Yes. It’s true, it seems.

Our very own Ricky Chotai noticed this on the ZZPhone site earlier today.

Interesting, interesting…

The last ZZZPhone I purchased didn’t work in the UK; but I think they’ve changed suppliers now. I’ll need to talk to them and find out more.

Just LOOK at these features:

This new model zzzPhone, scheduled for limited release in USA this month, has defied the odds as zzzPhone’s innovative engineers are close to beating the Google G1 in a biased race to world markets.

Starting at $149, with powerful standard features such as dual SIM card slots (2 phones in one case), a 3 mpxl camera, and MP3/MP4 player, this same zzzPhone can be upgraded with GPS navigational systems, stereo speakers, 7 mpxl camera (even both a front and/or rear facing camera), a projector to show text messages, photos, videos or movies on the wall, wi-fi and many more options.

Second thoughts.. we’ll place an order and find out more for you.

This is the second stage of growth for zzzPhone. They’ve launched two new models today and they are rather good looking.

One runs on the Nucleus OS (ZED 1.1), the other Windows Mobile (ZED 1.2).

The ZED 1.2 handset features is more of a business phone featuring a full keyboard, GPS, WIFI, 2.5in Touch screen, Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional and a 2 megapixel camera. This is the one I’d buy, I think. It starts at $349 but can be customised with some shockingly cool upgrades.

The ZED 1.1, is the updated version of the one I bought (it works in the States too) and starts at $149 and offers TV and an FM radio tuner as well as a 3″ touchscreen.

Jesse of Unified tells me that 140 affiliates have already notified their interest — interest affiliates get a special deal (buy both new handsets, get a video spot and a 7 inch monitor) along with an array of useful information, marketing designs, brochures, banners and so on. If they don’t have a website, Unified will help out there too.

You can order from here and find out more about their affiliate scheme here.

I can’t tell you how exciting it was, a few months ago, flicking through the zzzPhone order form and choosing the specification of my new handset. GPS or no? How much memory? Size of camera? Did you say 7 megapixel? Heh. It was brilliant.

I ended up just buying a standard handset at $149 (70 odd quid) just to begin with.

And it arrived. I had it shipped to my US address despite the fact that this version wasn’t meant to work in the States.

And what, ho, Brabantio? It’s arrived.

I got back to the hotel room, switched off everything and took a deep breath. Right, then. Let’s open it up.

First, let’s be clear: zzzPhone isn’t a fraud, it isn’t make believe. They’re a team of committed people and I’ve been talking with Jesse, their US representative, regularly. So if you’ve any questions about the device, go ahead and post them below and I’ll get answers pronto.

Thank you to the custom chappies who saw fit to rip open the package and resealing it with an elastic band:

And the box, let’s have a look at that:

There’s a bit too much of that spongey fat font for my liking. I’d like to see something a little bit more ‘branded’. Still.

Dual SIM? I forgot! And it’s got a touch screen. Forgot about that too. Replete with stylus, I might add. I won’t be using that myself.

And the specifications on the side? Let’s have a look:

And a closer look at the device picture:

Always time for a bit of an arty shot:

And now, let’s open the box!

Woosh. A manual! I wasn’t really expecting a manual — your average purchaser of a zzzPhone, I reckon, could probably get by without one. I suppose it’s a necessary addition.

Under the manual? Here’s the phone itself:

Closer:

Yes those are chinesey looking characters — or are they Arabic? — on each of the keys. Interesting.

And two batteries:

Smart. They’re big mothers too.

Speaking of big — that’s the zzzPhone too. It’s a big device. It fits lightly in your hand, but it’s a little bigger than your average Nokia.

It’s actually Sony Ericsson P990 sized. That’ll be your camera there:

3.2 mega pixel, Carl Zeiss?

This zzzPhone would definitely double as a useful anti-mugger device too:

Here it is next to my Blackberry Curve:

I opened up the back. There’s the two sim card slots:

Plus a 256mb (supplied) SD card:

The stylus is bottom right…

It’s a non-standard (at least, to me, anyway) port. I was hoping for standard mini-USB so that I only need to continue to carry one lead. Slightly different with the zzzPhone:

You get a USB cable and charger in the box.

And I got this handy ‘cell phone flash light’ that you tape/glue to the back of your phone:

A wee gift!

The battery is a huge mother. I’m pleased you get two. Here it is pictured next to the Samsung BlackJack II battery:

Let’s switch it on, eh? I spoke to Jesse earlier wondering why the device was able to operate even when I’d taken the battery out. That really confused me. “It’s got a 20 minute integrated backup battery,” he replies, “Although the newer version we’re about to launch doesn’t,”. That’s a brilliant offering, a 20-min bit of extra juice to rely on, he goes on, “I was watching a movie on that little battery alone.”

