HTC One X

Quad-core Android phones and high-quality camera phones are two major themes at this 
year's MWC, and the HTC One X brings those two concepts together elegantly. Rather than just blowing out specs, HTC is focusing on finish, feel, and quality, from the eye-popping Super LCD 2 screen to the mega-fast HDR camera enabled by a new image chip. The One X even uses both flagship processors shown off at the show—Nvidia's Tegra 3 in most countries, and Qualcomm's S4 in its AT&T version. It can be a bit too large for some with its 4.7-inch screen, but we think it just might be Android's hero product of the year.

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Android Jelly Bean could come first from Asus

Asus hopes its close partnership with Google will lead it to be the first company to offer devices running Android Jelly Bean - version 5.0.

Asus prides itself on its Android upgrade efficiency, as it was the first to provide tablets running Honeycomb and the first to push the Ice Cream Sandwich update to its tablets.

Benson Lin, Asus' Corporate Vice President told TechRadar: "Asus is very close to Google, so once they have Android 5.0 I think there will be a high possibility that we will be the first wave to offer the Jelly Bean update."

Lean, mean, jelly bean machine

Asus announced its 3-in-1 Padfone device at MWC 2012, which sees a mobile phone, tablet and netbook combined into one device running Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

Asus hopes the Padfone will help it gain traction in the mobile market and if it produces quality handsets, the promise of a speedy upgrade to Android Jelly Bean in the future may see consumers flock to the Taiwanese firm.

We've already heard from LG that it is committed to upgrading its 2012 handset range to Android Jelly Bean once it becomes available, so it will be interesting to see which manufacturer can turn it around in the shortest amount of time.

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Nokia 808 PureView more official samples (and Skateboarder in the air)

Stumbled on an interesting reaction at Pentax Forums about the Nokia 808 PureView (I was actually looking for an older post of ours to find some details but ended up there). The reactions from this camera forum there seem quite positive

In the first few pages of that thread I found a sample photo there I hadn’t seen before.

Oh, since skateboarders in the air appears to be benchmarks of fast lenses :p here’s a photo of a skate boarder frozen in air that a forum member posted (though it’s an official Nokia shot).

Also, I’m such a camera noob, I didn’t realise photos in silhouettes still held this much data. No photoshop even necessary as highlighting causes the faces to be seen, but I think this is one a user on the forum edited.

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[Deal] Samsung Galaxy S III free for new connection. Canada only

Canada, this is your moment. The only time most of the Americans (and the rest of the world) will look at you and say “I wish I lived there”. Why? Because NCIX.com is giving you guys the Samsung Galaxy S III for FREE, with a new activation on a 3-year term on Bell. You can check out the details here

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Judge Throws Out Apple vs Motorola Patent Case – Nobody’s Getting Banned… For Now

After both sides were asked to present evidence of actual damages in the Apple vs Motorola case, Judge Posner is now throwing out the case completely, effectively ruling, “GTFO.” This whole thing began when Apple sued Motorola for, allegedly, violating a handful of patents (later reduced to 4). Motorola fired back, claiming that Apple was in violation of a few of theirs, which later reduced to just 1 patent claim.
If you think this sounds like a “he said, she said” cat-fight, you obviously weren’t the only one. Judge Richard Posner gave both sides yet one last chance to come up with a dollar amount for the alleged damages. But since neither side could really prove said damages, there was absolutely no reason, in Posner’s eyes, why he would ban the sale of either one of their products in the US.

I guess you could pretty much call this a win for Motorola who apparently, was on their last leg, holding onto a patent claim that according to Apple, wasn’t even being used. We expect Apple to file an appeal as soon as possible. Someone please, make this all stop

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Acer Iconia Tab A700 Back In Stock with Tegra 3 Processor, 1080p Display – $450 with Free 2-Day Shipping

The other day we told you guys about the availability of the Acer Iconia Tab A700 direct from Acer’s site but unfortunately, the item was out of stock. Now it looks like that stock has been replenished and the tab can once again be purchased for $450, with free 2-day shipping. Considering the specs found on the A700, that’s a pretty damn good deal. The Iconia Tab A700 features a 10.1-inch full HD 1080p display, Tegra 3 qua-core processor, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Acer’s upstanding reputation for quality and timely updates. The A700 will also be available via Amazon on the 24th.

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HTC Pulls Out of Brazil – Cancels Launch of One Series, Layoffs Expected

We’ve heard talk from HTC that as part of a refocusing effort, they’ll no longer be producing budget phones (entirely depends on your definition of low-end). Now we’re getting word that HTC is doing a little more re-prioritizing in the company, making the executive decision to pull out of the Brazilian market entirely. All this after the company analyzed sales numbers and found that although smartphone sales have been dramatically rising in the region, HTC has been continually losing market share to other manufacturers selling only only a meager .11% of handsets in Brazil.
This axes plans for an HTC One series launch in Brazil, and you can expect the usual layoffs to follow as well. HTC did mention that they would continue offering support [tech support and repairs] for current devices. We’re still waiting for an official word from HTC for further confirmation. Guess you can’t win ‘em all, huh

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