Amazon US just put up some great deals for three of the new Windows Phone 8-powered smartphones in the states. You can get the AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 820 or HTC Windows Phone 8X at half their original asking price.
AT&T is charging $99.99 for the Lumia 920 on a 2-year contract, while Amazon is giving you the flagship smartphone for $69.99 (previously $49.99). The Lumia 820 goes for $49.99 in the AT&T stores, while Amazon wants just $0.01 for it.
Unfortunately Amazon offers discounts only on the 8GB version of the HTX 8X. Instead of charging you $99.99, Amazon sells the smartphone for $39.99.
So, if you live in the US and want to switch to Windows Phone 8, now seems to be a good moment to do it.
A new report indicates Samsung may debut a full high definition display suitable for smartphones during CES 2013. Could it be destined for the Galaxy S3's successor, or a new device entirely?
Samsung could be preparing to debut its own smartphone-sized 1080p display during CES 2013, hot on the heels of HTC’s Droid DNA. Full high definition displays are all set to be next year’s must-have new smartphone feature, although their size will see them used on hardware that tips over into smartphone/tablet hybrid territory.
A Korean newspaper claims Samsung has developed a 4.99-inch touchscreen with a 1080p resolution and a pixel density of 441ppi. While the resolution is the same as the Droid DNA’s, the pixel density beats it by one point.
It’s unlikely we’ll see the hardware related to Samsung’s new screen at the show though, as it’s not expected to go into production until later in the first quarter of 2013, which means Samsung could follow LG’s example and only show off the panel itself.
There are two logical, future homes for Samsung’s Full HD screen: The successors to the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2. The slightly odd 4.99-inch screen size could mean it’s destined for the Galaxy S4, as by keeping it under 5-inches — even if it is by a ridiculous 0.01 of an inch — it could still (just) be classed as a true smartphone.
There’s also a chance Samsung could introduce a new device which neatly fits in-between the 4.8-inch Galaxy S3 and the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note 2. An earlier rumor put the Galaxy S4’s announcement for sometime in March, which seemed a little too soon into the S3’s life, however maybe Samsung is planning an event for that time, but it’s for our mystery 1080p phone and not for the S4.
We won’t find out until closer to the time, but provided the talk of a Samsung 1080p screen is correct, we should get to see it in action during CES 2013, which begins on January 8.
Samsung and Android continue to outpace Apple and iOS
A look inside the quarterly sales numbers showed smartphones are up 46.9 percent over the same period in 2011, and revealed Android phones outpaced Apple's iOS phones by 5:1 during the third quarter.
The sales figures, as reported by the analysts at Gartner, show mobile phone sales have decreased by 3 percent overall, continuing a trend started earlierthis year.
Despite the overall sales dipping, smartphone sales bolstered by Samsung, Nokia, and Apple have continued to escalate, and are now responsible for almost 40 percent of all mobile phone sales.
Samsung holds lead
During the third quarter, Samsung was able to maintain its lead over Apple in smartphone sales, largely due to the Galaxy lineup, including the Galaxy SIII.
With a 32.5 percent share of the smartphone market, Samsung was able to hold off second-place Apple, which earned 14 percent of the sales.
Research in Motion was able to slip into third place, with HTC following closely behind, as Nokia's smartphone sales slipped to seventh.
Samsung still found itself in the overall lead with 97.9 million phones sold (22.9 percent), a narrow margin of victory over Nokia's 82 million total mobile phones sold (19.2 percent).
Apple was able to solidify third place by selling 23.5 million iPhones (3.9 percent), which was a 36.3 percent jump from 2011, and accounted for the largest increase in year-over-year sales.
Gartner expects Apple to have another traditionally strong fourth quarter due to the expanding availability of the iPhone 5, but doesn't think holiday sales will impact the overall market all that much.
Android still king of the hill
Even though iPhone sales increased tremendously during the third quarter, Apple's iOS still had trouble catching up to Android.
With 122 million Android phones sold during the third quarter, Google's OS increased it's share to 72.4 percent of the market.
Despite Android earning 20 percent more users during the third quarter, iOS was still able to garner 13.9 percent of all users, a drop of just one percent from Q2.
Apple was able to maintain second place largely due to the decreasing numbers of Symbian and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, as both OS were being phased out for Windows Phone 8.
iOS is expected to increase its numbers during the fourth quarter according to Gartner analysts, but all that depends on how strong Apple's final quarter turns out from a sales perspective.
