While HTC has plans to release their newly unveiled S4 powered One S (T-Mobile) and One X (AT&T version) within the next two months, Microsoft is reportedly busy testing a Windows Phone 8 smartphone, which is intended for Sprint’s network, with the dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset. The new info comes to us courtesy of the folks over at The Verge who were apparently tipped off by “sources familiar with the company’s plans”.

According to The Verge, at least one Windows Phone 8 handset will arrive later this year and the company is hoping that their device will exhibit impressive performance with the chip onboard as the S4 has been proven to be better than Samsung’s Galaxy S II (Exynos) and Motorola’s Droid 4 (TI OMAP) via many tests.

Reportedly, Sprint is interested in a Windows Phone 8 handset equipped with the chip and won’t be launching any new Windows phones before the introduction of WP8. The carrier has also contacted Nokia for sharing their LTE specifications.

But it is not known whether Microsoft will be checking out the quad-core Tegra 3 processor on the global version of the HTC One X. Although Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 has done remarkably well on previous tests, the latest benchmarks of the HTC One series show that the Tegra 3 is on par with S4 in processing power, and it actually is better when it comes to graphics performance.

The idea of multi-core processor support for future Windows Phones can never be pushed aside after this leak. And Qualcomm, when asked about the possibility of Windows Phone S4 devices, gave out answers that suggest they know about Microsoft’s tests.

We will keep you updated on the matter, so stay tuned.

The post Windows Phone 8 Dual-Core Smartphone For Sprint Being Tested? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Some companies just go ahead and make their rugged products as hideous as possible. Is it because they have a belief that those who look for rugged gadgets do not care about looks? But we are glad that Sony knows the importance of a thing of beauty. Their new DSC-TX20 rugged compact camera boasts all kinds of ‘-resistant’ prefixes, yet features an elegant and innovative design.

The DSC-TX20 is part of the company’s new Cyber-shot line-up which will be offering an updated “Exmor R” CMOS sensor with higher pixel count, improved Optical image stabilization, better low light performance, enhanced AF speeds (approximately 0.13 second during the day and 0.25 seconds at night), and more.

The DSC-TX20 is tough but Sony appears to have spent some quality time while designing it. The new camera comes in several dual-color versions and two of the models (green/silver and orange/gray) feature a nice texture as you can see below.

The slim camera is waterproof (up to 5m), dustproof, freeze-proof (up to 14⁰F) and shockproof (up to 1.5m). It comes equipped with a 16 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, a 25mm equivalent lens with 4x optical zoom, and a 3 inch LCD touchscreen. You will also get 8x virtual zoom via the “Clear Image Zoom” technology and it will allow you to shoot full HD movies.

The camera’s “Dual-Record” feature will allow you to capture 12 MP stills while shooting video. In case that feature sounds familiar to you, HTC’s new One X and One S that we saw yesterday come with a similar capability.

The DSC-TX20 will be available in orange, green, black, blue and pink color versions in May with a price tag of approximately $330.

The post Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 Rugged Compact Camera Looks Pretty appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

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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