Emblaze lacks partners, in silent mode

Tentative smartphone contender Emblaze may be on the verge of falling apart before it has a shipping product, an investigation found today. The Else, sometimes called the First Else, is allegedly without a finished OS despite an originally promised spring launch. A contact also told Engadget today that no large carriers have agreed to pick up the phone when it does arrive.

The company is also thought to have entered into a silent mode to shut down revelations to the press. An attempt to contact Emblaze's marketing was redirected to the legal team, which itself didn't answer. Officials at the company haven't made an attempt to explain the current situation.

The First Else was to have been a high-end, media-focused touchscreen phone with a unique one-handed interface and a heavy dependence on Access' Linux platform and its NetFront browser. After being shown in the fall and at CES, however, little more has been seen and the company has since turned to lawsuits as a revenue generator, first suing Apple and later Microsoft over purported patent violations.

By Electronista Staff