Android's market share increased significantly during the third quarter of 2012, with the Google OS powering 72.4% of all smartphones sold in the three months' period. Apple's iOS came a very distant second with a market share of 13.9%.
This is an impressive accomplishment for Google's mobile OS, considering Android's market share was 52.5% in Q3 of 2011.
Samsung saw its position as the leading mobile manufacturer increase to 22.9% after selling almost 100 million phones in the three month period ending in September. This was mostly at the expense of Nokia, which saw its market share slide almost 5 percent points year-over-year.
The holiday season should see Apple take back some of both of those pies, as many iOS-faithfuls held off on replacing their smartphones until the iPhone 5 came around. Apple's new smartphone top dog is expanding its availability to many new markets in Q4, which should help Apple arrest the fall in iOS market share.
Verizon could be planning to introduce a free Windows Phone 8 device to its line-up of smartphones, potentially made by Samsung, as it continues to put its weight behind Microsoft's new operating system.
Verizon never really took to Windows Phone 7 and last year offered just one phone with Microsoft’s operating system onboard. This has changed with the introduction of Windows Phone 8 though, as the carrier has already announced two devices — the exclusive Nokia Lumia 822 and the HTC 8X — and according to a new report, a third is on the way.
Rather than add another high-end Windows Phone, Verizon may be looking in the opposite direction, and could introduce a free Windows Phone 8 device soon. This comes from Verizon’s marketing officer Tami Erwin, who spoke to TheVerge.com this week, saying “there will be a $99 and a $199 option, and ultimately before the end of the year we will have a device that comes in at the free price point.
We already know the Lumia 822 is the $99 option, and the HTC 8X costs $199, so what device will Verizon choose as its entry-level handset? The Samsung Ativ Odyssey is the obvious choice, as it has already been partially confirmed for the network after making an appearance during the Windows Phone 8 launch event.
The Odyssey is rumored to be a re-branded Samsung Ativ S, but as this is far from a basic phone, it’s unlikely to be made available for free. So, either the spec will be completely different, or another phone will take its place.
Samsung Marco
There could also have been a change of plan at Samsung. Back before Windows Phone 8 was fully revealed, there were two Samsung Windows Phone 8 devices rumored — the Odyssey and the Marco. The names of which became known as part of the documents released during the Apple/Samsung legal battle taking place at the time.
The specs put the Odyssey with a 4.65-inch screen and an 8-megapixel camera, and the Marco with a more modest 4-inch screen and a 5-megapixel camera, although both featured Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz dual-core processor. A tweet from @evleaks, the account responsible for the leaked Odyssey image, states the phone may be the Marco after all.
If so, this puts it in the same category as the HTC 8S. As HTC’s second Windows Phone has yet to appear on any US or UK networks, it’s difficult to compare prices, but the SIM-free cost is half that of the 8X.
There’s also a chance Verizon may chose Huawei’s Windows Phone 8 device, which has yet to be announced but will almost certainly be cheap when it does eventually surface. Although Verizon hasn’t really worked with Huawei yet, the Chinese manufacturer indicated a deal with Verizon was “happening” during an interview in October.
A free Windows Phone 8 device could be quite a big deal, not only for Verizon, but for Microsoft too. At the moment, neither AT&T nor T-Mobile list a free WP8 device, and Microsoft needs a cheap option if it’s to effectively combat Android.
Earlier this year, Verizon’s CFO Fran Shammo said the network viewed Windows Phone 8 as a “differentiator,” and planned to help the OS become a “strong” third software competitor to iOS and Android. Offering its customers a free phone (with a contract, of course) would certainly be an important step in that direction.
Sony to use the usual ODM suspects: Foxconn, Arima and Compal
Sony Mobile is expected to ship 50 million Xperia smartphones next year, and pull off that ambitious growth by turning to Taiwan-based original device manufacturers, according to a DigiTimes source.
"[Foxconn] is currently the largest ODM for Sony Mobile, followed by Arima and Compal," an industry source told the Taiwanese site.
"The three ODMs may receive up to 20 million smartphone [of the 50 million] orders from Sony Mobile in 2013."
The source was unnamed, but the statements back up a previous report that indicated Sony is expecting 50 percent year on year growth for its Xperia line.
