LG G Flex to arrive in Europe soon

lg-g-flex-worldwideFor those living in South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, you would most probably have seen people carry the LG G Flex around already, which so happens to be the first smartphone in the world that was specially designed for it to follow the curve of the human face. Hmmm, this certainly brings back memories of the Nokia handset that Neo used in the Matrix, where it had a curved bottom, no? The Banana Phone, if I am not mistaken. Well, this just goes to prove how fashion recycles trends from before, although the LG G Flex is light years ahead of Nokia’s archaic device in terms of hardware technology. We now have word that LG is preparing to roll out the LG G Flex to over 20 countries in Europe soon.

Among the major European markets where you will find the LG G Flex, they would include the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Sweden and Austria, among others. This is a surefire way of attracting attention, as the LG G Flex sports a 6” display that relies on Plastic OLED (P-OLED) technology, and it will also make use of the world’s first curved battery. Apart from that, there is another feather in its distinguished crown, that is, this is the first handset that boasts of a self-healing coating on the back cover. This means you need not worry yourself sick too much about minor scratches and nicks happening, as just like Wolverine’s body, it ought to shrug off such scratches without batting an eyelid.

Other hardware specifications of the LG G Flex include a quad-core 2.26GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM 8974) processor with an Adreno 330 450MHz GPU, a 1280 x 720 resolution 6” curved P-OLED (Real RGB) display, 2GB RAM, 32GB of internal memory, a 13MP shooter at the back with a front-facing 2.1MP camera, a 3,500mAh battery, and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean as the mobile operating system of choice. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) alongside NFC support.

Press Release
[ LG G Flex to arrive in Europe soon copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Gartner: Android and Samsung dominate the phone market in Q1

Gartner Android and Samsung dominate the phone market in Q1

If you’ve been following the trends, Gartner’s mobile phone market figures for the first quarter of 2013 won’t surprise. The research firm estimates that Android was on 74.4 percent of all smartphones sold in the period, with Samsung the key beneficiary of such dominance. While the Korean behemoth doesn’t release solid sales figures, Gartner believes its market-flooding strategy has paid off, topping the league with 30.8 percent market share — Apple has a firm grip on second place, with 18.2 percent, which is well ahead of LG, which has 4.8 percent. Samsung is also king of the mobile phone space, owning 23.6 percent of the market, ahead of Nokia, which has fallen to 14.8 percent share. Gartner’s research also found that feature phone sales are slowing, so we guess that it’s only a matter of time before the humble candybar goes the way of the netbook.

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Via: TechCrunch

Source: Gartner

Accel Telecom launches Voyager Connected Car Smartphone

Accel Telecom is an Israeli communications company that offers a wide range of products. The company has unveiled its latest product called the Voyager Connected Car Smartphone. The device is designed to be easily installed into any car and uses an existing phone number via a twin-SIM.

voyager-accel

The manufacturer promises that the Connected Car Smartphone provides drivers with a safer and superior connected car experience while behind the wheel. The smartphone device uses Android technology combined with a HSUPA QUALCOMM module for driver centric services and is designed to reduce distracted driving. The smartphone device has a dedicated Waze launcher and comes with multiple applications that are designed for use in the car.

The device offers hands-free dialing, large physical keys that are easy to hit while driving, and promises clear and echo free sound quality. The device also provides an in-car 3G Wi-Fi hotspot allowing you to connect other devices to the Internet. The Voyager is also designed to plug into the vehicles OBD port allowing for car diagnostics and for the operation of fleet management applications.

The device uses the Android user interface and promises a high level of noise reduction and echo cancellation. The Voyager integrates with Google and Exchange services. The device is voice activated and the OBD connectivity can be accomplished via Bluetooth or using RS232. Pricing and availability information for the device are unknown at this time.

