LG showcases Optimus G Pro, F5 and F7, L3 II, L5 II and L7 II

LG's press event is over - six phones stole the spotlight there. All of them were already announced - LG Optimus G Pro, the newly introduced LTE-enabled Optimus F5 and F7, and the upgraded Optimus L II lineup with the Optimus L3 II, L5 II and L7 II. LG also showcased the now aging Optimus Vu and Vu II phablets.

LG Optimus G Pro

LG Optimus G pro

In case you've missed the news about the LG's new flagship, the Optimus G Pro comes with a 5.5-inch IPS 1080p display and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 chipset, with a 1.6GHz quad-core Krait 300 CPU and Adreno 320 GPU. The rest of the specs include 2GB of RAM, a 13MP rear and a 2.1MP front cameras with dual-recording feature, and a 3140 mAh battery unit. The phone runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean skinned with LG's latest Optimus UI.

LG Optimus G Pro

LG Optimus F7 and Optimus F5

The newly introduced F series offer LTE-enabled smartphones on affordable prices. The first two members of the lineup are the Optimus F7 and F5.

The LG Optimus F7 comes with a 4.7” True HD IPS 720p screen (312ppi) and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 2 gigs of RAM. The phone has an 8MP camera and 8GB of built-in storage (plus a microSD card slot). The F7 measures 131.7 x 68.2 x 9.6mm.

LG Optimus F7

The LG Optimus F5 has a 4.3” IPS LCD screen of qHD resolution (256ppi), a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM and a 5MP camera. It has 8GB of built-in storage and microSD card slot too. The F5 is more compact at 126.0 x 64.5 x 9.3mm.

LG Optimus L7 II, L7 II dual, L5 II and L3 II

LG has also upgraded its affordable and stylish Optimus L lineup with three new phones - the Optimus L7 II, L5 II and L3 II.

The Optimus L7 II packs a 4.3-inch IPS WVGA display and is powered by the Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 Play chipset with a 1GHz dual-core processor, Adreno 203 graphics and 768MB of RAM. An 8MP camera with LED flash, 4GB internal storage expandable via a microSD slot, front-facing unit with VGA resolution, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and 2,460 mAh battery complete the highlights of the handset's spec sheet.

LG Optimus L7 II

The Optimus L7 II will come in a dual-SIM flavor called L7 II dual.

LG Optimus L7 II dual

The Optimus L5 II has a 4.0-inch IPS WVGA display, a 1GHz MediaTek MT6575 single-core processor and PowerVR SGX531 graphics. Other known specs are the 5MP camera on the back and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ticking inside.

LG Optimus L5 II

The Optimus L5 II will also come in a dual-SIM flavor called L5 II dual.

LG Optimus L5 II dual

Finally, the Optimus L3 II features a 3.2-inch IPS QVGA screen, a 1GHz single-core MediaTek processor, a 3MP camera and a microSD card slot. Naturally, Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth support are available too. The Optimus L3 II also runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

LG Optimus L3 II

Just like the Optimus L7 II dual and L5 II dual, the Optimus L3 II will be available as a dual-SIM model called Optimus L3 II dual.

LG Optimus L3 II dual

According to LG the "design philosophy of L Series II has been enhanced to include four new design elements: Seamless Layout, Laser Cut Contour, Radiant Rear Design and Smart LED Lighting on the home button". The new L II phones will become available in Q2 this year.

LG Optimus Vu and Vu II

Another showcased devices in LG's booth are the Optimus Vu and the Optimus Vu II phablet. Both were announced way back in 2012 and with the very limited market availability (basically both are Korean-only) we really don't see a point of commenting on those once again. You can check their specs from the links above.

LG Optimus Vu II

So, basically LG didn't announce anything new - all phones showcased today were introduced via press releases earlier this month. At least we finally got to know them better.

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_showcases_optimus_g_pro_f5_and_f7_l3_ii_l5_ii_and_l7_ii-news-5607.php

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Hands on: ZTE Open review

The ZTE Open is the first handset to appear featuring Mozilla's open, HTML5-based Firefox OS.

