Continue reading FCC Fridays: June 1, 2012

FCC Fridays: June 1, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Never mind Huawei's 6.68mm-thick Ascend P1 S or Oppo's 6.65mm-thick Finder, because the record's about to be beaten yet again by another Chinese manufacturer. Codenamed "Athena," this mysterious ZTE phone's been getting a fair bit of attention on Sina Weibo with its 6.2mm slimness claim, all thanks to a keen terminal device strategy director from the company. While Mr. Lu hasn't delved into specifics, what we know so far is that Athena will feature a 720p display, Cortex-A15 chip (a source of ours said it will be multi-core) and up to 64GB of internal storage, as well as a "Miflavor UI" -- something that we've already previewed on the Era at MWC -- to go on top of Android 4.0. Lu also hinted that there will be several color options, but we're more than happy to nab that black kevlar edition in the above shot (and someone should tell Motorola to take a look at this). Two more pictures after the break to keep you busy for the time being.

Continue reading ZTE teases 6.2mm-thick 'Athena,' crams in 720p IPS display and Cortex-A15 chip

ZTE teases 6.2mm-thick 'Athena,' crams in 720p IPS display and Cortex-A15 chip originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

To skin or not to skin? That's hardly ever a question for Android OEMs. And, in the case of some Chinese manufacturers, that mark of software differentiation comes in the form of three dimensions. We've already seen Huawei trot out its (optional) 3D UX for the Ascend P line, and now it appears ZTE's ready to follow suit with a custom interface powered by Rightware. The Kanzi UI, as it's called, will come pre-loaded on all of the company's smartphones currently shipping with Ice Cream Sandwich, treating users to a 3D homescreen experience and giving developers a unified platform to port their designs. It's good news if you're a fan of that overlaid visual gimmickry, but we much prefer our Google desserts vanilla and without any toppings. Hit up the break to check out the official presser.

Continue reading Kanzi: ZTE's 3D UX for ICS handsets

Kanzi: ZTE's 3D UX for ICS handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 May 2012 16:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We here at Engadget tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there individually, we've gathered up an exhaustive listing of every phone and / or tablet getting the stamp of approval over the last week. Enjoy!

Continue reading FCC Fridays: May 25, 2012

FCC Fridays: May 25, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 22:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Verizon has just finished trotting out the last of its known 2012 Jetpack hotspots through the arrival of the ZTE-made model we saw back at CES in January. Now carrying a bit more Verizon red on the surface and a bit less Chinese in the name, the Jetpack 890L can share its 4G LTE sugar with as many as 10 WiFi devices at once. There's no removable battery like its Novatel-made Jetpack cousin, but you do get Global Ready (read: HSPA) roaming abroad. We're most liking the price. At $20 on a contract after a $50 mail-in rebate, the 890L will be the most frugal way to board the LTE hotspot train once it reaches stores on May 24th.

Continue reading Verizon's ZTE-built Jetpack 890L 4G hotspot ships May 24th, promises globetrotting for $20

Verizon's ZTE-built Jetpack 890L 4G hotspot ships May 24th, promises globetrotting for $20 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We here at Engadget tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there individually, we've gathered up an exhaustive listing of every phone and / or tablet getting the stamp of approval over the last week. Enjoy!

Continue reading FCC Fridays: May 18, 2012

FCC Fridays: May 18, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 23:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Who knew that owning a ZTE Score M would mean living life on the edge? ZTE has confirmed that the MetroPCS phone has a backdoor vulnerability which could let a less-than-scrupulous hacker get root-level control over the Android 2.3 phone -- and because it's a unique app baked into the firmware, the login credentials won't change as long as the exploit survives. Other ZTE phones, like the Skate, supposedly face the same hole as well. The company says it should have a patch ready to push over the air in the "very near future," but it hasn't said why the app existed in the first place. Either way, if you currently pocket the Score M or one of ZTE's other recent Android devices, we'd keep watch for any suspicious goings-on until a fix is in place.

ZTE confirms the Score M has a backdoor, hopes to patch up soon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 May 2012 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gartner's latest dispatch reveals a wobbly global trade in mobile phones. Although our love of smartphones continued to blossom, with sales of that subcategory up nearly 45 percent, it wasn't enough to stave off a two percent overall decline compared to the same quarter in 2011. A total of 419.1 million handsets were sold, representing the first hiccup after nearly three years of growth and leading analysts to point fingers at a slow down in the Asia / Pacific region as well as a lack of product launches at the start of the year. Meanwhile, these figures also confirm what was already gleaned from IDC's shipments data: Samsung has knocked Nokia off its 14-year-old perch to become the padrone of the mobile phone market, with a cut of over 20 percent. It also replaced Apple as the number one smartphone vendor, claiming ownership of almost half of that segment. Damn, it feels good to be a pebble.

