Category Archives: Huawei

eAccess Smart Bar Aims to Bring the Candybar Number-pad Feature Phone Back in Style

Posted by on September 8, 2011 1 comment

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This isn’t the first time we’ve seen someone trying to bring back the number pad ala the feature phones of yesteryear, except with Adnroid on it. The folks at eAccess have gone retro with the Smart Bar, an Android-running candybar phone with a really thin display.

Inside you’re getting an 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, a 3 inch display with 331 PPI, 802.11n with WiFi and more. Android 2.3 runs on it if you were wondering. All for $383 if you were to import from Japan where it is being sold. Not sure if there’s anyone out there who demands a smartphone of this kind, but here it is. [Engadget]

AT&T Wants to Rescue You From “Smartphone Envy” with Announcement of $30 Impulse 4G

Posted by on September 7, 2011 No comments

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AT&T has just announced a new smartphone that they’re hoping will cure your “smartphone envy” as your friends, family, coworkers and peers wave their big fancy phones around you. It’s being called the “Huawei Impulse 4G” and will be a 3.8 inch device that, wait for it, apparently won’t feature any custom UI (now that’s something to be envious of). Its 5 megapixel rear camera can record HD 720p video.

We weren’t given many specs other than that, but we can probably expect a single-core processor inside along with a max of 512MB of RAM. Don’t quote me on any of that. And all of this is coming our way September 18th for $29.99 (though for that amount you can surely find better phones of AT&T’s at Amazon). [AT&T]

Working 9 to 5 during the summer season can make anyone reluctant to spend that hard-earned money.  Now, smartphone customers can have a cutting edge smartphone at an exceptional value — the Impulse 4G™ from AT&T*.

Key Facts

  • Beginning Sept. 18, the Impulse 4G will be available for $29.99 with a two-year contract through AT&T stores, online at att.com and through select national retailers.
  • The Impulse 4G from AT&T offers unbeatable value for those wanting to take advantage of the capabilities of an Android™-powered smartphone at a lower cost.  The Impulse makes it possible to surf the web, watch videos, check emails and stay engaged with social media from a phone at an affordable price.
  • Impulse 4G includes a 3.8" touchscreen and the ability to record HD video.

Appearing in AT&T TV spots starting Sept. 18 and notably AT&T’s first smartphone from Huawei, the Impulse 4G doesn’t skimp on features despite its unbeatable value.  Running the Android 2.2 platform and sporting HD video recording, a full touch screen and 5-megapixel camera, Impulse 4G meets mobile needs and can be paired with a Data Plus plan, with 200 MB of data for just $15 dollars.

Device Specs and Key Features

  • 3.8" Capacitive WVGA Touchscreen
  • Operating System: Android 2.2
  • 5MP Camera with auto-focus, flash, and 720p HD video record
  • Wi-Fi with access to AT&T’s Hotspots
  • GPS Navigation
  • Dimensions: 120mm x 65mm x 11.6mm

Quotes

“Smartphone sales are exploding as consumers realize the value of having the Internet and a wide array of apps available at their fingertips,” said Avi Greengart, Research Director for Consumer Devices at Current Analysis. “However, the economy is challenging, and some consumers simply can’t afford a flagship smartphone. The Huawei Impulse 4G from AT&T is priced like a budget smartphone but brings a much larger display and higher resolution video recording than other Android phones at this price point.”

"These days we’re all looking for ways to get the most for our money and the Impulse 4G from AT&T does exactly that," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.  "The Impulse 4G gives consumers another option to enjoy the benefits of a smartphone at an exceptional value."

"This is an important milestone for Huawei," said Cui Jiangao, President of Huawei Device USA. "As we introduce our first smart phone for AT&T, we believe the Impulse 4G will allow consumers to experience the best of AT&T’s applications. We are committed to working with AT&T to create influential devices that will provide user-friendly mobile experiences."

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

4G speeds delivered by HSPA+ with enhanced backhaul. Not available everywhere. Deployment ongoing. Compatible device and data plan required. Learn more at att.com/network. Important Information: Limited-time offer. Mobile broadband coverage and other coverage not available in all areas. See coverage map at store for details. Two year agreement with qualifying voice plan and a minimum $15 a month smartphone data plan required. Subscriber must live and have a mailing address within AT&T’s owned wireless network coverage area. Up to $36 activation fee applies. Equipment price and availability may vary by market and may not be available from independent retailers. Early Termination Fee: None if cancelled in the first 30 days, but up to $35 restocking fee may apply to returns; thereafter up to $325. Some agents impose additional fees. Other conditions and restrictions apply. See contract for details. Sales tax calculated based on price of unactivated equipment.

AT&T HotspotsRequires a minimum $45 monthly DataPro 4GB plan. Devices connected to your Mobile Hotspot use data from your DataPro 4GB plan. Overage charges of $10 per each GB provided apply if the included monthly data allowance is exceeded. The number of devices you can connect depends on your device. Performance may vary depending on the number of devices connected and other factors. If you do not use a password, others will be able to use your Mobile Hotspot connection.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates - AT&T operating companies - are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.Facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

© 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

About Huawei
Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Through our dedication to customer-centric innovation and strong partnerships, we have established end-to-end advantages in telecom networks, devices and cloud computing. We are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises and consumers by providing competitive solutions and services. Our products and solutions have been deployed in over 140 countries, serving more than one third of the world’s population. For more information, visit Huawei online: www.huawei.com Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/huaweipress and YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/HuaweiPress.

About Huawei Device
Huawei Device Co., Ltd.’s products cover a wide range of market sectors including mobile phones, mobile broadband devices, and home devices. Our products also include the Hi Space App Store and the Management Cloud, which are solutions that make devices smarter and easier to use. With our primary focus on the consumers, Huawei Device is committed to creating the most influential smart device brands in the world, providing user-friendly mobile Internet experiences. As of the end of 2010, Huawei Device’s products were available through more than 500 operators all over the world. Huawei Device has established strategic partnerships with many of the world’s leading operators including Telefónica, China Mobile, Vodafone, T-Mobile, BT, China Telecom, NTT Docomo, France Telecom, and China Unicom. For more information, visit Huawei Device online: www.huaweidevice.com. Follow us on: Facebook: www.facebook.com/huaweidevice. Twitter: www.twitter.com/HuaweiDevice. YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/HuaweiDeviceCo.

Huawei Honor Leaks, Actually Looks Good

Posted by on August 30, 2011 No comments

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In Huawei’s efforts to help turn the public eye about their products (they’re known as the “cheap” OEM that everyone steers clear of for Samsung, HTC etc.) they look to be bringing another decent Android phone to Asia and possibly Europe. It’s called the Huawei Honor and at first glance could be mistaken for a Samsung Galaxy S

It’s true they’ve made their design similar to Samsung’s flagship phone (who was once accused of making theirs similar to Apple’s iPhone), but it’s a design that works and most people like it. What matters is what’s underneath, though – it’ll apparently be shipping with a 1.4GHz processor (no word on if this single core or dual-core), a 5 megapixel camera with HD video recording, Android 2.3, a 4 inch display, a 1930mAh battery and more.

No video yet, but if Huawei’s other 1GHz+ phones are anything to go on then this should handle Android as smoothly as the best of them. It’s possible Huawei will be on-hand at IFA with this model so we hope more information will come from the event. In the meantime, all we get is a fingerprint-clad photo of the phone that you see above. [LoD]

Getting Your Mobile Patent Suits Straight [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted by on August 19, 2011 No comments

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Who is suing who in the mobile industry? Perhaps the above chart courtesy of Reuters will help make sense of the whole mess. Or maybe not. Just looking at all those crisscrossing lines gives me a headache.

[via Reuters]

Huawei IDEOS Making a Big Splash in Kenya

Posted by on August 17, 2011 No comments

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While we sit around speculating for months at a time over the next big handset and bitterly complain about the cost of carrier contracts, it is often easy to overlook that there are some areas of the world where mobile phones, especially smartphones, are out of reach for a majority of the population. Thanks to Huawei and their low cost IDEOS handset running Android, for the first time one such area is seeing a flourish in smartphone use. Over 350,000 Kenyans have purchased the $80 Huawei IDEOS since its launch on Safaricom earlier this year. This is still a pretty amazing figure considering nearly 40 percent of the Kenyan population survives on a meager $2 per day or less.

