Category: Mobile

Smartphone News and Reviews, Latest Cellphones, Accessories, New Launches, Specifications, Details with Image and Video from Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, Moto, HTC, Xiaomi, Oneplus, Meizu, Sony, Lava, Micromax Yu Mobile and More.

Google will acquire Modu patents for $4.9 BN

Whats up with Acquisitions lately, Recent Microsoft-Skype acquisition and now this. Google will acquire all Modu patents from the bankrupt company for a whopping 4.9 Billion US $. The company had planned for major worldwide release of its spectacular transformer phones, that fit the purpose when needed, and had planned for an IPO, but came close to an imminent closure due to lack of funding.

Google’s $4.9 million IP purchase will be used to pay back Modu’s creditors and former Modu employees who are still due wages. What this could entail is freakishly small Android smartphones……hoping anyway.

May 19, 2011
Nokia releases N9 Teaser Video (it’s running MeeGo)

Nokia has just released its teaser video for the upcoming N9. All specs are currently unknown except for the fact that you can spot the 12MP AF Carl Zeiss lens in the video and Nokia have confirmed on their Facebook page that the device runs MeeGo.

May 18, 2011
Intel Promises Phones in the First half of 2012

Intel CEO Paul Otellini just told investors that those 32nm Medfield smartphones are indeed on the way. “You’ll see the first Intel-based phones in the first part of next year,” he said at the company’s annual investor meeting today, adding later that there will be “phones shipping in the market from major players” at that time.

The Company also blames its partnership with Nokia as a major cause of the delay, “In hindsight, Nokia was the wrong partner to have picked,” said Otellini,

May 18, 2011
Nokia will Drop the “OVI” Label, to Market under “Nokia Services”

Nokia’s OVI store and OVI services including Maps are headed for a major rebranding. Beginning in July and August, the Finnish firm will rebrand its Ovi products under the “Nokia services” Label.

“By centralizing our services identity under one brand, not two, we will reinforce the powerful master brand of Nokia and unify our brand architecture – while continuing to deliver compelling opportunities and experiences for our partners and consumers alike,” said, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Jerri DeVard.

[Read]

May 17, 2011
Samsung Corby 2 S3850 Unboxing and Review
The Samsung Corby 2 is the successor to the original Corby, a might successful college/ ladies phone. So, the corby 2 has huge shoes to fill, the question here arises weather or not it can fill them. We take a look at the new Corby 2 and see its capability in the exact situation where a lot more competition is available even from the likes of Samsung themselves.

BUILD QUALITY and HARDWARE

The build quality of the new Corby 2 is far superior to its predecessor. The plastics are well weighed and the switchable panels are form moulded and fit perfectly like a glove without creaks or sounds.

As far as hardware is concerned the Corby 2 has two major changes (corby 2 = 2 changes hah). Seriously the addition of a capacitive touchscreen will definitely attract previous Corby owners to buy the new improved Corby 2. But wait there is WiFi onboard so that means faster internet and easily downloaded Apps.

SPECS and FEATURES

Camera & Display
- Camera – 2.0 Mega Pixels, Resolution 1600×1200 Pixels, (VGA)Video
- Screen Display – 3.2 inches, Resolution 240×320 Pixels
- Color – TFT Capacitive Touch Screen with 256K colors
Special Features
- Accelerometer
- Digital Natural Sound Engine
- Social networking integration with live updates
- TouchWiz UI
- Find Music recognition service
- Organizer, Document viewer
- Voice memo
- Audio, Video Recorder & Playback
- MP3, MP4 Player
- MP3, WAV Ring tones, Vibration
- 3.5 mm Headphone Jack
- Stereo FM radio with RDS
- Speaker Phone
Message Support
- SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email
- Instant Messaging
- Predictive Text Input
Connectivity
- Connectivity Options – Bluetooth v3.0, Micro USB v2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- Data Modes – GPRS 32 – 48 Kbps, EDGE, WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML Internet Browsing
Memory
- Internal Memory – 26 MB
- Expandable Memory- 16 GB MicroSD/Card Slot
- Phone Book – Contacts, Photo call
- Call Records – Yes
Battery Power
- 1000 mAh Li-Ion Standard Battery
- Battery Life – 620 hours
- Battery Talk Time – 9.30 hours
Mobile Size and Looks
- Size – 109.9 x 60.6 x 11.7 mm
- Weight – 102 grams
- Body Colors – White, Pink, Yellow & Black
MULTIMEDIA and CAMERA

