| LG Optimus 3D Max hands-on Feb 26th 2012, 14:46 While we haven't seen 3D phones take the world by storm just yet, that hasn't stopped LG refining it's Optimus 3D series. Mobile World Congress 2012 has been hit by the Optimus 3D Max and it's faster, thinner and, well, just plain better looking. Unfortunately, there's been less progress on the software side; this dual-lens Android phone is still wearing last year's Gingerbread jacket. Our full first impressions and video are incoming, but for now, a tour of the hardware awaits in the gallery below. Developing...LG Optimus 3D Max hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Huawei adds home-grown K3V2 quad-core mobile CPU to its arsenal Feb 26th 2012, 14:14 Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Samsung and Huawei? The Chinese company is hoping to add its name to the list of major players in the mobile CPU game with the K3V2. The processor is a quad-core part that comes clocked at either 1.2 or 1.5GHz. The four A9 cores are actually 64-bit parts, according to chairman Richard Yu, something of a surprise since ARM only ditched wold of 32-bits in October with v8. Also along for the ride are 16 GPU cores, which in a set of carefully picked presentation-friendly benchmarks (NenaMark 2 and Basemark), spanked the Galaxy Nexus and the Transformer Prime. If the marketing buzz is to be believed the K3V2 delivers twice the graphics performance, is 49 percent faster in purely CPU-powered tasks and uses 30 percent less power than its competitors. We shouldn't have to wait much longer to put those claims to the test, however. The chip will be inside the Ascend D quad which should be landing sometime in Q2. Continue reading Huawei adds home-grown K3V2 quad-core mobile CPU to its arsenal Huawei adds home-grown K3V2 quad-core mobile CPU to its arsenal originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | LG Optimus 4X hands-on (video) Feb 26th 2012, 13:56 The quad-cores have arrived and the first out of the blocks is LG's sequel to its dual-core Optimus 2X. The Korean phone maker has apparently recruited its "best engineers "on this wafer-thin slab of power and it shows; the phone is light and slim. It's taken a detour from the Prada Phone stylings we've seen on the Optimus Vu and L-series, but looks noticeably more mature than last year's efforts, with Android's Ice Cream Sandwich in attendance -- with a few tweaks. We're uploading our hands-on video as we speak -- including some very responsive video manipulation and yet more impressions. Until then, take a 360-degree tour of the device at our gallery below. Developing...Continue reading LG Optimus 4X hands-on (video) LG Optimus 4X hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 09:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Huawei outs Ascend D quad: 4.5-inch 720p display, Dolby 5.1, 1.5GHz K3V2 CPU Feb 26th 2012, 13:48 We'd seen some prior leaks, but aside from poorly translated marketing jargon, Huawei's managed to keep its latest and greatest smartphone under wraps -- until now, that is. The device is being billed as the "world's fastest quad-core smartphone" with the company's own K3V2 CPU, clocked at 1.5GHz, powering the unit. Sharing a slim, albeit slightly chunkier 8.9mm profile than its P1 predecessors, this Android 4.0 beast sports a 4.5-inch 720p display, 8 megapixel rear camera, Dolby 5.1 surround sound, support for LTE and an 1,800mAh battery bolstered by a proprietary energy management software that the manufacturer claims will last for up to two days. The actual hardware design itself takes a cue from Nokia's Lumia 800, with a screen that blends into the device's edges, creating an "infinity feel." Along with this flagship powerhouse, two other Diamond family members -- the Ascend D quad XL and Ascend D1 -- will be joining Huawei's lineup. Spec-wise, the XL is essentially an unchanged version of the original quad, except imbued with a larger 2,500mAh battery, while the D1 swaps out the four core internals for a more 2011-ish, 1.5GHz dual-core setup and smaller 1,670mAh battery. All three are slated for a Q2 release this year and should hit retail and online shops in white and black options across North and South America, Asia, Europe and Australia. Check out the official presser and gallery after the break. Continue reading Huawei outs Ascend D quad: 4.5-inch 720p display, Dolby 5.1, 1.5GHz K3V2 CPU Huawei outs Ascend D quad: 4.5-inch 720p display, Dolby 5.1, 1.5GHz K3V2 CPU originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Duracell Powermat WiCC could bring wireless charging to any smartphone, we go hands-on (video) Feb 26th 2012, 13:30 Powermat may have a bright future, but the company's products to date have been expensive, slightly clunky and a generally imperfect solution for bringing wireless power to mobile devices. That could all change with WiCC. The Wireless Charging Card (WiCC) is an IEEE Power Matters Alliance (PMA) standard, with the potential to integrate Duracell Powermat technology within every mobile gadget. The incredibly thin device resembles those wafer-like SmartMedia cards once used in early digital cameras, with a similar form factor, but significantly more practicality. Each WiCC includes all the PowerMat circuitry found in the company's charging cases, while also doubling as an NFC antenna. The card's success is of course contingent on cooperation from device manufacturers, who will need to add a slim connector above the battery leads, including two for power, two for NFC and two for data -- an app will monitor charging. Powermat reps say that such a connector would cost pennies to implement, however, making it a potentially easy sell. Powermat President Daniel Schreiber sees this as a major breakthrough for the smartphone industry, saying "we're going to do for wireless power what the memory card did for storage in mobile phones." We had a chance to take a look at a mock-up of the wireless card at MWC, which was resting just above the battery in a Samsung Galaxy S II. Because the phone's battery is slightly recessed, both the card and battery fit below the device's original backplate -- the WiCC lies flush with the phone's camera lens. Overall, we think there's some serious potential here, assuming device manufacturers are game to come on board. Still, don't expect to see these hitting stores anytime this year -- the company expects its other products to come to market long before the Wireless Charging Card. So for now, jump past the break to take a closer look, but don't make any plans to toss that power adapter just yet. Continue reading Duracell Powermat WiCC could bring wireless charging to any smartphone, we go hands-on (video) Duracell Powermat WiCC could bring wireless charging to any smartphone, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
