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Mobile Miscellany: week of September 26, 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 26, 2011: Last week we heard the rumor that Sprint would be launching the BlackBerry Curve 9350 on October 2nd, and we've finally received the official confirmation. The device will be hitting stores tomorrow for $80 with a two-year contract. [PhoneArena] The Motorola Photon WiMAX, referred to as the Photon 4G in the US, is now making its way to Japan as KDDI announced the launch of the device this past Monday. [Motorola] Verizon Wireless launched the Pantech Jest 2 this week, which is a feature phone with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. [Verizon Wireless] The Samsung Galaxy Y is now listed as "coming soon" on O2's website, which makes it the second carrier to announce upcoming availability in the UK. The actual date of release, however, is still unofficial. [O2] Softbank (Japan) looks ready to land the ZTE Lord V882, which appears to be an Android device running on Gingerbread, and comes packed with a 1GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, 3.8-inch LCD at WVGA resolution and a 5MP camera. [LandofDroid] NTT DoCoMo and Orange have teamed up to offer the Sharp AQUOS SH80F, which features dual 8MP stereoscopic cameras and claims to be the world's first Android device capable of converting 2D content into 3D in real time. It'll first be launched in France on October 6th and will follow to other European and Asian countries shortly after. [Softpedia] Maybe Microsoft Canada just assumed nobody actually reads terms and conditions, because the company outed the names of a few upcoming Windows Phones in the T&C for a developer contest: the Nokia Sabre and a duo of Samsungs named the Yukon and Wembley. The Nokia Searay was also named in the list, indicating the Sabre is a second device running on Mango. [Nokia HDBlog (translated)] In preparation for its Windows Phone debut, Nokia is also rumored to be featuring a new voice navigation system with 3D maps, according to some leaked marketing materials. [WinRumors] Here's a rendering of the HTC EVO Design 4G, also known as the Kingdom or Hero S. [Pocketnow] Samsung may have a midrange device coming soon to AT&T's lineup as a complement to the Galaxy S II. We've already seen the I857 pass through the FCC and show up in a leaked roadmap, and now it appears to have been dubbed the Doubletime, according to uncovered Cellebrite records. [Pocketnow] Also appearing in Cellebrite records are the HTC Vigor (PH98100), Motorola Droid HD (XT912), and the Samsung Nexus Prime (SCH-i515). [Droid-Life]
Huawei Honor gets video run-through, manages to hold the mobile court's attention
Sure, it may not grab headlines like a new iPhone or Google phone but that's not to say we're utterly uninterested in seeing a bit more of Huawei's forthcoming top-drawer handset. Now confirmed to play friendly with US radio frequencies, the single-core 1.4GHz Honor has been given a full video run-through. Techblog posits a December launch and a €300 ($400) price-tag -- not exactly the bargain basement prices we've come to expect from Huawei, but with a 4-inch touchscreen, DLNA abilities, an 8 megapixel camera on the back and a substantial 1900mAh battery, it looks like you'll get what you pay for. Catch the video after the break to judge for yourself.
HTC Omega spotted in the wild on Algerian auction site?
Just a few days after its renders first leaked, the HTC Omega has apparently been spotted in the wild, on an Algerian auction site, of all places. French blog Mon Windows Phone claims that the rumored Mango device may sport a Snapdragon MSM8255 1.5Ghz processor, 512MB of RAM and a 3.8-inch LCD, though it's hard to glean too many specifics from the blurry images featured on the auction site. The blog also spotted an eight megapixel camera around back, along with that front-facing shooter that Microsoft's been touting, while the listing claims that the phone boasts up to 8GB of storage capacity. The white-and-gray Omega is rumored to debut at this week's HTC event in London, though details on price and availability remain unclear (the highest online bid, for what it's worth, is currently at around $540). Hit up the links below to see the full array of images. [Thanks, Gilles]
Nokia's N86 8MP cruises through the FCC's database
When Nokia unveiled its N86 back in February, we Yanks were given no hope whatsoever that a US release was in the cards. We're doing our best to stifle our excitement, but it sure looks like a stateside launch is a lot closer now that said handset has made its way through the dark and murky halls of the FCC. Seen here in a lovely, washed-out shade of black, the 8 megapixel, OLED-equipped dual-slider seems no different than the one we toyed with in Barcelona, save for the whole US-friendly aspect, of course. C'mon Nokia, come clean with the price and ship date, won'tcha?[Thanks, eleminop
LG's Viewty Smart shipping this month, 12MP smartphone "later this year"
We've yet to see anything roll across LG's official wire, but oodles of legitimate UK sources are now reporting that LG's hotly anticipated Viewty Smart is making its way out to Orange shops. Strangely, it seems as if pricing details are still being held captive (really? at this point?), but we fully anticipate at least a small premium for 8 megapixels in a phone. Oh, and if you really needed any more affirmation that a 12 megapixel smartphone was in the works from this company, LG also took the opportunity to nod its head and promise one for "later this year." Goodie, goodie.[Via Pocket-lint]
Nokia's N86 makes its 8 megapixel debut
Sure, things looked pretty legit yesterday, but we were awaiting official confirmation from Nokia. That's here, and now we can take a gander at the N86 purely on the up-and-up. The dual-slider (keypad on one end, camera and playback controls on the other) naturally centers on its 8 megapixel camera, which includes a Carl Zeiss Tessar lens, AutoFocus, a mechanical shutter and a dual-LED flash, but there's plenty of other N-series goodies like 8GB of storage, a 2.6-inch OLED screen, TV-out and a microSD slot. Nokia Maps, Ovi integration and all those other goodies are onboard -- though the new email capabilities of its E-series brethren seem absent. The phone is due in Europe in Q2 2009 for around 375 Euro before taxes and subsidies.%Gallery-44979%
Another 8MP Samsung set to join Pixon and Innov8?
