Huawei Media Pad 7 Lite on its way to Europe

Huawei has developed a new tablet, that should also be available soon in Europe. The new Media Pad 7 Lite is the successor to the MediaPad 10FHD and has a recommended price of €249 (£200).

The Media Pad 7 Lite features a 7-inch IPS panel with a 1024x600 pixel resolution. The device is sized 193 x 120 x 11 millimetres and weighs about 370 grams. Beneath the capacitive screen, a 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor is present. The tablet also features 1 GB of memory, 8 GB of storage capacity, a micro-USB connector, micro-SD card slot, 3.2 megapixel rear-facing camera and a 0.3 megapixel camera on the front. Network connectivity includes 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and HSDPA 3G. Huawei has installed a 4100 mAh battery and the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

The tablet is expected to be released next month.

Source : hardware

Huawei Ascend W1 - Windows Phone 8 Smartphone Unearthed

Huawei were announced as one of the companies who would be making smartphones running on the Windows Phone 8 platform earlier in the year. Now we've got more details about Huawei's first Windows Phone smartphone thanks to the crew over at Winp.cn.

The Chinese news site have reported that Huawei's first Windows Phone 8 smartphone will be called the Huawei Ascend W1. They also confirmed that it'll launch in Europe in November or December, which is pretty much what we expected.

Very little other information was given about the Ascend W1, but it was unveiled that it'll be available in a choice of Black, Blue, White and Pink. Additionally, the leak added that the design would differ from Huawei's Ascend P1 suggesting it could feature an all-new design.

Sadly that's all the information we have about the Ascend W1 at the current time. However, we know the minimum specification that it'll have because Microsoft have already unveiled the minimum specification for a smartphone to be granted permission to run the Windows Phone 8 platform.

The Huawei Ascend W1 will have at least a dual-core processor and will definitely support NFC . While the platform also opens up the possibility for higher resolution displays , more RAM and support for microSD cards which we hope will be included on Huawei's Ascend W1.

As soon as 3G gets more news abotu Huawei's Ascend W1 or any other Windows Phone 8 smartphone you'll be the first to know !

Source  : 3g

ZTE to Debut Sales of Grand Era U985, World’s Slimmest Quad-Core Smartphone

Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment, network solutions and mobile devices, today announced at PT/EXPO COMM CHINA 2012 that it will debut sales of its ultra-thin quad-core Grand Era U985 model smartphone in China.

During the expo, the company also display a range of cutting-edge products such as smartphones, tablet PCs and high-speed data cards and chips.

The Grand Era U985 is a historical breakthrough in domestic handsets: It contains a PC-class Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core CPU and operates on the advanced Android 4.0 platform. It also has 3D acceleration capacity, an 8M-pixel BSI AF HD camera and a 4.5-inch HD retinal screen at a resolution of 1280×720. It is ultra-thin, with an average thickness of 8.6mm and a thickness of 7.9mm at its slimmest section. It is currently the thinnest available quad-core handset. The Grand Era also adheres to an expert-class hardware and software safety protection standard called “Palm Manager,” which was independently developed by ZTE.

“The Grand Era has opened the door to the quad-core era for ZTE smart phones,” said ZTE Executive Vice President Mr. He Shiyou. “We believe these products will produce a butterfly effect across the industry, domestically and abroad.”

ZTE will also display additional powerful quad-core phone models at the expo including the Grand Era V985 and the Grand Era LTE. It will also display dual-core dual HD upscale terminal products such as the Grand V970 and Grand U930.

Source : telecoms

126 Million Tablet Sales in 2012 – iPad Mini to Extend Apple’s Market Lead

2012 has long been dubbed the year of the tablet PC – a title backed in spades by global sales figures.

According to the results of a recent market research study, worldwide tablet PC sales are to reach as high as 126.2 million by the end of the year – a huge spike having been generated by the new iPad and the more recent introduction of a smaller, more affordable Android tablet range.

