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February 27, 2012
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Hands on with Sony’s Xperia P (again) and Xperia U

By on February 27, 2012 at 1:40 PM.

Hands on with Sony’s Xperia P (again) and Xperia U

We were only able to spend a few minutes with Sony’s new Xperia P smartphone as we rushed from Sony’s press conference to HTC’s press conference on Sunday, and we didn’t get any time at all with the Xperia U. Thanks to a slightly lighter event scheduled on Monday, we were able to make it over to Sony’s booth and spend some quality time with its new smartphones. These are the first smartphones that will be launched by the new Sony Mobile Communications unit that picks up where Sony Ericsson left off, and to be frank, we’re a bit concerned. This pair of Android phones is well-made and we like what Sony has done to its UI atop Android 4.0, but we’re still seeing some things that concern us. Check out our hands-on photos in the gallery linked below, and then hit the break for our initial impressions of the Xperia P and Xperia U smartphones.

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mobile
February 27, 2012
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Nokia unveils 41-megapixel 808 PureView, entry-level Lumia 610

By on February 27, 2012 at 11:30 AM.

Nokia unveils 41-megapixel 808 PureView, entry-level Lumia 610

Nokia on Monday announced two new smartphones during its press conference at Mobile World Congress 2012. The star of the show was undoubtedly the Nokia 808 PureView, a smartphone the Finnish smartphone maker teased last week. Featuring a jaw-dropping 41-megapixel camera, the 808 PureView is a mobile photographer’s dream and a smartphone enthusiast’s nightmare. Why? The 808 features solid specs but it is powered by Symbian Belle, a dated operating system Nokia is currently in the process of tossing to the curb. Spec highlights include the high-resolution 41-megapixel sensor with Carl Zeiss optics and new pixel oversampling technology that allows users to zoom without any loss of clarity when taking pictures at low (2, 3, 5 or 8-megapixel) resolution, Dolby sound and the ability to record 1080p videos. Details surrounding the Lumia 610 follow below. More →

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MWC
February 27, 2012
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 hands-on

By on February 27, 2012 at 9:00 AM.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 hands-on

Somehow making the original Galaxy Note look positively diminutive in size, the newly announced Galaxy Note 10.1 is a proper 10.1-inch tablet from Samsung. Sporting a 1.4Ghz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, HSPA+, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.1, the only thing you won’t be able to do with this slate is place an actual call. Then again, given how ridiculous the original Note looks held up to the side of a human head, we’re not so sure this is a bad thing. In use, the Note 10.1 is snappy and responsive, and the S-pen implementation is well executed. Does the world need another 10-inch tablet? We can’t answer that one way or the other, but Samsung certainly has a competent device on its hands. Check out the gallery below for some hands-on pics!

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mobile
February 27, 2012
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Samsung Galaxy Beam hands-on

By on February 27, 2012 at 8:45 AM.

Samsung Galaxy Beam hands-on

A projector phone? From Samsung? Sure, why not? We got a chance to spend some time with Sammy’s newly announced “Beam” addition to its ever-expanding Galaxy line, and we left with mixed emotions. On the one hand, this is a solid and well executed smartphone, but it sports a 1Ghz dual-core chip, Android 2.3, a 4-inch WVGA screen, 8GB of built-in storage, and 768MB of RAM, so the specs aren’t exactly on par with other modern handsets. On the projector end of things, we’ve got a powerful 15 lumens unit capable of displaying a 50-inch wide image on any flat surface. This is pretty cool, but we’re still not sure this is a space that needs filling. That said, if you’re in the market for a projector-equipped smartphone, this is pretty much the best game in town. Our hands-on photo gallery follows below.

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MWC
February 27, 2012
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Samsung announces Galaxy Note 10.1 with Android 4.0, dual-core chipset and S Pen

By on February 27, 2012 at 8:00 AM.

