Flashback: even more weird automobile-branded phones

The kooky Siemens SX1 had a McLaren dinky edition, however different mobile telephone makers like partnered up with the racing model too. That came a pair of few years later when carrier Vodafone signed on to be the title sponsor of the McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 personnel (the deal lasted from 2007 to 2013).

Since it turned into as soon as the carrier calling the shots, it created a branding that turned into as soon as utilized to several existing Samsung and Intelligent phones to construct dinky editions for the 2007 championship.

First up is the Samsung Z720 or to give its fleshy title the “Vodafone McLaren Mercedes SGH-Z720M”. A dinky slider with a dinky 2.1” yelp, this turned into as soon as truly a pretty succesful tool. It had a 3.15MP digital camera on the rear and a VGA cam on the entrance that will presumably well presumably very correctly be aged for video calling over 3G. It had a microSD slot and MP3 enhance, though it aged headphones with a proprietary connector, which wasn’t ideal.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes SGH-Z720M

Next up is the Intelligent 770SH. Successfully, the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 770SH, you safe the image. The two.2” screen turned into as soon as barely any bigger than the one on the Samsung even though flip phones are more ambiance pleasant in how they employ home (e.g. the D-pad turned into as soon as on the decrease half of, now no longer below the yelp).

This one turned into as soon as a 3G mobile telephone too, however with less succesful cameras – 1.3 MP well-known and a QCIF video cam (176 x 144 px). It had a microSD slot and an MP3 participant too, though again with a proprietary headphones connector. It supplied for €69 in Vodafone stores (on contract, of route).

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 770SH

The closing of the bunch is the Intelligent GX29. This one turned into as soon as more compact with a 2.0” yelp and smaller dimensions. However, the digital camera turned into as soon as even more dinky (640 x 480 px well-known and 128 x 96 px video name cam). Also, it misplaced the microSD slot and tune gamers.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes GX29

The Aston Martin model has graced just a few phones through the years. In a previous installment we covered the Nokia 8800 dinky edition, however that turned into as soon as clearly a Nokia. Back in 2012 one thing with less obvious origins appeared – the Aston Martin Aspire appeared. It turned into as soon as a $1,300 luxurious tool, $1,600 whenever you happen to wanted the 24Ok gold plated one.

It ran Android 2.3 Gingerbread on an 800MHz processor with 256MB RAM and 512MB storage (+ microSD slot). It had a 320 x 480 px yelp, 5MP rear and VGA entrance cameras and came with a snazzy leather-basically based fully pouch. The leather-basically based fully-sure field that it came in truly acknowledged “you spent $1,300 on a mobile telephone”, no longer like this present day’s dinky, eco-pleasant containers.

Aston Martin Aspire

Let’s capture a destroy from quick, sporty automobile brands and seek at one thing more imposing. Preserve in mind the Hummer? It is a civilian model of the defense power automobile and, seemingly, an animated inspiration for a mobile telephone, however right here we are.

Or we had been in 2007 when the Hummer HT1 turned into as soon as designed by the French firm ModeLabs. It supplied for €300 in Europe – now no longer precisely the Hummer’s most though-provoking market. Tranquil, the D-pad turned into as soon as styled after the broad automobile’s hubcap, in order that’s one thing, proper?

Hummer HT1

This 2G mobile telephone moreover featured a 2.2” touchscreen, a 2MP digital camera, 256MB of built-in storage that will presumably well presumably very correctly be expanded by microSD cards. That extra storage turned into as soon as moreover aged by the MP3 tune and MPEG4 video gamers.

Despite the Hummer image, this wasn’t a rugged mobile telephone esteem the Land Rover S1 we saw in a previous edition.

ModeLabs had one other proceed and created the Hummer HT2. This one turned into as soon as a bar mobile telephone and all any other time it fully lacked any protection and ruggedness. It had a dinky LCD with 220 x 176 px decision and the hubcap D-pad made one other look.

Hummer HT2

Two brands on the entire be a a part of collectively to unhealthy-promote their products, however it absolutely is now no longer always a success. Per chance just a few McLaren fans sold these Vodafone handsets, however what number of Hummer phones did ModeLabs sell? That is unclear, however as a minimal it tried.