You know what you want in a smartphone.  You want it cheap.  With a big screen. And 4G.  And cheap.  Chances are, your friends laughed at you when they heard this.  Chances are, you will want to stick the Huawei Impulse 4G in their face, since it's all that.

Announced for AT&T's network, this is actually a rebadged Ideos X5, Huawei's underpowered, but perfectly serviceable machine.  In fact, it's quite the snag for an entry-level Android phone, most of which are usually burdened with small touchscreen panels.

Details of the Huawei Impulse 4G include a 3.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display *480 x 800 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module (with LED flash and 720p video capture), aGPS, faux-4G HSPA+, WiFi, Bluetooth and microSD card support.  Muscle is provided by a paltry 800MHz CPU, though,  but it can still handle Flash content via the browser (just don't expect flawless performance, though).

The body, which measures a reasonable 4.72 x 2.56 x 0.46 inches, looks heavy on the plastic, but isn't that shabby in design.  It only runs Android 2.2 Froyo, though, which should still be a decent step-up for ex-feature phone users.

The Huawei Impulse 4G will hit stores September 18, priced at an affordable $29.99.

[AT&T]

Unlike what the title initially suggests, Demolition Master 3D isn't a video game version of a Michael Bay daydream.  Instead, it's a thoughtful and meticulous puzzle game that requires some clever thinking.

Your goal in the game is simple: perform controlled demolition on various metal, stone and wooden structures, blasting debris into specified items while avoiding others.  Controlling how the debris will scatter isn’t quite so easy, requiring you to make precise preparations (e.g. choosing the right explosives) in order to clear levels.

The trick to games like Demolition Master 3D is to have an intuitive and predictable physics system that doesn't leave your results to chance.  It succeeds very well on that,  even allowing for multiple ways to solve the same puzzle, making the levels enjoyable to play.  Even as the levels got progressively harder, the physics engine held through, so you'll never be in a position where the puzzle seems ridiculously impossible to figure out.

You get over 60 levels to play through, so there's enough content here to hook you up for a while.  If you fail a level, you instantly go back to your last explosive set-up, too, which cuts out a lot of time in redoing the same things (a nice addition that a lot of puzzle games seem to ignore).  The only downside might be the controls, which aren't quite as intuitive as they could be.  Try to get the hang of it, though, since the game is really worth going through the tutorial.

Overall, Demolition Master 3D is a solid puzzle title that should make for an enjoyable pick-up game.  It's a great purchase for the 99-cent price.

[iTunes]

At the IFA last week, HTC showed off two upcoming handsets that both run Windows Phone 7.5.  The Mango-running duo consists of the HTC Titan and the HTC Radar.

As you've probably heard, Mango will come with over 500 new additions to the platform, making for an overall more solid mobile OS.   Like the previous iteration, though, the new version comes with no microSD support, so you'll be living in an iPhone-like "transfer files regularly" existence.

HTC Titan

HTC's largest phone to date, the Titan's highlight has to be the 4.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display (480 x 800 pixels).  While it was definitely outshone by the Galaxy Note's 5.3-inch frame, this is is definitely not something to sneer at, especially with the solid hardware, brushed aluminum shell and clean slim lines  (5.18 x 2.78 x 0.39 inches).

Details of the handset include an 8.0 megapixel camera module (with dual LED flash), a 1.3 megapixel front-facing webcam, aGPS, 3G with HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, 16GB of built-in storage and a 1,600 mAh battery module.  Muscle is delivered by a 1.5GHz processor, paired with 512MB of RAM.

HTC Radar

The more modest of the duo, the Radar is also smaller, packing a 3.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display (480 x 800 resolution).  Details include a 5.0 megapixel camera module, a VGA front-facing camera, aGPS, WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth, 5.1 channel surround sound and 8GB of internal storage.  A 1GHz processor powers the thing.

Release Details

Both the HTC Radar and the HTC Titan will hit European and Asian markets beginning October. Listed pricing on Amazon UK has the Titan for £489.99 (around $790) and the Radar for £349.99 (around $560), although HTC hasn’t announced anything official.

[HTC TITAN, HTC Radar]

Held by grubby hands all day, smartphones can get absolutely dirty.  If you don't like living with filthy things, you need to clean it.  Here's how to do it safely.

Cleaning the Screen

1. Get a microfiber cloth.  While any soft, lint-free cloth can suffice, those microfiber thingies are built specially for the job, making them the most suitable option.
2. Wipe the screen gently. Don't press hard, but you can apply light pressure when you come across some stubborn dirt.
3. If wiping with a dry cloth doesn't do the trick (like if you get lipstick on it or something), spraying some distilled water on the cloth and wiping the screen down should do the trick.  Make sure to avoid getting the moisture into any of the openings, though, just to be sure.
4. If damping with water doesn't cut it either, you can try a mild soap-and-water solution or a water-and-white-vinegar combo.