The Speaker is nice and loud, Wifi enables users to watch youtube videos (read iGyaan videos) directly on the phone, The lack of 3G somewhat limits the Multimedia aspect on the go, the screen resolution is also somewhat a disappointment at 240×320 px with only 256 colors. Although, movies and videos can still be streamed via wifi and loaded onto the memory card and the device is ready to serve its master.

The camera is a poor demonstration of keeping the price of the phone low. But, then what all do you expect in a phone that costs merely minimum wage + couple of hundred. But, hey there are effects and scene modes and brightness setting and movie mode, The quality of which is as bad as you think it is. If you want a phone with a camera, that you will use, this is definitely not it.

PHONE and MESSAGING

Thank you Samsung for making us work hard with the resistive screen to make us understand that a capacitive screen is heaven sent. The dialer and messaging on the keyboard just seem to improve tenfold simply because of the touchscreen improvement. The call quality is decent with little or no dropped calls. Volume at both ends is good and no issues there. An overall performer in the phone department.

The messaging in portrait does not bring up a QWERTY keyboard but switch to landscape and “boom” a QWERTY experience the keyboard is fast and intuitive with the text prediction and large keys make it fun to use. So, Messaging and Phone systems are sorted in this device and will not disappoint basic users at all.

OTHER

The Touch-wiz 3.0 UI is a great add-on , the BADA-esque interface is a great improvement, with widgets and a notification panel make this device a better Smart-phone than the Corby ever could have been. The interface is hugely colorful and the icons are large and easily readable. The interface is pleasing to the eyes and the menus are fast and responsive.

CONCLUSION

The Corby 2 is a huge improvement over the Corby, But, is it enough with a host of Android devices from companies like Micromax and Spice the corby seems lost. There is still however a charm about the Corby brand and those loyal to it should definitely upgrade to the new Corby 2. Build and Phone is impressive along with good multimedia, But, a poor camera and a average display. The touchscreen is a massive improvement and Wifi adds to the experience.

[xrr rating=3.5/5 label=”We Rate The Corby II” imageset=shiny_yellow_star display_as=fraction_stars]

VIDEO UNBOXING AND REVIEW
May 17, 2011
Windows Phone 7 “Mango Update” will add Facebook chat and Office 365 Integration

A few juicy details of the upcoming mango update have been seen. That include Facebook Chat and Office 365 (plus SkyDrive and SharePoint), a new games hub with Xbox Live integration (new “Automatic Sync” ). This is still unconfirmed news, but considering the showcase of the update at the Dev Conf. earlier looks like this is highly likely.

[Windows Phone Dev Podcast]

May 16, 2011
Fujitsu LOOX F-07C launched with dual boot Windows 7 and Symbian
NTT DoCoMo’s Fujitsu LOOX F-07C has been officially announced. Specs include
- 4-inch 1,024 x 600 LCD
- 1.2GHz Intel Atom processor
- 1GB of LPDDR400 RAM
- 802.11b/g/n WiFi
- 32GB of eMMC disk space
- Expandable memory via microSDHC
- 5 megapixel autofocus camera with face detection
- VGA front-facing camera
- 600 minutes of standby time
- 370 minutes of 3G talk time
- Windows 7 mode gives 120 Mins
- HDMI-out via a USB adapter
- ¥70,000 ($860) – Approx INR 42,000
Pricing is possibly high , but decent for a Phone with a real life processor and a real life operating system.

