So far we’ve seen drop tests involving iPhones, iPads, Galaxy S III and Note II. So what about Windows Phone? The Nokia Lumia 920 with its polycarbonate unibody design should be a tough contender when it comes to daily abuses.

True enough, it managed to survive drops from different heights including a toss by a toddler. The large 4.5″ HD screen still manages to function well even after being dropped with major impact to the sides. Looks like the Lumia 920 is living up as a successor to the “indestructible” Nokia 3310.

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	Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Windows Phone
	drop test, nokia, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 920 drop test, Nokia Lumia 920 Malaysia, Windows Phone 8

We’re in Singapore for HTC’s regional launch of the HTC One X+, Windows Phone 8X and 8S. The 8X and 8S from HTC are dubbed first signature Windows Phone devices which runs on the latest Windows Phone 8 while the One X+ is their latest flagship for the Android platform.

To recap on the specs, the HTC One X+ is a bumped up version of its earlier HTC One X smart phone that comes with a large 4.7″ Super LCD2 display. The internals have been upgraded with newer quad-core Tegra 3 AP37 processor running at 1.6GHz and it comes with 64GB of on-board storage. In addition, it also comes with 25GB of dropbox cloud storage for 2 years. It still retains the same Super LCD2 display pushing 1280×720 pixels, 1GB of RAM and the snappy 8MP shooter with image sense.

The front facing camera has been upgraded to a 1.6MP shooter and the built-in non-removable battery has been increased to 2,100mAh capacity. It runs on the current Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense UI. With all the extra upgrades, it still maintain the same 8.9mm thickness but with a slight increase of 5 grams in weight. The HTC One X+ will be available in mid-November which is about 2 weeks from now.

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	Android, HTC, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Windows Phone
	HTC, HTC One X, HTC One X Plus, HTC One X Plus Malaysia, HTC WIndows Phone 8, HTC Windows Phone 8S, HTC Windows Phone 8S Malaysia, HTC Windows Phone 8X, HTC Windows Phone 8X Malaysia, HTC Windows Phone 8X Price, Windows Phone 8

Click for larger image

This picture was tweeted by The Verge’s Senior Editor Vlad Savov and it blew our minds! The low light performance of the Nokia Lumia 920 is simply unmatched. It’s not just against the HTC One X where the Lumia 920 dominates, we have low light sample shots comparing the Nokia with the iPhone 5, the Galaxy S III and the HTC One X, and still the Lumia wins hands down. Even against Nokia’s own epic PureView 808, the Lumia 920 shines. The tests are of course by no means scientific but they do offer an indication of how good the camera on the Lumia 920 is with its low light mode and optical image stabilisation.

There’s no doubt that Nokia’s flagship contender is a potential imaging champion but is camera prowess enough to bring the brand back to the top of the smartphone food chain? We’re not so sure.

In Nokia’s defense, it’s not their fault. It’s Microsoft. Windows Phone, especially in its latest iteration is excellent and wonderfully refreshing with so much to like and enjoy but in Malaysia, Microsoft has yet to overcome the local app availability issue. There are some great Windows Phone apps out there but many are not available to Malaysians. Compounding the issue is the lack of local apps built for Windows Phone.

Apps like MayBank2U, GSC, Malaysian Airlines and Air Asia are not yet available on Windows Phone and judging by the way things are going, it’s safe to assume that many of these useful apps won’t be available anytime soon.

Update: Apps for Maybank2U and Malaysian Airlines are available for Windows Phone. Thanks for info, ninecars in the comments section.

You might say: “lack of apps, so what? It’s only one problem.” The thing is, lack of apps is not just one problem, it is the problem. Apps put the smart in smartphones and when you discover that a limited number is available to you when other platforms have over 700,000 to offer, you’ll find that something as attractive as Windows Phone can quickly lose its appeal.

So can an awesome camera sell Nokia phones? It might win the battle but it’s going to take a whole lot more than that to win the smartphone war.

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	Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Windows Phone
	Low light mode, microsoft, nokia, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 920 camera, Nokia Lumia 920 camera performance, Nokia Lumia 920 low light, Nokia Lumia 920 low light mode, Nokia Lumia 920 vs, windows phone, Windows Phone 8

Samsung has renewed its devotion to Windows platform with its ATIV line up which was revealed at IFA. It consists of a ATIV S smart phone, ATIV Tab running on Windows RT and ATIV Smart PC hybrid computer that comes with a detachable keyboard dock. With a family of devices, collaborative work should be seamless whether it is on a phone, Windows RT running tablet or a full fledged Windows 8 laptop.

