Sony coats Xperia P in 24-carat gold, keeps up tradition of so-so phones in luxury shells

Outside of custom projects, the cardinal rule for draping phones in exotic materials is that they must never, ever be truly high end devices: at best, they should involve mid-tier hardware that could be eclipsed by a garden-variety smartphone at a fraction of the price. Sony's maintaining that all too time-honored tradition by producing a gold-coated, 24-carat version of... the Xperia P. Yes, rather than spruce up a flagship like the James Bond-approved Xperia T, Sony has instead given the luxury treatment to a smartphone with a strictly middling 4-inch display and dual-core 1GHz processor. In fairness, the company sees this as an experiment rather than a Vertu-like business model, with the intent strictly to emphasize the unibody design. A maximum 15 have been built as a result -- and rather than count on impulse purchases from oligarchs, Sony hints that it's offering at least some of its gold Xperia P stock to followers on Facebook. As long as there's no pretenses of living the high life with what's really a very ordinary phone underneath, we're satisfied.

[Source: Engadget]

Huawei Ascend G 330 lands on UK shores through TalkTalk

Huawei left us wondering whether the Ascend G 330 would venture beyond mainland Europe with its tempting blend of solid specs and a low price. The smartphone is spreading its wings -- if only just, with a launch on TalkTalk in the UK. When it ships to the carrier in December, the 4-inch, 1GHz dual-core smartphone will be tuned for British audiences with preloaded BBC iPlayer and news apps as well as EA's Sims Freeplay for some casual gaming. Most of the appeal may come from a cheap-as-chips price, as the G 330 will be free on contract for as little as £10 ($16) per month. If you can bear going without an all-out flagship like the Ascend D1 Quad XL, it's a tempting lure.

[Source: Engadget]

Samsung's SCH-W2013 is a quad-core, dual-screen flip phone, designed for Jackie Chan

It's been almost a year since the ridiculously expensive SCH-W999 launched on China Telecom, so it's about time for Samsung to come up with yet another dual-screen flip phone to lure folks with too much money. Launched in conjunction with a big charity concert (again) earlier today is the SCH-W2013, a 1.4GHz quad-core (likely an Exynos 4412) device with Android 4.0 and dual-3.7-inch 800 x 480 Super AMOLED touchscreens. On top of that there's 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, microSD expansion of up to 64GB, 1,850mAh of battery juice, an eight-megapixel main imager plus a whopping 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. As with many flagship devices on China Telecom, the W2013 comes with dual-SIM support: one for CDMA2000 800/1900 and the other for GSM 900/1800/1900. The damage? Well, there's nothing official yet, but it's believed to be somewhere between ¥18,000 ($2,900) and ¥20,000 ($3,210). After all, it ain't cheap to hire Jackie Chan (and he was also given a W2013 at the concert).

[Source: Engadget]

Windows Phone 8 not working with Xbox Video purchases

If you just bought a Windows Phone 8 device like the Nokia Lumia 920 or the HTC 8x and were hoping to load it with Xbox content for the holidays -- after all, they're both from Microsoft, right? -- it seems that you may be in for some disappointment. As of right now, purchases or rentals from the newly-branded Xbox Video will not sync to Windows Phone 8. Microsoft has even officially acknowledged the issue in its support page, stating: "Windows Phone 8 does not currently support playback of rented or purchased content from the Xbox Video Store." The article goes on to say that you can go to the Windows Phone Feature Suggestions page to recommend it for future releases. Gee, thanks, Microsoft; that's so helpful. Now we'll actually have to talk to our families. The horror.

[Soruce: Engadget]

EE unveils 4G sim-only plans: 5GB max of LTE zip for £36 per month

If you already had a handset and wanted in on EE's extra 4G vroom, you may have been miffed when it launched without a sim-only option. The operator has now atoned, however, with new packages for the already-smartphoned: a threadbare 500MB contract will run you £21 per month over a year, while those who need data galore will have to pony up £36 for the max 5GB data plan. The latter option will save you £15 over a handset-included contract with 12 months less commitment, and adding an extra £5 along with another year will get you unlimited texting and calls while roaming. The plans are available online or over the phone, but will be coming to stores "very shortly" as well, according to EE. So, if you're looking to give that LTE equipped phone a speedy new life, hit the source for all the details.

