Huawei Ascend 2 announced for US Cellular

If you’re in the market for a new low-end Android device because you’re new to the platform or you just need a temporary device until your next phone or you’re just broke, Huawei’s latest offering on US Cellular might fit the bill. Called the Huawei Ascend 2, this phone features a 3.5″ 320 x 480 display, a 5-megapixel camera, a 600MHz processor, Android 2.3, a preloaded 2GB microSD card and a 1,400mAh battery.
The phone will cost you nothing (after a $100 rebate) with a 2-year contract so it should be perfect for the reasons mentioned above. It’s no Android superphone, but the Ascend 2 isn’t too shabby-looking and if you’re not doing anything but basic smartphone tasks, it should be more than capable. Head over to US Cellular’s website for more details.

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Cricket Launches 4G LTE Network in One Market Today, No Phones to Take Advantage of it Yet

Those of you on Cricket will be happy to know that the budget carrier has launched their 4G LTE network today. Most of you probably won’t be drenched in 4G goodness as they’ve only launched in one market starting out – Tucson, AZ. And they don’t even have phones to take advantage of the network right now as their lone capable device is the Huawei Bolt, a USB modem. It’s still good news to hear that they’re at least beginning a rollout, though with just one market to speak of we’re not sure how long it’ll take for them to get coverage out to everyone. [via Electronista]

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Huawei to Unveil Their “Smartest, Fastest and Most High-Performing Smartphone Yet” February 26th

We just received a save the date notice from Huawei for February 26th, 2011. That date and the location, Barcelona, coincides with Mobile World Congress, of course, and there they will be on hand to showcase their “smartest, fastest and most high-performing smartphone yet.”

Their words, not ours. We’re not sure what Huawei is cooking up but we know they’ve been trying to create a better name for themselves with devices that can compete against heavy hitters such as Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony Ericsson and Motorola. They are aiming to break out of the ODM mold and primarily into one of the OEM variety, and we don’t blame them one bit for wanting to.
We’ll be live on the Mobile World Congress scene once that time comes (it’s still over two months away so just keep it in the back of your mind) and we’ll be sure to bring you coverage of everything that Huawei’s set to announce.

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Cricket announces Huawei Mercury smartphone

Cricket has announced the launch of the Huawei Mercury, a new Android smartphone that promises to be its most powerful yet. The Mercury sports a 4-inch display and is powered by a 1.4GHz processor.
The Mercury is a variant of the Huawei Honor, and Cricket is the first carrier in the U.S. to release a version of it. The Mercury's display is a 4-inch, FWVGA (480 x 854 pixel) touchscreen unit, and the 1.4GHz processor is a single-core chip. There is an 8 megapixel camera on the back complete with autofocus, flash, and HD video capabilities, while a VGA camera on the front provides video chat capabilities. The Mercury supports stereo Bluetooth streaming of audio, and can act as a mobile hotspot for up to 5 devices simultaneously.
Cricket does not clarify which version of Android is found on the Mercury, but the Honor launched with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, so we will assume that the Mercury has a similar Gingerbread build on it. Cricket says the Mercury will be available today for $249.99, and can be used on Cricket's $55 per month unlimited plans.

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Samsung, Huawei And Nokia Beat Apple In China Mobile Phone Manufacturing

Big news out of China as Huawei has beat out Apple as is now the third largest manufacturer of mobile phones in China.
Reuters reported the news Friday saying that Apple wasn’t as nimble or flexible as Samsung and Huawei. Despite just now breaking back into the U.S. market, Nokia still holds a huge position in Asian and European markets.
Apple has started a major expansion in China as far as their retail efforts go. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple has six retail stores with plans to open dozens more. They also have 200 mono branded stores and over 7,000 points of sale.
What’s hurting Apple in the iPhone department is the fact that they didn’t build a TD-SCDMA iPhone version for China Mobile. China Mobile is the world’s largest cell phone carrier with over 600 million users. To put that in perspective for US readers, China Mobile’s market is 3 times the size of Verizon Wireless and AT&T combined.
Aside from not having an iPhone on their countries largest carrier, Chinese customers are echoing the rest of the world when it comes to smartphones. Android is winning by a lot in China, even with Google’s rocky relationship with their government.
source: Fortune/CNN

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Huawei MediaPad clears the FCC en route to AT&T

The Huawei MediaPad isn’t anything new. It was spotted back in June on video and was quickly announced as a 7″ Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet rocking a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm processor and some 3G/4G radios inside. We’ve seen it at the FCC a few times in the recent past on its way to T-Mobile but today’s sighting showed the slate rocking AT&T US bands.

