Huawei's D1 Quad now available in China for $425 unsubsidized Sep 4th 2012, 21:23  Following the MediaPad 10 FHD quad-core tablet, Huawei's also starting to sell another device powered by its very own HiSilicon K3V2 (Hi3620) chip. Over the weekend, the Ascend D1 Quad (formerly without the "1" in the name) joins the familiar-looking D1 and D1 XL as the third member of the family, but unsurprisingly costs the most out of these three Android 4.0 phones -- we're looking at ¥2,699 or about $425 unsubsidized on Huawei's Chinese online store, while the remaining TI OMAP4460-powered candybars cost ¥100 ($16) and ¥200 ($32) less. Huawei Device chairman Richard Yu said on Sina Weibo that while some local competitors -- namely Xiaomi, K-Touch and Beidou -- are able to offer quad-core devices below ¥2,000 ($315), he assured fans that Huawei's build quality and user experience are worth the price. Staying true to his macho style, Yu also used this opportunity to take a dig at the Galaxy S III's price-to-performance ratio. Meow! Just a quick recap: the D1 Quad comes with a 1.4GHz 40nm Cortex-A9 chip, a mysterious 16-core GPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, 160GB cloud storage and microSD expansion, complemented by a 4.5-inch Toshiba IPS+ HD display, Gorilla Glass 2, eight-megapixel BSI main camera, 0.13-megapixel front-facing camera, pentaband WCDMA radio, old-school mini-SIM slot and a generous 2,600mAh non-removable cell (same as the D1 XL's). The more we look at this, the more tempted we are. At least until the APQ8064-powered Xiaomi Phone 2 lands in October, anyway. Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile Huawei's D1 Quad now available in China for $425 unsubsidized originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Unwired View | Huawei, Sina Weibo (requires login) | Email this | Comments | Virgin Media unveils quartet of new SIM Only plans for data-focused Brits Sep 4th 2012, 19:35  It was only in June that we saw Virgin Media shaking up its regular mobile plans for UK residents. The carrier is back for another round, this time to serve the SIM Only customers who thrive on unlocked phones. Four plans starting from £12 ($19) a month all provide unlimited data and text messaging for bring-your-own-phone subscribers, with voice as the only real separating factor: the thriftiest callers get 150 minutes per month, while higher £15, £17 and £25 ($24, $27 and $40) tiers ramp up to a respective 250, 1,200 and 2,500 minutes for chattier customers. The chief gotcha is a lack of bundled landline calling for all but the priciest plan, although existing Virgin Media subscribers can knock an extra £5 off of that rate. If you're the sort who can't bear the thought of a contract, Virgin now has you better covered. Continue reading Virgin Media unveils quartet of new SIM Only plans for data-focused Brits Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile Virgin Media unveils quartet of new SIM Only plans for data-focused Brits originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |