02/14, 7:25am
Huawei eyes bigger slice of US mobile market
Chinese smartphone giant Huawei has continued its push for an increased presence in the US. Currently best known as a relative new comer that has targeted the bottom to middle tier of the Android market, the company has shown it has aspirational tendencies with new high-end devices planned for North American release. The latest sign is news that it is planning on moving its R&D to Silicon Valley, staffed by up to 600 employees.
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02/13, 6:30pm
Huawei may have high-end phone, tablet in MWC show
Huawei's media event at Mobile World Congress may have already been spoiled early after company chairman Yu Chengdong possibly spoiled it in his Weibo profile. The February 26 Barcelona event would purportedly include the Ascend D1 Q, a presumably quad-core cousin of the Android 4.0-based Ascend P1 S. Its choice of chip wasn't mentioned, but would most likely be NVIDIA's Tegra 3 given the company's own event and other phones coming from Fujitsu and HTC.
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02/02, 7:40pm
Available with either 24 month plan or no contract
Wireless carrier 3 has introduced its Web Cube 3G hotspot to the UK. The broadband router, made by Huawei, offers broadband networking to up to five Wi-Fi devices. 3 is targeting renters and students who want Wi-Fi at home without being tied to a contract or a landline.
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02/02, 4:10pm
MediaPad coming to AT&T business channel tomorrow
Huawei will bring out its seven-inch MediaPad tablet on AT&T's network tomorrow, February 3. Unfortunately, it will only be offered to enterprise users, so a business account is required. Pricing is not being revealed either, with the carrier stating only that prices will vary depending on the business account.
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01/23, 4:20pm
Huawei dates Ascend phones, promises Diamonds
Chinese electronics maker Huawei will bring two of its flagship Ascend Android-powered phones to the US market soon, Twice found. One of them, the Ascend P1, will be the slimmest on the US market, it's claimed. Either will have a dual-core, 1.5GHz processor and ship with Android 4.0 onboard.
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01/23, 10:30am
Honor second handset to ship with Android 4.0
Huawei began shipping its Honor smartphone to China Unicom late last week. The Honor joins the Galaxy Nexus in that it ships preloaded with Android 4.0, the latest mobile OS from Google. Otherwise, the handset has a single-core, 1.4GHz processor, 4-inch, 480x854 touchscreen and an eight-megeapixel camera with 1080p recording, autofocus and an HDR mode.
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01/21, 3:30pm
iGR shows most Andorid phones bought without study
A new study from iGR has suggested that Android might be dominant in the US but that many of those buying weren't making a conscious choice for the platform. About 47 percent of the smartphone base in the country reportedly was using Android, but only 45 percent of those were knowledgeable about Google's OS and chose it by name. Another 27 percent picked their phones based on Google's reputation.
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01/17, 11:00pm
ZTE sees US just as important as China in 2012
ZTE plans to double its smartphone numbers this year as it expands out of China, cellphone strategy head Lv Qianhao said in an interview Tuesday. Its motherland and the US would be the "key engines" for growth in 2012 as it focused on higher-end devices, he explained to Reuters. Best known for its budget Android phones, it was leaning towards the high end and just recently unveiled the Tania, its first Windows Phone.
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01/14, 4:05pm
We get to try Huawei's super-slim P1 S flagship
Huawei isn't normally known for high-end phones; usually, it's the company serving the $200 off-contract smartphone to a Chinese resident who might never get a smartphone otherwise. The Ascend P1 S, then, came as something of a surprise at CES this week when it it not only hit a record-breaking 6.7mm (0.26 inches) thickness but became one of the first truly official phones with Android 4.0 beyond the Galaxy Nexus. We gave the P1 S a shakedown at CES; read on for whether it signals a change in Huawei's impact in smartphones.
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01/11, 5:00pm
Also launches color versions of 7-inch tablet
Huawei said Wednesday that it will begin shipping its seven-inch MediaPad tablet with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) preloaded. The company will be providing existing owners running Android 3.2 on their devices with an over-the-air upgrade to the latest OS before the end of March. Huawei also planned for three new colors, black, brown, and pink.
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01/09, 6:00pm
Beats Droid Razr by a thin margin
Huawei has unveiled the Ascend P1 S, which for now is the world's slimmest smartphone at 0.26in (6.68mm). The Ascend P1 S is a major upgrade to its previous flagship smartphone, the Mercury. The Ascend P1 S has a dual-core TI OMAP 4460 chip powering a Cortex A9 CPU running at 1.5GHz, the same engine that powers the Google Nexus Prime. Not surprisingly, it will ship with Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. The Ascend P1 S also has SGX 540 graphics for its 4.3-inch 540x960 Super AMOLED display. It is capable of recording 1080p HD video with its 8-megapixel main camera, and 720p video with a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera.
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01/04, 8:40am
Apple sets date for iPhone 4S in China
Apple has confirmed expectations and set a release date for the iPhone 4S in China. Its most recent phone will ship to the mainland on January 13 alongside 21 other countries, focusing mostly on Africa and the Caribbean. The roser includes Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, China, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guam, Guinea Conakry, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Niger, Senegal, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and Uganda.
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01/01, 1:40pm
Meizu MX gets official debut in China with tweaks
The Meizu MX had its formal launch on New Year's Day both in mainland China and Hong Kong. In a repeat of last year's M9, lines in at least some locations were long at a level normally only seen for Apple launches, with over 900 seen at the Hong Kong store. Allegations in 2011 that Meizu had stacked the lines have faded this year as Meizu still had to control lines by asking most in line to come only when called.
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12/30, 3:25pm
Lenovo and ZTE may lead Chinese patent defense
Chinese smartphone designers are quietly forming a pact to fend off patent lawsuits from Apple, Microsoft, and Nokia, a rumor maintained Friday. Lenovo and ZTE, as well as smaller firms like Coolpad, Konka, and TCL, were said by Digitimes to be forming a collective. The details weren't given, although a patent defense would most likely involve pooling patent resources together and sharing resources on how to work around other companies' patents.
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12/23, 2:20pm
Second US cartrier to offer Huawei smartphone
US Cellular will soon be running a new budget Android phone, the Huawei Ascend II. The hardware centers on a 3.5-inch, 480x240 touchscreen and runs Android 2.3. The carrier is the second US-based carrier to carry the phone, following Cricket, which launched it in July.
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12/21, 8:35am
Cricket gets into LTE in Tucson
Cricket became the next US carrier to switch on LTE on Wednesday with a launch in Tucson. Its 4G network is estimated to run about five to ten times faster than its EVDO-based 3G. In an unusual step, Cricket keeps the 5GB cap the same and bases price on speed: a $50 plan provides a more 3G-like 3Mbps, while subscribers need to pay $60 to get 6Mbps.
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12/20, 11:45pm
Rubin provides long due update on Android rate
After months of silence, Google's mobile VP Andy Rubin posted word that Android device activations were now up to 700,000 each day. The rate comes after months of the company claiming a flat 550,000 per day. He had no update on the activation growth rate or whether Google had moved significantly beyond the 200 million total devices switched on since Android launched in October 2008.
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12/19, 10:35am
Cricket gets flagship Mercury smartphone for $250
Cricket on Monday revealed it will soon carry the Huawei Mercury. Now the most powerful handset offered by the carrier, the mid-range Android phone gets a single-core 1.4GHz processor and a four-inch, 854x480 touchscreen display. There is 2GB of built-in storage along with a microSD memory card slot, and an eight-megapixel rear camera along with a VGA front camera.
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12/12, 6:45pm
Basic Android phone AT&T's smartphone entry point
AT&T has begun shipping a new Android smartphone for its prepaid GoPhone service. The entry level U8652 Fusion features a 3.5-inch touchscreen and runs Android 2.3.3. Although not officially confirmed, the phone is most likely the Huawei Jengu.
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12/12, 1:35pm
Huawei gives Android 4 to Honor, Archos teases
French tablet maker Archos has just announced that it will bring Android 4.0 to its existing G9 tablets. All will be upgraded to Android 4.0 during the first quarter of 2012, the company promised. The devices are powered by a dual-core, 1.5GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, with prices starting at 350 euros (about $460).