PRESS RELEASE

NTT DOCOMO Unveils 24 New Mobile Devices
– Including biggest and most diverse lineup of smartphones –

TOKYO, JAPAN, May 16, 2011 — NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today its 2011 summer lineup of 24 new mobile devices for launch on or after May 20, including nine smartphones, the largest and most diverse collection of smartphones ever released by DOCOMO, plus a wide variety of feature phones compatible with DOCOMO’s i-mode™ mobile Internet platform, as well as mobile Wi-Fi® routers for DOCOMO’s Xi™ (read “Crossy”) LTE extra-high-speed service.

The smartphone lineup offers user-friendly features for tethering, mobile-wallet (Osaifu-Keitai™) and infrared-based data exchange, plus downlink speeds up to a theoretical maximum of 14 Mbps starting from early June. The lineup also boasts the world’s first wirelessly chargeable smartphone. All Android™ smartphones, including the globally popular Xperia™ and GALAXY models, are preinstalled with Android 2.3.

DOCOMO’s new lineup meets a broad range of needs for mobile users in Japan:

Numerous i-mode services and technologies available for smartphones, including Area Mail™ disaster information service, i-channel™ push-based information service and Melody Call™ ringback tones.
Smartphones offering enhanced convenience and operability thanks to the new “docomo Palette UI” feature for easy sorting, searching and management of apps.
Eleven high-spec, i-mode-compatible feature phones equipped variously with 3D screens for dynamic viewing, HD-quality cameras and much more.
The i-motion™ video-clip distribution service for FOMA™ 3G feature phones now offers 50 MB capacity for both long and high-definition video. Batch downloads of various content are possible with DOCOMO’s new “content package” service.
Two mobile Wi-Fi routers compatible with DOCOMO’s Xi-brand LTE service, offering fiber-optic-level mobile connectivity for wireless devices. LTE service will include Japan’s six largest urban metropolises by July and other large cities including prefectural capitals by March 2012.

The new models and their planned launches are as follows:

docomo Smartphone (9 models)

AQUOS™ PHONE SH-12C
May 20
Android smartphone with 8.0-megapixel 3D twin cameras. LCD panel and image processor based on AQUOS technology for high-resolution images.

Optimus bright L-07C
Mid June
Equipped with a world’s brightest display*. Body is 9.5 mm thin and weighs only 112 g. Interchangeable rear cover comes in 3 colors.

GALAXY S II SC-02C
Late June
Android smartphone with 4.3-inch SUPER AMOLED Plus display. Powerful 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU enables fast app launches and stable video.

MEDIAS WP N-06C
June or July
Waterproof Android smartphone in world’ first 7.9-mm body**. Mobile wallet, infrared-based data exchange and one-seg TV. Premium model designed with appliance brand amadana.
BlackBerry® Bold™ 9780 June or July Featuring the new BlackBerry OS 6.0 for faster, richer web browsing.

Xperia™ acro SO-02C
June or July
Android smartphone with mobile wallet, infrared -based data exchange and one-seg TV features. 4.2-inch “Reality Display” delivers brilliant, crystal-clear images.

F-12C
July or August
Android smartphone features Bright Color Liquid Display and voice-enhancement capability for extra-clear audio. Designed in collaboration with luxury luggage brand Globe-Trotter.

P-07C
July or August
Stylishly beautiful Android smartphone with 4.3-inch touchscreen. Screen position of keypad and touch-speed selector can be customized for easy one-hand operation.
AQUOS PHONE™ f SH-13C July or August First smartphone capable of wireless charging*** merely by placement on top of a pad. Compact body is both dustproof and waterproof.

