What exactly are these guys offering?

[Mad Cabbie]

I have trawled the interweb, and I can't find a thing about this device, or Cerulian Mobile.

I posted a question to them directly, and still haven't got an answer. The only info you get is in the news section on this site.

Call me a cynic, but surely if you are releasing a device in the 'fall' ( autumn for us Brits ), shouldn't you be advertising it by now or much earlier?? This is where like likes of Apple et al, get it right. Advertise heavily in the beginning and generate interest. This is where MS have gone wrong in the past.

Anyway, I am beginning to form the opinion that Warton Brooks are as good at spin as a politician. There is nothing tangible in hand, on the site or a hint of any device. The only image seen is the photo shop mock up, which was basically a Chinese device with their name stuck on it! I hope it isn't a rebranded generic Chinese device, but I have a gut feeling.... Especially when they want you to pre-order a device that is still a mystery.

I hope they pull it off, but they aren't inspiring confidence are they!

 

[rinosaur]

You have to think what kind of device a startup company with 7? employees can make. Likely a rebrand of an existing model

 

[tgp]

They are offering hope. rly:

 

[DustinRyan]

You're absolutely right about having healthy skepticism, especially as a Windows Phone fan. We are kinda like fans of a sports team that will have a losing season every season, but still get excited when they snag a star athlete during spring training, and then realize by the summer that we'll still lose badly in the end.

But to be totally fair, Apple does not promote the iPhone until the day of the announcement. This company has not announced their phone yet. They have just made their presence known, so that when they actually make an announcement, there are people actually looking for it.

The difference between WhartonBrooks and established companies like Apple, Samsung, even Microsoft, is that we know when they will announce products. We get ready ahead of time. WhartonBrooks is new. If they announced a product before anyone knew them, no one would hear about it.

If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Now, you're absolutely right that they haven't offered anything. They are getting us very excited for what might potentially be a huge letdown. Promising to change the world when all they might have is a batch of liquidated Coship phones that no one bought originally, and still won't buy now. It's very possible that is what will happen. But we try to stay optimistic because deep down we truly know what this platform and developers on it are capable of.

Here's why I think we all still think WhartonBrooks can do some good.

You're still here, right? If there wasn't a chance a company like WhartonBrooks could show up and save us all, we wouldn't be here. This forum would be abandoned. We would all be holding Android or iPhones right now. Or maybe you already are, but something keeps you wanting to peek at what us lowly Windows lost souls are up to these days.

What keeps us here? The idea that we still have hope. We still think there's a chance this platform can succeed, and we know how good it can be.

If you're still a fan of Windows Phone, I don't think you have any other option but to hope this new company can actually pull it off. They might have a great idea. Is it likely? I can't answer to that. But there is a chance. And that's all we have. It doesn't hurt to want WhartonBrooks to succeed.

They might be a little rough around the edges (duality of brands, Twitter logo, website needs work, come and go on social media, nothing to actually show off yet despite lots of hype), but at least their podcast background sounds make it feel like they are conversing somewhere fancy and have soothing voices! At least they are trying! And trust me, that's a hard thing to do when you're at ~1% market share. They have balls. I'm rooting for them just for that alone (and still looking for a chance to help! You hear that, Greg? #whoringmyselfforajob).

I've been selling phones for a while and see every kind of customer there is. 90% are in the low to no tech demographic and won't hear a damn thing about this company. But that's why they are interesting.

I'm a Disney fanatic, and also a stubborn dreamer. So I like to quote Walt Disney a lot. And as cheesy as it is, I like to think, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

 

[RumoredNow]

So... Pure speculation driven by obsessive web stalking ninja activities...

My belief is that, yes, this will be one or more Coship offerings rebadged for the Cerulean name. Perhaps we will see rebadged W5s for budget and X1s for mid-scale offerings... That part is not clear. Much will likely depend on WhartonBrooks capital for initial ordering power. However, imaging and text on the WhartonBrooks website seems to indicate the X1 and the PcPhone will both be offered under the Cerulean name. The PcPhone meets the stated Continuum goal and will likely be the first gen Cerulean flagship.

