HP surely learned a lot of lessons when they tried to take on the iPad with their webOS-based Touchpad, the sales of which were stopped after just seven weeks. Now it appears they have targeted the Google Nexus 7 with their first ever Android tablet, the HP Slate 7. The new tablet is intended for the budget segment, but the question is whether it will succeed against its top rivals.

Running the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, the HP Slate 7 costs just $169, cheaper than the $199 Google Nexus 7. But the Slate 7 is slightly more expensive than budget 7-inchers from Acer (Iconia B1) and the Asus (Memo Pad).

Specs wise the device is not that impressive, but it seems to be just about right for the low price. The device sports a 7-inch HFFS display with a resolution of 1024×600, lower than the Nexus 7.

It also features a 1.6 GHz dual-core A9 processor, 1GB of RAM, 3MP rear camera and a VGA front facing cam. In comparison, the Iconia B1 has no rear cam and boasts just 512MB of RAM, and no rear camera and only a single core processor on the Memo Pad. The Slate 7 is coming with 8GB on-board storage, but you can extend it with the microSD card slot. The device also features Beats Audio and the HP ePrint application, which will allow you to print directly over Wi-Fi.

So the specs are not that bad for that price range, but still HP is a bit late to enter this segment and an April launch means that other rivals may also arise. While HP hopes to compete thanks to its slightly cheaper pricing than the Nexus 7, that extra $30 for Google’s flagship 7-incher gets you a quad-core Tegra 3 processor,, GPS, NFC, and 16GB of storage.

The HP Slate 7 is an attractive enough tablet, though it doesn’t seem to offer any “WOW” factor either. What do you think of the HP Slate 7, does it bring anything new or worthwhile to set HP apart in the growing budget 7-inch market?

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It looks like Asus is planning something big for MWC this year. As you’ll see in the video, the teaser shows a UFO soaring over Barcelona and landing on a church as spectators look on. The video ends inviting you to join Asus in embracing the “metallic miracle”.

So likely Asus is either planning to show off some kind of sleek new casing on some of their devices (or just one even) or perhaps they are planning to release a UFO full of metallic aliens at Barcelona. Really can’t say what, as the teaser doesn’t give us much to go by.

Anyhow, stay tuned to Mobile Magazine during Mobile World Congress (starting Feb 25th) and we will keep you up to date on all the latest. What do you think of Asus’ teaser? Are you excited for MWC yet? I know I am.

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Mobile World Congress is just around the corner, and that means now is the time when many devices seem to get leaked or even officially unveiled right before the show. The latest rumor is all about a low-end Samsung handset under the name Samsung Galaxy Star GT-S5282.

While this could in fact end up being called the Star, it is also speculated that it could actually be the Galaxy Y.

So what kind of specs does this thing pack? Nothing too impressive. The phone has a tiny 3-inch display with a QVGA resolution, 4GB storage, a 2MP camera, microSD, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and a 1200mAh battery. Its also expected to have Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box.

While I’m personally all for budget devices as a way to reach developing markets or bring in customers who simply don’t need much power out of their handset, I don’t get why nearly all budget devices seem to have 3 or 3.5-inch displays.

Really? Three inches? To each their own I suppose, but this thing would certainly sound a lot more appealing if it had a 4-inch display or higher. I guess that also adds to the cost, to be fair.

What do you think, would you ever consider a budget handset like the Galaxy Star at least as a secondary line or perhaps for a teen or child in your family? Or do you think 3-inch smartphones have worn out their welcome?

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The Memo basically takes what the super slim Grand S has to offer but super-sizes everything thanks to a larger 5.7-inch display and 3000mAh battery. Like the Grand S the Grand Memo runs on a 1.7Ghz Snapdragon S4 CPU with 2GB RAM with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a 13 mega-pixel rear camera on the rear. Unfortunately the ZTE Grand Memo doesn’t get 1080 resolution but offers a 720p display instead.

Pricing and availability will likely be announced at MWC later this month. So what do you think, interested or do you feel that anything above 5-inches is just too big for you?

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More than likely you’ve heard that a new HTC high-end Android handset is set to make its reveal on February 19th, just ahead of MWC 2013. This handset is said to be called the HTC M7.

What we know is that this flagship will be HTC’s answer to phones like the Sony Xperia Z and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4, but when is it coming? A new rumor claims it could be here sooner than you’d think– as early as March 8th.

The rumor says not only that it will arrive in the beginning of March, but that it will arrive in a silver/white or black matte color choice. So why such a hurry to get it to the market? Likely HTC is hoping that it can generate enough hype before the Samsung Galaxy S4 or Xperia Z cut in and steal their thunder completely.

So what do we know about the actual hardware here? The rumors seem to indicate that the HTC M7 will look quite similar to the Droid DNA (HTC Butterfly), but will feature a smaller 4.7-inch screen, a quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and a 13MP camera. Yes, it will still have 1080p display capabilities from the sounds of it.

So what do you think, excited about the HTC M7 or more curious about the Galaxy S4 and the upcoming Xperia Z?

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According to sources over at Unwiredview.com, the purported rendering was taken from an instructional video showing new customers how to install a SIM card. From the image we can see that the, unbranded phone, appears to boast a full-width 4.7-inch 1080 display, a long what appear to be a much improved front camera sensor and possible front stereo speakers.

Keep in mind this is an early rendering and the design is subject to tweaking and finalizing between now its official unveil. Based on the little we know right now, what do you think?

