Sony: Xperia P Android 4.0 update coming August 19-25

It looks like the Xperia P will be the next Sony handset in line for an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Sony Mobile India has taken to its official Facebook page to announce that ICS will start hitting Xperia P handsets from the week of Aug. 19-25. It's unclear whether this release window applies to India alone, but even if it does, other territories shouldn't expect too much of a delay given Sony's track record.  As we mentioned in our review of the Xperia P, it's a decent handset that was held back by the inclusion of Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box. With the much-needed bump up to ICS, the Xperia P will represent better value for money in an increasingly competitive mid-range smartphone market.  The news also bodes well for owners of the Xperia U and Xperia Sola, as these handsets are powered by the same internal hardware and run an almost identical ROM.

[Source: Android Central]

Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note rumored for Jelly Bean updates in Q4

Samsung's Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note could be on track to be updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean before the end of the year, according to the latest online rumors​. The reports come from Samsung fansite SamMobie, and though they're unconfirmed rumors at this point, the site has proved fairly accurate with this sort of thing in the past.  Samsung's flagship Galaxy S III (S3) is said to be well on its way towards Jelly Bean, with internal testing proving successful, and "public" builds apparently now being put through their paces in anticipation of a late Q3 or early Q4 launch. Meanwhile, last year's leading Samsung phones, the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note are apparently being tested on Android 4.1 too. It's reported that the manufacturer currently plans to update both to Jelly Bean, though the decision isn't yet set in stone. Assuming these updates happen, the site suggests a release before the end of the year.

[Source: To read the full article visit Android Central]

Kantar On Smartphones: Samsung 45% Of Euro Sales; Apple Gained Only In UK, US; RIM Holds On In France

We have seen reports from Strategy Analytics, IDC and Canalys detailing how many smartphones that handset makers shipped in the last quarter (the takeaway: Android is still on top, with Samsung the chief benefactor); today, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, WPP’s market analytics business, has released its rolling monthly update on how that translates into on-the-ground sales in some of the biggest markets in the world. The results give more weight to Samsung’s current domination; and underscore how important it is for Apple to “wow” the market next month with the launch of a new handset.

[Source: To read the full article visit Tech Crunch]

Next-gen Xiaomi Phone outed by certifications ahead of launch

Having seen the next-gen Xiaomi Phone's more colorful yet rejected designs, we're rather baffled by these dull-looking certification images of the real deal. According to a filing from the good old TENAA, this new device from Xiaomi goes by the codename "2012051" and packs WCDMA radio, but that's pretty much it in terms of specs. Eagle-eyed readers may have already spotted the striking resemblance to the original Xiaomi Phone (aka MI-One Plus), but it does get an extra front-facing camera and, for some reason, a smaller speaker grill on the back. But wait, there's more! We dug up two additional models in the China Compulsory Certificate database: there's the "2012052" also with WCDMA radio, plus the "2012053" with CDMA2000/WCDMA dual radio.

Bearing in mind that the current Xiaomi Phone has three variants, our guess is that its successor will follow a similar pattern: the WCDMA flavor may again have a 1.5GHz version followed by a slower and cheaper version (much like what the Youth Edition aka MI-One is to the MI-One Plus); and depending on Xiaomi's arrangements with China Unicom and China Telecom, the CDMA flavor for the latter may or may not be launched alongside its WCDMA cousin. Let's hope for the best when this alleged quad-core phone gets announced next Thursday.

[Source: Engadget]

HTC to launch 5-inch smartphone in September-October

HTC will step into the large-size smartphone segment by launching a flagship model with a 5-inch display featuring a resolution of 1794 by 1080 pixels in September-October, according to industry sources.  Samsung Electronics, which pioneered the development of the 5-inch segment, also plans to release a 5.5-inch model, the Galaxy Note II, at the end of August, the sources noted.  The brisk sales of Samsung's 5.3-inch Galaxy Note have attracted a number of vendors in Korea and China to venture into the large-size segment, noted the sources.  LG Electronics stepped into the segment by launching its 5-inch Optimus Vu in May 2012, and fellow company Pantech rolled out its second 5-inch model, the Vega S5, in July.  In China, Coolpad has launched two 5-inch models, the dual-SIM 9930 and 9900, while K-Touch has released the W710, which supports Alibaba cloud computing services.

[Source: DigiTimes]

Nokia rumored to announce Windows Phone 8 devices 'as early as' next month

Microsoft is expected to finalize its Windows Phone 8 software in September and recent reports suggest that Nokia may announce its first next-generation devices at the same time. Chinese site WPDang originally reported that Nokia will likely introduce two Lumia Windows Phone 8 handsets on September 5th, but Bloomberg is backing up the rumor somewhat. "A person with knowledge of the matter," has revealed to Bloomberg that Nokia may announce its Windows Phone 8 handsets "as early as" its Nokia World event next month.  

Although the release and finalization of any Windows Phone 8 handsets is largely down to Microsoft's own timelines, an early Nokia unveiling may help it gain some early mindshare amongst consumers waiting on Apple's latest smartphone. With a rumored next-generation iPhone unveiling on September 12th, Nokia and Microsoft might not have a long time to counter any expected moves by Apple to introduce new hardware features in its handset. Nokia is holding an invitation only event in Helsinki on September 5th and 6th for its operator and retail partners — where we might see the first details on new hardware.

