Posted: 27 Feb 2012 03:00 AM PST  Before Acer hits the stage for the MWC, it has officially announced the arrival of their flagship entry-level handset that, surprisingly, comes with stock Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Presenting the cool-sounding Acer Liquid Glow handset! It’s as simple as it gets. Acer dubs this smartphone as “the ultimate balance between style, performance, and affordability”. The Liquid Glow is a 3.7-inch phone with an 800 x 400 display resolution. It is powered by 1 GHz single-core processor and additional features include a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, 512MB of RAM and 1 GB of storage. But what’s so fizzy about the Liquid Glow smartphone is its variable color designs. You can choose between Alpine White, Sakura Pink and Cat’s-Eye Black. Acer’s trademark features – the curves, chrome details, easy user interface, nice grip and feel – are integrated very well into this handset. Judging from the images above, it looks like that the device will be a big hit to the younger generation. So far, Asus hasn’t revealed the corresponding price and the official date of release. But there are speculations that the Liquid Glow will be arriving in the summer and will most probably exclude the U.S. market. Asus is doing a great of introducing a wide range of devices to fit the varying needs of its consumers. We have yet to see more of the Liquid Glow and the rest of Acer's line-up for this year at the grand Mobile World Congress this week. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Say Hello to Acer’s Liquid Glow – An Inexpensive, Entry-Level Android 4.0 Smartphone , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 27 Feb 2012 02:59 AM PST  Last year, Sony Mobile, formally known as Sony Ericsson, announced that they would be bringing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to all single-core Xperia smartphones released within the same year. The said update is scheduled to arrive sometime in March or April of this year. Thankfully, Sony isn’t planning to disappoint its fans. Sony has just launched a beta version of its ICS ROM for all unlocked Xperia handsets in 2011 including the Xperia Arc, Xperia S, Xperia V and the Xperia Ray. This of course means that the promised major update will be arriving very soon. Although the Beta ROM for ICS is ideally for developers, this doesn’t mean that average users aren’t going to enjoy playing with it. But, do remember to careful if you choose to install the beta version, as you do so at your own risk. However, if you love rooting all your Android devices, then this will be a great way to tinker around while sending out useful feedback to Sony. The beta version has a myriad of improvements such as an updated UI, lock screen and face unlock capabilities, FM radio and GSM modem, better email client and quick dialing. Judging from the newly added features, it is clear that Sony still has more work to do prior to the major official release. Almost unbelievably, important features such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi haven't been integrated yet. Another essential feature, Google’s suite of apps, is still imminent and hasn't been approved. Thankfully, Sony has also considered opening their source code to developers to speed up the process and to come up with the best Android 4.0.3 update possible. If you are interested, you can visit Sony’s Developer Website to download the beta ROM update. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Sony Releases Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Beta ROM for Unlocked Xperia 2011 Models , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 27 Feb 2012 02:27 AM PST  Do you have an insatiable thirst for power? Would you like your smartphone to be more powerful than your parent’s computer? Do you follow all of the latest developments in mobile technology with a passion, ever hungry for more? If you’re anything like me, then the answer to all those questions above should be “yes, yes, and YES!” I remember back in the day, the “cool” thing (for nerds) to do was to follow what Intel and AMD were up to. After things sort of stagnated there, the curiosity shifted to video cards, with NVIDIA and ATI duking it out for higher clock cycles, more RAM, and crazier code names like XT and GT and other acronyms that inferred performance and power. But I digress. Really, who cares about that stuff anymore? It’s just not interesting. Now, mobile performance and capability are where it’s at. Where do we stand?We truly are on the verge of an absolute revolution in mobile computing. As so many researchers, academics, and others involved in the mobile speed race have put it, “we are already going faster than Moore’s law.” But, what does that mean exactly? It means that the overall performance of our mobile devices are doubling at an exponential rate, and that this trend