In the video above, it is rather strange to just leave a keyboard around and be lucky enough to have it available at the right time and place. Hit play to watch the 1:50 promo video.

	Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Samsung, Windows Phone
	Samsung, Samsung ATIV, Samsung Ativ S, Samsung ATIV S Malaysia, Samsung ATIV SmartPC, Samsung ATIV SmartPC Pro, Samsung ATIV Tab, Samsung ATIV Tab Malaysia, Windows, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Windows RT, WP8

HTC has announced last night its latest line up of Windows Phone 8 devices – HTC Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S. In the event which was held together with Microsoft, these new devices are considered signature devices for the new Windows Phone 8 platform where both parties are working closely together. Obviously such announcement won’t go too easy on Nokia which has been aggressively pushing Windows Phone all the way with its Lumia range.

When Windows Phone was first announced in 2010, HTC introduces a wide variety of models that is almost too similar with its Android models such as the HTC Desire and Desire HD. For Windows Phone 7.5, they have introduced HTC Titan and HTC Radar which looked slightly refreshed.

This year, HTC went with a totally new design which they worked from ground up. As a result, this year’s Windows Phone 8 looked nothing like other HTC smart phones that we’ve seen. The new 8X and 8S comes with a unibody like plastic shell with a choice of vibrant colours, an approach which is seen as taking a leaf out of Lumia’s design book.

HTC Windows Phone 8X
Similar to the HTC One series naming convention, the 8X is HTC’s flagship device for the Windows Phone platform. Like its rivals, it features a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 Processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage which is non expandable. Over at the front it has a 4.3″ Super LCD2 display that does HD 720p resolution and it is toughen with Gorilla Glass 2.

The differentiator of the 8X is its beats audio enhancement which comes with a exclusive built-in amp for both head phone jack and speaker. Next is the camera where it features the same 8MP found on the HTC One X which comes with backlit sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 28mm lens and dedicated HTC Imagechip. The front of the camera is a key highlight as well with a wide angle 2.1MP camera with f/2.0 aperture that does full 1080p video.

The 8X comes with a built-in 1,800mAh battery and it weighs 130grams which a thickness of 10.12mm. NFC connectivity also comes as standard as well but there’s no wireless charging which is found on the Lumia 920. In total, there are 4 colours to choose from – blue, black, yellow and red.

For more info on the 8X, head over to their product page.

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	HTC, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Windows Phone
	HTC, HTC Windows Phone, HTC Windows Phone 8S, HTC Windows Phone 8X, microsoft, Windows Phone 8, WP8

HTC has been rather quiet lately in the high end smart phone segment. The competition such as Samsung, Sony, Motorola and even LG has already up their game with their latest models and a new high-end model is due for the Taiwanese maker.

Now a new update of the HTC One X has surfaced which is said to be the HTC One X+. From what was leaked so far, the product facelift features an updated Quad-core Tegra 3 processor that runs at 1.6GHz (1.7GHz on single core mode), 1GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and runs on the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS with HTC Sense 4.5.

Battery capacity is reportedly unchanged at 1,800mAh but the overall weight is slightly lighter at 129grams (HTC One X: 130grams). In terms of dimensions, the source revealed a shorter height at 133.4mm (HTC One X: 134.4mm) and slight thicker profile at 9.3mm (HTC One X: 8.9mm). According to GSMArena, there might be a possibility that the One X+ might feature a larger display up to 5.0″ but this has yet to be confirmed so far.

The next device that would be revealed is HTC’s Windows Phone 8 that’s rumoured to be called the HTC 8X. It is rumoured to have a 4.3″ 720p display, dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Other details include a 8MP f/2.0 camera with 28mm lens and it also comes with NFC and Beats audio enhancement.

Both devices are expected to be revealed at HTC’s upcoming event on September 19. Head after the break for more details of the upcoming HTC 8X Windows Phone.

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	Android, HTC, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Windows Phone
	HTC, HTC 8X, HTC C620a, HTC One, HTC One X, windows phone, Windows Phone 8, WP8

Nokia has finally announced its new line up of Lumia devices with the new Lumia 920 and 820 that runs on the latest Windows Phone 8 OS. Apart from the OS, the latest Lumias have more grunt than before. In the previous line up such as the Lumia 800 and Lumia 900, the single core processor and 512MB of RAM specifications was an Achilles’ heel when it comes to paper comparison. Not any more, as the latest line up now runs on 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processors and 1GB of RAM which puts it on par with today’s smart phone.

