Electronics manufacturer ACER has confirmed that their smart phone industry plans are not quite as limited as one would think. While their initial offerings for both of Google’s and Microsoft’s mobile platforms are expected, the company has also confirmed that they are not leaving out other mobile platforms from their devices.
Aymar de Lencquesaing, chief of ACER’s mobile phone unit, stated that they plan to meet the supply demands of the industry –and it seems that is regardless of which mobile platform is needed. Indeed, the MeeGo is still a wildcard factor –being an OS developed by both Nokia and Intel, but there is a lot of promise to it that ACER cannot help but notice.
Of course, the currently confirmed lineup of devices are still limited to WP7 and Android phones, but taking this latest development to heart, it would not be surprising if ACER announces a few new devices coming our way.
Speaking of Windows Phone 7, the Microsoft mobile platform is so far, providing us all with everything that MS has promised. The new user interface and OS engine provides a transition of functions that is so cohesive that Microsoft is practically re-writing the whole book of making operating systems.
The only thing lacking from Microsoft however, is sales. Despite the impressive new platform, the great phones and the overall package, WP7 devices are not selling well. Arguments go as to whether the issue has to do with the Android or the iOS more, but one way or the other, Microsoft has to find a way to better market their platform.
The UK is where the number of smart phone subscribers is highest; it is easy to see why the local networks here are the most competitive than in any other region. Even virtual networks such as 3 UK and Virgin provide users with so many options that people are hard pressed to even find reasons to go on pre-pay.
Archive for the ‘Coming Soon Phones’ Category
Today’s Mobile News Stories
Friday, December 3rd, 2010Motorola Olympus Spotted, Nokia N8 Sales, T-Mobile Update Delay
Friday, December 3rd, 2010
Motorola’s Tegra 2 powered Olympus has been appearing in the top headlines lately, thanks to the very leaky ship allowing us to get early image of what the new high end Android smart phone will look like. Now, it appears that Motorola is taking one more step towards bringing even more hype to their handset: leaving it somewhere for someone else to find.
Sure, it may sound a little cheap, after the whole fiasco with the prototype iPhone 4 being left in some random bar earlier this year. But the fact of the matter is that smart phones are always being brought out in the wild and thanks to the many engineers and production personnel handling prototype devices, these leaks are everywhere.
Anyway, as odd as the source of the leaks may be, it is hard to deny that the Tegra 2 CPU is certainly going to draw plenty of attention. With the Olympus and the LG Star currently being the only two confirmed handsets sporting the new hardware, we can certainly expect to see these two devices in the news a whole lot more.
Nokia’s N8 smart phone sales are pretty disappointing and when comparing to the extravagant success of the Apple iPhone 4, one wonders why the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer is not playing in their top form. Despite being the current largest phone maker in the world, Nokia is in trouble of losing its spot to its competitors, with the Symbian Foundation now turning into a licensing organization and the MeeGo platform still nowhere in sight.
Lastly, T-Mobile has not yet released the Android 2.2 Froyo update for the Samsung Galaxy S –which was supposed to be out yesterday. No official announcement has been given to explain the situation but they have announced that we might have to wait until next week for the update to be available.
A Quick Look at New Phones and Tablets
Friday, October 1st, 2010
With the holidays fast approaching, it is not surprising that plenty of new devices have starting popping up all over the place. With new camera phones and low end handsets available, there is a wide variety of new devices for everyone to choose from, and here is our quick guide to all the new things that are available for you.
Of course, the best way to start off is with the big hitter, namely, the BlackBerry Torch 9800. Not the handset for those on a budget, but certainly a prime choice if you want to get a premium smart phone. This handset runs on the BlackBerry OS 6 which provides new touch based controls and plenty of media playback support. Naturally, Research in Motion’s physical QWERTY keyboard is the best when it comes to messaging on the mobile phone.