is likely to continue. From Wikipedia: Moore’s law describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware whereby the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. The period often quoted as “18 months” is due to David House, an Intel executive, who predicted that period for a doubling in chip performance (being a combination of the effect of more transistors and their being faster). What’s next? With the industry evolving faster and faster, what’s to expect next? Simply put, we can all expect to have more computing power, more intelligence, more functionality, in everyone’s favorite pocketable device – their smartphone. In the near future, we can expect our mobile devices to be intelligent enough to read our heartbeat, determine our blood pressure, and to use our unique biometric identifiers, like our retinas, fingerprints, and vein structure as a security mechanism. We will be able to remotely start our cars with them, enter our homes, as well as many more functions central to our everyday lives. Really, the possibilities are endless. Can you think of any cool things you would like your Android to be able to do? Anyway, let’s bring it back to the best quad core Android devices of 2012! Without further ado, here they are below. Best Quad Core Android Phones of 2012 And so, what do you think? What quad core device looks to be the most tempting thus far? Let’s take a closer peek. HTC One X HTC is bringing to market a heavy hitter, and it seems to be in possession of all the characteristics of a true superphone. With its dual shutter 8MP camera, extremely powerful 1.5Ghz Tegra 3 SoC, and eye-popping HD 1280×720 4.7 inch display, HTC looks to have a winner on their hands. They have also been rumored to be aggressively courting carriers around the world, with the last count being over 50 that have agreed to market the HTC One X, it looks like this could be one of the first quad core phones on the market. Find out more about the HTC One X here. LG 4X HD LG is a powerhouse of a company, and they produce quality wares. Second only to Samsung in the Korean market, LG has a booming display business, and is a multifaceted company. Still, for reasons that won’t be explored in this post, LG has never been able to really make it “big” in the world of Android. Why, you may ask? Well, perhaps its because they have been slow to update their existing lineup, or because their marketing efforts have been less than stellar. Regardless of these things though, LG appears to have pulled out all the stops for the LG 4X HD. Personally, I think it’s got the coolest name of the bunch, and I know it’s packing their spectacularly bright, high resolution IPS-TFT LCD, which has won some important accolades and awards for its technical superiority. Additional points go to LG for packing in a juicy 2150 mAh battery, and all while retaining an extremely thin 8.9 mm profile. Good job LG! You can find more about the LG Optimus 4X HD here. Huawei Ascend D quad Huawei, seriously, where did you come from? Who invited you? Trying to shake things up?Yes, they are. Their Chairmen went public yesterday, saying that they would be bringing true quad core superphones, with the latest technology on board to market, for 20-50% cheaper than the competition is a bold statement. This actually epitomizes the philosophy of Android – mobile for everyone, regardless of cost. While all the iPhone elites can wave their overpriced $800 toys in the air, we will all be rocking quad core mobile powerhouses, for a fraction of the cost. My initial impressions of what Huawei is bringing to market are, in two words, blown away. At CES their P1 and P1S models made my Galaxy S2 cower in shame. Incredibly thin and durable, I flexed them as hard as I could, but could see no flex, nor could I hear any creaking. Clearly, they’ve got some quality manufacturing processes in place. Sure, Samsung is keeping all the HD Super AMOLED 1280×720 displays to themselves, but that won’t stop Huawei from making quality devices. Another reason i’m a huge fan of Huawei, at least right now, is that they actually have created (potentially) the fastest, most powerful smartphone in the world. While the benchmarks are preliminary, and by no means exhaustive or thorough, they still are very impressive. Check them out, if you don’t believe me. You can find more on the Huawei Ascend D quad here. Huawei Ascend D quad XL Now this is what I am talking about. Large battery. Quad core. HD display. What’s not to love? The Huawei Ascend D Quad XL blends, in perfect harmony, the right combination of high performance, long battery life, with a high resolution display. Perhaps they could work on the actual name of the device, but hey, it’s a start. 