Latest Mobile Phone News

If you have always believed that big was good, Nokia gives you a reason to rethink. The new Nokia 700 is not only Nokia’s most compact smartphone in the Symbian range, it is the most compact NFC enabled touch monoblock smartphone in the world. Incorporated with the single-tap NFC capabilities, sharing files and pairing devices have never been easier with the Nokia 700. NFC technology has some remarkable peer-to-peer communication capabilities, which allows transfer of information by simply bringing two phones close and tapping each other. This is a tremendously convenient feature for individuals uncomfortable with technology and find Bluetooth and transfer information like business cards and music time consuming and cumbersome. NFC also has a reader which allows an NFC enabled device to upload and download any information that is on an electronic NFC enabled board.

The phones comes with a powerful 1 Ghz processor with a 3.2 AMOLED ClearBlack display, 2GB of internal memory (expandable upto 32GB), HD video capture and a 5MP full focus camera making it highly desirable for people looking for a device which is small but powerfully packed with features.  The Nokia 700, based on the latest Symbian upgrade Belle, is also Nokia’s most eco-friendly smartphone. With an all new UI, long battery life, extensive use of eco-friendly materials and features to minimize battery consumption, the Nokia 700 is the perfect smartphone for any environmentally-conscious smartphone user. It will be available in colours black, white and coral-black.

Popularity: 10%

Motorola has had its share of ups and downs this year, with fabulous showstoppers in the beginning of the year with the Motorola Atrix 4G and the Motorola Xoom, and a rather long lull following that. We were promised the Droid Bionic in January, but only managed to get our hands on it nine months later. In the meantime, Motorola did release the Photon 4G, which we admire for its dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and 4G speeds in the form of Sprint’s WiMax. Yet, when the Droid Bionic was released, we definitely thought it was worth the wait. It, too, has a dual-core processor, but it has 4G in the form of Verizon’s blazing-fast LTE. The two phones are very similar in terms of features, but the design and performance differences certainly show. We pit the two against each other to see which sibling emerges victorious.

Popularity: 2%

Nokia’s loudest entertainment smartphone at 106 phons is a music lover’s dream. It comes with built-in FM radio antenna which means you can finally listen to radio without having to use headphones. The smartphone has NFC technology incorporated into it which allows content to be shared between devices with a single tap. It also allows the Nokia 600 smartphone to pair with NFC-enabled mobile accessories such as speakers, Bluetooth headphones and headsets.  NFC technology has some remarkable peer-to-peer communication capabilities, which allows transfer of information by simply bringing two phones close and tapping each other. This is a tremendously convenient feature for individuals uncomfortable with technology and find Bluetooth and transfer information like business cards and music time consuming and cumbersome.

NFC also has a reader which allows an NFC enabled device to upload and download any information that is on an electronic NFC enabled board.  The Nokia 600 comes with a 1 GHz processor; an all new UI,  5MP full focus camera with LED flash, HD video capture and 2GB of internal memory with ability to increase to 34GB using a 32GB microSD card. An FM transmitter enables the user to broadcast music from the phone to any FM radio. Finally, the phone has 60 hours of music playback time, an incredibly powerful internal loudspeaker and the ability to stream music wirelessly to NFC-enabled accessories. The device will be available in colours black, white and white lime. Ideal for youngsters looking for smartphones with the best quality sound and value for money, the Nokia 600 smartphone delivers big sound and a great personality in a small package.

Popularity: 9%

For Android users and those who are ready to jump ship (or jump into) the Google mobile operating system at 4G speeds, there’s a relatively low-cost smartphone coming your way: the under-$100 Pantech Breakout. Coming out Thursday (Sept.22), it’ll be available through Verizon Wireless for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. As is common practice with so many companies now, the rebate will come in the form of a debit card to be used anywhere you’d normally use one. In contrast, the recently released dual-core Motorola Droid Bionic retails for $299.99.  The phone is being promoted as a 4G/Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)/one gigahertz processor-powered (non-Droid) device with download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G mobile broadband coverage areas. If you have one of these, you may very well be the life of the online party when others can’t get a fix on the free Wi-Fi: the Breakout can also serve as a 4G LTE mobile hotspot that can support up to 10 Wi-Fi devices.  It also comes with a sizable, 4-inch touchscreen and pre-loaded with YouTube, Google Maps and a host of other Google products. Apps and other downloads should be able to fit on its 8 GB pre-installed microSD card. Its on-screen QWERTY keyboard also incorporate Swype, so you can write your texts in fluid lines vs. tapping. It may not be for everyone, but if you get the hang of it, it can prove addictive. Like any good smartphone, the Breakout comes with a camera — two, in fact. The rear-facing 5-megapixel one can capture HD video (up to 720p), while the front-facing camera can do still shots and be used for on-the-go video chats.  Safer, hands-free talking will also be easy with Bluetooth 3.0.  Customers who buy a Pantech Breakout smartphone will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 for monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