[via Accel]


Accel Telecom launches Voyager Connected Car Smartphone is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Gartner: smartphone sales up 47 percent in Q3, Android’s OS market share increases (updated)

Gartner: smartphone sales up 47 percent in Q3, Android's OS market share increases (updated)

Third quarter figures from Gartner are out, reporting worldwide mobile phone sales slowed again in Q3 2012. Smartphones, however, showed a 46.9 percent increase in sales over the same period last year, with 169.2 million units sold. As you would imagine, Apple and Samsung sold the most, accounting for almost half of all worldwide smartphone purchases. Nokia sales declined during the quarter, and with only 7.2 million of its smartphones filling customers’ hands, its ranking in this segment plummeted from third to seventh (although Gartner expects sales of the new Lumia devices should soften the fall in Q4). In contrast, Apple had a solid quarter, with sales up 36.2 percent year-on-year, which is expected to continue into the fourth quarter as the iPhone 5 launches in more markets. Samsung didn’t do too bad either, increasing sales by 18.6 percent year-on-year thanks to its Galaxy range (although it’s important to note this figure is for total phone sales, not just smartphones). In the OS wars, Android continued to grow its market share up to 72.4 percent, with iOS taking the second spot with 13.9 percent. Stalwart RIM made a leap into the top three with its BlackBerry OS, as aging Symbian saw its usage decline further. If you want to pour over the figures yourself, check out the source below.

Update: We’ve tinkered with the post to remove some confusion between total mobile phone sales and smartphone sales. None of the figures have been changed.

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Gartner: smartphone sales up 47 percent in Q3, Android’s OS market share increases (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 03:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ZTE’s U950 shows how Tegra 3 phone is done under $160

ZTE's U950 shows how Tegra 3 phone is done under $160

This might not be the $199 Tegra 3 tablet that NVIDIA’s keen to see, but hey, a 999 yuan ($160) quad-core phone is just as impressive. Unveiled in China earlier today, this ZTE U950 smartphone packs a 1.3GHz Tegra 3 chip, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 2,000mAh battery beneath the 4.3-inch display. There’s also a five-megapixel camera plus a VGA front-facing camera inside the 9mm-thick body. Pretty standard stuff for an Android 4.0 phone, except for the price-per-performance ratio, of course. The first 100,000 customers who register now will be eligible to order on November 11th, though chances are the quota’s all gone by now.

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ZTE’s U950 shows how Tegra 3 phone is done under $160 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 23:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xiaomi Phone 2 officially launching in China on October 30th, 16GB and 32GB flavors offered

Xiaomi Phone 2 officially available in China on October 30th, 16GB and 32GB flavors

With all these Snapdragon S4 Pro phones popping up here and there, Xiaomi’s finally announcing its launch plan for the retail version of its very own Xiaomi Phone 2 aka MI-Two, which is also powered by Qualcomm’s APQ8064 SoC. Here’s what’s going to happen: on October 30th, the company’s online store will release the first 50,000 units, followed by another 250,000 units (approximately) in mid-November. Additionally, the device will be offered in both 16GB and 32GB flavors, which are priced at ¥1,999 (about $320) and ¥2,299 (about $370), respectively. Folks who reside in China can now register online for a quota, but it’ll probably be just a matter of time before we see these on eBay in the US, anyway.

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Xiaomi Phone 2 officially launching in China on October 30th, 16GB and 32GB flavors offered originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 01:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS PadFone 2 review: two times is a charm for this phone-in-tablet combo

ASUS PadFone 2 review

It’s only been half a year since the peculiar PadFone made its much-delayed entry into select markets, and earlier this week, ASUS’ launch of its second-gen phone-in-tablet brings us back to this old question: are we better off with just one mobile screen instead of two? Ask any ordinary manufacturer and the answer is likely the latter, because who doesn’t want to sell more products? Similarly, carriers would likely back such manufacturers for the sake of selling more data plans, even if they admire ASUS’ efforts (and they could already be selling ASUS tablets in the first place). Some folks also argue that if you have to carry the tablet module with you anyway, you might as well have two separate devices for better multitasking.

It seems like there’s a huge mountain to climb here, but on the flip side, ASUS’ innovative differentiation does have some advantages. You only need one data plan (and no tethering required) for both form factors, you get to keep the same data in one place instead of having to duplicate them and you can pretty much instantly switch between a small screen and a large screen for the same content. Not to mention that there’s also the added functionality of charging up the phone while it’s sitting inside the tablet. Alas, the original PadFone and PadFone Station didn’t quite hit the spot: the combined weight and bulk made it tough to justify the phone-in-tablet idea, which is why we said it’s all about the PadFone 2 in our review. Let’s see if ASUS has done it right this time ’round.

