Samsung Galaxy Nexus

   Samsung and Google have announced in Hong Kong the first Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone which is the expected Android version released for phones and tablets. The slim Galaxy Nexus looks like a Samsung and has a huge 4.65 inches display with powerful hardware inside. 

   The main competitor for HTC Sensation XL has the below technical specifications:

-- DISPLAY: 4.65-inch Super-AMOLED capacitive touch 720 x 1280 pixels screen.

-- CPU:  ARM Cortex A9 1.2 GHz dual-core processor.

-- MEMORY:  1 GB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  16/32 GB for internal, micro-SD slot.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 5MP led flash camera, video recording up to 1080p.

Secondary - 1.3 MP, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  LTE, 3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, micro-USB port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS, DLNA, NFC.

-- SENSORS:  Proximity, Ambient Light Sensor, G-Sensor, Digital Compass.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1750 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  touch sensitive buttons.

-- OS:  Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking. 

   This is the first phone with a HD Super-AMOLED slightly curved screen. The camera is capable of taking panorama pictures and zoom while video recording. In my opinion the screen is too big and the battery is not enough for it.

   The other features are given by the new Android version like new design for icons, the screen can be unlocked using the face recognition, voice typing input, users can drag icons to create a folder or inside a folder. The new Android Beam allows sharing through the NFC technology, calendar and email applications have been redesigned and have improved features. The contacts application is now upgraded and looks about the same with People from Windows Phone 7. Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be available starting with November.

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HTC Sensation XL - First Look video

HTC Sensation XL

   HTC have announced about a week ago in London their latest Android with Beats Audio technology smartphone. This is a big one and has about the same technical details as the Windows Phone 7 Titan.

   Most important technical details of Sensation XL are:

-- DISPLAY: 4.7-inch Super-LCD capacitive touch 480 x 800 pixels screen, gorilla glass.

-- CPU:  Qualcomm Scorpion 1.5 GHz processor.

-- GPU:  Adreno 205

-- MEMORY:  768 MB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  16GB for internal.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 8MP led flash camera, video recording up to 720p, F2.2 lens, BSI sensor.

Secondary - 1.3 MP, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, micro-USB port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS, DLNA.

-- SENSORS:  Proximity, Ambient Light Sensor, G-Sensor, Digital Compass.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1600 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  touch sensitive buttons, SRS virtual surround sound, 5.1 surround sound for video.

-- OS:  Android 2.3 Gingerbread, HTC Sense 3.5.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking, HTC Locations, HTC Watch. 

   This smartphone will arrive with high quality Beats Audio Solo headphones for a great sound. I like that this is the first Android phone from HTC with large internal storage memory but I do not like that there is no support for any micro-SD card. It`s like there is always something missing regarding the internal memory with HTC devices.

   On the other side this is a huge phone with metallic cover and gorilla glass screen. The resolution is not the best one for it`s display even if there is a 199 pixels per inch density in my opinion. We will see how will be received by the customers in November.

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LG Optimus LTE

   LG Electronics have announce in Korea the first 4G HD smartphone with advanced true HD IPS display technology which provides advanced resolution, brightness and clarity.

   The main technical specifications are:

-- DISPLAY: 4.5-inch capacitive touch 1280 x 720 pixels screen

-- CPU:  1.5 GHz dual-core processor.

-- MEMORY:  1 GB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  4GB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 8 MP camera, LED flash video recording up to 720p.

Secondary - 1.3 MP, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, HDMI, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, micro-USB, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1830 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  touch sensitive buttons.

-- OS:  Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Adobe Flash support.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking.

   Although the battery seems to be a powerful one with this type of display the phone still fits in LG`s design style. I never liked the LG`s poor quality plastic materials which some times are the same with Samsung`s. However I see the Optimus LTE as a main competitor for HTC Sensation and Galaxy S II. There is no other information if the device will be made available outside Korea for now.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus - pictures

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

   Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is a 7 inches medium range Android tablet from Samsung which completes their related products series as this is addressed to people who are looking for high portability and productivity in the same time.

