Samsung Galaxy Xcover S5690 now available in the UK

The rugged Samsung Galaxy Xcover S5690 (also known as Galaxy Extreme) is now available in the UK SIM-free, a few days later than anticipated last week. You can buy the Galaxy Xcover either at Clove (for £226.80, or at Handtec (for £224.39). The new handset is IP67 certified, and features a 3.6 inch HVGA (480 x 320) Gorilla Glass display, TouchWiz UI, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.5mm headset jack, Bluetooth 3.0, 3.2MP camera, 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM,150MB of storage space, and MicroSD card support (up to 32GB).

HTC Velocity will be Telstra's first 4G LTE Android phone

Back in September 2011 we've reported that Telstra would launch the HTC Holiday as Australia's first 4G LTE handset. And it will, it's just that the final name of the device has been changed to HTC Velocity. According to Ausdroid, the Velocity could become available at Telstra as soon as January 24, "for $0 upfront on Telstra's $79 cap." Also released in the US as the HTC Vivid, the Velocity features a 4.5 inch qHD (960 x 540) display, Sense UI, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8MP rear camera with 1080p video recording, and 1.3MP front-facing camera. (images via Gizmodo Australia)

Samsung R920 with LTE smiles for the camera on its way to MetroPCS

Well what do we have here? It looks like MetroPCS is getting ready to intro yet another LTE smartphone. The Samsung R920 will unsurprisingly be the successor to the Samsung Galaxy Indulge (R910) we saw last year, and pictures of it out and about have leaked on XDA Developers. So here it is in all its glory: The full model number here will be SCH-R920, and other than that nothing is known about this handset yet. Based on these images, we're not even sure if it will retain the Indulge's side-sliding QWERTY keyboard – but if it's going to be a true successor, it must.

Hands-on with the Intel-based Lenovo K800 [CES 2012]

Lenovo is the first to announce an Intel-powered Android smartphone, their K800 headed to China Unicom. We had the opportunity to go hands-on with the device here at CES 2012 and we can say definitively that there is a bright future for the Intel/Android combination. The phone features a 4.5-inch 720p display, 1GB of RAM, and an 8MP camera and runs Lenovo's custom interface on top of Android Gingerbread. We couldn't tell much of a difference between the this phone using the Medfield platform and devices running on ARM-based systems, and that's a good thing. Response was smooth, HD video didn't lag or stutter, and the camera was quick when flexing its “burst shot” (10 pictures in 1 second) muscle. It will be interesting too see how the market develops as companies such as Lenovo and Motorola begin to create devices using the different chipsets. The phone has a solid feel and a sharp design, with geometric lines and hard corners. Intel's SoC allows for a pretty thin profile, but the K800 won't set any precedents as far as that is concerned.

T-Mobile G2X reaches end-of-life

There comes a time when any smartphone reaches that sad moment called end-of-life. It's when the carrier selling it decides it's no longer on par with the competition for whatever reason, and should just be removed from the lineup. Completely gone, without a trace. And sadly on January 6 it was time for the T-Mobile G2X to go down that path. It was the first dual-core smartphone to be launched in the US back in April of last year, and it's certainly had a good run – in spite of some software glitches here and there. What you see above is a screengrab of an internal T-Mobile system showing the recently EOL'd devices, and yes, the G2X is there in all its glory (or lack thereof). Now all that's left is for us to find out what will succeed this device in the magenta carrier's portfolio. Expect news of that soon.

