Unboxing the Vulcan FlipStart

I’ve recently acquired a virtually new-in-the-box and never booted Vulcan FlipStart with Windows XP and EVDO! The only item missing appears to be the recovery disc(s), which I can live without thanks to Acronis True Image.

Take a look at all the pictures!

Yes I know, I’m about a year late to the party, and I’ve been pretty critical about the Flipstart in the past, calling it the ugly duckling and the zombie handtop. So why now?

Well a lot of things have changed in a year:
- I retired my beloved OQO Model 02 with HSDPA, selling it before it lost too much value
- Vulcan lowered the price of the FlipStart to $699, and then stopped selling it altogether

The tipping point was my Vulcan FlipStart HSDPA mod. The brave soul who volunteered his device for the hacking was experiencing some hardware problems which I was only able to resolve thanks to the outstanding assistance I received from Vulcan customer support. Being able to swap EVDO with HSDPA without reaching for my soldering iron was the icing on the cake…

So I started looking for a used FlipStart for further hacking. And for the record, I still think the FlipStart is aesthetically challenged :)

Vulcan Flipstart HSDPA mod

Recently, a member of handtops.com (where I’m a moderator) lent me his Vulcan FlipStart and Fujitsu LifeBook U810 for me play with!

Here’s a video comparing both devices…

Last year I published an HSDPA mod for the OQO Model 02. Today I bring you an HSDPA mod for the Vulcan FlipStart :)

This time, instead of taking pictures, I decided to stream live video:
- Part 1 covers disassembling the FlipStart and replacing EVDO with HSDPA
- Part 2 covers reassembling the FlipStart and testing the result

I used the mini-PCIe card from my Sierra Wireless AirCard 875U together with the Sierra Wireless 3G Watcher.

Other than my connection (apparently) getting throttled by AT&T, everything ended up working pretty well…

I’d like to publicly thank the intrepid member of handtops.com who lent me both devices!

Tasty bits - 16

Now that the Nokia N95 is in the wild, so are the pictures, the unboxing, a navigation review, a music review, and a camera review! In addition, here’s a video podcast about video editing, as well as info about GPS applications and the tilt sensor…

The OQO Model 02 is also in the wild - but where is mine?

Speaking of handtops, the Vulcan Flipstart is shipping.

Will you buy the Apple iPhone on June 11? I’m going to try :)

Apparently, the LG KE850 (Prada) is now available for free - check out this interface video…

Here are more pictures of the sexy Samsung F700!

It looks like Microsoft is trying to catch up to Nokia on the mobile web browser front.

Speaking of browsers, Opera Mobile for Windows Mobile Smartphone is now available for download - my Samsung i607 (BlackJack) is smiling :)

How about high-quality DRM-free music from the iTunes store? Well, it’s about time.

Tasty bits - 14

The Google phone is is not is perhaps coming, and the Meizu M8/miniOne is is not is perhaps an iPhone clone…

Here are some pictures of the Samsung F700, which is really tasty!

And as if this was not enough goodness, here are more pictures and another video of the LG KE850 (Prada), which is already being replaced?

The Digital Cube i-Station G43 is an interesting handtop-sized UMPC - like a Nokia N800 on steroids :)

Speaking of handtops, how about more OQO Model 02 and Vulcan FlipStart (aka. the ugly duckling) coverage?

And finally, the Nokia N80 is now supported natively by iSync, and the N95 is about to be released (complete with commercial).

Tasty bits - 13

How about a comparison between the OQO Model 02 and the Vulcan FlipStart?

Speaking of handtops, Mike Cane has posted a “first impressions” OQO Model 02 review.

Here’s (possibly) more info on the Google phone…

Update: It appears the Google phone is confirmed.

Sony Ericsson’s 5 megapixel “Sophia” phone has apparently been renamed K850i, and it’s a lot thinner than expected!

CeBIT just started :)

Tasty bits - 12

I’ve been busy at GDC with work-related stuff, but I’ll have some Nokia and Motorola coverage for you later this week. Also, I’ve acquired a rare Neonode N1m that I’ll be playing with soon. In the meantime…

How about some LG KE850 (Prada) phone goodness, like a review, a video review (above), and a release date & price?

The zombie handtop Vulcan FlipStart is back from the dead again here after a 3-year vaporware hiatus! It’s a bit pricey, thick, heavy, (ugly?) and a bit challenged on the memory and hard drive fronts, but it’s nonetheless interesting. I’ve requested a review unit, but I’m not holding my breath :)

Here’s a video of the Samsung F700 with music by one of my favorite bands, Fila Brazillia (song: The Cubist News, album: Dicks, year: 2004).

Apparently, you can use the Nokia N95 to edit video! Wow…

It looks like Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR is going to introduce some cool new features, including near field communication.

Perhaps the Google phone is more than just speculation after all.