If accurate, 2012 will have seen enormous growth in the tablet PC market year on year – a 56%   annual increase when compares to 2011’s figures.

Analysts had predicted for some time that tablet PCs would quickly become the most important and lucrative driving forces behind the consumer technology market on a global basis – it appears they were right on the money.

Having been previously dominated in no uncertain terms by the iPad, a flurry of new affordable tablets during 2012 has changed the face of the market like never before. The introduction of the Amazon Kindle Fire at the end of last year and this summer’s Google Nexus 7 – both $199 – earmarked the beginning of the high-end, low-price tablet market with huge potential for impulse purchases.

While the iPad is expected to continue its extensive lead in the 9-inch tablet market – currently accounting for 59% of all tablets – the smaller tablet market is owned almost entirely by Android.

However, rumor has it that Apple may be gearing up to launch its own 7-inch mini-tablet later this year – also known as the fabled iPad Mini. If Apple is somehow able to match the same low pricing-point as its key Android rivals while still delivering the inimitable iOS experience, chances are the market as a whole will be turned on its head during the Christmas buying season.

Source : worldnewsresource

iPhone 5 & Galaxy S3 lead new mobile choices for Yahoo employees as Mayer ditches BlackBerry

As first reported by Business Insider, new Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer recently emailed all full-time and part-time employees a new list of phones to choose from, including the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3, HTC One X, and Nokia Lumia 920.

The Yahoo-implemented "Yahoo! Smart Phones, Smart Fun!" programme not only provides the device, but also pays employees' data and phone bills, according to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider. In more bad news for struggling Research In Motion, the company is dropping BlackBerry support.

The change was welcomed by employees, according to an unnamed Business Insider source, who said that "people are happy" about the new offerings.

A few weeks ago, according to the memo, Yahoo announced that it would look into global smartphone penetration rates while deciding on corporate phones.

"Ideally, we'd like our employees to have devices similar to our users, so we can think and work as the majority of our users do," the email said.

In order to equip all employees with new high-end smartphones, as well as data plans, Yahoo will have to shell out millions of dollars – no small chunk of change, though the company did report revenue of $1.22 billion (£751m) last quarter.
Yahoo gave no specific reason for ditching RIM's BlackBerry products and the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But RIM has been at the centre of a growing storm of reported troubles, despite CEO Thorsten Heins' July promise that the company is not going anywhere.

The former Google vice president of location and local services, Mayer took over Yahoo in July following a whirlwind of hirings, firings, and retirings. She has already implemented new employee perks, including free lunch, a concept she carried over from her previous job.

Yahoo is currently taking orders for new phones, though the memo did not specify when employees will receive the devices.

Source : itproportal

Netflix updates its IOS app ahead of Iphone 5 release

MOVIE STREAMING SERVICE Netflix has updated its app for the Iphone and Ipod Touch, just days before the Iphone 5 is released.

The updated app version 2.3 comes with an updated user interface, which Netflix says makes the experience "much more immersive". Netflix for IOS now boasts more titles and galleries than previous version of the app, which makes it more similar to the version found on the Ipad and Android tablets.

The reworked app also features a more impressive list of genre galleries and allows users to continue watching programmes that they're already half-way through.

Netflix explains, "At the top of the new browse screen on Iphone and Ipod Touch is a row that lets you continue watching programmes or films that you previously started watching right where you left off - a very handy feature."

"This new experience on Iphone and Ipod Touch together with our recently released new player experience significantly advances the Netflix experience on smartphones," it adds.

The updated Netflix app is available to download for free from the Itunes App Store, but you'll have to fork out for a Netflix subscription in order to be able to use it. Netflix is expected to release an Android version of the app in the coming weeks too.

Source : theinquirer

First impressions: Sony's James Bond smartphone

Sony unveiled its new range of smartphones including the mobile that will be used by James Bond in his new film Skyfall.