   The most important technical specification are:

-- DISPLAY: 7-inch PLS LCD touch 1024 x 600 pixels multi-touch screen

-- CPU:  1.2 GHz dual-core Exynos processor.

-- MEMORY:  1 GB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  16/32 GB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 3 MP with LED flash, video recording up to 720p.

Secondary - 2 MP, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 4000 mAh

-- OS:  Android 3.2 Honeycomb, Adobe Flash support, TouchWiz UI.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking, Samsung Apps.

   The battery is a pretty powerful one and I am surprised by the screen as is not and AMOLED series one. The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus should be available worldwide starting with end of October and beginning of November.

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Amazon Kindle Fire

   Kindle Fire is the first Android tablet made by Amazon. This has a 7 inches IPS LCD (1024 x 600 pixels) gorilla glass multi-touch screen with anti-reflection which should be a great advantage for using it outdoors. The device is thinner than Nook Color and has a dual core Texas Instruments OMAP processor.

   The battery gives an 8 hours reading or 7.5 hours video playback performance. The internal memory is only 8 GB size but you should not worry as Amazon offers free cloud storage for all their content. In terms of connectivity the Fire has Wi-Fi b/g/n, micro-USB and 3.5 mm audio jack.

   Other than that Amazon Kindle Fire offers access to more than 100,000 movies and TV shows available for streaming and download through Instant Video application, access to over 17,000,000 songs through Amazon MP3, access to over 1,000,000 of their books and many more like magazines, newspapers, games. The web browser Amazon Silk is accelerated by the cloud service which leads to high performance for web navigation.

   The price of Amazon Kindle Fire is 199 USD which is an absolutely fair one for this type of device and the other manufactures should check and learn to adjust their prices policies.

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Huawei Honor

   Huawei have announced their new Android smartphone. Huawei may not be very well known to common users - only as they are manufacturing operators branded phone (like Vodafone, Orange etc) and their main competitor is ZTE. However in the recent years they started to make phones branded with their name in search for their own place on the market. The Honor packs about the latest technology as you can check below:

-- DISPLAY: 4-inch capacitive touch 480 x 854 pixels screen

-- CPU:  1.4 GHz processor.

-- MEMORY:  512 MB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  4GB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 8 MP camera, video recording up to 720p.

Secondary - 2 MP, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, micro-USB, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1900 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  touch sensitive buttons.

-- OS:  Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, Adobe Flash support.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking.

   Their announcement is very poor in giving more details like what type of display has (AMOLED or LCD). The phone does not look bad and we hope they will release more information soon.

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HTC Rhyme - First look video

HTC Rhyme - pictures

HTC Rhyme

   HTC has announced Today in New York an Android smartphone designed and created for ladies. The phone is a middle range one with unibody stylish and elegant design. The truly new things are the accessories which will be included in the package for USA which are a docking station, a 'sports armband', a Bluetooth headset and a 'Charm cable'. The charm cable has a small cube which will light up for any incoming calls or messages and of course will be noticed by ladies. So this means that men will no longer wait forever for a lady to answer a call :).

   Most important specifications are:

-- DISPLAY: 3.7-inch Super-LCD capacitive touch 480 x 800 pixels screen

-- CPU:  Qualcomm Scorpion 1 GHz processor.

-- GPU:  Adreno 205

-- MEMORY:  768 MB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  1GB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 5MP led flash camera, video recording up to 720p.

Secondary - VGA, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, micro-USB, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- SENSORS:  Proximity, Ambient Light Sensor, G-Sensor, Digital Compass.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1600 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  touch sensitive buttons.

-- OS:  Android 2.3 Gingerbread, HTC Sense 3.5 UI, Adobe Flash 10.2 support.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking, HTC Watch.

   The Rhyme will be available at the end of September in USA and at the beginning of October in Europe and Asia. The new Sense interface offers a new modern menu access design.

