Archivi Blog
Motorola’s RAZR i MT788 announced with 2GHz Intel chip, heading to China Mobile next month
Motorola created quite some buzz with its first “Intel inside” Android phone, the RAZR i, back in September, so it’s only natural to see the company tapping into the Chinese market with a localized variant. Dubbed the RAZR i MT788, this China Mobile device bears much similarity to its Western sibling on paper: 2GHz Intel Atom Z2480, 4.3-inch 960 x 540 AMOLED display (with Gorilla Glass), eight-megapixel camera, microSD expansion (up to 32GB) and Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
The difference? Well, the chassis is the most obvious one: instead of using the same design as the original RAZR i, the new MT788 looks identical to the MSM8625-powered dual-SIM XT788 on China Telecom. On top of that, the battery is rated at just 1,735mAh instead of the RAZR i’s 2,000mAh, and there’s just 4GB of built-in memory instead 16GB; but the front-facing camera’s bumped up from 0.3 megapixels to 1.3. There’s no price just yet, but interested buyers can pick one up in China starting in mid-December. Will the world’s largest carrier help Intel take a significant bite out of the mobile phone market? Only time will tell.
KDDI unveils HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), the first phone with 5-inch 1080p display
We’ve been hearing about a certain 5-inch HTC phablet for Verizon since July, but it looks like its Japanese counterpart may actually hit the market first. Unveiled by KDDI as the HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), this Android 4.1 device is the first announced phone to feature a 5-inch, 440ppi full-HD “Super LCD 3″ panel, and it’s fittingly complemented by a 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 underneath, making this the latest member in the small family of Snapdragon S4 Pro phones. There’s an eight-megapixel camera that naturally handles 1080p video at the back, accompanied by a 2.1-megapixel front-facing imager. Other details include 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSDHC expansion, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), NFC, LTE and CDMA/GSM/UMTS/GPRS radios — that’s right, it’s a global device. Not bad for a 140g package, and it’s waterproof as well, rated at IPX5. But the question is how well will the 2,020mAh battery last under that super dense LCD and high-end processor? Only time will tell — even KDDI has yet to finalize this part of the specs. Folks on the KDDI network can grab hold of this powerful phone in early December, with a choice of red, white or black.
ASUS PadFone 2 unveiled in Taiwan, boasts quad-core CPU, LTE, NFC and lighter tablet
Today’s no doubt a big day for ASUS: while chairman Jonney Shih is gearing up to introduce the PadFone 2 in Milan later today, we just saw CEO Jerry Shen wowing the crowd with the same phone-in-tablet combo back in Taipei. Just as the recent leaks have shown, ASUS’ surprisingly quick follow-up to the original PadFone is simply bigger and better in many ways, notably with a screen upgrade to 4.7-inch 720p Super IPS+ panel (with up to 550nits brightness thanks to Sharp’s IGZO technology), Qualcomm’s awesome quad-core APQ8064 SoC instead of its dual-core sibling, 13-megapixel f/2.4 BSI sensor from Sony, 1.2-megapixel front camera, and a much slimmer PadFone Station slate — partly because it no longer features a docking bay cover! New owners will be greeted by Android Ice Cream Sandwich, but ASUS promises a Jelly Bean upgrade soon. There’s much more than meets the eyes so read on to find out more.
Early benchmark scores are in for the Sony Xperia T, TX and V
We’ve already benchmarked the Galaxy Note II and the ZTE Grand X IN at IFA, and as the week wraps up we’re circling back to test the mettle of other handsets announced here in Berlin. We ran mobile benchmarks on Sony’s new flagship Xperia T, the Xperia TX (the US version of the T) and the LTE-enabled Xperia V. All three devices pack dual-core Snapdragon S4 Krait processors clocked at 1.5GHz, and they’re currently running Ice Cream Sandwich — though a Jelly Bean update is reportedly on the way. Meet us past the break for a first look at how these smartphones stack up.