The Xperia T smartphone is the latest high end Android smartphone to be released by Sony since its buyout of Sony-Ericsson, and while feature heavy, still doesn't appear to leap ahead of the raw power of some of its competitors.

It will be running a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, with 1GB or RAM, surprising for a top shelf device as most of Sony's competitors are moving to quad core processors. The Samsung Galaxy S3, which released in April, and is now the top selling Android phone, has a 1.4GHz quad core Exynos processor. The iPhone 5 is expected to launch with a dual core minimum, and possibly a quad core GPU.

It will also feature a 4.6-inch screen running at 1280x720, with a 13MP camera. Surprisingly it isn't 4G compatible, unusual since 4G networks (excluding the UK) and their operators are moving out of the nascent phase and looking for high end devices to sell the service.

The Xperia T will also be featured prominently in the new James Bond film, Skyfall - but again, this has historically not translated into big sales boosts for the company. Sony is also continuing to push the Walkman brand, which integrates its music and movie store with the device.

It will launch with NFC capabilities for mobile payments (and connecting to other Sony devices) and will run Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with an update to 4.1 promised (Jellybean). Sony is also pushing MHL connectivity to TVs, but will provide HDMI options for those of us older TVs.

Sony has also finally done away with its ridiculous proprietary memory card format, Memory Stick, and the device will now use MicroSD only.

Sony's efforts to vertically and horizontally integrate its mobile, gaming and photography platforms under one roof may still be under construction, but it has confirmed that the entire Xperia range will be Playstation Mobile compatible.

What does this mean? PlayStation Mobile was announced earlier in the year as a software framework that will be used to provide downloadable Playstation games and software for devices that meet the company's requirements. For example, this would mean that consumers owning a Sony TV, Xperia Phone, tablet or a Playstation video game console could all play the same version of an app or game. Sony has been struggling to attract independent developers so far (its Playstation Vita console has also failed in the face of smartphones and tablets), and most users would be tempted to stick to the Google Play (Android) app store.

Sony's Xperia V is a similarly powered device to the T with a smaller screen size. Its key differentiating factors is its 4G LTE support and minor water proofing to 1m for 30 minutes. The Xperia J, is a stripped down budget version of the range missing many of the aforementioned features. All three products will be brought to the market over the next few months, but no prices were specified.

Source : cbronline

Motorola Details the RAZR i, Its First Phone With Intel Inside

Motorola is using a London event today to show off its first phone powered with an Intel processor.

The RAZR i packs a 2GHz Intel processor and a 4.3-inch edge-to-edge touchscreen — the fastest such chip ever included in a Motorola phone. The added processing power is particularly useful when taking pictures. Among its photo abilities is the ability to take 10 pictures per second.

“I think we all know that everybody is using these devices to replace their camera,” said Motorola’s Jim Wicks. “People are really wanting the power of the processing that Intel provides.”

Along with the Intel chip, the RAZR i features an aluminum case with a Kevlar-coated back, Near Field Communications abilities and the Ice Cream Sandwich flavor of Android.

The device is the first fruit of a multi-year partnership announced at January’s Consumer Electronics Show — ahead of Motorola’s deal to be acquired by Google. Although neither company indicated any changes to the deal, Wicks declined to comment on any future plans for Intel-based phones.

Motorola is the best known cellphone maker to adopt Intel chips. China’s ZTE and Lenovo are using Intel chips in a small number of products, while France’s Orange, India’s Lava and Russia’s Megafon have also introduced phones based on an Intel-created reference design.

The RAZR i bears a strong resemblance to the Droid RAZR M phone announced earlier this month for Verizon. The two devices look nearly identical, though Intel’s model doesn’t support high-speed LTE networks, such as Verizon’s.

Motorola said it will ship the RAZR i in various European and South American markets starting in October.

Wicks said that both the RAZR i and RAZR M get similar battery life — about 20 hours when performing a Motorola-crafted variety of tasks including a mix of Web use and calling.

Source : allthingsd