Alcatel unveils One Touch Idol X with 5-inch 1080p Jelly Bean Smartphone

Alcatel has been quite far from the list of top Android manufacturers in late years. However today the manufacturer announced a bold step into the high-end with the One Touch Idol X. At the front it’s rocking 5″ 1080p screen with a minimalistic bezel – not unlike many of the current top-shelf Android smartphones.

It has a quad-core 1.2 GHz processor of unknown specification, 16 GB of internal storage expandable through an SD card slot, 2000mAh battery, 13 MP snapper on the back and runs, by the looks of it, a pretty stock version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

There’s still no actual word on pricing or availability but it may be bound for international release with US availability in question due to the apparent lack of LTE on board.

The One Touch Idol X will come in a variety of colors – blue, yellow and red for starters.

The One Touch Idol X comes to top the recently announced One Touch Idol and Idol Ultra - the Ultra sports a 4.65″ 720p AMOLED screen, 8 MP snapper and a dual-core processor. The One Touch Idol has a 4.66 qHD IPS LCD at the front, 8 MP camera and dual-core processor. Both come with Android Jelly Bean on tap.

And while those three devices look good on paper – the naming scheme is just horrid.

]]> http://mobilecruze.net/mobilenews/alcatel-unveils-one-touch-idol-x-with-5-inch-1080p-jelly-bean-smartphone/feed/ 0 http://mobilecruze.net/mobilenews/lg-working-on-8-core-chip-called-odin-optimus-g-ii-bound/ http://mobilecruze.net/mobilenews/lg-working-on-8-core-chip-called-odin-optimus-g-ii-bound/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:35:05 +0000 RoCkStAr* http://mobilecruze.net/?p=2410

LG working on 8-core chip called Odin, Optimus G II bound

The LG Optimus G II is still a little far off with an expected unveil in Q3 next fall. But rumors are already in motion concerning its chipset, courtesy of KoreaTimes.

It seems LG will go down the route of a home-brewed chipset much like Samsung and Huawei. Their first chipset, dubbed Odin, will essentially be an 8-core unit, not unlike Samsung’s upcoming chip. LG is said to outsource manufacturing to a Taiwanese TSMC chipmaker.

According to the source, the chipset will be based on ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture, which utilizes four Cortex-A15 cores using 28 nanometer level processing and four lower-powered Cortex-A7 cores.

The idea is striking a balance between processing power and power consumption. The four A15 cores will be available for high-demanding tasks, while the A7 ones will service tasks, which require less oomph. Thus the device will have plenty of processing power on tap, but will only utilize it when it’s needed.

LG’s Odin is rumored to premiere in smartphones but it may still see the light of day elsewhere – tablets perhaps? LG kinda neglected this side of the Android device business in the recent years.

]]> http://mobilecruze.net/mobilenews/lg-working-on-8-core-chip-called-odin-optimus-g-ii-bound/feed/ 0 http://mobilecruze.net/mobilenews/hp-slate-7-announced-runs-android-jelly-bean-at-a-temptingly-low-price-of-169-99/ http://mobilecruze.net/mobilenews/hp-slate-7-announced-runs-android-jelly-bean-at-a-temptingly-low-price-of-169-99/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:17:33 +0000 RoCkStAr* http://mobilecruze.net/?p=2401

HP Slate 7 announced runs Android Jelly Bean at a temptingly low price of $169.99

HP has launched its first Android-based tablet, the HP Slate 7. The HP Slate 7 will be priced at a very competitive $169.99 and will go on sale in April.

As far as specifications are concerned, the Slate 7 has a 7.0-inch, 1,024 x 600 resolution FFS+ LCD, 1.6GHz, dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory with microSD card slot, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/b, Bluetooth 2.1, 3 megapixel rear camera, VGA front camera, stereo speakers and Beats Audio. The HP Slate 7 runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

The Slate 7 also comes with ePrint, HP’s software for wirelessly printing documents from the device directly using a compatible HP printer. But, of course, that app is available for all Android and iOS devices as well.

HP Slate 7 Reviews Specifications

Lenovo Launches The Latest A1000 A3000 and S6000 entry level Android Tablets

Today, Lenovo outed a few new lower-midrange Android tablets, including a 10-inch 1.2 GHz quad-core model with a 8.6mm waistline.

Lenovo S6000

The A1000, A3000, and S6000 will all run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and give users access to affordable tablets starting in Q2.

Lenovo A3000

The 10-inch model, the S6000, features an IPS display of 1280 x 800 pixels resolution, alongside the aforementioned 1.2 GHz quad-core MediaTek 8389/8125 processor. The 8.6mm of thickness results in a weight of 560 grams, and it’s rated for up to 8 hours of battery life.

Lenovo A1000

The A3000 is a 7-inch variant also running a quad-core 1.2 GHz processor from MediaTek, with a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution display, but a thicker profile than the S6000 at 11mm.

Finally, the budget A1000 model is also in the 7-inch range, but with a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, and with Dolby Digital Plus audio enhancements.

Lenovo has announced all three tablets for the second half of this year in a global release.

Run Android ICS Ice Cream Sandwich on your computer PC using WindowsAndroid

The Android platform has come a long way since the first Android phone was released in 2008, but it still primarily remains a platform for mobile devices, smart TVs, in-vehicle entertainment systems and a few small computers like the Raspberry Pi. Having access to Android on your PC can be quite useful considering its huge app ecosystem.

Back in 2011, we covered BlueStacks that allows you to run numerous Android apps in full screen mode on yoru PC but if you want to use the complete Android operating system on your Windows computer, emulation is the answer. WindowsAndroid is an Android emulator that allows you to do just that, bringing you the full Android 4 Ice Cream Sandwich experience within Windows, complete with apps, widgets and settings. Keep reading to find out more.

While you can run Android on Windows using the official Android emulator that comes with the Android SDK, its installation process needs quite some configuration to begin with, and the experience it offers is quite slow on most computers. WindowsAndroid offers a much snappier experience, comes with some pre-installed apps and allows you to add more to the system. Do note that Play Store in not supported, and apps are pushed to the system through a secondary method.

When you run the app, the familiar ICS lock screen pops up. Grab the lock with your mouse and drag it to the edge of the circle to unlock the OS. When unlocked, you move directly to the home screen as it appears on Android tablets, with the clock in the center and app drawer on the top-right. Just click and drag the mouse left and right to switch between the home screens. Just like the default ICS home screen on your Android phone or tablet, you get a total of 5 home screens, with a few shortcuts and widgets already added to them.

Custom apps can be installed by placing their apks in the data/app folder of the directory where WindowsAndroid is installed. Placing the apks in this folder will automatically install the apps, and you just have to restart the application once for them to get loaded.

The app seems to be in its early stages at the moment, and crashed a lot during our testing. However, the speed benefits it offers over the official Android emulator make it very promising, if the developer can iron out the the stability issues..

Download WindowsAndroid [Mirror]

How To Root HTC Butterfly X920D and Install TWRP Recovery Mod

HTC became the first smartphone manufacturer to release a phone with a screen resolution at 1920×1080 pixels, starting a trend among all major manufacturers who are following suit with their latest flagships.

In addition to the Droid DNA, HTC’s other flagship featuring this full HD resolution is the recently released HTC Butterfly, and if you’ve already got your hands on one of these beasts, we’ve got great news for you! The device has already been rooted, and as it turns out, rooting it is actually just a walk in the park. So if you want to root your HTC Butterfly and install TWRP recovery on it, let’s show you how.

Credit for this rooting method goes to XDA Recognized Developer mccmjoon76, and many HTC Butterfly owners have confirmed it to be working flawlessly for them.

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. MobileCruze Tips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Requirements

• Unlocked bootloader. Just follow the instructions at the HTC Dev website to unlock your phone’s bootloader if it isn’t unlocked already.
• TWRP Recovery Installer (Windows only)
• Root package

Instructions

The instruction set will be split into installing the recovery, and then gaining root access.