Gartner: mobile phone sales fell two percent last quarter, Samsung confirmed as numero uno originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 05:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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, Sprint reassured us with optimism for Windows Phone 8, and T-Mobile's CEO found a new partner to continue the fight against Verizon's AWS acquisition. 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 7th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of May 7th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of May 7th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 May 2012 20:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We here at Engadget tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there individually, we've gathered up an exhaustive listing of every phone and / or tablet getting the stamp of approval over the last week. Enjoy!

Continue reading FCC Fridays: May 11, 2012

FCC Fridays: May 11, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 23:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

China's search giant Baidu has already got its foot in the mobile platform door, now it plans to wedge it open a little further. Reuters report that the firm will be announcing a new partnership next week that will involve a new smartphone running an updated version of its mobile operating system, this time called Baidu Cloud. There's no word right now on who is supplying the hardware, with vice president Wang Jing only going as far to say it's in talks with "global" manufacturers. So looks like it's names in a hat for now, until the big reveal.

Update: According to a reliable source of ours, 'tis none other than Chinese mobile giant ZTE who'll become Baidu's new best friend. Furthermore, Baidu Cloud is -- surprise, surprise -- another Android variant. We can only imagine Huawei looking over the fence with jealousy.

Baidu announces new smartphone partnership, stops short of saying who with (update: ZTE?) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 May 2012 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of ZTE's latest tablets, the V96, was announced at Barcelona for MWC but never made any official appearances at the show. Fortunately we found the new device hiding in the manufacturer's booth at CTIA. The Ice Cream Sandwich device runs a Qualcomm 1.7GHz MSM8960 dual-core Krait processor with 1GB of RAM and sports tri-band 42Mbps HSPA+ and quad-band LTE. ZTE mentioned that it is compatible with four LTE bands (!), including AT&T's flavors -- Verizon's band of next-gen connectivity, unfortunately, was not included on the list.

Interestingly enough, we discovered that there was not one but two models being showcased: the first, seen in the video below, has a textured back and is flanked by soft-touch plastic at both ends. Its fraternal twin, however, opted for a smooth aluminum construct on the back. We were torn in which one we liked more -- we loved the lighter and more grippy material provided by the first, yet we enjoyed the silver look of the second. When we inquired as to whether these two versions are destined for different regions, ZTE reps were tight-lipped; availability and pricing are still completely unknown at this time. Head below for a full gallery, video and a few more impressions.

Gallery: ZTE V96 hands-on

Continue reading ZTE V96 hands-on (video)

ZTE V96 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 May 2012 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Research firm IDC is reporting that Nokia has been dethroned as the world's biggest phone maker by Samsung. In the first quarter of the year, Samsung shipped 98.3 million mobile phones, with Nokia and Apple in second and third place. In the smartphone-only charts, the Korean company shipped 42.2 million of its Android and Windows Phone handsets, while Cupertino shipped 35.1 million and Nokia shipped a paltry-by-comparison 11.9 million.

Samsung, Apple and companies outside the top 5 all made big gains in the smartphone space, while Nokia, RIM and HTC all felt their numbers drop. Unsurprisingly, companies with big stakes in dumb phones suffered, with Nokia and LG losing big chunks of their market share to the big two and stalking horse ZTE, which has bested LG for fourth place. After the break, we've got the official tallies that you can pore over.

Continue reading IDC crowns Samsung the biggest phone maker by shipments for Q1 2012

IDC crowns Samsung the biggest phone maker by shipments for Q1 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 05:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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, we learned that ZTE intends to release a phablet of its own, and Samsung unseated Nokia as the world's largest supplier of mobile 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 April 23rd, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of April 23rd, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of April 23rd, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Huawei's annual earnings report is out and it's a mixed bag, since while turnover increased by 11.7 percent to 203.9 RMB ($32.3 billion), profits plummeted 53 percent to 11.6 billion RMB ($1.8 billion). Revenue from overseas sales (138.4 billion RMB) equated for over half the company's total income and it boasted of having sold 150 million consumer devices, including 20 million smartphones in the year. The company didn't provide reasons for the drop in profit, emphasizing that it's increased R&D spending by 34.2 percent to 23.7 billion RMB ($3.75 billion) and that in any event, it's got around $30 billion of assets that can shoulder the brunt of a bad year.

However, the company may not see a rosy 2012 either, after both America and Australia refused to give the company big infrastructure deals (Huawei's bread and butter) thanks to allegedly close relationships between the company and the Chinese government. It seems to be following a similar trajectory to rival ZTE, which also felt margins squeeze as it entered the global retail space and felt the heat when its political dealings were thrown in the spotlight.