4.5 inches of uberphone goodness might be too much for some, but not for me. As I mentioned above, Huawei has managed to create the most powerful smartphone in the world. What’s even more interesting is that they made their own SoC (System on a chip), in house. For their GPU, they collaborated with a not-to-be-named company, and the results are seriously impressive. At just 10.9 mm thin, this is no slouch in the battle for thinness, either. Plus, with a 2500mAh battery, it should have more than enough juice to get you through your day too. High five Huawei, go and shake up the business, and bring us high quality devices at a price point that agrees with consumers, or else. More on the Huawei Ascend D Quad XL (ha, I know), here. Is that it? There is, however, one small thing called the Samsung Galaxy S3. Remember that device? Yeah, me too. We’ll be refreshing this article as more information comes to light, but for now, we know that it is likely to have a 4.8 inch 1280×720 HD Super AMOLED display, be incredibly thin, have a larger battery than its older brother, the Galaxy S2, and will be in possession of a high quality ceramic backing. No matter how you slice it – all you mobile nerds out there are absolutely fanatic for this device. I know, I know.  Yes, the battle has just begun Also, if you’re interested in knowing more about some of the Best Android Phones of 2012, check out our comprehensive feature here! 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This article, The Best Quad Core Android Phones of 2012 , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 27 Feb 2012 02:23 AM PST  There are a variety of ways to search for your desired job positions—through the Internet, the classified ads portion of the newspaper, job posters and flyers, personal referrals, and now directly on your Android device. The Government Jobs app is designed to help those who are searching for jobs in the U.S. government and jumpstart their careers. The jobs displayed are job openings in the U.S. federal government. The app displays up-to-date job offers, keeping U.S. citizens updated of job openings and increases one’s chances of getting hired. The app carries the following features:
 The Government Jobs app's interface is simply designed and easy to use. Opening the app brings you to its main menu, which contains a search box on top and a few buttons below namely: New Search, My Searches, Help, Menu, and Save Search. To search for a certain job position, type in the specific job title on the search bar and click the Search button. Before searching for a job, the app requires you to fill out some important information for it to accurately locate a job for you. You need to provide your location, city and state, ZIP code, and the area or radius of the search. Once the form is filled, save your settings and click the search button to begin the search.  After you type in the desired job position, the app will show you a list of available job positions that meet the criteria you configured earlier. Click a job title to learn more information about it such as the job title, salary, job description, location, and agency. Some listings may even provide specific job requirements and duties. You may also configure your job notification sound alert, led notifications, vibration, and a lot more. Start your hunt for a career in government service. Download the Government Jobs app free from the Android Market. What kind of government job are you looking for? YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Finding Work in the U.S. Government with Government Jobs Android App , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 27 Feb 2012 01:01 AM PST  Last night, Sony showed us the newest members of its Xperia NXT series, the Xperia U and Xperia P. The new NXT brand, launched at CES with the Xperia S, embodies Sony's commitment to change the image of its ill-fated mobile products. Just ten days ago, the Japanese have finally signed the divorce papers with Ericsson, and now Sony is ready to shine again on its own. The new U and P devices are the first phones to bear the Sony logo (Xperia S still used the Sony Ericsson branding.)Gorgeous Design The Xperia U and Xperia P share a sleek and minimalistic design philosophy, and are very similar in appearance to the previously-introduced Xperia S. All three phones have almost square corners, a very thin bezel on the laterals, and an interesting translucent band on the bottom side of the set (which changes color based on context) that separates the screen from the interchangeable bottom caps. These bottom caps, which come in several colors, really give the Xperias a distinctive image, one that could become iconic if Sony's new smartphones prove successful. The first hands-on reviews suggest that the bottom caps don't feel cheap or flimsy, and that the general build of the devices is in line with Sony's prestigious accomplishments in industrial design. Xperia S Let's talk hardware. It's obvious that the new Xperia NXT series is designed to appeal to all types of users, while keeping a consistent, well-thought image across the board. We have the high-end model, Sony's attempt at a superphone if you wish, which is the Xperia S. The S boasts a 4.3-inch 720p display, a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread (Sony promised a future update to ICS.) At last night's event, we learned that the Xperia S would start selling immediately, with the first units being available in Sony's store in Barcelona.  