Huawei Ascend W1 hands-on: the company’s first Windows Phone 8 device (video)

Huawei Ascend W1 handson the company's first Windows Phone 8 device video

If you were following Huawei’s presser from earlier today, you may have thought the company’s CES 2013 story was “All About Android.” Turns out, it’s not. On the showfloor here at Pepcom, the company was able to give us a first look at the Ascend W1: it’s first entry for the Windows Phone 8 space. Admittedly, the W1 doesn’t share any of the lust-worthy, high-end specs that adorn the Ascend Mate and D2, but that’s not its angle. As one Huawei rep put it, this is a value proposition, outfitted with a 4-inch display (we couldn’t verify resolution) and 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 paried with 512MB RAM. Software-wise, this is about as stock WP8 as it gets, so don’t expect to see any applications come pre-loaded onto the hardware.

Dimension-wise, the W1 is a girthy phone, cutting a silhouette that’s just about 10mm — so, it stands far outside the “world’s thinnest” category that we’ve heard so much about at this CES. It also bears a bit of heft which we can’t ascribe to its battery size. At 1,950mAh, the W1 should pack enough juice to last seven to nine days on standby and given the reduced power requirements of WP8, it’s sure to get moderate users through a full day. There’s a paltry 4GB of storage onboard, but thankfully, users can augment that via a microSD slot, allowing for up to 32GB.

UI navigation on the W1 lives up to the elegant, sweeping transitions that have become trademarks of Windows Phone 8. It’s appreciably quick and responsive. And somewhat surprisingly, viewing angles on the display held up remarkably when we tilted it about in various degrees. As for that standard micro-USB port, it seems Huawei’s done something different by allocating it to the bottom right of the handset.

Wondering when and where you’ll see the W1? Well, join the club. Huawei’s remaning tight-lipped about pricing and release details, but we did manage to get a confirmation that the W1 would be US-bound this year. For now, feast your eyes on the gallery below and check out our video after the break.

Sarah Silbert contributed to this report.

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Sprint announces summer timeframe for Windows Phone 8 launch, partners with Samsung and HTC

Sprint announces summer timeframe for Windows Phone launch, partners with Samsung and HTC

Sprint’s the last of the big four carriers in the US to launch Windows Phone 8 products, but the platform’s presence on the Now Network may be closer to a reality. The company announced today that it will be launching Windows Phones this summer and will be working with HTC and Samsung to make it happen. We naturally were left without any additional details on the actual devices, but that will of course come with time as we approach the anticipated launch. Head below to get the full press release.

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Source: BusinessWire

Microsoft working on a fix for Halo 4 SmartGlass issues, arriving in ‘the coming weeks’

Microsoft working on a fix for Halo 4 SmartGlass issues, set to arrive in 'the coming weeks'

Microsoft’s SmartGlass and Microsoft’s Halo 4 apparently aren’t quite getting along on Windows Phone 8 devices. Using SmartGlass, Halo 4 players can normally access their stats and other info about their android supersoldier using the long-established Waypoint service — except for Windows Phone 8 users, apparently. A forum thread dating back to Halo 4‘s November launch highlights the issue — as Xbox.com forum user “Scion Eon” puts it: “Whenever I try to log into SmartGlass on my phone while playing Halo 4, I am immediately greeted with a message that says ‘Your device is missing certain required features.'” As it turns out, Mr. Eon isn’t the only one experiencing said connectivity issues — specific to Windows Phone 8 devices — and Microsoft’s aware of the situation.

“We are aware that there is an issue with the Xbox SmartGlass experience for ‘Halo Waypoint’ on Windows Phone 8 devices, which may prevent users from accessing Halo 4 player stats,” a Microsoft rep told us this afternoon. Thankfully, Redmond’s also taking care of a solution. “We are actively working on a fix and expect to have a solution within the coming weeks. We appreciate your patience as this gets resolved and apologize for any inconvenience this causes,” the statement reads. Of course, should you want to access Halo 4‘s Waypoint functionality on SmartGlass before that fix, you can always use Microsoft’s competitor’s devices. But then who’d do that?

[Thanks Colin!]

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Source: Xbox.com

Nokia to lock down access to Navifirm and early firmware images later this month

There’s some potentially bad news for Nokia users who were willing to dabble in untamed firmware releases via the company’s online repository. Navifirm, which has inadvertently offered several early glimpses of updates for Nokia hardware, will shutter open access to its firmware repository at the end of the month. Starting in February, the system will require a “Nokia Online” login for access to both application and device software downloads. The brief announcement doesn’t detail whether this would involve a standard Nokia account or something else, but it might mean fewer previews — and a slightly longer wait for subsequent (and official) Lumia updates.