TWRP Recovery Installation

1. To begin, download the recovery installer from the link above and extract the contents or the archive.
2. From the extracted files, run the one named ‘Start Here’ to launch command prompt.
3. Enter the following command to get the phone into bootloader mode:
   

   adb reboot bootloader

4. Once the phone is in fastboot mode, enter the following command:
   

   fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

5. When the recovery is flashed, enter the following command to reboot the device:
   

   fastboot reboot

Now that TWRP recovery has been flashed, we can move onto flashing the root package.

Gaining Root

1. Download the root package file and copy it to the root of your phone’s SD card.
2. Reboot the device into bootloader mode and select ‘Recovery’.
3. Once in recovery, tap the ‘Install’ button and select the zip file you just copied to your phone.
4. When prompted, swipe the arrow to the right to begin installation.
5. Once the installation is complete, tap ‘Reboot System’.

That’s it! When the device reboots, it should be rooted and you should be able to install apps like Titanium Backup and more. Just to be on the safe side though, download any root checker from Play Store and run it to confirm that the device has been rooted.

For any updates and queries, head over to the forum thread at XDA-Developers linked below.

[via XDA-Developers]

How To Install Leaked Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean ROM On Sony Xperia S

The Xperia S was Sony’s flagship device in its NXT series and while one would have expected Jelly Bean to have hit the device way back, it’s still been a seemingly endless wait so far. However, there’s finally some good news in this regard, albeit not from Sony itself.

You can now install the leaked 6.2.B.0.68 Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean firmware on your Sony Xperia S, thanks to XDA Recognized Developer DoomLoRD. While this firmware was originally meant for developer (brown) devices, DoomLoRD was able to successfully modify it to boot on productions devices. However, being a leak, you shouldn’t expect everything to work flawlessly. If you still wish to given it a shot, you can install it right away.

As mentioned earlier, this build is primarily meant for development purposes to offer developers a way to test their works for Jelly Bean on the device before it’s officially released. This build is pre-rooted with busybox installed, but the kernel that it comes bundled with does not contain a custom recovery. The device will be able to detect GSM/HSPDA networks, but will not be able to connect to them so yes, the phone function is broken for now, so install it only if you just want to temporarily get a taste of the official Jelly Bean ROM running on your phone.

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. MobileCruze Tips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Requirements

• Unlocked bootloader and a custom recovery installed. If you do not already have this, or are unsure about how to achieve this, this ROM is not meant for you.
• Running stock .55 ICS ROM or one based on that firmware.
• Leaked Jelly Bean ROM for Xperia S (Download it from the XDA link at the end)

Instructions

1. Begin by downloading the ROM and copying it to your phone’s SD card.
2. Now reboot the device into recovery by powering it device off and then turning it back on while hitting the ‘Volume Down’ key a couple of times as the device boots up.
3. To be on the safe side, make a backup from recovery.
4. Navigate to ‘mounts and storage’ and make sure that /system partition isn’t mounted. If it is mounted, make sure to unmount it.
5. Go back and perform a full wipe data/factory reset, followed by wiping cache, and then wiping dalvik cache from the advanced menu.
6. Next, select to install zip from sdcard,  then choose zip from sdcard by selecting the ROM’s zip file you copied to the phone earlier.
7. Once the ROM is flashed, simply reboot the device.

The first reboot may take quite some time, but that’s nothing to worry about. For updates and queries related to this Jelly Bean leak, head over to the XDA forum thread at the link provided below.

[via XDA-Developers]

How To Root Sony Xperia Z Easily Step by Step Process

The Xperia Z – Sony’s flagship behemoth of a device running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean on a gorgeous 5″ 1080p full HD screen – has been rooted before its actual launch. Sony’s new range of Android devices are becoming more and more developer-friendly, with Sony allowing official bootloader unlocks and releasing kernel sources to the developers to support third-party development.