Popularity: 6%

LG, the company author of the first dual-core Android smartphone, the Optimus 2x, is reportedly ready to launch a new flagship Android phone this year “LG LU+” or LU6200. The device is not yet hitting the LG press release, so this new rumored phone should be taken with a grain of salt. The so-called LG LU6200 will include top-end specs that will compete against the most popular Samsung phone to date, the Samsung Galaxy S II or S2. The new LG Android phone will feature the 4.5-inch touchscreen with the resolution of 1280 x 720 and the phone will reportedly use the AH-IPS display technology. The Advanced High Performance In-Plane Switching screen (AH-IPS) of LG has a better color accuracy than AMOLED, the screen technology being used by Samsung.

It will also feature the pixel density of 329ppi, the same pixel density being used by Apple’s iPhone 4′s Retina screen. It is also worth mentioning that the screen resolution of the iPhone 4 is 640 x 960, so we’re very excited to see the 329ppi on a 4.5-inch screen. LG’s answer to the Samsung Galaxy S II be powered by a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, 1GB of RAM and the Adreno 220 GPU. The LG LU6200 will include NFC or Near Field Communication, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi. The LG Android phone can also shoot HD videos with the primary 8-megapixel camera and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. The device weighs 123g only, and will feature the thin profile of 10.5mm.

Popularity: 7%

The Samsung Galaxy S II, which went on sale through Sprint, just might be the nicest smartphone currently available running Google’s Android operating system. The Galaxy S II’s biggest rival to the title of king of the Androids? That would be the Motorola Droid Bionic, in my opinion. I’ve tested and used both of the 4G handsets, and although the Droid Bionic feels  like a more premium, upscale product than the Galaxy S II, in terms of materials and finishes used, the Bionic also is a bit thicker, heavier and more expensive. The Droid Bionic sells for $300 on a two-year contract exclusively through Verizon Wireless.

The Galaxy S II sells for $200 on a two-year contract through Sprint and will soon launch on T-Mobile and AT&T. Both the Droid Bionic and the Galaxy S II have similar specs with dual-core processors, 16 gigabytes of on-board storage, 8-megapixel cameras and nice, large touch displays. The Samsung Galaxy S II also is considered by many to be the largest threat at this point to the Apple iPhone 4. Want proof? Apple is suing Samsung in the U.S., Europe and Asia in an attempt to get the Galaxy S II stripped for store shelves, alleging patent infringement.

Popularity: 24%

Here we go with an interesting rumors regarding Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone, where in some accessory makers are banking on a totally redesigned look for Apple iPhone 5, nevertheless time will enlighten whether their projections hit from real inside information or are merely tales. One of the third-party accessory makers launched a new section in its website noting that Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone will have a totally different form factor from the iPhone 4, Equipped with new design for iPhone 5 with wider and thinner with an extended home button. While another accessory maker showed iPhone 5 designs with curved sides, a flat back, and a mute switch moved to the right side of the device. Furthermore the third-party accessory maker, which revealed info regarding iPhone 5 with wider and thinner with an extended home button, says that the fifth-generation iPhone will be equipped with an 8-megapixel camera, dual-core A5 processor, and wireless charging. Well, the web has already surrounded with iPhone 5’s 8-megapixel camera and A5 processor, now fascinatingly, the accessory makers are claiming regarding the wireless charging of the iPhone 5, which in fact make the contents of the page suspect. Not only this, Sources even claims that the Company will launch both an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 4S in early October, with the same form factors; A5 processor and 8-megapixel camera. On the other hand, the screen protector’s claims that Apple plans to release a redesigned iPhone this year with a larger screen and a touch-sensitive home button, rumors regarding the latest hardware have been screen shot, with some claiming it will be a totally redesigned form factor, at the same time as others have recommended the device will appear mostly the same as the iPhone 4. Apple is likely to hold an event in the coming weeks to reveal its iPhone 5 and the handset is projected to go on sale in October. So we have to wait for that time for the exact info, however yet for the meantime we will update you with all the grains regarding iPhone 5.

