Acer Iconia Smart FCC Appearance Suggests An AT&T Release Is Coming

We watched as Acer unveiled their 4.8 inch Iconia Smart smartphone during Mobile World Congress back in February and at the time we were given a complete set of specs but left wondering which carriers the handset would come available with.

And strangely, things remained rather quite on the rumor front. But that aside, it was noted that the handset would be available beginning May 1st, but again, with which carrier was the question. Well, flash forward till today and a recently discovered FCC filing may have some clues.
According to the filing, the Iconia Smart will have support for the North American friendly 850, 1900 and 2100 MHz bands. In other words, this handset could be released with AT&T in the US as well as Rogers up in Canada. Given that, it seems strange that we have not seen any announcement from either. But who knows, maybe Acer quietly delayed the handset. Or maybe we are going to see a press release drop sooner rather than later.
With that, we offer a reminder in terms of the specs and also a bit of warning — this will probably not be a phone that everyone is going to lust after given the size of the display — its more tablet like if you ask us. With that, the Iconia Smart will be running Android 2.3 Gingerbread and featuring a 4.8 inch display with a 1024 x 480 resolution, 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor, 512MB RAM, 512MB ROM, GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, 1500 mAh battery and a 2 megapixel front facing camera along with an 8 megapixel camera on the back.
So how about it, any AT&T and/or Rogers customers looking forward to seeing a tablet-like smartphone come available? If nothing else, judging from some of the comments that we have seen in the past defending the Dell Streak 5, we know there is a loyal, albeit small group that should be happy.

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'Optimus 2X' On Guinness Book – 'World's First Dual Core Smart Phone'

Ultimately approved as a smart phone with 'Tegra 2 Dual Core Processor' of NVIDIA by Guinness World Records, Optimus 2X is officially on World Guinness Book as 'The first mobile phone to use a dual core processor'.

Optimus 2X, with 1GHz Tegra 2 Dual Core Processor by NVIDIA equipped is receiving a good response from various advantages; ▲fast internet speed and game process ▲strong performance matching PC ▲minimizing electricity consumption, etc.

Jong-Seok Park, a vice president and head of operations of LG Electronics Mobile Communications, said, "Optimus 2X's registration on Guinness Book is a fruit from launching an innovative product that can lead the market. We're going to establish technological leadership of LG Mobile in smart phone market".

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iPhone Augmented Reality set for a boost from Qualcomm AR SDK for iOS

Qualcomm has announced that its Augmented Reality SDK for iOS is now available free as a public beta program.

The move follows the release of Qualcomm's Android-based SDK at the end of last year, which allowed developers to knock up AR apps for devices where the company has a big interest through its Snapdragon processors.

But now Qualcomm is opening up the software to iPhone and iPad developers. The mobile chip giant is a big player, and invests some serious time and effort, when it comes to Augmented Reality - and it's clear that it sees AR as an incredibly important area for the mobile industry as a whole.

Back in June, Pocket-lint was invited to Qualcomm's HQ in San Diego where we saw some of its AR innovation first hand - including a demo of a couple of its apps working on an iPhone.

"With iOS we are supporting the Unity," Qualcomm's Jay Wright told us. "And what that means is developers can run one Unity application that will work on Android and on iOS.

"Augmented Reality is a new form of interactive media. It's an important new user interface for a variety of user-based applications."

The expansion of Qualcomm's AR platform to Apple iDevices allows developers to use Apple's XCode and Unity 3 to build "high-performance, interactive 3D AR experiences".

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Droid Bionic Release Date Pushed Back to September in Thunderbolt Delay Style?

Yesterday we looked at various leaked documents suggesting that the Droid Bionic could be launched as early as next week by Verizon, with Sam’s Club getting the LTE superphone at some point in September; or so we believed.

It seems now that there’s reason to believe Verizon will delay the launch of the Droid Bionic to September, with September 1 being the rumored release date now. This reminds us very much of the problematic launch of the Thunderbolt, the first LTE handset available from Verizon, which was, for one reason or another, delayed for weeks without a proper explanation.

Verizon has already put up a sign up page for the Droid Bionic, something we interpreted as a good sign when we spotted the page. But apparently Motorola is advising Verizon that the phone will only be available in “early September.”

I wonder if any of this has to do with the delayed launch of the iPhone 4S/5 or whether Moto is encountering certain technical difficulties. The iPhone 4S/5 will be announced in September, by most accounts, so would Motorola be making a wise choice launching the Droid Bionic at the same time? We’ll remind you that both AT&T and Verizon will get the new iPhone 4S/5 simultaneously and they’ll certainly dedicate plenty of marketing efforts to the new iPhone in town.

