Oppo Find 3 Android-powered Smartphone

The new Oppo Find 3 Android smartphone is now available for pre-order. Priced at around $500, the smartphone is powered by a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260 processor, a 1GB of RAM, a 4-inch WVGA IPS touchscreen display with an 800 x 480 pixel resolution, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash, a 2-megapixel front-facing digital camera, up to 16GB of storage space and the Google Android Gingerbread operating system with a customized UI. The Oppo Find 3 will be released on February 18th, 2012. [Geeky-gadgets]

HTC Endeavor RUU leaked, breakthrough for custom ICS ROMs?

For years custom ROMs such as CyanogenMod have been saviors for us users. They have helped us receive the latest version of our beloved OS long before the manufacturers push it out (and in many cases, even when they didn’t). Yet the move from Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich has proved to be extremely frustrating – primarily because of the degree of changes made to the source code. As an HTC user, I’ve been keeping a keen eye on the progress of the ROMs available on XDA for quite some time. Unfortunately, nobody has been able to get together even a beta-worthy version, with the main problem proving to be the camera. The reason is that the development teams have no access to the required drivers, which usually is a problem solved using a ROM available for another device. With no HTC phone on ICS yet, all their efforts have so far proved futile. But yesterday, an RUU for the HTC Endeavor was leaked to XDA-Developers, which could help solve the problem the devs have been facing. It’ll take a lot of work, though. Especially considering the HTC Endeavor's shift to a quadcore Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and 720p resolution, posing as a set of obstacles. Anyone out there on a decently functional custom ROM for HTC? Do point us in the right direction, please, I’m so tired of waiting!

LG Fantasy E740/Miracle photo leaked

No idea on whether this is intentional or not, but we do know that the unannounced LG Fantasy E740 has already appeared on a Romanian online trading site. Needless to say, these photos were removed shortly after they debuted on the Internet, but as the Internet has a memory these days, doing so did not result in any good as those images started to spread far and wide. The LG Fantasy E740 clearly resembles a prototype, thanks to the rather noticeable “Not for sale” label that is located on it, and even though it is a prototype, it still works just as fine. A couple of apps on the Fantasy E740 were also spotted – ScanSearch and SmartShare, where they were exclusive to the Optimus 7. The LG Fantasy E740 might seem familiar to you, and that is because it is the same LG Miracle which was spotted some time back. LG Fantasy E740 seems to resemble more of a retail name, although I am quite sure that calling it Miracle would have it sell just as well. Just to refresh your memory, some of the specifications which appeared on the trading site were a 4″ WVGA NOVA display, a 1GHz Scorpion processor, a 5-megapixel main camera and a VGA front-facing camera, and NFC support. A Q1 2012 announcement for the LG Fantasy E740/Miracle is expected, so stay tuned!

Achernar Dual SIM Android Smartphone

Chinavasion offers you their newest dual SIM Android smartphone, the Achernar. This affordable handset packs a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 resistive touchscreen display, a 480MHz processor, a 271MB RAM, a 256MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot (up to 16GB), dual GSM SIM card slots, a 0.3MP front-facing camera, a 1.9MP rear-facing camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 3.5mm headset jack, a 1,000mAh battery and runs on Android 2.3 OS. The Achernar can be yours for just $94.92 fully unlocked. [Product Page]

HTC Endeavor specifications confirmed

The HTC Endeavor which is said to be announced at Mobile World Congress 2012, and here is the first leaked RUU (ROM Update Utility) for the handset. The folks over at XDA-Developers have managed to extract the build.prop file from the RUU, where the name ‘Endeavor' has been confirmed, and here are some of the details that we already know. The build.prop file shows off DropBox integration, HTC Sense 4.0, Skydrive, 900x1800x1900x850 MHz bands that make it compatible with European and AT&T 3G networks, a Tegra chip, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, NFC support, a 4.7″ 720p display, an 8-megapixel camera at the back and a 1.3-megapixel camera in front for video calls. We thought that the HTC Endeavor will be introduced worldwide, but the build.prop on this test RUU points toward an HTC Europe device – hopefully there will be variants released Stateside. Perhaps the US market will get it with a renamed version. Not only that, the HTC Endeavor system image has also been released, lock, stock and barrel.

Vodafone Germany To Launch HTC Velocity 4G

Vodafone Germany is reportedly preparing to launch HTC's brand new Android smartphone ‘Velocity 4G' on their network. The handset is said to be announced next week by Vodafone, however, there's no word on pricing yet. In case you didn't know, the Velocity 4G sports a 4.5-inch 960 x 540 Super LCD capacitive touchscreen display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a 1GB RAM, a 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot (up to 32GB), a 1.3MP front-facing camera, an 8MP rear-facing camera with 1080p Full HD video recording, GPS, LTE support, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 with ADP, TV-out and runs on Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread OS. [Softpedia]

Nokia 803 leaked?

It looks like Nokia has quite a number of devices under wraps - after reports of the Nokia 801 yesterday, rumors of yet another Nokia device have sprouted up. This time it's from the folks over at BGR who have got some information on a device called the Nokia 803 - a Nokia Belle running phone that has a 4″ AMOLED display, an HDMI-out port, microSIM support and NFC capabilities. It is also touted to have “the largest camera sensor - ever seen on a mobile phone.” To corroborate with those rumors, Pocketnow.com also received an illustration of what is said to be the Nokia 803, which could also be the final Symbian phone that will be released by Nokia. There's no telling if these rumors are true, but if the phone ends up looking like the image - it's going to need one heck of a camera in order to move units. Let's hope MWC 2012 sheds some light on these devices.

DoubleTwist for Android Upgrade Introduces Podcast Support

DoubleTwist have just announced a new upgrade to their Android application. The biggest new feature is extensive podcast support, something users have been clamoring for since the app was launched. You can search or browse for new podcasts to download, manually add your own feeds, stream or download new episodes, skip and rewind by 30 and 10 seconds, respectively, and you can resume playback if you need to take a break from listening. It looks great doing all of that, too, something that can't be said for a lot of other podcatchers. You'll have to buy these new features, unfortunately, but they can be had as an in-app purchase so you won't need to download any extra “pro keys” or anything. Find the update here. [via DoubleTwist]

New Vonage app to directly challenge Skype

Vonage is crossing deeper into territory currently ruled by Skype with the launch of a new app for Android and iOS. Vonage Mobile opens up the internet calling service to anyone with a smartphone, whether they are a Vonage subscriber or not. Users get free VoIP calls and texts over WiFi, 3G, and 4G, and Vonage looks to undercut the competition by offering international calling at 70 percent the average per-minute rate of mobile carriers. More importantly, the rates best Vonage's biggest competitor Skype by 30 percent. Calling credit can be added in increments of $4.99 or $9.99 and calls from the app to Vonage home or business lines are free. Vonage Mobile takes advantage of the user's current mobile phone number and contact list, meaning integration is instant. The app is a big step for Vonage, a company that was on life support just a few years back. Vonage Mobile has the potential to attract a whole swath of mobile users looking to save big on calls. They'll still have to clear that Skype hurdle, an even bigger challenge now that the service is backed by Microsoft, but an improved smartphone experience is a big step towards doing so. Android Market Link: Vonage Mobile

Prada Phone by LG 3.0 starts mass selling in the UK

The Prada Phone by LG 3.0 has been on sale in the UK for a couple of weeks now, but its availability was limited to Phones4U only. Now a couple of other major UK retailers have the third edition of the LG Prada Phone in stock. UK online store Unlocked Mobiles has the LG Prada 3.0 for £424.98, while Clove sells it for £429.99. You can tell that LG have been pricing the phone and not Prada. Moreover, considering that the Prada Phone 3.0 sports a 4.3-inch 480x800 touchscreen, 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of built in storage, the price isn't all that bad. And you know, bragging about your new Prada smartphone is worth every quid. Source | Via