Samsung has announced a new low-end phone aimed at non-North American markets. Called the Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus, the handset brings Android in a compact and affordable package.
By the way, we use the word "compact" subjectively here. Just a couple years ago, this is how big all smartphones were -- just enough to fill your pocket comfortably. Heck, the design, shape and general dimensions of this handset are eerily similar to the iPhone 3G. Yep, we guess Apple's multiple lawsuits aren't quite getting their message across.
Details of the Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus include a 3.65-inch capacitive touchscreen (320 x 480 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module, aGPS, 3G with HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2GB of storage and microSD card expansion. Muscle is provided by a modest 1Ghz processor.
It runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread with the familiar TouchWiz on top. As with other Android phones, it comes with Google's Mobile Services, along with a number of preloaded apps, including ThinkFree Office, Samsung Social Hub, Samsung Music Hub and ChatON.
The Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus will initially be launched in Russia, with markets in China, Africa, the Middle East, Southwest Asia, Latin America, CIS and Europe to follow. No pricing or exact release dates yet.
[via BGR]
Despite smartphones gaining more market share than ever, Nokia remains a strong entity in the feature phone department. And their latest, the Nokia X2-02, likely makes that position stronger.
Coming under the music-minded X series, the handset comes with dedicated music keys, special sound processing that boasts "the clearest sound you’ll find at this price" and Play via Radio. If you're not familiar with that last one, it's a feature that lets users record songs directly from the radio, as well as share playlists with your home system, car stereo or other phones.
A dual SIM phone, the X2-02 supports two active networks at any time. Even better, it allows you to swap SIMs without having to turn off your phone, with the handset switching to the new SIM's stored profiles automatically (it can store up to five profiles). Hardware details include a 2.2-inch display (320 x 240 resolution), a 2.0 megapixel camera module, an FM tuner and microSD card support (up to 32GB). Onboard battery is rated at up to 9.7 hours of talk time.
The traditional candybar handset measures 113 x 50 x 15 mm and weighs 93g. It runs the familiar Nokia feature phone OS, so don't expect much in terms of software niceties. There's also no 3G or WiFi support.
The Nokia X2-02 will be released in five colorways: Bright Red, Orange, Violet, Ocean Blue and Dark Silver. Likely headed to emerging markets, there are no exact dates for release, but pricing is set at €60 before taxes and subsidies.
[Nokia]
AT&T just announced a version of the Optimus LTE for their network. Called the LG Nitro HD, it's the first smartphone in the carrier's roster to feature a screen capable of showing displays in full 720p.
Measuring 5.27 x 2.67 x 0.41 inches, it's long and slender, just like a lot of the bigger premium phones coming out these days. It features a huge 4.5-inch IPS display with a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution and 500-nit luminance. According to the press release, the screen offers "unrivaled color accuracy," " true-to-life color rendering" and "clear viewing in direct sunlight."
Details of the Nitro HD include an 8.0 megapixel camera module, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing webcam, aGPS, 4G LTE, HSPA+, WiFi, Bluetooth, DLNA, 4GB of onboard storage and microSD card expansion (up to 32GB). No word on what version of Android runs, but we're assuming Gingerbread, instead of Ice Cream Sandwich.
Billed as "the ultimate high-performance super phone," the handset comes with more than just a high-res display and LTE broadband speeds. It also runs a powerful dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor that allows it to run HD games and movies with relative ease.
The LG Nitro HD will hit AT&T retail stores December 4th, priced at $249.99 with a new two-year agreement.
[via Engadget]
Waiting for the latest Moto Droid to drop? While it's not yet official, the Motorola Droid 4 has shown up on leaks this week and it looks pretty sweet.
Design bears some similarities to the Droid Razr, although it's not quite as slim. The extra thickness, of course, comes courtesy of the five-row slide-out keyboard, which looks a bit cramped based on the product images (or maybe it's just the angle). We do love the white backlighting that appears all around each key, though.
