Sony `Xperia P` Lands at MWC

Sony has just announced two new handsets to their NXT series of Android Handsets the Xperia P and the Xperia U, but if you were interested in a Sony Android phone whose features are closer to that of the Xperia S, then perhaps the Sony Xperia P could be the handset you are looking for.
Keeping in line with the rest of Sony’s NXT handsets, the Sony Xperia P will sport a minimalist design with a precision crafted aluminum body. It will sport a 4″ display that is powered by Sony’s “WhiteMagic” technology, which will help with displaying images under bright sunlight, but will also provide twice the level of brightness when compared to other smartphones or so Sony claims.
Under the hood, the Xperia P will be powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor under the hood with 16GB of internal storage, and it will also sport an 8MP camera with Sony’s Exmor R sensor, a “fast capture” feature which company boasts will allow the user to go from lock to camera in a second, and the ability to capture Full HD 1080p quality videos. The Xperia P will also come with a Smart Dock accessory, therefore turning your device into a multimedia center. This isn’t exactly new technology, but it will be interesting to see how Sony plans to differentiate themselves from the competition.
Last but not least, the Xperia P will include NFC support that is compatible with Xperia SmartTags, accessories which when used together with the phone’s NFC function will launch a series of actions at once. In the example used by Sony, imagine if you were to go for a run but instead of launching an app one by one, tapping the Xperia P against the SmartTag will launch all your preset apps at once. A handy feature, we have to admit, and in a way they could thought of as macros.
The Sony Xperia P will come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread preinstalled, but fret not as the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update has been planned for the device. The phone will be available in three different brushed aluminum finishes and is expected to roll out in Q2 of 2012. No specific dates were mentioned nor pricing, but we expect those details to be made available further down the line, so check back with us then if you think that the Sony Xperia P is the phone for you.

Huawei Ascend D quad promises to be 'the world's fastest smartphone'

Huawei is the company that kicked off today’s series of Mobile World Congress 2012 conferences and the WaVe@4 was there to provide some details. First of all, we’ve found out the specs for 3 brand new handsets from the Huawei Diamond series. I’m talking about the Huawei Ascend D Quad, Ascend D Quad XL and the Ascend D1.

The Huawei Ascend D Quad is a 4.5 inch handset with an IPS screen supporting a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. This device relies on a Huawei J3V2 quad core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB storage, plus it runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It also comes with 5.1 surround sound technology (Dolby Mobile 3.0 Plus) and an 8 megapixel camera with BSI, AF and 1080p video capture. The same camera offers a dual LED flash and HDR. The battery on board is a 1800 mAh unit and on the connectivity side we get 3G with speeds of up to 21Mbps, plus Bluetooth 3.0 and WiFi b/g/n.

Huawei Ascend D Quad XL only brings a CPU bump to the previous model, to 1.5GHz and a better battery , at 2.500 mAh. The rest of the specs is exactly the same as the ones of the Ascend D Quad. Finally, there’s also a dual core phone in the new Diamond series, the Huawei Ascend D1 model, with a dual core 1.5GHz CPU, Android 4.0, an IPS 4.5 inch HD display, 8MP shooter with 1080p capture and a 1.670 mAh battery. It’s strange that we didn’t see the Huawei MediaPad 10 tablet, that was leaked on the web over the past week.
Huawei also said that they expect to sell 60 million units this year (outside China) and that they know networks better than anyone and can increase the functioning time of batteries through faster network reception. No info about the prices of these handsets just yet, but what we know is that we’re supposed to expect a launch before summer. The Asian company also announced that they came up with a more compact display design thatn their rivals.

Sony XPERIA S Shows its Beauty at WMC

The Sony Xperia S does seem to be the go-getter kind ofsmartphone, having been spotted inbench mark tests that churned out some rather impressive figures – not to mention having it sport an anti-stain shell as well as a fast chare capability Late last month, the XPERIA S was also spotted over at the FCC, and we also went ahead with a demo of it at CES in Las Vegas this January. Here is a refresher
Sony has packed in some pretty impressive hardware into the XPERIA S, so here is a quick refresher course – we are looking at a 4.3” display with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as the operating system of choice right out of the box, in addition to a 1280 × 720 “Reality Display” that sports “Mobile Bravia Engine” for superior images. Sony also threw in a Fastest Capture feature that boots up a “ready to shoot” camera app in a mere 1.5 seconds, now what do you think of that? Expect the XPERIA S to arrive in black or white shades later this year (Q2 is most likely).

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is a reality

Prior to MWC, there were rumors suggesting that Samsung would be coming up with a larger version of the Galaxy Note, the Galaxy Note 10.1 to be exact, and for those who were hoping to see a 10.1” tablet with S-Pen support, you’re in luck as Samsung has officially taken the wraps off the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Users out there who have enjoyed the Samsung Galaxy Note, but who would prefer a larger display to write/draw will probably want to check it out. 

In terms of hardware, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 will be powered by a dual-core processor under its hood that has been clocked at 1.4GHz. It will sport 1GB of RAM and will come in storage capacities of 16/32/64GB, and can be further expanded by an additional 32GB via microSD. It will also feature a 10.1” 1280×800 PLS TFT display with a 3MP rear-facing camera and a 2MP front-facing camera.
To showcase the support for the S-Pen, Samsung has include features such as S Note and S Planner, with the S Note allowing users to create their own content by joining notes and sketches together with content from the web, all of which can be done within the app itself without the need to switch screens. The device will feature a variety of connectivity options, such as WiFi, HSPA+ 21Mbps, Bluetooth 3.0 and USB.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 will be launched with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on board, but unfortunately no word on pricing or availability just yet.