Continue reading ASUS PadFone 2 review: two times is a charm for this phone-in-tablet combo

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ASUS PadFone 2 review: two times is a charm for this phone-in-tablet combo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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KDDI unveils HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), the first phone with 5-inch 1080p display

KDDI unveils HTC J butterfly HTL21, the first phone with 5inch 1080p display

We’ve been hearing about a certain 5-inch HTC phablet for Verizon since July, but it looks like its Japanese counterpart may actually hit the market first. Unveiled by KDDI as the HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), this Android 4.1 device is the first announced phone to feature a 5-inch, 440ppi full-HD “Super LCD 3” panel, and it’s fittingly complemented by a 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 underneath, making this the latest member in the small family of Snapdragon S4 Pro phones. There’s an eight-megapixel camera that naturally handles 1080p video at the back, accompanied by a 2.1-megapixel front-facing imager. Other details include 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSDHC expansion, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), NFC, LTE and CDMA/GSM/UMTS/GPRS radios — that’s right, it’s a global device. Not bad for a 140g package, and it’s waterproof as well, rated at IPX5. But the question is how well will the 2,020mAh battery last under that super dense LCD and high-end processor? Only time will tell — even KDDI has yet to finalize this part of the specs. Folks on the KDDI network can grab hold of this powerful phone in early December, with a choice of red, white or black.

Update: HTC confirmed to us that this phablet will use panels supplied by Sharp and JDI.

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KDDI unveils HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), the first phone with 5-inch 1080p display originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 01:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS PadFone 2 vs PadFone 1… hang out!

ASUS PadFone 2 vs PadFone 1 hang out!

While getting their hands dirty with the ASUS PadFone 2, our guys over at Engadget Chinese also had the chance to compare it with the OG PadFone, and they came back with a generous batch of side-by-side shots. Here you can see how the phone itself is almost just a scaled-up copy of its predecessor, while the new PadFone Station slate loses some body fat by shedding the original docking bay cover, and we’re certain that the battery has become denser and lighter as well to achieve this amazing diet — we’re talking about losing just over 200g here! Also apparent is the new 13-pin dock connector (MHL plus concurrent data, display and power) at the bottom of both the phone and the tablet. For the rest, we shall let your eyes do the work in the gallery below. Enjoy!

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ASUS PadFone 2 vs PadFone 1… hang out! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 03:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS PadFone 2 unveiled in Taiwan, boasts quad-core CPU, LTE, NFC and lighter tablet (video)

ASUS PadFone 2 unveiled in Taiwan, packs quadcore chip, NFC and lighter tablet

Today’s no doubt a big day for ASUS: while chairman Jonney Shih is gearing up to introduce the PadFone 2 in Milan later today, we just saw CEO Jerry Shen wowing the crowd with the same phone-in-tablet combo back in Taipei. Just as the recent leaks have shown, ASUS’ surprisingly quick follow-up to the original PadFone is simply bigger and better in many ways, notably with a screen upgrade to 4.7-inch 720p Super IPS+ panel (with up to 550nits brightness thanks to Sharp’s IGZO technology), Qualcomm’s awesome quad-core APQ8064 SoC instead of its dual-core sibling, 13-megapixel f/2.4 BSI sensor from Sony, 1.2-megapixel front camera, and a much slimmer PadFone Station slate — partly because it no longer features a docking bay cover! New owners will be greeted by Android Ice Cream Sandwich, but ASUS promises a Jelly Bean upgrade soon. There’s much more than meets the eyes so read on to find out more.

Continue reading ASUS PadFone 2 unveiled in Taiwan, boasts quad-core CPU, LTE, NFC and lighter tablet (video)

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ASUS PadFone 2 unveiled in Taiwan, boasts quad-core CPU, LTE, NFC and lighter tablet (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 01:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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