Velocity Mobile’s entrance into the Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone arena may have prompted some raised eyebrows and vague pessimism, but having seen Vincent’s hands-on gallery and two video demos of the 111 (with keyboard) and 103 (with larger, VGA screen) I’m a lot keener to try the pair out for myself. It’s hard to make an impact at a big show like CTIA Wireless, but Velocity did pretty well with their HSDPA, GPS, WiFi b/g and 2-megapixel-equipped first attempts.

To be fair, the people behind Velocity Mobile did have some experience in the smartphone industry, with various members of the management team coming from OEM manufacturer Inventec and president David Hayes being a former CTO of i-mate. Hence the nifty GUI overlay that makes WM6.1 Pro a little more palatable, and the gorgeous 640 x 480 VGA touchscreen of the Velocity 103, a screen upgrade much in demand from smartphone aficionados.. Prices for each handset are yet to be announced – and they’ll be SIM-free, since Velocity Mobile is yet to sign a deal with a carrier – but the 103 should be available from Q2 and the 111 in Q3. More information on both handsets here. [smooth=50]