Samsung Galaxy Note II: hands-on with the new S Pen-toting phablet (video)
Samsung’s got a handful of announcements to offer its mobile fans at IFA this year, and it’s started big: with the Galaxy Note II. The new Android device packs a larger 5.5-inch, 1,280 x 720 16:9 screen, but still falls roughly within the same generous footprint of its predecessor. A year on, we’ve now got a more powerful SoC, up from a dual-core 1.4GHz processor to a new quad-core 1.6GHz Exynos chipset (yes, that’s even faster than the one found in the Galaxy S III) and Android Jelly Bean right out of the box. Samsung’s putting a lot of focus on making the most of all that screen space and S Pen functionality. We got our hands (both of them) on the Galaxy Note II just a few hours early, so after the gallery, skip past the break for our first impressions.
Transfer Photos from Your Phone to Your Computer With Just a Bump
If you’ve been using smartphones for any length of time you’ve probably heard of Bump, the app that allows you to transfer photos and contact information between two phones with a simple… well… bump. And now they’ve expanded their functionality to include a website/webapp that makes transferring photos from your phone to your computer a breeze.
All you have to do if you already have the app is log on to bu.mp, select the photos you would like to transfer from your phone, and bump the phone against the space bar (although we’re pretty sure you could just hit the spacebar with any apendage…). After that you can download them straight to your computer to get them off Bump’s servers or share them with your friends via permalink. There’s not much “professional” application here, but it’s a great way to quickly transfer photos from your phone to your desktop when you’re in a bind.
Bump (via Lifehacker)
BlackBerry Curve 9320 now official: BB OS 7.1, 2.44-inch display, BBM button
The 9320 has visited more countries during its short gestation than some phones get to see in their whole lives, but it’s finally arrived. The specs are pretty much what we guessed, with the socially-focused BB OS 7.1 onboard, a 3.2-megapixel camera and typical Curve features like a 2.44-inch 320 x 240 non-touch LCD display, ‘super charged’ 1450mAh battery, FM radio and a small, lightweight 103 gram QWERTY form factor. Same specs, different day, but then there’s also microSD expandability beyond the 512MB RAM, which can’t be taken for granted, plus a new feature in the form of a dedicated BBM key on the side. As for the 9320′s cheaper sibling, the 9220 shown above, we’ve already been hands-on at BlackBerry World and spotted that one of its main sacrifices is the camera: it’s only 2-megapixels and there’s no flash. That’s all 11,000 rupees ($210) gets you.
Bowers & Wilkins kicks out P3 headphones, brings upscale sound to the commoners
Were you eying Bowers & Wilkins’ P5 headphones, but put off by the initial $300 (now $250) sticker price and not so inclined to the in-ear C5? Someone at the company heard you, as we’re now getting the P3 for a more affordable $200. What changes when you pocket the extra cash? You’ll get aluminum and other hallmarks of buying the British outlet’s audiophile gear, but the cost trimming brings a special “ultra-light acoustic fabric” instead of sheepskin leather and a more portable folding design instead of the pivoting earcups found on the P5. Bowers & Wilkins is light on performance details, but it promises that the design will be comfortable for long listening sessions, and there are both universal and Apple-friendly in-line remotes to make your phone calls and skip tracks. Black- and white-hued versions of the P3 should be hitting American shops in June.
Windows Phone Developer Summit coming June 20th, makes for one busy month
Just in case June wasn’t busy enough for mobile app developers, between Apple’s WWDC and Google I/O, Microsoft has thrown its hat into the ring. It’s scheduling a Windows Phone Developer Summit in San Francisco for June 20th and 21st, just a week before Google’s meetup. Details are scant in the notice Engadget received, although Microsoft teases us with the prospects of learning “developer opportunities and platform capabilities in Windows Phone.” Whether that means Apollo or just more about Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh (Tango) is still very much a mystery. Either way, it’s likely to be good news for Metro-friendly developers crestfallen after MIX was shut down.
