Mobile Phones News Blog

Mobile World Congress seems to be happening this week and not next, judging by the amount of ‘pre-announcements’ which have hit the newswires over the past few days. Now it’s LG’s turn with an entire new series of phones, named the L-Style Optimus L3, L5 and L7.

LG has had fun littering its official Facebook pages with references to the new L-Style range recently, mainly by capitalising the ‘L’ in various words, and now we’ve finally got to see what the fuss is all about.

Although the phones will make their official debut at Mobile World Congress, along with the complete spec sheets, LG has provided a few details on the new devices through a press release.

The L3 is the baby of the bunch with a 3.2-inch touchscreen and a 1500mAh battery, plus Android Gingerbread.  The L5 and L7 though, will both come with Android 4.0 pre-installed, bringing the pair bang up to date.

The L5 will have a 4-inch screen, while the L7 gets a 4.3-inch display, and all three models have what LG calls ‘floating mass technology’, which means the screen is mounted much closer to the glass to give the impression that the display is ‘floating’ on its surface.  Each phone is also more square than traditional Android smartphones, a design which LG has continued with the Optimus Vu tablet/smartphone hybrid.

Each phone has a leather back cover and a metal chassis too, so they should feel great in your hand.

Here in Europe we’ll be getting the L3 in March, and the L5 and L7 will follow sometime between then and the summer.  LG’s 2012 line-up is looking very interesting so far and we’re keen to see what else the company has in-store for us over the coming week.

A reliable source at the Foxconn manufacturing plant in China has revealed details of the iPhone 5, suggesting that that it is gearing up for production.

The source, who was responsible for leaking accurate information regarding the iPhone 4S last year, told 9to5Mac.has that several sample devices are in existence which vary slightly from one another, making it impossible to tell which one will be the final product.

None of the test handsets have the iPhone 4S form-factor and none feature the much talked-about teardrop shape as was rumoured in the lead up to 4S. All of the samples do, however, feature screen sizes of 4-inches and above according to the leaked information.

The report goes on to suggest that the iPhone 5 launch date could possibly fall around the start of the summer, pointing towards an unveiling at the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference in June.

As with all unsubstantiated rumours, we are taking this latest leak with a pinch of salt. That said, multiple sources have suggested that the latest iPhone iteration will feature a larger screen (as is the prevailing trend within the smartphone market) so this may well turn out to be accurate.

World’s largest handset maker, Apple may come out with the fifth generation iPhone 5 this summer (April), according to a report published on a website.

Quoting sources at Foxconn, which manufacturers iPhone for Apple, the website (9to5mac.com) said, “We received word from a reliable source at Foxconn in China that the iPhone 5, as it is currently being called, is now gearing for production. The source said various sample devices are also floating around (they vary slightly from one another), so it is impossible to tell which one will be the final.”

As per the report, the Apple iPhone 5 may have a 4 inch display and would have a different form factor (design) than its older cousins (iPhone 4S and 3G S etc). The upcoming device would be longer and wider, the report added.

Despite the rise of Android, Apple has managed to keep growing. Infact, according to a research, Apple has managed to grow its market share last year significantly to become the world’s largest handset maker. The release of iPhone 5 is expected to give its sales a further boost.

Apple’s iPhone 4S was launched in India in November 2011, a month after it was released in the USA. So, if the company releases iPhone 5 in April, we can expect it to come to India probably by June.

Since the beginning of the week, the newswires have been dominated by reports of the latest tech coming from the CES 2012 show in Las Vegas. We’ve been covering much of the important phone and tablet news elsewhere, and rounding-up the best of the news each day.

Few other companies have been brave enough to talk about new products not exhibited at CES - except Apple, of course – meaning other stories have been thin on the ground.

So, to close out a week of CES we’re dedicating our weekly news round-up to the masses of 4G phones launched at the show, and which haven’t featured in our regular coverage. After all, it’s good to know what could be just around the corner!

1. Motorola Droid Maxx

The Droid Maxx’s name refers to the massive 3300mAh battery, offering 21 hours of talktime and more than 350 hours of standby, whilst still managing a chassis thickness of 8.9mm. Otherwise it’s business as usual, with a 1.2GHz processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p video recording and a 4.3-inch touchscreen. It’s heading to the Verizon network very soon.

2. Motorola Droid 4

Here’s another new Motorola phone set to launch with Verizon, this time it’s the Droid 4, which like its predecessors, boasts a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The phone has a splash-proof chassis, a 4-inch touchscreen, an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p video recording, a 1.2GHz processor and 1GB RAM, plus Android 2.3 Gingerbread. At the announcement, Motorola promised an update to Ice Cream Sandwich would be out soon. The device is also compatible with a range of laptop docks.

3. Sony Ericsson Xperia Ion

This is the first 4G LTE phone from Sony Ericsson, and along with the Xperia S, marks a return to the US market for the company. The Ion has a 4.6-inch Bravia touchscreen with a 720p HD resolution, a 12 megapixel camera, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 16GB of internal memory. The phone is also PlayStation certified and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. US network AT&T has bagged the Ion, and it’s out during Q2.

