Hop-on has announced that it will launch its latest GSM tri-band handset targeted for the United States and Latin America in October 2005. Hop-on’s Model HOP1886 is a tri-band (850/1800/1900 MHz) handset with a touch screen menu, MP3 player, 2.0M CMOS camera and MPEG-4 video recorder. In addition, this handset includes such features as WAP/GPRS, 64 polyphonic ring tones, a 262K TFT main screen, predictive text input, SMS/MMS messaging, Email (WAP Push) and a 500 name address book.
Dan Gannon, Chief Executive Officer of Hop-on commented said in the press release, “This latest phone is packed with features and will be a very compelling priced product. Our core business was on emerging markets and low-end handsets. This is our first handset targeted for the high-end and will retail for approximately $300 USD. Phones featuring similar features currently retail for approximately $600 to $700 USD. Our market research studies showed that this design will be extremely successful.”
Specifications:
• Size: 90 x 46 x 18 mm
• Weight: 80g
• Bands: Tri-band 850 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
• Main Screen: 2.0″ 262K TFT
• Ring Tones: 64 polyphonic/ MP3
• Camera: 2.0 Megapixel CMOS
• MPEG4: 30 fps, Video Streaming
• GPRS, Wap 2.0
• JAVA 2.0
• MP3, MPEG 4
• Voice Recording
• USB, Mini-SD, IrDA, Pen-base
• Calculator, Calendar
According to the company’s web site, Hop-on develops and markets wireless phones and accessories as well as wireless surveillance systems. Its product line includes the next generation CDMA2000 handsets designed by its Dallas R&D team as well as GSM/WIFI handsets. Hop-on targets its phones to both emerging market carriers and other domestic carriers and resellers needing an entry level priced phone. In addition, Hop-on offers a line of innovative and attractively priced wireless accessories for both Hop-on phones and other leading manufacturers as well as affordable, wireless surveillance systems. Hop-on is also known for developing the world’s first disposable cell phone. It was an IS-95 CDMA phone that was sold to consumers with prepaid airtime and included the capability to add on additional minutes.
More info here.
On March 25, 2004, Apple Computer, Inc. filed a United States Patent Application, “Graphical user interface and methods of use thereof in a multimedia player,” which included Apple’s patent-pending iPod Click-Wheel and listed Apple CEO Steve Jobs among three of the inventors.
“Hop-on,” as in “Let’s Hop-on other companies’ designs and let them do the innovating for us!”
apple already has this click wheel patent, so too bad guys.
“Our market research studies showed this design would be very successful’ Yeah, no kidding. Must be nice when your ‘market research’ conssists of following iPod sales!
Where’s my lawyer?
I smell a lawsuit and a “cease and desist” order.
<school yard chant> Somebody’s gonna get su-ued…
Interesting target date. Oct., 2005. Could they have licensed technology already from Apple? Plays MP4. If Apple doesn’t go after them right away, this could be interesting. We’ll have to wait and see.
Hop-along, Hop-On.
apple partner ?
they might not be in business to make the trial..
Who the heck is hop-on? Look at the list of stuff on that device. Does anyone really think you can produce that for $300? Smells fishy to me.
Well, it’s on their website. Based in Irvine, CA. Hope they know what they are doing.
The click wheel is designed and manufactured by Synaptics, anyone can buy it. Apple can shove that patent up to their asses.
The company has not been in business very long and seems to buy cheaply made phones from China and they then slap their name on it. Not a bad formula really. Also note that the pic in this article is a render/artist mock up so this phone isn’t even real.
Looks to be a fly by night outfit. Stick with the name brands these hop one my XXXX phones suck. They are worse than they pay as you go phones. Does anybody know anybody that has one of these peice of crap phones?
What was that noise? Oh, just Apple’s attorneys standing up in unison. Get ready Hop-on, here they come.
Ok, so Apple have patented an innovative UI for multi-media players. But what about phones? I hate it how mega-companies sit on patents like this one…. it’s not like they’ve released a mobile phone or anything themselves…
I smell a lawsuit and a “cease and desist” order —YOU BET —THE LAWERS WILL SMELLING BLOOD!
Apple… get em quick! Don’t let them get away with this crap.
The issue is this phone is more than a phone; it is a multimedia player as well. So Apple has grounds to sue.
See ya, wouldn’t wana be ya!
MD Magic word: Work as in “Get up and do some work you lazy Hop-along bastard!”
This phone is either complete BS or they licensed the click wheel. The Hop-On logo isn’t centered over the display and the buttons are all photoshopped from other existing products. Looks like a hoax.