Meizu MX Quad-core launching with Android 4.0 in June, gets 32GB and 64GB flavors
Can’t say we’re surprised, but Meizu’s finally giving us the lowdown on the quad-core variant of its flagship Android smartphone. Simply dubbed the MX Quad-core, this new device will be powered by a Cortex-A9-based, 32nm HKMG (High-K Metal Gate) quad-core Samsung Exynos chip — no word on the clock speed or RAM, but we’re betting our money on the Exynos 4412 that goes up to 1.5GHz. Meizu claims this will save up to 20 percent of CPU power consumption compared to its dual-core counterpart. Also, the battery will be bumped up from 1,600mAh to 1,700mAh — we shall see how much difference this makes when we eventually get our hands on the phone. And yes, in addition to the original white back cover, you’ll be able to swap it with one of the five optional colored covers pictured above.
On the software side you’ll get a Meizu-customized Ice Cream Sandwich system (aka Flyme OS), though it isn’t clear whether the company will stick to its old promise of simultaneously releasing a vanilla ROM. The rest of the new phone’s identical to the dual-core MX, especially the 4-inch 960 x 640 ASV display and the eight-megapixel BSI camera. While there’s still no microSD expansion, here’s some good news to make up for this flaw: the base model starts at 32GB and it’ll cost the same as the current 16GB MX! In other words, come June the unsubsidized MX Quad-core will go from ¥2,999 (US$480) in China and HK$3,099 (US$400) in Hong Kong; and then there’ll also be a 64GB version priced at ¥3,999 (US$635) and HK$4,099 (US$530), respectively. Meanwhile, starting today, the original MX is reduced to ¥2,399 (US$380) and HK$2,599 (US$335).
LG renames Optimus LTE to Optimus True HD LTE, disses Samsung’s HD Super AMOLED
While the Optimus LTE’s already made its way to South Korea, Japan and the US (in the guise of the Spectrum and the Nitro HD), LG’s decided to give this dual-core handset a new name ahead of its Hong Kong launch at the end of this month. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Optimus True HD LTE. Alas, the “true HD” part here doesn’t actually mean the phone’s getting 1080p resolution on a 4.5-inch panel (which would be 490ppi; yet Toshiba’s actually done it!); but we were told that ’tis really just a dig at Samsung’s HD Super AMOLED technology — you know, the magic behind that 4.65-inch screen on the Galaxy Nexus and the Galaxy S II HD LTE.
Simply put, LG doesn’t think that 1,280 x 720 on PenTile counts as HD due to the lower number of sub-pixels; and while it’s at it, the company also criticized AMOLED’s over-expressed colors and higher power consumption in “normal user environment” — for the latter, LG showed that its AH-IPS has a more consistent power consumption across varying levels of overall whiteness. You can see the relevant slides after the break.
YouTube Android app update brings HD video streaming to ‘capable’ 2.2+ devices
Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich Android-running hardware has had access to HD resolution YouTubestreams since launch (as seen above), but an update to the app that rolled out yesterday finally brings HD to some devices running Froyo or Gingerbread. The catch is that YouTube HD res won’t work on every Android 2.2 or 2.3 phone or tablet, as we’re told it is set dynamically based on screen size and resolution. Another quirk is that some devices still won’t install the updated version directly from the Market, like our Epic 4G Touch. Still, assuming you can snag the update — through official or unofficial means — if you have the pixels to spare you should see upgraded video quality from now on.
Vonage Mobile app allows free calls and texts worldwide to fellow Android and iOS users
Vimeo App Lands On Windows Phone Devices
It’s taken a rather long time to happen but today Vimeo has announced the launch of their official smartphone application for Windows Phone users. Enabling Vimeo users to watch and manage your existing videos, watch videos from your Vimeo inbox.
As well as comments and add videos, watch later queue, or videos you have liked, easily like, comment on, discover new and fascinating featured videos, quickly search for videos on Vimeo, pause and resume uploads, replace existing videos.
