Siemens meets McLaren and Escada (CeBIT '04)
Gallery by Sean Cooper on Monday April 05, 2004.

Siemens put on quite a show in Hall 26 at this year's CeBIT. With the announcements of the CX65, CF62, M65, S65, and C65, Siemens Mobile is definitely starting 2004 with a bang. Siemens also had a couple "Special Edition" phones on display - the Escada, a hot pink reworked SL55, and the McLaren SX1.

The McLaren SX1 is a glossy black version of the original SX1. Created in limited numbers, it will only be available through the Siemens online store. This is the third in a series of Siemens mobile handsets showcasing the sponsorship agreement with McLaren Formula 1. The first two were the S55 and M55 Formula 1 Editions. Both handsets carried a fairly hefty price tag, somewhere in excess of 20% more than the original versions.

The Escada is a very visible phone. This is simply a SL55 with a new cover like the SX1, mentioned above. It is electric pink and was featured in a display case with a few matching ladies accessories. While not at the top of my list in the beauty department, perhaps somebody out there is just dying to have a hot pink phone to match a prom outfit. It seems the Xelibri ideas have crossed over to some standard Siemens products. Unfortunately, the great pics I had of Sid wearing the high heels modelling this phone were lost...

Motorola V600 Aston Martin Edition Review

Review by Michael Oryl (editor) on Monday March 15, 2004.

Motorola V600
We were thrilled when we first heard that Motorola was going to build the V600. Up until that point, the high-end Bluetooth handset market was dominated by Sony Ericsson. Nokia certainly had a few models out with Bluetooth, but they all had enough troubles to often rule them out for a real Bluetooth fan. So when I was told last August that Motorola would be sending me a review unit, I could hardly wait.

Yet wait is what I did. For months. Seemingly Motorola hadn't planned on the popularity of the new series of phones (which includes the less expensive V300 and V500), and that they were running low on parts. Particularly the parts for the camera.

So I waited. For months. And here we are over 6 months later, and Motorola is still having major problems getting the V600 to market. Luckily, I didn't have to rely on Motorola for the review unit, and instead was able to get one of the limited edition Aston Martin V600 handsets courtesy of my friends at ACS. Only 1000 of these babies are being made, and most are going to Aston Martin owners. They are also priced for the person that can afford such cars, going for well over $1,500 as of the time of this writing.

For those curious, the Aston Martin edition V600 comes in a nice aluminum box with a wood inlay top, and includes the HS810 Bluetooth headset. Additionally, there are Aston Martin logos on the inside and outside of the device, and it is packed with cool Aston Martin ringtones, screen savers, and pictures.
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