Xperia P The mid-range device is the Xperia P, a dual-core 4-inch model running at 1GHz. At a quick glance, the Xperia P is a slightly smaller Xperia S, both sharing an aluminum unibody design. However, Xperia P has a better screen – a 960 x 540 qHD LED with WhiteMagic technology. A proprietary Sony technology, WhiteMagic adds another layer of white pixels to the regular RGB layout of an LCD. This enables screens to deliver better brightness, contrast, and improve daylight visibility. Release date? The Xperia P and its kid sister the Xperia U will become available sometimes in the second quarter of 2012. No word yet on the prices, but once the S starts selling later this week, we’ll be able to offer you a fairly accurate estimation.  Xperia U The smallest child of the family is the Xperia U, which, at 3.5 inches (the size of an iPhone 4S), caters to the people who don't like the increasingly large designs that are popular these days. The Xperia U is also built around a 1GHz dual-core processor, but comes with a 5MP camera, while the P and S boast an 8MP camera; also, the U has only 512MB of RAM. As its larger siblings, the Xperia U runs Gingerbread, but is likely to get an ICS upgrade, sometimes in Q2. Judging from the relatively small size and the colors of the interchangeable caps – pink and yellow, the Xperia U is probably aimed at the female public.  Multimedia powerhouse As you might expect, the Xperia NXT series excels in multimedia capabilities. From the Walkman line to the Bravia TVs, Sony is known to incorporate technology from its electronics products into their mobile devices. The Xperia P and U are both powered by the Bravia engine, which Sony claims to provide the best viewing experience of any Sony smartphone. The smaller U device emphasizes sound quality, so it uses XLoud, which boosts sound when music is played through the phone's speakers, and Surround Sound. Previous Xperia phones have always received praises for the quality of their cameras, and the new additions seem to carry on this tradition. The Xperia S rocks a 12MP camera (only outdone by Fujitsu's rumored 13.1 MP beast), while the Xperia P comes with an 8MP sensor. With 1.5 seconds to take a picture from standby mode, both devices have impressive capturing speeds. Other goodies: HD recording and panoramic snapshots. Yesterday, Sony also announced a dock for the Xperia P, which you will be able to use to connect your smartphone to your TV. You will even be capable to connect a keyboard and mouse to the dock, turning your phone into a PC, albeit a very limited one. Basically, you'll get to browse the Web on the TV or to use apps. Nothing ground-breaking here, but still potentially useful.  Needless to say, connecting Xperias to your home system will be a snap, thanks to the easy HDMI connectivity and DLNA support. No superphone here, folks After the quad-core extravaganza we’ve witnessed over the last few days, Sony's new smartphones seem… uninspiring. Yes, they are definitely beautiful, although those bottom caps may not suite everyone's tastes. But the lack of quad-core processing and, most importantly, the conspicuous absence of Ice Cream Sandwich are disappointing. Don't understand us wrong. The new Xperias may well deliver a truly beautiful user experience, without quad-core and without ICS. But with the HTC One X, LG Optimus 4X HD, and Huawei Ascend D Quad coming along, Sony seems to be a little late to show. Frankly, we expected something better from you, Sony. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, New Xperia U and Xperia P: A Little Late to the Show? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 26 Feb 2012 08:56 PM PST  HTC 1 concept - Designed by Andrew Kim Where to now, HTC?HTC’s new strategy immediately made me think of this design, because I realized the HTC executives might have gotten the idea for the new brand name from this concept design. But, this is really not what’s important here. What’s important is that HTC is finally trying to have a more coherent brand strategy going into 2012, after neglecting this aspect of their business for many years.Ever since 2010, when HTC started attacking the smartphone market with the Snapdragon phones, I realized that HTC tends to give every phone a different name. That’s not a bad thing per se. It’s only bad when you make so called “sequels” of a device, that barely qualify as a sequel. Take the Incredible and the Incredible 2 for example. The Incredible 2 