On the other hand, if there’s something technically wrong with the Droid Bionic, then I’m sure anyone would agree with a delayed launch as nobody wants to buy a brand new, and probably expensive, faulty Android handset. The problem here is that neither Verizon nor Motorola would announce anything official regarding the Droid Bionic yet, and therefore we’re left to battle with contradicting rumors on a regular basis.

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Sanyo announces New Eneloop Mobile booster for faster Charging your devices

Sanyo announced in Japan yesterday a new pair of their Eneloop Mobile booster with the KBC-L54D (5400mAh) and KBC-L27D (2700mAh). Both models keep the same basic design as previous Mobile boosters, but comes with more “juice” with an increase of approximately 8% as well as being capable to recharger either your smartphone or tablet 1.5 times faster thanks to their new higher output.
These new Eneloop Mobile Booster will be available in Japan later this September, at 5,000 and 3,500 Yen respectively.

Tokyo, July 21, 2011 – SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO), a world leader in rechargeable battery technology, is pleased to announce its new “eneloop mobile boosters (KBC-L54D and KBC-L27D)”, lithium-ion batteries with USB power ports which have higher capacity than previous models (KBC-L2BS and KBC-L3AS).
The new mobile boosters can not only recharge the latest smart phones and tablet PCs such as iPhone and iPad*1 series, but they can also power various gadgets with USB power ports. Along with this, the higher output makes it possible to charge gadgets more quickly. The new eneloop mobile boosters will go on sale on September 8, 2011 in Japan only.
SANYO will continue to develop and expand its ‘eneloop universe’ product series while emphasizing lifestyles that value reusing resources, allowing people to enjoy the conveniences the series offers, as well as a sustainable energy lifestyle.
1. More power for your gadgets thanks to the higher capacity lithium-ion batteries increased by approximately 8% than previous models (KBC-L2BS and KBC-L3AS)
The new eneloop mobile boosters have a greater capacity lithium-ion battery than previous models (KBC-L2BS and KBC-L3AS) by approximately 8%; KBC-L54D with 5400mAh and KBC-L27D with 2700mAh.
2. Reduced charging times for gadgets due to the higher output of 1.5A (KBC-L54D), 1.5 times that of the previous model (KBC-L2BS)
Generally speaking, smart phones and tablet PCs which are growing in popularity need more power than conventional cell phones. The KBC-L27D with 1.0A, twice the output of the previous model (KBC-L3AS), is suitable especially for smart phones for efficient recharging in a shorter time. In addition, the KBC-L54D with 1.5A, one and a half times the output of previous model (KBC-L2BS) is suitable especially for tablet PCs which need a high power current.
3. Rechargeable via AC adaptor and USB port on PCs. Remaining capacity clearly indicated with 3 color LED light
The models can be recharged through a PC’s USB power ports via a USB cable, as well as through a dedicated AC adaptor. In addition, the attached USB cable which is USB-A type – USB-micro-B type can also be used to supply power to gadgets*7 such as smart phones with a USB-micro-B type port. Furthermore, the 3 color LED light clearly indicates the remaining capacity of the battery with green, orange and red.

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Another Phone Concept

Looks like it's the day for concept devices; after showing you the HTC1 concept phone earlier today, we come to see another phone concept coming from China, called the Blue Bee, which is been around for a while.
Interesting fact is that, even though it's coming from China, the device is "running" on AT&T and the top taskbar looks very familiar ;) Putting that aside, the no hardware buttons on front concept is something we've heard about before, not sure it is what we'd want though. The futuristic look is complemented by the honeycomb like buttons that we've seen in the very early days of Windows Mobile 6.5 and also, the back touch controls are something that I think would come in handy to many of us/

Would you like an all-touch-screen device with no hardware buttons on the front? Also, would you find backside touch panel controls useful?

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Mophie Juice Pair Plus more than doubles iPhone 4 battery life

Mophie has announced the second of its iPhone battery boosting range - the Juice Pack Plus - which it says will "more than double" your iPhone 4's battery life.
The "ultra thin and lightweight" device fits onto your iPhone 4 like a regular (if slightly fatter) case, and gives you an extended power time-frame thanks to its 2,000 mAh capacity battery, that you can charge up via USB.
With 3G on, you should get an extra 8 hours of talk with the Juice Pack Plus (2 more than the Air version) and double this if you're happy to go 2G only. You should get 44 hours more music playback, and 11 hours extra video.
If you're all about the web, have no fear - you'll get up to 7 additional hours internet use on 3G or 11 hours with your Wi-Fi switched on.
The case also works as a "virtual speaker box", with sound being redirected to the front of the device due to its shape.
There's an LED light display to tell you how much power you've got left in the tank and, like the Air version, you don't need to remove it to charge or sync your iPhone 4 due to the pass-through USB option.

