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Lenovo will launch a Windows Phone in the second half of 2012, says LePhone product manager
We've already been teased by a LePhone S2 moonlighting as a Windows Phone last month, but it was only yesterday that Lenovo confirmed an upcoming product featuring said OS. While boasting a mere total of 700,000 phone units sold since the original LePhone debuted in May last year (which is rather mundane compared to the Xiaomi Phone's 300,000 pre-orders in 34 hours), product manager Chen Yue told iMobile that Lenovo's now aiming to release a Windows Phone in the second half of next year. Well, that was apparently all Mr. Chen revealed -- no specs, no prices, and no mention of international launch. Either way, it looks like Nokia will have a nice head start in China with its Lumia 800. No wonder Elop's so happy these days.
Lenovo LePhone K2 to arrive with 4.3-inch IPS display, 1.5GHz dual-core chip
Frankly speaking, the phones that Lenovo have announced so far this week haven't been all that exciting (unless, of course, you're somehow aroused by its 5-inch tabletphone), but it turned out the folks had a little surprise for us: the LePhone K2. What we got here is a 4.3-inch IPS display (resolution of which not yet announced), a powerful dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 chip, 1GB RAM, 1GB ROM and an eight megapixel 1080p camera. Sadly, like the S2 and the S760, this crouching tiger also packs Android 2.3.5 instead of Ice Cream Sandwich, but without a price or a release date, perhaps there's still a small chance that we'll see it eventually launching with the newer OS. Anyhow, that's just our wishful thinking. Chinese hands-on video after the break. %Gallery-140597%
Phone Arts shows off original works created only with iOS
This is one of the more interesting art projects revolving around Apple's touch devices -- Phone Arts is a series of works that highlights pieces made specifically with the iPhone or the iPod touch. We've seen art made with iOS apps and devices before, but this is a little different. Rather than using the phone to create some version of an oil painting or a sketch, these pieces strike me as art that you can look at and know right away that it could only have been created on the iPhone's screen. The picture above is one example of how this is done, using the Notes app on iPad and some symbolic text, but all of the works in the iPhone Arts gallery looks like they were created with a digital surface. As the page says, these pieces "explore the boundaries of the phone to create graphic illustrations and designs." Really interesting. I'd love to see more experimentation like this. [via Today and Tomorrow]
Lenovo's LePhone S2 joins the Beijing party, boasts a 1.4GHz chip in a much lighter body (updated)
Just to wrap up today's product launch extravaganza in Beijing, Lenovo also threw in its new LePhone S2 dedicated to the phone category in China (while insisting the 5-inch LePad S2005 is more of a tablet, but we'll let you guys do the debate). This 3.8-inch WCDMA phone is no match for many of the big players out there with its single-core 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 chip, but other than that it should be pretty sufficient for the average user. The specs include a 800 x 480 TFT display, Android 2.3.4, 512MB RAM with 8GB ROM or 1GB RAM with 16GB ROM (neither comes with memory expansion), slightly different casing design for both models, eight megapixel 720p CMOS camera and a much lighter body compared to its two predecessors -- we're looking at a reduction from 165g to just 120g (including the 1,500mAh battery) at 10.9mm thick. Despite the weight loss, this phone has kept the handy gesture area below the screen. Sadly there's no word on release dates or prices for the S2, so again, come back in a bit for our hands-on photos from Engadget Chinese. Update: We've now been told that starting today the S2 will be sold for RMB 2,990 (about $470) unsubsidized. There will also be a TD-SCDMA variant at some point for those hooked up to China Mobile. Update 2: And our hands-on photos plus video are up now! Enjoy.
Lenovo launches LePad S2005, a 5-inch Gingerbread tabletphone for China
You may recall that last week we had a cheeky peek at Lenovo's upcoming tabletphone, and now our brethren at Engadget Chinese are actually touching one in Beijing! Dubbed the LePad S2005 in China (and to be branded under the IdeaTab series elsewhere), this Android 2.3.5 slate packs a 5-inch 800 x 480 LTPS display with 178-degree viewing angle (but same resolution as the Dell Streak 5's LCD, sadly), a Qualcomm dual-core 1.2GHz chip, 1GB RAM, a five megapixel 1080p imager on the back, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera and a 1,680mAh battery. In terms of connectivity and expansion we have a micro-USB port, micro-HDMI port and HSPA+ radio (so it's ready for China Unicom's network). All of this is packaged in a 9.95mm-thick body, weighing a total of 198g. Just as thick as the Streak 5 but lighter, even with the slightly larger battery capacity. There aren't any prices just yet, but given that this device is entering the Chinese market in two days' time, it won't be a long wait for those obsessed with tabletphones (and speaking of which, it's rather odd that Lenovo's marketing this as a tablet rather than a phone). Stay tuned for our hands-on photos.