[Source: Engadget]

Samsung ATIV S for Vodafone UK goes up for pre-order at Phones4U with a December launch

Brits looking to score Samsung's ATIV S flagship on Vodafone can start forming an orderly queue. UK reseller Phones4U is offering pre-orders for the Windows Phone 8 darling to those willing to sign a two-year contract, giving it away for free on a £33 ($52) plan with 600 minutes, unlimited text, 500MB of cellular data and 2GB on WiFi. Pay a pound more per month ($54) as well as £30 for the device ($48) and the subscription jumps to both unlimited minutes as well as 2GB of cellular use. Unfortunately, the wait for this biggest-screened Windows Phone may be a long one -- while Samsung has only confirmed a December launch for the ATIV S in the UK, Phones4U has the smartphone reaching customers on December 21st. If that's accurate, we'd make sure there's some leftover wrapping paper in case the ATIV S becomes a gift, even if it's to yourself.

[Source: Engadget]

Nokia leak suggests there's something between Windows Phone 7.8 and 8

Owners of older Windows Phones who expect to run out of railroad after 7.8 could actually have some cause for hope -- meager though it may be. A leaked slide, said to originate from a 25-page Nokia roadmap sent to WParea by an anonymous tipster, points toward at least one more update after Windows Phone 7.8 lands. However, it's clear that whoever drew up the slide isn't fully in the know, since the mystery version is simply described as "7.x.". Meanwhile, the official Russian Windows Phone Twitter account has also kept the wheels rolling by promising 18 months of support for 7.8. We can't exactly vouch for this either, since the tweet appears to have been deleted, but it does suggest that those last-year Lumias will keep chugging on for a good while longer.

[Source: Engadget]

Motorola's RAZR i MT788 announced with 2GHz Intel chip, heading to China Mobile next month

Motorola created quite some buzz with its first "Intel inside" Android phone, the RAZR i, back in September, so it's only natural to see the company tapping into the Chinese market with a localized variant. Dubbed the RAZR i MT788, this China Mobile device bears much similarity to its Western sibling on paper: 2GHz Intel Atom Z2480, 4.3-inch 960 x 540 AMOLED display (with Gorilla Glass), eight-megapixel camera, microSD expansion (up to 32GB) and Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

The difference? Well, the chassis is the most obvious one: instead of using the same design as the original RAZR i, the new MT788 looks identical to the MSM8625-powered dual-SIM XT788 on China Telecom. On top of that, the battery is rated at just 1,735mAh instead of the RAZR i's 2,000mAh, and there's just 4GB of built-in memory instead 16GB; but the front-facing camera's bumped up from 0.3 megapixels to 1.3. There's no price just yet, but interested buyers can pick one up in China starting in mid-December. Will the world's largest carrier help Intel take a significant bite out of the mobile phone market? Only time will tell.

[Source: Engadget]

O2 UK's Nexus 4 reportedly SIM-unlocked

If you live in the UK and weren't lucky enough to bag yourself a Nexus 4 from the Google Play Store, there might be a way -- albeit an expensive way -- to get your hands on an unlocked 16GB model. As we reported a few weeks back, O2 scored a month-long exclusivity period, meaning it's the only carrier able to directly sell the Nexus 4 in the UK until mid-December. (Carphone Warehouse has the new Nexus too, though officially they're not offering it SIM-free.)

Today we're seeing reports from members on the Android Central forums, corroborated by similar posts from other forums, indicating that Nexus 4s sold by O2 are in fact SIM-unlocked, despite the carrier's protestations to the contrary. Android Central forum member tomjdavies writes -- 

I got my Nexus 4 from O2 today. They were adamant in-store that it was locked to O2 but I made them put my Vodafone sim in it - and it worked, much to my joy ha. I paid £399.99 plus £10 for a pay as you go SIM.

Similar reports from XDA suggest this isn't an isolated incident, and that despite what O2 store staff are telling customers, at least some of network's Nexus 4 stock is unlocked. That means if you're willing to cough up the £400 (plus £10 top-up) asking price, you could walk away with an unlocked Nexus 4, weeks before it's available again on the Google Play Store. Nevertheless, we'd advise caution until there's official confirmation that all O2 Nexus 4s are sold without a network lock.