Popularity: 6%

University of Michigan computer scientists say even when mobile devices are in power-saving modes and not actively sending or receiving messages, they’re still on alert for incoming information and searching for a clear communication channel, which uses up battery power. This energy-taxing “idle listening” is occurring during a large portion of the time phones spend in power-saving mode and uses roughly the same amount of power as when they’re fully awake, they say. UM computer science and engineering Professor Kang Shin and doctoral student Xinyu Zhang say their new power-management approach can make smartphones perform this idle listening more efficiently. Their Energy-Minimizing Idle Listening strategy slows the WiFi hardware’s clock by up to 1/16 of its normal frequency but jolts it back to full speed when the phone notices information coming in.

Popularity: 2%

Whether Motorola’s Droid Bionic, Samsung’s Galaxy S II and Series 7 slate, Lenovo’s IdeaPad and ThinkPad, Toshiba’s ultra-thin Portege Z830, a variety of transforming devices from Asus, or a set of 7- and 10-inch tablets from Acer, this fall is looking like a particularly fertile period for any consumer (or business buyer) on the lookout for some mobile devices to call their own. As demonstrated at a recent event in New York City, Android is very much a front-and-center part of these manufacturers’ newest offerings, whether smartphones running some variant of Android 2.3 or tablets with Android 3.0. As always, those manufacturers all give their devices some added tweaks or features, in hopes of making them more attractive than rival offerings. Many of these value-adds come in the hardware department. For example, Lenovo is betting with its ThinkPad tablet that users (particularly those in business) will want to use a stylus as input in addition to fingers. Toshiba’s Portege Z830 is ultra-slim, with roughly eight hours of battery power. Research In Motion is also offering a fresh line of BlackBerry devices with sleek-looking bodies and the new BlackBerry 7 OS. Tablets are becoming more powerful, and laptops over the next few months will offer Intel’s second-generation Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. For your average consumer, the goal will be deciding on one particular smartphone, tablet or laptop among very, very many.

Popularity: 4%

HTC Runnymede, the Android phone which has recently strike the web has just now the first press image of the HTC Runnymede has surfaced. Runnymede features a massive 4.7-inch display alike to the very much an Android-powered companion phone to the just-announced; HTC Titan that has been unveiled for the Windows Phone 7 OS. HTC Runnymede will hit the market with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and is covered in an all-white chassis with 4 standard Android touch buttons. Unfortunately, no official details have been unveiled yet about the HTC Runnymede by the Company; however it’s likely to sport a 4.7-inch qHD display with WVGA resolution, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and an 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash. Further the phone is equipped with a 1.5GHz single-core processor, 768MB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB internal storage and quite interestingly, the report states that the Sound quality and image capture are said to be top-notch, with the Beats Audio-infused device allegedly presenting up a class-leading camera that might even best the highly-anticipated Apple’s iPhone 5.

Popularity: 4%

Motorola Mobility India Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Motorola Mobility, Inc has launched two budget smartphones called Motorola FIRE XT and Motorola FIRE. Google had recently acquired Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of about $12.5 billion. The company had stated that the acquisition would enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and the new launches indicate that the process has already begun. The mobile phones are powered by the Android 2.3 operating system and are available for a price of Rs 13,890 and Rs 9,990 for Motorola FIRE XT and Motorola FIRE respectively.  Motorola FIRE XT has a 3.5 inch touchscreen display and runs on the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS. It has a 5 mega pixel auto focus camera with in-built flash and a front facing camera for video chat. Motorola FIRE has a 2.8 inch touchscreen display and a full QWERTY keyboard and runs on the same OS as FIRE XT. It also has a 3 mega pixel rear camera.