4.  Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

Samsung are calling the new Tab 7.7 the ‘world’s first tablet to feature a Super AMOLED Plus display’, and it’s also one of the fastest tablets out there too, thanks to the dual-core 1.4GHz processor and the LTE connectivity provided here by Verizon. The 3G/Wi-Fi version is already available in the UK.

5. Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD

Samsung is really squeezing every last bit of mileage it can get from its Galaxy S II, and has added another revision to the ever-growing list. The Skyrocket HD has a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 720p HD resolution, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and an 8 megapixel camera. It’s headed to AT&T’s 4G network later this year.

6. LG Viper

Bearing one of the very coolest names in smartphone history is the LG Viper, an LTE smartphone headed for Sprint in the USA. The 4-inch screen has a 800 x 400 pixel resolution, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a 5 megapixel camera on the rear of the chassis. The big thing about the Viper is its NFC chip and support for Google Wallet. A similar device named the LG Connect 4G has been announced for MetroPCS, but it won’t have Google Wallet support.

7.  Samsung Exhilarate

AT&T announced a total of six 4G LTE devices at CES, and the Exhilarate differentiates itself by being made from 80% recycled material, and features power-saving eco-modes to maximise its green credentials. The spec includes a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, but the processor and other specs have yet to be confirmed.

8. Huawei Ascend P1 LTE

We’ve already covered the Ascend P1 and P1 S, but Huawei has subsequently announced a third revision of the phone. The P1 LTE shares the same market-leading 6.6mm thick chassis as the P1 S, along with the 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 4.3-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen too; but then adds a 4G LTE radio into the mix. Huawei is said to still be talking to networks about a release, which they hope will happen before then end of the summer.

9. LG Spectrum

This is the Verizon version of the LG Revolution 2. The Spectrum has a beautiful 4.5-inch HD LCD screen that’s protected by Gorilla Glass, and a powerful 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread runs on the phone, and the camera is another 8 megapixel lens with 1080p video recording.

10. Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G

The Attain is a mid-range 4G phone in a sea of top-end phones, making it likely to be a popular choice on the MetroPCS network when it’s released later in the year. The screen is an ordinary LCD with a very ordinary 320 x 480 pixel resolution, while the camera has 3 megapixels. To make up for the lowly screen and camera, the processor is a single-core 1GHz chip.

According to the latest noises coming from within the industry, Nokia are toying with the idea of building a proprietary OS for entry-level smartphones.

Dubbed ‘Meltemi’, which is Greek for the northern winds that cross the Aegean Sea, the prospective platform is touted to make its debut in the summer as a replacement to the Finnish company’s Series 40 OS.

The news comes as quite a surprise, especially considering the impending launch of the company’s range of Mango-toting handsets, the abandoning of their joint venture with Intel and effectively killing off MeeGo (now rebranded Tizen) on the eve of the first device running the OS launching.

Meltemi being mooted doesn’t come as to much of a surprise however, mainly because Series 40, which powers feature phones, has pretty much run out of steam and despite previous efforts, it has been a struggle to get Symbian ^3 (Belle) and the component requirements to a low enough price point to make it into a true mass market smartphone platform.

While Nokia intends to make high-end Windows Phone 7 Mango devices, it has publicly stated that it wants to bring price points down to a level which will enable a roll of the operating system across the portfolio.

It’s been speculated that Nokia will build low-cost Windows Phones devices featuring the stripped out Tango OS, to address certain demographics, with Meltemi will allow the firm to bring smartphone functionality, including full touch support, to emerging markets at competitive prices.

If you’ve over-indulged on luxury dinners during your summer holiday, or need to get match-fit for the new Sunday league season, there are more exciting ways to lose that extra weight than huffing and puffing along to the same old fitness DVD.

While you’re out trying to make it happen, you’re bound to have your mobile on you, so why not make it pull its weight too? Here’s a guide to some of the best apps to help you get back in shape.

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Nike+

With the use of an accelerometer placed in the running shoe and the Nike+ app, which records what you do and how hard you work, Nike set out with the goal of making running fun.

With Nike+, users can keep track of their best times, routes taken and even the number of calories burned. All of that data can be displayed on your mobile screen or played through the headphones of your MP3 player.

There’s even ‘celebrity feedback’ which means that you can get congratulatory messages from the likes of Tiger Woods or Paula Radcliffe when you reach those personal landmarks. One of the only drawbacks of this technology is that it’s a stickler for accuracy; if the shoe dongle isn’t precisely placed, it can result in some slightly erroneous readings.

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Adidas miCoach

A cheaper alternative to Nike+, Adidas’ miCoach doesn’t require users to wear (or shell out for) specially-designed gadgets. Instead, your phone’s GPS plans out and records routes as you run them and constantly measures your speed whilst you train. If it thinks you are tiring, it can encourage you accordingly with voice alerts or alterations to your regime.

You can also track your progress online so it is a very useful app for regular runners who are always looking to improve their times, though the GPS function will quickly drain your battery life.

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Healthy Heart Recipe Finder

Though not strictly related to fitness, this app, which is produced by the British Heart Foundation, will ensure that you’re eating the right foods to begin with – saving valuable time and energy by not having to work out so strenuously to lose weight. Create a list of recipes you’d like to try out from the hundreds available and then generate your next shopping list from your favourites. There’s also a random recipe selector if you’re feeling adventurous and the option to email your favourite recipes to friends.