I hope it isn't a rebranded generic Chinese device, but I have a gut feeling.... Especially when they want you to pre-order a device that is still a mystery.

As far as mystery goes... The PcPhone has been released at least twice already as the Funker W6.0 Pro and Mouse Computer's Madosma Q601. I think the reason we haven't seen the PcPhone in the US is that Coship has ceded the market to Cerulean. Coship needs a US presence to push the product. Too many "fans" have overlooked the Amazon only W5 and X1. WhartonBrooks will hopefully make more headway and that accounts for the pre-release hype.

On your side of the pond, Cabbie, the Cerulean label won't likely make an appearance until late 2017 at best.

Here's why I like the idea of WhartonBrooks partnering with Coship. My time with a Moly W5 and Daniel Rubino's look at the Moly X1 leave me with faith that Coship knows how to build a solid device with a high level of quality control. With 8 years experience building mobile devices Coship has a great build philosophy, IMHO, with their unibody construction technique, they make a great display including the licensing of ClearBlack tech and their aesthetics are good. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a second Coship manufactured device. I'm way more impressed with them than I am with whomever BLU had making their devices and I bought into BLU twice with a Win HD and an HD LTE... Sad as it is to see BLU seemingly withdraw from the platform I think Coship more than fills those shoes if they can get traction in the same markets BLU has vacated for Windows Phone/W10M. It just strikes me as a higher level of build quality and design philosophy.

Additionally, if you follow Jason Ward's series on the emergence of WhartonBrooks/Cerulean and listen the WB's soundcloud podcasts it feels like there is enough there to surmise that this won't be a bare bones ROM of W10M as we have been accustomed to seeing from many 3rd party OEM/ODM devices. I have a strong feeling that fans will be pleasantly surprised to see actual firmware and exclusive apps on the Cerulean devices. Greg Murphy, the CEO of WhartonBrooks strikes me as a man who wants to polish the product before it gets revealed and he has a solid grasp on what fans want in a device. Possibly the NDA could be from Microsoft for licensed bits of Lumia firmware to help critical areas of the UX and there are also many hints about home built bits of software as well. I'm not expecting a "generic" experience from the hardware or the software.

I believe the combination of factors I've mentioned (if correct) will give this device a good pedigree that users will want to consider. Especially in light of the recent Enterprise focus of HP and Acer, along with the purported goals of whatever "Surface" device materializes. I'm looking for a pleasing confluence of price, build, spec and software...

Yes, I'm optimistic about this venture. My expectations are tempered by research and a belief that if a true fan is behind the helm we will see a worthy start and something to build upon for this new brand. Cerulean has to start somewhere and it appears to me it won't necessarily be at the bottom. I see some solid foundations being laid for a sturdy future.

 

[DustinRyan]

WhartonBrooks actually delayed the announcement of their phone(s) because RumoredNow's detective work was so good and took the wind out of their sails by figuring out their entire product line and surprise :grin:

 

[anthonyng]

but probably nothing for us with 950xl or x3's I suppose?

 

[Mad Cabbie]

Dear Mr RumouredNow ;-) lol.

Thanks for your informed response. My main concern was that, from a consumer perspective, visiting their site doesn't fill you with information to enable you to take a punt and preorder.

There is very little on there. I appreciate that they are coming at it from a 'fan' angle, and that is probably a decent place to start. I haven't had any dealings with a coship, and have to rely on reviews from tech 'gods' like yourself and Daniel et al. Where do these guys perceive the prospective sales to be. We all know that the coship was not a seller, for whatever reason.

I have heard, and read, the articles about them, and, as we are all to aware of, if you talk the talk, you need to walk the walk. The way in which their enthusiasm comes across is admirable, but there is still no device to show, or demonstrate its capabilities. The website gives a 'guarded' feel, with pretty much no information. As I said in the OP, we are in 'fall' now, and yet nowt forthcoming, and when you add in that no detailed information has been forthcoming, any potential adopters could be reluctant.

Their enthusiasm is admirable, but IMHO, sounds like rhetoric. This enthusiasm, combined with a lack of information, could be misconstrued as spin.