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HTC Sensation XE

   HTC has announced this week their first Beats Audio technology smartphone. This is an upgrade made to the Sensation with a faster processor and an improved battery life. Also it will arrive with a Beats headset, their value being somewhere at 100 USD. Most important technical details are:

-- DISPLAY: 4.3-inch Super-LCD capacitive touch QHD 960 x 540 pixels screen

-- CPU:  Dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.5 GHz processor.

-- MEMORY:  768 MB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  1GB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 8MP dual-led flash camera, video recording up to 1080 (MPEG-4/H.264).

Secondary - VGA, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G/4G WiMax, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, MHL port (micro-USB & HDMI), 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, Proximity, Ambient Light Sensor, Gyro Sensor, G-Sensor, Digital Compass.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1730 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  touch sensitive buttons, SRS virtual surround sound, Beats Audio.

-- OS:  Android 2.3 Gingerbread, HTC Sense 3.0 UI, Adobe Flash 10.2 support.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking, HTC Watch.

   The price will rise a little due to the Beats headset but the good news is that Sensation XE will be in stores at the end of this month. I am already thinking in buying it but I will decide after I see the phone in reality.

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Samsung Galaxy Note - pictures

Samsung Galaxy Note

   On September 1st Samsung have announced a new product under a new category. I am not sure where this should fit because in my opinion is not a smartphone and is not a tablet in the same time. They say is a smartphone but with a 5.3 inches screen size? Galaxy Note has advanced pen input technology through the S Pen which should work like the one on the HTC Flyer tablet. I am not going to remind again about the Dell Streak 5 inches and I will wait to see how Note will manage. Most important technical details are:

-- DISPLAY: 5.3-inch Super-AMOLED capacitive touch 1280 x 800 pixels screen

-- CPU:  ARM Cortex A9 dual-core 1.4 GHz processor.

-- GPU:  Mali-400MP

-- MEMORY:  1 GB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  16/32 GB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 8MP led flash camera, video recording up to 1080p.

Secondary - 2 MP, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, micro-USB port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS, NFC (optional).

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity, Digital Compass, Barometer.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 2500 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  pen input.

-- OS:  Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Samsung TouchWIZ.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking, Samsung Kies, Social Hub, Reader Hub, Music Hub. 

   This tablet/smartphone has a user interface dedicated to S Pen which allows sketching, handwritten notes or drawing. Also it has a SSL VPN connectivity application from Juniper Networks for a secure remote access to corporate networks. From my point of view Note has a too small display to be used with a digital pen. Is it just me or smartphones are getting bigger and bigger screens...  

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S - pictures

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

   Sony Ericsson have announced yesterday their new and most powerful smartphone which is the upgraded version of Arc. The Arc S has mainly only an improved processor, in terms of hardware - the 1.4 GHz Snapdragon from Qualcomm. Other improvements are related to software and are the same ones from the recently announced Xperia Android upgrade which will arrive on Neo V first. The main technical details are:

-- DISPLAY:  LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 480 x 854 pixels, 4.2  inches, scratch- resistant surface.

-- CPU:  Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.4 GHz processor.

-- GPU:  Adreno 205

-- MEMORY:  512 MB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  320 MB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 8.1 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, HD video recording with 720p, 3D sweep panorama  

Secondary - 2 MP, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, micro-USB port v 2.0, HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, Proximity

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1500 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  Sony Mobile BRAVIA® Engine and Exmor R™ for mobile

-- OS:  Android Gingerbread (2.3.4), Timescape UI, Adobe Flash 10.1 support.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, Office Suite Pro, TrackID, xLoud, PlayNow, social apps.

   The smartphone has access to Sony`s Entertainment Network services like Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited and the camera is 2D and 3D sweep panorama capable. I do know why there is this trend now for many smartphone manufactures to name their upgraded versions with 'S' - it`s just like a years ago when almost all phones were upgraded under the 'i' letter. 

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V

   Sony Ericsson have announced two days ago their new medium range smartphone, an upgraded version of Neo - the Neo V. Now the upgrade or downgrade better said is a minor one as only the camera is different than the old Neo has. Instead of a 8 MP camera, the Neo V (five) has a 5 MP performance. It appears that there are issues with manufacturing 8 MP cameras for Sony Ericsson since the great Japan earthquake. Other technical specifications have not been upgraded except some software improvements:

-- DISPLAY:  LED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 480 x 854 pixels, 3.7  inches, scratch- resistant surface.

