ZTE Introduce Intel-Powered Smartphone With 2 Ghz Processor
Intel are trying their very best to get more and more chips into people’s pockets, as well as their laptops and desktops. So far, they’ve not had much luck in the West but, in emerging markets like India and others, there’s more hope for Intel’s affordable Atom chips. The ZTE Geek was quietly introduced recently and while it’s not the best looking smartphone, it comes with some good specs and should be selling soon for a decent price. Check out my post here for more info.
ASUS FonePad hits South Asia
ASUS fans in Malaysia have something to be happy about, as the new FonePad is launching there for RM 849. You might not remember the FonePad from this year’s MWC but, essentially it’s an Intel-powered 7-inch tablet that can be used as a phone as well. The best of both worlds! It’s a well-built device that ships with mostly stock Android and doesn’t appear to be too expensive. Read more about the FonePad, including specs here.
Pink HTC Butterfly to Go On Sale in Taiwan From April 30th
We all know and love the HTC Butterfly right? Here in the west we know it as the Droid DNA but, in Asia it’s always been HTC’s Butterfly. It’s a stunning device and depending on what you think about smartphone colors, it might be getting a little more appealing. Starting from April 30th – in honor of Mother’s Day – the HTC Butterfly will be available in a new Pink color.
Alcatel One Touch Idol and Idol Ultra Launch in India
Alcatel have been making a name for themselves recently and in India they might become a little more popular, as the One Touch Idol and the One Touch Idol Ultra launch there. Specs for the One Touch Idol:
- 4.5-inch (540 x 960 Pixels) qHD IPS
- 1 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6577 processor
- Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
- 8MP auto focus rear camera with LED flash, 720p HD video recording
- 2MP HD 720p front-facing camera
- 7.9 mm thick
- 3.5mm audio jack, Micro SIM
- 512MB RAM, 4 GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32 GB with micro SD
- 3G HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
- 1800 mAh battery
And specs for the One Touch Idol Ultra:
- 4.7-inch (720 x 1280 pixels) HD AMOLED display
- 1.2 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6577 processor
- Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
- 8MP auto focus rear camera with LED flash, 720p HD video recording
- 1.3MP HD 720p front-facing camera
- 6.45 mm thick
- 3.5mm audio jack
- 1GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory
- 3G HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
- 1800 mAh battery
These are a pair of decent Android smartphones and while they’re nothing too fantastic, for everyday use they will be perfectly fine. The One Touch Idol is to go on sale for RS 15,800 and the One Touch Idol Ultra for RS 21,000
Xiaomi President Lin Bin Hopes to Sell 15 Million Handsets This Year; Can They Do It?
You might know of Xiaomi as the company behind the MIUI ROMs and the Mi-2 handsets. They make incredibly decent smartphones at brilliant prices, because they sell their devices at the bill of materials. Well, the President of Xiaomi, Lin Bin has been speaking at Dive Into Mobile 2013 and he hopes to sell 15 Million smartphones in 2013. Do you think they can do it?
Could Oppo’s Rumored R809T Be the World’s Thinnest Smartphone?
The above picture is another leaked image of what could become the world’s thinnest smartphone from Oppo. This isn’t the first time that Oppo has been making super-thin smartphones but, the question is, can Oppo deliver a device that’s thin, affordable and powerful all in one?
HTC First-esque 606w Spotted in China
Here in the west, the HTC First is making quiet waves thanks to being an affordable Android phone that ships with stock Android – once you disable Facebook Home – and it looks like China is going to be getting a device similar to it soon. The 606w looks like the First and could well be launching in China soon, read more here.
Pantech Vega Iron Now Official; 5-inch Smartphone With No Bezel
Okay, so there is some bezel but, compared to other smartphones you’d hardly notice it. Our South Korean readers are going to be pleased by this news, if they’ve been looking forward to a sleek device from Pantech with no bezel in sight that is. The Vega Iron is a good-looking device with some powerful internals, and one of the slimmest bezels on the market today. Read more here, including specs.
ZTE N988 Leaks Out; Another Large Device from ZTE
Here’s some more leaked news for you, it looks like ZTE could be preparing another large-screened device. The 5.7-inch N988 has leaked out and could well be coming with a 1280 x 720 display, powered by a quad-core 1.5 Ghz CPU and 2GB of RAM. Would something like this be a successful device for ZTE?
HTC One Available for Pre-Order in China
Chinese readers waiting for the One will be happy to hear that they can now go ahead and pre-order the device on China Unicom, China Telecom and China Mobile. On China Unicom and China Mobile, the device is up for pre-order at RMB $4888 and is slated to ship come April 26th. If you pre-order the device you get a free HTC Mini and special UEFA Champions League casing. As for users on China Telecom, you’ll be able to purchase the device for RMB $4890.
Samsung Galaxy S IV Officially Launches in China; Processor type Confusing as Ever
The good news is that the Galaxy S IV is to go on sale really soon in China. The bad news is that things are just as confusing as they’ve always been when it comes to Samsung’s mobile devices. There are four version going up for sale in China, the International Version and then one for each of the three carriers. The International Version (GT-I9500), the dual-SIM China Unicom (GT-I9502) and the China Telecom (GT-I9589) versions are all launching with the Exynos 5 Octa. China Mobile’s GT-I9508 however is said to be shipping with the Snapdragon 600.
Huawei’s Ascend Mate Up for Grabs in Australia
You might remember the Ascend Mate from this year’s CES, if you don’t head here for specs and a refresher. Australian readers will soon be able to get their hands on the device, as it’s now listed as shipping in two days from retailer Harvey Norman for a respectable AUD$429. If you’re looking for a massive phone, and the Galaxy Note II doesn’t cut it, then give this 6.1-inch monster a try!
Samsung Launch Galaxy S IV In Romania by Flying It In
Samsung have been having some fun with the Galaxy S IV, riding the wave of its hype for some time now and in Romania they took things one step further. They had the device flown in by helicopter to celebrate its launch, with James Bond music and all. Take a look at the video below: