet form factor" despite it being roughly the same size and weight as other smartphones.
Despite slapping on a price tag of €400 (£329) and making it available now through its online store, Puma is adamant that mobile operators will be carrying the device at some point in the future, but it failed to mention which ones. µ
Share this:
Share
The Puma phone form factor might be sleek. But you cannot say that Puma is "trying to cash in on Apple's iPad" as Puma had already unveiled this phone at the Mobile World Congress 2010, Barcelona, which happened in Feb 2010, which is just a couple of weeks after the iPad was announced.
I can't think of any Puma apparel that was functionally or technically better than Adidas or Nike sportswear or shoes.
Rather, their focus was for trendy fashions that lasted a very short season (and Ferrari brand) once Adidas pushed their Originals and Y-3 ranges.
Now, they are pushing remarketed 3-year old tech to trendy outdoors folk that already have an iPhone and have pre-ordered an iPhone 4 already.
fail ... epic