android
Three Androids To Hit Verizon May 26th
Verizon subscribers hold on to your socks as May 26th will be a big day as we will be seeing Verizon adding three new Android devices to their current lineup. We already know what T-Mobile’s 2011 line up is going to be so what will Verizon’s answer be to that? More after the break.
1. Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
The Xperia Play will be the first Android device to feature a slideout gamepad as well as access to exclusive Playstation titles. The games will be making full use of the slideout gamepad too, making this not just a smartphone but also a portable gaming device. Nintendo DS beware as the Xperia Play could become a serious contender in the mobile gaming department.
2. LG Revolution
A rather fitting name for a device that has made its way into the Guinness Book Of World Records as the very first smartphone in the world to run on a dual-core processor. It will pack a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and it will be supporting Verizon’s 4G LTE network. The device will also be running on Android’s Froyo 2.2 and features a 4.3-inch WVGA display along with a 5-megapixel rear camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 720p HD video recording, and HDMI-out.
3. Motorola Droid X2
It will be the first of the DROID series to feature a dual-core processor and a qHD display along with a 8MP camera that should put it in competition with many other Android smartphones. For a dual-core smartphone the Droid X2 will come at an affordable price of $199.99, probably because unlike its more expensive dual-core competition it will not be LTE enabled.
So if you are a Verizon subscriber, which Android device do you think you will see yourself getting your hands on come May 26th?
The Fairphone 2 was first unveiled in June earlier this year, where this particular handset carried a modular design while featuring majority of its components that have been sourced from conflict-free mines. It seems that this particular handset that you can purchase with a clear conscience has begun to ship to those who happen to live across Europe.
Fairphone announced in a blog post, “It’s been almost two years in the making, and some of the earliest buyers have been patiently waiting since July to receive their new phones. As community manager, I want to personally welcome the new batch of Fairphone owners to our community.” The initial 1,000 units are tipped to ship this month, before the other pre-orders follow in January 2016.
In terms of hardware specifications, the Fairphone 2 will run on a Snapdragon 801 chipset, has a 5″ 1080p screen with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP camera, with Android 5.1 Lollipop in tow. It will be a dual SIM capable handset with a microSD memory card slot and plays nice with 4G LTE networks, retailing for approximately €525 a pop.
It looks like the upcoming flagship model from Xiaomi will feature NFC support, at least based on a document that was released by China UnionPay. Just in case you are scratching your head and wondering who China UnionPay is, they happen to be the only domestic payment gateway supplier and card organization, and hence, to see them offer detailed support concerning the newly released NFC-based payment system points to the very real possibility of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5 featuring NFC capability.
After all, the Xiaomi Mi 3 was also mentioned on the list, which so happens to feature NFC, and there is no mention of the Xiaomi Mi 4 which does not come with NFC. Still, such a new payment system would be the ideal tool to see the reintroduction of NFC to the flagship model.
OnePlus did make an announcement in the previous month that the Ceramic variant of the OnePlus X will be released on November 24. True to their word, they did exactly that – although only a pitiful number of units were made available, and not only that, this was through a charity auction. Thankfully for the rest of the masses who are on the lookout for this device, it has gone on sale officially already.
Needless to say, this particular variant is available only by an invitation, although do bear in mind that standard OnePlus X invites are not good here – you will still need to snag yourself a specific Ceramic variant invite before you make a purchase. OnePlus is also on the lookout to offer additional methods of picking up this smartphone, although no further details were revealed.
The OnePlus X Ceramic will be available only in select markets, where among them include Europe, India, and Hong Kong. To date, we do know that OnePlus had made only 10,000 units of the handset available. A case of the early bird getting the proverbial worm here?