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ASUS PadFone formally unveiled: 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon S4 CPU, ICS, HSPA+, coming in April
Just like it said it would, ASUS has formally unveiled its versatile, form-changing PadFone at Mobile World Congress. There are two stories here, and they're both quite compelling, frankly. On the one hand, you've got yet another high-end device, with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display, Snapdragon's new dual-core S4 chip, an Adreno 225 GPU, Ice Cream Sandwich and an 8-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and f/2.2 autofocusing lens. (The front camera records at VGA resolution.) Other specs include 16 to 64GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, GPS, A-GPS, a gyroscope, 1,520mAh battery and a compass. Connectivity options include WCDMA (900, 2100 MHz), EDGE / GPRS / GSM (850, 1800 and 1900 MHz) and HSPA+, with theoretical download speeds topping out at 42Mbps. Barring LTE, we wouldn't expect much less from a flagship launched at the world's premier wireless show. But those are just specs. If you focus solely on its chip and 9.2mm-thick frame you'd be missing its most distinguishing attribute: it's ability to parade around in tablet's clothing (albeit, with the help of some optional, still-unpriced accessories.) Taking a cue from Motorola's Lapdock-friendly handsets, the PadFone can slide into an optional station that effectively allows you to use it as if it were a 10.1-inch tablet. Like the optional docks sold alongside ASUS' Transformer tablets, the station not only improves the ergonomics, but also extends the battery life -- in this case, by nine-fold. Speaking of keyboard docks, ASUS will be selling one for this product, too, so that you can tuck that 10-inch phone-tablet into something with a full physical keyboard. Finally, there's that guy you see up there, which looks like a stylus (and is!), but also doubles as a headset for receiving calls. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the future. And when can you make it yours? ASUS confirmed that the PadFone will ship in April. Unfortunately, the company stopped short of revealing any pricing, so you'll have to stay tuned for some country-specific details. For now, though, we're planning on getting hands-on with the device as soon as we can, giving you a much closer look than we were able to when we spied a prototype back at CES. Update: And our hands-on is up now. Enjoy! Update 2: ASUS just confirmed that the LTE flavor of the PadFone will be available in early Q3 -- see the slide after the break.
Panasonic Eluga Power: 5-inch 720p display, 9.6mm thin, S4 processor
Remember Panasonic's Eluga? The phone with a name that sounded like you'd eaten too much popcorn before going on a roller coaster now has a bigger brother to protect the family insignia: the Eluga Power. It's a 5-inch (1280 x 720) display-toting premium version of the device running ICS on a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 CPU. The 9.6mm thick device includes a 1,800mAh battery that can reportedly quick-charge to 50 percent in half an hour. It's packing NFC, an 8-megapixel camera as well as an unspecified front-facer for video calls, 8GB storage and a microSD slot -- giving you up to 32GB expandable storage. There's a gallery below and full PR after the break.
Nokia unveils Lumia 610, arriving Q2
Another addition to la familia Nokia has been revealed. The Lumia 610 looks to be its entry level Windows Phone, going by the company's current naming convention, packing 256MB of RAM alongside an auto-focus camera. You'll be staring into a 3.7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) capacitive touchscreen display and it'll have 8GB of storage with no option to expand beyond using Skydrive. The 1,300mAh battery promises 6.5 hours of talk-time and 530 hours of standby, while connection options include HSPA, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth. Nokia also used its latest Windows Phone to demonstrate Nokia Transport; a new app that will draw on tram, train and bus directions for around 500 cities and 46 countries. Color fans will be able to get the entry-level device in white, cyan, magenta and black, all of which look set to arrive in Q2 priced at around 189 euros.Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Nokia announces Nokia Reading at MWC 2012, brings content together, makes it available offline
Among the many goodies Nokia unveiled in its presser at MWC 2012 is a new hub for consuming your favorite written content. Called Nokia Reading, it brings your news feeds, ebooks, and audio books together in a unified, digital magazine-like format that can be accessed on- or offline. The app also provides access to local language content where available and shows you breaking news via Live Tile. It is, quite naturally, available to all Nokia WP7 handsets beginning in April, and the best part? It's free.
Nokia grows Lumia 900 family: Canada gets LTE, HSPA+ for everyone else
Well, that AT&T exclusivity was bound to wear off at some point. Nokia just confirmed that an LTE version of its flagship Lumia 900 will be crossing the border into Canada in April, running on Rogers' network, while a dual-carrier HSPA+ flavor will be hopping the Atlantic sometime in Q2, with a €480 (about $650) price tag in tow. Naturally, it'll include Nokia Drive, but there's another treat in store -- Nokia Reading. The app will be available as a free download, and acts as a digital media hub, aggregating content in a magazine-like format. The new Lumia 900s also add a front-facing camera, in addition to that Carl Zeiss lens-sporting snapper out back. Also, as you can see in the image above, Nokia has confirmed a gorgeous white version of the Windows Phone device, which we saw leaked earlier this month. As for a release date to go along with that previously announced AT&T version? We're still hoping for March 18th, though we have yet to get a firm commitment from the carrier or manufacturer.Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Nokia Asha Series 40 lineup expands with 202, 203 and 302 (hands-on)
The Nokia Asha Series 40 phones were introduced at Nokia World last fall and today it expands by a few models, with the 202, 203 and 302. The 202 model is designed for "easy swap" SIM changes without powering off the phone, while the 203 is a single SIM model. Both expand the lower end line with access to 40 free games ( including Bejeweled, Need for Speed, Tetris, Sims Medieval) and Nokia Life services. The 302 (pictured above) will be the first to bring Microsoft Exchange support on Series 40, a feature that will also be added to the older 303. It does not have a touchscreen, but does bring a 1GHz CPU and 14.4Mbps data speeds for 95 euros, shipping now. The 202 and 203 do have 2.4-inch touchscreens, and are shipping in the next few weeks for 60 euros. Follow along with our liveblog of Nokia's MWC 2012 press conference for more details, or check out the press release after the break.Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Live from the Nokia press conference at MWC 2012!
It's hard to say what Nokia's going to reveal at this year's MWC, but naturally we have a hard time believing it will be any less shocking than what the Finnish company had in store for us last year. After all, we're rather certain that tonight's announcement will feature more from the same mobile platform it launched twelve months ago, not to mention the addition of a few extra lower-end devices. Join with us as we learn more of Stephen Elop's secrets in Barcelona!
Samsung announces Galaxy Note 10.1 at MWC (update: hands-on photos!)
Samsung's announced another 10.1-inch tablet to join its burgeoning collection of slates. The Galaxy Note 10.1 is an S-Pen toting variant of the similarly sized-and-named Galaxy Tab. It's running Touchwiz-infused ICS on a 1.4GHz dual-core CPU with 1GB of RAM, but here's the answer to the question on everyone's lips: nope, you can't use it as a phone. Sadly you'll only have access to HSPA+, WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0, dashing our hopes of using this as our primary cellphone to annoy people on the train. The 10.1-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) display is nestled opposite a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera and beside a 2-megapixel one for video conferencing. S-Pen specific features include S Note for scrawling text, Shape Match and Formula Match (to digitize images and mathematical formulae) -- but more importantly is the ability to use Adobe's new Photoshop Touch and Ideas, which will both come pre-installed.If you'd rather use the slate as one of the world's largest sat-navs, you'll be relieved to know it's packing both GPS and Glonass. For the businesspersons of you out there, there's Exchange ActiveSync, on-device encryption, Juniper Junos Pulse and Cisco VPNs. It'll come in 16, 32 and 64GB variations, with a microSD slot for you to add up to a further 32GBs into the mix. It's clear that Samsung's bisecting its tablet business: purely touch-driven devices will now be branded as a "Tab" and anything with a stylus S-Pen will be suffixed with "Note." Pricing and availability are currently unspecified, but we'll do our best to shanghai that information out of a passing company rep when we see one.Update: We've added a gallery of hands-on photos just below.%Gallery-148870%Brad Molen contributed to this report.
Samsung announces the Galaxy S (Player) WiFi 4.2 at MWC
In all the other MWC bombast, you might have missed that Samsung's added another member to its humble Galaxy S WiFi (Galaxy Player) PMP-lineup. This version packs a 4.2-inch WVGA (480 x 800) screen, runs Gingerbread 2.3 and has dual cameras (2-megapixels 'round back and VGA for video calls). Bluetooth 3.0, USB 2.0 and WiFI 802.11 b/g/n round out your connectivity and you'll also find it toting a 1,500mAh battery. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is bundled as standard, which is great for some illegal street-racing on the go. It'll come in 8 and 16GB variants, with the usual microSD card slot for that extra 32GB of space when required. No word on pricing or availability, but we'd imagine it won't head too far past the $250 mark.
Angry Birds Space to launch on Samsung's Galaxy Note (video)
Rovio described the upcoming Angry Birds Space as its biggest launch since the original game, but has been coy about platform details until now, as Samsung has revealed it's launching on the Galaxy Note. We're not sure how the phablet's 5-inch (or possible 10.1-inch) display comes into play, but the extra area can't hurt. Other than the "Houston... we have a slingshot" tagline there's not many other details revealed, but if you're (still) obsessed with taking down those pigs once and for all then press play on the teaser video above.
Samsung's latest 8MP cameraphone sensor has backside illumination, zero shutter lag (Update: specs)
Samsung hasn't shown off all of its new tech at MWC 2012 yet, but one more early announcement is a new "premium" cameraphone sensor, the 8MP S5K3H7. Its new 1.4um CMOS shown above features backside illumination (BSI) technology for better quality in low light -- just like the iPhone 4/4S camera and HTC's just-announced ImageChip -- as well as the promise of zero shutter lag and 30fps 1080p video all while using less power than previous generations. There's no word yet on which phones will include the new imaging chip, but it should go into mass production in the next couple of months.Update: Looking for more numbers? The English PR is out now and confirms a slim form factor 8.5mm x 8.5mm camera module with 5.5mm height dimension capable of 120fps 720p or 240fps slow motion video recording. Check the data yourself in the press release after the break.
Adobe announces Project Primetime video platform, Highlights available now for iPad (update: video)
If you've been wondering what Adobe had in the works after laying Flash Player for mobile to rest, the wait is over. The outfit has unveiled the codenamed Project Primetime, the "industry's first fully integrated video technology platform" that will offer television-esque viewing sessions across your web-enabled devices. This tech plays nice with all "major" mobile platforms -- including iOS -- as well as desktop operating systems and smart TVs. Touting a workflow that pulls together streaming, content protection, analytics and advertising, the software will allow media providers to offer live and on-demand viewing on a number of internet-friendly devices. The first portion of Adobe's project, "Primetime Highlights," is available today for the iPad and showcases a video editor (pictured above) alongside the Auditude ad platform. Don't fret, though, support for other platforms is coming later in the year. While Primetime is on display for the first time at MWC, parts of the new tech will see daylight throughout 2012. If you're looking for some more details, hit the full press release below. Update: We added a quick video demo from the Adobe Blogs below. [Thanks dude2k5 for the heads up.]
HTC to launch "Dragon" series smartphone in mainland China, expand to international markets in the future
HTC may have just announced its highfalutin One family of smartphones in Barcelona, but it's still the year of the Dragon back home -- and the Taiwanese outfit has the slabs to prove it. Meet the "Dragon" series, a trio of 4-inch Android handsets, each sporting a 5 megapixel camera, a 1GHz single-core processor and Beats Audio, all wrapped up in an Ice Cream Sandwich slathered in Sense 4.0A. Although the Dragon series seems a bit like the HTC One V -- albeit with a larger screen -- the outfit says it won't be packing the HTC ImageChip that hopes to give the One series' cameras a wicked performance boost. Sadly, the "Dragon" moniker is a temporary handle, and the three phones are only coming to mainland China. HTC says there are plans to expand the family in the future for international distribution, but for now the handsets are only coming to China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile.
HTC One V: we go hands-on (video)
And here's the littlest addition to HTC's bid for mobile world domination -- the HTC One V. Well, at least the hardware's here. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take the OS for a spin, but we did take the opportunity to give the hardware a tour. Our impressions on the retro-chic handset are after the break, alongside a short -- but sweet -- video.
HTC One S hands-on at MWC 2012 (video)
The second of the One. That's another way to describe the HTC One S, the mid-range selection in the Taiwanese company's trio of new devices. Even though it should be considered middle of the road when being compared to a heavy hitter like the One X, it's not hurting for features in the slightest. The S's claim to fame is its scratch-resistant and durable aluminum backing, and adds a highly respectable list of mouth-watering specs to go along with it. Let's have a look-see: 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED panel, 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (MSM8260A) processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, the same 8MP rear camera found on the One X along with a VGA front-facing cam, a smallish 1,605mAh battery and 42Mbps HSPA+ radios (which will come in handy when it shows up on T-Mobile this spring).While we've had the chance to drool all over its bigger brother, the One S still satisfies in nearly every way. The aluminum build was forged using a Micro Arc Oxidation process, and indeed affords us a feeling of security in case the skinny device were to slip through our hands. Given the firm grip we had on it, the chances of something like that happening would be rather slim anyway -- still, better safe than sorry. And the dual-core S4 chipset doesn't disappoint, either, and is going to be a slightly less expensive alternative for anyone who isn't a power user. Add in the same beautiful f/2.0 camera lens with all the Sense 4.0 trimmings, and this will likely stand well amongst its peers. As with the One X, we'd still prefer to see a physical camera button to take full advantage of the swift shutter speed and simultaneous video / still image capture. Want to get a bit closer to the action? Scoop the gallery below and the video after the break.Update: The chipset in the HTC One S is a dual-core Snapdragon S4.
