Primo
Latest
HTC One V unveiled: Sense 4.0 on ICS, Beats audio, 3.7-inch WVGA LCD
It's not often that device codenames serve as a direct mission statement, but with the outing of the One V, neé Primo, first-timers are getting an entry level HTC-welcome. The Ice Cream Sandwich-laden handset, running a Sense 4.0 overlay, hearkens back to the design of the Legend, with a black-ish gray, aluminum unibody, hardware keys (three for back, home and apps) and prominent chin jutting out below its Gorilla Glass-coated, 3.7-inch WVGA LCD display. The company hasn't specified the exact CPU powering the phone, but we do know it's a 1GHz single-core affair buffered by 512MB RAM. Storage-wise, you're looking at a paltry 4GB onboard that can be augmented via 25GB of Dropbox, or the available microSD slot. Beneath its sealed enclosure lies a 1,500mAh battery, quadband GSM and WCDMA radios, in addition to support for GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth. Directly benefiting from the manufacturer's recently announced ImageChip, is its 5 megapixel rear shooter, outfitted with an AF f/2.0 lens and capable of recording 720p video. There's no front-facing camera to be found on the unit, although situated as it is on the lower end of the consumer spectrum, that's to be expected. Check after the break for HTC's video preview.
Mobile Miscellany: week of September 19, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of September 19, 2011: Opera Software, builder of the popular mobile browser, announced it was acquiring Handster, an app store platform that supports Android, WP7, BlackBerry, and Symbian. [TechCrunch] Samsung unveiled three new HSDPA feature phones destined for India: the Champ 3.5G (S3770), Primo (S5610) and Chat 527 (S5270). [UnwiredView and SammyHub] A leaked image indicates the HTC Hero S will be coming to US Cellular in the near future. The device appears to be the Kingdom, and is expected to feature a 1.2GHz single-core Qualcomm CPU, 768MB of RAM, a 4-inch qHD display and Gingerbread. [PocketNow] Speaking of US Cellular, the Motorola Electrify officially became available for purchase online this week (expected in stores on September 26th), and can be yours for $200 after a $100 mail-in rebate. [AndroidCentral] Wirefly accidentally outed press renders of the Samsung Stratosphere -- on the retailer's Pantech Breakout page. The images have since been removed. [OwenJohnston] A white version of the Samsung Galaxy S II is making the rounds in the UK, but we learned this week that Bell Canada will be launching it well before the holidays. Interestingly, the device in the image (seen above) has retained the international version's three-button layout. [MobileSyrup] Among the barrage of new phones Sprint's releasing on October 2nd is the BlackBerry Curve 9350, according to another leaked employee memo. The price will likely be $80 after a $50 mail-in rebate. [CrackBerry] T-Mobile MVNO Simple Mobile announced a new unlimited prepaid plan for BlackBerry devices for $60 / month, which includes access to T-Mo's HSPA+ network. [N4BB] Huawei appears to have outed press images of the Honor, which is said to have a 4-inch FWVGA LCD, Gingerbread, 1.4GHz CPU (no specifics known yet), and an 8MP rear camera accompanied by a front-facing cam (again, no details on the resolution here). [EuroDroid] A member of the iPhone Dev Team has released a new version of Redsn0w, its popular iOS jailbreaking software, known as 0.9.9b1. Check the link to get the full list of new features. [Technobolt]
Tonino Lamborghini's Evoluzione runs Android, shares little with an actual Lamborghini
If you're looking for something a little smarter than Tonino Lamborghini's Spyder series of luxury phones (and we mean "smarter" in the operating system sense, not the wisdom of purchasing such a device), look no further than the Evoluzione. This puppy runs Android 2.1 (Froyo might be available in the future), but falls well short of its automotive namesake by sticking with a middling HVGA display of 3.2 inches and a 600MHz processor. Can you picture a Murcielago with a V-6? We can't. Good news is that it costs a whole hell of a lot less, too: S$788, which works out to about $600.