As I said, I hope they do make a go of it. A curveball device could make things interesting. I appreciate that they could never, with the finances available, launch with a 'new' device and that some compromise's would, inevitably, lead to a badging exercise. After all, it works in the motor trade, and has a track record of success and huge, exponentially, cost savings. It has been incredibly successful in Europe, with an unknown brand, Dacia ( owned by Renault ), using previous gen tech and mechanicals, has been a massive success. They are everywhere!! Admittedly, the Cerulian team, don't have those types of resources, but there are examples of badge engineering everywhere.

IMHO, they really need to get something out there sooner rather than later. And that is imperative. Of course, there other factors, we have to take into consideration. Are the devices capable of keeping up with developments over the next couple of years? RS development is trotting along and, 12 months down the line, will the hardware be able to keep up?? Could this be a concern that has delayed things?

I'm hoping that something appears soon as I refuse to pay the Apple price tag for an x3 at the moment. If these are any good, and reasonably priced, I could replace a few of my aging devices in the taxis. The large screen on the PC would be ideal for the cabs for sat nav etc

My fingers are crossed, and hope to hear something regarding these. I want them to make a good start. I want to see them make progress, but the lack of info and lack of device specs etc, could be very off putting for those looking for an alternative, or lack of, Windows device

 

[Nokia_Lumia]

They have no R/D or engineering team. It will absolutely be a rebranded ODM device, if there will be one. I don't understand all of the coverage these guys are getting. It's great to have "OEMs" stepping up, especially "local" ones, but this is hardly an OEM. We have HP, Acer, and to some extent Alcatel, with VAIO local to only Japan. The devices so far are not on par with Lumia, hopefully HP figures it out with updates. The rest of the OEMs are no-name manufacturers that no one has heard of, no one is promoting, and likely no one will buy their devices. We have heard the guy's life story twice, and still no hint of a phone.

 

[RumoredNow]

but probably nothing for us with 950xl or x3's I suppose?

Not for the 1st gen, if I read things correctly... But perhaps the 2nd gen when 950 XL is starting to feel its age. The big hurdle there is camera and WB seems to desire upping the game in two areas, camera and audio. Elite X3 is playing in a different stadium with Workspace and a Enterprise orientation.

Are the devices capable of keeping up with developments over the next couple of years? RS development is trotting along and, 12 months down the line, will the hardware be able to keep up?? Could this be a concern that has delayed things?

If the 1st gen Cerulean flag gets an SD617 SoC, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage and Type-C I'm not worried about it gulping down feature sets in RS2 and beyond... I would expect the SD210/212, 1GB RAM, 8-16GB internal devices have more of a concern there. If this is a rebadged PcPhone it is in exactly the class of device I want. I was craving the Neo, but it never made the leap out of Japan. This should surpass that worthy in screen size and resolution, RAM, battery and internal storage. I have no more of a problem imaging this device handling future OS releases than my 1520 or 930/Icon or any Lumia x50...

 

[Mad Cabbie]

I guess it will be a waiting game. I was just a bit miffed with the publicised release, and no device seen.

With the specs you wish for, I'd have no problem with, and I'd be in the queue right behind you! That's if it makes it to the UK.

 

[RumoredNow]

With the specs you wish for...

It's more than a wish. If this is to be the PcPhone the spec is known for some time. PcPhone - Moly PcPhone

 

[kj_wp]

The moly pc phone is a great mid tier device. I would have to confirm USB type-c and camera. A 1080P SD6XX series would be a great improvement over the SD808 and SD810 in 950's when talking about battery life. A 950 equivalent with reduced screen resolution and better battery would be great. A current generation Xiaomi would be better choice given Xiaomi history with windows 10 mobile rom. Sub $300 has to be price point. Lumia 640xl dual sim price point would be best. Coship solicited pricing requests for their moly pc phone. Was confusing since current spec didn't match Xiaomi redmi note series.

 

[camaroz1985]

I just wish there was a pcphone mini. I don't want a 6" phone again. I prefere 5-5.2, but 5.5 would be the max I would go for.

