Motorola Atrix HD review
When it comes to storied products, the Motorola Atrix has already mushroomed into one prolific line of devices, even in its short, 18-month life. It began as the Atrix 4G, entering the market with a splashy press conference at CES 2011, earning our respect as a game-changer, with its fingerprint sensor and innovative Webtop system. Less than a year later we were treated to the sequel, which offered some incremental improvements in specs and design, but failed to dazzle techies the way the original did.
Enter the third installment of the Atrix saga: the Atrix HD. True to its name, Motorola’s latest device is the company’s first US-bound smartphone to take advantage of a 720p display. It’s also the outfit’s first handset to ship with Ice Cream Sandwich already installed, and it sweetens the pot with other goodies such as LTE and an 8-megapixel rear camera. The spec sheet looks promising, and at $99 with a two-year agreement, so does the price. So is it worth your hard-earned Benjamin and two more years with AT&T?
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Sony Xperia S Android 4.0 Update Rolls Out
Sony has announced on its official blog that it is rolling out an Android 4.0 update for the Xperia S.
Available to download through the phone itself or from the Sony website, the update will be arriving on handsets over the coming weeks and will bring with it a host of big improvements.
HTC One X has Samsung quaking?
HTC has made some well designed handsets and feels better built and quality compared to its Android rivals such as Samsung. But deficiencies in its recent handsets have seen HTC’s fortunes slip recently. HTC is back with a new super phone to reclaim its crown.
The One X has a 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 3 CPU (for the global version; the LTE version uses Qualcomm’s S4 Krait processor), 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 4.7 inches of 720p Super LCD 2 non-PenTile gorgeousness, Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4.0 on top, 8MP rear camera with f/2.0 lens and 1080p HD video.
It has certainly wowed the public but has HTC done enough?
Click here for T3’s review of the HTC One X.
Engadget’s hands on can be found here.
Galaxy Nexus a pan in the flash and volume problems
New technology comes with the risk of unforseen bugs or issues for early adopters, as iPhone owners can tell you, with the iPhone 4S having a few issues attributed to iOS5. It seems Android users aren’t immune either with owners of the new Galaxy Nexus running Ice Cream Sandwich experiencing a few problems. Google has confirmed its hot new Android 4.0 phone isn’t currently compatible with Adobe’s Flash Player and early adopters spotting an odd volume-muting software bug. A Flash player is scheduled for download before the year’s out.
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HTC Zeta leaked or a good fake?
Is this the HTC Zeta? Specs are supposedly a 2.5GHz APQ8064 CPU along with 1GB of RAM. It only has a 4.5-inch 720p HD display, with Ice Cream Sandwich and pre-installed with Sense UI (version 4.0 wasn’t specified, but we’d be surprised to see it any lower on an ICS device) and have 32GB of internal storage space, an 1,830mAh battery, Beats Audio, Bluetooth 4.0, an 8MP rear camera with dual LED flash, 1080p video capture and a 1.3MP front-facing cam.
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Samsung hits back at claims of a Galaxy Nexus release delay
Samsung have officially denied rumours that its Google flagship phone will be delayed until December. This was due to Amazon, Expansys moving the release date back to December 2nd suggesting the device was set to face more than two weeks of delays. However the launch on November 17th is still going ahead.
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HTC Rezound
HTC Rezound Breaks New Ground with Introduction of Advanced Audio and High-Definition Visual Experience
New York City – HTC Corporation, a global designer of mobile devices, and Verizon Wireless today announced the HTC Rezound™, the only phone in the United States with Beats Audio™ integration. A result of the recent partnership between HTC and Beats, the HTC Rezound delivers a powerful entertainment experience with unparalleled audio and multimedia capabilities highlighted by a 4.3-inch true HD 720p display. The HTC Rezound, a premium designed smartphone that includes the latest HTC Sense experience and access to Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, will be available exclusively from Verizon Wireless on Nov. 14.
“HTC is dedicated to delivering the latest in sight and sound innovation and we’re excited to be introducing the first U.S. smartphone featuring Beats Audio technology,” said Peter Chou, CEO, HTC Corporation. “Paired with Verizon Wireless’ blazing-fast 4G LTE network and a robust multimedia experience, the HTC Rezound enables customers to enjoy their favorite music and entertainment on-the-go like never before.”
The HTC Rezound enables customers to hear music the way the artist intended with unique audio tuning by Beats that delivers thundering bass, soaring midrange and crisp highs. Unique to HTC, the HTC Rezound also includes new lightweight Beats headphones, created exclusively to integrate with the Beats’ audio profile on the device. Hands-free calling is easy with the built-in microphone and the on-cable remote to pause, advance or rewind and answer a call mid-track.
“HTC fully recognizes the destruction to audio caused by the digital revolution. They embrace our vision to repair this ecosystem and bring the feeling from the recording studio to the smartphone,” said Jimmy Iovine, chairman of Beats By Dr. Dre. “This is only the beginning of our plan to fix how music is delivered.”
