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Showing posts from February 27, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Eyes-on

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Building on the success of the first Galaxy Note, Samsung presents this 10.1-inch tablet with S Pen creativity built in. This device has a 10.1-inch 1280×800 resolution PLS TFT display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 1.4GHz dual core Samsung Exynos processor, and microSD support. With both Full HD video playback, and Wifi CH bonding for superior connectivity, you’ll be rolling out with the 8 Pi S Pen with great success on the largest S Pen capable display yet. The Galaxy Note 10.1 also has a 3 megapixel camera on the back with LED flash and a 2 megapixel camera on the front. The software allows for a full range of templates for notes including magazine, diary, card, sketchbook, and more, and the Note 10.1 uses its large screen to utilize multi-screen functionality. This device has cross language as well as formula recognition (for math and science) and is able to convert shapes to lines. Essentially this and the Galaxy Note are bringing the fury to the note-taking world with recogniti

AT&T’s HTC One X lost the Tegra 3 due to LTE incompatibility

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Android enthusiasts have been drooling over the HTC One X for months, ever since it was leaked as the HTC Edge. A lot of that had to do with the inclusion of Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 platform; at the time, it was the only smartphone we knew of that would get the screaming silicon. So it’s no surprise that AT&T customers were a little miffed to hear that the American version is going with a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU instead. But before you start a signature campaign to bring the “real” one X to AT&T, you might want to read this: it was purely a technical limitation. See, AT&T wanted to make sure that a flagship phone like the One X has access to its still-growing LTE network. Apparently the new 5-Plus-One Tegra 3 platforms still isn’t compatible with LTE radio chipsets, and won’t be for at least a few more months – too long to be included in the first batch of US-bound One X units. Given the choice between going back to HSPA+ or using a processor that was “only” du

HTC Mobile World Congress wrap-up

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LG and Samsung have been dropping pre-Mobile World Congress hints all of last week, but it would be hard to argue against the fact that HTC has owned the opening night of Mobile World Congress. Their three-pronged HTC One line isn’t just a new series of phones, it’s a dividing line for the the company, signifying the beginning of a more centralized strategy and (hopefully) a clean break from their rather disappointing second half of 2011. They’re hitting the high, middle and low end of the smartphone market with three extremely targeted models, all sharing the same design DNA. Naturally, SlashGear was there to cover it all. All three phones feature the unibody all-in-one aluminum design introduced with the HTC Legend at Mobile World Congress 2010, and sorely missing from a large part of HTC’s lineup since then. That’s not the only thing they have in common: the three phones will be the first to come to market with HTC’s Sense UI 4.0 running over Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and all

LG rumored to make next Nexus device

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As it tries to steam forward and enter its mark in the Android community, LG is apparently gunning to be the manufacturer for Google’s next Nexus phone. The Nexus brand is, of course, the one series of Android phones that Google is heavily involved with and is always on the bleeding edge when it comes to support and software updates. Previously, the honors of Nexus manufacturer went to Samsung. When it comes to Android, LG was a late entrant to the party. It hasn’t really made its mark yet. Samsung has the Galaxy brand, HTC has made gold with Evo and other brands, and Motorola has made huge revenue with its Droid devices. LG, though, has no defining position in this competitive field. It was the manufacturer of the flagship 3D phone the Optimus 3D, and it is trying to pimp out that Optimus moniker, but so far it hasn’t made the kind of splash it needs to. Recently, though, LG has announced new smartphones that will really push the limits in terms of processing power and functionality.

Has HTC redeemed itself?

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HTC had a lot to prove at Mobile World Congress, and the first signs are promising. The HTC One X, One S andOne V are each distinctive and thoughtful designs, with none of the embarrassed “me too” shuffling many of the company’s 2011 phones suffered. “It’s a new HTC” UK head of marketing James Atkins told us in a pre-MWC briefing with the new One Series handsets last week. “We asked ourselves, what can we do to engage with consumers?” Ironically, actually listening to what they want seems to have done the trick. According to HTC’s research, the camera is the biggest single thing consumers look at when picking a phone, hence the company’s current photography focus. A new, Backside-Illuminated (BSI) sensor, light-loving f2.0 lens and custom HTC “Image Chip” promise to deliver on the hardware side, while reworked software that puts the best functionality at the top level of the UI should bypass usability issues. Most notable, perhaps, these new abilities aren’t being reserved solely for t

Adobe plans to launch Photoshop Touch on iPad

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After being snubbed on the iPhone and iPad (read: Flash), Adobe is trying to make its mark in the mobile Apple world by launching an iPad-optimized version of Photoshop. The app, to be called Photoshop Touch, will reportedly be released tomorrow at the Mobile World Congress in Spain. It starts a new chapter for Adobe as it strongly goes for emerging markets beyond the old PC and Mac crowd. Tablets are beginning to take the place of traditional laptops, meaning the iPad has become more than just a big toy. It’s being used for professional purposes, as is evidenced by the increase in enterprise customers purchasing volume iPads. Graphic designers are likewise easy to be pulled into the portability and flexibility of having software on their iPad. This is just the start of Adobe’s aggressive path into iOS territory. Of course, however, the Photoshop app has been available on Android for months. Android also supports Flash, for now, though that Adobe standard is on its way out. Adobe is fi

HTC One V hands-on

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The chin is back in town: HTC’s One V shows that the company just can’t let a styling cue die, though when you’re basing your new smartphone on the beautiful HTC Legend, that’s probably no bad thing. If the One X is for the power user, and the One S for the everyman, the One V attempts to raise the bar for entry- to mid-tier devices with a combination of style and performance. Read on for our hands-on first impressions. At 3.7-inches, the One V’s Super-LCD WVGA display is bigger than that of the Legend, but HTC has managed to shave down the smartphone nonetheless: it’s a slim, 9.24mm slab of metal with a slight jut to its chin. That chin does nothing but give you somewhere to rest your thumb, mind; there’s no optical trackpad or buttons, with the touch-sensitive keys themselves being under the glass touchscreen itself. The One V is certainly creak-free and feels of higher-than-average quality in the hand, though the slightly raised glass – proud of the bezel – is an odd design decision

Dear Apple: Please Use Your Cash to Make A Game Console

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Over the last several weeks, everywhere I turn, I’m hearing about all the cash Apple has on hand. Some say that the company should hold on to its nearly $100 billion in cash, while others say it’s time to spend some of it. Apple, for its part, has said that it will spend the cash when it feels the time is right, but didn’t give any assurances that it’ll happen. When Apple finally decides to spend its money, it’ll have a host of things it can do. Apple will more than likely pay out some sort of dividend to shareholders that have taken advantage of its skyrocketing stock price. The company might also make strategic acquisitions, just as it did recently with its Chomp purchase. But more than anything, I’d like to see Apple take a chunk of its cash and develop its own game console. I’m an old-school gamer. For longer than I’d like to remember, I’ve been playing video games in the home, and I’ve owned just about every console that has been released. My addiction to console gaming has gone s

HTC One S hands-on

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While the One X may be HTC’s new flagship, the One S is arguably the most cohesive all-round package: a balance of design, screen size and performance with the benefits of Ice Cream Sandwich. Sense 4.0 has been cleaned up and pushed back to its roots – improving the core OS experience, rather than merely making it look different – while HTC’s legendary hardware expertise has been pushed to the next level with some attention-grabbing production processes. Read on for our hands-on first impressions. Plastic – even if it’s micro-drilled and carefully polished – always runs the risk of feeling cheap; that’s not a criticism you can level at the One S. HTC has readied two versions, each study metal and creak-free, one black with so-called “Ceramic Metal” finish and another with a grey “Graded Anodization” finish. The former One S finish is the more exciting, though not necessarily as eye catching. Both have an almost soft-touch feel, but the “Ceramic Metal” One S borrows manufacturing proces

HTC One X hands-on

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HTC is pushing overall user experience with its MWC 2012 smartphone range, but it’s hard not to talk about the HTC One X without spec hyperbole slipping in. The flagship of the new One Series, it’s a 4.7-inch 720p HD “All-In Device” HTC insists, and – with a few blips – it’s hard not to agree. After a long history of Qualcomm-powered devices, the One X brings NVIDIA’s quadcore Tegra 3 into the HTC range. Read on for our hands-on first impressions. HTC opted for plastic rather than metal for the One X, a polycarbonate casing that helps keep weight down. While the sides have a high gloss finish, for aesthetic appeal, the back is soft-touch and matte for easier gripping. The speaker grille has, the company is keen to point out, been micro-drilled with perforations rather than using a separate grille section as on the Sensation series, keeping the design more cohesive. In the hand, like many polycarbonate devices, the feel is still a little less premium than with metal. It’s light, though,

T-Mobile HTC One S coming Spring

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This week at Mobile World Congress 2012, HTC has revealed its hero line of smartphones in “HTC One,” and one of two of these devices already slated for release here in the United States has been revealed as the T-Mobile version of the HTC One S. This release is one of two USA releases of the HTC One line announced today, the other being the HTC One X coming to AT&T. Similar to the USA version of the HTC One X, this device has a Qualcomm 1.5Ghz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, and unique to itself this S unit is T-Mobile’s thinnest smartphone yet. With it’s lovely 4.30inch super AMOLED qHD display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with the newest version of HTC Sense version 4.0, and an aluminum unibody design, this device is set to bring T-Mobile in on the HTC One line with style. This device is just 7.95 mm thin, comes with Google Music pre-installed aside Beats Audio integration for an “authentic and richer sound experience” true to the HTC One line, and will have T-Mobile as its

HTC One S Official

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It’s finally here: HTC has just unveiled its latest workhorse phone, the One S. This model slides in just below the One X, using a smaller 4.3-inch screen with a 960×540 resolution, the same as most of HTC’s phones for the last year. Instead of the screaming Tegra 3 on the X, the HTC One S gets a standard Qualcomm 1.5ghz dual-core processor. On the software side, it gets the same treatment: Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC’s updated Sense UI 4 as a topping. The phone is getting its worldwide unveiling at Mobile World Congress. Interestingly (and like HTC’s other unveiled phones), it’s using the standard three ICS buttons in a capacitive array, not the on-screen navigation found in the Galaxy Nexus. For all that, it’s still one of HTC’s most stylish phones out there, with a slim 7.9 mm profile that extends to 8.7mm at the bump. That’s even more impressive considering that it revives HTC’s unibody aluminum design with a scratch-resistant Micro Arc Oxidation coating. The downside is that it ma

AT&T HTC One X confirmed with Qualcomm dualcore

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This week we’re getting word of not just an international edition of the HTC One X, but an AT&T version for the USA as well – and there’s one big change in the mix for this release: a dual-core processor instead of quad. The international edition of the HTC One X will be carrying the NVIDIA Tegra 3 4-PLUS-1 processor as announced earlier today, while the AT&T version will be working with a Qualcomm S4 dual-core processor instead. This version for the USA will also have AT&T’s 4G LTE connectivity while the international edition will support AWS for T-Mobile and HSPA+ 42Mbps network here in the states. The AT&T HTC One X will be coming with 32GB emmc storage, has a 4.7-inch 720p resolution Super LCD2 display, and runs with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as well as HTC Sense 4.0 right out of the box. This device is part of the hero line of devices HTC is presenting this week working with the three pillars of greatness encapsulated in “HTC One”: an amazing camera experience

HTC One V Official

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This week the folks at HTC have revealed a line of devices under the HTC One pillars of quality, here in the HTC One V. This device has a 3.7-inch SLCD2 480 x 800 display with a 1.0 Ghz single-core processor, a total of 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage. This device along with the rest of the HTC One line come with their own HTC ImageChip which acts as its own piece of silicon dedicated to the camera alone. This is but one of the mighty line of hero devices that HTC is presenting to win the hearts of the world with an intensely personal experience above all. This device has a 5 megapixel camera and no front-facing camera, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich along with Sense UI 4.0 on top. This is part of the most advanced line of devices to have been revealed by HTC, and is what HTC is banking on to make them taken back the flagship in the Android world. This device has hardware that makes it look sharp, 120.3 x 59.7 x 9.24 mm making this device an ultra-thin device with 512 MB of r

HTC ImageSense detailed for HTC Sense 4.0

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This week the folks at HTC have started off the show with the HTC One line, a line of devices that take the HTC line to the next level with elements that make this the true hero strategy for their brand. First up is HTC ImageSense, a full setup around the device’s camera alone. Not only will the cameras in the HTC One line take a photo in .7 seconds, they’ve got a brand new HTC ImageChip dedicated to them for the super-fast shooting you need to capture images at the speed of life. From there, it’s all beauty and power. The HTC ImageSense program has the ability to work with no light, back light, and high light. With an f2.0 lens. Ambient light is detected and perfect flash is brought up – seven different levels of flash depending on the amount of light needed. Comparing HDR to non-HDR photos is now an amazingly different experience that the HTC One series is coming out on top of in the entire HTC One line. Video has also been improved in the following way: HD video filming and shooting

Xbox 360 gets 10th Anniversary Edition in Europe with extra games and accessories

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Ah, the Xbox 360. Has it really been ten years? Well, no, it hasn’t, but come March 14th it’ll be the 10th anniversary of the original Xbox’s debut in Europe. To help celebrate that (and perhaps distract you from the fact that the 360 could really use a refresh) Microsoft is readying a new bundle for Europe, revealed by Amazon France and spotted by The Examiner. The collection includes a load of goodies including an extra controller, both physical and digital games, and a little free Xbox Live time for your trouble. The full list of pack-ins includes: the 250Gb hard drive-edition Xbox 360, two wireless controllers, three months of free access to Xbox Live Gold, a physical copy of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition, digital copies of Halo: Reach, Gears of War 2 and Fable 3, and the secure knowledge that you’re in the good company of more than 60 million gamers worldwide. It’s going for a preorder price of 280 Euros or about $370 US, though you’re unlikely to see this exact bundle

