Have a you had a busy week? Allow us to summarize this week’s hottest topics for you. Check out the buzz below on what’s hot with this crazy insane union we all call Android. Hit the break to get all caught up and let us know what your favorite topic of the week is.
Andrew Mitchinson, Huawei’s UK Boss, said in a conversation with Bloomberg that the Blaze could arrive in the UK as soon as next month. Distribution wise, Bloomberg said the likes of Vodafone and O2 could be on board, but the reference could have been to other Huawei devices like the recently revealed Huawei Vision.
The Blaze features a 3.2″ screen, 3.2 megapixel camera, a front-facing camera, and Android 2.3. While those numbers may not sound that impressive, the price of the phone may be.
According to Bloomberg’s analyst friends, the Blaze could cost as little as £100 ($162.69) when it is launched. If the specifications and price don’t change prior to its UK arrival, the Blaze could be a solid addition at the budget end of the Android phone ranges.
[via eurodroid]
Last week, The Huawei Device Company officially introduced its Vision smartphone via a press release as well as a promotional Video. The FCC provided additional information today after publishing their documentation on the Vision as well (FCC Model Name 007HW). Based on the information provided, Huawei’s Vision looks to be configured as follows:
• Proprietary 3D user interface and carousel animation display
• 1 Ghz Snapdragon Processor
• Gingerbread 2.3 OS
• Aluminum alloy uni-body in Rose Gold, Silver, or Charcoal and a curve touch design
• Measures 9.9mm (.39”) at its thinnest point and weighs in at around 135g (4.8oz)
• Supports 720P video recording and a 5 MP auto focus camera w/LED flash
• Bluetooth V2.1 w/ A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) and high-speed WiFi 802.11b/g/n internet connectivity
• A full range of messaging capabilities including SMS, MMS, Email, Push Mail, and IM
• Comes pre-installed with Shazam and the 3D online game ’Order & Chaos’ » Read the rest
Huawei continues their marketing of the Vision as being the “sexiest” phone with another trick up their sleeve. The main interface will be none other than SPB Shell 3D. For those of you that remember, this home launcher was praised for its looks and sleekness but railed for its price ($14.99 is pretty darn high). The Vision spec-wise seems to be a moderately high-end device. It boasts a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, 2GB microSD card (up to 32GB), 512 MB of RAM, a 3.7 WVGA screen, 5 MP camera and LED flash, 720p recording, and a 1,400mAh battery. The phone will be available to select markets in September.
[via pocketnow]
The above Sprint training document includes some selling points for the upcoming Samsung Conquer 4G. It doesn’t show us anything new, but it should mean the launch will be sooner rather than later.
If you are not familiar with the Conquer, it has a 1GHz processor, a 3.5-inch display, Android 2.3, 32GB memory, Swype, and Sprint ID.
The latest news we had for a launch date is August 21st, and this target still looks good. I will be surprised if they push it any further considering they are already training on it.
[via androidcentral]
The above leaked spreadsheet shows estimated launch dates for upcoming devices on Sprint. The Samsung Conquer, which was originally going to launch yesterday, has been pushed to August 21. The August time frame was confirmed from a Sam’s Club leak as well.
If you look further down the list, you will see a phone called the Sprint M650 Handset Kit for October 30. This looks to be the Huawei M650 which recently passed WiFi certification on June 28.
The other surprise is the ZTE V55 tablet which is scheduled for the 1st quarter 2012. We do not know anything about this device, but we are assuming it will have 3G/4G support. In the past ZTE has been exclusive to Chinese carriers, but has been slowly creeping into the US Market.
Everyone’s favorite first Avenger is coming to the big screen, however, it’s also coming to the little screen. Your Android device that is. The folks over Marvel have managed to bring us Caps’ adventures on our mobile devices and I must say, not too bad. I’ve only managed to play the first six or seven levels but game play is very smooth and the animation was great. Some 3D effects would have been great, but it wasn’t entirely disappointing to play in 2D. The graphics were of HD quality and I especially loved how there were no controls on the screen other than to throw Cap’s shield. You get to play and operate Cap on the full screen using only gestures. The game play was very responsive to my rapid multi-touches and comes packed with tutorials on how to jump, punch, slide and more, along with great up close and personal combo attacks. The pop-ups can sort of become annoying, however, I found them very informative while quick to return me to game play. But if you really wanted, you could easily turn the function off in the settings menu.
Head into HYDRA territory with your sights on Red Skull and reclaim your stolen comrades in this action packed game, all on your Android smartphone. I tested the game out on my T-Mobile G2X and as expected, having a dual-core Tegra 2 on board, the game ran smooth, like butter rolling off the pancake. Ready to download this bad boy? Head on over to the Android Market and give it a test run for yourself. Don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments below. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s ready for tablets just yet. I was unable to see the game in the market with my original Galaxy Tab, which is running Froyo 2.2 (basically just bigger Android) So, there’s nothing that would convince me that the game is ready for Honeycomb devices. Hit the break for more screen shots and a video demo of Captain America taking names and kicking assets. » Read the rest
With the recent roll out of their 42 Mbps network, T-Mobile’s next logical step is to introduce devices capable of reaching those speeds. And who better to provide the handsets than the Taiwanese giants themselves, HTC? With blazing speeds in over 152 local markets, T-Mobile aims to take the company a little closer towards LTE. But they’re not the only ones entering the game. According to various sources, we could expect to see devices manufactured by HTC, Huawei, LG and Samsung by the end of 2011. And it’s very likely that the first handset to be offered could be the T-Mobile Sonic, a Huawei device which we saw pass through the FCC with 42 Mbps radios installed. Only time will tell, but if you’re a T-Mo customer, these have to be some exciting times for you, until AT&T takes over that is. Feel free to shout out and share how you really feel in the comments below.
[via digitimes]
MetroPCS just announced that they will be carrying the Huawei M835, which is an entry-level device that sports Android 2.2. It features a 2.8-inch (320 x 240) display, a 3.2MP camera, 1200 mAh battery, GPS, 3G data, and delivers “crisp and clear audio” thanks to DTS Envelo Virtual Sound Technology. It will run you $79 and the $50 smartphone service plan is required.
In addition to launching the M835, MetroPCS also announced special back to school pricing on the Kyocera Torino (retailing for $29), Samsung Messenger III (retailing for $69), Samsung Galaxy Indulge (retailing for $299), and LG Optimus M (retailing for $99).
It looks like things are heating up in the prepaid category. Earlier we told you about Cricket and Virgin Mobile’s offers of the Huawei Acsend II and the Motorola Trimph.
[via intomobile]
Back in June, we reported that U.S. Cellular would be launching 7 new Android phones and 1 tablet by the end of 2011. Well their Q3 and Q4 roadmap leaked, and it features 11 Android phones as well as the HTC Flyer.
The Motorola Electrify arrives in October and it appears to be the Photon which launches July 31 on T-Mobile. It has a 4.3-inch display, dual-core processor, 8MP rear camera, VGA front camera, HDMI output to 1080p, DLNA, Swype, and the ability to use GSM networks overseas.
The LG 855 will launch in September which happens to be the Optimus Black. It has a 4-inch Nova display, a 1GHz processor, 5MP rear camera, 2MP front camera, and Android 2.3.
The rest of the lineup includes the HTC Desire II, HTC Wildfire S (both for October), and the Huawei Ascend II for November
We did not receive marketing slides for two Samsung phones: the Samsung Character for July and the Repp for October. We will let you know when we hear more.
Hit the break for the marketing slides: