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Mobile Miscellany: week of May 21st, 2012

Zachary Lutz
Updated ·4 min read

Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, it was revealed that the HTC EVO 4G LTE likely supports simultaneous voice and data connections on Sprint's network, Samsung's Galaxy Ace 2 landed at Three in the UK and Vertu revealed a refresh to its Constellation series of luxury phones. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of May 21st, 2012.

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 now available from Three UK

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First revealed at Mobile World Congress, the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 is a respectable handset that combines a dual-core 800MHz CPU, a 3.8-inch WVGA display and a 5-megapixel camera. Shipping with Android 2.3, the Galaxy Ace 2 is now available from Three in the UK for £229.99 outright. Customers who spend £22 or more per month on a service contract may grab the handset for free. [Android Central]

Vertu announces the Constellation Candy collection

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Vertu's Constellation series is hardly new, but that's not to stop the luxury handset manufacturer from giving it a new look for the summer. Meet the Candy collection, which combines alligator skin and gemstones with an otherwise aged Nokia C7. The Symbian-powered phone is available in fruit-inspired raspberry, mint and tangerine colors, and features a 3.5-inch AMOLED display, an 8-megapixel camera and 32GB of built-in storage. As a special treat, users will find exclusive ringtones and notification sounds courtesy of the London Symphony Orchestra. [GSM Arena]

Limited edition Batman Lumia 900 confirmed for European debut

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Nokia has revealed to Pocket-lint that a special run of Batman-inspired Lumia 900 handsets will soon be available for purchase in France, Germany, the UK and a few other European countries. With respect to the UK, this Dark Knight smartphone will be sold exclusively through Phones4U, though its pricing remains a bit of a mystery. [Pocket-lint]

OnStar RemoteLink now available for BlackBerry

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GM's RemoteLink app has been available for Android and iOS for some time now, but this week, the company extended an olive branch to BlackBerry users with its latest release. Unfortunately, the app currently supports only two handsets -- the Bold 9900 and Bold 9930. RemoteLink offers interaction with OnStar, including the ability to push destinations from your phone directly to your in-dash navigation system. It also offers nifty features such as the ability to lock or unlock your car doors, start the vehicle remotely and activate both the car's horn and lights. Chevrolet Volt owners will also find the ability to control and monitor the vehicle's charging status directly from their BlackBerry. [CrackBerry]

HTC EVO 4G LTE reportedly capable of simultaneous voice and data connections on Sprint's network

Reports are coming in that the HTC EVO 4G LTE, the LG Viper and the LG Optimus Elite -- each available from Sprint -- are capable of maintaining a data connection during voice calls. If accurate, the added benefit would be thanks to a relatively untapped technology known as SVDO, which uses 1X for voice and maintains an EV-DO connection for data. Sprint has previously committed to an SVDO implementation as part of its overall Network Vision strategy, and it appears that those days are now upon us. [Android Police, Sprint Community]

Verizon Wireless reports 36 potential buyers for Blocks A and B of its 700MHz spectrum

As part of Verizon's ongoing dance with the FCC surrounding its acquisition of AWS licenses from SpectrumCo and Cox -- and its proposed divestment of Blocks A and B of the 700MHz spectrum -- Big Red reports that 36 companies have expressed interest in said airwaves. T-Mobile's CEO, Philipp Humm, previously accused Verizon Wireless of merely looking to unload Blocks A and B, which he argued were more prone to interference and therefore less desirable licenses. [Fierce Wireless]

Other random tidbits

  • According to UK online retailer Clove, the Panasonic Eluga Power won't be available to consumers until Q3 of this year, which is a departure from the previous target of June. [Android Central]

  • A recent leaked advertisement suggests that the Nokia Lumia 610 will soon find a new home at Vodafone in the UK. [WPCentral]

  • The HTC Titan 4G arrived at Telstra this week to become Australia's first 4G-capable Windows Phone handset. [Unwired View]

  • Canada's Koodo Mobile has announced that the HTC One V will be available for purchase on June 1st. Pricing has yet to be announced, although a previous inventory leak suggests we'll see this this one sell for $225. [MobileSyrup 1, 2]

  • The Sony Xperia U is now available for sale at T-Mobile in the UK. Purchasers who spend £15.50 or more on a monthly plan may pick up the handset for free. [MobileBurn]