Orange announces first Intel-powered Android phone for Europe, codenamed Santa Clara
Orange will be the first to offer a Medfield-powered Android phone in Europe. Codenamed Santa Clara, and arriving some time this summer, it looks pretty similar to Intel's reference model -- in both design and specs. The phone totes a 4-inch 600 x 1024 display, with a solid 8-megapixel camera capable of 1080p video and burst capture of up to 10 shots within a second. The Santa Clara (the final name is likely to manifest itself somewhere between now and its eventual release) runs on Intel's Atom Z2460 processor, clocked at 1.6GHz. This should be more than enough to smoothly steer Android Gingerbread, with Orange vowing to bring ICS soon after launch. The device can handle HSPA speeds of 21.1Mbps down and 5.6Mbps up, while HDMI-out gets its own dedicated port. Other features include Orange's own mobile wallet service through NFC, with HD voice call and gesture navigation built in. The phone network is also pushing Intel's Medfield processor credentials, with its low power performance of up to 14 days on standby or eight hours of 3G calls. The European carrier has also told us that despite these respectable middleweight specifications, the phone will remain "aggressively priced" -- not dissimilar to its previously town-themed iterations. We hope to get some hands-on time with the device very soon, but until then, you can glean a closer look at the gallery below.
ViewSonic's ViewPhone 4e hands-on (video)
The ViewSonic ViewPhone 4e -- the downmarket sibling of the ViewPhone 4s -- launched at MWC today and unlike the 4s, the 4e was essentially feature complete. This dual SIM set will ship with Android 2.3.x Gingerbread, a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 display, a 3-megapixel camera, and an FM radio. We had a chance to see it in both yellow and a truly garish pink hue and the housings are impressively solid and while they may not come in our favorite colors, they're at least fun. While not as tack sharp as the ViewPhone 4s' IPS display, the 4e looked just fine and the quick UI tour didn't show any obvious slowdowns or stuttering from its 650Mhz CPU. We're expecting this to launch in Europe before June for about $350.Zach Honig contributed to this report.
HTC One V unveiled: Sense 4.0 on ICS, Beats audio, 3.7-inch WVGA LCD
It's not often that device codenames serve as a direct mission statement, but with the outing of the One V, neé Primo, first-timers are getting an entry level HTC-welcome. The Ice Cream Sandwich-laden handset, running a Sense 4.0 overlay, hearkens back to the design of the Legend, with a black-ish gray, aluminum unibody, hardware keys (three for back, home and apps) and prominent chin jutting out below its Gorilla Glass-coated, 3.7-inch WVGA LCD display. The company hasn't specified the exact CPU powering the phone, but we do know it's a 1GHz single-core affair buffered by 512MB RAM. Storage-wise, you're looking at a paltry 4GB onboard that can be augmented via 25GB of Dropbox, or the available microSD slot. Beneath its sealed enclosure lies a 1,500mAh battery, quadband GSM and WCDMA radios, in addition to support for GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth. Directly benefiting from the manufacturer's recently announced ImageChip, is its 5 megapixel rear shooter, outfitted with an AF f/2.0 lens and capable of recording 720p video. There's no front-facing camera to be found on the unit, although situated as it is on the lower end of the consumer spectrum, that's to be expected. Check after the break for HTC's video preview.
HTC unveils One S, arrives with dual-core power, engineered metal finish
HTC's new phone appears to be its middle-weight offering, but it's still looking to impress with a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED display and a new dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 S4 (MSM8260A) inside set to do the heavy-lifting. Previously known to leak fans as the Ville, HTC's brought Ice Cream Sandwich to the fold, alongside the very latest version of its Sense UI -- 4.0 to match that Android version number. The highlight here appears to be that uniformly thin alloy unibody; in science terms, it's a plasma-heated micro arc oxidation process, giving HTC's typical aluminum frame a smooth ceramic finish and apparently toughening it up on the way. Camera-wise, it's wielding a potent eight megapixel sensor with HTC's very own ImageChip and a f/2.0 autofocus lens that's likely to blow all of its previous camera modules out of the water. HTC has focused on the camera software too -- the One S apparently capable of nabbing shots in under a second and the ability to capture full-size stills during 1080p recording. All this, and it's a mere 7.9mm thick. We'll be hunting down a model for a hands-on as soon as we're finished here. Expect to see our impressions very soon, check HTC's video preview after the break now.
T-Mobile gets the HTC One S first in the US, coming this spring
See HTC's new superstar handset the One S earlier during our MWC 2012 liveblog and want one for your very own? Well, we've got some good news for you T-Mobile aficionados, as the One S will be coming to the magenta-clad masses before anyone else. That means you'll be able to enjoy its super-slim profile, prodigious Snapdragon S4 computing power and ICS with Sense 4 on T-Mo's blazing HSPA+ 42Mbps network before your friends on Ma Bell, Big Red, or the Now Network. Unfortunately, we can't neither tell you exactly when you can get your hands on one, nor how much it'll cost to do so, but we do know it'll be on sale this spring.