*As of May 13, 2011, according to LG Electronics Japan.
**Among 3G mobile phones as of May 13 2011, according to NEC CASIO Mobile Communications, Ltd.
***Requiring no other accessory, and among smartphones of IEC-member/Taiwanese makers as of May 15, 2011.

docomo STYLE series™ (5 models)

SH-11C
May or June
Dust/waterproof phone with combined mat/glossy body scheme. 8.1-megapixel camera, over 2,000 preinstalled Deco-mail™ pictograms/animations, and various mail-decorating functions.

F-10C
June
11.8-mm waterproof phone with 12.2-megapixel camera for shooting Full High Vision video. Prism glass illumination and beautiful jewel-like design features.

P-04C
June
Elegant body embedded with Swarovski-brand white crystals. 13.2-megapixel camera features synchronized operation of quick-action auto focus and shutter release.

P-06C
July
Waterproof body with 12 color variations for personalized styling. Equipped for mobile wallet and one-seg TV. Preinstalled with Snoopy screensavers and wallpapers.

L-10C
Sept.
Elegantly simple phone with four dedicated keys for quick access to favorite functions/contacts. “Clear voice” function for enhanced audio.

docomo PRIME series™ (4 models)

SH-10C
May or June
Dust/waterproof body with 3.4-inch Full Wide VGA mobile 3D touchscreen. 16.1-megapixel camera shoots Full HD video. Beautiful function-linked illumination on side edge.

F-09C
June
High-spec waterproof body with responsive touchscreen. Vibrant 3D experiences on large 3.5-inch rotating screen. 16.3-megapixel camera with CMOS sensor shoots Full HD movie.

CA-01C
June or July
First EXILIM™ Handset for DOCOMO. 16.3-megapixel camera shoots Full HD video. 3D screen for enjoyment of dynamic images and games.

P-05C
July
LUMIX Phone™is world’s first phone with optical anti-shake*. “My Color Mode” enables easy creation of highly artistic photos taken with 13.2-megapixel camera.

*For photo/video functions as of May 13, 2011, according to Panasonic Mobile Communications Co., Ltd.

docomo SMART series™ (2 models)

F-11C
July
12.8-mm waterproof phone with security features such as fingerprint sensor. Business-support features including business card reader linked to address book and “whiteboard photo” mode.
N-05C June or July Waterproof slider phone with quick-shooting 8.1-megapixel camera equipped with highly sensitive lens. Professional/personal tool equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, various dictionaries, etc.

Xi™ Data Terminals (2 models)

L-09C
June or July
Stylish mobile Wi-Fi router for FOMA 3G/Xi LTE services. Robust battery lasts up to 6 hours for Xi and 8 hours for FOMA. Works simultaneously with up to 10 devices.

BF-01C
July or August
Mobile Wi-Fi router for FOMA 3G, Xi LTE, WLAN and wired LAN. Connects to 6 devices. Preinstalled with Network Attached Storage (NAS) and media server function.

FOMA USB Data Terminal (1 model)
L-08C
May or June
FOMA USB data terminal with protective cap. Stylish design and weighs just 25g.

Windows® 7 Handset (1 model)
Windows® 7 Handset F-07C
June or July
World’s smallest Windows 7 PC (Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit Japanese edition)*. Enhanced security and practical mobile-wallet functions preinstalled. USB/HDMI cradle optional.

*According to Fujitsu Limited as of May 13, 2011.
May 16, 2011
Android Ice-Cream Sandwich Announced for Phones and Tablets coming later this Year

Google has just officially announced that they are working on the next build of Android that works together on all devices. In their own words “One OS that runs everywhere.” This OS will adapt to its device identifying the smartphone from a tablet and customizing itself to fit the bill properly. The launch of ICS is scheduled for Q4 2011.