Forecast for the current year
Sony Mobile will ship 35 million smartphones by the end of this year, estimated the same source.
This would represent a 50 percent increase from last year, but that might not be enough to leave the company in the black.
"[Sony] is still unlikely to swing back to profitability in the year," according to the industry talker.
This may be due in part to the additional scale and high fixed costs that Sony had to incur after it acquired Ericsson's stake in Sony Ericsson.
Outsourcing almost half of its Xperia line to Taiwan could reverse that trend, and Sony has already put the plan into motion.
Foxconn began making low-cost Xperia smartphones in the third quarter of this year, and Arima and Compal will take on similar duties by the second half of 2013, according to DigiTimes.
The 50 million smartphone question
How Sony Mobile is able to create enough demand to warrant shipping 50 million smartphones is the big question.
The company's Xperia S and Xperia T were well reviewed, and T (and the U.S. variant, the Xperia TL) has some star power behind it.
Both the Xperia T and the TL are featured in the new Bond flick, Skyfall, ensuring that it'll peak the interest of 007-wannabes everywhere.
But the real question mark lies with the long-rumored Sony Odin and its just-as-unconfirmed 5-inch WhiteMagic display. That may be the key to Sony's 50 million smartphone target.
Sony to use the usual ODM suspects: Foxconn, Arima and Compal
Sony Mobile is expected to ship 50 million Xperia smartphones next year, and pull off that ambitious growth by turning to Taiwan-based original device manufacturers.
"[Foxconn] is currently the largest ODM for Sony Mobile, followed by Arima and Compal," an industry source told Taiwan's DigiTimes.
"The three ODMs may receive up to 20 million smartphone [of the 50 million] orders from Sony Mobile in 2013."
The source was unnamed, but the statements back up a previous report that indicated Sony is expecting 50 percent year-on-year growth for its Xperia line.
Forecast for the current year
Sony Mobile will ship 35 million smartphones by the end of this year, estimated the same source.
This would represent a 50 percent increase from last year, but that might not be enough to leave the company in the black.
"[Sony] is still unlikely to swing back to profitability in the year," according to the industry source.
This may be due in part to the additional scale and high fixed costs that Sony had to incur after it acquired Ericsson's stake in Sony Ericsson.
Outsourcing almost half of its Xperia line to Taiwan could reverse that trend, and Sony has already put the plan into motion.
Foxconn began making low-cost Xperia smartphones in the third quarter of this year, and Arima and Compal will take on similar duties by the second half of 2013, according to DigiTimes.
The 50 million smartphone question
How Sony Mobile is able to create enough demand to warrant shipping 50 million smartphones is the big question.
The company's Xperia S and Xperia T were well reviewed, and T (and the U.S. variant, the Xperia TL) has some star power behind it.
Both the Xperia T and the TL are featuring in the new Bond flick, Skyfall, ensuring that it'll peak the interest of 007-wannabes everywhere.
But the real question mark lies with the long-rumored Sony Odin and its just-as-unconfirmed 5-inch WhiteMagic display. That may be the key to Sony's 50 million smartphone target.
In an era of increasingly sophisticated mobile technology, it's tempting to assume that smartphones and tablets provide users with a wealth of content wherever they want it.
But achieving a great multimedia viewing experience in bright light, particularly in sunlight, has been an ongoing problem for the consumer electronics industry.
As anyone who has ever tried to play an immersive game or watch a movie on a phone in bright sunlight knows, the subsequent glare and lack of highlight and shadow makes for a fairly dismal viewing experience.
But all this could be about to change. At IFA 2013 in Berlin, London-based company Apical unveiled an intelligent digital processing technology called Assertive Display, which offers radically improved resolution in bright light, and a dramatically reduced power consumption.
The technology has already been rolled out in Japan, where it features in devices such as Sharp's new smartphone, the Aquos SH-01D. According to Apical CEO Michael Tusch, Assertive Display will transform the mobile viewing experience of gamers and movie viewers alike.
"The whole point of these mobile devices is that we should be able to use them wherever we are," he says. "But unless you're in a dark room, your experience is heavily compromised. If you were a first person shooter game addict, for example, nobody would play that on anything other than a bright screen in a fairly dark room.
"It's the same story with movies. Ideally, you need the 5000-to-1 contrast ratio of a TV to show a movie. An iPad can do 1000-to-1, but if you went outside that would diminish severely, to 20-to1.
