Sprint Galaxy Nexus arriving in April?

 
Sprint Galaxy Nexus

If you want a Galaxy Nexus on Sprint, it looks like you’ll be able to pick one up before the carrier launches its LTE network. Sprint is giving away 30 Galaxy Nexus phones for its Sprint Data Storm Sweepstakes – and from now until April 5th, Sprint will be accepting daily entries for people to win one of the phones. Since we doubt that Sprint will be making its customers wait too long for their prizes, it’s safe to assume that they’ll be given out on the closing day itself.

While this doesn’t mean that the phones will go on sale on that day, it probably means that a handful of Sprint users will be able to enjoy the Galaxy Nexus before other Sprint customers. Find out more about the Sprint Data Storm Sweepstakes.

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Samsung Galaxy S Advance arrives at the FCC

 
Samsung Galaxy S Advance

The good people over at the FCC have taken a look at the Samsung Galaxy S Advance, and you can be more or less sure that they are extremely satisfied with the smartphone having given their collective nods of approval. Of course, with all the checking and testing going on behind closed doors, some of the test reports revealed point towards the support for GSM 850/1900 bands as well as WCDMA bands 850/1900, in addition to dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth connectivity. Other than that, we do know that the Samsung Galaxy S Advance will carry a 4″ Super AMOLED display, a dual-core 1GHz processor, a 5-megapixel shooter at the back as well as a pretty standard 1,500mAh battery. It does seem like a pity that Android 2.3 Gingerbread will run the Samsung Galaxy S Advance right out of the box, so keep your fingers crossed for an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update will be released in the near future. There is no word on pricing or availability as at press time, so stay tuned!

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Nokia 808 PureView packs a 41-megapixel camera

megapixel camera

At this week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Nokia announced the 808 PureView, a smartphone with an astounding 41-megapixel image sensor. The Nokia 808 will be the first smartphone by Nokia to include its new PureView imaging technology, which combines a high-resolution sensor with Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia-developed algorithms.

Typically you might want a high megapixel camera in order to take photos that can be printed larger - what makes the Nokia 808 PureView special, however, it what it does with those pixels. The 808 uses a new pixel oversampling technology, that captures seven pixels of information and then condenses those into one single pixel. This reportedly results in an exceptionally sharp photo, and the ability to zoom in on any portion of a 5-megapixel picture without losing clarity in the image.

The technology also works on video, so you can shoot a full HD video at 30fps and 4x zoom. Nokia has made some untouched images taken with the camera available online (as a sizable download) so you can get a feel for the quality.

In addition to offering a decent lens and large image sensor, the camera also has a few other notable features. It can capture photos quickly (in less than a second), has a Xenon flash as well as an LED video light for shooting in dark places, and offers integration with services such as GetMe Rated (for having other people rate your photos) and Vimeo, for sharing your videos with the world. Nokia claims the phone can capture audio at CD-like quality, and the handset is also the first smartphone with built-in Dolby Headphone technology, so you can listen to tunes (or your videos) in Dolby Surround sound using any set of stereo headphones.

Besides the camera and sound, the rest of the specs for the handset are actually on the low end of things. The Nokia Belle phone has a 4-inch screen with a 640 x 360 resolution, a 1.3Ghz single-core processor, and 512Mb of RAM. The handset comes with 16GB of storage space, but supports microSD expansion up to 32GB.

The Nokia 808 PureView is expected to roll out in May for around US$605.

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Diff Case for iPhone has many uses

Diff Case for iPhone

iPhone cases come in different shapes and sizes, and given the number of things we can do on our phone, one size certainly does not fit all. If you are in the market for a multipurpose case, then perhaps the Diff Case could be the case that you are looking for, because based on its design and intended function, it certainly is different (pun intended!) from the rest of the pack!

First of, the case will come with a privacy cover and a sun shade, which when closed will act as a screen protector to help prevent scratches to your iPhone’s screen. However when open, it can be used to help block the glare from the sun to increase viewability, and also to prevent the person next to you on the bus/train from reading your messages. The case will also sport a bumper to help protect against accidental bumps or drops, along with a hump at the bottom which is supposed to help with the grip of the phone.

