Perhaps you are in love with the Apple iPhone form factor, but you’d prefer to have things running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. If that’s the case, this budget unlocked smartphone could be just the ticket.

To be fair, the listed manufacturer for this Android 4.0 iPhone Knockoff is simply “China,” so it may not give you a lot of confidence in terms of user support. That said, the specs on paper are sounding pretty decent, especially for the price. It’s a quad-band GSM smartphone with a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen. It runs on ICS, has 4GB of storage, 512MB RAM, and a 1600mAh battery. There’s also WiFi, GPS, and dual cameras.

One of the most notable features, though, is that it has dual SIM card slots, allowing you to handle two separate phone numbers through the same smartphone. And yes, it bears a striking resemblance to the iPhone 4/4S, complete with that characteristic home button beneath the touchscreen. You’ll certainly fool more than a few casual passers-by.

The real kicker, though, is the price. It’s selling for just $141.89, including free super saver shipping from Amazon. That’s unlocked and unsubsidized. It even has an overall customer rating of 4/5 stars with 77 customer reviews on Amazon. That’s got to add some confidence, right?

The post Android 4.0 iPhone Knockoff with Dual SIMs for $140 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Fujitsu has now revealed plans to release its Raku Raku phone for seniors in the United States and Europe.

The Raku Raku smartphone has a simplified interface to make it easier for aging users to operate. The phone runs a modified version of Android 4.0 and has larger, better legible text and a home screen that allows just a few larger senior-friendly apps like email, phone book, phone dialer and the always requested weather app.

The phone also features a voice slowing feature that makes understanding those fast talkers easier. There is also noise cancelling features.

Masami Yamamoto, the company president said it hopes to bolster its sales from 8 million to a hopeful 10 million by 2014 with the overseas release.

There is no word on what carrier will have this phone or pricing, but we will continue to follow it and provide more details as they develop.

[ source ]

The post Fujitsu to Release Phone for Seniors in the US and Europe appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

It seems that all the camera manufacturers are considering the implementation of smartphone operating systems in their pocket shooters, and Polaroid is no exception. The latest rumor has a new 18MP camera coming down the pipes that will be powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. And it’s doing the interchangeable lens thing.

This isn’t Polaroid’s first foray into this arena. You might remember the Polaroid SC1630 from earlier this year, but the leaked Polaroid IM1836 is supposed to take it to a new level. Rather than simply competing against point-and-shoots, it’ll tackle the likes of the Sony NEX series, the micro four-thirds format from Panasonic and Olympus, and other compact interchangeable lens systems.

The rumored specs include an 18.1-megapixel sensor, 3.5-inch touchscreen, Android 4.0, pop-up flash, Wi-Fi, HDMI, and a microSD slot. Some people say that it bears a striking resemblance to the Nikon 1 J2, so we might assume that it uses the same CX image sensor (13.2 x 8.8mm). That’s been one of the knocks against the Nikon 1 series in that its image sensor is far smaller than micro four-thirds (17.3 x 13mm) and even smaller than the APS-C sensor used on the Sony NEX series.

Even so, simply going with a mirrorless interchangeable lens format will give the Polaroid Android camera a leg up against other Android cameras like the Samsung Galaxy Camera and the Nikon S800c. Soon, in-camera editing, cellular connectivity, and social sharing will become the norm rather than unique selling points.

[Source]

The post Polaroid Introducing Android 4.0 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

What do you do when just one touchscreen won’t do? You get two, of course, as is the case with the newly announced Samsung SCH-W2013. This is a flip phone with a regular numeric keypad, but it also has a pair of 3.7-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen displays: one on the front cover and one inside. To make things even more interesting, it gets a 1.4GHz quad core processor (possibly Exynos 4412) to go along with its Android 4.0 ICS platform.

Running through the rest of the specs, we find 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, microSD expansion, 8MP camera, 1.9MP front camera, and an 1850mAh battery. Oh, and there’s dual SIM support there for CDMA2000 800/1900 and GSM 900/1800/1900. That’s because it’s being offered by China Telecom and it’s endorsed by none other than Jackie Chan.

It’s highly unlikely that this phone will ever see the light of day outside of China, but it’s still an interesting concept for people who can’t decide if they want a flip phone or a touchscreen phone. It’s going to be for China’s elite, though, as pricing is estimated to be in the US$3,000 range.

[Source]

The post Quad Core Samsung SCH-W2013 Flip Phone Boasts Dual Touchscreens appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Are you in the market for a new Android tablet and want to find the best deal possible? The 7-inch version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 just happens to be on sale for $50 off, bringing the price down to a mere $199.00.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 comes with a 7-inch multitouch display (1024 x 600) and is powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. You get 8GB of internal storage, but unlike the Google Nexus 7 (which sells for the same price), the Galaxy Tab 2 has a microSD expansion slot for up to 32GB of additional storage.

Also, while the Nexus 7 only has a front-facing camera, the Galaxy Tab 2 has a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera too. Rounding out the specs are the 1GHz dual core processor and 1GB of RAM. Samsung is also throwing in a free one-year subscription to Dropbox with 50GB of cloud storage. Yes, the Google Nexus 7 is hugely popular and for good reason, but the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 offers several advantages too. It’s no slouch for sure.

Pick up the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 8GB Wi-Fi Android ICS Tablet on Amazon.com for $199. That includes free super saver shipping.

Update: The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1-Inch, Wi-Fi) has just gone on sale for $350, $50 off as well.

The post Updated: $50 Off Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 Android ICS Tablet appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

If you’re willing to go with a lower-tier brand, and are looking for tablets with Android Ice Cream Sandwich for less than $100, the Coby Kryos, 7.0-inch WVGA with a 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM might be your best bet.