"And it's not just in sunlight, it's the same if you're just sitting in a room with windows or with bright lighting. Your multimedia experience is being degraded, and we can avoid that."
YouTube : http://youtu.be/caEPq4KvTTA?t=35m8s
How it works
Most mobile device manufacturers rely on adjusting screen brightness to improve viewing experience. But this is ineffective and the biggest drain on battery power.
Instead, Assertive Display works by adapting the contrast ratio, adjusting each pixel of the video stream in real-time, with very short latency so that you don't notice.
The technology is based on a model of how the human eye works, tuning the pixels so that you can view a movie or play an immersive game in bright light without killing the battery.
Assertive Display off Assertive Display on
The result is a radically improved viewing experience with dramatically reduced power consumption (up to 50%) due to the fact that you no longer require maximum brightness of the backlight to view content.
"The thing to remember is we're not changing the brightness or the power of this display at all," stresses Tusch, "we're just tuning the pixels to adjust the contrast ratio."
Of course, mobile device manufacturers have tried to solve this problem themselves, spending colossal amounts of money on achieving strong blacks on displays, putting anti-reflection coatings on screens, making them brighter and more power efficient.
Assertive Display off Assertive Display on
"But actually, that's pretty much working in the margins," says Tusch. "What we're simulating here is a display that has 100 times higher contrast than we really have. And we're doing it via video processing, as opposed to controlling the display power.
The whole aim of Assertive Display is to adjust the contrast ratio without you ever noticing. Viewing conditions are monitored via the tiny light sensors on mobile devices and the pixels are tuned accordingly.
There is no slider or button to control Assertive Display. It's always on, continuously reading the viewing conditions and controlling the contrast ratio automatically.
Smartphones and tablets featuring Assertive Display technology will be available in the UK by autumn 2013, according to Tusch. While he refuses to divulge which manufacturers will ship products with this technology, it seems clear that it will encompass Apple and Android devices.
One of the major challenges for Apical is overcoming the slow cycle from the design stage through to market. This is due to the complexities of having numerous parties licensing their technologies on the same 'real estate' of the processing chip.
To overcome this hurdle, Apical is seeking to run Assertive Display as software, so that each successive generation of the technology can be delivered as a firmware update or a software upgrade.
Assertive Display off Assertive Display on
To help achieve this, Apical recently joined the HSA Foundation, an increasingly powerful alliance of manufacturers whose membership includes Samsung.
The industry response to Assertive Display so far has been unanimously positive, says Michael Tusch. Most of the major smartphone and tablet makers have seen the technology.
"Just about every company that has seen it has liked it and wanted it," he says. "It's had that real 'wow factor'."
This is not that surprising, considering that Apical appears to be the first company in the world to have cracked the problem of viewing multimedia content in bright light on mobile devices.
This was a point highlighted at the conclusion of Tusch's IFA presentation in Berlin, by Phil Rogers, president of the HSA Foundation.
"I know you're a fairly modest chap," he told Tusch on the keynote stage. "But I just hope people realise that for any colour display today to be viewable in bright light, it has Apical technology. And no one else has solved this have they?"
"Well it's a problem that can't be solved by display alone," replied Tusch. "We've got a solution and it works. So yes, I think you're right."
It's not unusual for US carriers to put their branding on the backs of the smartphones they offer. We've even seen them above the displays on the backs, on wallpapers and what not. However, Verizon has just reached a new level of tackiness and put its logo on the home button of the latest Android flagship it will offer - the Samsung Galaxy Note II.
The device is currently available for pre-order for $300 with a 2-year plan and can be ordered in black or white flavors. However, the extra color choice Verizon is offering would likely be enough to make up for the extra branding both on the front and the back.
According to our humble opinion, the carrier logos on various smartphones aren't anything out of the ordinary. They sure don't help looks, but they aren't too bad and, given that the US carriers invest quite in subsidizing the smartphones they offer it's normal to try and improve the return by using them as ad space. In this case however the result is quite ugly and we really hope the trend doesn't pick up.
Nokia considers Windows Phone 7 to be ideal for entry-level smartphones, bridging the gap between Symbian and Windows Phone 8, and has announced the competitively priced Lumia 510 to prove it.
Next month, phones running Windows Phone 8 should finally hit store shelves, following the official release of Microsoft’s new smartphone OS on October 29. Some may think this means the end of Windows Phone 7, the OS that preceded it, however Nokia thinks it still has legs and has announced a new phone to prove it.