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Back at the MWC, the Galaxy Note 10.1-inch tablet was shown off, and managed to confuse quite a few people in the process. The model shown didn’t have room for an S Pen slot, and really didn’t seem to have much to do with the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note. Luckily, at a special Samsung event in Europe, pictures of the revised Galaxy Note tablet have surfaced. Samsung has considerably revised the tablet compared to when we first saw it at MWC, retooling the design to make room for the stylus while also beefing the device up with a quad-core Exynos processor. The new specs make the device much more attractive and powerful than what we saw at first, which is a wise move for Samsung.

The Galaxy Note 10.1-inch tablet has a slim and very attractive little stylus, but an optional S Pen holder kit will exist for those that want a larger stylus. While we don’t really have any solid information about when this is coming out, rumors are currently pointing towards a June release, which is just around the corner now.

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The HTC One X certainly looks like it’s going to make things difficult for all the other phone manufacturers from around the world. And it appears like the other devices in the HTC One series are going to add to their agony. The HTC One Smay not be as beastly as the One X, but it has a really solid build and is really fast as well. And the One V is quite impressive for a low-end model.

Looking at the features, you will find a lot of similarities between the One S and the One X. Both runs the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS with Sense 4.0 UI and are coming with ImageChip, free Dropbox space, HTC MediaLink, and 4G support. But let’s take a peek at what all things are different.

According to Gizmodo, the device has a fantastic build which feels good in the hands. The handset’s aluminum body has ceramic-like qualities via a multi-arc oxidation process. Although light, the handset feels really strong and is very thin at only 7.9mm. The device’s screen won’t be as impressive as the one on the One X. The 4.3 inch qHD Super AMOLED display will have lower resolution than the One X’s 720p Super LCD2. But you will get to enjoy deeper blacks and vibrant colors on the Super AMOLED.

As we told you earlier, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor is what makes the One X a monster device. But Gizmodo’s Brent Rose found the One S’ dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor “extremely fast”. But we will be taking a closer look at it sometime soon and we will let you know all about it.

The One S has been slated to arrive within the next 60 days and will be launched on T-Mobile’s network first. We are expecting it to hit other networks as well. We will keep you updated on the device’s availability and price, so stay tuned.

The One V is a low-end device and it features a 3.7 WVGA Super LCD, and a single-core 1GHz processor. But it’s not that low end. The handset features the same image chip and optics as the other devices in the series, although the cam is only a 5MP one. But this ‘One’ also comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense 4.0. That’s a great addition into an entry-level device. Gizmodo says that the device’s aluminum frame feels solid and its performance, although slow when compared to the One S and X, was better than most low-end handsets out there.

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The Sony Xperia S from the company’s Xperia NXT series turned out to be a big attraction at CES 2012, but their newest additions, the Xperia P (pictured above) and Xperia U, into the same family appear to be lacking in lustre. But that did not stop us from taking a closer look at the pretty looking Android handsets.

Confirming previous rumors, both the handsets run 1-GHz, dual-core processors. The Xperia P features an 8-megapixel camera with HD recording capabilities and its 4-inch qHD screen comes with the company’s new “White Magic” screen tech. The technology will automatically adjust brightness to allow for use in direct sunlight. We will be putting that tech to the test in the very near future.

The handset also features HDMI and DLNA connectivity, 16GB of storage, and will be available in silver, black, and red.

The Xperia U that you see above has a smaller 3.5-inch “reality” display, but it lacks the new White Magic feature. It features a 5-megapixel HD camera.

Both the handsets can capture 2D and 3D panoramic images and features NFC. They will be running Android 2.3 Gingerbread when launched sometime in the first half of 2012, but Sony has promised that the upgrade to ICS will arrive by the second quarter.

Meanwhile, the company announced that the Xperia S will go on sale this week in Barcelona. Anyone who wants to play with the device’s impressive 12-megapixel camera should just go for it. Check out the hands on videos (from T3.com) of the Xperia P and Xperia U below.

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Samsung is expected to come out with a lot of exciting products at MWC 2012. But their newly unveiled Galaxy Beam handset might not impress you when it comes to the specs, although it has one trick up its sleeve. The device features a built-in pico projector.

The new device is an updated version of Samsung’s Galaxy Beam which was shown off at the Mobile World Congress in 2010. And in case you are pondering, Samsung is not the only company which has dived into the idea of a projector in a phone. Have you heard about the LG eXpo projector phone?

The original Galaxy Beam was only slated for Singapore and it came with Android v2.1, a 3.7-inch screen, and a 9 lumens projector. The updated version runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and features a 4-inch 480×800 TFT display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 8GB of internal memory (there’s a microSD slot for cards of up to 32GB), a 5MP rear shooter, a 1.3MP front camera and a 2000mAh battery.

That’s no HTC One X, but those who are buying this device will be looking forward to playing with its 15 lumens projector. Although that is not enough to blind anyone, it is more than enough for projecting pictures, videos, and other media onto flat surfaces. And, according to Samsung, it can display images up to 50-inches wide.

Unfortunately, we haven’t got any hints regarding the price tag and availability of the Beam. We will keep you updated. The Beam is expected to be launched in a number of countries.

And yeah, almost forgot. According to the device’s landing page, the handset has 6GB of RAM. That’s most probably a typo, but maybe not, since it could take some serious memory to power a projector.

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