Lloyd announces the winners of his Galaxy S III adventure contest!

Well, folks, this is it. Lloyd has returned from all of his exhilarating adventures and has lived to tell the tales. You guys took him everywhere and he told me he had the best time of his life! Adventures included multiple theme parks, hiking some of the coolest places on earth like islands and volcanoes, spelunking in caves, swimming in lakes and oceans, frolicking on the beach, visiting long lost family members, and seeing a ton of far off places on all continents of the globe. Lloyd was treated to soccer and baseball games, concerts, and visits to the doctor and dentist. He even took rides on planes, trains, automobiles, boats, weather balloons, motorcycles ... you name it, Lloyd was on it.

With just under 300 entries, it was super hard for Lloyd to narrow down his favorites. He wanted to give everyone a prize, but unfortunately that's not possible. We did decide to add prizes for runners up so on top of the four grand prize winners who will each get a Samsung Galaxy S III, we have 12 runners-up who will each receive a $25 gift certificate to  ShopAndroid.com. So, without further ado, let's announce the winners!

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Sony announces the Xperia GX and SX - new, buttonless ICS phones for Japan

Sony continues its tradition of launching desirable new products in Japan first, with today's announcement of two sleek new smartphones in its home territory -- the Xperia GX and Xperia SX. Both phones run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and jettison the traditional capacitive keys found on older handsets in favor of more up-to-date (and Android style guide compliant) virtual keys. The SX boasts that it's the world's lightest LTE smartphone, while the GX looks to be a spiritual successor to last year's Xperia Arc.

The Xperia GX bears a striking physical resemblance to the rumored Sony LT29i Hayabusa, and the specs are a pretty close match, too. It's got a 4.6-inch 720p Sony Reality display, a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU -- an unnamed chip, but rumored to be a Snapdragon S4, a 13MP EXMOR R rear camera and 16GB internal storage. A tantalizing bag of tricks to be sure, and one that easily matches the high-end offerings from other manufacturers.

Meanwhile, Sony's also launching what it says is the world's lightest LTE smartphone, the Xperia SX, which weighs just 95 grams. This is a 3.7-incher with a slightly chunkier design, but similar specs to its big brother. It's got a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 8GB internal flash and an 8MP EXMOR R rear camera, plus Japan-specific features like IR data exchange and mobile TV. Both SX and GX come in black and white, and are to launch in Japan this summer.

We have to say, the Xperia GX in particular looks like a gorgeous piece of kit, with some tasty internal hardware. Our fingers are firmly crossed for an international launch for this device in the months ahead. Come on, Sony, let's bring this thing to Europe (and maybe America, too). People want to give you their money.

We've got the full press release, and more photos, after the break.

Source: Sony; read more

LG announces Optimus LTE2 with a whopping 2GB of RAM

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AppId is over the quota

LG has announced the new Optimus LTE 2 for the Korean market, and there's a couple specs on-board that may have you looking twice. Besides the True HD IPS Display (of an unknown size, but it looks "big"), the LTE radio, 2150 mAh battery, Ice Cream Sandwich and other goodies we expect on a high-end LG phone, the LTE 2 also packs in 2 GB of RAM and a wireless charging solution. The details on the wireless charging are a bit sparse, but we do know it complies with  the World Association of Wireless Charging (WPC) standards and can be charged with a standard charging mat, regardless of manufacturer. We like standards.

But we do know what 2 GB of RAM means. First off, it's at least double what the phone your using, or thinking about buying today, has. If you didn't buy a new laptop this year, there's a good chance the LTE 2 has the same amount of RAM as your notebook computer. For a smartphone, it's a lot -- as in a whole-hell-of-a-lot. That means more applications open and running at once, for better multitasking, and less re-drawing. We like more multitasking as much as we like standards.

The LTE 2 is expected to debut on five carriers in Korea this month, with other markets to follow. Will we see it in the United States or Europe? We sure hope so.

Source: LG Korea (Korean)

Samsung officially announces the Galaxy S III

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AppId is over the quota

After all the rumors, leaks and hype, we finally get to lay eyes on the Samsung Galaxy S III -- the unicorn of the Android world. It's impressive to say the least, big, beautiful, and built with natural curves to set it apart from the pack. We're even digging the fact that it isn't just your basic black. It's safe to say Samsung has went all out to bring us the best they have to offer.

There's a lot of new technology packed in there as well. Natural Interactions recognize your voice, and your face, and new motion gestures make it something new and different. We love new and different. 

Regarding U.S. availability, Samsung's official statement:

Samsung Mobile is planning a U.S. version of Galaxy S III, optimized for the fastest LTE and HSPA+ networks in the U.S., which will be available in the summer of 2012.  Exact timing and retail channel availability is not being announced at this time. We believe the Galaxy S III is the most anticipated product in the 20-year history of Samsung Mobile; therefore, we will continue to share information as it becomes available.

Hit the break to see the full press release.

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Sprint announces the 'eco-friendly' Optimus Elite, available April 22 for $29.99

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AppId is over the quota

Today Sprint has announced that soon they will have their third Eco-Friendly device on the market, and it is again from LG. The LG Optimus Elite will be available on April 22, which is Earth Day, for a very favorable price of only $29.99 on contract. Featuring a 3.5-inch display, an 800 MHz processor, 512MB of RAM and more, this device looks to pack a decent punch for the price. If you are looking to pick up a new device, and want something Eco-Friendly that won't break the bank, this may be for you. Stay tuned for our full review in the coming weeks!

