Tag Archives: Krait

ASUS PadFone 2 review: two times is a charm for this phone-in-tablet combo

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ASUS PadFone 2 review

It's only been half a year since the peculiar PadFone made its much-delayed entry into select markets, and earlier this week, ASUS' launch of its second-gen phone-in-tablet brings us back to this old question: are we better off with just one mobile screen instead of two? Ask any ordinary manufacturer and the answer is likely the latter, because who doesn't want to sell more products? Similarly, carriers would likely back such manufacturers for the sake of selling more data plans, even if they admire ASUS' efforts (and they could already be selling ASUS tablets in the first place). Some folks also argue that if you have to carry the tablet module with you anyway, you might as well have two separate devices for better multitasking.

It seems like there's a huge mountain to climb here, but on the flip side, ASUS' innovative differentiation does have some advantages. You only need one data plan (and no tethering required) for both form factors, you get to keep the same data in one place instead of having to duplicate them and you can pretty much instantly switch between a small screen and a large screen for the same content. Not to mention that there's also the added functionality of charging up the phone while it's sitting inside the tablet. Alas, the original PadFone and PadFone Station didn't quite hit the spot: the combined weight and bulk made it tough to justify the phone-in-tablet idea, which is why we said it's all about the PadFone 2 in our review. Let's see if ASUS has done it right this time 'round.

Gallery: ASUS PadFone 2 review

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ASUS PadFone 2 review: two times is a charm for this phone-in-tablet combo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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KDDI unveils HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), the first phone with 5-inch 1080p display

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KDDI unveils HTC J butterfly HTL21, the first phone with 5inch 1080p display

We've been hearing about a certain 5-inch HTC phablet for Verizon since July, but it looks like its Japanese counterpart may actually hit the market first. Unveiled by KDDI as the HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), this Android 4.1 device is the first announced phone to feature a 5-inch, 440ppi full-HD "Super LCD 3" panel, and it's fittingly complemented by a 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 underneath, making this the latest member in the small family of Snapdragon S4 Pro phones. There's an eight-megapixel camera that naturally handles 1080p video at the back, accompanied by a 2.1-megapixel front-facing imager. Other details include 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSDHC expansion, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), NFC, LTE and CDMA/GSM/UMTS/GPRS radios -- that's right, it's a global device. Not bad for a 140g package, and it's waterproof as well, rated at IPX5. But the question is how well will the 2,020mAh battery last under that super dense LCD and high-end processor? Only time will tell -- even KDDI has yet to finalize this part of the specs. Folks on the KDDI network can grab hold of this powerful phone in early December, with a choice of red, white or black.

Update: HTC confirmed to us that this phablet will use panels supplied by Sharp and JDI.

Gallery: KDDI unveils HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), the first phone with 5-inch 1080p display

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KDDI unveils HTC J Butterfly (HTL21), the first phone with 5-inch 1080p display originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 01:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS PadFone 2 to hit European and Asian markets before end of December (update: European prices)

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ASUS announces PadFone 2 availability in Europe and Asia regions

At the PadFone 2 launch event in Taipei, ASUS let out some details on worldwide availability for its latest phone-and-tablet combo. A handful of countries in Europe and Asia will actually get to buy it before the end of December this year, including these: Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan (which we already know), Thailand and U.A.E. Don't worry if you're not on the list, as ASUS says more will be announced at a later date, so stay tuned.

Update: Jonney Shih just announced in Milan that for Europe, the PadFone 2 tablet bundle will be priced at €799 ($1,040) for the 32GB model, and €899 ($1,170) for the 64GB model. Without the tax, these figures aren't too far off from their Taiwanese counterparts, but the subsidized prices, if any, will obviously be a lot more attractive than these.