Meizu MX resurfaces, home button gets a nip-and-tuck, turns into optical trackpad?
It's been a while since we've seen the Meizu MX, but these latest shots from Mr. Blurrycam reveal that the phone could see a substantial tweak to its main home button. These photos are likely to be of a work-in-progress handset, with plenty of bizarre cutaways presumably obscuring details of the mole. In the leaked drawings, Meizu's upcoming smartphone looked an awful lot like its M9 predecessor, albeit with a bigger screen, running on a superior A9 Cortex processor. The main button apparently doubles as an optical trackpad, with the two flanking capacitive buttons rotating depending on orientation. While it still remains uncertain whether this nub will replace the squarish button found on the MX mock-up earlier this year, hopefully CEO Jack Wong will still manage to meet the December launch date -- if only for the sake of all those loyal Mei-yo. Fans of severely obscured photography can catch another glimpse after the break.
Exclusive: Lenovo also working on a 5-inch Android tablet, because pockets need love too
No matter how tempting the specs on Lenovo's leaked 10.1-inch tablet are, you might prefer something fairly more portable just for the sake of your regular pockets. Well, it looks like Lenovo's got you covered, too. Freshly delivered from the same anonymous tipster are a stash of photos depicting a dual-core 5-inch Android tablet, which will apparently be marketed under the usual LePad brand in China as well as an upcoming IdeaTab brand for elsewhere (to help differentiate tablets from the IdeaPad laptop line). Not much else is known about this device, but the photos below do show a micro-USB port, HDMI output, a front-facing camera and presumably three capacitive buttons (which could mean it won't be launching with Honeycomb or Ice Cream Sandwich). There's a strong resemblance to the Dell Streak 5 here if you ask us, though despite the earpiece-like feature next to the front camera, our source couldn't confirm whether this tablet packs voice call capability (like the Galaxy Note and Pantech Vega No.5). Anyhow, stay tuned as we dig for more info. %Gallery-140034%
MediaTek-powered ZTE MT73 packs TD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, GSM, dual SIM and magic dust
Here's a funny one we spotted at China Mobile's booth at Mobile Asia Congress: a ZTE Android phone powered by a MediaTek chipset that supports TD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, GSM and dual SIM! Of course, given that China Mobile is currently the exclusive carrier to the TD-SCDMA technology, we're not expecting this peculiar device to pop up anywhere beyond the Great Wall any time soon; but knowing that there's a dual-SIM LTE phone somewhere on this planet still makes our day. Spec-wise this MT73 prototype features Android 2.3.4, an 800MHz processor, 1GB of RAM, a 4.1-inch 854 x 480 LCD with capacitive touchscreen, a five megapixel main camera, a VGA front-facing camera and a 1,100mAh battery. As per usual ZTE build quality, there's an inevitable cheap feel upon laying our hands on this phone, but we'll give ZTE the benefit of the doubt and wait for the final version. As for a launch date, the folks at China Mobile said it'll depend on when will the government issue a commercial license for TD-LTE. To keep you occupied for the time being, we have a hands-on video right after the break.
Droid RAZR's CDMA2000 and TD-SCDMA variants teased in China, the latter with 720p display
Chinese mobile customers face a similar dilemma as their American counterparts: they have to choose either China Unicom's WCDMA network, China Telecom's CDMA2000 network or China Mobile's more obscure TD-SCDMA offering. Needless to say, this can be a real headache for phone fanatics stuck on a carrier that doesn't support their desired devices, unless they don't mind surfing the web on 2G radio (if compatible at all). Luckily, nowadays Motorola tends to take good care of all potential Chinese customers whenever it rolls out a new Android phone, including the Droid RAZR (aka XT910, pictured right) in this case. Read on to find out what these two new phones are about. %Gallery-139260%
ITG xpPhone 2 to get some Windows 8 love, starts living large in January (updated)
