HTC One Hitting Europe and Taiwan This Week
With the news that the One is being delayed thanks to a shortage of camera modules, there was worry concerning just when the device was going to launch, last week however, HTC put out this statement:
“HTC has seen unprecedented demand for and interest in the new HTC One, and the care taken to design and build it is evidenced in early reviews. The new HTC One will roll out in the UK, Germany and Taiwan next week and across Europe, North America and most of Asia-Pacific before the end of April. We appreciate our customers’ patience, and believe that once they have the phone in their hands they will agree that it has been worth the wait.”
So, the HTC One should be rolling out in the UK, Germany and Taiwan this week – fingers crossed folks!
Lenovo’s 5.3-inch S920 Official; Launching April 8th in China
Lenovo might not have a winner on their hands with the S920, unless you’re just looking for a bigger smartphone for the sake of it. Take a look at some of the headlining specs:
- 5.3-inch 1280 x 720 Display
- Quad-Core MediaTek MT6589 CPU at 1.2 Ghz
- 1GB of RAM
- 8MP rear-facing camera, 2MP front-facing camera
- 2,250 mAh battery
- Android 4.2
So, while the specs aren’t all that great the price tag isn’t too awful at $350 US and 2,199 CNY. It is however a lot of money for specs that were outclassed last year, but if you’re looking for a larger smartphone than this could be a way to go.
ZTE Grand X Quad Leaks Out
It looks like ZTE might be ready to releasing a quality budget handset in the form of the Grand X Quad. It’s a budget-minded device featuring the 1.2GHz Mediatek MT6589 as well as a 5-inch 1280 x 720 display. There’s a rear-facing 8MP camera, dual-SIM support, a 2,500 m Ah battery, 1GB RAM, and it could launch with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. We’re unsure as to when the device is going to be launching, it could be relatively soon as this is a device that’s been leaked for some time now.
Panasonic Launches Miracast TV Adapter in Japan
For our Japanese readers that are also looking to get involved with Miracast your wait might finally be over. Panasonic are launching a Miracast adapter soon! Take a look at the video below for more – non-Japanese speakers need not apply:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TffbUYwJMVo
Swappa Launches in the UK
Like me, if you live in the UK and read a lot of US Android blogs you might here the name Swappa bandied about. It’s a sort of online equivalent to CeX only you put up the devices for sale yourself. Which means you don’t have to sell to CeX for next to nothing, and then purchase from CeX at their insane prices. While the store is still finding its legs here in the UK, it’s definitely something to keep an eye one. You can head to Swappa here.
Sony Xperia SP and Xperia L Get Pricing Details in the UK
If Sony’s new smartphones, the Xperia SP and the Xperia L piqued your interest, and you live in the UK, then you can take a look at how much the devices are going to cost. The Xperia SP is up for pre-order from from Handtec for a little over £300 and Clove have the Xperia L listed for £234 including our worst enemy, VAT. Not too shabby really but, the Nexus 4 seems to be in stock over at the Play Store now, and that’s definitely worth spending the extra money for.
Acer’s Liquid E1 Duo Priced in the UK; Release Date Uncomfirmed
The Liquid E1 Duo, aside from having an awful name, is nothing too special out of Acer but, for those looking to buy a smartphone outright without spending a whole lot of cash, it might eb a good option. Priced at £174.99 – thanks, Expansys – you’ll be getting a 4.5-inch device that packs a 960 x 540 resolution, a 1 Ghz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean onboard. There’s a 5MP rear-facing camera, with a VGA shooter up front, 4GB of storage (with room for microSD cards) and a fairly tiny 1,760 mAh battery, all packed into a 9.9mm thick casing. Not too bad a device, especially at £174.99 but Acer’s build quality has always been questionable at best.
Carphone Warehouse Could See Release of Galaxy Note 8.0 and ASUS FonePad Next Month
When Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 8.0, they filled a gap between their smartphones and the Note 10.1, while aiming at the iPad Mini head-on. ASUS meanwhile, went a similar route but, unveiled a device with Intel technology and a more “premium” look and feel. Now, Carphone Warehouse are hinting that the two devices will be launching in April some time. There’s no word on pricing but, there is a price of around £370 being bandied about for the FonePad, which is a lot when you consider that a 32GB Nexus 7 will set you back just £199 on the high-street.
