9 Great Phones At CES 2012 - Part 2

9 Great Phones At CES 2012 - Part 1

Sony Xperia Ion (AT&T)

The first Sony-branded smartphone, the Xperia Ion offers a stunning 4.6-inch, 720-by-1280-pixel (720p) glass screen and a 12-megapixel camera. Under the hood is a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor that can handle PlayStation-caliber games in addition to music and video. Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is the unfortunate default OS, but Sony is promising an ICS upgrade later this year. Sony is still sorting out just which PlayStation games will work on this thing (PS1? PS2? Xperia Play? Tablet?), but it's clear the Xperia Ion will be a serious competitor on its arrival in the second quarter.

HTC Titan II (AT&T) 

America's first 16-megapixel camera phone is here, and it's a doozy. The massive HTC Titan II sports Windows Phone 7.5, LTE data speeds, and a 4.7-inch screen, and can snap photos with a resolution of 4,640-by-3,840 pixels. The rest of its specs aren't as impressive, thanks to some leftover Microsoft-specified restrictions, but you still get a fast (single-core) 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S2 processor, 480-by-800-pixel screen resolution, 720p camcorder, and 16GB of internal storage (albeit with no memory card slot).

Nokia Lumia 900 (AT&T)

Now this is what we were waiting for. Nokia finally shows off its first high-end Windows Phone 7 device, as the preceding Nokia Lumia 710 was too budget-oriented to inspire much buzz. The LTE-equipped Lumia 900 packs an 8-megapixel-camera, Carl Zeiss optics, and a 4.3-inch AMOLED Clear Black display. As part of Microsoft's last CES keynote, the powerful Nokia Lumia 900 may be a fitting sendoff.

Huawei Ascend P1 S (Carrier TBA)

Who would have expected the world's thinnest smartphone to come from Huawei? The Ascend P1 S is just 0.26 inches thick, which is two hundredths of an inch thinner than the Motorola Droid RAZR. The Ascend P1 S impresses in other ways too, with a 4.3-inch, 540-by-960-pixel Super AMOLED display, a 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4460 dual-core processor, a pair of cameras, and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) preloaded. No word on a carrier yet for this one, though.

Lenovo K800 (China's Unicom)

Intel's Atom chip was fine for low-power netbooks, but it has traditionally been too power-hungry for smartphones. The Lenovo K800 could change that, at least in China—and, if successful, finally brand Intel as a player in the smartphone market, after years of empty promises and false starts. The K800 is no slouch otherwise, either, with a 4.5-inch, 720p multi-touch screen, Wi-Di, and a massive battery. We're keeping a close eye on this one, as well as Intel's other deal with Motorola, which could bring us a U.S. device sooner rather than later.

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9 Great Phones at CES 2012 - Part 1

This has been a heck of a year for phones. We're fast approaching the point where smartphone users outnumber regular cell phone users here in the U.S. Consequently, we expected big things out of CES 2012—and it looks like we got them for the most part.
In fact, many of the best announcements at CES 2012 happened either just before or at the start of the show. This year's lineup of goodies includes a heavy focus on next-generation 4G LTE data networks—including from Sprint, in a marked shift away from 4G WiMAX—plus plenty of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)-powered phones, NFC chips, dual-core processors, and even 12 and 16-megapixel camera sensors all vying for the spotlight.

Apple wasn't at the show as usual. But the story still centers around iOS and Android, as those are the top two smartphone platforms now. HP killed off webOS this year. Research in Motion was a non-factor and only showed off more of the same, albeit with a few significant OS revisions. The real comeback story could lay with Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5, a slick OS that's getting a big push thanks to more advanced hardware, Nokia's return to the U.S. market, and a vast increase in the number of third-party apps available. Still, it's a steep hill for Nokia and Microsoft to climb.
With all that in mind, here are the coolest, most significant phones announced at CES this year. Many of these should hit stores by the second quarter, so get ready to count off the remaining months on your current two-year contract.

LG Spectrum (Verizon Wireless)

High-definition phones are beginning to appear in earnest. The LG Spectrum sports an ultra-sharp 720p screen in a slimmer, lighter form factor than the existing (and also 720p) HTC Rezound. In addition to 720-by-1280-pixel resolution, the screen is "advanced high-def IPS," which to our eye looks brighter than other phones we've seen at least on the show floor. Text appears stunningly crisp even at tiny font sizes. It also packs a video editing program and an HD-specific app store, which the Spectrum should handle easily thanks to its 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 4G LTE network support . No Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) out of the box, but LG is promising an update by June 2012.

