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Lenovo built a slider phone with 12GB of RAM
While Lenovo continues to push the Motorola brand in the West, it's also been busy doing its own thing back in China. Just last month, the company brought us the Z5 Pro all-screen slider phone which, to our surprise, packed mid-tier specs to woo the budget-conscious consumers. That's all well and good, but surely such a special form factor deserves the best specs available, right? This is where the new Z5 Pro GT comes in. Announced at the Beijing event today, this new Android phone comes loaded with up to 12GB of RAM -- a new record for smartphones -- along with up to 512GB of storage. It's also the second smartphone confirmed to feature Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 855 chipset, though unlike OnePlus' yet-to-be-named flagship device, Lenovo's slider won't be packing 5G radio.
Samsung Transfix on Cricket at CTIA E&A 2011 (hands-on video)
Staring intently at the image above? It's understandable. After all, it is called the Samsung Transfix, right? Cricket's latest Android addition doesn't necessarily break any new ground in its quiet release at this year's CTIA Enterprise & Applications, but it has a lot of potential for anyone looking to get an inexpensive prepaid phone. The new 3.2-inch QWERTY runs on Gingerbread, is powered by an 800MHz CPU and brings a 3.2MP camera to the tablet. Nothing to write home about these days, but don't forget: your parents might appreciate at least hearing from you, even if it's not regarding a smartphone. Stay transfixed below the break at our full hands-on gallery and vid, and a press release thrown in for good measure. %Gallery-136345% Myriam Joire contributed to this post.
Microsoft patents modular Windows Phone with swappable batteries, keyboard, and gamepad
We've seen slider phones with speakers, gamepads, and of course, the standard keypad -- but what if you want to swap out your slider accessory for something new? A new patent from Microsoft is exploring the possibility, showing off a concept smartphone with a sliding modular bay. Tired of that keyboard? Replace it with a gamepad, or a life-giving battery pack. According to the patent claims, some of the modular components would even function wirelessly, citing a touchscreen module which doubles as a wireless handset or a media remote. Neat? You bet, but we wouldn't get our hopes up -- Microsoft typically keeps out of the handset manufacturing game, and the last modular phone to pique our interest didn't exactly make a splash.
Microsoft patents new type of mobile slider, puts keyboards and screens on equal footing
Patents are the currency of the realm these days, and companies accrue them however they can -- whether filing for their own or buying someone else's. Microsoft's no stranger to the patent game, and it's added one more piece to its IP stockpile in the form of a "moveable housing of a mobile communications device." A broad title, to be sure, but the patent essentially covers sliders where the keyboard ends up flush with the screen after it's moved. In existing designs, the sliding display gets in the way of pressing the top row of keys, and squishing the grid's size or fattening up the phone are the only ways to make space for fingers to press them. This new design frees phalanges and keys from such constraints, and adds a little something to the phone's aesthetics as well. Sounds great Microsoft, now put this patent in the capable hands of Nokia's hardware engineers and get to work making a sleek new WP7 slider, stat!
Golden Bumblebee claims to be world's smallest slider phone, dons double KIRFness
Poor Bumblebee! This is one transformation that he and his metallic chums wouldn't be proud of -- it's even got the Autobot logo on the back, presumably without permission. We're looking at the Golden Bumblebee which boldly claims to be the "world's smallest slider phone," but with that KIRF S.T. Dupont label, hint of Vertu's DNA and faux gold paint, we're not sure if it's even legal to be stoked about this. Leaving appearance aside the phone packs quadband 2G, a 2 megapixel camera, stereo speaker, FM radio, mini-USB port, Bluetooth and a whopping 8GB memory. If you can bear the humiliation then it's yours for $179.99 -- if not, see if the promotion video after the break can convince you.[Thanks, Andy]