For those who prefer high powered cameras, there are a couple of new phones that you might want to try out. The first is the much delayed Nokia N8 which is finally getting shipped out today and the other phone is a much recommended Altek Leo. While the Leo has not been seen much in the past few weeks, it is certainly a promising handset. It packs in a 14 mega pixel camera (better than the 12MP snapper on the N8) and also has the Android 2.1 Éclair operating system.
If you are a looking for something with a lower price tag, Vodafone is offering the 945 Android and the 553 mobile device. Both are touch screen devices and the 553 adds in a physical slide out keyboard as well.
Lastly, two new tablets have been confirmed and both are running on the Android operating system. The first is a 7 inch tablet from clothing retailer Next (which is a rebranded Zenithink tablet), and the other is also a 7 inch tablet which is from Disgo. The Disgo tablet is already available from Amazon while the Next is retailing straight from the store shelves.
Mobile Updates: Galaxy S Issues; and the Nokia C7 & N8 Launch
Friday, August 27th, 2010
Fans of the Symbian operating system (few that there are) have something definite to look forward to now. According to Vodafone, the N8 is indeed going to be launched. Despite the fact that the Nokia N8 has been delayed so much, a new piece of news has rekindled the hope: Vodafone UK is getting an exclusive green color variant.
While mint green is not really all that exciting, the confirmation is certainly something that stands out. With the device being delayed for almost six months, it got to a point where many folks simply did not care anymore.
Not that the N8 is a bad device however, while it packed a mid range processor, the media functions are top notch. The phone comes with a 12 mega pixel camera, Carl Zeiss lenses, Xenon flash, 720p HD video recording and even an HDMI output port.
Speaking of the Nokia N8, another Symbian^3 handset will also be launched this year. The Nokia C7 is basically a low end version for the N8 and is jam packed with features. Images showcasing the device started to appear on the web and from the initial looks of things; the C7 is turning out to be quite the ideal Nokia handset.
Moving on, the Samsung Galaxy S Android smart phone has been reported to be having some issues when it comes to connecting the device to a computer. Users are being advised not to use filenames that are longer than 16 characters in length.
.jpg)
According to reports, the problem occurs when the handset is connected to a computer and the filenames are detected. This then would result in a bug that starts a data wipe -which is a very major issue.
Samsung is apparently working on a solution to the problem to help out the users of the Galaxy S. In the meanwhile, users are advised not to connect the phone to a computer directly (though inserting the micro SD card into the computer directly should not be a problem).
Mobile Updates: 10 LG, 2 BlackBerry Phones and the Next Android
Friday, August 20th, 2010
If there is one thing that we can be sure of when it comes to Google, it is the fact that the company never rests. Despite the success of the Android operating system, it can easily be seen that the mobile phone industry is a very content sensitive environment and that there is always a need to stay on top of one’s game.
The Symbian OS is already losing its grasp and eventually, Google will be able to surpass it, and it will be up to Google if they can stay on top.
In any case, the new Google Android OS is going to be the 3.1 Honeycomb –which is an upgrade over the not yet released Android 3.0 Gingerbread.
RIM’s latest BlackBerry handset, the Torch 9800 is now available locally, but only online. Retailer Clove has been confirmed as having the device on stock and is offering the handset for about £523. That may seem pretty high priced for a BlackBerry handset, but one should not forget that this new phone sports the latest BlackBerry 6 operating system, a large touch screen and new media-based features that are designed for the general user. So far, it has not yet been announced on when the Torch will be available on local tariffs.
In other BlackBerry news, a new handset, called the R020 (for now, we expect to see a name change) will be released soon. Initial details show that the device looks like a variant of the Pearl and Curve models with basic mid to low range specs.
Rounding up the news is the announcement from LG that they will be launching ten new devices before the end of the year. So far, LG has been quiet about any further details so we cannot determine what operating systems will be supported. It is speculated that the LG Panther (WP7) is going to be in that list.