Lightning-fast mobile entertainment
The HTC Rezound is the first HTC smartphone to feature a true HD 720p display and is perfect for enjoying high-quality entertainment on the 4.3-inch super LCD screen. HTC Watch puts an entire library of the latest premium movies and TV shows right at your fingertips. Using a wireless connection, HTC Watch uses progressive download technology on the HTC Rezound which makes it possible to watch videos without waiting for them to finish downloading. Customers can rent or purchase videos through HTC Watch and enjoy content on up to five different HTC devices. The HTC Rezound features Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) connectivity, so customers can watch content from the device on an HDTV, including 5.1 surround sound and SRS WOW™ HD surround to take advantage of a home theater setup. Equipped with a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, the HTC Rezound offers a speedy mobile experience even for the most demanding media enthusiast.
“HTC Rezound combines sleek design, innovative entertainment features and the power of Verizon Wireless network to create a multimedia phone that consumers have been waiting for,” said Jeff Dietel, vice president of marketing, for Verizon Wireless. “4G LTE speeds take mobile entertainment to a new level, providing customers with advanced functionality in a phone they can count on for everyday use.”
Advanced multimedia features
The HTC Rezound boasts an 8-megapixel camera featuring autofocus, dual LED flash, a f/2.2 and 28mm wide-angle lens with BSI sensor to fit more of the scene into every shot and for better low-light performance. The enhanced camera features available through HTC Sense offer new scenes and effects such as panoramic mode for capturing life on a grand scale or action burst scene for the perfect action shot.
For self-portraits or video conversations, the HTC Rezound also features a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. With a 1080p camcorder, the HTC Rezound enables customers to record a perfect moment with stunning clarity and incredible stereo sound, perfect for sharing on YouTube or Facebook. Customers can also wirelessly send their media to a compatible TV for looking at videos or pictures with friends and family using Digital Living Network Alliance® (DLNA).
HTC Sense
Featuring the latest version of HTC Sense, the HTC Rezound enables people to create a unique and intuitive user experience that matches their personal preference and lifestyle. A customizable active lockscreen experience transforms the lockscreen into a real-time window to the most important information and content, such as social updates, photos, weather or stock updates that are viewed by simply turning on the display. In addition, the new active lockscreen becomes a customizable gateway that lets people quickly jump to the most used features, like making a phone call, sending an email, taking a picture or anything else with the same quick gesture usually used to unlock the phone.
HTC Sense also delivers a new group messaging experience simplifying group and multimedia messaging so people can stay up-to-date on the latest conversations quickly and easily. People can view recent status updates from popular social networks in one place using FriendStream™, as well as sync their contact list with all email accounts and social networks for smooth integration.
“HTC and Beats have been important partners to Best Buy over the years and we are thrilled to help them bring the HTC Rezound on the Verizon Wireless network to consumers,” said Scott Anderson, head of merchandising for Best Buy Mobile. “This is going to be a big holiday for smartphones and people will be looking for new and different features. The HTC Rezound, with HTC’s mobile expertise and audio excellence from Beats, will be a great option for our customers.”
Additional features
Mobile Hotspot capability: share 4G connection with up to ten Wi-Fi-enabled devices
Operating System: Android 2.3™ (Gingerbread) with latest HTC Sense – an upgrade to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will be available in early 2012
Internal Memory: 16 GB on-board memory, 1 GB DDR2 RAM
Memory Card: 16 GB MicroSD™ pre-installed
Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth®: 3.0 – support for headset, hands-free, stereo, phonebook access and object push for vCard and vCalendar
GPS: GPS/AGPS
Battery: 1,620 mAh
Special Features: HDMI (through MHL), G-sensor, Light sensor, Compass, Proximity sensor, MicroUSB, USIM/CSIM/ISIM, audio jack and Wireless Charging capable
Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM8660 1.5GHz, Qualcomm® MDM9600
Dimensions: 129 x 65.5 x 13.65 mm
Click on the above link for a full hands on.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Ice Cream Sandwich hands-on
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus was officially debuted in public after much hype and internet rumours before being postponed. Specs matched the internet rumours and can be seen in the previous Galaxy Nexus blog. Android version 4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich was also demonstrated.
With iOS 5 being released, Windows phone mango and the expected Nokia handsets coming soon, it is an exciting time for smartphone users. Certainly the new Android and handset are exciting and its certainly a candidate for my next phone, should i give up waiting on iPhone 5 or the Samsung Galaxy S3 which should be similar but likely to be runnining Touchwiz too. Only build quality and rivals will affect my decision. Which brings to the question why only a 5megapixel camera, when even Apple have moved on to an 8 megapixel unit?
Engadget also compares the Galaxy Nexus with the newly announced Motorola Droid RAZR too and see whether Google owned Motorola will have an out of date handset before launch.
Click on the above link for more.
Samsung and Google's Ice Cream Sandwich event liveblog!
Samsung and Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich event is about to go live in Hong Kong. Expected is the announcement of the Samsung Nexus Prime which has just been confirmed.
Click on the above link to follow the event or watch live here.
Samsung's Galaxy Nexus official
Engadget has confirmed the internet rumours ahead of Samsung and Google’s live event in Hong Kong revealing details of the Nexus Prime.
Indeed there is a 4.65-inch screen running, Ice Cream Sandwich, revealing the version number as 4.0. Other specs include an HD Super AMOLED display (1,280 x 720), a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 5 megapixel rear camera (with LED flash), a 1.3 megapixel front-facing cam, 1080p30 video recording and playback, a newfangled panorama mode, a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth 3.0. You’ll also find USB 2.0, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, an embedded NFC module, accelerometer, compass, gyro, proximity sensor and even a barometer.
Click on the above link or stay glued for further details.