This rooting method comes courtesy of XDA Recognized Developer DooMLoRD, who remotely achieved root access via teamviewer without even getting his hands on the device. Planning on getting an Xperia Z for yourself? Here’s how you can root the device in a few very simple steps.

Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your own risk. MobileCruze Tips will not be liable if your device gets damaged or bricked during the process.

Requirements

• Unlocked bootloader. You can unlock the bootloader of your Xperia Z from the Sony Mobile website.
• Firmware version: 10.1.A.1.350. Do not proceed with this guide if your device has a different firmware version.
• Modified CF-Auto-Root kernel
• Insecure stock kernel

Instructions

1. First of all, download the modified kernel and insecure stock kernel files from the link above, and rename the modified kernel to ‘mkernel’ and the stock kernel to ‘skernel’.
2. Copy the files to the folder where you have the fastboot file.
3. Reboot the device into fastboot mode by powering it off, and then holding down the ‘Volume Up’ key as you plug in the USB cable.
4. Once the device is connected in fastboot mode, open a Command Prompt window and navigate to the location of the kernel.
5. Now enter the following commands:
   

   fastboot flash boot mkernel.img
   fastboot reboot

6. The phone should start rebooting now, and you should see an indication on the screen, telling you that the device will reboot in 10 seconds. Once it boots up, disconnect the USB and hold down both ‘Power’ and ‘Volume Up’ keys till the phone vibrates thrice. The phone is now powered off.
7. Now reconnect the device in fastboot mode and enter the following commands:
   

   fastboot flash boot skernel.img
   fastboot reboot

8. Lastly, download Busybox installer from Play Store and use it to install Busybox to ‘/system/xbin/’ on the phone.

For updates and queries regarding this rooting method, head over to the forum thread at XDA-Developers linked below.

[via XDA-Developers]

Latest Huawei Ascend P2 Photos leaked 13MP HD camera confirmed

The Ascend P2 from Huawei has leaked once again. This time around, GizChina has captured the rear of the device where you’ll see a ’13.0 FHD’ label under the camera sensor, alongside a dual-LED flash, which confirms that Huawei’s upcoming flagship will indeed be joining the 13MP club.

Besides revealing a new white color scheme, the images show a 3.5mm audio jack up top, as well as a power button and volume rocker on the right, and the usual capacitive Android keys below the display.

As before, the P2 is said to sport a 4.7-inch 1080p display, which has become the norm for flagships in this day and age, alongside a quad-core 1.8GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, a beefy 3000 mAh battery, and Jelly Bean OS. They’ve also specified both 8 or 16GB variants, but no word yet on whether that’s expandable via microSD.

Huawei is expected to announce the Ascend P2 at MWC in Barcelona on Sunday, so be sure to check back with us then for all your Huawei news, live photos and first-hand impressions.

Source

NVIDIA unveils Tegra 4i quad-core processor with built-in LTE

NVIDIA, the American hardware company has officially launched its Tegra 4i chipset. Even though the name suggests it’s a close relative to the recently launched Tegra 4 chipset, the new SoC is actually an updated version of last year’s Tegra 3 with integrated 4G LTE radio.

The Tegra 4i comes with four Cortex-A9 CPU and a fifth power-saving cores just like the Tegra 3, but its 60-core GPU should actually be closer in performance to the Tegra 4 72-core graphics accelerator. There’s also the integrated 4G LTE, which is a first for NVIDIA chipsets. This will help NVIDIA offer an all in one solution, something its Qualcomm rival has been doing for a while now.

An important advantage of NVIDIA’s Tegra 4i is that it’s half the size of a quad-core Qualcomm chipset, which should have a beneficial effect on battery life.

As expected, the chipset also comes with the improved camera features and along-side “always on HDR” mode, Tegra 4i processor is now capable of taking full panoramic HDR photos.

Tegra 4i is rumored to be available in the market by the end of the year and is expected to power mid-range smartphones manufactured in 2014.