The Mophie Juice Pack Plus is available now, in black, cyan, magenta or yellow, and will cost you £89.95.

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DOCOMO unveils its green Mobile Phone Prototype with touch of Style

I guess use of scrap woods or so called surplus woods is becoming a technology trend coinciding with thinning tree activities in maintaining healthy forest. This is my second post on this subject. It all started with Mitsubishi’s announcement on development of new plastic resin from the surplus cedar wood. This follows with today’s DOCOMO announcement on development of mobile phone prototype made of surplus wood of trees culled. Well only the exterior body of the phone is made of wood. The new prototype was developed in corporation with Sharp and Olympus Corporation as well as with the collaboration of “more trees”, a reforestation project which is founded by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and others.
The new prototype which is named TOUCH WOOD in addition of featuring an excellent durability is water, insect and mildew resistance with an attractive shine all to three dimensional compression molding technology which is developed by Olympus Corporation. By the wood content comes from authentic Cypress tree. No artificial coloring and paint has been used in developing the TOUCH WOOD bearing a natural coloring and aroma. The TOUCH WOOD’s GUI is based on the photographic art of Mikiya Takimoto a more trees advocate. 

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Release of Second Generation Mamorino, GPS-Equipped Children’s Mobile Phone by Kyocera

Followed by last March announcement on launch of first mamorino a children mobile phone with GPS tracking technology, Kyocera has launched the second generation mamorino, the mamorino 2, a further improvement to its original version based on clients’ feedback. The new mamorino 2 features a round body with large keys. The mamorino 2 is now both waterproof and dirt-resistance to fit the children active lifestyles. In addition to this the handset is equipped with an emergency alert function which is activated by simply pulling the attached strap to it, creating a loud alarm and flashing light. As an added security measure in case of emergency a special service allows the emergency alarm to automatically notify Security Company Secom Co., Ltd, which results in sending emergency response personnel to the child’s location.
The mamorino 2 has a special school “off-mode” turning off the mobile phone but still allowing the GPS functions to be active. In case the mobile phone running low on battery a message will be sent automatically to first point of contact in a pre-programmed contact list which has been extended to 10 from its original 4. The new mamorino 2 will be sold as KDDI’s new lineup.

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Docomo introduces the world thinnest Android phone with the Medias N-04C

We had the chance to learn about this very interesting Medias N-04C Android phone a few days ago and today, Docomo officially unveils the Medias N-04C to the Japanese public.
So what can we say about this new very slim Smartphone? First of all, yes the Medias N-04C is the world slimmest Android phone yet with a total size of just 127x62x7.7mm and a weight of only 105g.
The N-04C will also come with a 4″ (480×854 Gorilla Glass) screen with 262,144 colors, a 800mhz CPU,a 5mpix camera with Burst mode, 1Seg, Bluetooth, WiFi , Osaifu Ketai (NFC Wallet) and Android 2.2 with an upgrade available to Android 2.3 around July 2011.
After spending quite sometime with this new Medias, the first thing that I can assure you is that this N-04C is a freaking slim turning my iPhone4 as a big fat ass Smartphone in comparison.
The other very striking thing on this Media N-04C and despite running an 800MHz CPU, the N-04C is pretty fast and everything runs smoothly without hiccups or slowdowns.
This said and despite all past comments on Japanese phone and the Medias plastic back cover, I can’t wait to make it mine!!!! Well done NEC !

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iOS 4.3 GM Released to Developers & Already Jailbroken Via PwnageTool

As you already know Apple is going to launch iOS 4.3 on March 11, on the same day the iPad 2 will become official. We’ve seen the iOS previewed on stage at the official next-gen iPad 3vent and we already started asking questions about whether the future iPad 2 with iOS 4.3 on board will be jailbreakable or not.

Apple decided to release the iOS 4.3 Golden Master to developers already, a full week before the new iOS version is supposed to come out officially, but you’ll have to register a developer account with Apple before being able to install it on the iPhone 4 or 3GS, the iPad or the iPod touch, 3rd or 4th generation. Otherwise there’s some more waiting to be done in order to install it on your iOS device.
But the real news is not that iOS 4.3 GM has come out but that the new OS has been already jailbroken using PwnageTool, although the whole procedure is a little more complex and requires some more experience/patience to get it done. And we’re looking at a tethered jailbreak too, which might be deemed as annoying by some, but at least it’s available right away.
The fact that iOS 4.3 GM is already jailbreakable, even if the jailbreak process is not that user-friendly yet, only shows that there’s great potential in the future jailbreak of the iPad 2. Although, ultimately, that’s up to Apple. If the company decided to patch that known Limera1n exploit in this new piece of hardware than the fact that iOS 4.3 GM is ready for jailbreaks might not be enough.
Those of you looking to unlock your iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 running iOS 4.3 are definitely advised to stay away of this new iOS 4.3 version, at least for another week, so we can all get a better view of what iOS 4.3 jailbreaking really means. So stick around, join the blog.