The Lumia 510 is an entry-level phone using Windows Phone 7.5 as its operating system, and although its model number suggests it slips into Nokia’s range below the Lumia 610, the 510’s spec trumps it in one key area — the screen size.
Nokia has given the 510 a 4-inch display with the same 480 x 800 pixel resolution as the 610, although that device has a smaller 3.7-inch screen. The processor is listed as a Snapdragon S1, which could be the same MSM7227A chip found in the 610, where it runs at 800Mhz. Phonearena.com’s spec list indicates that this is indeed the case.
There’s 256MB of RAM, which will mean some apps won’t operate on the phone, 4GB of internal storage memory and 7GB of free cloud space with Microsoft’s SkyDrive. Mounted in the center of the colorful rear panel is a 5-megapixel camera, which can also shoot VGA video.
The spec list continues with GPS along with Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive, an FM radio, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, a 3.5mm headphone socket and a 1300mAh battery.
Designed to sit in-between its Symbian smartphones and the latest Lumia 820 and Lumia 920 Windows Phone 8 handsets, the Lumia 510 is an affordable introduction to Microsoft’s still-growing OS.
Nokia will initially release the phone in India and China during November, then bring it to South America and other countries soon afterwards. Available in white, black, red, yellow and cyan, Nokia has priced the Lumia 510 at $199.
Harnessing the power of mobile smartphones to bring about public humiliation, a digital newspaper in Russia is going after poor drivers.
Created by an online newspaper in Moscow called The Village, people within Russia can use a mobile application called Parking Douche to inform the public about poor drivers that like to park on sidewalks or other areas that aren’t acceptable for parking a vehicle. After someone downloads the application to their Android smartphone, they can start taking pictures of a driver that’s parked their vehicle illegally. The application requires the person to take two pictures of the vehicle. The first picture should be a wide view to demonstrate the car owner’s poor parking skills and the second picture should be a close up photo of the driver’s registration plate.
The application automatically converts the picture of the registration plate to a text field and asks the smartphone owner to check the validity of the registration plate number. In addition, the user can select the exact color of the car using a color field on the touchscreen as well as the general body shape of the car. Using GPS within the smartphone, the exact location of the parked car is also noted by the application.
After uploading all the data to the newspaper, people that live in the immediate area will start to see pop-up advertisements on The Village and other partner sites. While reading an article, a pop-up advertisement shows a replica of the car’s design and color in addition to the exact registration number on the vehicle’s plate. The caption reads “This parking douche annoys you on this site like he does on ‘Street Name’.“
The Village then encourages people to share the poorly parked car on Facebook to get rid of the advertisement. In order to avoid annoying readers of the newspaper that don’t live in the immediate area of the illegally parked car, the advertisements are specifically localized by IP address. Only people living in the immediate area will see the advertisement. Due to requests from people in countries like the United States, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom, management at The Village has made the application open-source software.
A recent report says Samsung and LG have big plans for smartphones in 2013, at least when it comes to screen resolution.
According to Korean news site MK News, both manufacturers are hoping to launch smartphones with 1080p displays within the first half of next year.
Earlier this year, LG showed off a 5-inch mobile display at full 1080p resolution. The screen featured a 16:9 aspect ratio and pixel density of 440ppi, making it an improvement over the already crisp iPhone 5's 326ppi retina display.
Samsung, according to the report, is developing a new smartphone screen with a pixel density of 400ppi. While a 400ppi display would still look fantastic, technically it would still be slightly under full HD resolution.
First out of the gate
If Samsung and LG do launch 1080p smartphones next year, the companies will hardly be the first.
That distinction belongs to the Oppo Find 5, which will sport a 1080p display when it launches in China.
However, there seems to be little chance of the Find 5 ever finding its way overseas, so your first glance of a 1080p smartphone may be to the rumored HTC DLX.
While the HTC DLX is still unconfirmed, rumors suggest that the 5-inch Jelly Bean handset is coming soon, with recently leaked images showing the purported smartphone with branding for U.S. carrier Verizon.
Taking a step back from rumors, HTC actually has already confirmed a 1080p smartphone with the HTC J Butterfly in Japan.
Conveniently, the J Butterfly shares similar specs with the rumored HTC DLX, indicating that it could even be the same phone, just under a different name for the different geographies.