Based on the photo above, you probably noticed that there are various holes in the case, and for photographers, they will probably recognize these holes which will allow the case to be attached to a tripod mount. However those holes can be filled by screwing on a carabiner and key-ring accessory, so you could even hook your phone onto your belt if you choose to. An interesting concept, not the most pretty of iPhone cases we’ve seen so far, but if you think that this will suit your needs, you will be able to place your order via its website for $34.95.

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Sprint releases Mobile Accessibility app free to its customers

Mobile Accessibility

Sprint announced today at the annual International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference that it will be offering Code Factory’s Mobile Accessibility app for Android devices for free to its Sprint, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA customers. The app which normally costs $99 on the Android Market is designed for people who are blind or visually impaired and for elderly individuals who cannot read print on smartphones because of physical, perceptual, developmental, cognitive or learning disabilities. The app features a simplified UI and textual information that is spoken aloud with voice synthesis to help users who have trouble seeing with the usage of their Android devices.

So for those of you who have problems seeing or know of any Sprint customers with the same problems, be sure to check out the app on the Android Market. I can’t vouch for the usefulness of the app (I’m not on Sprint, and I don’t require such accessibility apps) but since it’s free anyway you can give it a shot. Head here for the English version and here for the Spanish version.

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Viewsonic reveals world's first Ice Cream Sandwich dual-SIM smartphones (UPDATED)

 
Viewsonic reveals world's first Ice Cream Sandwich dual-SIM smartphones

ViewSonic has taken a new range of dual-SIM Android smartphones to Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona, that includes the successor to last year's V350 smartphone - the ViewPhone 3. Two of the brand new phones will run on the latest flavor of Google's Android mobile operating platform, codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich. The company hasn't given away too much in the way

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Huawei calls its new Ascend D quad "the world's fastest smartphone"

new Ascend D quad

Quad-core smartphones are stealing the show at MWC 2012 in Barcelona, Spain this week. We've already seen LG's first model take center stage, with HTC's One X snapping at its heels, and now China's Huawei Device is hoping to trump the competition by launching what is claimed to the be the fastest smartphone in the world - the Huawei Ascend D quad.

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Sony Tablet P now available in the US

Sony Tablet P now available in the US

It’s been awhile since the Sony Tablet P was announced, and for those of you who are keen on picking up the unique clam-shell Android tablet, you’re in luck. Sony has announced that as of today, the tablet is now available in the US. While the tablet is months late to the market (other countries have already gotten it), it’s better late than never right?

The Sony Tablet P features two 5.5″ TruBlack (1024 x 480) capacitive displays, NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor, a 5-megapixel rear camera, VGA front facing camera, 4GB of internal storage, full size SD card slot, micro USB connector, a 3,080mAh battery, Android Honeycomb, DLNA, and access to Sony’s “Select App” (which includes games, entertainment and lifestyle apps).

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Smartphone 'transformed' into a tablet Asus Padfone

Inserted in the dock only comes smart, smartphone, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen, powered by Snapdragon chip S4 has turned into a 10 inch tablet.

Asus always make traditional products on the market especially tablets. After products like the Eee Pad Transformer or Eee Pad Slider cause good effect in 2011, 2012 could be the year of Asus Padfone - equipment is designed as "hybrid" unique.

Essentially a smartphone equipped with 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen qHD, but when placed in the dock snugly smart slim 9.2 mm, Padfone will "transform" into a tablet with the duration of larger battery.

In addition, to better serve the user's work, Asus also integrated stylus touch pen technology for this product, and if it is not enough to feel satisfied users, Asus continues to provide a separate keyboard like the Prime Transforme , turning it into a laptop full mobile gadgets.

Regarding configuration, Asus Padfone equipped dual-core Snapdragon chip S4 like on most smartphones launched at MWC this year, Adreno 225 GPU, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, after 8 megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus, aperture f/2.2 lens.

Other parameters of the machine, including storage capacity from 16GB to 64GB (which can be expanded using SD memory card slot), Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI and 1520 mAh battery capacity. Asus says this product will hit the market in April this year, prices have not been disclosed.