was not a next-generation device. Sure, it had a slightly improved processor, because it was made on a smaller processing node (45 nm), putting it in line with the Hummingbird. But, other than that, the only thing that was improved was the camera. I think that hardly qualifies for a “2″ in its name, and it just shows that they were abusing the brand name of that device to make a new sale. This is one aspect of their brand strategy I never cared for. Another strategy they employed was jumping from name to name without focusing on one. They have launched so many phones with different names that I won’t even bother to enumerate all right now. The bad part here, again, is not that they had different names, but that they launched so many of them, which was mistake #1, and that they gave them random names, with no coherence between them, which was mistake #2.  HTC One S, HTC One X, HTC One V I’d also like them to not use the One name on every single phone they put out there, because if you name 100 models “One”, eventually the One branding just becomes pointless, and you might as well take it out. The issue with putting everything under the same brand name is that you’re not only naming the very best phones as such, but also the very worst/most low-end/ the same. That can negatively impact the name, and make it less important and popular for the flagship devices. The unifying of the phone brands under the “One” brand means absolutely nothing if they have to use the whole alphabet for all the phones they release, if they use the same strategy as in 2011. They need to focus more on a handful of devices, and market them very well, rather than throw devices at the market, and discard them after a few months on the shelf. If they keep doing that, the customers will treat their phones the same way (as unimportant and unexciting) and will pick a competitor’s device instead. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Finally, HTC Decides to Focus More on Branding – Unveils the “One” Strategy , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 26 Feb 2012 08:51 PM PST  Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei devices, took the stage today (Sunday Feb 26) at Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2012, and made some pretty bold assertions and promises. More specifically, the Chairman of one of Android’s rising stars told us that the Ascend D Quad and Quad XL smartphones will be powered by a specially made quad-core chip from Huawei themselves called the K3V2. Not only did Huawei choose not to follow the crowd and put a Tegra 3 chip in their new devices, but they also claim that the Ascend D Quad and Quad XL are the “world’s fastest”. Although they are the first to announce a quad-core phone at MWC 2012, there is reason to believe that Huawei’s K3V2 quad-core 1.2-GHz and 1.5-GHz processors could still be #1 after March 1st (The end of Mobile World Congress 2012). Huawei has impressed a lot of people over the past few months. Almost to 2 months ago, Huawei revealed world’s thinnest smart phone at CES, the Huawei Ascend P1S (Just over .4 mm thinner than the Droid RAZR). And, for the time being, Huawei appears to have done it again by creating two of the first quad-core phones. To make the deal even sweeter, “Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei Device, said the phones will be 20 to 50 percent cheaper than competing products” (PC World). Ascend D Quad Specs
Ascend D Quad XL Specs
Benchmarks Huawei says that the quad devices will come to China first, then to Europe and North America. Currently, both Ascend quad devices support five UMTS bands and four GSM bands with LTE on the way for a projected third quarter release. Be on the lookout for a price-drop in the smartphone market. As mentioned before, Huawei is looking to price the quad devices 20 to 50 percent cheaper than competing products. What is the fastest Smartphone in the World?  As for the record setting, Nenamark, an Android benchmark/demo for advanced hardware accelerated graphics), has the Huawei Ascend Quad D listed with a score of 60.40. The scoring is based off of frames per second that the device is able to pump out. Keep in mind that when Android 4.0 was released, the creators touted 60 frames per second. Now that we know that the Huawei Quad can create 60fps with a 1280×720 display (330ppi), it most certainly could be world’s fastest smartphone. Note: This score trumps “Android Reference Design” for the #1 score on the NemaMark2 results list. That being said, there is a mystery device, dubbed the “F12arc”, with a Tegra 3 SoC running at 1.5Ghz, that manages to best Huawei’s latest powerhouse. For now, we have no idea what that device could be, but we will leave no stone unturned in our quest to find you today’s most powerful mobile hardware! Either way, what Huawei has done is downright impressive, and, from what we have discovered, it is packing some serious power under the hood. What do you think? Has Huawei created a truly incredible device that will hold its #1 spot for long? Let us know in the comments below. We’re on the verge of a quad core revolution! Where are you iPhone? Oh, right… YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Huawei Ascend D Quad XL Benchmarks Leaked: Is It Really the “World’s Fastest”? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 26 Feb 2012 08:51 PM PST  [Updated: February 21st, Updated: February 27] The year 2011 was all about "dual core", becoming the standard for high-end smartphones. And we have all witnessed what superphones like the Samsung Galaxy S II, DROID RAZR MAXX, and others are capable of. These phones are five times more powerful than anything released last year, and for this upcoming generation of devices, even more. So, what next? This year, chip-makers have come forth with quad core processors supporting mobile multitasking comparable to the performance of a desktop computer of a few years ago, powered by Tegra 3 SoC's and TI's OMAP equivalent. More cores equal more power and a faster smartphone; certainly they are likely to offer increased power savings and a performance increase in the range of 300-500%. And, they actually have power saving features embedded in them too.  NVIDIA Tegra Product Roadmap HTCHTC might be launching the first quad-core smartphone in the market among the smartphone manufacturers. Dubbed HTC One X, it will run on NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 having four cores (and a fifth, companion core for less demanding tasks) clocked at 1.5GHz allowing the processor to simultaneously run multiple sets of program instructions. Along with this, the battery life will increase two fold. With 1GB of RAM will be at your disposal, along with 32GB of built-in memory, this mammoth device will offer a 4.7″ screen with 720p HD resolution; big-screen junkies should be happy.
MOTOROLA Now, for Moto, if we are to believe the rumors, is gearing up with its Tegra 3 based devices lined up for the launch in the Q2 2012 and might be unveiled during MWC 2012. After the Motorola DROID RAZR and the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX, the phones have been codenamed as Motorola Bullet and Motorola Jet. Supposedly the Bullet will be a straight-up slate, while the Jet will be a QWERTY slider. Aside from the absolutely unstoppable and drool-worthy 3300mAh Quad core powered Motorola Atrix 3, very little in the way of rumors have surfaced over the past few months, Motorola seems like they are quite content with their current line-up, but this is likely to change quickly. You know how it goes, things change rather quickly in these here parts.  The Bullet is a candy bar style 4.3″ qHD (960×540) phone, packing a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, and most likely 1.5GB of DDR2 RAM. It will also feature 16GB of on-board storage, an NFC chip, and a redesigned image sensor to capture amazing photos and HD video on its 12MP camera. It's also alleged to be launching before its keyboard brethren, the Motorola Jet. Motorola Jet The Motorola Jet 4 will be adored by the Android QWERTY lovers and sports a smaller 4″ display, brandishing a qHD (960×540) display with an amazing QWERTY keyboard from its cousin Motorola Droid 3. Thankfully, it will be sporting the same Herculean hardware as its keyboard-less cousin, the Bullet, and will feature a 4″ qHD 24-bit screen, Tegra 3, up to 1.5GB of DDR2 RAM, 16GB on-board storage, same newly designed 12MP camera as the Bullet, NFC chip, and a fully redesigned 5 row (perhaps) style sliding keyboard. Some also reported that Motorola is getting quite serious about putting world class image sensors in their upcoming phones, giving consumers the power to capture fast, awesome HD photos and video in low light. So, with Motorola making this a major focus, it's looking like the chance of us being able to put our dedicated digital camera away sooner than we thought. Plus, with the promised processing power of the quad core Tegra SoC, it's theoretically possible that these devices will be able to capture 60fps + at 1080p. Judging by the image above it looks like both devices will be running on Verizon’s 4G LTE – since they aren’t releasing any more 3G only devices – and both phones have the “Verizon” logo, and on the back there is the “4G LTE” logo. Here’s to hoping they find a way to get great battery life on 4G LTE. SONYThe Arc was one of Sony Ericsson's (soon to be just Sony) best smartphones last year. While it lacked dual core goodness, it was slim, as it was supposed to be, since most of their competition had phones like that already, and it was stylish. Design is still one of Sony's strong suit, but it doesn't go well with thick phones, which is how most of their phones still are. But they will be pushing other slim phones in 2012.
