The phones of CES 2012
Between the Lumia 900, Sprint's first LTE phones, a couple of anticipated new Motorolas for Verizon, and countless other announcements, CES 2012 was an action-packed event for American phone enthusiasts of all creeds. It also helped set up anticipation for Mobile World Congress — the phone industry's biggest event — when it takes place in Barcelona late next month. Click through our StoryStream for all the new phones to come out of Vegas last week!
A special thanks to Borrow Lenses, who provided us with cameras and lenses for the week!
Android
Fujitsu displays first Tegra 3 phone behind glass
Fujitsu's going to be among the first to sell a smartphone running Nvidia's new Tegra 3 processor, and we got to take a look at the upcoming handset phone at the company's CES booth. The phone's raw power was being demoed mirroring a jet ski racing game to a TV and using a wireless controller, but — and this is a running theme with Fujitsu's phone at the moment — it wasn't even really running through the phone. Reps told us only that "this is the functionality the phone will have in five...
CES 2012
Fujitsu Toshiba IS12t Windows Phone hands-on
We came across this curio at Fujitsu's CES booth — the Fujitsu Toshiba IS12t is the only Windows Phone to have seen release in Japan, as far as we know, and was the first Mango phone to be released anywhere in the world. This isn't likely to ever see an international release, and there's not a whole lot to separate it from other Windows Phone devices in terms of software, but the hardware is pretty neat. The phone is fairly thin at 10.6mm, with a 3.7-inch display and waterproof body that...
CES 2012
Porsche Design BlackBerry P'9981: the inside story (hands-on video)
When a purported Porsche Design BlackBerry device first leaked last year, many quickly dismissed it — for a company in crisis, a lavish, over-designed rehash of the Bold seemed like the last thing RIM needed to be worrying about. As a longtime BlackBerry user myself, however, there was something about it that seemed "inherently BlackBerry," and the rumors were confirmed to be true when the device was officially unveiled in Dubai in late September. I was oddly intrigued by the polarizing...
CES 2012
Panasonic KX-UT870 corded Android phone hands-on: this changes nothing
There are game changers, there are disruptive technologies, and then there's Panasonic's KX-UT870, an industrial-grade corded desk phone announced recently that's being shown off here at CES 2012. The concept, while simple, is a bit baffling: it's an IP phone grafted to a 7-inch resistive Android 2.2 tablet of the lowest possible quality (imagine one of those off-brand units you'd find at a drug store). That's it. All control (dialing and so on) goes through the touchscreen, which seems...
Mobile
Toshiba 21:9 phone and tablet prototypes hands-on
We were just able to take a close-up look at three Toshiba prototypes — two tablets and a 5.1-inch phone with a 21:9 aspect ratio. The two tablets, one 7.7-inch and the other 13.3, don't present any big surprises, but they're light and thin, with rounded corners and a textured back. More exciting is the phone, which demonstrates an elongated aspect ratio that allows the large-screened device to still fit in a pocket. Unlike the tablets, the phone has a brushed-aluminum back and sharper...
Android
Motorola Motoluxe and Defy Mini hands-on
Motorola recently announced two mid-range smartphones here at CES 2012 and we spent some time with both devices at the company's booth. The Motoluxe and Defy Mini are running Motorola's new MotoSwitch UI (the new Motoblur?) on Android 2.3.7 and 2.3.6, respectively. MotoSwitch learns which contacts the user interacts with most and then syndicates them in a cluster on the homescreen (pictured above), and the same goes with applications.
The Defy Mini has a 3.2-inch display and feels quite small...
Dyle Mobile TV on MetroPCS: over the air broadcast TV on Android and iOS (video)
One-seg TV tuning has been around for ages in Japan, but no one's been successful at bringing it Stateside. The folks at MetroPCS and Mobile Content Venture — a joint venture of 12 content providers including Fox and NBC— want to be the first with Dyle Mobile TV. Dyle relies on a two-part system to get broadcasts on your device — some kind of antenna, and a downloadable app for iOS or Android. Because there's no hardware required in-device, practically anything running iOS or Android...