More information and a full set of teardown pictures are available from the FCC filing. If the tablet looks familiar it’s because the Huawei MediaPad is actually available now in the US as the T-Mobile Springboard.
According to the FCC filing and our friends from Wireless Goodness the MediaPad has just been cleared with AT&T bands, giving it the green light to possibly land on shelves this holiday season. Do note these are HSPA+ speeds and not AT&T’s new 4G LTE. The hardware looks identical for the most part and rocks a 7″ 1280 x 800 display, Android 3.2 Honeycomb, a dual-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm processor with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.
The tablet has front and rear facing cameras and all the usual specs like micro-USB, and even a micro-SD slot for extra storage. This could be an awesome budget Honeycomb tablet to go along nicely with the hefty price of the HTC Jetstream from AT&T. We’ll report back when we hear more but for now expect to see this land on AT&T here soon.

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Huawei Honor first to Android 4.0 ICS upgrade

I’m honored today to confirm Huawei is one of the first to bring an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update to one of their smartphones. The Huawei Honor is just starting to hit the market in parts of Asia and Huawei is already offering the ICS update available for download right from their website — for those who dare.

The Huawei Honor is one of their best and highest class smartphones available and it was just recently reviewed by yours truly over on SlashGear. Officially announced back in September we are still hearing the Honor may land stateside as the Glory from Cricket Wireless complete with a 4″ display, 1.4 GHz single-core processor and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
At the rate Huawei seems to be churning out what they consider stable releases for Ice Cream Sandwich this could possibly land on Cricket as their first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich device — but it’s too early to tell. Many other manufacturers have stated ICS updates will be coming sometime in 2012 so for Huawei to be on track so fast is very encouraging. Feel free to head to SlashGear for the full review and rundown of the smartphone rocking Gingerbread and if I can get this baby running that sweet and tasty Ice Cream I’ll be sure and shoot some more hands-on video.
Here is a demo running Gingerbread and feel free to head to Huawei and give the ICS builds a download — although I’m not having much luck here in the US.
Huawei Honor product page




[via TheUnwired]

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Huawei releases another version of Ideos X5 Gingerbread update

Remember we reported a few days back that Huawei has released the beta version of Ideos X5 Gingerbread update, which was later removed. Well, company has released yet another version of the same update today dubbed as Beta 2.
This update can be downloaded from Huawei’s official website right now and applied easily.
There is still no change-log available, but this update should include the generic Gingerbread functions like improved copy/paste, battery performance, new download manager app, and UI improvements.

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Huawei Honor ships to Asia in December, other markets to follow

Chinese manufacturer Huawei’s got big plans for the smartphone sector, and a lot of them hinge on the Honor. And why not: it’s a 4-inch Gingerbread phone with a zippy 1.4Ghz processor, and the last time we saw it, it was going for the equivalent of $300 without a contract. That’s about half the price of similar unlocked phones. In a press release, Huawei said that the phone will be launching next month in Russia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and China, with other markets following after.

In addition to Gingerbread, Huawei is including their differentiation skin, the “Huawei Android Platform 5.1″. Multiple colors will be available, including Glossy Black, Textured Black, Elegant White, Vibrant Yellow, Cherry Blossom Pink and Burgundy, though the company notes that not all colors may be available in all markets. Huawei is marketing this under their own name, unlike a lot of their products that eventually make it to the United States and other markets, like the “T-Mobile” Springboard.
Huawei is making some impressive in-roads into the smartphone market. According to the latest Gartner numbers, Huawei is in 9th place for total (smartphone and featurephone) shipments worldwide at 10.6 million phones shipped last quarter alone. With the smartphone market growing in leaps and bounds, Huawei is resting its hopes on Android, and they’re expanding their efforts to include more mid-range phones, and extending to the high end. Customers and competitors would do well to keep an eye on their progress.