It should be noted that this is a resistive touchscreen, though, which means that your experience with it might not be quite the same finger-friendly experience as with a capacitive screen. That said, it also means that it’ll be better for those cold winter months when you’re wearing gloves. It’s also better for handwriting recognition and withstanding your 5 year old banging it around.

Other specs include the GetJar Marketplace (sorry, no google play), 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and a number of preloaded apps to get you started with video watching, email, web browsing, music listening and e-book reading. There is 4GB of on-board storage, which can then be expanded with a microSD or microSDHC card, we’re not sure if .

Find the Coby Kryos on Amazon for $80, which is $30 (27%) off the regular price of $109.99.

The post Coby Kryos Android 4.0 ICS Tablet price cut to $80 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

With increasingly larger screens on our smartphones, it’s clear enough that people want to have both a smartphone and a tablet. The Transphone is aiming to bridge that gap too and we’ve got the first exclusive hands-on photos of the upcoming device.

It works in much the same way as the Asus PadFone in that you have a smartphone portion and then this can be “docked” into the back of a tablet to give you the bigger screen experience. The 7-inch tablet (ExoTablet) is still “powered” by the smartphone, so everything is seamless as far as apps, media, contacts, and other data. There’s no need to sync your data between the two devices, because they’re effectively one and the same.

Based on the side-by-side pictures, it looks to be almost exactly the same dimensions as the iPhone 4/4S, including what looks like a 3.5-inch SVGA screen. We hear that the Transphone is being produced by CMIT. The rumors point toward a dual-core Qualcomm processor. It’s an Android device and word is that it will ship with Ice Cream Sandwich. The tablet portion has its own internal battery and you get dual battery icons in Android when you’re using the tablet. There appears to be a proprietary Apple-like connector too.

The first shipments of the TransPhone will be available through Exotablet.com starting on September 1st for $499.

The post Exclusive: First Hands-On Pics of the Transphone Android Smartphone Tablet appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Even so, you still get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich under the hood, the same wonderfully gorgeous display technology that you’ve come to expect from Samsung in this 7-inch screen, a faster dual core processor. Unlike the Nexus 7 that’s stuck with whatever internal storage it has, though, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 has a microSD slot to add up to 32GB of extra data storage. You also get a free one-year subscription to Dropbox for an added 50GB in the cloud.

The big bonus here, though, has to be the keyboard dock. Giving you a similar functionallity as the more expensive Asus Transformer Pad series, you can then use the Galaxy Tab 2 almost like a laptop, typing up emails and tweets in a much more expedient manner. And yes, you have full access to the Google Play Store for over 450,000 apps, plus music, books, and videos. The Smart Remote app with built-in IR blaster transforms the Galaxy Tab 2 into a pretty sweet universal remote too.

This package is being called the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch Student Edition, but I don’t see any reason why this isn’t just as happy being in the hands of non-students. In addition to the keyboard dock and tablet, you also get a USB adapter bundled in there. AT $250 including free shipping, this is a great way to go back to school.

The post $100 Off Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 plus Free Keyboard Dock appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

When you think of Android, what comes to mind? Most likely smartphones or tablets, right? While that makes sense, Android has found its way into much more than that. This includes media players, cameras, and now even a touch-laptop.

The new GoNote has arrived, merging Android ICS, a netbook, and touch technology all under one roof. The device is actually aimed at the UK educational market, designed to help students by giving them a laptop device for homework and education. Despite the goal of education, the GoNote isn’t at all limited to education. Actually, the whole Google Play store is on this thing, so that means you can essentially use any app you want- whether that’s a bunch of educational apps or nothing but Angry Birds.

The hardware in the device is far from cutting edge, though it can handle most basic tasks with its 1.2GHz ARM RK2918 processor, 1GB DDR3 RAM, 8GB onboard storage, MicroSD, 1024×600 resolution, LED backlit screen, and built-in WIFI. The GoNote also includes Kingsoft Office, which offers students a way to type out documents compatible with MS Office, and is powered by Android 4.0 ICS.

The touch-laptop by Ergo Electronics isn’t going to blow anyone away, but at £149.99 (about $237 U.S. Dollars) it’s not too horribly priced for what you get. For now, the GoNote seems to be targeting a limited release only in the UK, again squarely aimed at students. Could this change? Hard to say. Honestly, if it could fold back into a true tablet and still maintain a sub-$200 price point it could really have potential outside of the edu-market- unfortunately it doesn’t.

What do you think of this unique touch laptop device?

[ source ]

The post GoNote Merges Touch, Android, and a Laptop into One Package appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The idea of a computer board that is under $35 is more than just a little tempting, and this is probably why the Raspberry Pi board has been a runaway success. When it comes to the Pi, its more of a tinkering toy than anything, but at its reasonable prices it is certainly not a bad purchase for those that are simply curious. The bad news is that the Pi uses the older ARMv6 architecture and that means many modern ARM-capable operating systems don’t play that nice with it, such as Ubuntu. Despite its handicaps, there is support for a custom Raspbian Linux distro and Fedora Linux, and it’s hard to complain when you are spending such low amounts of cash. If you really wanted to do more with the Pi though, you might finally have your chance; it seems that Android 4.0 is finally making its way to the Raspberry Pi through a custom ROM.

The good news is that Android opens the Pi up to tons of apps that could turn it into a very cheap multimedia PC for the living room or elsewhere. The bad news is that the port isn’t fully working yet, though hardware acceleration is running smoothly. Though you can’t have a full Raspberry Pi Android experience yet, once the Android developer community gets their hands on a platform, it’s only a matter of time. At under $50, would you consider the Pi, especially if it gets Android 4.0 fully working on its hardware?

[ source ]

The post Android 4.0 On Its Way To Raspberry Pi appeared first on Mobile Magazine.