CES 2012
Lenovo K800 hands-on: first Intel-powered phone, with Android 4.0 and 720p display
We're at Showstoppers at CES in Vegas, and we just got a first look at Lenovo's new K800 smartphone, the first in the world to run on Intel's Medfield chipset. We liked the design of the phone's hardware, though it's a little thick. It will run a heavily skinned version of Android 4.0 (though the model we saw ran Android 2.3.7), which looks similar to the skins on Lenovo's tablets. It's got a 1.6GHz Intel processor, a 4.5-inch 720p HD TFT display, an 8-megapixel camera, a WCDMA HSPA+ 21Mbps...
Android
Lenovo K800 is the first Intel-powered Medfield phone, coming to China in Q2 with Android 4.0
Earlier today we saw Lenovo's Intel's Medfield-powered Android 4.0 tablet hanging around on the show floor, but Intel's just announced that Lenovo's also got an Atom-powered phone: the 4.5-inch Lenovo K800, coming Q2 with Android 4.0 on a 720p screen. It'll run the company's new Atom Z2460 chip, and has HSPA+ support with Intel's XMM 6260. We're hearing it might have Intel's Wireless Display technology as well. Lenovo plans to bring the Medfield phone to China during the first half of the...
Android
ViewSonic ViewPhone 3 hands-on
Viewsonic entered the cellphone game just a few days ago with the ViewPhone 3. This mid-market device has two SIM slots and is running Android 2.3 powered by an 800Mhz processor. The CPU really showed it's weakness, though — we experienced some pretty bad lag when swiping though homescreen pages and scrolling down the application list . With that said, apps actually launched fairly quickly, but we just couldn't get passed the lag. The ViewPhone 3 will be sold unlocked in Latin America for...
Nokia Lumia 900 video preview
We simply can't get enough of Nokia's Lumia 900 here at CES 2012. After having a quick play with it at Digital Experience last night, we returned to Nokia's booth today for another hands-on session. Its design is unmistakably that of the N9 / Lumia 800: softly rounded sides, sternly flat top and bottom, and a single plane of glass covering the front. Nokia has moved to a 4.3-inch form factor with the Lumia 900, so it's appreciably larger than the Lumia 800, however its top and bottom bezels...
Sprint LTE device hands-on: Galaxy Nexus, LG Viper, and Tri-Network Hotspot
Though its first four LTE market launches are still a few months away, Sprint decided to do a little advance planning by showing its first LTE-compatible devices here at CES 2012: the midrange LG Viper, the Sierra Wireless Tri-Network Hotspot, and — of course — the Galaxy Nexus.
Starting with the Galaxy Nexus, there's not a lot to say here: it feels like it's exactly the same thickness as Verizon's version, and Sprint says that it is. That makes sense since they've got essentially the...
Android
Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G, LG Connect 4G, Dyle TV for MetroPCS hands-on
MetroPCS' nascent LTE network got two new compatible devices today, from Samsung and LG. We got to play with both of them tonight at Pepcom, and while we weren't bowled over by either one, both are decent smartphones — and neither requires you to sign a contract, which is a hard feature to top. The Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G is the lower-end of the two, a single-core device with a 3.5-inch display and a 1GHz processor. It's also a little cheap-feeling, and definitely had some issues with lag...
Mobile
Motorola Droid 4 hands-on pictures
Along with the super-skinny Droid RAZR Maxx, Motorola has its all new Droid 4 on display at Pepcom's Digital Experience. Its .5-inch enclosure feels really sleek and solid in the hand, and the sliding mechanism seems like it'll stand up to regular use quite nicely. Design-wise, it's much improved over the Droid 3 and it feels like a higher-end device overall. The laser-cut and LED-backlit keyboard looks sleek in its cool blue hue, and keys seem to have a nice bit of travel. Like all physical...
Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx hands-on pictures
We got got to check out Motorola's new Droid RAZR Maxx and boy is it thin. The 8.9-mm-thin device feels great in the hand, if not a little too large given its exceptionally skinny body. Regardless of its super thin enclosure, the 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen is crisp and bright, with great viewing angles and solid color reproductions. The 1.2 GHz TI OMAP4 processor under the hood made everything run super smooth. Reps on site praised its purported 21 hours of talk time — though we're...