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ASUS PadFone 2 to hit European and Asian markets before end of December (update: European prices) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 05:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus G for AT&T will be available November 2 for $200, pre-orders begin tomorrow

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AT&T LG Optimus G to be available November 2 for $200

The details have finally come: the LG Optimus G on AT&T will be coming to stores beginning November 2nd, and will go for $199.99 after a two-year commitment. Eager early adopters, however, will be able to head over to the carrier's website to pre-order the device. Let's recap what you're getting for your hard-earned money: a 4.7-inch 1,280 x 768 True HD IPS PLUS display, Android 4.0, a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4, 8MP camera (rather than the 13MP module on the global and Sprint models), 2GB RAM and dual-band AT&T LTE. We have a feeling it will be joined in close succession by several other hard-hitting smartphone giants, which means you may have to modify your holiday wish list pretty heavily over the next few weeks.

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LG Optimus G for AT&T will be available November 2 for $200, pre-orders begin tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Oct 2012 14:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus G hands-on redux (video)

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LG Optimus G hands-on redux

By now, you should be well acquainted with LG's glass-clad Optimus G -- the Android device so nice the company introduced it twice. And while today's stateside splash narrows the focus on its US availability and Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC, there are still some software nuggets worth exploring. To help illustrate the powers of this quad-core Krait beast, we dug through the company's take on ICS with its colorful icons and heaping helpings of convenient shortcuts. Users can take advantage of a multi-tasking feature called QSlide which displays two full-sized apps on the same screen, enjoy up to five levels of zoom during streaming video playback or even wirelessly mirror their smartphone's content with Dual Screen Dual Play.

Like other members of the LG mobile family (such as the Vu and Intuition) you'll also be able to take advantage of QuickMemo, which places a shortcut in the notification shade for quickly capturing a screenshot and marking it up with various drawing tools. For the self portrait-obsessed there's also Cheese Shutter, which lets you trigger the image capture simply by saying "cheese" instead of fumbling blindly for the virtual shutter button on screen. While the UI can be a little bit busy, even by Android skin standards, everything hums a long pretty smoothly thanks to the almost excessive power of the quad-core 1.5GHz chip and 2GB of RAM. But don't just take our word for it. Skip on past the break for a surface-level peek of the G in action.

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LG Optimus G hands-on redux (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xiaomi Phone 2 pre-production units available on September 22nd, limited to 600 lucky buyers

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Xiaomi Phone 2 pre-production units available on September 22nd, limited to 600 units only

Much like the run-up to the previous flagship product launch, Qualcomm-backed Xiaomi has just announced that it'll be selling a small batch of pre-production second-gen Xiaomi Phones, in the hopes to get some keen users to perform last-minute checks before mass production. To be exact, only 600 of these quad-core Jelly Bean phones will be made available online at local time 10am on September 22nd (that's 10pm ET on the 21st); and even if you have CN¥1,999 ($310) to spare, you'll still need to be one of the 1,200 expert members from the Xiaomi and MIUI online communities to be able to hit the "order" button. Nice hype drive, if you ask us.

Later on, successful buyers can simply swap their engineering units in for a final version of the 16GB or 32GB Xiaomi Phone 2 -- the latter a new addition that co-founder Lei Jun announced on Sina Weibo last Saturday (where he also cheekily asked if anyone need a 64GB flavor). For those who qualify but would rather avoid the digital bloodshed next week, we suggest you wait until the official Chinese launch in the second-half of October; or try Taiwan by the end of the year.

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Xiaomi Phone 2 pre-production units available on September 22nd, limited to 600 lucky buyers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG E970 Eclipse for AT&T cruises through FCC approval

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LG E970 Eclipse for AT&T cruises through FCC approval

The Eclipse, LG's rumored "superphone" heading to AT&T, has just made it through the FCC approval process and is one step closer to seeing availability in time for the holiday season. Known also as the E970, the device unsurprisingly offers the usual AT&T LTE radios (band 4 and 17) but much like we've seen in other FCC applications recently, it also tacks on an additional two next-gen radios (bands 2 and 5), likely to get ready for an impending spectrum refarm attempt. From the docs we also learn that the Eclipse will have NFC along with the expected HSPA+ / UMTS / EDGE connectivity. As a recap, the device is rumored to offer a quad-core Krait APQ8064 and a 4.67-inch display with 1,280 x 768 resolution. So it looks like this particular handset is still on course for a Halloween launch, and we'll keep our eyes peeled for additional information.

