Spotify has long been heralded as one of the best online music platforms out there. It’s adoption among mobile users, however, has been limited due to the fact that the service cost $10 per month for mobile access to Spotify’s library of songs.
The new Spotify for Android application changes all this, allowing [...]]]>
We're live in London today, where ZTE has announced the Grand X, a new phone with a new processor but an older chipset.
The Grand X is running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which we'd expect from a phone being announced today. (Sorry, but you're going to have to wait a little bit before seeing new phones with Jelly Bean.) It's sporting a 4.3-inch qHD-resolution display (that's 540x960) and is running NVIDIA's dual-core Tegra 2 platform at 1GHz.
It's also got a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera capable of shooting at 720p. The front-facing camera is 0.3MP.
Full specs include:
It'll be launching with Virgin Media and Phones4U in early August in France, Germany and the UK. You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about ZTE launches the Grand X in London. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?
Samsung has teamed up with music app-maker MusicQubed to launch an official UK Top 40 chart app across its range of smartphones. The app will debut on the Galaxy Ace II, which Sammy says is launching today in the UK. Presumably it'll later start begin roll out across the Galaxy line through the Google Play Store. Unfortunately we're not able to use it on our Galaxy S III due to our being on an "unsupported network" (go figure), and our Jelly Bean'd Galaxy Nexus was deemed incompatible, too.
For those with both a a compatible handset and supported carrier, the MusicQubed chart app, Samsung says, gives users unlimited plays of the current UK top 40. It apparently works by caching these tracks overnight, meaning there's no need to stream out of your precious cellular data allowance. The app also delivers "daily celebrity news updates," if you're into that sort of thing. There's also social integration via both Twitters and the Facebook. Galaxy phone owners will get free access to the app for two months, after which it'll cost £1 per week.
Check past the break for the full presser.
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Regional carrier US Cellular this morning announced some new prepaid plans that range from $35 a month to $65 a month and include a number of Android devices.
The new plans are:
Devices compatible with the new plans include the Samsung Galaxy S II, Motorola Electrify, HTC Merge, Samsung Mezmerize, Huawei Ascend II, HTC Wildfire S and the Samsung Repp.
This afternoon a social media marketing agency offered to send me an AT&T HTC One X if I would check out a “multi-platform story experience about the power of technology and its ability to improve our lives”. I already reviewed the One X, but I was intrigued by this mysterious campaign and figured I [...]]]>
British network Three is the first mobile operator to launch HTC's latest budget handset, the Desire C. Announced just a couple of weeks ago, the Desire C is the successor to HTC's budget-busting Wildfire range. It's got a 600MHz CPU, a 3.5-inch HVGA display and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. And being an HTC Sense 4 phone, it also ships with Beats Audio software enhancements. There's also a 5MP rear camera, though no front-facer, so video calling is out of the question. So it's not going to set the world alight, but the Desire C looks like a decent little budget handset.
Three's offering the Desire C for free on contracts starting at just £13 per month, or if you want to buy it outright, the PAYG price is an equally reasonable £150, when purchased with an initial £15 top-up. The network's selling the Desire C in black and white, and the phone is available to order online and in-store from today.
Source: Three UK; More: HTC Desire C gallery
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If you happened to check out Taptu in the past, then you likely already know that it's a pretty decent way to gather all the content you're interested in from around the web into one app. Now though the company has taken it one step further by offering up a full blown HTML5 site to make use of.
Rather than your Taptu account being contained to your Android device, you can fully access all your complete profile from any capable browser and enjoy it as you would any on your smartphone making it easier then ever before to share the news you choose with the people you choose. You can jump below for the full press release along with the download link to Taptu for Android.
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Motorola Mobility is continuing their global roll out of the Motorola Xoom 2 family of tablets. This time around, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark are getting some Motorola love with the release of the Motorola Xoom 2 as well as the Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition.
All variations of the tablets are available now in Sweden through El-Giganten at the various price points listed above. Need some more info? Check out the Motorola site link below or have a look at our Motorola Xoom 2 review for more details.
Source: Motorola (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark)
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Capturing that perfect moment with an Android phone’s digital camera has always been tough, but HTC seems to think that the new HTC One series has solved the issue. To prove its point, HTC has launched an interactive page on its blog to see if you can tell the difference between pictures taken with an HTC One series device and a “professional digital camera.”
Having used the HTC One S and HTC One X extensively, I was able to easily identify the images which were captured with an HTC One device – achieving a score of 8/10.
There are a few distinct characteristics to look for when trying to identify the images taken by the HTC One, but I don’t want to give them away quite yet. Take the HTC One camera challenge and let us know what you score. Do you think the HTC One lives up to the high expectation HTC has set?
British construction equipment manufacturer JCB is no stranger to the smartphone game, having worked with Motorola to launch the DEFY+ JCB Edition just a few months ago. And today sees the launch of JCB's own-brand Android handset, the JCB Toughphone Pro-Smart. It's not going to win any beauty contests, but JCB's going for ruggedness over looks with this device, which boasts IP67-rated water and dust-resistence, along with a basic Gingerbread-based software experience.
A glance down the spec sheet reveals some pretty basic internals -- you've got an 800MHz CPU, a 3.2-inch HVGA screen and a microSD card port. Interestingly there's a whopping 2000mAh battery packed inside this phone, which combined with its entry-level hardware, should deliver some impressive battery life.