SAMSUNGThe giant Korean company, maker of the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S2, is poised to be a leader in this particular superphone death-match. Samsung's phones and tablets have used ARM, Snapdragon and Tegra chipsets, but the manufacturer's semiconductor division is working hard on the next generation of its own Exynos line of systems-on-a-chip. They are testing possible processors like the Exynos 5250, which isn't quad-core, but rather a dual-core ARM Cortex-A15 processor. Samsung seems to be confident that the Exynos 5250 can produce benchmarks and performance competitive with a quad-core processor. Or it may even go with the 32 nm quad core Exynos 4412 (based on Cortex A9) having the same clock speed of 1.5 GHz.
One of the latest renderings of the Galaxy S3
Samsung has some tough choices to make. According to our very own Lucian Armasu: If we take into consideration the specs of the device, the talks which are in the air reveal that the Galaxy S III's design will be different from the current design of the Galaxy S series, and will thinner in size than its ancestor, the Galaxy S2. Samsung might be including 3D (glassless) functionality into the Galaxy S3 line of Android phones. Predictions indicate that it will feature a 4.6" Super AMOLED Plus HD screen, 2GB of RAM, LTE connectivity, running on Android's latest ICS firmware with Touchwiz – Samsung's own overlay. Also like its competitors, it might incorporate a 12 MP primary camera (with W750 BSI CMOS sensor) and NFC support. If Samsung does unveil the Galaxy S3 at Mobile World Congress in 2012, we will see Galaxy S III earlier this May or even in April. If not, then look for it closer to the summer. MEIZU
Meizu MX with Quad Core Launching in May 2012
LG
LG's new quad core speed demon - the Optimus 4X HD
PANASONIC
When we had the chance to meet with Panasonic at CES, they expressed that they want to internationalize their smartphone business. Panasonic is a borderline legendary company, with some of the greatest experience in the world at making technology. That being said, this is purely a business move. You see, every single Japanese OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) has lost tons of money making TV’s and displays in general (big part of their business before), so it’s only natural that Sharp, Panasonic, Fujitsu and others would want to bring their “A game” and sell their mobile technology on the international stage. Either way, what we are looking at above is the Panasonic Eluga, which is destined for Japan – for now. It’s likely though, and somewhat unfortunately, that Panasonic doesn’t quite ‘get it’, and will likely unveil their premier Android smartphone with only a dual core processor, which is, in a word, insufficient. Either way, they are bringing their expertise to the production of said device, and it will likely be a dust-proof and waterproof device. The last reports we heard indicate that the device has been named the Panasonic Eluga. Still, we simply can’t help but admire at how beautiful its renderings are.
Specs
HUAWEI
I’ve said it before, and i’ll say it again. Huawei is the one to watch in 2012. They’ve had quite a bit of success domestically in China, and elsewhere in Europe, and they’re hungry for more. Out of the hundreds of pieces of technology I had the privilege of experiencing, the Huawei Ascend P1 and P1S were the ones that really stood out. Remarkably thin, and built of an extremely strong composite plastic, they both featured an eye popping qHD AMOLED display, and made me want to put my Galaxy S2 back in my pocket. Dubbed the Huawei Ascend D Quad XL, it’s alleged to be packing a quad core Tegra 3, and all in a super tight, svelte package. What’s not to love? Perhaps the battery life. Time will tell, as with all good things, but from judging the reception the DROID RAZR MAXX has enjoyed with its industry leading 3300mAh battery, major manufacturers better wake up and notice that consumers want long battery life, and, in most cases, are willing to forgo thinness in the pursuit of more road-warrior attuned qualities.