Sony Xperia P hands-on

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What can you say about the Sony Xperia P that you haven’t already said about the Xperia S and U? The middle model in Sony’s NXT line-up, the P gets some of the S’ expansive screen but shares some of the U’s pocket-friendliness. It’s also one of the more sturdy devices we’ve played with. More first impressions after the cut. Unfortunately there’s no light-up strip, as on the Xperia U, but you do get a slick anodized aluminum chassis and it’s relatively slimline. Android runs swiftly on the dual-core processor, though we’ll have to wait until we can do some proper benchmarking when production devices arrive before we know if the Xperia P can hold up with the best of them. Sony Xperia P hands-on: As for Sony’s customized UI, we’d prefer to see bare Android but it’s certainly in keeping with the rest of the design of the handset. More details in the video we have uploading now!

Sony Xperia U hands-on

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Sony’s new Xperia U may be the baby of the NXT Series bunch, but – with Sony’s aesthetic almost universal across the line-up – you won’t be instantly taunted if spotted with the cheapest model. It’s also not the most inspiring designs, but it feels solid and reasonably responsive with its dual-core processor. More hands-on after the cut. Sony is pushing its unusual colored casings with the Xperia U, but it’s the color-shifting button strip that we’re most taken by. It doesn’t exactly add to the experience – Sony points out that it will change to suit the overall hue of photos on-screen, though it’s hardly a Philips Ambilight HDTV – but it’s a neat gimmick all the same. Sony Xperia U hands-on: The display may be – at 3.7-inches – the smallest of the range, but it’s usable and the handset overall is pocket-friendly. We’ll have to wait until we can spend a little extra time with the Xperia U before we know if it’ll be a hit or not, but if the oversized Xperia S is a turn-off, the U looks

Sony Xperia P official

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Sony’s new Xperia U isn’t the only new model for MWC 2012; there’s also the Sony Xperia P, the third member of the company’s Xperia NXT Series. A mid-range model slotting in-between the 3.5-inch Xperia S and the 4.3-inch Xperia S, the new P has a dual-core processor and new “White Magic” display that offers twice the brightness of a regular screen for better outdoor visibility. There’s also the same NFC Smart Tag system as in the Xperia S, using small NFC-enabled fobs to boot into different modes as well as mute the ringer. Sony will also offer a Media Dock for HDMI output to your big-screen TV, and you can shoot Full HD video with the 8-megapixel camera. The Sony Xperia P will be available in three brushed aluminum finishes, arriving in stores in the middle of Q2 2012. Pricing is yet to be announced.

Sony Xperia U official

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Sony has officially announced the Xperia U, the company’s latest Android smartphone and the first to debut atMobile World Congress under the newly-created Sony Mobile Communications brand. A smaller version of theXperia S and ion launched at CES last month, the Xperia U has a 3.5-inch Reality Display along with interchangeable chin sections to customize it to your liking. Sony’s Mobile BRAVIA engine makes another appearance, boosting graphics during video playback and gaming, and there’s a 5-megapixel camera on the back. That shoots 720p HD video, rather than Full HD; if you want the latter, you’ll need to step up to the larger, more expensive Xperia S. Sony will be offering multiple color options of chin section, including a shocking pink and a more sedate black to match the rest of the handset. Meanwhile the translucent button strip can change color to match the on-screen theme, as well as to match the predominant color in your photos. UK carrier Three has already confirmed that the

Samsung GALAXY Beam Eyes-on

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This week Samsung has revealed a brand new take on projecting content, namely slotting this technology in an Android Samsung Galaxy smartphone with the Samsung GALAXY Beam. This is not the first time a smartphone has been integrated with a projector in this way, but judging by this first look we’ve had at the GALAXY beam, “Sharing Big Fun and Big Ideas” is much more real than ever. This device is the world’s slimmest projector phone at 12.5mm with a round back for an extra comfortable grip. Samsung aims to improve both the size of the device (making it as small as ever) and the quality of the projector – now a 15 Lumen brightness with NHD 640 x 480 resolution model running with this device’s dual-core 1GHz processor under the hood. This device’s display is a 4-inch WVGA while the projector, again, runs at 640 x 480 up against your wall. You can use this device to project on to your ceiling, your wall, a gigantic screen outside your house, and more. The device runs a 5 megapixel AF came

LG Optimus L7 L5 L3 L-Style Family Hands-On

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This week The L-Style core is detailed as having timeless fulfillment, perfection with details, genuine compassion, and esteemed value. Limitless, priceless, and having the ability to Bring Style to Life, that’s what LG is aiming for here. Design with a modern square style, a seamless layout, a harmonized design contrast, floating mass technology, and a sensuous slim shape are each L-Style Elements that make these devices part of the L-Style family. The Optimus L3, L5, and L7 will be coming out this year to show off the L-Style line in its first wave. The L7 has high technology in the front and a “soft human touch” in the back – plastic with a textured touch for a simply comfortable feel. This device will be available in the second quarter of 2012 and is set to be the highest quality of the three devices. The L7 has a 4.3-inch display with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a 1.0Ghz single-core processor and a 1500 mAh battery. Because this is the most impressive of the series, I’m sur

LG Optimus Vu Hands-On

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This week LG’s Director of European Marketing Daniel Hernandez spoke of their brand new line of hero device including three pillars: speed, design, and display. The first and perhaps most important device they showed off in-hand that follows the design tenants they’ve laid out here is the LG Optimus Vu, a massive in-between device which is certainly too large to be a smartphone and too small to be a full-fledged tablet. Though it may seem at first to be a “me too” device after the Samsung Galaxy Note released months ago and touted as the ultimate Samsung device this week at MWC 2012, the LG Optimus Vu is a titan in and of itself. The next device shown to fit in with this strategy is the LG Optimus Vu, coming in strong with a 5 inch display, 4 x 3 screen ratio, and a bevy of unique features. LG was specific about how this device can function perfectly well “without a stylus”, but makes sure to note that a stylus does work with a stylus as well. This device comes with a 1.5GHz dual-core

The LG Optimus 3D Max Hands-On

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This week the folks at LG are coming in heavy with the many varieties of Android they’ll be presenting the globe with throughout 2012, one of the more recognizable ones being the LG Optimus 3D Max. This device takes what LG delivered last year with the Optimus 3D and amps it up with a much brighter display and a bit more power under the hood – not to mention a slimmer device overall. One of the biggest complaints users had about the Optimus 3D originally was that it ended up being bulkier than they’d hoped – now we’re seeing perhaps the Optimus 3D perfected – is it enough to convince us that glasses-free 3D is really a business we want to get into? What we’ve got here is what feels like a much less bulky device, first of all. The original Optimus 3D was awesome in its first to market ability to use 3D without glasses, but never really felt like an everyday device because of its mass. Now LG is banking that the mass reduction almost exclusively will be enough to boost this phone’s sales

LG Optimus 4X HD Hands-on

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This week the folks at LG have revealed and we’ve gotten our hands on the next generation of LG Optimus device, the LG Optimus 4X. This smartphone takes the first-in-class Optimus 2X dual-core processor and amps it up with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core SoC with 4-PLUS-1 technology. This device is the first to the European market with a true IPS HD display, has a lovely 4.7-inch display, and runs with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right out of the box. Like each of the devices in LG’s 2012 line being spoken about today, this device runs LG’s own user interface over the top of Android 4.0 ICS and is the lightest UI over Android that LG has ever released. The massively impressive 313 ppi display brings this 8.9mm thin device to the top of brightness as well as sharpness, and both the design and the innards are made to create one integrated experience to drive the LG hero strategy into the future. Like the rest of the LG line coming this spring and summer, this device has a hard glass fron

Huawei Ascend D Quad and D Quad XL get official with custom quad-core processor

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Chinese manufacturer Huawei intends to stake its high-end claim at Mobile World Congress 2012, and they’re off to a good start. The previously indicated Diamond line of devices will begin with the Ascend D Quad, featuring Huawei’s very own ARM-based quad-core processor, the K3V2. We had expected them to rely on Nvidia’s Tegra 3 architecture, but it looks like they’re keeping it in the family. The company claims that this bit of 1.5ghz silicon helps it perform 49% faster than conventional devices (making it the “world’s fastest smartphone”) while improving battery life. Other major specifications include a 4.5-inch 720p touchscreen and Ice Cream Sandwich. The D Quad has slim 8.9mm profile which still manages to cram in an 1800mAh battery – but that’s not all. Similar to Motorola’s move with the DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX, Huawei is releasing a modified long-life version of the D Quad, named the Ascend D Quad XL. The larger brother measures 10.9mm and gets and extended 2500mAh batter