Source: Sprint

Huawei announces global availability for the Ascend P1

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AppId is over the quota

While the Huawei Ascend P1 was subject to much speculation surrounding its actual release dates, Huawei has now announced the global availability for their flagship dual-core smartphone.

“The global availability of the Ascend P1, which combines smart features and a sexy design, represents a significant milestone for Huawei Device.  We are sending strong signals of our intention to transform into a consumer-facing brand and extend our market leadership globally by strengthening our range of flagship products. We are also expanding our sales and distribution channels to move beyond a focus on operators,” said Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei Device.

The Ascend P1 packs a dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4460 Cortext-A9 processor and measures 7.69mm thin making it incredibly thin in the hand. For visuals, you get a 4.3-inch super AMOLED 960 x 540 display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass along with an 8MP shooter and running the whole package is a healthy dose of Ice Cream Sandwich

The Huawei Ascend P1 will be available in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Australia through operators and retailers by May 2012, in Latin America from June 2012 and in Europe from summer, with availability in other markets soon after. The full press release from Huawei can be found after the break however; if you're looking for pricing you'll not find it.

Check out our hands on with the Huawei Ascend P1

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Samsung announces the Exynos 4 Quad, coming to the 'next Galaxy'

Samsung couldn't contain the excitement, and just had to let us know the details about the chip powering the "Next Galaxy" that's coming on May 3.  It's called the Exynos 4 Quad, and it looks impressive. What, exactly, makes it so special?  It's built on a 32nm HKMG process, which is geek talk for high-performance with low power consumption. How good is the performance? Samsung claims it's twice as fast as it's predecessor, the 45nm Exynos 4 Dual, while consuming 20 percent less power. To further help power consumption, each core can be turned off when it's not needed, and the ones that are running can adjust their clock speed to match the demands of what you're doing.

Each core will be running at 1.4 HGHz, and are based on the Cortex A9 architecture. It has the other essentials as well, with support for 1080p/30fps recording, boasts an embedded image signal processor, and has support for HDMI 1.4 output. They didn't give any specifics as to what GPU they are pairing it with, though, but it's sure to be impressive. Excited yet? I know some of you are.

Discuss it in the Android Hardware forum!

Source: Samsung

Vodafone UK announces the Huawei Ascend G 300

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Vodafone UK has today announced a new budget Android phone aimed at aimed at Pay As You Go customers. The Huawei Ascend G 300. The Ascend G 300 is exclusive to Vodafone UK, and costs £100 when purchased with a £10 PAYG top-up. It's also free on all of Vodafone's 24-month service plans, which start at £15.50 per month for 100 minutes, 500 texts and 250MB.

And there's a reasonable amount of smartphone on offer for your money -- there's a 1GHz CPU inside, a 4-inch screen, 512MB of RAM and 2.5GB of internal storage. The phone ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and Huawei's custom UI, with an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich promised over the summer.

ASUS announces the price and the availability for the transformer Pad TF300

Back when what ASUS announced the new 300, transformer Pad at the Mobile World Congress they left prices and availability of in the air. Here, we are now a few months later and ASUS is now ready roll that processor quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 propelled tablet with Android 4.0.3 to the masses from beginning of April 23 online and in-store options happening on 30 April, subject to stock availability.

The Transformer Pad TF300 will be immediately available in royal blue, but other colours, like the flame red and white iceberg will be available in early June. U.S. price $ 379 for the 16 GB model, $399 for the 32 GB model with the optional docking station for $149 retail. Keep in mind, if you ' re owner of an ASUS Transformer TF101 or first transformer TF201 , the docking station is not backward compatible.

If you ' re not sure if the Transformer Pad TF300 is for you, not to worry. We ' ve got you covered with a full system review, spec sheet and more. If you ' re will to recover, drop a comment and let us know.

Motorola announces the MOTOACTV in Chile

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While the MotoACTV may have been released in some parts of the world a few months ago, Motorola is continuing their rollout of the device to various parts of the world. Today Motorola has announced they will be bringing their fitness band to Chile next. The MotoACTV has recently been updated to bring some additional features to the unit, all of which will now be able to be enjoyed in even more parts of the world. Full press release after the break.

Source: Motorola

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Verizon announces new LTE cities, expansions

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Verizon today announced eight new locations that will be receiving its 4G LTE service starting March 15. They are:

• Dothan and Enterprise, Ala.


• Naples, Fla.


• Greenville, N.C.


• Altus and Durant, Okla.


• Longview/Marshall, Texas. 

Additionally, LTE service will be expanding in:

• Washington, D.C.


• Elkhart, Ind.


• Baltimore, Md.


• Columbus, Miss.


• Northern N.J.


• Wilmington, N.C.


• Duncan, Okla.


• Allentown/Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Pa.


• Hilton Head, S.C.


• Cleveland, Tenn.


• Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas


• Kenosha, Madison and Milwaukee, Wis.

Verizon also said it'll have more than 400 LTE markets online by the end of the year.

Source: Verizon