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12/01, 6:55pm
Sanford sees Samsung in overall cellphone lead
Samsung should pass Nokia to become the top cellphone maker of any kind in 2012, Sanford Bernstein analyst Mark Newman said in a research note Thursday. After passing Apple in smartphones, it was now due to eclipse Nokia's once-unassailable lead in cellphones of any kind. Newman saw Samsung as being unique in having both a strong position in smartphones and a willingness to cater down to the very low end, preventing it from losing out in basic phones like Apple and smartphones like Nokia.
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11/28, 10:55am
Kantar sees iPhone 4S push Apple past Google in UK
The iPhone 4S helped Apple achieve a rare resurgence in British share that toppled Android, Kantar's Worldpanel ComTech found Monday. Apple's October share hit 42.8 percent of UK smartphone sales, knocking Android down to 35 percent. It managed a similar feat year-over-year, with iPhone share up 2.8 points for August through October to hit 27.8 percent, pushing Android down from 49.9 percent to 46 percent.
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11/23, 8:05am
Strategy Analytics sees China pass US in Q3
China has overtaken the US to become the world's most important smartphone market, Strategy Analytics said Wednesday. Where US shipments actually shrank 7.5 percent from spring to summer to fall back to 23.3 million smartphones, the Chinese market grew 57.5 percent just the one season to hit 23.9 million. Nokia, despite its rapid decline, was still the leader in China with 6.8 million Symbian phones, or 28.5 percent, beating Samsung's 4.2 million and 17.6 million.
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11/17, 2:55pm
Initial avaiability shuns US market
Huawei has made it official that it will soon begin shipping its new Android-based Honor smartphone in December. The vendor has incorporated a proprietary UI, Huawei Android Platform 5.1 (HAP 5.1), to run on top of Android 2.3.5. Its standout is a high-capacity, 1,930mAh battery pack that's said to last as long as three days, far longer than most modern smartphones.
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11/15, 9:15am
Gartner shows Android now majority of smartphones
Android now represents the clear majority of smartphones worldwide, Gartner found Tuesday. It had more than doubled its share in the summer versus last year to hit 52.5 percent, leaving all other platforms combined in the minority. Both Nokia's Symbian and Apple's iPhone had declined in share over the summer to 16.9 percent and 15 percent each, although Nokia's rapid collapse in shipments and the known slingshot effect as customers waited for the iPhone 4S meant that Apple would likely take second place in the fall.
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11/08, 6:00am
Huawei latest in sights of Microsoft
Up and coming Chinese mobile phone maker Huawei has found itself in the sights of Microsoft. Huawei’s chief marketing officer Victor Xu has told a group of UK journalists that discussions with Microsoft are “in progress” over licensing fees related to purported patent infringements over the company’s use of Android in its products. If it enters into a licensing arrangement, as seems likely, it will join Samsung and HTC as high profile companies paying royalties to the Redmond-based software giant.
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11/08, 12:20am
T-Mobile adds 2nd Samsung tablet for Nov. 16
T-Mobile boosted its tablet roster yet again on Tuesday with a new model and more concrete details for another. Its version of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus adds the expected HSPA+ network link to the reborn seven-inch, Android 3.2 tablet. Software is also a custom mix with Blio's e-reader, WildTangent's free game platform, and Zinio's magazine reader loaded beyond what Samsung includes itself.
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10/25, 5:05pm
T-Mobile reveals release dates for two 4G tablets
T-Mobile has now revealed the ship dates for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Huawei Springboard tablets after announcing them earlier this month. The Samsung device arrives on November 2, and interested parties can sign up for updates on the carrier's site. The 7-inch Springboard will be released on November 9 at the carrier. Neither device has yet been priced, however.
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10/14, 3:10pm
US Commerce Department denies Huawei build-out
Chinese telecommunications hardware maker Huawei won't be allowed to participate in the build of LTE emergency networks for first responders in the US, the US Commerce Department ruled, citing national security concerns. The fear is that Huawei's chips, routers and other equipment could be bugged by the Chinese government and therefore reveal sensitive information. Huawei VP for external relations, William Plummer, told the source, The Daily Beast, that the Commerce Department's decision is without merit.
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10/11, 3:45pm
Tablet aims to dominate budget devices
Huawei brought its new SpringBoard tablet to CTIA, where the company has invited media and analysts to try out its latest devices. Electronista had a chance to take a close look at the company's attempt to dominate the market for budget Android tablets. Considering the current range of terrible Android tablets that are available for around $200, we approached the SpringBoard with a cautious eye.
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10/09, 11:15pm
T-Mobile SpringBoard locked for this week
T-Mobile's adaptation of the Huawei MediaPad has been inadvertently been confirmed by T-Mobile itself. A search for "springboard" turns up the device as the T-Mobile SpringBoard. The seven-inch Android 3 tablet shows with few features but will arrive with Netflix support. Just one trim level is available with a five-megapixel back camera and 16GB of storage.
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10/05, 5:40pm
Cricket expected to launch phone in November
The Huawei Honor has reached the FCC in a filing. Documents included in the post have revealed that the phone should hit the streets in the US first through Cricket, where it will be branded the Glory. The prepaid wireless carrier is expected to start selling the phone in November.
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10/04, 8:00pm
Carrier to release 12 new devices
Starting in mid-October, T-Mobile will be holding a month plus long launch of 12 new phones, tablets and Wi-Fi hotspots, a leak uncovered Tuesday. The roll-out will start October 10, and continue until November 19. The busiest day will be November 2, when the carrier will put forward six new smartphones.
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09/29, 2:20pm
Huawei MediaPad for T-Mobile spotted early
Photos of an upcoming 4G tablet from Huawei have been shared online on Thursday by TMoNews. Expected to be a US and 4G version of the MediaPad for Asian markets, an official reveal is expected at CTIA in October, though early specs include a seven-inch IPS touchscreen with a 1280x800 resolution and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor.
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09/27, 3:30pm
Waterproof, rugged phone set to tackle field trips
Huawei has teamed up with the Discovery Channel to release a ruggedized phone appropriately branded with the cable network's name. The phone, the Discovery D51, is waterproof to to a depth of one meter (3.3 feet) and also is designed to protect against both drops and dust. To help find the phone if dropped, it comes in a black and bright orange color.
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09/26, 5:25pm
T-Mobile to ship Sonic 4G hotspot in October
T-Mobile has just introduced its fastest mobile hotspot in the form of its Sonic 4G. It gives access to the carrier's HSPA+ 42Mbps network for up to five linked devices over Wi-Fi. The Huawei-built gadget weighs just under 3.9 ounces.
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09/26, 11:10am
Huawei Honor official pictures, specs show up
The Huawei Honor smartphone leaked nearly a month ago has now received some official photos and specs from its Chinese maker. The Android 2.3.5-powered smartphone will get a four-inch touchscreen and a single-core, 1.4GHz Snapdragon processor. A rather unique feature includes its high-capacity, 1,930mAh battery that is said to last as long as three days.
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09/20, 11:15pm
Apple shows Hong Kong IFC store early
Apple on Wednesday took the covers from its Hong Kong flagship store a few days ahead of its September 24 opening. Early shots of the inside supplied to 9to5 have shown one of Apple's most elaborate arrangements to date, with the second floor mostly bisected by the signature glass spiral staircase and elevator. Both the outside and the top inside of the store are plated in glass with just the bottom mostly sealed up by steel, wide doorways, and ads.
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09/20, 4:50pm
MediaPad coming to the US before year's end
Huawei has dated its Android 3.2-powered tablet, the MediaPad, for a first official appearance in Malaysia. The 7-inch device will arrive there by the middle of October, while shoppers in the US, China, Hong Kong and Thailand should expect to get it before year's end. In Singapore, the tablet can already be pre-ordered, priced at the equivalent of about $473.
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09/19, 11:10am
LVL tries carpet bomb lawsuit to make profit
Largely unknown patent holder LVL Patent Group late last week quietly sued much of the US cellphone business and beyond for alleged patent violations (below). It claims that the iPhone, many Android devices, Symbian, and basic feature phones as well as their carriers violate one or more of a group of four generic patents, including data transaction servers and devices for entering transactions. Most of the patents were issued in or before 2000, but one of the device patents was only live on September 13, two days before the lawsuit was filed.