-- CPU:  Qualcomm Snapdragon Scorpion 1 GHz processor.

-- GPU:  Adreno 205

-- MEMORY:  512 RAM.

-- STORAGE:  320 MB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, HD video recording with 720p,  Secondary - 2 MP, video chat, video calling.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, micro-USB port v 2.0, HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, Proximity

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1500 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  Sony Mobile BRAVIA® Engine and Exmor R™ for mobile

-- OS:  Android Gingerbread (2.3.4), Timescape UI, Adobe Flash 10.1 support.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, Office Suite Pro, social apps, PlayNow, TrackID, xLOUD.

   The real upgrade this phone has is a software one with extra functions for the camera like 3D sweep panorama functionality from Sony and swipe text input which works the same as Swype for messaging. The new version of Gingerbread allows video chatting in Google Talk. The same software upgrades will be received by all Xperia series phones.

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Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman - pictures

Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman

   Sony Ericsson has announced Today the new Live smartphone with Android and Walkman capabilities. This is about the same phone with Xperia mini but I believe that looks better and is a little more user friendly through the Walkman dedicated hardware button providing instant access to music player and through the infinite button providing access to Sony`s Qriocity service for music and video content. The Live has a curved design, glossy finish and a mineral glass display as Sony Ericsson mentions in the announcement. Most important technical details are:

-- DISPLAY: 3.2 inches TFT capacitive multi-touch 320 x 480 pixels screen, scratch resistant mineral glass.

-- CPU:  1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon.

-- MEMORY:  512 MB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  320 MB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  Primary - 5MP led flash camera, HD video recording up to 720p, face detection.

Secondary - VGA, video call, video chat.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, micro-USB port, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS, DLNA.

-- MULTIMEDIA:  PlayNow, TrackID, xLoud, Walkman button, Infinite button.

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, Proximity, Digital Compass.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1200 mAh

-- OS:  Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Sony Ericsson Timescape UI.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, NeoReader, social apps, Skype, Wisepilot, Media Discovery.

   More than this the Live with Walkman has a deep Facebook integration which allows the user to access the social network from most used areas like music player, picture gallery, calendar or phonebook. No other important details are to be mentioned here except that will be available sometimes in Q4 and this is another Walkman phone from Sony Ericsson which I believe will have a fair price.

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Motorola Defy+

   I know that the big news from Yesterday that Google has bought the Motorola Mobility is the news of the year and has decided the bright future of Android I believe. However Motorola has announced the same day their new upgraded version of Defy. The processor is faster and from a newest generation but also the device itself is stronger and more resistant to water, dust and scratch through the IP67 certification. Main specification are:

-- DISPLAY: 3.7-inch capacitive touch 854 x 480 pixels screen

-- CPU:  TI OMAP 1 GHz processor.

-- MEMORY:  512 MB RAM.

-- STORAGE:  2 GB for internal, microSD card slot up to 32GB.

-- CAMERA:  5 MP camera, auto-focus flash, video recording up to 720p.

-- CONNECTIVITY:  3G/4G, HSDPA, HSUPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, micro-USB, 3.5 mm headphone jack, A-GPS.

-- SENSORS:  Accelerometer, Proximity, Digital Compass.

-- BATTERY:  Li-Po 1700 mAh

-- MULTIMEDIA:  touch sensitive buttons.

-- OS:  Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Adobe Flash, MOTOBLUR UI.

-- APPLICATIONS:  Google Apps, social networking, Motorola Media Link, CardioTrainer, Zinio.

   The new Defy+ comes with some pre-installed applications like CardioTrainer for running monitoring and Zinio for reading e-magazines. The Motorola Media Link allows you to share and stream live music or videos with home devices. The price is expected to be around 270 EUR - which is a great one - and should be in stores starting with September.

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