Continue reading Huawei 2011 financials: 20 million smartphones sold yet profit down 53 percent

Huawei 2011 financials: 20 million smartphones sold yet profit down 53 percent originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of April 16th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of April 16th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading FCC Fridays: April 13, 2012

FCC Fridays: April 13, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading FCC Fridays: April 6, 2012

FCC Fridays: April 6, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading ZTE announces 2011 financials: turnover up, profits down, political scandals tricky

ZTE announces 2011 financials: turnover up, profits down, political scandals tricky originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of March 19th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of March 19th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading FCC Fridays: March 23, 2012

FCC Fridays: March 23, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ZTE's Tango-running Mimosa gets pictured, benchmarked (update: nope) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ZTE N910 clears the FCC with LTE support for AWS and PCS bands originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 07:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading FCC Fridays: March 16, 2012

FCC Fridays: March 16, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading ZTE blasts past the speed barrier with field test of 1.7Tbps data transmission

ZTE blasts past the speed barrier with field test of 1.7Tbps data transmission originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 02:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gartner pegs Samsung as China's top smartphone maker, ranks Apple fifth overall originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of March 5th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of March 5th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ZTE Fury coming to Sprint on March 11th for $20 after rebate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of February 27th, 2012

Mobile Miscellany: week of February 27th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading ZTE throws weight behind WiGig, because the real fun happens at 60GHz

ZTE throws weight behind WiGig, because the real fun happens at 60GHz originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Mar 2012 09:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: ZTE PF 100 hands-on

Continue reading ZTE PF 100 hands-on at Mobile World Congress 2012 (video)

ZTE PF 100 hands-on at Mobile World Congress 2012 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Intel details Medfield plans, announces a trio of phone-friendly Atoms

Intel details Medfield plans, announces a trio of phone-friendly Atoms originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ZTE's newly announced PF200 was also on hand at MWC 2012, though, unfortunately this handset wouldn't boot up. Powered by a Qualcomm 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, running Android 4.0, with a 4.3-inch qHD display, 8 megapixel af camera, WiFi, DLNA, and even NFC. The PF200 like the N910 if obviously showing its inexpensive price point through the size and quality of the housing and the choices in construction materials. While it isn't outrageously bulky, it too could do with a little slimming down, and again the back and its diamond patterned plastic feels terrible to hold. Catch a glimpse of its lack of glory in the gallery just below.

Gallery: ZTE PF200 hands-on

ZTE PF200 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ZTE's other handset launch of note at MWC this year was the PF112 (pictured at right next to SGS 2.) First take away here was the 4.5-inch 1028 x 720 HD display which was really bright and clear -- and again we were a little shocked by the dichotomy in build quality of the sets we're seeing from ZTE. Quad-band GSM radios, triple-band HSPA+ were on hand as well as an 8 megapixel rear-facing cam, all the wireless connectivity one could ask for and even an FM radio thrown in for good measure. Housing quality is fine, bezel size about on par with its neighbor in the pic above and fit and finish also looking sharp. Follow the break for some more pictures of this Android 4.0 device.

Gallery: ZTE PF112 hands-on

Continue reading ZTE PF112 hands-on

ZTE PF112 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ZTE's LTE FDD, CDMA, EVDO-enabled N910 -- we've also seen it referred to as the N91 -- also popped up at Mobile World Congress, so we gave it a quick once over. The spec sheet isn't bursting with this set but it does pack an 800 x 480 display, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, a 1080p capable front-facing lens, WiFi, Bluetooth, and of course its running Android 4. The N910 is a pretty thick handset as its posterior is a rounded affair, though, it feels hollow, and is impossibly light. Unfortunately for us -- and you -- it refused to power on during our brief visit, even after 10 minutes or so of charging. We will swing back around and see if we can't capture a bit of video, but until then the following gallery will have to do.

Gallery: ZTE 910 hands-on at MWC 2012

ZTE 910 hands-on at MWC 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

ZTE's oddly named -- like most of its sets, honestly -- Mimosa X doesn't bring to mind bubbly champagne breakfast drinks, but it does have a glossy display and Android 4. Packing niceties such as a Tegra2 1.2Ghz processor, 4.3 qHD 960 x 540 display, 8-megapixel camera with 1080p vid recording capability, and HD voice it seems a pretty well aligned device as far as specs go. We immediately noticed that the housing quality is a little weak -- specifically the handset's textured rear -- though, we're hopeful that will be reflected in its sticker price. Speaking of pricing, nothing was mentioned, though we can look to this to land sometime in Q2.

Gallery: ZTE Mimosa X hands-on

ZTE Mimosa X hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gallery: ZTE's quad-core Era hands-on

Continue reading ZTE's quad-core Era hands-on (updated with video)

ZTE's quad-core Era hands-on (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 07:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading ZTE Orbit is (another) budget Windows Phone: 4-inch display, 1GHz processor, 4GB storage

ZTE Orbit is (another) budget Windows Phone: 4-inch display, 1GHz processor, 4GB storage originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading ZTE Era flagship phone brings Tegra 3, 4.3-inch qHD display, 7.8mm chassis

ZTE Era flagship phone brings Tegra 3, 4.3-inch qHD display, 7.8mm chassis originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Mobile World Congress 2012 preview: what will we see?

Mobile World Congress 2012 preview: what will we see? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.