Video close-smartphone "transformed" into Asus Padfone tablet.

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Photos alleged iPhone 5

The information about the next generation iPhone (aka iPhone 5) Apple has always been a hot topic during the past period.'

MacRumors forum page recently appeared post new images are "accused" is the concept version of the smart phones iPhone 5 . However, there is no basis for any sample confirmed that this is the fifth iPhone Apple's official.

The new model is designed thinner than iPhone 4

Screen size greater than about 4 inches in size

The back cover plate back slightly curved design, rounded edges

Left side is the location will increase the volume button

Home key can also longer and wider than the predecessor

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Apple warns Evi with App Store expulsion

Evi speech analysis app

Apple is not exactly well know for playing fair – and as a testament to that line of thought, a UK developer claimed that the Evi speech analysis app will be removed from App Store since it is as “confusingly similar” to Siri. What do you think of such a particular move? I am quite sure that it will not win Apple any new fans in the process with such a controlling nature, and it certainly stifles the creativity of developers such as this Cambridge company whose Evi app is more or less able to perform as well as Apple’s very own Siri in terms of functionality, although it does have its fair share of shortcomings as well. Of course, this does not mean it fails to understand you most of the time, nothing quite like that. In fact, the opposite could hold true – perhaps it performs admirably well for Apple to deem it as a major threat to their Siri voice assistant.

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Tango hits 40 million users

Tango hits 40 million users milestone

Records are meant to be broken, which is why sporting events have always captivated the world’s imagination, as we are so obsessed with surpassing past greats that we constantly push the boundaries of perfection. Android has just hit 850,000 activations on a daily basis, and here we are with Tango, a free video calling service that is expected to touch and surpass the 40 million user mark in a fortnight’s time. Apart from the jump in Tango members, the service has also seen an increase in user engagement with 44% of users who are currently using the app actively within the last month.

Tango knows that if they were to maintain this particular momentum, they would have to upgrade their service – and this is exactly what they did by enhancing their video messaging feature. This new enhancement allows users to send a video message without having to place a call in the first place. Running along the same vein as capturing and storing photos, Tango users are now able to send, play and save video messages for repeated perusal after that. Tango has also integrated their service with Weibo, which is actually a mixture of Facebook and Twitter’s features in China that has 250 million users of its own.

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Viewsonic reveals world's first Ice Cream Sandwich dual-SIM

Viewsonic Ice Cream Sandwich with dual-SIM

ViewSonic has taken a new range of dual-SIM Android smartphones to Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona, that includes the successor to last year's V350 smartphone - the ViewPhone 3. Two of the brand new phones will run on the latest flavor of Google's Android mobile operating platform, codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich. The company hasn't given away too much in the way of detail, but read on for what we do know.

Having a dual-SIM capable smartphone in your pocket is like having two separate phones in one handset, where each has its own number, can be programmed with its own voice call and message ringtone, and gets its own bill. One can be used strictly for business and the other saved for more personal matters. ViewSonic says that its new dual-SIM Android offerings come with SRS Tru Media audio enhancement, PicSel Smart Office and Ignition Remote Access pre-installed.

With PicSel Smart Office, users can edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, and view and edit files in the cloud using services like DropBox or Google Docs. Many modern printers will also allow files to be printed direct from the smartphone wirelessly. Ignition Remote Access allows users to control a PC or Mac over Wi-Fi or 3G.

The ViewPhone 3 was first launched at CES last month and is now making its first appearance in Europe. When made available in late Q1 2012, it will be powered by a Qualcomm 800MHz processor, run on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), and be GSM, EDGE and HSDPA network capable. It has a 3.5-inch, 480 x 320 resolution capacitive touchscreen display and a 5 megapixel AF camera and, apart from its estimated sale price of US$279, that's all the company has revealed for now.

The entry-level ViewPhone 4e will also have a 3.5-inch, HVGA resolution capacitive touch display and will run on Android 2.3 when it gets released in Europe during Q2 2012. It's been given a slower 650MHz processor and a somewhat less impressive 3 megapixel, fixed focus camera but bizarrely carries a higher recommended retail price than its slightly older sibling of less than US$399. ViewSonic does mention that it's only 10.3mm thick and comes with a built-in FM radio, though.