Microsoft
Nokia Lumia 900, the first hands-on video and pictures
We had to take a long elevator up to the Playboy Club at The Palms to find it, but after some searching we got our hands on a lone black Lumia 900. Nokia touted the 900's solid construction at its press conference earlier today, and we can't argue — the thing feels very solid in the hands at first blush, and the screen is vibrant and colorful. Unfortunately we weren't granted access past Windows Phone 7's lock screen, but we hope to get some more hands-on photos tomorrow when the Lumia 900...
Sony Ericsson Xperia Ion hands-on photos and video
We just snagged some hands-on with with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ion, the company's first LTE smartphone for AT&T. It's running Android 2.3.7 with Sony Ericsson's custom skin on top, which is relatively lighter than it has been in years past, limited to a custom app launcher and the ability to pinch the homescreen to view all your widgets.
From a hardware perspective, the Ion felt solid with a evenly-curved back and didn't feel especially heavy in the hand, despite (or because of?) the...
Sony Xperia Ion coming this spring on AT&T: LTE, 4.6-inch 720p display, 12MP camera
After launching the Xperia Play in September, AT&T is back with the Sony Xperia Ion, one of the first Xperia devices to drop the Ericsson name. If you can look past the fact that it's launching on Android 2.3, you'll notice that this is one of the most muscular phones ever to hit the market thanks to a 4.6-inch 720p display, a 12-megapixel Exmor R primary camera that's advertised to go from standby to ready in 1.5 seconds, NFC, and LTE — a first for Sony's line. It comes housed in an...
Android
Sony Xperia S first hands-on
Want to know what a Sony Ericsson phone looks like without the Ericsson? Here you go: the Xperia S, presented here today at CES 2012. Oddly, the live phone still has the old-school Sony Ericsson branding, so it's hard to say what's going on here — it's entirely possible that this prototype was made prior to the Sony-only press photos we've seen today.
We just had a few brief seconds with the phone so far, but stay tuned for more shots and impressions and soon as we can get them. We've...
CES 2012
Nokia Lumia 900 LTE Windows Phone, exclusive for AT&T
Nokia's Lumia 900 LTE Windows Phone is official. We've witnessed speculation and leaks over the past few weeks, but Nokia CEO Stephen Elop unveiled the device on stage at CES 2012 today. Nokia's latest and greatest handset includes a 1.4GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, an 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss f2.2/28mm rear camera, and a 4.3-inch AMOLED display — an improvement over the Lumia 800 screen. Nokia has also added a 1-megapixel front-facing camera with an f2.4 lens, to enable video conferencing with the...
Android
MetroPCS expands LTE offerings with Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G, LG Connect 4G
Two new Android handsets will soon be destined for MetroPCS, as the company has today announced plans to offer both the Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G and LG Connect 4G. Together they serve as the latest LTE-enabled additions to the carrier's lineup. Samsung's Galaxy Attain carries a 3.5-inch display and is powered by a 1GHz processor. Both front and rear cameras are on board the Gingerbread phone, at resolutions of 1.3 and 3 megapixels, respectively. MetroPCS users on the $50 / $60 service plans...
CES 2012
Latest LTE Windows Phones handsets run build 8107
Microsoft's latest LTE-equipped Windows Phone devices feature build 8107 of the operating system. We got an early hands on with the HTC Titan II today, and checked out the about screen of the device to confirm it's a regular version of Windows Phone. 8107 is currently rolling out to existing Windows Phone devices and fixes a disappearing keyboard bug, and other issues. The existence of the update on HTC's device confirms that Microsoft hasn't shipped an interim Windows Phone release to...
Android
Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx for Verizon announced
Verizon has announced the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx, bringing extended battery life to the same 8.99mm-thin body, and a new purple version of the original Droid RAZR. The company is claiming a frankly hard-to-believe 21 hours of talk time for the Maxx, dubbing it the "longest-lasting smartphone on the block". As for the purple Droid RAZR, you'll notice from the picture below that it's actually mostly black — just like the white version. The 16GB purple Droid RAZR will be $199.99 with a...
Mobile
HTC Titan II for AT&T first hands-on
In the wake of AT&T's monster device announcement this morning spanning multiple Android and Windows Phone devices, we're embedded with HTC to take a first look at the Titan II. The phone bears a striking resemblance to the Titan of old as you might expect, but it's got that wild "16 Megapixels" label on back. It feels both like the old Titan and also a number of other 4-inch-plus HTCs of recent memory — the Thunderbolt comes immediately to mind — and it definitely trends toward the thick...
CES 2012
Verizon announces Motorola Droid 4
No surprises here, but Motorola and Verizon have just announced the 0.5-inches thick LTE Droid 4. The Droid 4 has a 4-inch, qHD display with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of onboard memory. Additionally, the 8 megapixel camera can shoot 1080p, HD video. There is no specific availability but it should be making its way to Verizon in the coming weeks.
Mobile
HTC's LTE Titan II: first LTE Windows Phone coming to AT&T
The Titan II is going to be the first LTE Windows Phone available in the USA. It sports a gigantic 16-megapixel camera with 720p video, dual LED flash, a 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor, and a huge 4.7-inch WVGA display (the largest of any Windows Phone). In addition to the high-resolution sensor — to put this in comparison, Nikon's flagship D4 shoots 16.2-megapixel photos — the phone also features a number of other features aimed at photographers, such as panorama and burst modes, and image...
Mobile
Fujitsu teases quad-core Tegra 3 smartphone with Android 4.0
Fujitsu distributed a flyer at CES teasing a quad-core Tegra 3 Android phone with a 12-GPU graphics accellerator running Ice Cream Sandwich. Quad-core tablets are only just starting to show up, so having that kind of power in a phone should make for decreased battery life because there's less room for a big power cell all your friends jealous. We'll get a look at Fujitsu's high performance phone as well as its water resistant gadgets soon.
CES 2012
Asus Padfone hands-on (update)
Remember the Asus Padfone, that tablet with the Android 4.0 smartphone that docks inside? We just got our hands on the latest prototype at CES 2012, and here's what it looks like up close. Both the hardware and software are pretty rough around the edges — and the prototypes are a little hollow right now — but that's definitely Android 4.0 under the hood, and we spotted that Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 chip in the settings screen before we were politely asked to put the device down....
CES 2012
AT&T announces Pantech Burst and Samsung Exhilarate LTE phones, both cost less than $50
AT&T just announced at its Developer Summit two LTE phones that will cost less than $50 on contract. First up is the Pantech Burst, which will have a 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, and comes in either black or red. There's also the Samsung Exhilarate, which is being described as the first "sustainable" LTE device. AT&T says the phone is constructed from 80 percent recycled post-consumer materials, and it has an Eco calendar and calculator to help you figure out how green (or not) you are.
You'll...
CES 2012
Sprint announces first LTE devices: LG Viper and Sierra hotspot join the Galaxy Nexus
Sprint has just announced its LTE launch strategy today: along with the Galaxy Nexus, Sprint will also carry the LG Viper and Sierra Wireless Tri-Network Hotspot. The Viper unfortunately runs Android 2.3 device with LTE, a 4-inch screen, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and two cameras. Just like the Galaxy Nexus, the Viper will work with Google Wallet. It's also an eco-friendly device, with a casing made of 35 percent recycled plastics. As for the Sierra Wireless Tri-Network Hotspot, it runs on...
CES 2012
AT&T announces Samsung Skyrocket HD with LTE, AMOLED display, removable battery
AT&T has just announced the Skyrocket HD at its Developers Summit. Technically it's called the Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD, and it's one of AT&T's first LTE devices. It's got a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, removable battery, AMOLED display, and an enclosure described by AT&T chief Ralph De La Vegas as being "razor thin." There aren't any other announced specs, but official press images reveal an 8 megapixel rear camera and a front-facing companion of unknown resolution.
Android
Samsung Galaxy Note announced for AT&T (hands-on pictures and video)
AT&T has just announced that it'll be bringing the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note to the United States, a beastly half-phone, half-tablet that spans the divide between two white-hot product segments. The feature list should sound familiar: it's in many ways the same Galaxy Note already available in Europe, featuring a 1280 x 800 Super AMOLED display, 8-megapixel primary and 2-megapixel secondary cameras, and the so-called "S Pen," a stylus integrated into the rear that can be used to register...
CES 2012
LG Spectrum for Verizon LTE video preview
LG's True HD IPS display is making its way to Verizon, to do battle with the Galaxy Nexus. The 4.5-inch Spectrum was just introduced at LG's CES 2012 press event, where its 720p resolution, 326ppi pixel density, and 1.5GHz dual-core processor got their chance to shine. Having spent some time playing with it, we can say the display is every bit as delightful as LG claims it is, with the company offering us a handheld microscope to take a close look at the RGB stripe subpixel arrangement —...
SpareOne: a cellphone that lasts for 15 years on a single AA battery
The SpareOne is a simple phone from Xpal Power that'll hold a charge for up to 15 years unused, and should give you 10 hours of talk time all from a single AA cell. The phone is designed for use in emergency and travel situations — it features a flashlight, and transmits location data along with caller ID. Not to miss a chance for cross-promotion, Xpal Power is recommending its own Energizer Ultimate batteries, and one is included with the phone. The phone goes on sale nationwide for $49.99...
Huawei Ascend P1 S hands-on preview
Huawei's making a concerted effort to break out of the cheap smartphone market today: that Huawei Ascend P1 S we told you about this morning is a slim, sexy Android 4.0 dual-core machine. We wouldn't say it's meaningfully thinner than the thinnest handsets we've tried, regardless of the veracity of Huawei's "world's thinnest" claim, but as far as we can see the 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display is as bright and beautiful as you'd expect (though there's a good bit of bezel), Android 4.0 felt ...
LG Spectrum 4G LTE for Verizon official: 720p display, 1.5GHz dual-core, Android 2.3
The LG Spectrum, which was leaked fairly comprehensively last week, now has an official launch date of January 19. The photos below are our first images of the 4.5-inch Verizon LTE phone, which LG has confirmed will have a 1.5GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and an IPS Gorilla Glass screen with True HD. The front-facing camera is 1.3-megapixel, with an 8-megapixel rear-facing one capable of recording in 1080p HD. As rumored, it's going to be shipping with Android...
Huawei showing super-thin .26-inch Ascend P1 S smartphone at CES 2012
At CES in Las Vegas, Huawei will show the Ascend P1 S, which looks like the world's thinnest smartphone at .26-inches (6.68mm) as far as we know — the Droid RAZR measures .28-inches. It has a dual-core 1.5 GHz TI OMAP 4460 CPU running Android 4.0, 1GB of RAM, and a SGX540 graphics processor (same as the Galaxy Nexus) stuffed under a 4.3-inch qHD 960 x 540 Super AMOLED touchscreen protected by Gorilla Glass. That screen could be a weak point with its Pentile pixel pattern. On the front is a...
Lenovo LePhone S2 Android smartphone hands-on pictures
Lenovo's S2 Android smartphone isn't necessarily going to set the world on fire, as it's based on Android 2.3. However Lenovo says it has a secure kernel for enterprise use. It also has a very heavy skin that reminds us a lot of webOS — including a gesture area and card views. The gesture area works by swiping to the right in order to drop into a multitasking card view, where you can close apps by tapping a big red "x" button. There's a back gesture as well, which operates just like...
Android
AT&T Galaxy Note confirmed at CES 2012
Phone? Tablet? It's Galaxy Note on AT&T and ready to be launched by Samsung here in Las Vegas, not that we ever doubted it. But where's the LTE logo? The Samsung Galaxy Note features a 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED display and launched in Korea 19 days ago with LTE and Android 2.3 in tow. So maybe AT&T's just being coy and will surprise us on Monday when we expect this hybrid device to be priced during the official announcement.