Samsung's added yet another -- if this guy's the real deal, and we're thinking it likely is -- to its stable of multi-megapixel handsets with this unknown 8MP beastie. Branded with Samsung's Anycall and purportedly packing a WVGA (800 X 480) display, a Xenon flash, and what appears to be a TouchWiz UI, it has all the makings of a worthy companion for the Innov8 and PIxon. Though, that branding has us worried that this phone may well be a Korea-only adventure for Samsung. Mobile World Congress is just around the corner, and if we''re going to learn anything new about it, there's a good chance it'll be then.
LG's 8-megapixel Renoir handset gets previewed, handled
We were already warned that the megapixel race was headed to the mobile realm, and as if you needed any more proof, here we are looking down the lens of LG's 8-megapixel Renoir. Clearly aimed at Samsung's recently unveiled Pixon, this touchscreen-based handset found itself in the loving arms of CNET's UK branch. During the limited time editors spent with it, they found the interface to be eerily similar to that found on the Viewty and the camera to be a real winner. As expected, the not-a-3.5mm headphone jack was none too pleasing to critics, but we did overhear the T-Mobile G1 voicing its support of the port. Anywho, tap the read link for the full preview / hands-on shots.[Thanks, T.I.]
Samsung's 8-megapixel Pixon gets official, ships in mid-October
Samsung was content with teasing us all weekend long, but it has finally seen fit to officially reveal its next 8-megapixel handset, the Pixon. Boasting a 3.2-inch touchscreen, 13.8-millimeter thin design and an inbuilt camera with Auto Focus, face detection and geotagging, the handset clearly emphasizes the importance of taking a few photos each and everyday. Sammy has confessed that the currently unpriced mobile will start shipping in around a fortnight for those in France, while most other European / Asian countries will see it shortly. As for North America? Take a wild guess. [Via PhoneScoop]
Samsung's 8MP Pixon gets real, more mysterious
Right, so we were already pretty sure that Pixon we were eying earlier wasn't a KIRF of some sort, but just in case you still had your doubts, Samsung has stepped in to wash them away. The 8-megapixel Pixon is for real, as evidenced by a teaser site with an absurdly long URL name. As for confirmed specs, we're looking at a 3.2-inch touch panel, 13.8-millimeter thin enclosure, 8MP camera (with Auto Focus, twin LED flash, face detection, and shake reduction), a built-in accelerometer and 7.2Mbps HSDPA. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the linked site is going to spill any other details until October 2nd, but you can still kill some serious time there just rolling your cursor on and off the lens.
NEC develops 8MP CMOS sensor for cameraphones
While LG's ambitious plans didn't exactly pan out in 2005, the idea of upping those megapixels in mainstream cameraphones sure is getting a lot of attention today. Shortly after Kodak announced its plan to unveil a five-megapixel iteration for future phones, NEC is hitting back with a development of its own. Apparently, the company is already shipping samples of a "system chip capable of processing cameraphone images at resolutions of up to eight-megapixels," which even includes "image stabilization circuitry as an option." Best of all, the CE131 sample device is priced at just ¥4,000 ($33), and hopefully that cost will diminish even further as mass production goes forward in October. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]
