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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LG Optimus LTE pictured again in the wild

The LG Optimus LTE has been floating around the past few weeks and now the details are starting to pour in. Known originally as the LG LU6200 sources have confirmed they are calling it the Optimus LTE but most likely will receive a full name once it hits a few carriers. This dual-core device is a nice improvement for LG’s lineup and we cant wait to see more soon — details below.

The LG Optimus LTE aims to be their answer to the Galaxy S II from Samsung. LG has dialed up a nice phone featuring a 4.5″ H-IPS display said to be the best screen around and rocking a 1280 x 720p HD resolution. Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, a dual-core 1.5 Ghz Qualcomm processor, 8 MP HD camera on the rear with 2 MP front for video, 1GB of RAM, 16GB internal storage rounding it off as a nice top tier contender.

The Optimus LTE appeared again just this week giving us a decent view of the smartphone. While the back seems a bit weird the photo’s today paint it in a more natural light and it doesn’t look so goofy. With what seems to be a rigid soft coated back panel for easy grip, an aluminum bezel wrapping around the phone and a nice aluminum dedicated home button on the face I’m really digging this new direction by LG.
The LG Optimus LTE is rumored to hit Korea sometime this month so any day now, and we should be hearing details about a possible US launch shortly. I’d love to see this hit the streets here on Verizon or AT&T to rival the Galaxy S II but they’ll need to hurry. Who wants one?
[via PocketNow]

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Samsung Galaxy S II X caught on video

The Samsung Galaxy S II has been caught on video again and is out in the wild. This is being called the Galaxy S II X and is headed to TELUS. What you see in the pictures and video below is the same version that will hit the U.S on T-Mobile dubbed the Hercules. We’ve seen this bad boy back in August posing with some benchmarks and it’s safe to assume it will be headed to TELUS and T-Mobile USA here very soon — I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

The Hercules is essentially the same version of the Galaxy S II as the others on US soil and features a bright and amazing 4.52″ AMOLED display, Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, 8MP Camera and a few more amazingly awesome specs. The one thing that makes it different and potentially better than the rest — it will be powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor compared to just 1.2 GHz with the others.
The only difference we see here between the SGSIIX on TELUS and the T-Mobile Hercules is that latest pictures revealed the T-Mobile variant will have a brushed aluminum back cover rather than the usual Samsung plastic. Everything else remains the same with the 8MP camera, 2MP front, ports and that slim and sleek design. MobileSryup once again confirms the 1.5 GHz processor, NFC, and that huge 1850 mAh battery inside. Here are a few more pictures and the Hercules live on video looking pretty spectacular.



[via MobileSyrup]

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Samsung Mobile Unpacked Event set for October 11th at CTIA

Well folks, today Samsung has been reaching out to the mobile world reminding everyone they will be live in San Diego on October 11th for CTIA. The CTIA events in October are more for developers and enterprise level guests but as usual we can expect a few neat things to come from the show. Their last event they unveiled three Galaxy S II models for the US, and before that at IFA we learned about the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and the popular Galaxy Note.

We don’t know what to expect but as usual you know we have a few ideas or thoughts. I don’t even want to get into the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus Prime, DROID Nexus rumors but we know that is on the plate and must mention it. I doubt we’ll be seeing anything like that as Google will most likely be partnered with Samsung and in charge for that little huge revealing.
I have a feeling we will be seeing the Samsung Galaxy 7.7 (aka Galaxy Plus for T-Mobile). We have also seen a few reports regarding an upcoming Galaxy Tab 7 or 7.7 from Verizon in this latest leak so that is another possibility.
Then we may also see more details about the Samsung Galaxy Note. We recently had some hands-on time with the awesome device and even compared it to similar Samsung offerings. We have seen reports that the Galaxy Note will be available in early November in the UK — while that doesn’t mean much for the US it is a good sign things are moving forward and it should be here quickly.
We don’t want to get too crazy regarding what we may see from Samsung Unpacked coming next month and will just have to wait and see what comes to the table. For now stay tuned for more information as the date inches closer as more details should follow shortly.
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Motorola ELECTRIFY Review [Video]

Let’s go ahead and get hands-on with this above-average super powerful dual-core Android handset that’ll make your robots explode with pleasure. This is the Motorola ELECTRIFY and it’s being carried here in the USA by none other than U.S. Cellular. This is the first time we’ve gotten to see such an amazingly powerful device on this carrier, the ELECTRIFY running with the big dogs here with a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor as well as what Motorola calls Webtop functionality for a fully immersive multi-purpose Android experience, complete with Motorola’s newest user interface to guide you.


Before we get into the review, have a look at what we’re looking at here with a lovely hands-on video featuring an unboxing of the device itself as you’ll get it right from the store.

Hardware

For both the hardware and to a slightly lesser degree the software here on the ELECTRIFY, I’d encourage you to check out our review of the Motorola PHOTON 4G, a device that was released a few weeks ago here in the USA with another carrier, it being basically the exact same hardware and software as what you’re seeing here, now with a different box and a new name. The difference here is the carrier, while Motorola remains the manufacturer in both cases of course. The first and brightest feature you’ll notice on this unit is its 4.3-inch qHD (quarter high definition) TFT LCD 960 x 540 pixel resolution display. Brightness and sharpness should be no concern of yours.

