ASUS unviels the Padfone 2 in Taiwan ahead of official launch

Tags: ASUS, Android, Touch UI

Although the official launch of the Padfone 2 will take place later today in Milan, ASUS has already gone ahead and showcased the device(s) in Taiwan.

The new Padfone 2 has a 4.7-inch, 720p Super IPS+ display, Qualcomm APQ8064 quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 13 megapixel camera with f/2.4 BSI sensor and 1080p30 or 720p60 video recording, NFC and a fixed 2,140mAh battery. The device runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but a Jelly Bean update is promised in the near future.
On the tablet side, you get a 10.1-inch IPS HD display with a built-in internal battery that has gone down in size from 6,600mAh on the previous model to 5,000mAh on the new model. Because of this, the Padfone 2 weighs 649g with the phone docked in, compared to the 854g of the previous model.
The Padfone 2 will go on sale next week in Taiwan, with prices starting from NT$17,990 for the 16GB model to NT$21,901 for the 64GB model, which includes just the phone. The tablet bundle will cost you back NT$6,000 extra over each model's price. We will have more details once the device gets a proper launch.

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Pricing and availability of the ASUS Padfone 2 detailed

Tags: ASUS, Android, Touch UI

Now that the ASUS Padfone 2 is finally official, it's time to get a detailed idea of the device's pricing and availability. As we already told you, the smartphone is initially going to be available in 32GB and 64GB variations, with a 16GB coming out later (we assume by Christmas).

ASUS will launch the Padfone 2 and its tablet station first in Europe (Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden) and Asia (Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and U.A.E). The smartphone/tablet should be available there in the beginning of December.
The US hasn't been mentioned in the official press release, but we got a word from an ASUS manager at the event, saying the Padfone 2 will debut in the US by the end of the year as well.
As for pricing, the 32GB Padfone 2 (including a the 10.1" tablet station) will retail in Europe for €799, while the 64GB model will be €899. We guess once the 16GB version comes arounds, it'll cost around the €699 mark.
In Asia, the Padfone 2 tablet station will be sold separately for NT$8,990 ($310). There, the unsubsidized Padfone 2 smartphone will retail for NT$17,990 ($620) and NT$21,901 ($750) for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively. However, should customers purchase the Padfone 2 together with the tablet station, the latter will be sold at NT$6,000 (around $210).
Information on subsizided US versions isn't yet available, and we are yet to see which US carriers will pick the device up. We are also yet to see how the Padfone 2 will compete with the upcoming LG Optimus G in Europe too.
The Padfone 2 is powered by a beefy 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) chipset with Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM. This awe-inspiring chip helps the Padfone 2 run Ice Cream Sandwich with absolute ease. Naturally, an update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is planned, too.
For more information and first impressions, check out our full ASUS Padfone 2 hands-on.

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HTC One S Special Edition pops up in Taiwan dressed in white

Tags: HTC, Android, Touch UI

An HTC One S Special Edition has appeared on the company's Taiwanese website. Dressed in an eye-catching white color scheme with red accents, the smartphone packs a cool 64GB of built-in memory. The rest of its specifications are no different than what the regular One S has to offer.

When we reviewed the elegant HTC One S, one of our biggest grievances with the handset was the fairly limited, non-expandable memory it offered. It looks like the Taiwanese manufacturer has addressed the issue in a seriously appropriate fashion with the special edition of the 7.8mm thin smartphone.
Currently, there is no information on retail availability of the HTC One S Special Edition outside of its home market. We surely hope this will change in the future.

Source | Via

HTC J butterfly announced in Japan with 5-inch, 1080p display

Tags: HTC, Android, Touch UI

We have been hearing rumors of an HTC phone with a large 1080p display for a while now and it has finally come true. HTC has unveiled the HTC J butterfly in Japan and it is the first production smartphone to have a 1080p display.

The display in question is a 5.0-inch, Super LCD3 with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, which gives it a pixel density of the astonishing 440 ppi. The display is quite big but at 143 x 71 x 9.1 mm, the J butterfly is only slightly bigger than the One X (134.4 x 69.9 x 8.9 mm) and at 140g weighs just 10g more.
Inside, the HTC J butterfly runs on a quad-core Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5GHz with 2GB of RAM. It has 16GB internal memory along with a microSD card slot.
On the back is an 8 megapixel camera with 1080p video recording and on the front is a 2 megapixel camera. The phone supports LTE and NFC and is dust and waterproof (IPX5). Strangely, for a phone with such specs, the battery is only 2,020mAh. Lastly, the J butterfly will ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box.
The HTC J butterfly is set to release in Japan on AU/KDDI in December. The phone will be sold in three colors: red, black and white. Unfortunately, this particular model will be exclusive to Japan but we are sure to see that glorious display on HTC's future models soon.

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Samsung Galaxy Y receives a minor software update

Tags: Samsung, Android, Touch UI

The compact but highly popular member of the Samsung Android lineup, Galaxy Y has received a minor software update. Available over-the-air, the update doesn't bring many substantial changes to the device, but rather improves the system stability.

Additionally, according to our tipster, who has received the update, the screen responsiveness is also improved. The update changes the baseband version to S536ODDLF1 and the firmware version to S536ODDLF1.
So, Galaxy Y users, go to the Settings menu and check for a Software update. Unfortunately, there's no official word from Samsung on which regions should expect the update and when.
Thanks for the tip, Akash

Sony Xperia VL is Xperia V for Japanese carrier KDDI

Tags: Sony, Android, Touch UI

The Sony Xperia AX was announced at the beginning of this month as a version of the Xperia V for Japan. Now there's the Xperia VL, also for Japan. The difference here is that the AX is going to NTT DoCoMo and the VL is for KDDI.
Other than that, the Sony Xperia VL packs the same features as the Xperia V - a super sharp 720p 4.3" display, 13MP camera, dual-core Krait processor and LTE connectivity. And it's dust and water-proof too.

One feature not on the international version is the 1seg mobile TV support. Also not part of the international package is the bundled desk stand.
Anyway, the Sony Xperia VL will launch by the end of the year with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Sony's Walkman and multimedia apps. For colors, you can choose between Pink, White, Black and blue.

Unannounced Samsung Star Deluxe Duos S5292 leaks out

Tags: Samsung, Touch UI, Rumors

Images of a yet to be announced, budget oriented Samsung handset with dual-SIM functionality have emerged. Dubbed Star Deluxe Duos S5292, the device is reportedly scheduled to launch in December in emerging markets.

  

The rumored specifications of the Samsung Star Deluxe Duos S5292 will hardly blow you away. They include a 312MHz CPU, 128MB of RAM, 3.5" HVGA display, 512MB of built-in memory, and microSD card slot. A 3.2MP camera, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 3.0 complete the list of rumored specs.

There is no information on the OS which the handset will boot. Given its low-end specs however, it is unlikely that the device will be a full-blown smartphone.

Source | Via