The first of the Ice Cream Sandwich dual-SIM smartphones is the ViewPhone 4s. It also comes with a 3.5-inch multi-touch display but has been treated to a "super clear" 960 x 640 resolution IPS panel at 326 ppi, with an 800:1 contrast ratio and 500 candela per square meter brightness - which should all add up to some very nice crisp image detail. Like the ViewPhone 3, this model gets a 5 megapixel AF camera at the rear but is also given a VGA quality cam at the front.

There's no official word on the processor or storage capacity for the 4s but the word online is that it will be powered by a 1GHz Cortex A9 and have 4GB of internal storage, with microSD expansion. The ViewPhone 4s is set for a Q2 launch in Europe for a recommended retail price of less than US$499.

There's very little detail available on the last of the new dual-SIM smartphones. All we've been told about the ViewPhone 5e is that it will have a 5-inch capacitive multi-touch display at 800 x 480 WVGA resolution, will run on Android 4.0 at launch and will have a recommended retail of under US$599 when it appears in Europe during Q3 2012.

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Studio 5.3 smartphone from BLU Products

 
5.3" smartphone from BLU

It seems that the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.3 has a new rival in town, although the name BLU Products might not actually cause the South Korean conglomerate to quake in their expensive, leather-cut boots. Known as the Studio 5.3 smartphone, this device will feature an ergonomic and stylish design, and has been touted to be “the ideal personal communications device” – heaven knows just how many companies lay claim to that with their own offering. The Studio 5.3 will clearly follow the trail that the Galaxy Note set earlier, merging the user experience of a tablet alongside the portability of a smartphone.

Features of the Studio 5.3 include a high resolution 5.3″ WVGA LCD display, MediaTek’s MT6573 processor underneath the hood that works in tandem with a POWERVR Series5 SGX GPU, dual SIM support, Android 2.3 Gingerbread as the operating system of choice and HSDPA 3G connectivity. No idea on whether Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is in the works for this puppy though, but it ought to arrive in Europe and Asia before March is over for 199 Euros a pop. Depending on which region the Studio 5.3 arrives in, it will be either 650MHz or 800MHz fast.a

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HTC One X latest flagship Android Ice Cream Sandwich

HTC One X

The latest flagship Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone from HTC that runs NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.5 Ghz quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM. The 4.7” Super LCD2 display with a 720p HD resolution made of Corning’s Gorilla Glass delivers a highly contrasted and vivid image, which is on par with the image quality delivered on the Samsung Galaxy Note, and slightly less saturated since it is not an AMOLED.

The design is sleek and elegant, and the body offers a high quality build which does not feel plasticky compared to the new Huawei Ascend D Quad that runs a proprietary 1.5Ghz quad core processor with a 16 core GPU.

I tend to have a preference for the HTC One X white version – we got a demo with the black version in the video -  however, I personally slightly prefer the Sony Xperia S form factor, the transparent bar at the bottom conveys a unique and beautiful twist to the device.

The user interface is fast and fluid across the Operating System (note that we could not test it deeply) and it gets HTC Sense 4.0 with a cool 3D navigation in the application section (see picture above).

The ultimate feature on this phone is the 8 MP rear facing camera that offers options only found on compact cameras, such as super fast lens with a f 2.0 aperture, fast AF (0.2 seconds), fast shutter speed (0.7 seconds). The smartphone is able to shoot still images while capturing a video; I got a demo of this capability (check the video) that is usually available in compact cameras only. Additionally, the LED “Smart Flash” gets 5 auto adjustable power levels, to help prevent photos from looking too washed out, unfortunately I did not get the time to try it.

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Galaxy S3 will not feature a HD display?

 
Galaxy S3

The Samsung Galaxy S3, much like the iPad 3 and iPhone 5, is a highly anticipated device as far as 2012 is concerned. Its predecessors the Samsung Galaxy S and the Galaxy S2 have done extremely well for themselves, which means that a lot is riding on the Galaxy S3 to perform just as well, if not better. While the device has yet to be officially announced, thanks to a UAProf (user agent profile) posted by Samsung, it has been revealed that the Samsung Galaxy S3 could come without a HD display – either that or we are looking at another device entirely.