T-Mobile and Samsung introduce Galaxy S Blaze 4G

T-Mobile and Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy S Blaze 4G with a dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor, clocked at 1.5 GHz, Super AMOLED first generation display and HSPA+ 42 Mbps downlink speeds. Expected availability is later this year and prices aren't disclosed so far. Known specs are pretty scarce at the moment but it looks like a Galaxy S with an upgraded processor and 3G speeds. Source 1 | Source 2

16 MP Kodak Polaroid Android HD smartphone does optical zoom

Hey, look - it's Big Foot! No, it's just the Altek Leo, a creature that appears occasionally, the local newspaper writes about it and then disappears for another year. This time there's a big name attached to it at least, so maybe this time it will get a proper market release. Meet the Kodak Polaroid SC1630 Android HD Smart Camera. Styled like an old school camera, the Polaroid SC1630's crowning feature is a 16MP camera unit (was 14MP when we last saw the Leo), with 3x optical zoom, F3.1-F5.6 aperture, ISO up to 3200 and shutter speeds of up to 1x1400. There's a xenon flash to go with it too. The SC1630 can shoot 720p videos. On the phone side of things, there's quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G connectivity, microSIM card, a 3.2" WVGA screen, Android OS (not sure which version) and a 2.5mm audio jack (huh?). The phone is rather thick at 18.5mm, but if you look at it as a point-and-shoot camera it's actually quite compact. The battery is reportedly just 1020mAh, which is insufficient for all the mechanical zoom and xenon flash goodies, so we hope it will be replaced by the time the Kodak Polaroid SC1630 hits the shelves. Kodak's contribution to the project comes in the form of their proprietary compression technology, which allows the user to tweak the size of photos. The Polaroid Android HD will reportedly cost $299 when it hits the shelves in April, but Kodak is still in talks with carriers so it's unclear who will carry it. They are also considering offering the phone pre-paid. Source

Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX [CES 2012]

The Motorola Droid RAZR just hit shelves at the end of last year, but to reach its uber-thin design the built in battery was relegated to a 1700mAh rated battery. Given the phone’s large Super AMOLED display, dual-core processor, and LTE connectivity battery life just hasn’t cut it for some power users. No problem, here comes the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX. The MAXX retains all of the specs that made the original device shine but bumps it up to a 3300mAh battery, close to double the original. It still manages to earn the RAZR name with a thickness of only 8.9mm. The extended battery life equates to 8 hours of non-stop movie viewing. Another way to see it has the phone making it from LA to Las Vegas and back using Google Maps Navigation in one charge. Say goodbye to your car charger. While we wonder how the release of the RAZR MAXX will affect the currently available RAZR — things could get a bit confusing for customers wondering why last year’s model is still a viable option (we smell a price cut in its future) — Motorola is confident that offering a broader range of options will best meet consumer needs.

Sprint Announces LG Viper 4G LTE Android Smartphone

Sprint has announced a new Android smartphone from LG to its line-up called the LG Viper 4G LTE. Built with recyclable materials, this eco-friendly handset sports a 4.0-inch WVGA touchscreen Nova display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a microSD card slot (up to 32GB), a VGA front-facing camera, a 5.0MP rear-facing camera and runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. Unfortunately, there's no word on pricing and release date yet. [Press Release]

Sony Ericsson Rebrands as Sony Mobile Communications, DROID 4 Touted as Thinnest, Most Powerful 4G Smartphone & Lumia 710 and 800 headed to Canada

Sony Ericsson Rebrands as Sony Mobile Communications Sony Ericsson will be rebranding its mobile division as Sony Mobile Communications. All devices released from now on will be launched under the Sony brand, as released by the Sony Mobile Communications division. MobileSyrup Nokia Lumia 710 and the Nokia Lumia 800 Signal New Smartphone Dawn for Nokia in Canada The Nokia Lumia 710 will be available this February for $49.99 on select 3-year plans as part of Rogers' Smartphone Lite lineup of affordable devices. The bold Nokia Lumia 800 will be coming soon only to TELUS in black, as well as cyan and magenta options for customers looking to stand out from the crowd. CNW 2012 International CES Opens Show Floor Doors 10 a.m. PST Tuesday, January 10 The 2012 International CES opens its show floor doors at 10 a.m. PST on Tuesday, January 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada. More stories from the International CES and Exhibit Hours available. CEA DROID 4 Touted as Thinnest, Most Powerful 4G LTE QWERTY Smartphone Motorola unveiled Monday at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show a new device it's calling the thinnest and most powerful 4G LTE QWERTY smartphone. Mashable