More signs of BenQ-Siemens impending doom. The handset manufacturer has laid off over half of its workforce (1900 of 3000) and is apparently trying to reinvent itself as a "design house for third-party manufacturers." But with [sarcasm]beautiful designs[/sarcasm] like the SX1 (pictured), should BenQ-Siemens even bother?

BenQ-Siemens also failed to meet Vodafone's expectations, meaning that the service operator won't offer any of the manufacturer's models for the last quarter of this year. I have no problem with BenQ-Siemens trying out new avenues to ensure its survival, but if the company continues acting the same way, then we can say good-bye to admittedly memorable phones like the S68, or even the Hello Kitty edition.