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Sony Xperia TL review: the company's second US flagship is much improved, but still imperfect
As Sony's second stab at the US mobile market, the Xperia TL arrives with a major corporate synergistic push: a 007 movie franchise tie-in. But an awkward distinction as the official Bond phone and a smattering of pre-loaded "Skyfall" multimedia content alone won't drive consumer adoption; the specs and pricing will. Following in the footsteps of the company's first stateside flagship, the Ion, this AT&T 4G LTE exclusive is priced aggressively at $99 on two-year contract, packing a 4.6-inch HD Reality display (1,280 x 720) powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 clocked at 1.5GHz, 16GB of storage (expandable up to 32GB via microSD), 1GB RAM, NFC, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, as well as an integrated 1,850mAh battery. With Ice Cream Sandwich running the show and a planned upgrade to Jelly Bean in the works, it has all the makings of a current-gen high-end offering. So will the Xperia TL help Sony build much-needed buzz for its mobile division here in the states? Can a sub-$100 price tag effectively lure consumers away from the bigger, faster and flashier Android phones AT&T has to offer? Or is this mainly one for Sony loyalists? Find out after the break as we put the TL through its paces.%Gallery-169692%
Windows Phone 8X by HTC: 4.3-inch 720p display, LTE, dual-core S4, available this November
Consider this Microsoft's ultimate blessing, or merely a way to guarantee household name recognition. Whatever the case, the company's next-gen Apollo OS is not only powering HTC's newest mobile movement, it's also the headliner. That's right, as clunky as it may initially seem, Windows Phone 8X is the official moniker of the OEM's brightly hued flagship series, an alphabetical denomination that puts it on premium standing with the One X line. And thanks to the loosened spec restraints made possible by WP8, this modern-minded, unibodied beaut reps a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 Super LCD 2 display with Gorilla Glass 2 coating, dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor buffered by 1GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage, WiFi a/b/g/n, NFC and an integrated 1,800mAh Li-ion battery. There's also quadband radio support for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, HSPA/WCDMA (850, 900, 1900, 2100MHz) and, of course, LTE for stateside carriers. Though the 8X may share the same boldly colored, polycarbonate construction of its live-tiled Lumia frenemies, it also stands apart with the inclusion of two HTC-specific features: Beats Audio, replete with a built-in amplifier, and ImageChip for continuous shooting. And speaking of optics, this device's dual camera setup packs the combined punch of a 2.1-megapixel front-facer with 88-degree ultra-wide-angle lens and an 8-megapixel rear module with an f/2.0 lens accompanied by a single LED flash -- both capable of 1080p video capture. While the veil of mystery surrounding this latest tech industry collaboration may have just lifted, you'll still have to wait a bit before it heads to retail. After all, Microsoft's planning its own WP8 coming out party for late October -- a reveal that should finally give us a full look at the smartphone UI formerly known as Metro. With a ship date set for sometime this November, the 8X will be available in four distinct colors - California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow -- on over 150 carriers worldwide. No word on final pricing as of yet. So, until then, sate yourself with this first taste. Official PR after the break.
Sony Xperia S review
Has spring 2012 brought a rebirth to the Xperia range, or just a rebranding? On the face of it, that's an easy one. The Sony Xperia S (codenamed "Nozomi") is the first handset we've reviewed in the post-Ericsson era and you only have to glance at its spec sheet to see that more has changed than just the logo. The 4.3-inch LCD display outguns older Xperias with a bright and contrasty 1,280 x 720 resolution. This feature alone helps the device to sit more snugly on the Sony family sofa, where it can share popcorn with the tablets, PCs and TVs that Kaz & Co. want to merge into a seamless media-munching ecosystem. The Xperia S' camera pushes in that same direction, shooting 12-megapixel stills and 1080p video and then streaming its creations to other displays over HDMI and DLNA. Rounding it off, you get quirky features like NFC and a distinctive, Bravia-like physical design. But not everything here is so fresh and spring-like: other aspects of the device are still tinged with winter, as you'll discover if you read on. %Gallery-149568%
LG Optimus 4X HD unveiled: Quad-core Tegra 3, Ice Cream Sandwich, 4.7-inch display
If LG failed to impress so far with the Android 2.3 phones it's shown off in the run up to MWC 2012, perhaps the Optimus 4X HD can turn things around. This 4.7-inch beast will hit Europe in the second quarter and is its first to feature a 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 3 as its benchmark destroying CPU, a 4.7-inch True HD IPS LCD (1280x720) plus what appears to be a lightly customized version of Ice Cream Sandwich. Perhaps the only logical followup to its Optimus 2X that kicked off all the dual-core madness, it also includes a 2,150mAh battery, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Despite that huge screen, at a depth of 8.9mm it's only slightly thicker than the superwide 4x3 Optimus Vu. Just like the Fujitsu prototype we spent some time with at CES, the Tegra 3 features a 4+1 "Companion Core" design, with a fifth low power unit available to take care of more mundane tasks without draining the battery. This is all pretty close to the leaked "X3" specs we'd heard, however there's no mention of NFC or HSPA+ just yet, only DLNA and MHL. Check out the full press release after the break for a few more specs.
HTC Endeavor specs revealed in leaked ROM: Tegra 3, 720p, Sense 4.0 (update: screenshots)
HTC fans spent the last couple of days (i.e., their weekend) unpicking a leaked ROM Update Utility for an officially non-existent handset called the 'Endeavor.' The specs revealed so far include a 1280 x 720 display spread over 4.7-inches, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, eight-megapixel rear shooter, front-facing camera, NFC, 1GB RAM and the new ICS-adapted version of HTC's Sense UI. These leaked specs tally with an earlier tip-off to MoDaCo, which further hinted at a 1.5GHz clock speed and Beats Audio. There's also a bunch of screenshots showing off the Sense 4.0 skin that we already glimpsed in a fuzzy HTC Ville video -- and it conspires to look both new and deeply familiar.Update: Screenshot gallery just added below, via Android Central.
Samsung announces Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy S II HD LTE handsets for Korean market
There's some pretty big news coming out of South Korea today, where Samsung has just announced the Galaxy S II LTE handset, along with its even more alluring cousin, the Galaxy S II HD LTE -- the first member of the Galaxy S family to rock an HD display. The new device, pictured on the right, boasts a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED screen with 1280 x 720 resolution, which translates to about 316 pixels per inch. Other than that, its specs are identical to those of the Gingerbread-laced S II LTE, which is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and features 16GB of internal memory, an eight megapixel camera that supports 1080p HD video and the usual collection of WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC capabilities. No word yet on pricing or availability, but the Galaxy S II LTE will be available exclusively on SK Telecom, while the HD variant will be available on all three Korean carriers -- SK Telecom, LG U+ and KT. Full PR after the break.
HTC Vigor with 1.5GHz dual-core CPU and Beats sighted in Dutch online store (update: it's a fake)
Not much is known about the HTC Vigor, but if the above image is accurate, we have more than a wagonload to look forward to. A supposed render and spec list of the new superphone showed up on The Phone House, a Dutch online retailer, and was quietly taken off the site at a later time. According to the site, the Vigor will have a 4.3-inch HD display with 1280 x 720 resolution; it'll also offer a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, Android 2.3.4, and integrated Beats Technology -- which would make the Vigor the first labor of HTC's latest purchasing decision. There's no word on if the device will have LTE inside, though Verizon docs indicated previously that it's geared up to be the Thunderbolt's replacement sometime this fall. This time, let's get that battery life figured out, okay? Update: The marketing manager of The Phone House came out in response to the screenshot, declaring it to be a fake and explaining why the image is wrong. Feel free to check out the More Coverage link to get the full scoop. Otherwise, let's move along -- nothing to see here.
Android-powered LG P930 shows up in XML file with 1,280 x 720 display, we think it's a tablet
Typically, when tidbits about unannounced products start to trickle out, we begin our inquiry with general truths -- say, "this is a smartphone" -- and then work our way up to the nitty gritty. In the case of LG's mysterious P930 device, though, our search for clues starts at the opposite end. According to an XML file on the company's website, it's cooking up an Android-powered device with 1,280 x 720 resolution and GPRS / EDGE / HSPDA / HSUPA connectivity. One question this string of code fails to answer: just what is this thing anyway? A smartphone? A tablet? Given the information available, we're inclined to say this will be a slab, joining the inaugural G-Slate. It's not that handsets with 1,280 x 720 resolution are out of the question, but we do notice that the file mentions 15 x 13 character size. When you compare that to devices such as the HTC Sensation 4G, which has a 25 x 21 char size, you'd imagine this mystery device has a lower pixel density than a phone with the same resolution. Until LG comes clean, of course, your guess is as good as ours. [Thanks, FT]