Specs
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This article, What Will Be the Best Android Phone of 2012? , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 26 Feb 2012 12:10 PM PST  If you’ve caught the Ice Cream Sandwich fever and your device is currently running ICS, then life has just gotten sweeter. One of the most popular web browsers has finally made its way to your Android device in the shape of Chrome Beta for Android. Sounds too good to be true? It gets better. This release comes with real-time syncing of tabs currently opened on your desktop browser, or any other devices running Chrome with your account in sync, as well as that tabbed browsing we can’t live without. You can also easily access your bookmarks, enjoy accelerometer-based tilt scrolling, easily switch between tabs by swiping across the edge, and revel in great 3D transition effects when you switch between tabs. Users can even enjoy Chrome’s incognito browsing and access their most frequently opened and recently closed pages. Chrome Beta brings the features that we love and also packs the features that are also available on other Android browsers, including bookmarking webpages from within the browser with offline access support, auto-filling of forms, in-page search support, JavaScript support, a built-in pop-up blocker, and extended privacy settings. To be able to sync bookmarks across your devices, simply enter your Google credentials and you’re good to go. Syncing is instant–you don’t need to worry about that desktop browser you just closed either. Your Android device can access the latest synced tabs so you can continue your web browsing even when you’re on the go. Unfortunately, as of this writing, reverse-syncing (i.e., device to desktop) is not yet available, but there’s no telling what the future can hold. Each time you open a new tab, the new window stacks on top of the previously opened one. Now you have a small preview of the page, eliminating that pesky problem of needing to actually click on the tab to remember what it was. You can switch between tabs by swiping left or right from either edge of your screen. If you’re surfing the web through a Wi-Fi connection, you have the option to preload pages, which gives you a faster browsing experience.  Unfortunately, because Chrome for Android is still in its beta stage, there are still a few features missing, such as the quick access controls that are part of the stock ICS browser, the option to select a custom UA string to browse a device-specific version of a website, and support for Flash. Despite the missing functions, Chrome Beta for Android already packs a lot of appeal as a new default mobile browser. Not only is Chrome Beta exclusive for Androids–it’s also only available (presumably for a while) in certain countries. Head on over to Chrome Beta for Android’s page on the Android Market to check if your country is one of the lucky few. If it is not, you can manually install the APK for Chrome for Android. Have you tried the newest Chrome Beta for Android? Is it better any than the currently popular browsers for Android? YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
This article, Initial Impressions of Google Chrome Beta App for Android , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com - Your Android News Source. |
Posted: 26 Feb 2012 08:29 AM PST  Granted, Huawei is not a household name for most Westerners, and, those who do know the Chinese company associate it with low-spec, cheap feature phones. But Huawei, along with fellow Chinese tech giant ZTE, is in the process of rebranding itself as a tough competitor to Samsung or HTC. What's their game plan? Simple: target the exclusivise high-end smartphone segment, currently dominated by devices like the Samsung Galaxy S2, but soon to be blown away by a whole new era of amazingly powerful devices like the HTC One X, the Samsung Galaxy S3, and many more.  Back in January, at CES, we were absolutely amazed of Huawei's first effort – the Ascend P1 S, which the Chinese claim to be the world's thinnest smartphone. And thin it is – only 0.26-inch or 6.68mm in its thickest point, which makes it a bit thinner than the 0.28-inch or 7.11mm Motorola Droid RAZR. But the Ascend P1 S is not only slim; It boasts an impressive 1.5GHz dual-core OMAP processor, 1GB of RAM, coupled with a beautiful qHD Super AMOLED display. Now, at MWC, Huawei sets the bar even higher, by announcing the Ascend D quad, an incredible quad-core Android 4.0 smartphone, which they claim to be nothing less than the world's fastest smartphone. Here are the highlights of the Huawei Ascend D quad press release:
 The new Huawei Ascend D quad and Ascend D quad XL will be available world-wide from Q2 2012, while the Ascend D1 will start selling in April 2012. Huawei Introduces the World's Fastest Smartphone: The Ascend D quad The Chinese phone maker just completed their press event at MWC, and here are the highlights:
 So, Huawei has some pretty ambitious plans for its brand new line of super smartphones. From what we've seen so far, they certainly have the potential – the hardware is powerful, the design is sleek. Let's hope that the new Ascend will not disappoint when it hits the markets later this year. Stay tuned for more information, we'll update you as we receive it! |
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Update - 76
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