British retailer Clove Technology is now stocking the JCB Toughphone Pro-Smart with a SIM-free price of £310.80 including VAT.
Source: Clove Technology
First announced way back in January, Samsung Galaxy S advance was launched today at the United Kingdom, bring a respectable list specifications of midrange to the table. Within its Galaxy S II-style chassis curved y ' s CPU dual-core 1 GHz, 768 MB RAM and a screen SuperAMOLED of 4 inches, with a 5MP camera on the back and the 8 GB of internal memory (expandable via microSD card). Side software, advance s packs Android 2.3 Gingerbread (Yes, we know) and Samsung ' s TouchWiz 4 ux.
SIM free prices start at £ 322.80, including VAT and three UK ' s also offering free monthly plans from £ 23 per month.
Source: three UK, pod technology
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Motorola Mobility sends word that from today, the white version of its "style-focused" Motoluxe handset will be heading to UK supermarket chain Tesco, both online and in bric-and-mortar stores. The Motoluxe, which combines a 4-inch screen, an 800MHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, an 8MP camera and a PhilBlur'd Android 2.3 Gingerbread, launched on UK networks in black last month. As far as we're aware, Tesco is the only carrier currently offering the white Motoluxe at subsidized prices.
Moto says that Tesco Mobile, which runs on O2's network, will offer the 'luxe in white for free on 24-month contracts starting at £20 per month -- that'll get you 250 minutes, 5000 texts and 500MB. The £20 price point about matches the prices the major networks are asking for the black version -- T-Mobile UK's contract prices for the Motoluxe start at £21 per month.
As we discovered during our CES hands-on, the Motoluxe is a decent, if unremarkable entry-level handset, and you could certainly do worse if you're shopping around for a free phone on a £20 per month tariff. We've got Moto's full press release after the break.
More: Tesco Mobile
As promised, Panasonic's first Android smartphone, the Eluga, has launched in the UK and Europe. The Japanese manufacturer makes its first foray into the world of smartphones with a super-thin 4.3-inch Android device, powered by a 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP chip. And as we discovered during our time with the phone at MWC, it also sports dust and water-resistence, a feature found in many Japanese phones, but less common in the West. Other highlights include a qHD (690x540) OLED display, an 8MP rear camera and Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with a promised upgrade to ICS this summer.
Some stores are already stocking the device, with prices starting at around £365 at UK online retailer Expansys. The black version is now shipping, while the silver model is expected in the next week.
Motorola Mobility is continuing their Global device rollouts with the Motorola MOTOKEY SOCIAL now making its way to Chile.
We are committed to launching competitively priced cellular telephones with the features demanded by consumers who still do not have a smartphone, but need access to e-mail, create Wi-Fi hotspots to give internet access and social networks,” said Fernando Sanchez, general manager for Mobile Devices, Motorola Mobility Chile.
Motorola MOTOKEY SOCIAL comes with a 3-megapixel camera and support for a microSD card of up to 32 GB, high-speed USB 2.0 file transfer and support for multiple audio and image formats. The device also comes equipped with Bluetooth and stereo radio, as well as a 3.5 mm earphone jack for high quality audio.
Source: Motorola
Motorola's continuing its global roll-out of the Defy Mini (or DEFY MINI, if you prefer) with the news of the phone's arrival in Poland today. As you might expect, the Defy Mini is a miniature version of last year's Motorola Defy, and comes equipped with entry-level smartphone internals along with dust, water and scratch resistance. Inside this 3.2-inch device you've got a 600MHz CPU, 512MB of RAM and Android 2.3 Gingerbread running the show. So nothing to write home about in terms of specs, but if you're after a small, inexpensive, ruggedized smartphone, you could do worse than the Defy Mini.
The Motorola Defy Mini will launch in selected Polish stores this month, with a suggested retail price of 799 Polish zloty (~$250). We've got Moto's press release after the break.
Motorola this morning announced the launch of the Motoluxe Android smartphone in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. As you'll recall from our first look at CES, the Motoluxe has a 4-inch display and Android 2.3, with an 8-megapixel rear camera and Motorola's Social Graph feature and widgets that you'll not find on another phone.
Motorola Mobility is continuing their Global device rollouts with the Motorola MOTOKEY SOCIAL now making its way to Chile.
We are committed to launching competitively priced cellular telephones with the features demanded by consumers who still do not have a smartphone, but need access to e-mail, create Wi-Fi hotspots to give internet access and social networks,” said Fernando Sanchez, general manager for Mobile Devices, Motorola Mobility Chile.
Motorola MOTOKEY SOCIAL comes with a 3-megapixel camera and support for a microSD card of up to 32 GB, high-speed USB 2.0 file transfer and support for multiple audio and image formats. The device also comes equipped with Bluetooth and stereo radio, as well as a 3.5 mm earphone jack for high quality audio.
Source: Motorola
Google has today announced the launch of Google Play Movies in France. The service launches in France as "Google Play Films", and Google's touting the availability of French language classics like La Grotte Des Rêves Perdus and Le Bal Des Actrices, along with the larger library of English titles already available in the US, UK and elsewhere.
If you need to pick up your copy of the Android app for Google Play Movies (or Google Play Films), we've got the usual QR code and store link after the break.
