Mwc2012
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Rumor Mill: 7mm-thick Galaxy S III coming in May?
Korea's ETNews is betting its reputation upon this raft of rumored details concerning Samsung's Galaxy S III. Since the only thing we know for certain is that it'll be announced "After MWC," lets take all of these tidbits with a strong pot of "We'll believe it when we see it," okay? According to the report, the handset's going to be 7mm thick, helped by the company shrinking down its PCB, connector and chip sizes by between 10 and 20 percent. The only thing that hasn't lost any weight is the camera, which may sit on a "protrusion" (like the Droid RAZR's hump). It'll be running a custom quad-core processor with HDMI and LTE baked-in, and rather obviously it'll be running Ice Cream Sandwich. Here's where things get a little confusing, either this is the first of a raft of models that will highlight different features (so we'll see subsequent GS3s with an S-Pen, 3D display or souped-up camera) or the above perks will come with the flagship as standard. Parts are reportedly gearing up to be shipped, but the only time we'll get confirmation is when that special event kicks off closer to the summer.[Thanks, Erich]
Samsung Galaxy S III to get separate launch event 'in the first half of 2012'
Some phones are just too big for Mobile World Congress. That's Samsung's thinking, given the triumphant launch of its Galaxy S II -- in all its guises. While specifications for Sammy's next flagship are spinning rumor windmills across the web, there's nothing particularly concrete on what we'll be seeing just yet. However, in an official statement received by Techradar, the manufacturer revealed that the phone will be treated to its very own launch -- something it's also plotting for its new Google TV sets. In its own words: "Samsung is looking forward to introducing and demonstrating exciting new mobile products at Mobile World Congress 2012. The successor to the Galaxy S2 smartphone will be unveiled at a separate Samsung-hosted event in the first half of the year, closer to commercial availability of the product." At least it sounds like there will still plenty to test out later this month -- and probably a whole new raft of confusing naming conventions.
HTC Ville gets hands-on en Francais, is presumably practicing its Spanish for MWC (video)
While we're still a few weeks away from annual phone festival, MWC, it's these weeks in the run-up that often draw out blurrycam appetizers of what we'll see over in Barcelona. This time, it's no other than the HTC Edge Ville, that rumored divergent mix of quad-core processing bulk and slimline form-factor: something we don't typically see the unibody-armored HTC family. In the leaked video, you'll be getting a look at a heavily disguised version of Ice Cream Sandwich, covered in contentious (but new!) Sense sauce. The mysterious handset mole is also kind enough to pay a visit to the phone's specification list, confirming, at least if this is the finished article, an eight megapixel camera, 4.3-inch qHD display and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Alas, it looks like this isn't going to be the rumored quad-core debut from the Taiwanese phone maker, although going on past form, it won't shock us if the company reveals a whole line-up of handsets for us to meddle with next month. Take the tour yourself -- it's right after the break. Update: Looks like the original video has been unceremoniously switched to private. Fortunately, we managed to grab a copy beforehand.
Is this an image of the LG Optimus 3D 2?
What you see before you is either the deranged rantings of a lunatic, or the second generation of LG's Optimus 3D, erm, 3D smartphone. Currently codenamed "CX2," the handset's packing a new NOVA autostereoscopic display for better brightness, an unnamed 1.2GHz dual-core TI CPU and an NFC module. What isn't changing is the dual five-megapixel cameras, the 8GB storage or the display's size or resolution. Our biggest gripe with the device was its heft, but if the rumors are true, it's slimmed down from 12mm to 10mm: making it significantly more pocket-friendly. Our palms are sweating in anticipation as Mobile World Congress inches ever closer to revealing the truth.
Shocker! ASUS to launch PadFone at Mobile World Congress, we'll be there! (update: hands-on video)
Strictly speaking, CES doesn't even start until tomorrow, but ASUS has just handed us an invitation to its PadFone event at Mobile World Congress next month. If all goes well, this will fit nicely within the expected early-2012 window that Jonney personally promised. Obviously we'll be in Barcelona to cover the launch, so stay tuned, dear tablet freaks.Update: We just got our hands on a working engineering unit of the PadFone. Eagle-eyed readers might notice the odd tweaks here and there on the outside, and we also spotted three new mysterious contact pins along the USB and HDMI side of the phone. The product manager was away so we couldn't get an answer for what the pins are for, but we'd imagine they're for an external antenna. After the break you'll see a demo video of the PadFone switching screens as it slides into the tablet -- we've been told the final product will be able to switch even faster, so here's hoping ASUS can keep its promise.
Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon roadmap, 2.5GHz CPUs coming early next year
We've been hearing about Qualcomm's next generation of 2.5GHz processors for a few months now, but the company's quad-core future has now become a little bit clearer. Speaking at the Innovation Qualcomm event in Istanbul yesterday, Senior Vice President of Product Management Cristiano Amon confirmed that the chipmaker's S4 line of silicon will be shipped to manufacturers by the end of this year and should appear in consumer products by the beginning of 2012. Available in single-, dual- or quad-core models, the new, 28nm additions to the Snapdragon family will also support Adreno graphics, 3D and 1080p HD, in addition to 3G and LTE connectivity. If all goes according to schedule, then, we could see a slate of S4-equipped handsets at next year's Mobile World Congress in February, though we'll try to contain our excitement until we get a more specific launch date.