Nexus 7 Available in India From the Google Play Store
Here’s something for our India readers; those that are looking to get their hands on the Nexus 7 can now do so straight from Google. The search giant is launching the tablet in India and their site is now live for orders. Of course, this being Google, the tablet is listed as “ships by April 5th” which might not be to many folks’ liking. The tablet starts at 15,999 RS which is around $295 US so, it’s perhaps not as cheap as we might think. Android fans wanting guaranteed updates however, should pay attention and head over to the Play Store now.
HTC Readying Two New Desires for Taiwan; The Desire P and the Desire Q
The Desire brand is something that’s been pretty successful for HTC and while it might have gone away here in the west it’s still quite popular in Asia. HTC have been known for budget-minded devices that are built better than the average cheap device and these two look to be no different. Both devices share similar specs, a dual-core 1 Ghz CPU, an 8MP rear-facing camera, microSD card storage, relatively small batteries etc. The Desire P has a 4.3-inch display at 480 x 800 and the Desire Q comes in a little smaller at 4-inches. We’d assume both devices will be launching with some form of Sense 4.
Sony’s Xperia Tablet Z Gets Priced All Over Europe
If you’ve been waiting to see when Sony will be bringing the Tablet Z to your part of the world and, more crucially, for how much then your wait is finally over. Below, is pricing for the Xperia Tablet Z all across Europe, if you really don’t want to know, then hit that scroll wheel ‘cos this list is looooooong:
Belgium
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311E4) – €499.00
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312E4) – €549.00
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321E4) – €629.01
Denmark
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311E3) – DKK 3.999,00
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312E3) – DKK 4.599,00
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321E3) – DKK 4.999,00
Finland
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311E3) – €519.99
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312E3) – €590.00
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321E3) – €670.00
France
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311FR) – €499.00
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312FR) – €549.00
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321FR) – €629.00
Germany
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311DE) – €499.00
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312DE) – €548.99
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321DE) – €638.99
Italy
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311E2) – €499.00
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312E2) – €549.00
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321E2) – €699.00
Netherlands
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311E4) – €499.00
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312E4) – €549.00
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321E4) – €628.99
Norway
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311E3) – NOK 3 999,00
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312E3) – NOK 4 599,00
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321E3) – NOK 4 999,00
Portugal
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311E1) – €499.00
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312E1) – €549.00
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321E1) – €649.00
Spain
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311E1) – €499.00
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312E1) – €549.00
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321E1) – €649.00
Sweden
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311E3) – 4 499,00 SEK
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312E3) – 5 199,00 SEK
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321E3) – 5 999,00 SEK
Switzerland
- 16GB, Wi-Fi (SGP311E4) – CHF 549.00
- 32GB, Wi-Fi (SGP312E4) – CHF 599.00
- 16GB, LTE/4G (SGP321E4) – CHF 679.00
UK
- 16GB Wi-Fi (SGP311GB) – £399.00
- 32GB Wi-Fi (SGP312GB) – £449.00
- 16GB LTE/4G (SGP321GB) – £499.00
OUYA Up for Pre-Order at GAME For £99
That’s right my UK friends! Tht gaming store that wants you to pre-order everything is back again, with a pre-order of the OUYA! For £99 this isn’t too bad a price but considering it’s going for $99 in the states, there’s something lost in translation somewhere and, with the way that GAME’s prices are going, I’d suggest you wait and see if it’s hitting other retail outlets. If you’re happy to pay £99 then go ahead.
Pre-Order The Galaxy S IV at Carphone Warehouse for Free Galaxy Tab 2
The first 2000 pre-orders for the Galaxy S IV with Carphone Warehouse will get a free Galaxy Tab 2, which depending on what you think of the budget-tablet is a good thing or a bad thing, swing by their registration page for more.
Nexus 4 Hits Brazil
It’s been a long time coming but you can finally get your hands on the Nexus 4 if you live in Brazil! It’s not cheap mind you but, it is a Nexus, whether or not it’s worth any extra is up to you but. it’s good to see the device reach more parts of the globe. In Brazil you can get hold of the device at Ponto Frio as well as Fast Shop.
EE Now Covers Half of the UK with 4G Thanks to 13 Added Cities
Those of you on EE’s 4G network might be happy to taunt others about speeds but now you might have something else to taunt your friends about. EE now covers half of the country in 4G LTE with the introduction of the following new cities: Bradford, Bingley, Doncaster, Dudley, Harpenden, Leicester, Lichfield, Loughborough, Luton, Reading, Shipley, St Albans and West Bromwich. Do any of you have access to 4G on EE?