Huawei MediaPad 10 Tablet has Jaw-Dropping Resolution

We knew that 2012 would be the year of the high resolution tablet. It's only logical that current tablets, most of which cap out at 1280x800 pixels, would be succeeded by devices with full 1080p 1920x1080 resolution. But to go beyond that is impressive. Notwithstanding the rumors about the iPad 3 having a 2048x1536 pixel display, the Huawei MediaPad, with its 1920x1200 resolution, will take the crown as the highest resolution tablet yet. My monitor at work, a full 14" larger than the MediaPad 10, has that same 1920x1200 resolution.

The MediaPad 10 was sort of on display at MWC, that is, they had a hand-built prototype, which gives us a sense at how close to shipping the MediaPad 10 is. It'll be a quad-core tablet that manages to be remarkably thin at under 9mm. No word on pricing, but look for it to ship in the Q2.

HTC One X, One S Launch at Mobile World Congress

As was widely expected, HTC announced its two halo devices for the first half of the year at M.W.C today, the quad-core HTC One X and slim, dual-core HTC One S. First revealed as the HTC Edge and HTC Ville, respectively, the two handsets are both powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and skinned with HTC Sense 4.0.

The One X, pictured up top (and better known by its final codename of Endeavor), features a Tegra 3 "4+1" quad core processor, 4.7-inch, 720p HD display, and 1GB of RAM / 32GB ROM. It's got a 1080p-capable eight-megapixel main camera with the new HTC ImageSense technology, along with a 1.3-megapixel front-facing webcam. Like the One S, and most high-end HTC devices of late, the X brings Beats Audio enhancements to music playback.

While the S (pictured above) shares many of the same specs as the X, it is highlighted by its 7.9-millimeter profile. The processor is a more traditional dual-core Snapdragon from Qualcomm, while the display is 4.3 inches at qHD resolution. RAM is the same 1GB as the One S, but built-in storage is only 16GB. The two phones share the same camera, as well as a Bluetooth 3.0 radio, Wi-Fi b/g/n, and the usual complement of sensors.

Look for these two flagships to begin rolling out globally in late March and early April, each with 25GB of free Dropdrop storage in tow. As of now, the One S has been tipped for US release on T-Mobile, with further carrier commitments to follow.

Onkyo Redefines “Entry Level” with 4 Heavy-Hitting AVRs

Onkyo has announced the first four new AV receivers for its 2012 line, including three with network capability, including one with THX certification. All have USB connections and additional HDMI® inputs. The line also includes the world’s first AV receivers to employ Silicon Image’s InstaPrevue™ and Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) technologies. Furthermore, the three network capable models are the world’s first AVRs to include music ‘cloud server’ access via MP3tunes™.
The four new models are the Onkyo TX-NR616 THX-Certified 7.2-Channel Network Receiver, TX-NR515 7.2-Channel Network Receiver, TX-NR414 5.1-Channel Network Receiver, and TX-SR313 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver.

Onkyo’s powerful WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology) is now implemented throughout the line. This low negative-feedback topology reduces signal noise and guarantees superb performance with minimal distortion. Even the entry model TX-SR313, Onkyo now uses this discrete-component output stage rather than lower cost integrated circuit amplifiers.
The TX-NR616 is most powerful model in this release, and it is backed by a THX® Select2 Plus™ guarantee of cinema-quality sound. Achieving this demanding certification standard for audio quality is made possible partly by the use of Onkyo’s three-stage inverted Darlington circuitry.
The TX-NR616, along with the TX-NR515 and TX-NR414 are the world’s first to include InstaPrevue, which provides on-screen video thumbnails to show the content currently available on HDMI-connected components making input source selection easy. The TX-NR616 and TX-NR515 are also the first to include MHL, an interface protocol that facilitates the playback of 1080p video and stills with 7.1 channels of surround sound over HDMI from MHL compatible smartphones and other portable devices.

The front-panel USB port on all four receivers also provides a direct digital connection of an iPod®/iPhone® or flash-memory device. The TX-NR515 and TX-NR616 have an additional USB port on the rear panel that can be used for the optional UWF-1 adapter leaving the front-side USB free for iPod and iPhone.

The TX-NR616 and TX-NR515 also offer superior video performance thanks to on-board Qdeo™ processing technology by Marvell. This provides analog video upscaling to 1080p, and up to 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels) scaling when used with a compatible 4K display.
When it comes to home theater audio, these two 7.2 channel models feature Dolby® Pro Logic® IIz expansion to incorporate Front Height channels, and to convert stereo sources to surround sound. The TX-NR616 also includes Audyssey DSX expansion for additional Front Wide or Height channels. Both systems provide a more realistic movie or gaming experience. Users can also connect two subwoofers via parallel pre-outs in a 7.2-channel set-up. Naturally, Audyssey 2EQ room acoustic correction ensures the best possible performance in any listening space.
All models have connections for legacy analog and digital audio technology. Additionally, the TX-NR515 offers distributed audio with Powered Zone 2, while the TX-NR616 adds Powered Zone 2 and a Zone 3 line-out.

Later this year, Onkyo plans to release the UBT-1 USB Bluetooth Adaptor which will allow even better integration between electronic devices and Onkyo network receivers.
The TX-NR616 will be available in April with a suggested retail price of $699; the TX-NR515, TX-NR414 and TX-SR313 will all be available in March at suggested retail prices of $599, $499 and $299, respectively.