Together with edit titles, descriptions, tags, privacy settings, and credits, share via Facebook, Twitter, email, or SMS and add videos to your Groups, Channels, or Albums. Vimeo explains:
“We packed all the best parts of Vimeo into one app for your Windows Phone. Now you can upload, manage, and watch videos from anywhere. And whenever you need more inspiration, you can browse great videos that match your interests in our member-curated Channels and Groups.”
For full details jump over to the Windows Phone Marketplace for details and to download the new Vimeo Windows Phone application for free.
Source: Ubergizmo : Intomobile
Skype Coming To Windows Phone Later This Month?
Ever since Microsoft announced that they were buying Skype we have been waiting to find out when Skype would land on Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform.
According to a recent report there is now a test version of Skype for Windows Phone available to download for Microsoft employees, and we will probably see Skype for Windows Phone launch later this month.
We were expecting Skype to land on windows Phone before the end of last year, although obviously that didn’t happen, so lets hope both Microsoft and Skype have it ready for the end of February.
Samsung Galaxy S Advance gets official: 1GHz dual-core CPU, Super AMOLED and Gingerbread
Samsung added a new star to its Galaxy universe today, with the release of the Galaxy Advance S. Powered by a 1GHz dual-core CPU, this handset boasts a four-inch, 480 x 800 Super AMOLEDdisplay, and packs up to 16GB of memory, along with 768MB of RAM. The device also supports HSPA connections at speeds of up to 14.4Mbps, and boasts a five megapixel rear-facing camera, along with a 1.3 megapixel shooter, up front. As far as software goes, the Advance S will ship with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, plus a full suite of Samsung’s apps, available via its Hubs and ChatON services. No word yet on pricing, but the Korean manufacturer plans to roll out its latest smartphone on a gradual basis, beginning with Russia next month, followed by Europe, Africa, Middle East, Southeast and Southwest Asia, Latin America and China. Notably absent from that list, of course, is the US. Find more details in the full press release after the break, as well as the gallery of press shots, below.
Samsung Galaxy S Advance
Nokia Lumia 900 (Ace) More Specifications Revealed
Earlier today we heard that Microsoft and Nokia will be spending around $100 million on a marketing push for their new Nokia Lumia 900 or Nokia Ace smartphone, and now some more specifications on the device have been revealed.
We know that the Nokia Ace or Nokia Lumia 900 is headed to AT&T, but now it would appear that the device will also bed available outside of the US and it will become Nokia’s flagship Windows Phone device.
According to Pocket Now, the Nokia Ace will feature a 4.3 inch WVGA touchscreen display, a 1.4GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and an 8 megapixel camera, which we presume will be capable of full HD video in 1080p.
It is reported to come with Windows Phone Mango, we had previously heard that it may ship with Windows Phone Tango, and it looks like the device will be officially announced at CES 2012 next week.
Source Pocket Now
Windows Phone Marketplace hits 50,000 app-submission milestone
Just over one month after crossing the 40,000 app-submission threshold, Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketplace has hit another milestone: 50,000. According to analyses done by All About Windows Phone, the Taj Mahal of tiles has seen developers submit just over 50,000 applications for review — 42,655 of which are currently available in the United States. What may be more telling is the rate at which developers are submitting their wares. Over 17,000 apps have been submitted to the Marketplace in the last 90-days from over 13,000 different publishers (an average of 265 per day). With Apple’s iOS App Store and Google’s Android Market sitting firmly atop the mobile-app-ecosystem totem pole, Microsoft is looking to close the gap and put distance between itself and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry App World. Hopefully, the gang from Redmond can keep the positive momentum going through 2012… even with its next major mobile OS revision being a minor one.
Find My Car Smart app uses Bluetooth 4.0 to help iPhone 4S owners do the obvious
Meizu MX hangs out with the M9, Xiaomi Phone, Nokia N9 and many more friends