The phone is nowhere near the heavy hitters we drop hundreds of dollars on here in the US and other developed parts of the world, but it is far from anything those living in Kenya have ever had access to. The introduction of such smartphones has the potential to create a huge impact on the peoples of developing nations. Agriculture and healthcare apps will provide those in areas still heavily dependent on farming and far removed from cities with their large and capable hospitals with quick access to tools to increase productivity, educate, and diagnose.

The Kenyan smartphone boom also illustrates a decisive advantage that Android holds over its competition. The ability for OEMs to implement lowcost solutions catered to specific world regions opens up a large market for the mobile platform. It would be hard to imagine Apple devising an $80 iProduct. Huawei has been known for their budget priced offerings in China and more recently branching out to the US and Europe, where they offer competitively priced options for entry-level smartphone users and beyond.

We often hear stories of technology being used in ways that negatively impact society, strip the land of its resources, and turn people against each other. Is it that outlandish to hope that a simple smartphone could bring about a wave of change for the underprivileged?

[via SingularityHub]

Huawei Vision Packs Android 2.3, 1GHz CPU into Unibody Design

Posted by on August 3, 2011 No comments

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Huawei has long been known as the maker of low to mid-range handsets designed more for their budget price than anything else. While we can’t speak on the pricing aspect (it isn’t known at this point), the Huawei Vision looks to buck that trend. The upcoming handset will feature a 3.7-inch display, 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash and 720p video recording, and a 1GHz Snapdragon MSM 8255 CPU. It’s all packaged in a sleek unibody frame that could give HTC a run for their money.

The Vision, which also features 512MB of RAM and 2GB of internal storage, isn’t the most powerful Android 2.3 phone on the market, but offers a respectable option for those not seeking a dual-core processor among other niceties. The 9.9mm thick Vision gets a custom “3D carousel” interface (we’re imagining something similar to the 3D homescreen transitions in the latest HTC Sense build), though it won’t feature any sort of 3D display technology. The phone is said to drop in September.

Introducing Vision, Huawei’s stylish new smartphone

Huawei’s sexiest smartphone to date also features 3D carousel user-interface

Beijing, 3 August 2011: Huawei, a leading telecom solutions provider, today launched Huawei Vision, Huawei’s stylish new smartphone with a 3D user interface and carousel animation display. Huawei Vision runs on Android Gingerbread 2.3 OS and is supported by 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM 8255-1 GHz processor. With its sleek design and powerful functionality, Huawei Vision is the perfect combination of technology and style.

Huawei Vision has an aluminum alloy uni-body in rose gold, silver or charcoal, and a curve touch design. Vision measures only 9.9mm at its thinnest point and at around 121g, weighs less than a bottle of perfume or aftershave. It supports 720P video recording and features a 5 megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash. With Bluetooth V2.1 with A2DP, high-speed WiFi 802.11b/g/n internet connectivity, and full range of messaging capabilities including SMS, MMS, Email, Push Mail and IM, makes staying connected with friends and family even easier.

“We are very excited to present Vision, the smartphone which strikes the perfect balance between technology and style,” said Victor Xu, chief marketing officer of Huawei Device. “The unique 3D user interface heralds in a new era in Huawei’s leadership, as we continue to create devices that enhance the user experience through stylish design and smart functionality.”

Huawei Vision has a complete 3D mobile phone interface that bundles handset features into 3D panels on the home screen. The interface allows you to select any panel of the home screen with one easy swipe and makes it easy to prioritize the application view to suit your needs. With Vision’s 3D interface, you can explore features and programs with a single tap.

Huawei Vision will be available in selected markets from September. Vision offers access to the full range of Android apps, and comes pre-installed with ‘Angry Birds’, ‘Asphalt 6: Adrenaline’, ‘Order & Chaos Online’, and ‘Guerrilla Bob HD’.