Alleged Huawei Ascend W2 specs appear, on sale for $289

Following the launch of its first Windows Phone 8 handset on the market in January, the Ascend W1 , Huawei is looking to expand its portfolio with the Ascend W2. The phone's specs have leaked at an online retailer, confirming its specs and price.

According to the listing, the Ascend W2 is built around 4.3" IPS display of 720p resolution (341ppi density) and makes use of a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset with a 1.5GHz dual-core Krait processor and 1GB of RAM. At the back, there's a 8MP camera with 1080p video recording, coupled with an LED flash.

Connectivity options include the the usual array of Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, A-GPS, HSPA+ and Wi-Fi (b/g only though). The battery has 2,000mAh capacity with an estimated standby time of 150-200 hours.

The Ascend W2 is listed with a starting price of $289, but there's no mention of the amount of internal storage or whether there's a microSD card on board.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/alleged_huawei_ascend_w2_specs_appear_on_sale_for_289-news-5850.php

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Samsung looking to sell over 1 million Galaxy Mega 5.8 units

Samsung announced the big-boned Galaxy Mega duo and according to industry sources plans to manufacture at least a million of the smaller Mega 5.8. Reportedly Samsung contacted several Taiwan-based display manufacturers to order one million 5.8" screens.

This optimism about the Galaxy Mega 5.8 sales stems from the good performance of the mid-range Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos. Sources state that in May the number of shipments of 5” WVGA screens for the Grand will reach 2 million.

Samsung has its own screen manufacturing facilities, but apparently the company will use them for the production of Super AMOLED displays, outsourcing mid-range screens to Taiwanese makers.

There’s no info on how many displays were ordered for the bigger Mega phablet, the Galaxy Mega 6.3, but Samsung obviously thinks there’s a market for large phablets.

Source

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_may_be_building_1_million_galaxy_mega_58s-news-5849.php

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Motorola X phone apparently delayed until late August

Xperiencing delays

The hotly rumoured Motorola X phone still hasn't been made official, but its expected release date has apparently already been pushed back.

Initial reports suggested the handset, tipped to run Google's next version of Android dubbed Key Lime Pie, would arrive in stores in around June/July after a May announcement at the search giant's annual I/O conference.

PhoneArena is reporting that's no longer the case, with its sources claiming the Motorola X smartphone will arrive in "August or later".

Failing to impress

The unnamed source went on to reveal the handset it due to sport a 4.7-inch, full HD display and a slender bezel - which would fall in line with the likes of the Motorola Razr i and Razr HD.

No reason was given for the supposed delay, but it's been suggested that Google wasn't particularly impressed with the early prototypes, resulting in Motorola having to go back to the drawing board to impress its parent firm.

It's not clear how well connected the source is, so we're not taking what's been said as gospel, but it may mean we won't see the Motorola X at Google I/O next month - we're just going to have to wait and see.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/motorola-x-phone-apparently-delayed-until-late-august-1144168

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O2 Refresh brings a new way to pay for your phone

Don't get Fresh with me...

O2 has decided to separate the talktime and phone costs in its new handset plan, designed to give users more flexibility.

In reality, the bubbly network is now offering SIM Only deals and the chance to pay for the phone over the course of the contract.

This isn't that different to how things work with the network now – consumers will still pay £37 a month for the HTC One with unlimited texts, calls and 1GB of data – but allows them to end the phone part of the contract earlier by just paying the balance of the phone, rather than having to fork out for the unused minutes as well. Of course you'll still be tied into the two year airtime contract.

There will be three O2 Refresh talktime plans on offer, mimicking SIM only deals, so for £12 a month, customers get 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 750MB of data; for £17, customers will have unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 1GB of data and for £22 they receive unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 2GB of data.

One and one, on and on

So the same HTC One plan would cost £17 per month on a two year deal for the talktime and data, and on top of that the user would spend £20 per month paying for the phone (with a £49.99 upfront cost).

And when the iPhone 5S comes rolling out, you can pay off the balance you've got left to buy the phone from the network and upgrade whenever you like. O2 is claiming that the One would normally cost £600 to buy outright, and on this deal you'll only shell out £529.99 over the two years to own a fancy new handset.

Although don't forget, you won't get a charger...

The full list of phones that you'll be able to get all 'Fresh on is: the Samsung Galaxy S3, S3 Mini, Note 2 and Ativ S, Blackberry Bold 9900 and Z10, HTC 8X and One, Sony Xperia T and Z, iPhone 4, 4S and 5, Nokia Lumia 820 and LG Nexus 4, although we don't know how much many of these will actually cost.

If you're literally salivating at the thought of such a price plan, don't rush out the door just yet. Mop up that flob on the desk and wait until April 16 – you'll be able to get O2 Refresh nationwide then.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/o2-refresh-brings-a-new-way-to-pay-for-your-phone-1144161

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Windows Phone 8 GDR3 update to give you more Live tiles

The upcoming Windows Phone 8 update, codenamed GDR3, is going to come with support for an additional column of tiles, rounding them to 4. To see how it might look like, have e peek at the mockup below done by Windows Phone Daily.

According to earlier reports the GDR3 update is going to enable manufacturers to put 1080p displays in their upcoming phones. So a user interface refresh was in order so the OS can make full use of all the available pixels. Apparently, it starts with the homescreen, which will now offer an extra row of Live tiles. It's unclear if there will also be a fourth size for the live tiles so you can still create edge-to-edge tiles.

Of course, there's no official confirmation of any of the features of the upcoming update so take it all with a pinch of salt.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/windows_phone_8_gdr3_update_to_give_users_more_tiles-news-5848.php

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Huawei Ascend W2 specs leak online

Is this it? (credit: xda-developers.com)

A leak of the Windows Phone 8-powered Huawei Ascend W2 has appeared online, pointing to another affordable offering from the Chinese firm.

The device has been rumoured for some time, but now new alleged specs suggest it will be going up towards the high-end of the Windows Phone 8 smartphones.

If the latest is anything to go by, the phone will come with a 1.5Ghz Qualcomm S4 processor and 1GB of RAM, while an 8 megapixel camera on the back will offer 1080p HD recording.

As for the screen, it looks like we can expect a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 display. All of which will be juiced by a 2,000 mAh battery. Images were posted over on the xda-developers forum.

Ascension

The Huawei Ascend W1 launched on the market earlier this year at the mid-range point the price plan. But the manufacturer has been shifting more into the higher end of the market, with the Ascend D1 and Ascend D2.

The starting price for the W2 will allegedly be around $289 (about £190/AUS$275) which is still a decent price tag considering the innards.

That said, don't take this as a promise. The leak also touts the release date as November 15 2012. We've double checked the calendar and we're pretty certain that date has passed.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/huawei-ascend-w2-specs-leak-online-1144148

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