Saygus, the company that really will have an actual smartphone for sale any day now, they totally promise, has some more promises for you. A press release issued at Mobile World Congress lays out a series of improvements to the crowdfunded V-Squared phone, which should be easy to implement since the phone still isn't finished despite a first quarter manufacturing target. No less than four, count 'em, four new features have been introduced since... last year's Mobile World Congress. The fact that Saygus has missed multiple ship dates between now and then is conspicuously absent from the press release.
Those features are "waterproofing" (an interesting claim, since every other manufacturer has the sense to cover their asses with the term "water-resistant"), Android 6.0 software, dual-SIM card slots (a popular feature for unlocked and low-cost phones outside the US), and a USB Type-C port, a la that OnePlus 2. The Type-C and waterproofing features have been added to the spec list on the Saygus website, the latter with an IPX7 rating. For the record, that's "water resistant" at up to one meter of water pressure for 30 minutes. There's no mention of Marshmallow or dual SIM cards on the site, but it apparently hasn't been updated since last year, so that's understandable.
To say that Saygus has lost some credibility after multiple delays, manufacturer re-shuffling, extra crowdfunding campaigns and pre-orders, and more delays, is an understatement. At this point the company's promises of industry-leading hardware and features seem more than a little hollow, like an asterisk with no footnote. Which, coincidentally, is what you'll find all over that specification page on the website. Something tells me that adding more and more features on paper won't make the phone come any sooner.
Source: MarketWired
PRESS RELEASE
BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwired - Feb 23, 2016) - Saygus, the American smartphone manufacturer that created the V-Squared, will be exhibiting at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain at booth CS65. It will show attendees what consumers have been seeking in a smartphone and show the convergence of media-heavy devices with practical engineering.
"Mobile device users around the world are expecting device manufacturers to do more and provide more," said Chad Sayers, Founder of Saygus. "We have listened to their wants and needs and have designed into the V-Squared 15 innovative and exclusive features that are new to the smartphone industry. For instance, people increasingly expect their mobile devices to live at the center of their world and the lack of feature-rich handsets leave them hungry for more. Smartphones should be the first place they reach and use for not only communication, but entertainment, education, business and commerce. We are empowering users in their daily lives with the V-Squared and the emergence of its distinct and unique feature set including WirelessHD beaming, massive storage (up to 464GB of available storage), improved battery life, sunlight viewability, top of the line cameras and rugged durability."
Since its initial introduction to the European market at the 2015 Mobile World Congress, Saygus has made four important updates.
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New waterproofing technology has been employed that will enable it to be "washable"
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The addition of Android's Marshmallow Operating System
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Implementation of a design upgrade that will enable dual SIM card slots, which were added at the request of international users
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The V-Squared has also had a new USB type C charger port for rapid charging
Saygus is a U.S.-based mobile device designer and manufacturer located in Salt Lake City. Saygus is focused on delivering leading-edge cellular devices that introduce innovative features to the mobile marketplace for the benefit of the consumer. For more information on Saygus, please visit: http://www.saygus.com