 

[Nokia_Lumia]

Now that the Idol 4 is capable of doing continuum (to be announced on tmobile), what will this "groundbreaking" technology be?

 

[nate0]

Gooood weeee-hours of the morning to all....well it is from where I am located.

Call me for my enthusiasm, but I wanted to share what I think and hope Cerulean/WhartonBrooks are coming with. I wanted to share what I looked up months back, maybe some of you also went to the site listed below.

If what is suspected, based on pics from their web pages and the different posts shared here in the threads, we are thinking they will go with a Coship model. If to support continuum which SD 600 series might they use?

Coship appears to have two models that run a SD 600 SoC.
http://www.coshipglobal.com/Platform/index.html

I have my bets set on one of the SD 8953 handsets listed and it seems to fit the mold based on our recent peek.

However they could come with a different model all together...

What do you guys think?

 

[RumoredNow]

What do you guys think?

Interesting find to be sure... and of all the models on that page, the X6A/B are the only ones not to lead to more detail when clicked on. The A seems to be a microUSB while the B looks like Type-C.

My only question is: SD 625 shows no external display support so would such a phone be Continuum ready?

Definitely a page worth keeping an eye on though. Thanks.

 

[nate0]

Interesting find to be sure... and of all the models on that page, the X6A/B are the only ones not to lead to more detail when clicked on. The A seems to be a microUSB while the B looks like Type-C.

My only question is: SD 625 shows no external display support so would such a phone be Continuum ready?

Definitely a page worth keeping an eye on though. Thanks.

It's definitely capable if based on what Microsoft minimum hw requirements show. The minimum for continuum currently is msm8952. I would have to research sd625 specifically though. Either way I know xda devs have got continuum working on non supported devices but out of the box on the 625 I'm not certain. We all know 8992 and also 8993 are capable as well as 8996. Is it as far as the baseline the sd617 is the minimum?

EDIT: I think you're right in that the 625 may not meet ALL the minimum requirements. I guess we'll wait and see.

 

[RumoredNow]

The SD 617 minimum was published a while ago...

IF we go just by "External Display Support" we could conceivably use the following:
SD 835 / 821 / 820 / 810 / 808 / 805 / 801 / 800... So far as we know Microsoft has only enabled Continuum for 820 / 810 / 808 and quite likely 835 is in the works.
SD 653 / 652 / 650 / 617 / 600... So far as we know Microsoft has only enabled Continuum for SD 617.
SD 435 / 430 / 427 / 425 / 415 / 412 / 410 / 400... I know of no plans for Microsoft to enable continuum for any SD 4xx.
SD 2xx shows no models with support for external display...

Now I'm beginning to wonder if there is a Registry Edit that would allow Continuum for any device with external display support. Might we see Microsoft push Continuum down into the SD 4xx series in future? How effective would Continuum be on, say, an SD 425? How about with SD 800? Many 1520/930/ICON owners might like to know the answer to that one...

I imagine a reg edit would require full Interop Unlock for that level of change.

 

[nate0]

The SD 617 minimum was published a while ago...

IF we go just by "External Display Support" we could conceivably use the following:
SD 835 / 821 / 820 / 810 / 808 / 805 / 801 / 800... So far as we know Microsoft has only enabled Continuum for 820 / 810 / 808 and quite likely 835 is in the works.
SD 653 / 652 / 650 / 617 / 600... So far as we know Microsoft has only enabled Continuum for SD 617.
SD 435 / 430 / 427 / 425 / 415 / 412 / 410 / 400... I know of no plans for Microsoft to enable continuum for any SD 4xx.
SD 2xx shows no models with support for external display...

Now I'm beginning to wonder if there is a Registry Edit that would allow Continuum for any device with external display support. Might we see Microsoft push Continuum down into the SD 4xx series in future? How effective would Continuum be on, say, an SD 425? How about with SD 800? Many 1520/930/ICON owners might like to know the answer to that one...

I imagine a reg edit would require full Interop Unlock for that level of change.

Not sure if I mentioned above, but xda devs have enabled continuum on non-supported devices. So it is easier than we think, but poorly performs on lowend CPUs with little RAM and GPU guts.