Archive for Huawei

Huawei announces the first Windows Phone 8 handset while HTC devices begin leaking

Windows Phone 8 Hardware Partners 560x265 Huawei announces the first Windows Phone 8 handset while HTC devices begin leaking

Windows Phone 8 has only been official for a single day, but information about the first wave of handsets from Huawei and HTC has already begun to surface. Huawei, a newcomer to Windows Phone, has decided to get ahead of the curve and announce an unnamed Windows Phone 8 handset carrying the company’s Ascend branding. It will, of course, be a “best-in-class smartphone.” The device will initially launch in the US, Europe, and China, with other markets to follow later on.

On the flipside, the specs for three of HTC’s third-generation Windows Phone handsets have already been leaked. The HTC “Rio” is somewhat similar to existing Windows Phone 7.5 devices, thanks to its 4-inch WVGA display, 5MP camera with 720p video, 512MB of RAM, and 14.4Mbps HSPA network speeds. It will, however, include a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (MSM8227) processor. The HTC “Accord” is a step up, sporting a 4.3-inch 720p Super LCD 2, 8MP camera with 1080p, 1GB of RAM, and 42Mbps HSPA+ network speeds. It will also be one of the first devices to include NFC and a dual-core processor (which The Verge’s sources believe could be a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260A). Finally, the HTC “Zenith” improves upon the “Accord” with a 4.7-inch screen and a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor. The first two devices are expected to be available in October, followed by the release of the “Zenith” during the fourth quarter of 2012.

[Engadget | The Verge]

Huawei Ascend D series shown off at Mobile World Congress

Ascend D Huawei Ascend D series shown off at Mobile World Congress

Huawei hit the ground running at the start of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) by announcing the Ascend D Quad, the “world’s fastest quad-core smartphone.” The world’s fastest? I have a feeling Huawei may be stretching the truth a little bit there. MWC has provided a lot of very, very fast phones, but with a bit of custom Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) and an in-house processor, we’ll let Huawei have it, at least for today.

The 1.5GHz Ascend D quad is actually the head of a whole group of phones, the D quad, D quad XL—think RAZR MAXX—and the D1, a stripped-down version. The quad and quad XL sport a 4.5-inch, 330 pixels per inch 720p display, an 8MP rear camera, a 1MP front camera, and Dolby 5.1 surround sound.

The D quad packs a 1800mAh, supposedly good for up to two days of “normal usage” into a 64mm x 8.9mm body. The quad XL is identical to the D quad in every way, save for 2mm of extra thickness to support the larger 2500mAh battery which provides up to three days of “normal usage.”

It sounds like Huawei may be copy-catting NVIDIA’s 4+1 technology a bit, touting its K3V2 processor to be “1.2/1.5GHz” with a “proprietary power management system which provides up to 30% in energy savings.” The little-mentioned D1 features a 1.5GHz processor—probably not the same power-saving one mentioned for the quads—and has a 1670mAh battery. The quads will be launching pretty much everywhere in Q2 2012, with the D1 also landing virtually everywhere but in April 2012.

[BGR]

Huawei announces R&D HQ move to the silicon valley, MWC device rumors fly

Huawei moves out Huawei announces R&D HQ move to the silicon valley, MWC device rumors fly

Huawei, with a $3.76 billion R&D budget, has just announced that it is moving its R&D headquarters from Plano, TX to the illustrious Silicon Valley of Central California. We know Huawei best for its low-cost Android smartphones that get the job done without some of the pomp, circumstance, and obscene price tags that come out of companies like Samsung and Motorola.

It will be interesting to see what happens from all the bigwig shoulder rubbing that is bound to happen as a result of this move. I could easily envision this move eventually encompassing the rest of Huawei’s HQ in a mass relocation from the Lone Star State to the land of gold.

Huawei, who had $30 billion in sales last year, is showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon and may well soon be the leader in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich devices, among other things.

While other manufacturers are still playing with Android 2.3.x gingerbread, Huawei couldn’t even wait for CES to announce its latest Android 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich(ICS) phones, the Ascend P1 and P1 S. If an eye-slicing thin ICS phone isn’t enough, the rumored quad-core powered, ICS-endowed Ascend D1 Q is expected to be announced at the Mobile World Congress(MWC) in a couple of weeks. Samsung and Motorola should watch their backs, Huawei is on the warpath.

[SlashGear | Engadget]

Huawei “Ascends” to the claim of thinnest Android

huawei ascend p1 s three colors 560x425 Huawei Ascends to the claim of thinnest Android

Oy Vey, aren’t we getting a little silly with all this nickel and diming business? We now have the Huawei Ascend P1 S, which measures in at a svelte 6.68mm. That’s right, it is only 0.02mm thinner than the last title holder-the Fujitsu Arrows. The Arrows was slightly ridiculous at 6.7mm, only 0.4mm thinner than the DROID RAZR.

The 0.02mm difference is an absurd claim. Do any cell phone retailers even have a tool capable of measuring the difference? To give you a little perspective, 0.1mm is the thickness of a sheet of paper or a human hair, it also happens to be the smallest sized object visible to the human eye. So yes, 0.02mm is completely and totally worthless for anything but bragging rights.

Shallow appearance notwithstanding, this latest offering from Huawei is a fairly well-rounded device, offering 4.3-inches of Super AMOLED qHD real estate protected by Gorilla Glass, a dual core TI OMAP 4460 Cortext-A9 1.5GHz processor, and Android 4.0.x Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box-no “coming soon” update required.

If you dig Huawei’s budget-friendly prices, but couldn’t care less about 0.02mm, then you may want to consider the Ascend P1, which has the exact same features but is a bloated 7.69mm. So far we have no word on pricing but you can assume that the P1 will be the cheaper of the two. When it starts selling, the Ascend P1/P1 S will be available in metallic black, ceramic white, or cherry-blossom pink. Markets confirmed for an approximate mid-2012 release are: Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America, Australia, Middle East and China.

[SlashGear]

Huawei Ascend II now available from US Cellular at the price of free

huaweiascendii Huawei Ascend II now available from US Cellular at the price of free

Did you miss out on all those pre-Christmas sales from Verizon, AT&T, and the rest of the major cell carriers? US Cellular would like to remind you that if you don’t care about being bleeding edge you can still score a free phone. Warning: if you are somebody sensitive to poor phone specifications, you may want to stop reading now.

For the rest of you, let me introduce you to the Huawei Ascend II-an Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone with a 3.5″ HVGA touchscreen, a 600MHz Processor, and up to 5 hours of talk time thanks to a 1400mAh Lithium-ion battery. All of this can be yours for free with a new or upgraded contract—though upgrading from an existing plan will require a $100 mail-in rebate—or only $139.99 to use as a prepaid phone. 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a micro SD card slot good for up to 32GB with 2GB pre-installed are also included.

So no, this is not the most exciting phone that we’ve ever seen but free is pretty dang hard to pass up. And at least it runs Gingerbread. So if the expressions “inexpensive” and “gets the job done” are words you use when talking about purchasing a cell phone or if you just hate dealing with the major carriers, this may be the phone for you.

[US Cellular via phonedog]

Samsung, Android top out Apple, iOS in Australia and NZ

Android+Samsung 560x242 Samsung, Android top out Apple, iOS in Australia and NZ

The numbers from the International Data Corporation (IDC)— a leading global provider of market intelligence—are out for Australia and New Zealand and if you like Samsung and/or Android then the news is very good indeed. As of the end of the third quarter in Australia, Android has taken the lead in the smartphone OS race and now holds 49% of the market, with iOS pushed down to 36%.

In New Zealand the news is equally promising for Android lovers, with Samsung moving into first place among manufacturers with 28.5% of the market and Huawei coming in at second place with 20% of the market. Samsung also holds the manufacturer lead in Australia but the size of that lead was not stated.

Both Australia and New Zealand are experiencing a shift from feature phones to smartphones. Many of the first-time smartphone buyers are being lured in by the sub $150 Android offerings, which is a similar price-point to many feature phones.

In Australia, 65% of mobile phone contracts are now smartphones, and in New Zealand the number is marked at 43%. This coupled with Samsung’s massive push for its Android phones, headlined by the Galaxy S II, has propelled Samsung and Android to the top of the market. And it doesn’t look like the trend is going to stop any time soon.

[IDC via BGR]

T-Mobile roadmap leaks pricing and availability for Android and Windows Phone devices

T Mobile Fall 2011 Roadmap 560x418 T Mobile roadmap leaks pricing and availability for Android and Windows Phone devices

A leaked T-Mobile roadmap has revealed some very interesting information about the network’s fall device lineup. The company also officially announced the specs for the next generation myTouch handsets on Wednesday.

The device roadmap kicks off with mid-October launches for the HTC Amaze 4G (codenamed “Ruby”) and Samsung Galaxy S II (codenamed ”Hercules”). The release dates on the roadmap are incorrect, but the two handsets will indeed launch in October for $259 and $229 respectively. The Huawei “Wayne” will hit T-Mobile on October 19 for $99. Of course, the prices for all three Android devices factor in a $50 a mail-in rebate.

November 2 will be T-Mobile’s biggest day, ushering in the launch of the HTC Radar 4G Windows Phone for $199. Also set for release are the LG Flip II at $149 and the Samsung “Ancora” at $99, which TmoNews believes might be the successor to the Samsung Exhibit 4G or the next Samsung Galaxy phone.

The LG myTouch (“codenamed Maxx”) and myTouch Q (codenamed “Maxx Touch”) will also be released on November 2. Both Android handsets, which were officially announced this afternoon, will include a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, 5MP camera, and 4G network speeds. The myTouch will sport a 3.5-inch screen, while the myTouch Q will have a slightly larger 3.8-inch display.

Last, but not least, is the BlackBerry Torch 9860 (codenamed RIM “Dumoine”), which is scheduled to hit T-Mobile stores on November 9 for an as-yet undetermined price.

[TmoNews via enConnected | Engadget]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G and Huawei Impulse 4G now available on AT&T

Xperia Play 4G and Impulse 4G Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G and Huawei Impulse 4G now available on AT&T

AT&T released two Android smartphones on September 18: the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY 4G and the Impulse 4G. Both phones are relatively low-cost, with the Xperia PLAY 4G running $49.99 on contract and the Impulse 4G at an affordable $29.99 on contract.

Sony Ericsson’s new smartphone packs a 4-inch screen, 1GHz processor, stereo speakers, and 5MP cameras on both the front and back. The phone includes 1GB of internal memory, but it can be expanded to up to 32GB thanks to the included microSD card slot and 8GB memory card. The Xperia PLAY 4G, like its predecessor, is also designed for gaming. The ”stealth blue” device includes a directional keypad, dual analog touch joysticks, two shoulder buttons, and the standard PlayStation symbol keys. It also comes with a dock and seven free games from popular publishers like EA and Gameloft.

The 3.8-inch AT&T-branded Impulse 4G, meanwhile, is designed and manufactured by Huawei. In it, customers will find a 5MP camera with auto-focus and flash, as well as 4.5GB of memory, 512MB of which is internal. Those looking for more storage can swap out the 4GB microSD card with up to 32GB.

[AT&T | AT&T via This Is My Next]