According to the UAProf, the Samsung GT-I9300 appears to be sporting a display with a resolution of 1024×600 which is almost a 16:9 aspect ratio and mirrors the pixel count found on the Galaxy Tab 7 Plus and the Galaxy Tab 2, which has many wondering if it is possible that Samsung will be omitting a HD display for their upcoming flagship device, especially since their “older” models like the Galaxy Nexus features a higher resolution at 1280×720.

However it should be noted that the information on the UAProf is probably not finalized and could have been written in error on purpose to throw us off. After all Samsung had “mistakenly” listed the Galaxy Nexus’s display as 800×480 WVGA in the past, so based on that we are hoping that Samsung probably just doesn’t want to divulge all their secrets until the Samsung Galaxy S3’s launch approaches. In the mean time we suggest you guys don’t get too bummed out yet, at least not until the information can be confirmed.

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Samsung Galaxy Beam

 
Samsung Galaxy Beam

Samsung Galaxy Beam – an Android phone with a built-in projector. And today, Samsung released a hands-on video demonstrating the capabilities of the device. The Android phone will be capable of projecting images up to 50″ wide which will make sharing all your photos and videos to a whole new level. Great for taking your presentations outdoors and for those times when you need to have to work while on the go.

The Samsung Galaxy Beam will feature a 4″ (480 x 800) display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 6GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, microSD card slot (up to 32GB), a 5-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and a 2,000mAh battery. Check out the video demonstration above. Anybody keen on picking one of these up?

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4S-Retina Hkphone promotional price is sold only 4.2 million

Although officially announced the price of the product is 6 million, but said Hkphone smartphones like iPhone 4S to 99% will be sold only 4.2 million of promotion on the occasion of the launch, with many attractive gifts.

4S-Retina Hkphone officially launched on 27/2 with price promotions and great gifts.

Accordingly, in addition to promotional price is only 4.2 million contract, customers will be offered unpleasing anti fingerprint screen 80,000 VND, 50,000 VND back wall, and 300,000 8GB memory card, 5 games and 5 application license worth $ 200,000, the total value up to 2.43 million promotional contract. This is the biggest promotion ever of Hkphone, held to within a half months, from 27/2 to 15/4.

This distributor also said the current situation has emerged where some deliberate disturbance Hkphone product information 4S-Retina, but released no information to sell goods, or goods but not the right product Hkphone genuine. Therefore recommended Hkphone consumers should buy this product in the showroom or authorized agent of its official list is published on the website www.hkphone.com.vn , and the original warranty must bear the embossed brand logo Hkphone with the Android robot.

Hkphone 4S-Retina is designed similar to 99% of iPhone 4S and processing quality fairly well.

4S-Retina Hkphone point that is most public concern is the product use Retina Display 3.5-inch screen like the iPhone 4/4S, resolution reached 960 x 640 pixels. Retina Display with a very high pixel density for sharp image quality did passionate about technology for more than two years, now has been put into a cheap Android device.

According to the official announcement of Hkphone, Hkphone 4S-Retina is designed similar to iPhone 4/4S to 99%, and processing quality rival iPhone 4S. This product uses the Android operating system version 2.3.6, with the graphical interface functions just like IOS, integrated with powerful processor MTK 6513 chip and chip speed 680MHz PowerVR SGX531 graphics, RAM 512MB, 512MB ROM for the ability to run applications smoothly, and I play heavy 3D games Gameloft's excellent. Also, the machine also has 8 megapixel camera with memory support up to 8GB.

4S-Retina Hkphone show impressive performance through the ability to run applications and play the hit game requires speed and display quality high.

Hkphone 4S-Retina Before the official launch, the online community has been speculating about the estimated prices, and most were satisfied with the price range from 6 to 6.5 million. Recorded in the Chinese market also showed a similar product cheaper price 6 million. However, at $ 4.2 million, Hkphone has again reiterated to the "minimum amount - the maximum benefit" that they hope to bring back to the client.

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