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09/08, 11:25am
ClassCo claims patent violations
ClassCo sought to profit off of the cellphone industry Thursday with a lawsuit (below) accusing larger smartphone makers of allegedly violating patents for caller ID. The suit claims that Apple, HP (as Palm), HTC, Huawei, LG, RIM, Samsung, and ZTE all supposedly violate two patents for a "calling party announcement apparatus." Just having a phone like the BlackBerry or iPhone that identifies who's calling is an infringement on the patents, ClassCo argues.
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09/07, 10:55am
Huawei Impulse 4G ships to ATT September 18
AT&T in a low-key move put out its first Huawei smartphone and also one of the lowest priced phones from its launch to get a 4G badge. The Impulse 4G has just stock Android 2.2 and an 800MHz Snapdragon processor but still gets on to AT&T's HSPA+ network for fast downloads. A 3.8-inch, 480x800 screen and a five-megapixel camera with 720p video, autofocus, and flash also put it above what's normally expected for the class.
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09/06, 8:00am
Analysis puts Apple over Nokia in 2011 smartphones
Apple should be the top-selling smartphone manufacturer for 2011, according to estimates on Tuesday. The research wing for Digitimes determined that Apple's ouster of Nokia would hold for the rest of the year and put the iPhone on top of the smartphone space, at 86.4 million units. Nokia's struggles with Symbian and wait for Windows Phone would see its shipments drop by a quarter from a year ago down to 74.4 million, giving Apple a comfortable lead.
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09/05, 3:40pm
Apple Store Hong Kong in IFC gets firm date
Confirming previous talk, Apple has posted banners setting September 24 as the opening date for the first Apple store in Hong Kong. The two-storey shop has a banner advertising "Apple HK" and touts its positioning in the very high-end International Finance Center, one of the highest-rent retail areas in the world. The store as photographed by Engadget will be the "new center of Central," Apple said in a reference to its location at the core of the Central district of the city.
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08/30, 5:25pm
Huawei Honor to get 1.4GHz Snapdragon CPU
A new Android smartphone was just revealed, this time from China's Huawei. The Honor, which also carries the U8860 model number, has been spotted by LandofDroid. The specifications are relatively high end for Huawei and include a 1.4GHz Snapdragon as well as a four-inch LCD.
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08/23, 5:40pm
ATT roadmap for fall 2011 tips up
An AT&T roadmap surfacing Tuesday has given clues as to the network's non-iPhone launch strategy for the late summer and fall. Along with known quantities like the Torch 9860, it shows at least two Windows Phone 7 Mango devices. One fall release, the "Kupua," is Samsung's i937, is believed to mostly be a take on the Galaxy S II using Microsoft's OS. The other seen by PocketNow, the HTC "Bunyip," is most likely the Eternity 4.7-inch flagship.
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08/11, 10:30am
Gartner shows iPhone up to 4th in all cellphones
Apple is now the fourth-largest cellphone maker in the world, Gartner said in its own roundup of mobile market share figures. The iPhone's market share of real, end-user sales shot up almost 92 percent from year to year to give it 4.6 percent, moving it ahead of not just RIM but Motorola and Sony Ericsson, all three of which lost share. Apple's rise also widened its leads over ZTE, HTC, and Huawei, who despite their gains weren't growing as quickly.
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08/08, 5:25pm
Huawei Vision video shows up, undergoes FCC tests
The recently introduced Huawei Vision smartphone has now showed up in a video and over on the FCC site. The former focuses mainly on the handset's 3D interface, while the latter is an indication that it's nearly ready for production. Otherwise, the metal-bodied phone gets a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen and is less than 0.4 inches thick at its thinnest.
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08/03, 8:25am
Huawei Vision, Gingerbread, aluminum unibody
Huawei has launched its Vision Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) handset. The phone is set apart from other Android handsets by its use of an aluminum unibody. It also incorporates a custom 3D user interface and is powered by a second-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon single-core processor clocked at 1GHz.
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07/28, 10:25pm
Windows Phone 7 Mango devices due September
Insider sources on Thursday narrowed the launch of all Windows Phone 7 Mango devices, not just Toshiba-Fujitsu's IS12T, to September. Acer, HTC, Huawei, LG, Samsung, and ZTE are all expected by Digitimes contacts to unveil their phones at the same time. Only Nokia's first phone, likely the Sea Ray, would show later, at Nokia World in October.
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