Samsung announces Galaxy Note 10.1 with Android 4.0, dual-core chipset and S Pen

Samsung on Monday took the wraps off another new addition to its Android tablet lineup, the Galaxy Note 10.1. Like the supersized “phablet” it joins in the Galaxy Note family, the Note 10.1 includes Samsung’s S Pen stylus for drawing, note-taking, highlighting and much more. Sadly, this still isn’t the high-definition slate we’ve been waiting for so it looks like Samsung is shooting to launch its Retina-like tablet later this year. The 10-inch Galaxy Note runs Samsung’s TouchWiz UI atop Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and includes a 1.4GHz dual-core processor along with the same cameras found in the original Galaxy Tab 10.1. In fact, the Note 10.1 essentially seems like a redesigned Galaxy Tab 10.1 with an S Pen and a new processor, which is peculiar since the Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1) is pretty much a Galaxy Tab 10.1 as well. Announced alongside the Galaxy Note 10.1 is the Galaxy S WiFi 4.2, a Wi-Fi-only device aimed at gaming. Samsung’s press releases follow below. More →

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MWC
February 27, 2012
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Asus announces Padfone tablet/smartphone hybrid alongside low-end Transformer Pad 300

By on February 27, 2012 at 7:35 AM.

Asus announces Padfone tablet/smartphone hybrid alongside low-end Transformer Pad 300

Asus on Monday unveiled the Padfone from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The hybrid device was first announced in May last year, however a bit has changed since the Padfone’s initial announcement at Computex 2011. The unique Padfone tries to capitalize on separating itself from the pack, and is comprised of a 4-3-inch Android 4.0-powered smartphone docked inside a 10-inch tablet. The handset portion of the device features a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, an Adreno 225 graphics processor and an 8-megapixel rear camera. Docking the smartphone inside the tablet brings the device a 10.1-inch display, a tablet UI and a new range of functionality. Announced alongside the Padfone is the entry-level Transformer Pad 300, a new version of Asus’s popular Eee Pad Transformer that features a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, a 10.1-inch 1,280 x 800-pixel display and 16GB of internal storage. The Padfone will finally begin shipping in April, 11 months after it was first announced, and pricing is not yet available. Launch details for the Transformer Pad 300 have not yet been announced, but hit the break for an image of the device. More →

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mobile
February 27, 2012
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ZTE unveils quad-core ZTE Era Android phone, ZTE Orbit Windows Phone

By on February 27, 2012 at 6:50 AM.

ZTE unveils quad-core ZTE Era Android phone, ZTE Orbit Windows Phone

ZTE announced a range of new smartphones at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but the star of the show was undoubtedly the company’s new flagship Android phone, the ZTE Era. The Era is a quad-core Tegra 3-powered Android 4.0 phone with a 4.3-inch 960 x 540-pixel qHD display, 8GB of internal storage, HSPA+ and a case that is just 7.8 millimeters thick, which is even thinner than the HTC One S announced on Sunday. ”The numbers speak for themselves. With 50 percent growth in handset shipments and 400 percent growth in smartphone shipments, we are confident that we are entering a new era in the mobile terminal market,” said He Shiyou, Executive Vice President and Head of the Terminals Division, in a statement. The ZTE Era captures the excitement we feel about the future and brings it to life in a fantastic new device.” Announced alongside the Era is the ZTE Orbit, a new entry-level Windows Phone with a 4-inch 800 x 480-pixel display, a single-core 1GHz processor, 4GB of storage and a 5-megapixel camera that will launch in the second quarter. ZTE’s press releases follow below. More →

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mobile
February 27, 2012
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Huawei unveils Ascend D quad, Ascend D quad XL and Ascend D1 Android phones

By on February 27, 2012 at 6:25 AM.

Huawei unveils Ascend D quad, Ascend D quad XL and Ascend D1 Android phones

Huawei on Sunday announced the new Ascend D quad smartphone at Mobile World Congress. The company bills the handset as “the world’s fastest quad-core smartphone,” with its 4.5-inch 720p HD display and Huawei’s own K3V2 quad-core 1.5GHz processor. The smartphone features an 8-megapixel rear-camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera and runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Huawei also introduced the Ascend D quad XL and the Ascend D1 smartphones. The Ascend D quad XL boasts a massive 2,500 mAh battery, but otherwise it’s the sames exact smartphone as the Ascend D quad. The Ascend D1 runs a 1.5 GHz dual-core CPU and has a 1,670 mAh battery. The Ascend D quad series will be available in China, Australia, Europe, Asia-Pacific, North and South America, and the Middle East in the second quarter of 2012, with the Ascend D1 to be made available in April. Pricing and more specific information surrounding launches aren’t yet available. Read on for Huawei’s press release. More →

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mobile
February 27, 2012
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Nokia Lumia 610 hands-on

By on February 27, 2012 at 4:50 AM.