Whatever HTC calls its 1080p handset, it sounds like it will only be the first of many as more manufacturers embrace full HD resolution for the next generation of smartphones.
The first 1080p smartphones are a reality and regardless of whether a 400+ ppi pixel density is great or overkill, the next generation of Android flagships will most probably feature FullHD screens.
The HTC J Butterfly is already official and it packs a 5" Super LCD3 screen with 1080p resolution (440ppi). There's also the Oppo Finder 5, which also promises 1080p resolution on a 5" screen.
Those seem to be the specs of choice as both LG and Sharp are making 5" 1080p displays. The Sony C660X 'Yuga' might have a 5" 1080p screen too, made by Japan Display (a merger between Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba).
MK News is reporting that Samsung is also working on a FullHD display, which will use the company's trademark Super AMOLED technology. It's too early to tell what kind of matrix they'll use (PenTile like on the Galaxy S III or full RGB like on the Note II) and how big the display will be (though it should have a pixel density of at least 400ppi, meaning 5" or bigger).
Pantech will also be joining on the 5" 1080p smartphone action, with both theirs and Samsung's and LG's expected some time in the first half of next year. It will be an interesting, tack-sharp battle next year it seems.
Users might notice new ads pop up on their smartphones' Facebook News Feed as the social network has opened up its latest strategy to make money through its mobile app.
In August, Facebook began testing a new "mobile app install ads" program that wasn't connected to users' social ties.
The test was apparently a success as Facebook announced Wednesday via its developer blog that it's opening the service up to all developers.
The test program allows an undisclosed amount of third-party developers purchase ad space on the mobile News Feed to help drive buyers to their apps.
Those advertisements then lead users to the developer's app store purchase page either through the Android or Apple app store.
It all ads up
"For years, many apps and games on Facebook.com have used ads as an important part of their growth strategy," Facebook's Vijaye Raji wrote on Facebook's developer's blog.
"Now we are bringing these opportunities to mobile apps," Raji continued.
"With these new ads, mobile apps and games of all sizes across any category can reach the right audience, at scale."
In the post, Raji touted the new program's ability to help developers reach more relevant audiences and drive up install rates.
He pointed to game creator TinyCo, which saw a 50 percent higher click-through rate when it participated.
Other advertisers reached 8-10 times the audience and Ad Parlor clients saw consistent 1-2 percent increases in click-through rate from the home feed, according to Facebook.
This is a bit of a break from the Facebook ad norm. Traditionally, ads pop up on users' pages because they or a friend liked the brand.
But with this program, dev advertisers will be able to target the audience they want to sell to, instead of who likes them. Facebook is banking on the hope that those two groups will have a large cross-section.
Since the ad program is new, Facebook will still need to work out a few kinks to smooth out the user experience.
The company will also improve the program's ad targeting abilities, as well as make sure developer ads aren't targeting users on the wrong platform.
Facebook in free fall
The program comes as Facebook tries to monetize its mobile space.
The social network as a whole has felt the pressure to become more profitable after its failed IPO in May. In September, the stock hit a new low at $17.55 (UK£11.14, AU$17.33) from its starting price of $38 (UK£23, AU$36).
We'll see if the new mobile app install ad program wows investors next Tuesday, when Facebook calls to share its third-quarter earnings.
LG is not exactly known for releasing timely Android updates for its smartphones, but as it seems, its Korea-only phones will get Jelly Bean treatment on time.
The first handset go get Android 4.1 is the Optimus LTE II in November. Next is Optimus G in December, followed by Optimus Vu and Vu II in the first quarter of 2013.
The updates will bring the new LG UI we saw for the first time in the ICS-running Optimus G to all of the mentioned phones along with some LG exclusive apps.
There is no word on the fate of the non-Korean devices though. And just don't get us started with the yet-to-come-or-not-to-come long overdue Ice Cream Sandwich updates.
Today NTT DoCoMo announced the upcoming availability of a few smartphones including Samsung’s Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II.
You’ve probably heard all there is to know about those two, but NTT DoCoMo’s version of the Galaxy S III, called Alpha, will be slightly different. Its chipset is pretty much the same as the international version of the Galaxy Note II - with the quad-core processor has been clocked on 1.6GHz instead of 1.4GHz and 2GB of RAM.