Motorola Droid 4 (Verizon Wireless)

The Motorola Droid 4 may be the nicest QWERTY Android phone yet, with a sleek slider design, a laser-cut five-row QWERTY keyboard with sharp edge lighting, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and (finally) 4G LTE data speeds. It also works with Motorola's array of Webtop mode accessories, including 10- and 14-inch Lapdocks, an HD Docking Station for the living room, and a Vehicle Navigation Dock. This one could push the remaining BlackBerry users—the ones dedicated to their hardware keyboards—over the line to Android if RIM doesn't right its ship soon.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Sprint)

The first flagship Ice Cream Sandwich phone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, jumps over to Sprint, adding back the Google Wallet capability that Verizon Wireless had disabled along the way. The oversized 4.65-inch Super AMOLED screen and dual-core processor are impressive, but in this case take a back seat to LTE—Sprint's brand new, next-generation 4G network that it's powering up in 10 cities by the middle of this year.

LG Viper (Sprint)

The Galaxy Nexus may have the spotlight, but the LG Viper could be Sprint's Q-ship for 2012. It may snag even more buyers, thanks to its more manageable 4-inch screen size, brushed metal back panel, and lower price than the Galaxy Nexus. It only runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) out of the box, but its LTE radio, dual-core processor, and NFC compatibility mean it still has the future in mind.

9 Great Phones At CES 2012 - Part 2

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Lenovo unveils first smartphone, powered by Intel

The Lenovo announcement was followed by news of a new Intel-Motorola partnership, a look at Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge processor, and a cameo appearance by an overly scripted will.i.am.

The Lenovo phone is 10 millimeters thick and will run on China Unicom's network. It has a 4.5-inch screen, an 8-megapixel camera and offers 8 hours of 3G talk time, with 14 hours of standby. Otellini said the phone is the first example of Intel's smartphone reference design, which he said outperforms many popular phones now on the market.
Intel, the world's leading chipmaker, has long driven innovation in the PC market. And now the company is looking to move into mobile devices, such as smartphones, "ultrabooks" and tablets.
Otellini and Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha announced a "multiyear, multidevice partnership" to build Android devices powered by Intel chips. There will be Intel technology in Motorola phones this summer, with a commercial launch to follow. The executives offered no further details.
Intel said Monday that as many as 60 ultrabooks will be available this year based on its latest mobile processors. But this keynote made it clear that ultrabooks are just one part of Intel's strategy to take its microprocessors mobile.

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Review : Motorola Defy+

One of the late 2011 trends has been for Android manufacturers to give their handsets a subtle make-over. That’s certainly what the Motorola Defy+ proves to be. It might be water and dust proof, but has this minor refresh been able to weather the effects of time?

Specs
Screen: 3.7-inch, 854 x 480 resolution
Connectivity: 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS
Camera: 5-megapixel, autofocus, LED flash
Storage: 2GB, microSD up to 32GB
Battery: 1700mAh
Size/Weight: 107 x 59 x 13.4 mm, 118 grams

Design and build quality

So rugged was the original Motorola Defy that even its design has proved indestructible. That’s the conclusion we have to draw, at least, as the Defy+ looks and feels nigh-on identical to the original.

That means a fairly compact, lightweight device that feels rather plasticy and even flimsy. Closer inspection, of course, reveals the Defy+ to be anything but. Its riveted seams, rubberised port covers and heavy latched battery cover are what have led to the device being award IP67 status (if hardly making it pretty). This means it’s completely dust proof and able to survive full submersion into a shallow body of water.

Don’t let the surprisingly thin, flexible battery cover fool you either. Motorola has rather ingeniously made it curve outwards, so you have to exert real force to pin it in place and slide the latch across in order to secure it. This tension means that it forms a solid, unflexing part of the chassis when in place.
Despite these utilitarian features, from the front the Defy+’s milimalistic screen-and-capacitive-buttons style makes it look reasonably modern, if a little bland.

Screen
As with the general design, the Motorola Defy+’s 3.7-inch LCD screen remains unchanged from the original. We were reasonably impressed with this unit a year ago, but a year is a long time in mobile. Now, it looks a little washed out and lacking in colour even on full brightness.
In its favour, the mixture of a 3.7-inch size and 854 x 480 resolution results in a picture that’s nice and sharp, with none of the fuzziness that  has accompanied even recent high-end smartphones like the Motorola RAZR and HTC Sensation XL.

Usability

While the original Defy shipped with Android 2.1 and later received an upgrade to Android 2.2, the Defy+ comes with Android 2.3 out of the box. While it’s no Ice Cream Sandwich, it is a reasonably up to date OS with all the functionality Google has managed to pack in since the second phase of the Android operating system began.

It’s still not the slickest mobile operating system around, though. Menu transitions and app load-ups are reasonably quick and smooth, but are still not on a par with iOS or Windows Phone running on similar hardware.
Speaking of hardware, Motorola is claiming a 25 per cent speed boost thanks the Defy+’s new 1GHz processor (the original had an 800MHz example). That’s more than enough to run apps and most games pretty well, which remains a rare treat for rugged phones such as this.
We’re still not big fans of the MotoBlur UI, though. It’s ugly, clunky, and offers nothing of any great value over the default Android experience. In its favour, it doesn’t transform the Android OS too much – that’s damning with faint praise.

Camera and media playback
The camera here is the same unimpressive 5-megapixel unit as can be found in the original Defy. That means washed-out colours in decent light and lots of noise in poor light.

In its favour we were reasonably impressed with its speed – both in terms of booting the camer app up and in terms of how quickly the autofocus gets a lock and initiates the snap. It won’t be toppling any of the big hitters in this regard, but then that’s not what Motorola is aiming for. Video recording is pretty bog-standard. In fact, at a pretty underwhelming QVGA resolution it’s arguably sub-standard in a time when 720p is becoming the least we expect.
Media playback seems to be of acceptable quality, with the sharp screen and decent processor ensuring a reasonably video experience. The most notable strength here is probably the Defy+’s unusually strong speaker. It’s all very mono and slightly tinny, but at least it’s loud and clear (which is more than can be said for many handsets we test).

Apps

It’s an Android 2.3 phone with a solid 1GHz procesor, so the Motorola Defy+’s app support is predictably fine. Long the source of much frustration among Android users, the Android Market in its latest iteration is actually a fairly nice place to browse through. Meanwhile the app range is second only to Apple’s App Store in both range and quality. What’s more, there’s a high percentage of free apps on the Android Market, so you can increase the Defy’s usefulness significantly without spending a penny.

We also liked the pre-loaded Media Share app that lets you get connected to and stream media over DLNA-compatible devices.Cardio Trainer could also be of some use to Defy+ users given the phone’s rugged outdoor-friendly positioning.

Battery life

One notable improvement over the Motorola Defy is the battery. The old device’s 1540mAh unit has been swapped out for a 1700mAh example. This is a positive step, of course, and it should help you clear a day of moderate usage easily. However, you’ll probably still want to charge up at the end of every day, just to be on the safe side. Until smartphones bust through the two day barrier, that’s always likely to remain the case.


Verdict

Essentially unchanged from the year-old original, the Motorola Defy+ is even more of a niche device than it was before. If you’re an active sort who wants smartphone features, this could be for you – otherwise go with a similarly priced Android alternative from HTC, Samsung or Sony Ericsson.

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Motorola DROID Razr

With its super-slim, stylish frame, Motorola's Razr phone became incredibly popular in 2004 - a smash hit that Motorola hasn't been able to replicate. Now, many years later, the company is trying to recapture some of that magic by ushering the Razr into the smartphone age.

The new Droid Razr, available Friday through Verizon Wireless for $300 with a two-year service contract, echoes the svelte form and good looks of its ancestor. It has many great features, including a big touch screen and the ability to use Verizon's high-speed 4G LTE network for zippy Web surfing. It also has Motorola's MotoCast service for wirelessly streaming and downloading content stored on your computer.

While the phone runs the latest version of Google Inc.'s Android software that is available for smartphones, shoppers may be tempted to wait. Verizon will soon offer Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, which will come with an even newer version of Android called Ice Cream Sandwich. The Droid Razr is expected to get that update, too, but not until next year. The Droid Razr is a hot phone.