In Detail: the 2010 Mobile Phone Roadmap
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Mobile Phone companies are definitely gearing up for the second half of 2010 with a whole new lineup of handsets. Aside from the already expected smart phones from Nokia (the N-series N8 and N9 –which uses the Symbian^3 and MeeGo OS respectively) and a whole new fleet of Windows Phone 7 devices from various mobile phone manufacturers, it was a recently leaked roadmap which gave a quick preview of devices that we should be expecting to come out later this year.
Starting off the list are the devices that are coming out this July. Nokia is bringing a new E-series handset, the Nokia E5 which is basically a slightly modified version of the E71 and E72 smart phones. The Samsung i5500 S is once again confirmed in the list as slated for a July launch date along with a yet to be announced Sony Ericsson W20 Walkman handset.
For August, Nokia and Sony Ericsson are once again coming out with new 
devices. The Nokia X2 is finally going to hit UK shelves along with the 8GB version of the Nokia X6. Sony Ericsson’s newest addition to the GreenHeart series, the Hazel will also be released on this same month.
HTC is adding a couple of new Android smart phones with an October release date. The HTC Vision is certain to get plenty of attention with the device’s high end specs and of course, the physical slide out QWERTY keyboard –which is going to be a big highlight for the handset. The HTC Ace will also be released with the Vision. Sony Ericsson will also be launching their new Android, the XPERIA X8 and a new Walkman handset, the Yendo (also known as the TeaCake).
The Windows Phone 7 device, HTC Gold is expected to launch later this November, though it is possible that with an earlier September release, this phone might come out on store shelves ahead of time.
HTC Legend is Stuck Behind the Hero-Brand
Friday, December 18th, 2009
For some reason, people keep calling the HTC Legend as a Hero successor. While the Hero is currently HTC’s top Android phone, its real successor is the HTC Espresso (which has suddenly disappeared in the past few days). The Espresso is reported to have a 528 MHz CPU, Android 2.1, a 320 x 480 screen and a physical keyboard –a Hero with a physical keyboard.
Anyway, if successor means you have to have specs that are one up over the original, then the Legend is as good as a successor as the Hero can get.
The HTC Legend’s details first popped out when the HTC 2010 phone line up got leaked. The Legend, along with the Androids Bravo, Salsa, Tide, Buzz and three WinMo phones were part of the released document detailing the devices HTC has in store for the next year.
The big fish of the group is obviously the HTC Bravo. The phone had a huge 3.7 inch WVGA AMOLED capacitive touch screen, a 5 mega pixel snapper with 720p HD video recording and a whooping Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 CPU running at 1GHz.
The Legend came right behind the Bravo in terms of specs (and literally too). The Legend is a capacitive touch screen phone with a 3.2 inch AMOLED display. The camera is a built-in 5 mega pixel snapper with auto focus and flash. The CPU is a Qualcomm MSM 7227 running at a 600 MHz speed. The whole phone is only 11.4 mm thick making it pretty slim for its hardware level.
For memory, the phone has 512MB of flash and 256MB of RAM (obviously, the phone will rely on microSD card for extra storage). The phone also comes with a nice, high-capacity 1300 mAh battery. The device will support GSM and HSPA, as well as Bluetooth, WiFi, A-GPS and micro USB.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 official launch
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
An official announcement has been made regarding the much talked about and highly anticipated Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2. The announcement includes the release of some genuine photos rather than the ‘artistic interpretations’ that we have had to make do with so far. To be fair, those interpretations weren’t far off and the new Sony Ericsson phone looks like a very stylish handset.
The X2 is the WinMo addition to Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA range and should be released in time for the new Windows Mobile 6.5. On top of WinMo Sony Ericsson will be placing their X Panels UI, which from the photos looks like a very competitive and intuitive interface.
While the XPERIA X2 had been rumoured to have a 3.5” OLED screen it turns out that it will instead come with a 3.2” WVGA TFT screen. The XPERIA will come with 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM and 110MB of internal storage space. The storage can be upgraded through microUSB you’ll be glad to know, and 4GB will be included in the standard package.