[Source: The Verge]

Detailed Photo Comparison of iPhone 4S and 'iPhone 5'

iPhone parts company ETrade Supply posts a detailed comparison [via iPhoneinCanada.ca] of the front panels of the iPhone 4S and what has been claimed to be the next-generation "iPhone 5". As with numerous other leaks, the new front panel shows a taller display and the FaceTime camera being moved to above the earpiece.   The blog post contains a number of images and a nearly 7-minute video comparing the two parts, showing that not only is the new part taller than the corresponding iPhone 4S part but it is also 0.1 mm thinner and offers more light transmittance and more scratch resistance than its counterpart. 

[Source: To read the full aricle visit Mac Rumors]

Huawei Ascend G 302D goes public

It's a curious thing to have gold signify the low-end, but that's just what Huawei's done with its G series smartphone line. That bottom-dwelling, budget tier, first announced at this past Mobile World Congress, has already seen a couple of category cousins come out into the open (see: Vodafone's G 300 and T-Mobile's G 312), so color us unsurprised to find yet another single-core, Googlefied device crop up at the FCC. The associated docs leave little to the imagination, treating us to unobstructed images of the Ascend G 302D -- presumably, a 4-incher. We're not quite sure what software the phone'll run when it ships, though from the looks of those very ICS-like capacitive keys, we wouldn't rule Android 4.0 out. Spec-wise, we have the included manual and some RF testing to go off of, revealing two different sized batteries -- a 1,350mAh and 1,500mAh -- support for Bluetooth, WiFi b/g/n and AT&T-compatible radios. That's not to say this lil' guy's guaranteed an official U.S. slot on that carrier's lineup, but it should make for a decent import option. Hit up the source below for additional shots of this mobile minor leaguer.

[Source: Engadget]

Samsung Galaxy S Duo

Fans of Samsung's Duos phones wanting 2012 updates have had to make do with last year's looks so far. From what's surfacing through multiple Indian sites, though, Samsung must want to spread some of the Galaxy S III's modern, nature-influenced style to the Duos' twin-SIM audience. The Galaxy S Duos S7562 won't make its bigger sibling jealous with a 4-inch WVGA display, a 1GHz Snapdragon MSM7227A chip or 512MB of RAM, but they're not the point. As always, the highlight is that pair of SIM slots for carrying both home and work phone lines -- or simply mixing and matching prepaid plans. The rest of the hardware falls in line with what's likely to be a much less expensive smartphone, including a 5-megapixel back camera, a VGA front camera and 4GB of storage. Buyers will be glad to know that Android 4.0 should still be coming along for the ride in addition to that stone-inspired look. We've asked Samsung for more official details; there's talk of an Indian launch before the end of the summer, which (if true) could give the crowds in Bangalore and Mumbai more to look forward to in the fall than just cooler temperatures.

[Source: Engadget]

ZTE Grand X review

With an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and an almost entirely stock Android 4.0 ROM, the Grand X is ZTE’s new flagship device. It’s something of a milestone for the Chinese manufacturer, previously known for producing bottom-dollar semi-smartphones and white-label, carrier-branded devices such as Orange’s San Francisco, and was unveiled with appropriate fanfare at two separate London events earlier this month.  Flying ZTE’s three-letter flag proudly, it’s the company’s first real attempt to make its name as a viable, mid-range Android OEM in its own right, capable of going toe-to-toe with devices from Asian competitors such as Samsung and HTC as well as major domestic rival Huawei...

Does the Grand X provide anything more interesting than what’s already available, and can it help ZTE make a small but significant dent in the UK market?

[Source: To read the full review visit The Verge]

Samsung announces Galaxy Beam available for the UK

It's been more than five months since we first saw the Samsung Galaxy Beam at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and now it looks like the phone/projector hybrid is set to officially make its way to the UK. A Samsung press release indicates that the Beam is available in Britain from today, though no specific retailers, networks or price points are mentioned. Pre-order prices have suggested a fairly hefty £454.80 including VAT, or £379 (~$600) excluding VAT to buy the Beam outright.  The reason you might pay that much is the Galaxy Beam's built-in pico projector, which allows you to fire images up to 50 feet away from the device, depending on various factors like ambient lighting. Other specs are relatively run-of-the-mill -- a 1GHz dual-core CPU, a 4-inch WVGA display, 5MP camera and Android 2.3 Gingerbread (yeah, we know) backed up by Samsung's TouchWiz software. So there are certainly better deals to be had elsewhere for mainstream buyers, but if you want a portable image projector that ties into your smartphone, this is, for the moment, the only way you'll be able to get it...

[Source: To read the full article visit Android Central]

Sharp Aquos SH-10D earns stamp of approval

NTT DoCoMo announced a roster of phones this past May, and among them was Sharp's Aquos SH-10D. After spending some quality time with the FCC, the handset now has paperwork that could allow it to travel stateside. Along with a quartet of oddly angled corners, the phone packs a GSM and HSPA+ / WCDMA radio, 4.5-inch screen, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 12.1 MP rear-facing camera and a 0.32 MP frontward-facing cam for those awkward, Facebook-bound self-portraits. Hit the link below if you'd like to rifle through the FCC results yourself.

[Source: Engadget]