Except for a chunk at the top that houses the rear camera, flash and an external speaker, the Droid Razr is slimmer than any other smartphone. It's just a third of an inch thick. It's light, too, at 4.5 ounces. It makes other smartphones - Apple's iPhone included - look chubby by comparison.
Its back is covered in diagonal gray and black lines composed of Kevlar fiber, which is meant to increase the phone's strength. Another perk, though one that's not visible: The phone has a water-repellent coating both inside and outside that is meant to shield it from damage caused by the occasional spill. The Droid Razr boasts a 4.3-inch display, which is too big to fit too comfortably in my hand, but plenty large for watching videos and checking out websites. It isn't the highest-resolution screen you'll find on a smartphone, but colors look bright and images are crisp.

The screen also works well as a viewfinder for the Razr's 8-megapixel camera. The camera snaps photos pretty quickly. I was able to capture sharp shots in bright and low light. The phone is speedy overall, owing to its dual-core processor and 1 gigabyte of memory.


The phone has a big battery that promises 12.5 hours of talk time. To keep the phone slim, the battery is built-in and cannot be easily replaced. And, as expected, it won't last long if you're on Verizon's faster data network: Using a combination of LTE and Verizon's slower 3G network to surf the Web


Fortunately, Motorola included a very neat app called Smart Actions that can alleviate a bit of the battery drain. Smart Actions can be set to automatically alter the Razr's settings at a certain time, either by using built-in "rules" that you can modify or by using ones you determine.
For example, you can set a low battery saver rule to dim your screen, turn off the phone's GPS and stop content from syncing in the background when the phone's battery reaches a certain level or when you get home. You can also set rules to support your own laziness.


The phone also includes a service called MotoCast, which comes across as Motorola Mobility Holding Inc.'s answer to Apple Inc.'s iCloud content streaming service. With MotoCast, you can wirelessly access and download documents, music, videos and photos stored on your Mac or PC on your Razr.
Unfortunately, because content you stream with MotoCast is housed on your computer - not on remote computer servers as it is with iCloud - that computer must be on and connected to the Internet.

Beyond the strengths and weaknesses of its hardware and software, though, I couldn't forget about the Razr's $300 price tag. This is higher than most other Android smartphones offered by the major wireless carriers. Even the cheapest iPhone 4S can be had for $200. It's sure to make some potential buyers balk. The Droid Razr is as impressively skinny and stylish as its namesake. But shortcomings like its brief battery life when using LTE will likely make it hard for this smartphone to become as popular as its predecessor.

via ibnlive

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Motorola MOTOKEY Social Networking Smartphone Announced

Motorola have announced the Motorola MOTOKEY , which is an affordable social networking smartphone.

The Motorola MOTOKEY has a dedicated Facebook button which enables one-touch access and sharing to Facebook.

The specification of the MOTOKEY isn't ground breaking, but you wouldn't expect an affordable smartphone to be any different. However, it does have a touch-screen and a full QWERTY keyboard which are very important to social networkers !

Other features include an FM Radio, WiFi support, a microUSB port, Bluetooth support and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. It does have a 3 mega-pixel camera which is more than good enough for taking pictures to upload to Facebook.

Neither the price nor release date was announced, but once 3G hears more about the Motorola MOTOKEY we'll let you know.

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Motorola RAZR to be launched in India

Rumors doing the rounds state that Motorola Mobility will launch its latest smartphone called Motorola ‘RAZR’ in the Indian market this November. Motorola claims that the RAZR will be one of the thinnest smartphones available as of now (only 7.1mm thick as against Galaxy Nexus’s 8.9mm and iPhone 4S’s 9.3mm thickness). It will also be the first Android smartphone to support 4G LTE in the Indian market. However, there are possibilities that the company is likely to stick to the 3G version since there are no 4G networks in India at the moment.

The smartphone will be offered at an attractive price of Rs. 30, 000. In the US, the same device is being sold with an operator contract of $300 (around Rs 15,000).

Motorola RAZR has a 4.3 inch qHD Super AMOLED Advanced capacitive touchscreen (540×960 pixel resolution) display. It runs on Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) operating system which is upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich. It is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, TI OMAP 4430 chipset and has 1GB of RAM. The RAZR comes with 16GB of internal memory and a pre-installed 16GB microSD card making the total available memory 32GB.

The RAZR was first launched by Motorola in 2004 and was an instant hit. The latest version has, of course, been upgraded a 100 times and offers much more than its precursor. Let’s wait and watch if Motorola can repeat its success with this new device.

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