We won't be seeing Firefox OS in the UK, US or Australia yet though - Firefox OS is being touted as very much a smartphone OS for developing markets.

As such, the Open will have a very low price point - when asked if it would be less than USD $200, the Mozilla representative told us it would be far lower, and networks themselves would make it cheaper still.

As you can see, the Open features a bunch of standard apps - all HTML5-based - including Twitter, Bing, Pinterest, Wikipedia and Facebook. Mozilla says its easy for web developers to adapt web apps for the platform.

Here's the Firefox OS start screen featuring phone, messaging, web and camera buttons. You swipe from the right to get to the main app menu screens.

The Open's 3.5-inch display isn't that impressive, having quite a low resolution (HVGA or half VGA 480 × 320), while the device is centred around an ARM Cortex-A5-based MSM7225A chip manufactured by Qualcomm - the clockspeed of which could be either 600 or 800Mhz.

However, the OS was snappy enough on the device, putting aside fears from earlier builds that Firefox OS wasn't up to the job.

Mozilla has designed a Marketplace for Firefox OS, which it wants to be completely open for developers to take advantage of. There are also other default apps including Music and Video hubs.

In terms of a camera and connectivity, you get a 3.2MP fixed focus camera, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and an FM radio.

As you can see, there's also a headphone jack and USB charging port atop the device.

Qualcomm has been working with Mozilla to ensure the Open has "tight integration" between software and hardware and that it's a "good telephony experience".

Like an iPhone, there is just a single physical button to move back to the start screen, while you also get volume adjustment on the side.

Firefox OS pulls in contact info and pictures from Facebook - the contact card enables you to jump straight to someone's Facebook profile.

Firefox OS also has notification support and, like Android, you can quickly adjust settings here, too.

Acatel also has a phone coming out for Firefox OS, called the OneTouch Fire, while other handsets will follow from LG and Huawei.

Early Verdict

Firefox OS isn't even in its infancy yet, but it's clear that Mozilla, operators and manufacturers have one thing in mind for the OS - budget handsets for developing markets and the ZTE Open is a colourful, cheap option. We probably won't see the OS on high end handsets any time soon, but that's no bad thing - while Firefox OS is likeable and flexible, it's hardly iOS or Android-beating in terms of feature set.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/zte-open-1133187/review

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Lumia 720 and 520 are Nokia's latest smartphones

Nokia's event at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is now over and the highlight is the announcement of the Lumia 720 and 520. Both devices pack a dual-core 1 GHz Snapdragon processor (Krait to be precise), run on Windows Phone 8 and share Nokia's many software advancements like Drive, Maps, software lenses, etc.

Nokia Lumia 720

The Lumia 720 sports a 4.3" ClearBlack display of WVGA (800 x 480) resolution with super sensitive touch, which works with gloves, nails, etc. The dual-core processor is coupled with 512 MB of RAM. There's NFC, the battery capacity is 2000 mAh, the phone is 9 mm thick and weighs 128g.

There are 8 gigs on on-board storage and there's a microSD card slot with up to 64 GB support. There's also the option to have wireless charging.

The camera on the back is a 6.7MP one with a bright f/1.9 aperture and Carl Zeiss optics.

The device comes in a plastic body - in a variety of colors and exchangeable panels - red, yellow, cyan, magenta, etc. The device will launch in Asia (TD-SCDMA version for China) and in select European countries this quarter for a price of €249 (around $330). Since it lacks LTE, is will most likely skip the US market.

Nokia Lumia 520

The Lumia 520 is the meeker of the two smartphones. It also packs a dual-core 1 GHz processor and 512 MB of RAM but the display is a 4" WVGA IPS LCD with super sensitive touch. The camera on the back is 5 MP, which does 720p video capture.

The Lumia 520 weighs 124g and is 9.9 mm thick.