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Huawei will launch its Vision smartphone and Mediapad tablet

The Huawei MediaPad, which will launch in the US as the T-Mobile SpringBoard, is headed to the UK. The manufacturer confirmed as much, pointing to a release in early 2012. The 7-inch tablet was one of the first to give us a glimpse at Honeycomb (specifically Android 3.2) tailored for a slightly smaller screen, though others have since beat it to market in some regions. For £275, buyers in the UK will get a WiFi-only slate with a dual-core CPU, dual cameras, and HDMI output.

Also announced for the UK was the Android 2.3 Huawei Vision The handset will arrive in time for Christmas and be affordably priced at about £25 after carrier subsidies are accounted for. We wouldn’t be surprised to see it offered for free in many places.

[via PCWorld]

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Huawei MediaPad hits FCC en route to T-Mobile

Our pals at the FCC give us more insight into the gadgets that are coming down the pipe than anywhere else. Since all the hardware that hits store shelves packing wireless anything has to come through the FCC on the way to launch, the first pics of the device often come by way of the FCC. Such is the case with the new Huawei MediaPad that has hit the FCC. The tablet will apparently be headed for T-Mobile when it gets the approvals it needs.

We have no idea when the tablet will launch, but it will likely be soon since the FCC is often the last hurdle to clear for launch. The MediaPad will use a 1.2GHz processor, a 7-inch screen with 1280 x 800 resolution, and it will have dual cameras. The MediaPad will also pack HDMI and run Android Honeycomb 3.2. The T-Mobile version will pack in 3G and HSPA+ connectivity as well.
One of the more important features of the tablet will be the price. The MediaPad is said to sell for $200 on contract making it a very nice deal. The normal price is said to be $500. That $500 tag will be a very hard sell and most people that buy will end up getting it on contract.
[via Pocketables]

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ZTE Skate vs Huawei Blaze

It's a battle of the budget Android this time around, as we compare the ZTE Skate with Huawei's Blaze

Not everyone has heaps of expendable income just waiting to be splashed on the latest dual-core Android or iPhone. Some of us set a budget and stick to it. But where does that leave us when it comes to picking up a smartphone?
Well, thankfully there's plenty of choice and among the leading sensibly priced devices Huawei's Blaze and ZTE's Skate stand-out as genuine contenders. But how do these two budget marvels stack up against each other?
Let's find out.

Display
ZTE's Skate features a 4.3-inch TFT touchscreen that operates at a resolution of 480 x 800 and displays 16 million colours. The device also offers a decent pixel density of 217ppi, putting it way above the likes of Samsung's Galaxy Ace, and other so-called budget smartphones.
The Huawei Blaze offers up a 3.2-inch TFT display that operates at a resolution of 480 x 320, displays 16 million colours and features a pixel density of 180ppi - which is considerably less than the Skate but still higher than the aforementioned Galaxy Ace.
Both of these devices pack a considerable punch in the display stakes, despite their modest price point but the extra screen real estate of the ZTE Skate gives it the advantage.
Winner - ZTE Skate

Power
Huawei's Blaze is powered by a single-core 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 CPU and features 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM and support for Micro SD cards up to 32GB in capacity.
While there's distinct lack of serious horsepower (and some lag at times) the smaller processor does cope amply with what it's intended to, making it a good balance of economy and necessary oomph.
The ZTE Skate raises the stakes (but not by much) with an 800MHz CPU and 512MB RAM, giving it a definite advantage over the little Huawei. The Skate offers support for Micro SD cards up to 32GB too.
Naturally we weren't expecting fire and brimstone from the device but the performance is surprisingly fluid overall!
Winner - ZTE Skate

Form
ZTE Skate - 125.9x67.8x10.4mm, 120g
Huawei Blaze - 110x56.5x11.2mm, 104g
Both of these contenders are solidly constructed, using mainly plastics. Neither are heavy, bulky or unusually uncomfortable to handle either.
The ZTE Skate definitely takes the tape ahead of the Huawei Blaze in terms of good looks though, with the latter looking like the jumbled offspring of a Nexus One and an LG Optimus P500.
Winner - ZTE Skate
Software
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is the order of the day here, with both devices operating on the popular Google platform.
There are minor customisations made by both Huawei and ZTE though, giving users a few widgets and apps to help spruce up their homescreen. And while the effort should be commended we wish that manufacturers would just let Android be unless they're planning on putting in some serious effort.
Both contenders perform well on the operating system, though the ZTE Skate clearly benefits from the extra 200MHz of grunt at its disposal.
Winner - ZTE Skate