Smart.

I’m liking the idea of having two ‘call’ buttons to press — button 1 calls, I imagine, with your primary sim card and vice versa:

If the device itself is big, then so is the screen. Massive. Bright. Nice:

I set up the clock:

It’s running an operating system by the name of Nucleus (website). I haven’t come across that myself. The next version of the device (available soon) will work everywhere (including America) and it’ll be running Windows Mobile 6.0 (no word on 6.1 upgrade as yet).

It doesn’t, alas, work in the States yet so I’m getting SIM Access Error messages together with ‘activating’ messages. I’ll try it properly when I hit the UK later this week.

So. Well, it’s definitely real. For quite a while a lot of readers have been emailing and commenting on the site wondering when the device was going to arrive. You can go ahead and place orders now via www.zzzphone.com for the next version of the device. I’ll see if I can get hold of one of those to look at shortly.

It’d be inappropriate to comment on the day to day usability of the device at this stage. I’ve not really had much of an opportunity to use the device as yet since it’s not US compatible. But I will definitely be giving it a run-through this week and I will report back.

No, not teasing. I’m just in a fourth-world country (in the context of internet connection).

This Radisson hotel’s internet connection is SO bad that FlickrUploadr thinks there’s an internet connection problem. I attempted to upload the 200mb of photos. No dice. It’s failing and looking at me with a highly confused look on its virtual face.

There’s an ibahn connection that I can access from the Sheraton across the road. $15 for the day. Might actually pay that in a little while if I haven’t found an alternative location to access the internet here in San Francisco.

You will want to see these zzzPhone pictures, trust me.

I wasn’t quite sure what it was until I got there and spied the zzzPhone logo. Right on! It’s here!

I’ll unpack it, charge it and have a look!

I last wrote about zzzPhone a few months back — when I heard about them, I went straight to the site and was overcome with a geeky compulsion to browse then buy right away. There is something hugely refreshing about being able to check a few boxes on an order form and specify your phone configuration, just like you do with Dell online.

It’s massively refreshing actually. I’m so used to having to ‘take what I’m given’. I’m used to reading through Stefan’s reviews at Intomobile and feeling a little notch of disappointment clock up when I find out that some new device only has so much memory, or whatever.

So I ordered one a while back. I’m still waiting — but for good reason. Jesse tells me they’ve been working hard with their source suppliers and putting right a few things. The handsets-are-a-coming. No word on a specific date but he’s promised to keep me informed. The moment I get it, I’ll post up pictures and some video here. Earmarked launch … April 7th! Woooo!

The US Distributor, by the way, is Unified Telecommunications, at www.unifiedtelcom.com — all orders can be processed through this site.

In the notification email, I’m told that the next version — version 2.0 of the zzzPhone — due out in late 2008, will feature Google Android as the handset’s operating system. interesting stuff…

I don’t think it’s a scam. Certainly not yet. I’ve handed over one hundred and forty nine smackers via PayPal and at no point did I believe I was specifically getting a Windows Mobile phone. Or a Symbian phone. In fact the zzzPhone site has a mixmatch of information on the subject. I resolved to check-it-out and see what it’s like. Hopefully mine should arrive shortly. But the site does appear to advertise that the OS is indeed Windows Mobile. Strange. We’ll see.

Following on from Ricky’s post about the launch of custom phone manufacturer, zzzPhone, I went along and spec’ed out my own custom handset.

7 megapixel camera. GPS. Dark red, double power battery. What an enlightening and exciting experience that was.

Alas, at just shy of $700 dollars I did balk.

But I’ve done my blogger duty to you, dear reader. I’ve just ordered one via the rather rickety zzzPhone ordering process. Dell, it ain’t. However it’s PayPal enabled which gave me a lot security.

Instead of the 700-dollar-mamma that I was going to order, I went ahead and bought the bog-standard 149 dollar one. I also paid for express delivery.

The arse? It’s used my PayPal address for the delivery address. Bit annoying that; since I’m in San Francisco at the moment and not London. Still, I got the confirmation email from them. I’ll keep you updated…

I put together quite a healthy-featured ZzzPhone for US$449, which isn’t bad, but I have to call shenanigans on this whole deal. ZzzPhone claims to be an American-based company with a plant in China that’s using the same materials as the big boys do, for a fraction of the price. Phones are tri-band GSM (850/1800/1900MHz) and thus ‘might’ not work in Europe.

Anyone got $150 they don’t mind losing to actually order one of these, just to see? I wonder if I could get a review unit….

Via: Textually