The faster CPU speed should help turn an already impressively fast smartphone into a real beast. What's even better, the Japanese Galaxy S III will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at launch.
Samsung Galaxy S III Alpha will be sold in Titanium Gray and Sapphire Black and will launch in December.
AT&T will be the US carrier to go to this holiday season if you are after Nokia's latest Windows Phone 8 smartphones.
With AT&T the Nokia Lumia 920 will be available in various colors including cyan, yellow, red, white and black. As far as we know, the cyan color was not part of the originally announced range of colors for the Lumia 920 so perhaps it will be exclusive to AT&T.
The Nokia Lumia 820 will only come in black, but you will be able to accessorize it with wireless charging battery covers in various colors.
Both phones will be exclusive to AT&T in the US and will become available in November. Pricing is yet to be announced.
We list the smartphones rumored to come out in the next few months, including some new Android smartphones and phablets, and some Windows Phone 8 devices.
We don’t report every leaked shot of every rumored handset — there are blogs for that — but we try to keep you informed about what’s out there and what’s coming up. Lately, we’ve been hearing a number of new rumors and leaks. Below is a list of the major smartphones we’re expecting to see companies like Apple, Samsung, Sony, Nokia, HTC, and Motorola unveil this fall.
Google Nexus 4
We don’t know the specifics on this one yet, but there are strong rumors that we’ll see a new Nexus smartphone in the very near future. It might be a simple update to the Samsung-made Galaxy Nexus; it might be the HTC phablet; it might be a variant of LG’s flagship Optimus G; or it could be something completely different. Whatever it is, it will run the latest version of Android and it’s bound to appear on several Christmas wish lists. The Galaxy Nexus hit shelves in December 2011. Expect the new Nexus around that timeframe.
LG Optimus G
An impressive and valiant attempt to claim the ascendancy in the Android smartphone race, the LG Optimus G doesn’t fail to impress. It has a 4.7-inch WXGA True HD IPS+ display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro Quad-Core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 13-megapixel camera. There’s also LTE, NFC, and 32GB of storage. Whatever way you slice it, this smartphone looks fast. The only obvious drawback is the fact that it ships with Android 4.0 (ICS) and not 4.1 (Jelly Bean).
HTC Windows Phone 8X
Android has not proven to be such a happy hunting ground for HTC of late and so we see a renewed push to release a flagship device on Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 8 platform. WP8 finally appears like it will catch the platform up to Android and iOS when it comes to features and hardware — it only took 2 years. The HTC 8X has a 4.3-inch Super LCD 2 screen, a dual-core 1.5GHx Snapdragon S4 processor, and 1GB of RAM. There’s 16GB of storage and an 8-megapixel camera. It also has NFC, Beats Audio, and LTE support. That display is probably the8X highlight – it boasts an iPhone 5-topping 341.5 ppi (pixels per inch).
Sony Xperia SL
This phone has been confirmed by Sony via a new page on Sonymobile.com. The Sony Xperia SL is essentially an Xperia S with a couple choice enhancements. The SL will have a 1.7GHz dual-core processor instead of the 1.5GHz dual-core chip in the S and will run the “latest version” of Android — though we’re not sure if that means Android 4.0 (ICS) or 4.1 (Jelly Bean). We’ve asked Sony, but have not yet heard back. No pricing or availability info is yet known. Keep an eye out for this one.
HTC One X+ (and possibly XXL)
HTC hasn’t made a splash this year with its One X, S, or U line of smartphones, though we think they’re pretty great, but as the old saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed… HTC hopes to change its fortunes with a a revamped version of the handset with updated specs. We haven’t heard anything since June, but it’s still possible that HTC is also working on a big “phablet”-sized phone that may compete with the Galaxy Note and come with a 1080p screen resolution, 2GB of RAM, and powerful quad-core processor. While we’re sure HTC is working on something for release this fall, take this rumor with a grain of salt. We do think it’s likely that HTC will release a new phone on Verizon. Late last year, it released the Rezound and has a good relationship with the big red carrier.
Nokia Lumia 920 and 820
No company needs Windows Phone to succeed like Nokia does — Microsoft included. Nokia has bet the farm on WP and the beleaguered manufacturer is hoping to turn its fortunes around with the Nokia Lumia 920 and the Lumia 820, announced on Sept. 5. The flagship Lumia 920 has a 4.5-inch WXGA HD display, a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 chip, 1GB of RAM, and 32GB of onboard memory. It also has an impressive 8.7-megapixel camera, and support for NFC and LTE. The standout is the wireless charging capability for the 2,000mAh battery – that’s something genuinely new.