The XPERIA X2 features a nice camera with 8 megapixels with autofocus and LED flash, and this can also record VGA video at 30fps. Other entertainment features that will be welcomed by many will include a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones and a TV-out socket. There are also stereo speakers for improved sound quality when listening to music and the media player looks like it will have a very extensive range of compatibility.
The official announcement of the highly anticipated XPERIA X2 comes just days after the announcement of Windows Mobile 6.5 which will feature on the phone. Although the new WinMo features some much needed improvements to the Microsoft OS it has been met with what could best be described as a lukewarm reception. With many complaining that Microsoft still don’t understand what phone users actually want out of a phone OS, here’s hoping that the public perception of the new Windows Mobile doesn’t sour the release of what looks like one of the hottest phones of the year.
A Simple QWERTY Phone from LG – the GW300
Friday, August 28th, 2009
From a distance it looks like a Blackberry. One can be forgiven to assume it is. Even its feature list reads like one from a 2-year old Blackberry Curve 8300. So what features set this new LG GW300 apart from the other Blackberry and Blackberry look-alikes and wannabees?
Actually there’s none. It’s got no Wi-Fi. No 3G or high speed network support to breeze through internet surging, No trendy brilliant large touchscreen to impress your friends. No high resolution camera. No GPS. None of just about the most impressive features we’ve come to know should be there in a modern mid-priced mobile phone. In short, the LG GW300 is a dated phone right out of the box.
Do we have winner here?
It just might be. LG is positioning this phone as an entry-level QWERTY phone for the social networking geeks on the road. Its unimpressive features seem to suggest this is an old phone repackaged from the outside with a new façade and some nifty application to woo the new social media crowd out there. It’s got a Facebook application bundled with the handset, an email client and a capable web browser. But it’s just a GSM mobile phone with a 2.4” QVGA screen and the usual nod to 2-megapixel camera phones that was a rage 2-3 years ago. There’s FM radio, media players, Bluetooth 2.0 and a 3.5mm stereo audio socket.
In short, it’s an all-around phone for just about all the functions we know mobile phones have. Nothing spectacular. It’s “300” model designation does indicate its way down the ladder as LG phones go in the product range. So it has got to be really cheap. Extremely affordable, to say the least. QWERTY mobile phones are not exactly known to be cheap so this one from LG could be a real ticket for the masses.
Nokia announces N900 officially
Friday, August 28th, 2009
There has been talk about the N900, the Linux based Nokia phone, for quite a few months now but with not much official word from Nokia itself. It had been thought that Nokia were likely to make an announcement in the next few weeks but they have gone and surprised many be doing so earlier than expected. Many had been speculating that Nokia would be making a foray into the world of Linux due to the outdated status of its Symbian platform.
Nokia however have said this is not a permanent switchover and is being implemented on the N900 to cater for different market needs. By the looks of the new Debian based Maemo OS however, it could prove so popular with consumers that Nokia will think about using it more on future devices instead of Symbian.
The Maemo 5 OS looks to be quite innovative and could take its place as one of the best mobile phone OS’ on the market today. Operating on a desktop style system users can easily switch between screens and apps either by a simple finger stroke or the touch of a single button. The Maemo has been praised for its multitasking abilities which see it being capable of running dozens of apps at once, unlike the OS found on main competitors like the Apple iPhone.
Regardless of the OS which will be attracting a lot of attention on its own, the N900 is also feature rich in just about every other area. There is a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens that also supports highly detailed video recording, as well as a very functional media player. Being a cross between phone and internet tablet the N900 is full of web-oriented features. It is designed to be ‘always connected’ which you would think would drain its battery but Nokia state it can go for 2-4 days in this manner. There is also a Mozilla based browser with support for Flash, and the email client supports Microsoft Exchange.
The N900 should be released in October although no exact date is known, and it will cost around €500, which works out at about £430.