Nokia Lumia 610 hands-on

While the Pureview 808 sort of stole the show, the Lumia 610 marks a significant release as well, and something that is worth paying attention to. The decidedly downmarket Windows Phone device aims to provide the Windows Phone experience to a much wider array of folks, and we think Nokia might have a hit on their hands. The new suite of Nokia software includes a Library app, and a completely revamped Maps application. We had a chance to spend some time with the little guy, and we left generally pleased, though not overwhelmed. But, then again, we suppose that’s the goal with a 189 Euro smartphone, now isn’t it? Specs include 256 mb of RAM, a 3.7″ WVGA screen, a 5mp camera, and 8GB of onboard storage. Hit the gallery link below for some hands-on shots!

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mobile
February 27, 2012
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Nokia 808 PureView hands-on

By on February 27, 2012 at 3:49 AM.

Nokia 808 PureView hands-on

Hey folks. Following Nokia’s early morning press conference here in Barcelona, we got a litttttle bit of hands-on time with the freshly dropped Pureview 808. The software isn’t quite finished yet, but we did get some time to play with the audio recording and camera apps. Really cool stuff, and we can definitely see other manufacturers forced to follow suit. The handset features the flagship 41 megapixel camera, a 4″ screen, 512 mb of RAM with 16GB of onboard storage,  a 1.3 Ghz single core chip,  and a loft 450 Euro pricetag. Expect to see this sucker in May. Hit the link below to check out the gallery!

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Live Coverage
February 27, 2012
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Live from Nokia’s MWC 2012 press conference!

By on February 27, 2012 at 2:20 AM.

Live from Nokia’s MWC 2012 press conference!

In less than one quarter with just two smartphones on the market, Nokia managed to take the top spot among Windows Phone vendors in the fourth quarter of 2011. Microsoft’s mobile platform still accounts for just a small fraction of Nokia’s smartphone sales, but the Finnish vendor is in the early stages of a transition that will eventually see Symbian devices eliminated from its portfolio. The Lumia 710 and Lumia 800 started things off, and Nokia revealed the Lumia 900 during the Consumer Electronics Show, a flagship device that BGR exclusively reported will launch on AT&T next month at a very aggressive $99.99 price point. Nokia is rumored to have at least two new devices that will be unveiled during today’s press conference — the entry-level Lumia 610 and a high-end camera phone expected to be the international version of the Lumia 900 — and we’re on hand to bring you all the news as it breaks. Hit the jump for our live coverage of Nokia’s press conference, which is scheduled to begin at 2:30 a.m. EST / 11:30 p.m. PST (8:30 a.m. local time in Barcelona). More →

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mobile
February 26, 2012
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HTC One V hands-on

By on February 26, 2012 at 4:40 PM.

HTC One V hands-on

Rounding out the trio of smartphones HTC unveiled at its Mobile World Congress 2012 press conference on Sunday is the HTC One V, an entry-level smartphone that picks up where the HTC Legend left off. This will be the most affordable One-branded smartphone HTC launches in the first half of the year, and while the specs don’t hold a candle to the One X or One V, this is absolutely a phone that will go far among budget-conscious consumers in Europe and other regions where the phone will be released. Check out our hands-on photo gallery below, and hit the break for the rest of our early impressions.

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mobile
February 26, 2012
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Hands on with the HTC One S

By on February 26, 2012 at 4:25 PM.

Hands on with the HTC One S

The chaos of day 0 at Mobile World Congress is finally winding down, and HTC’s action-packed press conference is now behind us. The obvious star of the show was the HTC One X, but there’s no denying that its mid-range counterpart packs a massive punch as well. We just spent some time putting the HTC One S through the paces and first things first: this smartphone is amazingly thin. At 7.9 millimeters, it’s the thinnest smartphone HTC has ever built and it really is amazing that the company managed to pack such high-end specs into a device this slim. Check out our hands-on photos in the gallery below and hit the break for the rest of our initial impressions.

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