The internal memory of both the devices can be extended up to 32GB with the help of a microSD card (a 2GB microSD card is provided in the box). Both the mobile phones allow users to switch between friends and work-centric modes depending on their requirements with the new MOTO Switch user interface. Both are 3G/ Wi-Fi enabled and support 3G hotspot for connecting up to 5 devices. They devices have FM Radio with radio data system (RDS) support and provide access to Google Maps, Google Talk and Gmail. They also have an assisted global positioning system (aGPS). “With easy multitasking and contact management, faster and easier interactions, the Motorola FIRE XT and Motorola FIRE make for a great mobile experience at a great price,” said Rajan Chawla, Mobile Devices business country head-sales and operations, India and South West Asia, Motorola Mobility.

Popularity: 5%

Is Samsung planning to ditch Microsoft’s mobile operating system already? Over the weekend, a Samsung-focused tech blog triggered speculation around the blogosphere that Samsung will stop making Windows Phone devices by 2013. Samsung will end Windows Phone support by the end of 2012. Responding to an avalanche of responses, Windows Phone market is smaller than Samsung’s own OS bada. The Samsung Focus S and Flash are follow-ups to the best-selling Windows Phone in the U.S., 2010′s Samsung Focus. AT&T also plans to launch the HTC Titan, another Mango device, in the fall. The next version of Windows Phone, codenamed Mango, will feature a host of new features, including the ability to create groups in the People hub. Facebook will be deeply integrated into many aspects of the OS, and email and Office will all receive an upgrade. Additionally, Mango will feature support for multitasking, which can ultimately lead to home-screen tiles being updated with data from apps running in the background.

Popularity: 21%

The Amazon tablet may soon be upon us. And unlike some other tablet manufacturers that tried—and failed—to bend the touch-screen market in their favor, the online retailer has a sizable chance of leaving a lasting impact. TechCrunch’s MG Siegler recently had an opportunity to play with an early version of the tablet and, in lieu of being able to snap photographs, did his best to describe its capabilities. In addition to a custom Android interface (complete with a tabbed Android Webkit browser and a dock for displaying available books and movies), the device offers a 7-inch screen and 6GB of internal storage for books and applications. Those hardware features aren’t necessarily enough to rock Apple’s iPad back on its heels or carve out a sizable niche among the Android tablets currently on store shelves. However, Amazon offers an Android applications storefront in addition to a full collection of multimedia offerings, which could allow it to compete head-to-head against Apple’s iTunes and App Store. Other tablet manufacturers have been slow to build robust multimedia hubs, and their products rely on Google’s Android Marketplace for apps.

Popularity: 2%

The same week I bought myself a shiny new Galaxy S II, they launched a solar-powered netbook for use in the developing world. Unlike any American or European company, Samsung Electronics manufactures smartphones and their memory chips, TVs and their screens, computers and their hard drives. They’re the only entity that’s both arms dealer and aggressor in the midst of the biggest arms race the tech world has ever seen. (Meanwhile, their sister companies in theSamsung Group build both ships and skyscrapers, sell life insurance, and operate theme parks.) Their revenue exceeds that of Apple or Microsoft, and their global reach is unparalleled.

Sure, they’re fighting a massive patent war with Apple around the world – but at the same time,every iPhone is 26% Samsung; even if they lose every legal battle, every iPad/iPhone/iTouch sale will still cha-ching in part into Samsung’s coffers. Their flagship phones and devices are Android, but they also maintain their own entirely separate Bada smartphone platform, and have even kept one finger in the MeeGo pie, while declining to acquire it. Oh, yes, and they’re also apparently launching a Windows 8 tablet any day now.

Popularity: 21%

After some months of only supporting a few select Android devices, Netflix has rolled out a new update that should work on all Android smartphones running Froyo or Gingerbread. According to Google’s developer page, supporting both 2.2 and 2.3 should account for around 80 percent of all Android devices. It’s about time we saw Netflix offer blanket support based on the version of Android instead of only working on certain phones. If you’re going to keep your app from working on certain devices, using the Android version number is a much more logical delimiter that’s slightly less prone to cause people to complain about fragmentation on the platform. Unfortunately, that fragmentation issue hasn’t completely gone away. Official Android tablet support is still only turned on for specific devices instead of working across the board for everything running Honeycomb, a situation we hope to see resolved soon. Whether you try to pin that on Netflix for not fully testing its app on enough devices or on Google for failing to offer robust APIs which wouldn’t require Netflix to do just that is pretty much moot. The bottom line is that for a certain class of apps like Netflix and 3D games, we’re not completely out of the Android fragmentation woods yet.

Popularity: 3%