Let's be honest: with the size of a brick and a relatively short battery life, it's no surprise that ITG's xpPhone hasn't quite dominated the smartphone market since its launch back in November. In fact, we haven't even seen one in the wild, and we certainly wouldn't have missed it if there ever was one on the street. That said, ITG hasn't given up, as the company's just announced its second-generation Windows-powered smartphone. The reason? Well, interestingly enough, ITG prefers Windows' greater range of compatible software compared to those of mobile OSes, namely Android and iOS. Let's just leave it at that for now. Simply dubbed the xpPhone 2, this beast of a QWERTY slider packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 chip, along with 2GB RAM, up to 112GB of SSD storage, 4.3-inch display and compatibility with both Windows 7 and Windows 8 -- obviously the latter OS will depend on its final release date. Not only has battery life been bumped up to around 18 hours of call time or 46 days on standby, but the phone's also been slimmed down to 140mm x 73mm x 17.5mm, which is a huge improvement compared to its bulky predecessor. With the touch-friendly Windows 8 on board along with a non-underclocked CPU, we have a feeling that the xpPhone 2 will at least fare much better than Fujitsu's F-07C; as for the rest, we shall see when it comes out in January next year. And no, it probably won't run Crysis. Update: Looks like we were misled by the company's other promotional photos and thus mistakenly thought the xpPhone 2 will have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. This would explain the slimmer body then. Update 2: ITG just clarified that the phone will be unveiled in January rather than launched. %Gallery-137785%
Samsung's SCH-i929 and SCH-W999 dual-screen clamshell get certified in China
Ready for a heavy dose of Android this morning? Then enjoy this Samsung double whammy freshly delivered from China. On the left we have the China Telecom-branded SCH-i929, a 9.7mm-thick handset featuring a Snapdragon MSM8660 chip (likely clocked at 1.5GHz), 4.5-inch 480 x 800 AMOLED display, eight-megapixel camera and GSM plus CDMA2000 connectivity. All of this makes the i929 a near-identical cousin of the Galaxy S II LTE -- same processor, same chassis, but obviously with different network compatibility. Of course, the real star of the show is the SCH-W999, a follow-up to the SCH-W899 of the same dual-screen clamshell form factor. As you can see on the right, on the outside this phone features a 3.5-inch 480 x 800 AMOLED display along with three touch buttons, while on the inside it packs a similar screen plus a physical keypad. Like the i929 above, this funky flip phone is also powered by a MSM8660 chip and supports both GSM and CDMA2000 on China Telecom, though its camera is limited to five megapixels instead. Anyhow, we'd certainly love to get hold of a world-friendly version of this 204 gram beast, so what do you say, Won-Pyo Hong? %Gallery-137682%
Cellphones are dangerous / not dangerous: Danish study tilts toward the latter
Chalk one up for the chatterboxes. In a study spanning 18 years and more than 350,000 test subjects, researchers in Denmark have found no connection between cellphone usage and brain cancer. The landmark project, carried out by Denmark's Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, was published online last week in the British Medical Journal, and is just the latest in a series of similarly optimistic studies. Of the 358,403 cellphone owners examined, only 356 were found to have a brain tumor, while 856 were diagnosed with cancer of the central nervous system -- percentages that are comparable to those seen among non-mobile users. Even among long-term cellphone owners (13 years or more), incidence rates were not significantly higher than those observed among the general population. Hazel Nunn, head of evidence and health information at Cancer Research UK, described the study as "the strongest evidence yet that using a mobile phone does not seem to increase the risk of cancers of the brain or central nervous system in adults." The study's authors, however, acknowledge some shortcomings in their work, including the exclusion of "corporate subscriptions" -- people who use their mobile devices for work, and who probably use them more heavily than the average consumer. They also recognized the need for longer-term research and for more child-specific studies. You can check out the article in full, at the coverage link below.
Andy Rubin: Ice Cream Sandwich's Face Unlock is developed by PittPatt
Liking that Face Unlock on Ice Cream Sandwich we saw this morning? You can thank PittPatt for that. Here at AsiaD's opening session, Android head honcho Andy Rubin just confirmed that said Pittsburgh-based company -- acquired by Google earlier this year -- was responsible for this nifty security feature. While the demo didn't go as planned for Matias Duarte at the launch event, Andy was able to show us how Face Unlock's meant to work on the stage just now. In fact, Andy said his team even had to "slow down the process" as PittPatt's software was too fast to make folks believe that any security at all was involved -- for what it's worth, Walt Mossberg's beard couldn't get past the unlock screen on Andy's Galaxy Nexus. Head on over to our hands-on video to see us getting up close and personal with Face Unlock.
Galaxy Nexus images, specs and benchmarks apparently leaked
Either these posters are extremely elaborate fakes, or NTT DoCoMo is really bad at keeping secrets. Just hours after it prematurely tweeted a November release for the Galaxy Nexus (aka the Nexus Prime), we now have what appears to be a full spec list and comparison with the other handsets in the Japanese carrier's range. The details are nearly all familiar from previous suspected leaks, including the dual-core 1.2GHz Texas Instruments processor, 720p Super AMOLED curved glass display, five megapixel camera with 1080p video recording and 32GB of storage (plus 1GB RAM). Now, it's entirely possible that the fakers are all singing from the same dodgy hymn sheet -- but if that's true, then they've also been busily submitting forged benchmarks to GLBenchmark, which displays results from a 'Galaxy Nexus' that include the same 1.2GHz clock speed and HD screen (albeit listed as 1196x720, supposedly due to the onscreen buttons). We'll know the truth soon enough -- the full fandango is but hours away. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Samsung crashes iPhone 4S block party, lures Aussies with $2 Galaxy S IIs
Can't say we didn't see this catfight coming after Apple boldly rejected Samsung's settlement offer in Australia, but man, the latter certainly isn't afraid of striking back in its enemy's front yard. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Sammy's set up a pop-up store merely meters away from Apple's Sydney store, all for just stealing the thunder from the iPhone 4S launch this Friday. The campaign? For the first ten customers each day up to Friday, the Korean giant's offering its Galaxy S II for just $2 sans contract -- no wonder the line's already longer than Apple's, according to the Herald. But of course, Samsung's also effectively funding some of these folks for their iPhone 4S from next door, so it's pretty much a win-win situation for both companies. See? There's always a happy ending, and let's hope that the upcoming Nexus Prime won't add fuel to the ongoing patent dispute. [Thanks, Kevin]
iPhone 5 cases and realistic unibody dummy show off incredible slimness
While we're only five days away from finding out the true appearance of the next-generation iPhone, our good friends over at BENM.AT went ahead and crafted their very own unibody dummy using CAD drawings, CNC tools and a block of aluminum -- seriously, that's how they roll! Granted, this work's only based on various data and rumor gathered across the web, but it's still a pretty convincing presentation -- the ultra slim teardrop design and elongated home button from previous reports are taken into account, and the mute switch has been relocated from the top left to the top right. BENM.AT told us that this dummy fits nicely into the supposed iPhone 5 cases that they obtained. Speaking of which, we also found some of these cases too -- read on to find out what they're like. %Gallery-135221%
New York City braces for Tuesday's arrival of mobile service on subway platforms
It's hardly a natural disaster, but the landscape of Manhattan is about to change once again with the arrival of cellular signal to a handful of the borough's subway platforms. Both AT&T and T-Mobile are taking part in the pilot program, and the Metropolitan Transit Authority expects the service to begin rolling on Tuesday at several stations along the 14th Street corridor, including A, C, E, F, L and M, along with stops 1, 2 and 3. The 23rd Street line will also see part of the action, as coverage is expected for the C and E stations. Of course, straphangers are unlikely to receive signal once on-board the trains, as the tunnels themselves aren't included in this rollout. Currently, the MTA expects all 277 underground platforms to be equipped for mobile chatter by 2016. Transit Wireless, the company responsible for the expansion, is said to be in talks with Sprint and Verizon for a similar introduction, although its customers must be content to listen in on the conversations other commuters for the time being. [Image from SeanPavonePhoto/Shutterstock]
Windows Phone Apollo to feature speech-to-text for email, low-end Tango gets split in two
If this hodgepodge of sorta, kinda official confirmation is to be believed, Windows Phone users can look forward to deeper integration of voice command functionality built-in to the Apollo update. Nokia US' CEO, Chris Weber, first spilled the speech recognition beans in an interview with VentureBeat back in early August, referring to the tech as a killer WP feature. Now, a report over on ZDNet backs up that leaked info with resume tidbits from former MS Windows Phone / Mobile Communications team members that had a hand in creating the so-called "Voice-Compose" and "Read-Aloud" features for native email clients-- even tipping us off to a possible Windows 8 and WP 8 convergence. There's also mention (gleaned from a company job listing) of MS' lower-end mobile OS splitting into two separate versions -- Tango1 and Tango2. We know what you're thinking. It's hard to get excited about far-off OS updates when we're still waiting on Mango's release. Still, it's good to know Ballmer and co. aren't just resting on their Windows laurels.
All Samsung Wave phones will get Bada 2.0, if they can handle the upgrade
Bada 2.0 won't just be riding the Wave 3, Wave M and Wave Y, but according to a tweet from Samsung, it'll be available on all older Wave models as well. The company did warn that the OS could run "differently" between devices based on specifications like CPU and memory size, which may affect lower end models like the Wave 525 and Wave 533. However, if you are the proud owner of any of the fancier Wave phones like the S8500, expect the full OS makeover. The upgrade is due to splash across Europe some time in the fourth quarter, rolling out worldwide soon thereafter.
Klipsch intros Image S4A in-ears, lets Android users feel the in-line remote love
There's no question Klipsch's S4 in-ear headphone line has some of the best to be had for under $100, yet aside from its iPhone-compatible S4i variant, mobile phone users wanting an in-line remote's benefits were outta luck. Well, it looks like times are a-changin' as an Android-oriented version of the noise-isolating buds, appropriately dubbed S4A, has popped up for pre-order on Klipsch's site. The remote's compatible down to Android 2.1 and appears to be slightly tweaked from the S4i with less buttons, but the specs say it'll work for phone calls, music control and volume adjustment. To make this cake's icing even richer, a Klipsch Control App will also allow for "customized functionality." They're priced at a cool Benjamin with no word on a ship date just yet, but you'll find some robot-clad closeups in the gallery below. %Gallery-131960% [Thanks, Bjorn and Jason]