CameraHuawei's Blaze features a 3.15-megapixel snapper with autofocus that performs as you'd expect it to, which is to say pretty poorly.
The device does benefit from a secondary camera though, which is a nice inclusion on a low-end smartphone.
ZTE has equipped the Skate with a solid 5-megapixel shooter that benefits from autofocus, LED flash and geo-tagging.
Performance is middling on the whole, but in decent light conditions you'll likely be pleasantly surprised with what the device is capable of producing.
Unlike the Huawei the Skate does not feature a front-facing camera though, so if video calling is a must-have you'll have to look elsewhere.
Winner - Draw

Despite its considerable charm the Huawei Blaze has been roundly beaten in this comparison, but that needn't reflect poorly on the overall appeal of the device.
At its price point (around £175) the Blaze is a very competitive little smartphone but for around £15 more you can pick up the ZTE Skate and in all honesty you couldn't spend that sum better if you tried.
The Skate is a really pleasing device to use and offers up solid performance, good looks and robust construction at an excellent price, and it's a worthy winner today.

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Huawei Honor official: 1.4GHz 4-inch Android on a budget

We’ve known the Huawei Honor (aka Glory) was going to be impressive from the early spec suggestions, but the company’s latest Android phone has been made official and it could well shine. Packing a 1.4GHz single-core processor, 8-megapixel camera and a 4-inch WVGA display, the Honor promises Android 2.3.5 performance at an affordable level.

The main camera has autofocus and takes HDR images, while the front-facing camera runs to 2-megapixels. There’s triband UMTS/HSPA+ (900/AWS/2100) along with quadband GSM/EDGE, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, as well as GPS/A-GPS, an FM radio, all the usual sensors and DLNA support.
One minor shortcoming is the RAM, which comes in at 512MB where we’d liked to have seen 1GB. 4GB of ROM and a microSD card slot are available for user-storage, and the 10.9mm thick chassis has a microUSB port and dual microphones. Huawei will throw in 160GB of cloud storage, too, while the battery is a 1,900mAh pack.
Huawei isn’t talking pricing today, but originally there were mutterings of $300 unlocked and SIM-free. That would be an impressive figure when the Honor drops in China, Russia and the Middle East in Q4 2011 this year.
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Huawei Honor (Glory) up for pre-order, confirms specs

We have seen the Huawei Glory before during a full hands-on back in June and it was being dubbed a inexpensive Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone. Appearing as one of the better constructed devices from Hauwei as of late many were interested to hear more. Today the phone is now up for pre-order and we have more details for you after the break.

It was last spotted being called the Honor at the end of August along with some specs to help us get an understanding for the device. Huawei has been known thus far as selling some of the lower to entry level Android smartphones but this and the recently spotted Vision shows they are starting to build some great phones.

The Huaewi Honor is a 4.0″ smartphone with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 1.4 GHz single-core Qualcomm processor, 1GB RAM, 5 MP camera on the rear with LED flash, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the usual internal goods. It also comes with a massive 1930 mAh battery to help last more than all day. When we first learned of this device it was being mentioned as their first well rounded Gingerbread phone and it would be an inexpensive offering coming in around $300 without signing a contract. The pre-order page spotted today shows a much higher price so we are hoping that will drop once this phone hits the streets.
This seems like a great mid-range phone especially for Huawei but I’ll be hoping for a lower price while we wait for more details.
[via Modem3G]

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Huawei MediaPad Android 3.2 tablet hits the streets this October

Who remembers the Huawei MediaPad from that neat little video back in June? If you’ve been wondering when you can enjoy this 7″ Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet wrapped in that nice aluminum shell we now have a firm date. Coming this October over in Malaysia, and the rest of the world and US later this fall.

The MediaPad was announced back in mid June and brings with it some pretty impressive specs, even if the design sadly looks like an enlarged iPhone 4. Inside there’s Qualcomm’s 1.2GHz dual-core processor – presumably the same chip as inside the HTC Sensation, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for those in need of more. Coming in at just 11mm thick it’s no Galaxy Tab, but its thinner than many tablets currently available.