Cleaning the Keypad And Plastic Parts

1. Get a cotton swab.
2. Put a slight amount of rubbing alcohol (just damp, not dripping).  Rub the plastic parts with the swab to remove dust and dirt.

Cleaning the Metal Parts

1. Get a cotton swab.
2. Put a slight amount of distilled water.  Rub the metal parts with the swab to remove dust and dirt.

Cleaning the Camera Lens

1. Get a cotton swab.
2. Put a slight amount of distilled water.  Rub the lens gently with a spinning motion.  Wipe it down quickly with a dry cotton swab to ensure moisture doesn't seep in.

Cleaning Under the Battery Cover

We suggest you don't, but if you must,  use a dry cotton swab to remove accumulated dust.  Some slight water can be used for stubborn dirt, but make sure to dry it quickly so no moisture seeps in (do so at your own risk, though).

The next iPhone -- we know it's coming and we can't wait to hear all about it.  Like every Apple release, there are tons of rumors circulating.  Here's a roundup of all the fairly good ones we've heard over the past few months.

Release Date
Leaked internal documents from Best Buy reportedly put the iPhone 5's release date during the first week of October.  Preorders will supposedly start any day this week, which means a full announcement is due very soon.  However, an "Apple fixture installation" at an unnamed Best Buy location supposedly sets the official date at October 21, a Friday.

Carriers

Both AT&T and Verizon Wireless will get their iPhone 5s, of course.  However, recent reports are saying that Sprint and T-Mobile will get their claws on the market-leading smartphone, too.  One carrier is reportedly testing LTE iPhones, too.

Dimensions

The new iPhone will be thinner (as thin as current iPod Touches), but will be longer and wider (meaning a bigger display).  Current rumors point to a 3.7-inch screen size (some say the 3.5 inches of the previous-gen will be trained -- not likely), with many sources dismissing the original 4-inch pronouncements.  We do hope it comes in at 4 inches, though -- all the phones I want now have that big, gorgeous display.

Prognosis

As always, take rumors with a grain of salt.  Truth is, there hasn't been a solid leak of the iPhone 5 (at least, not in the way we've seen Nokias and Sony Ericssons spilled out in the past).  We still, honestly, don't know what the heck it will look like.  We do know it's going to sell a crapload (hey, even antennagate failed to halt sales) when it does hit stores, though.

If you were unconcerned enough about money to drop a load of bucks on that Ferrari laptop, you might as well get the smartphone to match it.  It's called the Acer Liquidmini Ferrari Edition and it's every bit as ostentations.

Powered by a 600MHz CPU, the Liquidmini sounds like a terrible handset to dress in Ferrari skin.   You know, unless Ferraris rolled with Honda engines  (I mean, it can't even work Flash).  Since this isn't really a car, though, it's not that big an issue,  so we'll let the hardware decision pass.

Just like the Ferrari laptop, the Acer Liquidmini Ferrari Edition comes decked in a  Ferrari red finish, complete with the iconic prancing horse logo plastered in the back.  It runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with the AcerUI layer tweaked to incorporate plenty of Ferrari-themed images and wallpapers.  Oh yeah, you get Ferrari engine ringtones, too, just in case you've been tiring of all those Lady Gaga ringtones you downloaded on your current phone.

The rest of the phone appears to be no different than a standard LiquidMini.   Details include a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen (320 x 480 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module, 512MB of RAM, 512MB of ROM, aGPS, WiFi, 3G with HSPA, Bluetooth, microSD card support and a 1300 mAh battery (rated at 6.5 hours of talk time).

We can't imagine anyone other than Ferrari diehards being interested in the Liquidmini Ferrari Edition, but we'll let Acer worry about that.  The phone has been shown off at IFA, but no pricing or release details yet.

[Acer]

How big are smartphones going to get this year?  Really big, as it turns out, with the new Samsung Galaxy Note taking the lead in the size department.

With a giant 5.3-inch display, it certainly stretches the boundaries if being a "mobile phone."  It looks like a phone and works like a phone, though, so we guess it is one.  Fortunately, they scaled back on the thickness and weight, with the handset rising just 0.38 inches on the side and tipping the scales at 6.3 ounces.

Details of the Galaxy Note include a Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen (1280 x 800 resolution), an 8.0 megapixel camera in the rear, a 2.0 megapixel camera in the front, full wireless connectivity (including 4G, 3G and WiFi), a removable 2,500mAh battery and microSD card expansion.  Muscle is provided by a dual-core 1GHz Samsung-made CPU.

With a screen that large, of course, you should be able to do more and the Galaxy Note obliges with the S Pen, a bundled stylus that lets you draw, scribble and handwrite notes on the phone.  We're guessing it's similar to what the HTC Flyer does, so it's quite the attractive feature.  It runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread with TouchWiz on top and a load of apps to take advantage of the pen, including the S Memo (for taking notes) and Virtual Whiteboard (collaborative note-taking).  They're also opening the pen's SDK to third-party developers, so expect more apps to show up if sales pick up.