Leaked details of the Motorola Droid 4 include a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen (960 x 540 resolution), an 8.0 megapixel camera (with 1080p video recording), a front-facing video cam, a 4G LTE radio and a 1,785mAh battery. Processing is handled by a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, paired with 1GB of RAM.
The handset only runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, instead of Ice Cream Sandwich. Other notable features include Moto's slightly modified UI, government-grade encryption for sensitive data (email, calendars and contacts), 1080p mirroring via HDMI and a bunch of Motorola's applications (including Motocast and Smart Actions battery-saver).
Based on the leaked Verizon documents, the Motorola Droid 4 will come out before the year ends, likely within the first two weeks of December.
[Droid-Life]
Verizon has announced a new mid-range Android smartphone. Called the Samsung Illusion, the handset boasts modest but delectable specs that are bound to attract a good chunk of the current Android crowd.
We have no idea what's up with the "Illusion" name since nothing about this device screams particularly deceptive or tricky. Or maybe there is and we just don't notice it. Dun-dun-dun…
Details of the Samsung Illusion include a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display (800 x 480 resolution), a 3.0 megapixel camera module, aGPS, 3G with HSPA, WiFi (with mobile hotspot capability), Bluetooth 3.0 and microSD card expansion (up to 32GB). Processor is a single-core 1GHz Hummingbird.
The styling is identifiably Samsung, with its rounded corners and familiar face design. It uses a bunch of environment-friendly materials, too, although the green angle appears to be downplayed in the marketing. Android 2.3 runs at the helm, boasting all the usual favors like Google Mobile Services, corporate email support and robust messaging.
From today through the 28th, the Samsung Illusion will be available free on contract from Verizon Wireless' website. It won't hit physical Verizon stores until 2012, so you'll have to order online to get it. After the 28th, price bumps back up to $79.99.
Motorola has announced a new phone destined for the Taiwanese market. Called the Motorola XT615, the handset boasts slim lines, a large screen and an affordable price.
While not quite as skinny as the Motorola RAZR, the phone still wears a notably slim shell . Plus, the light metallic finish of the edges make it look even thinner. Phone dimensions are 117.7 x 60.5 x 9.85 mm, with a weight of 123.6g.
Details of the Motorola XT615 include a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen (480 x 854 resolution), an 8.0 megapixel camera module (with LED flash), a front-facing VGA webcam, aGPS, 3G with HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, microSD card expansion (up to 32GB) and a 1,390 mAh battery (rated at up to 5 hours of talk time). Muscle is provided by a modest 800MHz processor, paired with a 1GB of ROM and 512MB of RAM.
It puts Android 2.3 Gingerbread at the helm, with the new Motorola Switch UI on top. No word on additional software included beyond the usual Google Mobile Services, but we're guessing a lot of Chinese-language stuff, since this is for the Taiwan crowd.
The Motorola XT615 will launch to Taiwan Mobile customers in the middle of December, priced at NTD$10,900 (around $360). No word yet on whether this will be rolled out in other markets.
[Motorola]
Siri is awesome. In fact, it's the most notable upgrade to the current-gen iPhone and it's well worth the hype. That's why it's a big deal that somebody managed to hack it.
French-based hackers Applidium claims to have cracked the security protocol that allows Siri to communicate with Apple's servers. Why is that significant? Because it means anyone can now write an app that contacts those servers as well. Yep, Siri on your Android, anyone?
What exactly did Applidium manage to do? First they figured out that Apple uses TCP to connecty with Siri. Then, they dug up the server name and address the service uses. Then, they found a way to fake valid certificates that can be recognized by those servers. They did a lot more complex stuff than that, of course. If you're interested, you can check out the detailed explanation of the process from their blog.
Here's the important part: Apple uses a VoIP codec to encode raw audio from Siri for sending to their servers. To send the same thing from a device other than an iPhone 4S, all you need to do is get an identifier and add that to your encoded data.
Applidium is currently working on crack tools that should help developers take advantage of this hack to use Siri's talents on other devices. Of course, the prospect of those tools being useless by the time they roll out is high, given Apple's seeming all-in attitude over Siri. Suffice to say, they won't take this lying down. At the least, expect a restructuring of the protocol in iOS 5.0.2, which should come as soon as they can patch it.