Pair all of that with HSPA+ connectivity, WiFi, a capacitive touch beautiful IPS display and HDMI Full HD 1080p output you have a pretty nice little contender here in the world of Honeycomb tablets. Available now in Malaysia and it will be coming to the U.S. and other markets shortly. It appears it’ll be a bit later than the promised Q3 2011 date they gave during the official announcement, but this might just be worth the wait. Pricing has been said to be around $475 and I can’t help but feel that is a bit high for a 8GB tablet although it does come with 3G HSPA+ connectivity. Hopefully we’ll see a more reasonable price come launch on US soil.
[via SlashGear]

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AT&T expected to launch new Huawei Impulse 4G this month

Who wants to get upgraded to a smartphone without having to take out a loan to afford the phone?  AT&T just might have the deal of the century for you.  Granted they are going to offer you a low-end phone, when compared to others on the market, but nonetheless, you can get some pretty sweet features for a very, very affordable price.  The Huawei Impulse 4G phone will be available sometime this month and will come with a price tag of about $30 with a two-year contract with AT&T.  The Impulse 4G is an Android device and is made by Huawei.
The Huawei Impulse 4G is powered by the Android 2.2 operating system and comes with a 3.8-inch touch screen at an above average 480 x 800 pixel display.  Simple features of the new smartphone include a 5MP camera with flash and auto-focus that can also capture 720p HD video.  Even with these less than standard features available, you still get a nice phone that supports MP3 ringtones, large phonebook, calendar, alarms, SMS messaging, POP3 email and Google Talk instant messaging.  Memory can be expanded via microSD card, you can connect via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology is included.  The entire standard feature list that come with the Android operating system are also included with the new Huawei Impulse 4G.
The phone also supports music, video playback, comes with a browser that supports HTML and flash.  The Huawei Impulse 4G will support AT&T’s HSPA+ network, but you cannot expect super fast speeds due to the hardware specs we see here.  The processor speed is not mentioned anywhere yet, but I would imagine that it will not by more than 1 GHz at this price.  As mentioned before, the phone is running Android 2.2, but AT&T said that all Android phones that are released in 2011, will be upgraded to the newer 2.3 Gingerbread operating system soon.
The Huawei Impulse 4G phone will be released in the next ten days, but there was no confirmation that it will support the 4G LTE network through AT&T.  This is the first smartphone from Huawei that is available through AT&T, making it a “milestone” event for the new handset maker.  Not only is the phone affordable at $30 with a two-year contract, AT&T said the low-end monthly data plan required can be purchased for about $15 per month.

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Huawei Honor Leaks, Actually Looks Good

In Huawei’s efforts to help turn the public eye about their products (they’re known as the “cheap” OEM that everyone steers clear of for Samsung, HTC etc.) they look to be bringing another decent Android phone to Asia and possibly Europe. It’s called the Huawei Honor and at first glance could be mistaken for a Samsung Galaxy S
It’s true they’ve made their design similar to Samsung’s flagship phone (who was once accused of making theirs similar to Apple’s iPhone), but it’s a design that works and most people like it. What matters is what’s underneath, though – it’ll apparently be shipping with a 1.4GHz processor (no word on if this single core or dual-core), a 5 megapixel camera with HD video recording, Android 2.3, a 4 inch display, a 1930mAh battery and more.
No video yet, but if Huawei’s other 1GHz+ phones are anything to go on then this should handle Android as smoothly as the best of them. It’s possible Huawei will be on-hand at IFA with this model so we hope more information will come from the event. In the meantime, all we get is a fingerprint-clad photo of the phone that you see above. [LoD]

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Huawei’s UK Boss: Blaze could arrive in the UK as soon as next month

Andrew Mitchinson, Huawei’s UK Boss, said in a conversation with Bloomberg that the Blaze could arrive in the UK as soon as next month. Distribution wise, Bloomberg said the likes of Vodafone and O2 could be on board, but the reference could have been to other Huawei devices like the recently revealed Huawei Vision.
The Blaze features a 3.2″ screen, 3.2 megapixel camera, a front-facing camera, and Android 2.3. While those numbers may not sound that impressive, the price of the phone may be.
According to Bloomberg’s analyst friends, the Blaze could cost as little as £100 ($162.69) when it is launched. If the specifications and price don’t change prior to its UK arrival, the Blaze could be a solid addition at the budget end of the Android phone ranges.

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