Samsung says it's still in discussion with networks interested in carrying the Samsung Galaxy Note, so expect a while before it hits shelves.  No pricing was announced either, although this can't be anything but expensive.

[via Engadget]

Motorola just announced a new smartphone for the European and Asian markets.  Called the Motorola Pro+, the handset brings business features that should make it an attractive option for enterprise users.

Marketed for business use, the phone boasts a good load of security features, including full data encryption, remote wipe (both internal and SD card), password expiration, corporate email support and 25 Exchange ActiveSync security policies.  The form factor borrows from the classic Blackberry QWERTY candybar, with both a touchscreen display and a QWERTY keyboard on the front panel.  It measures 62 x 119.50 x 11.65 mm and weighs 113 g.

Details of the Motorola Pro+ include a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen display (640 x 480 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module (with LED flash), aGPS, WiFi with mobile hotspot sharing, 3G with HSPA, Bluetooth, 4GB of internal storage, microSD card expansion (up to 32GB) and a 1,600 mAh battery module (rated at up to 8 hours of talk time).  Muscle is provided by a 1GHz processor, paired with 512MB of RAM.

It runs a slightly modified version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with all the usual software accoutrements of the platform.  Preloaded apps include Quickoffice Connect, Motorola Music and Motorola Gallery.

The Motorola Pro+ is currently being shown at IFA in Berlin. No word on pricing or actual release dates, yet.

[Motorola]

I'll admit it -- I never gave much chance to Samsung's efforts on Bada.  Who the heck will go for it when Android smartphones are going just as cheap, right?  Well, apparently, a lot of folks, since they're adding even more handsets to the line.  Just announced are three new phones running Bada 2.0: Samsung Wave 3, Samsung Wave M and Samsung Wave Y.

All three will run the latest version of Bada, which boasts features like multi-tasking, voice recognition and even NFC.   They also come with ChatON, Samsung Apps, SocialHub, MusicHub and several other services from the Korean company.

Samsung Wave 3

Leading the charge is the big-screened Wave 3, a premium device clad in an anodized aluminum unibody that measures just 9.9mm thick.  Details include a 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, a 5.0 megapixel camera module, a 1.4GHz processor, 3G with HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, 3GB of built-in storage, microSD card expansion and more.

Samsung Wave M

Aimed at heavy social networking users, the Wave M boasts ChatOn, SocialHub, streamlined messaging feeds and on-the-go web browsing.   Hardware details are scarce, but it has a wide-panel 3.65-inch HVGA screen clad in tempered glass and housed inside a metallic body, along with an 832MHz processor,  microSD card expansion, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and NFC.

Samsung Wave Y

Marketed to the entry-level crowd, the Wave Y features a 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen, surrounded by a metallic hairline shell.  Other details include an 832MHz processor, WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0.

All three phones will be showing up at Samsung's booth at the IFA 2011 in Berlin.  No word on pricing or release dates, though.

[Samsung Tomorrow]

The Samsung Conquer 4G sets itself apart by being one of the cheaper 4G-equipped phones out there.  Despite the price, it's quite the capable device, striking a good balance of hardware and features to go with the high-speed broadband connectivity.

Physically, it's a good-looking mid-sized phone that should fit perfectly fine in your pants pocket.  While it’s nowhere near premium in appearance, the textured back does give it a nice feel when cupped in hand.  To bring down the price, the display is one of the areas that the phone has made compromises for.   While the 3.5-inch panel is big enough for most uses, the resolution is a low 320 x 480 pixels.  It's serviceable, especially with otherwise ample brightness and clarity.

As a phone, the Samsung Conquer 4G made for good calls, with clear audio and natural-sounding voices on both ends.  Speakerphone phone isn't very good, though, with voices sounding hollow and even cutting out on occasion.  Battery is rated at 5.25 hours of talk time.

Samsung ditched TouchWiz for this device, choosing to go with a near-stock Android 2.3 experience, instead.  A 1Ghz Snapdragon chip provides capable processing muscle, with apps launching quickly and navigation being particularly responsive.

The Conquer 4G has all the features you expect from an Android smartphone: voice options, basic and advanced messaging, the full suite of wireless connectivity and the usual load of bundled apps.  The big draw, of course, is the compatibility with Sprint's WiMax network, which should have you streaming YouTube videos with little to no buffering.  Of course, with the low-res display, video quality isn't all that great anyway -- at least, the downloads go fast.  Plus, you can share it with other devices over WiFi.

Media playback is decidedly average, so you might want to consider getting a better media player off the Market to spice it up a little bit.  It comes with two cameras: a 1.3 megapixel webcam for video chat and a 3.2 megapixel module in the rear.  The latter makes for decent outdoor photos (indoor shots look very dull, though).

Available for $99.99 on a two year agreement with Sprint, the Samsung Conquer 4G makes for a unique value proposition.  While it does make some compromises (low-res camera and display), it's still a well-equipped smartphone with solid performance.