Will we see Siri on other devices? Probably not in a truly functional form (and, perhaps, not more than a couple weeks at a time). Quite an intriguing turn of events, though.
[via Forbes]
While Huawei has never been the type of mobile company to get people excited, their upcoming flagship handset does sound intriguing. Called the Huawei Honor, the new phone boasts serious high-end specs while bringing the promise of more reasonable pricing (at least, we're assuming).
GSM Arena has a write-up about a sample unit, which they've been playing with in their office. From the sound of things, it's quite the capable Android device, too.
Details include a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen display (16:9 aspect ratio, 854 x 480 resolution), an 8.0 megapixel camera module (with 720p video recording), a front-facing 2.0 megapixel camera, 3G with HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, 4GB of onboard storage, microSD card expansion and a 1900mAh battery unit. Muscle is provided by a dual-core 1.4GHz processor, paired with 1GB of RAM.
According to the piece, the phone looks an awful lot like the LG Optimus Chic with a slightly not so awesome display. I do like the longish profile, though, which is a nice break from the wider profile most of the new smartphones show up with. It will run Android 2.3.5 during launch.
From what we can gather, the Huawei Honor should roll out before the end of the year. No word on pricing or exact dates, though.
[via GSMArena]
A couple of leaked phones made the blogosphere rounds over the weekend. The two latest to fall to the news hounds are the LG Nitro HD and the Orange San Francisco II.
LG Nitro HD
This appears to be the North American version of the LH Optimus LTE, which was officially announced by the Korean company last month. From the looks of things, it's much like the previously-announced smartphone, as you can see from AT&T version pictured above. Details include a 4.5-inch 720p HD touchscreen, an 8.0 megapixel camera module, 4 GB of ROM, microSD card support, Bluetooth 3.0, 21 Mbps HSDPA, 4G LTE and a 1,830 mAh battery module. Processing muscle is handled by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, paired with 1GB of RAM. Android 2.3 Gingerbread will run at the helm.
Unfortunately, there's no word yet on the LG Nitro HD's launch date and pricing. It sounds like it could make for an attractive holiday offer, though.
[via PocketNow]
Orange San Francisco II
The successor to the UK carrier's popular San Francisco handset, this new entry-level phone will be known outside of the UK as the ZTE Crescent. As with the previous model, the San Francisco II is aimed at the prepaid (pay as you go) audience, bring affable looks and decent specs with it.
Details include a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen (480 x 800 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camer amodule, HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, aGPS and a microSD card slot. It runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and will be powered by a modest 800MHz processor. No pricing or release date were leaked, however.
[via SoMobile ]
Many saw it coming. Personally, I thought they would stick with it for longer, albeit unsuccesfully. We guess Apple had it right all along, back when Jobs announced that Flash is a product of the "PC era." Now, Adobe acknowledges it by killing off Flash on mobile devices.
Last Wednesday, Adobe announced that it will no longer invest resources in porting their cross-browser tech to smartphones and tablets. Yep, Flash for mobile is dead. Not that it really comes as a surprise.
Locked out of iOS and slow to evolve with the other platforms, keeping Flash alive as a future standard just seems too herculean a task. Why would developers, for instance, create a mobile web site in Flash when they know it won't land in the hands of trend-setting iPhone users? It's just downright silly not to do the same thing in HTML5, a more universally-supported format, instead.
That doesn't mean Adobe is giving up on mobiles, of course. Instead, they're jumping on the HTML5 bandwagon, embracing the new standard that many have predicted to eventually replace Flash. Last Tuesday, the company has already announced the layoff of 750 employees, signifying a radical shift in the business' direction. Currently, there are no specifics of new products that will go towards HTML5 development. Knowing Adobe, though, that's the likely next phase.
Today, Adobe released the final version of Flash (11.1) for Android devices and the Blackberry Playbook. While no new versions will be made, they did promise to "provide critical bug fixes and security updates for existing device configurations."