Motorola Droid Razr HD
Motorola is now owned by Google, but the search engine giant has been careful to avoid any preferential treatment for fear of alienating other Android partners. On Sept. 5, Motorola announced the Droid Razr HD, Maxx HD and the Razr M. The Razr HD boasts a 4.7-inch HD display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, and 1GB RAM. There’s also an 8-megapixel camera and 32GB of storage. The big attraction is the 2,530mAh battery which should see users through a full day and beyond, even with heavy use. If that doesn’t sound like enough then the Droid Razr Maxx HD ups the stakes with a 3,300 mAh battery. You can read our full review of the Droid Razr M, as well.
Samsung ATIV S
Rumors of a Windows Phone 8 device from Samsung were rife before it was unveiled as a bit of a surprise at Samsung’s August event in Berlin. The ATIV S has a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED touchscreen, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and a large 2,300mAh battery. It also has an 8-megapixel camera, 16GB or 32GB of storage, and support for NFC. It should be a top contender for those looking at Windows Phone this holiday season.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Samsung’s super-sized “phablet” phone on AT&T has been a hit, and its sequel is upon us. The Galaxy Note 2 has a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, a 1.6 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 processor, 2GB of RAM, and an 8-megapixel camera. It comes in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB varieties, but also has a microSD card slot. It also supports LTE, NFC, and runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) out of the box. It’s expected to hit U.S. carriers this month or next and it will cost around $300 for the 16GB version on a two-year contract. Be sure to check out our hands-on impressions of the Galaxy Note 2.
BlackBerry 10 Lisbon and Laguna
A number of leaks have sprung up on Rapidberry showing a raft of BlackBerry 10 devices, although they aren’t expected to be released until 2013. The last throw of the dice for RIM looks interesting. In addition to the new platform, the hardware is sporting a 4.2-inch display with an astounding 355 ppi resolution, a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 dual-core processor (1.5-1.7GHz), 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage plus a hot-swappable microSD card slot. There’s also an 8-megpixel camera, support for NFC, and LTE. The big questions is – when will RIM be ready to release? From what we’ve seen of BlackBerry 10, it has a long way to go.
Did our best upcoming phones list miss something big? Shoot us a comment below.
Article originally published August 20, 2012.
Update: 10/3/2012: Dropped released phones and added some new devices.
Samsung and AT&T announced four Android devices which are bound to hit the carrier's shelves in the coming months. The bunch consists of three LTE smartphones and one tablet, which also packs the aforementioned network connectivity.
We begin with the Samsung Galaxy Express. The Android 4.0 ICS smartphone packs a dual-core CPU clocked at 1.5GHz and a 4.5" Super AMOLED Plus display (likely with WVGA) resolution. A 5MP snapper and 200mAh battery complete the list of known specs.
The Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro is next on the list. The successor of the Samsung Rugby Smart packs LTE and Android 4.0 ICS, tucked into a rugged body, which is built up to 810g military specifications. A 4" WVGA Super AMOLED display, a 5MP camera, as well as enhanced push-to-talk are also part of the spec sheet.
AT&T also announced its own version of the Samsung Galaxy Note II. The phoneblet's specs are no different than the ones found in the international version, save for the presence of LTE and AT&T's logo on the back.
Finally, AT&T announced the addition of the 4G LTE flavored Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 to its lineup of slates.
Pricing and exact availability for the devices is yet to be known. We'll update you as soon as we find out.
The recently unveiled Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 are shaping up to be two of the hottest smartphones of the season, but until now we didn't know much on their availability and pricing. Now, that questions finally got its their answers.
In Germany, the Lumia 920 will retail for €649 ($836), while the Lumia 820 will go for €499 ($645). However, if you are living in Italy, you can grab the Lumia 920 for €50 less at €599 ($771). The pricing there for the Lumia 820 remains unchanged.
The smartphones are also up for pre-order in Russia, where eager customers will have to chunk in 24,990 rubles ($801) for the Lumia 920 and 19,990 rubles ($640) for the Lumia 820.
Expect both Lumia devices to start shipping some time in November. In Italy, information is a bit more specific and indicates a November 12 launch from carrier TeliaSonera.