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Via: WMPoweruser

Source: Smartmobil

Huawei D2, Mate and W1 reportedly pose for press images

Huawei D2, Mate and W1 reportedly pose for press images

Huawei has already left little doubt as to what we’ll see from its smartphone line at CES. If official teasers aren’t enough, however, well-known phone tipster @evleaks has given Unwired View what’s purported to be press images for the three key introductions. The Ascend W1 Windows Phone (at left) looks much like we’ve seen from live shots, just with newer black and pink hues; the Ascend D2 (right) isn’t quite so rainbow-like, but supports what’s been claimed of the 5-inch phone’s aesthetic and custom interface. A shot for the Ascend Mate (after the break), despite representing the company’s stand-out device, is the least surprising given that executive Richard Yu showed customers the real thing just days ago. We’d still give these images a long look — while there’s chances for inaccuracies or surprises, they may be the best glimpses of Huawei’s early 2013 lineup before we see it first-hand.

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Source: Unwired View

Samsung ATIV S goes on sale at the big three Canadian carriers

Samsung ATIV S goes on sale at the top three Canadian carriers

Samsung’s ATIV S has only just started trickling out into the marketplace, but Canadians will be happy to know they’re some of the first to get their feet wet: Bell, Rogers and Telus have all made the Windows Phone 8 headliner available from today. We’re seeing a wild variety in pricing that doesn’t often happen with smartphones, however. Bell is offering the phone for $100 on a lengthy 3-year contract, but the amount drops to a momentary $80 at Rogers and just $30 at Telus’ discounted price. Landing the ATIV S off-contract either costs $600 (at Bell and Rogers) or $650 on Telus. Locals shouldn’t count on a walk-in purchase when there’s talk at MobileSyrup of tight supply; they’ll likely still be glad when they at least have the chance a week or more before their British counterparts.

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Via: MobileSyrup

Source: Bell, Rogers, Telus

Editorial: Does Windows Phone even have a chance without Google?

Editorial Does Windows Phone even have a chance without Google

Go ahead — lambaste me for even mentioning it. I’ll wait. Now, how’s about we look beyond the surface — the beautified tile regime and the whimsical animations — and focus on what actually matters when looking at a smartphone platform. You don’t have to look far to get a solid grasp on which platforms are soaring, which are hanging tough and which have one foot in the proverbial grave. Gartner’s latest worldwide mobile report shows Android and iOS at the top, with rarely discussed terms like “Symbian” and “Bada” above some company called “Microsoft.” Which brings me to a question that has been haunting me for months: “Why?”

Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 7 Series nearly three full years ago, bringing with it an extraordinarily fresh take on a smartphone world that has grown soggy with pages of grid-mapped programs. But, as things have turned out, beauty that’s only skin deep doesn’t do much for market share — even when you’re pouring millions upon millions of dollars into marketing, coaxing one of the most notable names in mobile to run your OS exclusively and cutting deals with carriers like it’s just some trivial affair.

I’ve waxed lyrical about the danger of Windows Phone losing out simply because it offers (comparably) little in terms of ecosystem glitz, but these days, I’m growing closer to putting the platform’s fate on a single name: Google.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of December 3rd, 2012

Mobile Miscellany week of December 3rd, 2012

If you didn’t get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we’ve opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, new phones from HTC landed in the US and Canada (along with Europe and China), and T-Mobile flipped the HSPA+ switch for its 1900MHz network in three more cities — perfect for that newly available unlocked iPhone 5. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of December 3rd, 2012.

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HTC Windows Phone 8S available now on Three UK: £17 per month or £180 off-contract

HTC Windows Phone 8S available now on Three UK 19 per month or 219 offcontract

HTC’s second Windows Phone 8 device may not ever visit the US, but the 8S has arrived, at least in the UK. British carrier Three has the phone for sale starting today, both online (with delivery for Monday) and in its bricks and mortar stores, offering the Windows Phone 8S in the two-tone blue and black finish — we’re checking with Three to see whether it’ll offer any other color options, as we’ve got our eyes on the yellow version. Expect to pay £219 £180 sans monthly billing, while the phone will be free on two-year contracts priced starting at £17 per month. We’ll be putting the 8S through the review wringer soon — you can expect to see our verdict next week.

Update: Three has been in touch to say the contract-free price has now dropped to £180 — a pretty tempting launch price.

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Source: Three UK

HTC 8X, 8S and Butterfly to reach China in mid-December

HTC 8X, 8S and Butterfly land in China by midDecember

HTC isn’t going to let Nokia keep the Chinese limelight for long: the phone maker has just launched three variants of its late 2012 flagship phones for China’s mainland, all of which should reach local stores by mid-December. Those looking for sheer brawn will want the Butterfly. While it’s ultimately a slight variant on the J Butterfly (Droid DNA to Americans) that should reach China Unicom, the 1080p smartphone should come to the country in rarer brown and white hues alongside the black we’ve already seen in the US. Localized models of the Windows Phone 8X and 8S are similarly inbound, but their aces in the hole should be sheer ubiquity — variants are on the way for WCDMA (China Unicom), CDMA2000 (China Telecom) and TD-SCDMA (China Mobile) networks. We don’t immediately have pricing for the two Windows Phone 8 handsets, but the Butterfly should cost a suitably large ¥4,799 ($771) contract-free.

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Via: Engadget Chinese (translated)

Source: HTC (translated), Sina Weibo (translated)