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LG E970 Eclipse for AT&T cruises through FCC approval originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony announces Xperia T,V, and J smartphones at IFA

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Sony annouces Xperia T,V, and J at IFA

Kaz Hirai is live on stage at Sony's press even at IFA, and has just announced three new Xperia phones -- the T, V, and J. The Xperia T is the new flagship and sports a 1,280 x 720 4.6-inch display, a 13-megapixel camera, a dual-core Qualcomm Krait 1.5GHz processor, PlayStation certification and one touch NFC connectivity. There will also be an Xperia TX in some markets. The Xperia V is confirmed as being LTE-enabled, as well as highly water resistant, plus a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm processor a 4.3-inch display, and a similarly megapixel-endowed (13) camera, and is also bestowed with PlayStation certification. The Xperia J is the more budget focused of the three, and also the smallest, with a 4-inch screen, a 1GHz core and just 5-megapixels on the camera front. All the new phones will launch with Android 4.0.4, with a Jelly Bean update already confirmed to be on the way for the lucky T and V. The flagship Xperia T will be available in the next few weeks, with the other two arriving some time in Q4 this year. All will be available in a variety of colors

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Sony announces Xperia T,V, and J smartphones at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG teases that Optimus G will have 768p gapless display, long-lifespan battery

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LG hints Optimus G will have 768p gapless display, longlifespan battery

LG must know that word of the Optimus G has been spoiled, even if it's not quite ready to put all its cards on the table. While it's only acknowledging the phone's identity under a 'G' codename, the Korean electronics giant is willing to talk a lot about what's under the hood. Among the truly new revelations: that uncommonly wide 1,280 x 768 screen, now called the G2 Touch Hybrid Display, is a 30 percent thinner gapless panel that puts the LCD right near the glass in a way that just might be familiar to HTC One X owners. We don't know for certain if it's one of those newly-shipping in-cell touch panels, but that name certainly suggests LG is setting aside a few of those cutting-edge LCDs for itself. There's also a treat in store for those who work their phones to the bone -- a newly refined battery can go through 800 full recharge cycles before it gives up the ghost, or about 60 percent more than we've seen in the past. Combine these with the quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro we already knew was coming, and the Optimus G could be quite the technology showcase for both LG's native South Korea as well as the US through a possible Sprint model.

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LG teases that Optimus G will have 768p gapless display, long-lifespan battery originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Aug 2012 01:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Eclipse (LS970) pops up in FCC docs, ready to prop up Sprint’s LTE network

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LG Eclipse LS970 pops up in FCC docs, ready to prop up Sprint's LTE lineup

Where there's smoke, there's fire and by the looks of this latest FCC filing, LG's LS970 is all but a lock for Sprint's LTE lineup. Rumored to bow on that carrier as the Eclipse, the heavyweight handset, allegedly outfitted with a quad-core Krait processor, companion Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB RAM, has already been the subject of several leaks, leaving little of its spec load to the imagination. And now with the outing of these Commission docs, we can confirm that this uberphone does indeed pack 3G/4G radios tailored for the Hesse-led operator (CDMA 820 / 850 / 1900; LTE Band 25), as well as support for NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi a/b/g/n, GPS and SVLTE (simultaneous voice and data). While we can't be exactly sure as to its actual screen size, that reported 4.67-inch figure does appear likely given its 5.2 x 2.8 inch (130.9 x 71.6mm) dimensions. That's about all we were able to glean from the spate of included tests, but if you call Big Yellow your wireless home and are itching for a GS III alternative, this could be your next.

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LG Eclipse (LS970) pops up in FCC docs, ready to prop up Sprint's LTE network originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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