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Android-powered Dream G2 Phone Born in China

As reported by digitimes.com, China based manufacturer Sciphone is expected to sell Android-powered Dream G2 handset in the next 15 days with US$174 price tag. No words yet about the availability outside China.

The Sciphone Dream G2 will run Android Home edition V1.0, and will come with GSM/EDGE support, 16GB flash memory, and Google Maps, Gmail and YouTube applications, but it will not include a physical keyboard, according to the report/

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Facebook Phone is Real, but It’s not that Real

I don’t know how to describe what the Facebook phone is, but let’s make it simple. Let’s call every phone with a dedicated Facebook button, the Facebook phone. And HTC did it with its new HTC ChaCaha and HTC Salsa. Annaunced at Mobile Word Congres 2011 in Barcelona, both smartphones feature a dedicated Facebook button for one-touch access to the Facebook. Powered by HTC Sense, the Facebook button on HTC ChaCha and HTC Salsa is context-aware, gently pulsing with light whenever there is an opportunity to share content or updates through Facebook. And one thing that make me excited is the feature that enable us to post what song we are listening to, it’s a feature I’ve been looking for a long time in PC to share my Winamp track, but now it’s available in Smartphone. Of course, with a single press of the button, we can also update status, upload a photo, share a Website, ‘check in’ to a location and more.

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Tough talk! The Sanyo Taho by Kyocera on Sprint

 

Kyocera, making it Sprint’s first fully submersible device available for less than $100. The new Sanyo Taho by Kyocera, a ruggedized handset that, despite its good looks, can withstand some of the harshest elements and 30 minutes of full immersion in water up to one meter (3.28 feet) deep. Highlights: A robust front-ported speakerphone and a 2 megapixel camera with flash and camcorder; a non-slip Dura-Grip® texture; a 2-inch QVGA TFT internal display and 1-inch monochrome external display; 256 MB of internal memory; a 1 GB microSD memory card (provided with handset) and support for memory cards up to 32GB; CDMA 1xEV-DO network technology; supporting autonomous GPS and Java Multitasking for third-party location-based services; and up to 6.1 hours of talk time.

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ZTE Skate & Huawei Ideos X3 Hands-on Preview

Today we’re looking at two brand new handsets the ZTE Skate and the Huawei Ideos X3, which were both on display in Barcelona. One is a basic mid-ranged handset while the other one is closer to the high-end of the Android ecosystem.
The Huawei Ideos X3 is, as we speak, a non-working device. We’re looking at a mockup that’s placed in it’s own special dock, and, as you can see in the images below, everybody is urged not to touch it. When I first spotted the enclosure from the distance I thought I was looking at some sort of new MiFi but that wasn’t the case, and that became quite obvious once I approached it. Eventually I was allowed to take a look at it up close and personal, but just like the Ideos X7 Pro tablet I saw earlier this unit wasn’t working.
The Ideos X3 will most probably be a very affordable device, which the masses will enjoy. We’re looking at a 3.2-inch handset capable of sporting Android 2.3 Gingerbread under the hood, which is something other cheap Android handsets out there won’t offer, at least not right out of the box.
If you’ll want to spend a bit more money on an upcoming device then the ZTE Skate could be the handset you’re looking for. The device was present at ZTE’s booth and for a company that hasn’t managed yet to impress the western carriers with its Android devices yet, the Skate is quite a remarkable machine.

The Skate comes with a large 4.3-inch screen, the kind we’re used to seeing on popular handsets like the HTC Thunderbolt, the EVO 4G, the Motorola Droid X or the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S 2. Under the hood we find Android 2.3 Gingerbread (the real deal with no custom UI on top), an 800MHz processor (which will be strangely matched by the CPU of the small HP Veer), Adreno 200 GPU and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash along the regular GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity features.
Not that it would matter much but the Skate has a pretty original back case that features that popular Android figure you’ve grown more than used to, and the phone looks pretty elegant and quite comfortable for a device with such a screen size.
The Skate will certainly be cheaper than all the other 4.3-inch handsets out there but more expensive than the Huawei Ideos X3 we’ve seen before. Both handsets will come in spring, but we have no clear launch dates yet.