In the meantime, we've reached out to O2 for any official comment, and will keep you updated on any new information you provide. If you've picked up a Nexus 4 from O2 in the past few days, be sure to hit the comments and let us know if it's SIM-locked.

[Source: Android Central]

Vodafone Red Hot launches today

Vodafone UK is today launching Vodafone Red Hot, its first plan designed to allow pay monthly customers to rent some of its hottest phones, changing them every year, without the need to make a large payment upfront. Building on the successful introduction of Vodafone Red, Vodafone Red Hot gives customers unlimited calls and texts, 2GB of internet and WiFi on a 12 month contract.

From £47 a month, Vodafone Red Hot is available on three handsets and includes insurance, a screen protector and a personalised phone case as standard.  At the end of 12 months customers can either choose to extend their contract, or swap the phone for a newer model.

The decision to offer customers the ability to rent a phone comes on the back of customer research that demonstrated that many people wanted to change their phones more regularly, but did not wish to make a large initial contribution at the start of their contract. Florie Brizel, Mobilologist and CEO of Los Angeles-based Brizel Media, explains further on our official blog, Vodafone Social http://blog.vodafone.co.uk/redhot/

Srini Gopalan, Consumer Director, Vodafone UK said “We’ve been working incredibly hard to simplify the price plans we offer to customers. Vodafone Red Hot marks another way for customers to stay one step ahead of their friends, having the latest technology in their hands.  Coupled with unlimited calls, texts and a massive amount of internet, we think there will be many customers who will see this as a great choice.”

Vodafone Red Hot plan offers unlimited calls to all UK mobiles – not just other Vodafone customers – and standard UK landlines, with no restrictions on how long a customer can talk or how many people they call. Vodafone Red Hot will be available through Vodafone’s retail stores across the UK.

• Rent a smartphone, with no upfront costs and change it every year
• Talk and text as much as you want and get loads of internet with Vodafone Red Hot
• Truly unlimited calls and texts available for the hottest handsets

For further information visit vodafone.co.uk/redhot

BBM 7 beta is open now, adds Voice feature for free calls over WiFi

RIM's BlackBerry 10 launch isn't scheduled until January 30th, but BBM faithful can try out a new feature on their existing handsets -- voice calling. Brand new for BBM 7 it lets users bypass the text chat their thumbs have been used to and directly talk via the service, as long as they're connected to a WiFi network, no 3G / 4G allowed. That connection restriction takes some of the shine off, but BlackBerry users traveling to / living in far locales with minute-restricted SIM cards or less reliable infrastructure make make the most use of it. Voice allows for direct initiation of calls, switching from text chat to a call, using both in split screen and has an indicator to let users know when their friends are open for a chat. That's not the only BBM 7 upgrade however, as the service is now deeply integrated with one BlackBerry ID, which backs up their profile, groups and contacts for easy switching to a new device. Currently BBM 7 is available in beta for BlackBerry OS 6 or higher smartphones, with support for BlackBerry 5 planned "at a future date." If you're interested, hit the Beta Zone to sign up for access at the link below, or check out the press release after the break for more details.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft and Nokia use celebrities to promote Windows Phone 8

After an on stage appearance by Jessica Alba at Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 launchrecently, the company and its partners are starting to use even more celebrities to promote Redmond's latest mobile OS. In a similar move to Apple's celebrity Siri ads, AT&T and Nokia are using Will Arnett to promote the Lumia 920 in the US.

Over in the UK, Microsoft has hired popular TV presenter Holly Willoughby to star in an advert promoting Windows Phone 8 and Kid's Corner. Digital Spy reports that the ad will run across primetime TV shows in the UK. Aside from Arnett's debut in the US, Nokia has also used Ke$ha's latest music video to promote the Lumia 920. A yellow handset was originally spotted in the video, but has since been replaced by a deck of cards.

Microsoft is set to kick start its worldwide Windows Phone 8 advertising campaign during NFL games on Sunday. WPCentral reports that the company will air a one minute slot dedicated to the personalization aspects of Windows Phone 8.

[Source: The Verge]