China-bound Sony Xperia Neo L with ICS gets handled, holds nothing back

It was only a couple of months ago that we first crossed paths with Sony's Xperia Neo L, and now the Ice Cream Sandwich handset is back with a vengeance - at least in terms of exposure. As you may know, details were revealed in abundance (read: 1GHz Snapdragon S2 CPU, 512MB of RAM) during our first MT25i encounter, but thanks to Taiwanese site ePrice, we're able to gander at the device posing in an array of different angles and leaving very little to the imagination. For now, pricing still remains a mystery, though we do know Sony's 4-inch (854 x 480) Neo L is expected to hit Chinese shelves later this month.

Huawei Activa 4G Arrives Stateside

 
As much as Huawei is a successful smartphone brand in Asia, it has yet to make waves in the United States and they hope its latest smartphone would make American consumers take notice. Without much fanfare, the company has unveiled its very first 4G LTE handset.

The Huawei Activa 4G features a 3.5-inch runs on Android Gingerbread and features a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen, a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, and a VGA front camera for video calls.

The prepaid device will be distributed exclusively on MetroPCS. We think this is a good marketing strategy because at least the Activa would not have to compete with other flagship devices from the likes of AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.

The Huawei Activa 4G is now available in MetroPCS stores and online for only $149 without any binding contract.

ICS update for the Sony Xperia Mini Pro now available

 We've got some good news for users of the Xperia Mini Pro: Sony's now pushing out an update which will bring Android 4.0.4 to your handset. As always, you will probably get a notification. If not, go into settings and force a check for the update.

Windows Phone-Powered ZTE Tania Rolls Out in China

 
Smartphone makers have been racing in the Chinese market with its mobile handsets that run on Windows Phone. After HTC and Nokia introduced their wares, ZTE unveils the Tania.

The ZTE Tania is similar to other Windows Phone handsets hardware-wise, such as the 800 x 480 display and 512MB RAM, but it steps up the competition with its 1.4GHz processor, 4.3-inch screen, a 5-megapixel rear camera, 4GB of internal storage, and even black and white color options.

The Tania will be distributed exclusively by China Unicom.

LG Optimus 4X HD set for European launch this month, have some “major surprise” too

 The 4.7 inch, Tegra 3 powered Optimus 4X HD looks set for launch in Europe this month. LG will be bringing the device to Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain and Italy first, and also have some “major surprise” regarding the launch itself. They do have their work cut out in publicizing it, though, with the Euro 2012 football (or soccer, if you prefer) tournament going on.

HTC One X is better than the Samsung GS3, HTC biasedly notes in a brochure

 
So, which smartphone is better? Is it the Samsung Galaxy S3, or is it the HTC One X? Well, we will leave that to you to find out. But a new report from Baba's Blog apparently shows that HTC is making a move to prove that its flagship One X is better than Samsung's. Of course, HTC's seemingly biased opinion doesn't come as a surprise. The blog was able to grab some documents that allegedly belonged to HTC. The said documents reveal a comparison of the two devices highlighting HTC's supposed superiority in terms of its CPU, camera, display, sound and even its design.

Now before you shrug those shoulders, check out the documents to see for yourself. The source said that HTC is reportedly preparing the documents for its sales team. Now obviously, if this is believed to be true, the document could be used by HTC's sales team as a training slide to persuade Android fans that the HTC One X is better. I for one cannot tell if the One X is better than the GS3. In case you missed our review of the HTC One X, check it out here. Also, standby for our upcoming review of the Samsung Galaxy S3.

LG Optimus L-Series make a fashionable debut

 
When cell phones were first introduced to the world, functionality took over form – and had a pretty long run before the design engineers decided that aesthetics should no longer take the back seat, but also be thrust to the forefront. Well, the LG Optimus L-Series is one such smartphone in the modern day context, where it has been thrust into the limelight thanks to a fashionable debut. In what is an exclusive collaboration with Vanity Fair UK and British celebrity fashion photographer Ralph John Perou, the LG Optimus L-Series targets style connoisseurs with an eye for great technology.

There are many models in the fashionable pictorial spread who hail from diverse backgrounds, ranging from dancers to makeup artists to neuroscientists, but the unifying factor that brought all of them together? Their effortless and strong sense of style, which is something that LG hopes to associate with the LG Optimus L-Series. While the LG L3 and LG L7 were launched earlier this year, there is still the L5 that is said to be released to the market sometime in the second half of this year. [Press Release]

Sony Xperia Mini Pro receives Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update

 
We are seeing more and more Android-powered smartphones these days that come with the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update being released, which is a good thing – after all, who does not want to have the latest and greatest operating system version running on their handsets? The latest candidate in line would be the Sony Xperia Mini Pro, where you will need to have the proprietary PC Companion software installed beforehand prior to accessing this operating system update. I guess there has been no negative reports about this update just yet, so those who have applied the update, how do you find it? Did it manage to live up to your expectations?

Motorola unveils dual-core XT760 for China

Motorola introduced yet another Android smartphone for the Chinese market. Called Motorola XT760, the new droid is built around a 4" qHD screen and a 1GHz dual-core CPU of unknown architecture.

The mid-range Motorola XT760 comes with quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support and dual-band 3G with HSPA. It runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and has a camera on either side of its chassis. The main snapper at the back can capture 8 MP stills and 1080p video, while the front-facing shooter is limited to VGA resolution.

The Motorola XT760 comes with 768MB of RAM and 2GB of built-in storage with microSD card slot for expanding that by up to 32GB. Local connectivity is well covered with Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0 HS, a 3.5mm audio jack and an HDMI port.

Motorola XT760 is available from authorized Motorola resellers across China starting today, but its pricing hasn't been confirmed by the official Motorola press release. There's also nothing on the potential release of the smartphone in other markets.

Source | Via

Nokia Lumia 710 could be getting in on the Batman action as well

 
A while back we reported that there would be a Batman version of the Nokia Lumia 900. It would also be an extremely limited edition model and only 900 units will be made. Well if you're looking to get in on the Batman action but you'd rather not fork out the cash for a brand new Lumia 900, you might be in luck. In conjunction with the upcoming Christopher Nolan movie, the Dark Knight Rises, phone cases for the Lumia 710 have appeared and it looks like they will be sporting the Batman emblem as well.

According to WPCentral, these Xpress-on covers were spotted at a local T-Mobile store and were given out to new Lumia 710 purchases. It is unclear if these covers are officially licensed or if someone just got creative. It was also unclear as to whether these cases are part of a nationwide promotion or if it is just limited to that particular T-Mobile store, but if you're planning to get your hands on a Lumia 710, you could probably ask your local store rep to see if they have any Batman cases to give away. Admittedly not as exclusive or as cool as the Lumia 900, but we're sure that there are fans out there who wouldn't mind the freebie anyway.