PhoneSuit's Primo Power Core charges your iPad, BlackBerry, and pretty much everything else
PhoneSuit's no stranger to the reload-and-refuel arena, and just months after ushering out the Primo Battery Cube, along comes this: the Primo Power Core. For all intents and purposes, this is an iPhone-sized battery pack, and it just so happens to be fully capable of charging your iPhone or iPod touch. Unlike the vast majority of alternatives, however, this 8200mAh pack can also rejuvenate an iPad, not to mention a wealth of Android smartphones, your mom's BlackBerry, a couple of unnamed netbooks (yeah, seriously!) and practically any other handheld gadget that can be juiced via USB. The company throws in a cornucopia of tips for a range of "popular" devices, though high-drain devices like netbooks will need to make use of the 12V port. There's an external LED charge meter to keep you abreast of how much power remains, and it can be headed to a stocking near you in exchange for $99.95.
PhoneSuit Primo Battery Cube review
Smartphones are getting ever smarter and batteries ever better, but it seems that the poor things can just never catch up. It's a thankless, tireless job powering your gadgets, and sometimes those cells need a little help. That's where external batteries come in to lend a hand, giving your gadget those few precious extra hours of life -- enough for you to find your way home after that impromptu third encore sing-along that seemed like it would never end. The $40 Primo Battery Cube from PhoneSuit is one of the latest, a 1,000mAh reserve tank for your thirsty mobile. But is it worth making room in your pocket for? Read on to find out. %Gallery-100720%
Primo Battery Cube brings extra life to mini or micro-USB devices, is not actually a cube
If you, like we, were disappointed by mophie's unwillingness to support anything lacking an Apple dock port in its new line of juice packs, here's an alternative. PhoneSuit is launching the Primo Battery Cube, a decidedly non-cube-shaped device that is perhaps a bit chubby but manages compatibility with either micro or miniUSB devices. The $40 battery, which launches on July 12, charges over USB, packs a 1,000mAh cell inside, and sports four LED lights on top to give you an idea of just how many of those milliampere-hours have yet to be served. Oh, and it's shape, because of its unequal sides it's actually a cuboid, not a cube. But of course you knew that, you geometry whiz you. %Gallery-96309%
PhoneSuit Primo micro iPhone and iPod battery pack impressions
We've been playing with PhoneSuit's Primo micro battery pack on our iPhone 3GS for a few days. As the name suggests, this thumb-sized battery is the smallest we've seen in its class, but somehow it still packs 800mAh of juice -- almost two-thirds of the iPhone's built-in cell. Feature-wise you'll only find battery level and charge status indicators on the front, and a mini-USB port on the back for charging. Unlike the slot-in case-style battery packs for the iPhone, this battery pack's dock connector is on a flat top, which makes it compatible with "all iPhones and most iPods." We also noticed a 2mm gap when plugged in, and apparently this is to allow space for your iPod's / iPhone's protection case -- too bad our iPhone didn't have one. While the battery life lived up to its promise for us, this broad-compatibility design backfired on us -- the battery pack was thicker than our iPhone 3GS, so the overhanging sharp edge on the back often caught our trouser pocket while the phone was being pulled out. Alas, we were more worried about our battery pack coming loose than our iPhone's own battery life. Hopefully PhoneSuit will consider making device-specific adapters to give us a peace of mind, or maybe offer baggy pants at discount prices. %Gallery-85080%
PhoneSuit Primo adds extra juice, minimal bulk to your iPhone / iPod
We were suitably impressed by Mophie's Juice Pack Air extended battery / iPhone case when we got a chance to try one out earlier this year, but if you're looking for an extended battery without the case you might want to consider this new Primo micro battery pack form PhoneSuit. Designed for use with various iPods in addition to the iPhone, this one packs an 800mAh battery inside its tiny enclosure, which promises to add up to 45 hours of music playback time to your iPod, or up to three hours of extra talk time to your iPhone 3G. Better still, it has a fairly reasonable price tag of $35, or you can snag a three-pack for $89.95 if you like to be extra prepared (or are looking for a few stocking stuffers). We'll also be checking this one out ourselves shortly, so stay tuned to see if it actually lives up to its claims.