You’ve got a generous NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor inside right beside 1GB or RAM, and 16GB of internal storage expandable with a microSD card slot that can take up to 32GB more. The ELECTRIFY totes a lovely 8-megapixel camera on the back with dual-LED flash and a VGA resolution camera on the front for video chat. Up the right-hand side of this device you’ll find both a volume up/down and a dedicated camera button. On the top you’ll find a headphone jack as well as a power/lock button. On the left there’s a microUSB port as well as a microHDMI port, these spaced very similarly (but not certainly the same) as those on the PHOTON, this leading us to believe that all the standard docks would work, but if you don’t want to use them, you sure don’t NEED to do so.

On the back of the device there’s a kickstand. This kickstand holds your device up in landscape mode and also upon kicking activates a special display mode (which you can exit out of in a single tap.) The odd thing about how this stand holds your device up, and I’ve mentioned this before with other kickstand-popping devices, is that when it’s out and your device is sitting there looking nice, your microHDMI and microUSB ports will be facing down, basically flat against your sitting surface. That don’t work to well for them, let me yell ya. Instead you’ll be working with a device that’s on its own with power and display should you be sitting it up with the kickstand.

As this is a Motorola device, you can expect a heavy-duty build. The back is made of soft plastic that’ll never break on you, the rim around the display is made out of a reflective chrome-surfaced plastic, and the display is fronted by some hot curved-edges-having Corning Gorilla Glass with dual anti-reflective display. All the ports and all the buttons are strong and are not going to let you down, the buttons for volume and camera being particularly nice with some ridges so you can get a grip.

Software

Inside the guts of this device, once again, you’ll find the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz. This core will allow you access to all the finest NVIDIA-optimized app with the NVIDIA Tegra Zone, a game guide for Super Chip device owners. Most of the apps available through the Tegra Zone are exclusive to those of you using an NVIDIA processor in your device – lucky you, ELECTRIFY owner, you’re part of this neato club.


Profile choices – save and flip!

You’re going to be running Android 2.3.4 out of the box which is, at the moment, the second-newest version of Android released at the moment, that only being true if you consider the leaked Android 2.3.5 out there right now for the Nexus S 4G that’ll give it Google Wallet access.
Apps are sparse, just like we like em to be, hitting up all the regular Google-centric apps like Gmail, Places, Navigation, then drops a few oddities on you with Zappos, Motorola Phone Portal, Audible, the second-newest Asphalt racing game Asphalt 5 (strange they dont just drop 6 on this device, isn’t it?), and Audible. Then there’s a bit of a bomb: you get both the Android Market AND the Amazon Appstore installed right away out of the box. These two big guns must peacefully coexist somehow – is it possible?! Yes of course it is, silly, they sit really nice to one another and compliment eachother’s hair style. Android Market still has a wider selection, but the Amazon Appstore has free apps every once in a while. Tough choice.


Motorola ELECTRIFY next to the LG Optimus U also on U.S. Cellular

Performance

We’re clocking this device in on a few different tests like Quadrant, Quadrant Advanced, Vellamo, Linpack, AnTuTu, and CF-Bench. See how they all add up here, and take special note of how they compare to the Motorola PHOTON 4G, which should have essentially the exact same numbers going for it unless one carrier or the other did an extra awesome job of pimping their version of the hardware out best.

Battery and Camera

There’s a just-right 1700 mAh battery in this device which, if you’re not a max heavy user every day of your life, should be adequate to get you from waking up in the morning until your pre-bedtime cold pizza. If you’re a heavy user, you might be in line for a charge at least once halfway through the day. The camera, on the other hand, is the best that Motorola has yet offered on a mobile device. Compared to the DROID BIONIC, this device has much better autofocus and what appears to be a quicker shutter speed. Check out the video and photos below to make your ultimate judgement.

Wrap-Up

At just $199 attached to a two-year deal on U.S. Cellular, this is a no-brainer for those that have some loyalty to the U.S. Cellular brand and want the nicest Android device they carry right this moment. If given the choice between this device and the PHOTON 4G, I’d take this one any day of the week. The WiMAX network the PHOTON is working with does not stand up well where I live (Minnesota) and the battery does tend to suffer more while the device searches for a 4G signal all day long. The ELECTRIFY, on the other hand, works only on U.S. Cellular’s 3G network and has a good coasting day.

The ELECTRIFY is also the only phone on U.S. Cellular to be running the newest version of Android 2.3.x Gingerbread. That’s something to consider as well if you’re the sort of person that likes to have the best phone on the carrier. You’ve got the option to find yourself some docks to use this device with, docks like car docks, HD media docks, and even a laptop dock not unlike the original ATRIX 4G, but you don’t need those things. This device does not need them and you do not need them – the computer is here, and it can grant you all your wishes. Also the color scheme is nice, and plugging this device in simply to your big-screen HD TV will result in nothing but good times and HD fun – for kicks, try Riptide GP, a game demoed in the video you see here:




Vector Unit’s Matt Small Demos Riptide GP on the PHOTON 4G

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Amazon sending out press invites, I sense an Android tablet

Just hitting the wires this morning is the long awaited press invite from Amazon. In what appears to be nothing but an invite and a tease for an upcoming press conference being held by Amazon we can only expect this to be the long awaited and much rumored Android Kindle Tablet.

While we heard some pretty compelling information earlier this month based on some hands-on time with the secret device, nothing else is really fully known at this point. This Wednesday, September 28th right in NYC at 10 AM the world will know. Sadly this invite like mentioned above is pretty plain and only lets our minds wander.
We’ve been seeing rumors about an Amazon tablet for a while, just like these claims of Foxconn being the manufacturer. Hopefully all the details and more come from this event next week. This may be just a new Kindle or e-reader but we have a feeling Amazon will be talking about and announcing much more than just a e-reader. All the speculation will be over soon so be sure and stay tuned right here at Android Community for all the details.

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