“Twice the Detail, Twice the Fun”: ASUS Teases Its Upcoming Tablet for Mobile World Congress
All we can think of after watching this video is the Eee Pad Transformer Prime TF700T which was unveiled at CES. The Transformer Prime TF700T features a higher resolution 10.1-inch 1080p 1920×1200 SuperIPS+ display (the Transformer Prime TF201 that’s on sale right now has a 1280x and a revised rear cover for better GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth performance. The front camera has also been uprated to a 2MP unit from the 1.2MP shooter in the original Transformer Prime.
But then again, why tease a device that’s already been unveiled?
Speaking of teasers, ASUS also released a teaser video for its Padfone earlier. In case you’re wondering, the “1 + 1 + 1 = endless possibilities” suggests the Padfone consists of a phone, a tablet and a dock – or something like that.
iFactory: An Inside Look at the Foxconn Factory that Makes Apple Products
Apple and Foxconn opened its door to the media for the first time amidst controversy surrounding weeks of intense scrutiny on worker treatment at Foxconn and other Apple suppliers in China. This is the first time ever cameras are allowed inside Apple’s Foxconn factory in China.
What are your thoughts?
This is HTC’s New Flagship Android, the One X
This is the first official press photo of HTC’s newest flagship Android device, the One X. The One X is expected to make its global debut this Sunday and it appears that the styling of the device has undergone some tweaks since we first saw it a little over a week ago. The most obvious of these design tweaks is the removal of the “search” navigation button to reflect the Android 4.0 standard.
Information on specs is still sketchy at the moment but the persistent among these rumours say that the new HTC will feature a 4.7-inch 720p Super LCD screen, a 8MP rear camera with a backlit sensor and NFC along with Sense 4.0.
Frankly speaking we’re kind of disappointed with HTC’s design language. It looks like they have moved very little from the Desire in terms of design. All HTCs look the same in our view, even this new one, it just looks like a bigger HTC Sensation. What do you think?
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Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OTA Update Now Available for ASUS Eee Pad Transformer
UPDATE: Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich OTA Update for ASUS Eee Pad Transformer now available. Update via About Tablet under settings.
ASUS announced via Facebook that it has started rolling out ICS OTA update for the Eee Pad Transformer TF101. Transformer users in Taiwan will be the first to get the update which will then be released to the rest of the world soon soon after that.
ASUS initially planned for the Eee Pad Transformer to get ICS in January but then delayed it till late January, mid-February, and then February / March. Still, better late than never.
Announcement on the ICS rollout from ASUS available after the jump if you want to take a look.
HTC Drops Second Clue for Its Upcoming Device
HTC has dropped a second clue for its upcoming device, this time it’s from HTC Malaysia via Facebook. Still, nothing much is being revealed except that now we can probably deduce that the number in the clue signifies a countdown to the launch day happening this Sunday rather than the number of devices that will be launched or the number of processor cores that the device will have.
There’s also the description that says “you’ll hear something authentic”. This pretty much suggests that the new device will also feat Beats technology, hopefully this time around the sound technology is more deeply integrated into the device rather than just a software enhancement that we’re currently seeing in the current crop of HTC Beats phones.
Other than that, there’s really very little else we can see in the clue. Just four more days to Sunday, You guys excited? We’re hoping HTC gets their groove back and start impressing us with great, quality devices at reasonable pricing.
LG Announces the Optimus 4X HD, Successor to the Optimus 2X
With announcement after announcement after announcement, it looks like LG is gearing up for an enthusiastic showing at MWC next week. After the Optimus Vu, the Optimus L series of phones and the Optimus 3D Max, LG today announced the Optimus 4X HD, the successor to the Optimus 2X.
The Optimus 4X HD brings a 4.7-inch True HD IPS display with 1280×800 resolution and a pixel density of around 320ppi. Naturally, the Optimus 4X will get the latest Nvidia’s Tegra 3 processor with its 4-PLUS-1 architecture, featuring four performance cores handling graphic intensive tasks and one companion core for everything else. There’s also 1GB of RAM and 16GB on-board memory. In the imaging department, the Optimus 4X HD comes with an 8MP rear camera and 1.3MP front camera, both should be capable of shooting HD videos. There’s also a 2,150mAh battery that should offer up good stamina and the 8.9mm thick shell should make the Optimus 4X HD svelte as well.
The Optimus 4X HD will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. The device is expected to go on sale in Europe around the second quarter of this year. We’re thinking you can expect the device to come to Malaysia around the same time.
Compelling Theory Suggests Nokia’s N8 Successor is Mightily Impressive
There’s a lot of speculation in the air as to what Nokia will unveil at MWC. The teaser video they released yesterday suggests a device with a really high definition camera is on the cards but what exactly is the Nokia trying to tell us?
Greek tech blog Pestaola see the video in a different perspective and postulates that the video is actually a highly detailed picture, possibly one taken using this mysterious Nokia device. So essentially the video we saw were panning shots of a really impressive still image. It’s an interesting spin and it is definitely one that we can agree with. Just look at the screen grabs for yourself, the case is very compelling
So what can we expect from Nokia? Well, possible the best camera on a smartphone to date, also possibly one that can produce pictures with quality comparable to that of a DSLR. Ok, maybe the latter is wishful thinking but even so, if the teaser video is what the Greek blogger says it is, Nokia can just shut up and take our money – unless of course the device runs Symbian, which we hope it won’t.
Sony Xperia S UI Overview
We’re treating the review of the Sony Xperia S like a work in progress so expect more videos to come soon but in the meantime, have a look at this video where we talked briefly about the tweaks and enhancements Sony has made to the UX skin on the Xperia S. We also highlighted some minor gripes that we have with the device.
Despite that and despite the fact that we’ve only had a couple of days with the device, the Xperia S is potentially one of the best smartphone Sony (Ericsson) has ever produced. Stay tuned for our full review.
Related post:
Unboxed: Sony Xperia S
HTC Says “Something Fast” Is Coming This Sunday
HTC dropped a teaser on its global Facebook page saying that “something fast” is coming this Sunday and we have no idea what it is. The only clue that came with the teaser was an illustration of a presumably upcoming device with the number “5” prominently displayed on the screen.
We’re completely stumped as to what this could be. The two popular guesses at the moment are: 1) HTC launching 5 new devices at MWC or 2) HTC launching a 5-inch device.
Considering that HTC has mentioned that it will be adopting the “less is more” approach this year, we don’t think the Taiwanese company will be introducing five new devices at MWC. A 5-inch phone does seem plausible judging by the information gathered from the rumoured quad-core phone from HTC but that’s not certain either.
Till Sunday we shall wait then. In the meantime, drop us your predictions.