Mobile Miscellany: week of February 4th, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought the arrival of Cricket's first waterproof smartphone and Three introduced an updated Galaxy S III known as the Ultrafast. Not to stop there, we'll take a trip to India to highlight the latest value-oriented smartphone. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of February 4th, 2013.
Cricket gains the waterproof Kyocera Hydro
Cricket has taken the plunge into waterproof smartphones with the Kyocera Hydro, which is now available online for a very reasonable $80. The phone was introduced nearly a year ago at CTIA, and includes rather meager specs such as a 1GHz CPU, a 3.5-inch HVGA (480 x 320) display, a 3.2-megapixel camera and Ice Cream Sandwich. That said, it's a strong contender in its price range and it's worth considering if you're unable to afford more. [Cricket]
Galaxy S III Ultrafast arrives at Three
An overhauled version of the Galaxy S III is now available from Three UK, which brings support for DC-HSPA+ 42Mbps connections and the carrier's forthcoming LTE network. The phone is more costly than the original Galaxy S III, weighing in at £450 (an additional £100) outright. Oddly enough, the Galaxy S III Ultrafast is said to ship with Ice Cream Sandwich -- hopefully that's just a typo on Three's part. [CNET UK]
Intex Aqua Wonder arrives in India with Jelly Bean
New this week to the land of saffron and curry is the Intex Aqua Wonder, a 4.5-inch smartphone that includes Android 4.1 and retails for ₹9,900 ($185). Its touchscreen is based on IPS technology and packs a qHD (960 x 540) resolution. Also in the mix is a dual-core 1GHz CPU, an 8-megapixel AF camera with dual-LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing shooter. The Intex Aqua Wonder also provides dual-SIM functionality, but its paltry 512MB of RAM is a glaring weakness. [FoneArena]
Micromax A89 Ninja makes a stealthy arrival in India
The pirate's sworn enemy, the Micromax A89 Ninja, came up for sale in India this week with Android 4.0 and a ₹6,190 ($115) price tag. The dual-SIM smartphone wields a 3.97-inch WVGA (800 x 480) display, a dual-core 1GHz CPU, a 3MP fixed-focus camera, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. The Micromax A89 Ninja also supports microSD expandable storage and is powered by a 1,450mAh battery. [FoneArena]
Microsoft updates PDF app for Windows Phone 8
As a response to the negative reviews, Microsoft introduced version 1.1 of its PDF app for Windows Phone 8 this week. The update beings support for read-only and password-protected PDFs, new SkyDrive sharing features and the ability to delete files from within the app. Even with the new features, however, criticisms remain regarding the app's stability and rendering capabilities. [Windows Phone Blog]
Other random tidbits
Nokia has announced that our favorite budget smartphone, the Lumia 620, will arrive in Australia on February 22nd for $329. [Gizmodo Australia]
As part of an expanded rollout for the Optimus G, LG has announced that the phone will arrive in Australia on March 13th. There's no word on pricing just yet, but you can expect the device to include Jelly Bean out of the gate. [Android Central]
AT&T has expanded its LTE network to Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach, Va. [PR Newswire]