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Built your own private network on the Go with Planex latest 3G Wireless Router

Being capable to quickly and with any hassle built-up your only little Network on the go has change our life, and today, Planex has introduced a new Wi-Fi Pocket Router in Japan the MZK-MR150.
Going beyond the whole MiFi stuff, the MZK-MR150 is a real but compact Wireless Router with a set of WAN and LAN Port (2x LAN, 1x WAN) as well as an USB port built to for any kind 3G or 4G USB Modem you may own.
Supporting WiFi BGN, this router comes with all features than can be found Wireless Router available on the market but in only 85x24x58mm and for just 58g.
Finally the MZK-MR150 will be available within March in Japan and should cost around 5,000 Yen. 

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Kyocera Echo Announced By Sprint, Coming This Spring

As was expected (thanks rumor mill), Sprint announced their newest Android phone tonight in New York City – the Kyocera Echo. The phone has got a folding design with dual-touch displays, making up a combined 4.7-inch screen. The dual-screens are really the start of this device. Sprint is promising four ways that an app and the user can use the dual screens, and they’re kind of interesting.

As far as the specs, the Echo is running a 1GHz Snapdragon processor with Android 2.2 (No 4G!). Each screen by itself is about 3.5-inches (aka iPhone size), but when you’ve got the second screen popped out – it makes it a total of 4.7-inches, which Sprint is promoting as “the biggest phone display from Sprint yet.” Sort of a technicality, as it’s not just one big screen.
Sprint’s webpage is promoting these as the “four modes” of the Echo:

• Single-screen Mode: The phone is closed. You’re using just one 3.5-inch screen, like a regular Android phone.
• Tablet Mode: The phone is open, and you’re using both screens like one 4.7-inch tablet. Well, one with a hinge in the middle.
• Simul-Task Mode: You can run two apps at once. I guess this is like real multitasking (Sprint has trademarked the term “Simul-task”) but the functionality of this mode has already been questioned.
• Optimized Mode: This is what I’ll call “Nintendo DS” mode. Apps will use the two screens to their advantage. For example, in the press images released by Sprint, they show a YouTube app. The top screen is showing the video while the bottom screen is showing all the YouTube menus like “next videos” and “related videos”, etc. This could be the most promising from a user’s perspective.

What do you think about the phone? Initial reaction on Twitter and Android fansites by my count seems to be overwhelming negative. The hinge is awful design in the year 2011 (Remember the BlackBerry Style? Yeah, Sprint had that phone too.) Tablet mode, in my opinion (without having tried the device – we’ll ask Sprint for a review unit) is completely useless with the hinge cutting through the screen. How could you play games like Angry Birds like that?
Anyway, the phone is coming for $200 on a two-year contract. No exact release date except for “Spring 2011″. Sprint does have a mailing list up on their site, so you can pop in your e-mail if you’d like to be informed as soon as they start pre-orders for this phone

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Sharp SH-01A

Unveiled via NTT DoCoMo in Japan market, Sharp SH-01A is camera phone which offers 8-megapixel camera, up to ISO 2500, face detection function for five persons, 1-Seg, GPS, Bluetooth connectivity, 7.2Mbps 3G network and up to 8GB of micro SD card. Equipped with 3.3-inch screen display with with 480x854 resolution, the Sharp SH-01A is available in blue, black, white and pink colors.

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ASUS E600 Windows Phone 7

.More Windows Phone 7 Smartphone will hit the market as FCC just unveiled the new ASUS E600 Windows Phone 7. Equipped with 4-inch WVGA touchscreen display, the handset features a 5.2-megapixel camera with an LED flash, a microSD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a 1,300mAh battery and also supports 850/1900MHz 3G band. No word on pricing yet.

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Altek Leo 14MP Android Camera Phone

Altek Leo have been on the line super-camera phone boasting 14MP camera with 3X optical zoom that is capable of 720p HD video recording. This new handset will also run Android 2.1 that support 3.5G capable of HSUPA sporting 5.7mbps and HSDPA up to 7.2mbps of speed. This transfer rates is we think convenient when uploading those high-resolution captures. Though the camera was a gigantic selling point, the smaller sized screen lesser than 3.2-inches is undoubtedly a shortcomings tagged on Leo, not to mention the outdated software.
It was announced that the Leo will be hitting Asia in late 2010 and in early 2011 for its European debut, though it seems there’s no word on which carrier will ship this new Android handset. We just wish that it will release a quick software update upon availability.

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