The Lumia 520

The Lumia 520 will hit the shelves this Q2, too, for $183 starting with China. Later on it will hit the rest of Asia, Europe and T-Mobile in the US.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_announces_lumia_720_and_520_for_nonlte_markets-news-5605.php

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Nokia Lumia 720 and 520 aim to bring Windows Phone to the masses

Nokia's new mid-range Lumias

In an i-Lumia-nating press conference at MWC 2013 (sorry), Nokia has announced two new Windows Phone 8 handsets, the Nokia Lumia 520 and Nokia Lumia 720.

Nokia's BFF relationship with Microsoft means that they will continue to beat the Windows Phone drum for some time to come, and the latest handsets will look to step up its challenge on Android and iOS.

The phones slot in at the lower end of the Windows Phone range, which has proven to be a fecund area for Nokia's current Lumia crop.

The Nokia Lumia 720's big selling point it its camera, with the Finnish giant offering up Carl Zeiss optic that is promising bright, clear pictures 'day or night'.

There's also an HD front facing camera for those self portraits / video calls and the phone comes in, waity for it, FIVE colours.

This veritable rainbow of phones will be priced at around 249 Euros - which may well equate to a similar price in pounds. There is no news of a US launch.

The phone will make its debut in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore soon, and the Nokia Lumia 720 UK release date is likely to be in Q2 2013 (between April and June).

Lumia 520

On to the Nokia Lumia 520, which is offering up Windows Phone for a bargain-basement price of 139 Euros.

It has the same camera lens as the flagship Lumia 920 which perhaps speaks as much about the flagship as this offering.

The Lumia 520 will also appear first in the Far East markets before heading over to European shores in Q2. Again, the US may face a longer wait.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/nokia-lumia-720-and-520-aim-to-bring-windows-phone-to-the-masses-1133505

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Upcoming Nokia Asha phone design leaks

The Nokia event at the Mobile World Congress is about to kick off but before anything is officially announced we already have some pictures of a new Asha phone that is supposed to be announced today.

There is no information available about the device, including its name, other than this image. Only specs we can confirm from the image is a 5 megapixel rear facing camera and dual-SIM support. You can also see a transparent case for the device in some shots.

The phone has a new design that is a slight departure from previous Asha phones and is closer to the look of Nokia's Lumia phones. There is also a new dedicated back button below the display, which replaces the call and end keys on previous Asha phones.

The event is about to start and we should be finding out more about this device and the leaked Lumia 520 and 720 we saw before quite soon.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/upcoming_nokia_asha_phone_design_leaks-news-5603.php

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Nokia 105 and 301 plan to bring feature phone fun back to Europe

Not so smart (phone) now are we?

Everyone loves a nostalgia trip once in a while and the Nokia 105 and Nokia 301 are here to take you on your latest one.

Feature phones have quietly slipped out of the limelight in recent years as smartphones have become the driving mobile force, but Nokia reckons Europe still pines for the old school style.

The Nokia 105 should be in various European markets by the end of March, while the Nokia 301 is set to touch down in the second quarter of the year - although there's no word on UK availability just yet.

What the handsets lack in features they make up for in price and battery life, with the 105 setting you back just €15 (around £13) and the 301 coming in at €65 (around £56).

Both handsets will apparently last a month on one charge with the Finnish firm claiming the 105 is good for up to 35 days, while the 301 is apparently able to keep going for up to 39 days on standby.

What year is it?

The 105 sports a postage stamp sized, 1.45-inch colour display, FM radio, built in flashlight and the generic phone call and text messaging options.

You get a little more on the 301 with a rear facing 3.2MP camera, slightly larger but still poor resolution 2.4-inch colour screen, HD voice support for better quality calls and a web browser allowing you to harness the power of 3G (3.5G actually), all be it rather slowly thanks to the lowly feature phone processor.

There's a microSD slot on the side of the 301 and it will be available in both single- and dual-SIM flavours.

These handsets probably won't show up on most consumer's radars in Europe, but if you're looking for a dirt cheap handset which will last you all month then the Nokia 105 or 301 could well be the back up phone you've always dreamed of.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/nokia-105-and-301-plan-to-bring-feature-phone-fun-back-to-europe-1133434

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