May 11, 2011
Windows Phone 7 New Mango Update features revealed
Microsoft’s upcoming “Mango” update is the next exciting thing for all Windows Phone 7 users. Win dowsphonesecrets.com revealed the new features of the upcoming update and they seem to be adding quite a few interesting things.
- Bing Audio, which will identify songs by listening to music
- Bing Vision, which will provide barcode scanning + Camera assisted search
- Turn-by-turn navigation in Bing Maps
- Speech recognition support in messaging
- Native podcast player
May 10, 2011
Micromax Bling 2 Official – Website up – Unboxing Soon

We have confirmation on the previously – leaked by iGyaan– Micromax Bling 2. The official website of the phone is now up at micromaxbling.com So check it out.

We have also asked for an official unit for unboxing and full preview, Hopefully we get it soon.

Click here to see our leaked coverage.

May 6, 2011
Acer Launches the Iconia Android 2.3 Smart Phone in India – Ships it next Month
Acer launched or should we say spoke about the new Iconia Smart in India. While the launch announcement was made the product is yet to start selling. It features
- 4.8 inch display with HXGA (1024×480) resolution
- 1GHz Snapdragon processor
- 8 GB Internal Memory
- HDMI port
- DLNA support
- Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS
- Acer UI 4.2
- 3G Connectivity
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
- 8 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash
- HD (720p) video recording
- 2 megapixel front-facing camera
- 3.5mm jack
- Dolby Mobile sound enhancement
- 512 MB RAM
- 512 MB ROM
- 8 GB internal memory + microSD
- 32 GB expandable memory
- Six-axis gyro sensor
- MicroUSB 2.0
- A-GPS
- HDMI port
- Up to 500 hours stand-by time
- Up to 11 hours talk-time
- 1500 mAh battery
With no official price on this 4.8″ monster , It is speculated to be in the market range of 30K INR.
May 6, 2011
Sony Ericsson announces new Xperia Mini and Mini Pro
Sony Ericsson has just announced a set of new Xperia phones to replace the budget/small sized phones in the series.

The Xperia Mini
- Android Gingerbread (2.3)
- 3-inch, multitouch LCD
- scratch-resistant display
- Bravia Engine with Reality Display
- 1GHz processor
- 30 percent improvement in battery
- video in 720p H
Xperia Mini Pro
- 1GHz processor
- 3-inch display
- 1200mAh battery
- front-facing camera
- Sliding QWERTY keyboard
The Full Press Release

Sony Ericsson unveils next-generation Xperia minis

Introducing two powerful, versatile and compact smartphones
Xperia™ mini – the world’s smallest HD video recording smartphone
Xperia™ mini pro –intuitive fast messaging in a compact smartphone

May 5th, 2011, London – Sony Ericsson unveils the new Xperia™ mini and Xperia™ mini pro, the latest additions to its Xperia™ family. Building on the success of the original mini series, these innovative smartphones come packed full of features, powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor, and run the latest platform of Google’s Android™ – Gingerbread 2.3. Beautifully designed, Xperia™ mini and Xperia™mini pro both integrate best-in-class imaging and display technology from Sony, including Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine and HD video recording (720p).

The products offer a full multimedia entertainment experience. Xperia™ mini and Xperia™ mini pro enable access to over 150,000 apps on the Android Market™ and has a 3″ scratch-resistant, multi-touch glass screen. The improved user interface allows up to 16 apps displayed on the home screen. Facebook inside Xperia™, a feature just announced for the Xperia™ family, provides a unique social media integration.

Xperia™ mini pro brings the optimised slide-out keyboard with smart functionality first seen on the Xperia™ pro to a compact smartphone. A subtle but fast Type & Send functionality eliminates the need to open a dedicated app for each type of message, and Smart Keyboard triggers predictive messaging actions automatically when the user slides out the keyboard. Xperia™ mini pro also comes pre-loaded with Office Suite and McAfee antivirus software, letting consumers manage documents and e-mails instantly and securely while on the move.

Steve Walker, Head of Marketing, Sony Ericsson said, “We wanted to provide consumers even greater choice across the Xperia™ range, while building on the success of the original mini series. These turbo-charged smartphones now contain even more power, enhanced functionality, a larger screen and premium features unique to Sony Ericsson. They are packed full of features, making them a perfect choice for consumers looking for all the benefits of Android and Sony in a beautiful and easy to use compact form factor.”

Sony Ericsson also unveils today a new integration, Facebook inside Xperia™, which will be included in the new Xperia™ mini and mini pro and soon to be available across the wider Xperia™ range. Facebook inside Xperia™ integrates social connections throughout the phone, by making Facebook immediately accessible from the most used areas of the phone such as the picture gallery, music player, phonebook and calendar. As people are becoming increasingly reliant on their smartphones for instant communication, Sony Ericsson is enabling people to ‘like’, share and comment more easily than ever before with Facebook inside Xperia™.

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ mini – Key features
World’s smallest Android™ smartphone with HD video recording
Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
Place up to 16 apps in the corners of your home screen
Over 150,000 apps on Android Market™
Facebook inside. Keeping your friends closer

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ mini pro – Key features
Ergonomic keyboard and smart functions for fast messaging
HD video and Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
Synch your email and view office documents safely on the go
Place up to 16 apps in the corners of your home screen
Over 150,000 apps on Android Market™

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ mini pro and Xperia™ mini with HD will be available globally in selected markets from Q3.

Check out the Sony Ericsson Product Blog for more information: http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/products
May 6, 2011
HTC Sensation up for Pre-Order in the UK : Delivers 19 May

We have Seen companies extend deadlines, But, HTC just seems to have met it in Advance. The HTC Sensation originally slated for a June 7 ship date is already available for PRE-Order goodness by Vodafone.uk Whats more they promise that the device may be delivered as early as May 19th.

[Vodafone]

May 5, 2011
Samsung Galaxy Pro GT B7510 Unboxing and Hands On – iG in The Mountains : Update with Video
We went on a road trip See Here . So we decided to bring some review goodness along : Check out the new Samsung Galaxy Pro GT B7510

This is the First Dual Input (Touch and Qwerty) Android Phone from Samsung in a CandyBar form

Samsung Galaxy Pro GT B7510 Tech Specs
- Network : HSDPA 7.2Mbps 900/2100 / EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900
- OS : Android 2.2 Froyo
- Display : 2.8? LQVGA (320×240) TFT-LCD
- Processor : 800MHz Processor
- Camera: Main(Rear): 3.0 Mega Pixel Camera AF
  (Single Shot, Beauty Shot, Panorama Shot, Smile Shot, Action Shot)
- Video : Codec : MPEG4/ H.264/ H.263/ WMV/ RV/ DivX/ Xvid
  Playback : WVGA @30fps
  Recording : QVGA @ 30fps
- Audio :MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, RA
- 3.5mm Ear Jack & Speaker, Stereo FM Radio with RDS, Voice Recorder
- Enterprise Solutions : Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
  ThinkFree Editor
  Value-added Features
- A-GPS
- Bluetooth® technology v 2.1
- USB 2.0
- Wi-Fi 802.11 (b/g/n)
- Accelerometer, Light, Digital Compass, Proximity
- 512MB + 2GB inbox + microSD (up to 32GB)
- 66.7 x 108.6 x 10.65mm, 103.4g
- 1350mAh
- Talk Time : up to11 hours
- Standby Time : up to 620 hours
Check out the Pictures Below.
May 4, 2011
The Line Phone – Scalable | Multitouch | Concept

Ever wish you had an iPhone or a Multi-touch smart phone? Well you can wish again because we’ve just found the Line Phone. It has a very interesting multi-touch interface that seems very easy to use and very well thought out. The phone comes with many features that we have come to expect from technology out of the box.

It performs even basic tasks such as photography and Internet surfing with a flair that we cannot find in todays devices. The best thing we like about this concept is its ability to seamlessly scale the size of the display for performing more complex tasks such as Desktop use and Gaming. Check out the video for more info.

May 2, 2011