Head after the break for a closer look at both models.

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	Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Windows Phone
	Lumia PureView, nokia, Nokia Lumia, Nokia Lumia 820, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia PureView, Windows Phone 8, WP8

Samsung has announced its ATIV Windows based product line up at IFA. The ATIV branding will be used across its new Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 devices. First up is the Samsung ATIV S smart phone which is a large Windows Phone device that features a 4.8″ HD Super AMOLED display, dual-core Qualcomm 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. The display is said to be 1280×720 and is toughen with Gorilla Glass 2. The ATIV S body has a aluminium brushed chassis that should provide a more upmarket feel than the usual polycarbonate plastics.

Over at the back it has a 8MP camera and there’s a front facing 1.9MP camera for video calls. The ATIV S comes with 16GB and 32GB storage options which is expandable via micro SD (SDXC supported). It uses a rather large 2,300mAh battery and weighs 135 grams with a thickness of just 8.7mm. In terms of connectivity, it supports HSPA+ up to 42Mbps and it even comes with NFC.

The next device is the Samsung ATIV Tab that runs on Windows RT. It comes with a 10.1″ display that does 1366×768 pixels resolution and it is powered with a dual core 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM. There are 2 storage options of 32GB and 64GB which can be expanded with micro SD. Other features include a 5MP main camera, 1.9MP front facing camera, NFC, USB port and micro HDMI. It also packs up a rather huge 8,200mAh battery but it still maintains a very slim 8.9mm profile at 570grams.

Head after the break for more photos of Samsung ATIV S and Samsung ATIV Tab.

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	Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Samsung, Windows Phone
	IFA 2012, Samsung, Samsung ATIV, Samsung Ativ S, Samsung ATIV Tab, Windows 8, Windows 8 tablet, windows phone, Windows Phone 8, WP8

Maxis has revealed its bundling plan for the Nokia Lumia 900. Retailing at RM1,799, the Nokia Lumia 900 can be yours from as low as RM959 with 24 months contract of Maxis 6GB data bolt-on plan on top of any postpaid plan from Value First (RM30/month) and above. There are other contract options available with 12, 18 and 24 months duration on 1GB and 3GB data bolt-on plans.

As an early promo, they are also giving out a Nokia Universal Portable USB Charger worth RM109 together with the Nokia Lumia 900. To recap on the specs, the Lumia 900 is the bigger sibling of the Lumia 800 with a bigger 4.3″ AMOLED Clear Black Display, comes with a front facing camera and a larger 1,830mAh battery. It still retains the same single core 1.4GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 8MP rear camera.

For more information, head over to Maxis Nokia Lumia page.

	Maxis, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Players on the Field, Windows Phone
	GSM Nokia Lumia 900, Maxis, microsoft, nokia, Nokia Lumia, Nokia Lumia 900, Nokia Lumia 900 GSM, Nokia Lumia 900 launch Malaysia, Nokia Lumia 900 Malaysia, Nokia Lumia 900 Malaysia launch, Nokia Lumia 900 Malaysia Price, Nokia Lumia 900 Maxis, Nokia Lumia 900 Price, Nokia Lumia Malaysia, windows phone, Windows Phone 7.5, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, Windows Phone Mango

After the Nokia Lumia 610, the next device we’ve been waiting for is the bigger Lumia 900. While Nokia has yet to reveal any specific dates on its availability, the device has already being spotted at several Nokia Stores in Malaysia but with the label “Coming Soon”. According to a tipster at Amanz, there’s a working unit displayed at Nokia Store Bukit Tinggi in Klang.

With the Nokia Lumia 800 being priced at RM1,499 right now, we are expecting the Lumia 900 to be priced below around the RM2,000 RM1,800 mark. In terms of specs, both are powered by 1.4GHz processor, 512MB RAM with 8MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics. What sets them apart is the screen size (4.3″ vs 3.7″), a front facing 1.3MP camera on the Lumia 900 and a larger 1,830mAh battery. For more information on the device, head over to Nokia Lumia 900 page.

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	Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Windows Phone
	GSM Nokia Lumia 900, microsoft, nokia, Nokia Lumia, Nokia Lumia 900, Nokia Lumia 900 GSM, Nokia Lumia 900 Malaysia, Nokia Lumia Malaysia, windows phone, Windows Phone 7.5, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, Windows Phone Mango