Corningware, the makers of Gorilla Glass 3 had a pretty cool demo of the strength of their new product that they shared at CES. The folks at mobilesyrup.com caught it on video for your viewing pleasure. In the video, we see the glass subjected to a stell ball and 100 pounds of pressure, and still come out fully intact and unblemished. Here's a quote from Corningware,

Gorilla Glass 3 is not only chemically strengthened — its atomic configuration is formulated so that the glass is less brittle, and fundamentally tougher and more damage resistant even before chemical strengthening.

Source: MobileSyrup

It looks like Samsung is becoming the new Apple, at least if you use the metric of massive sales and profit as a guide. Samsung just shared their Q4 2012 earnings statement, and although it comes as no surprise that they are basically kicking everyone's butt, their numbers are still surprisingly phenomenal. According to the report, Samsung raked in $8.3 Billion in profit last quarter, which is 89% higher than the same quarter last fiscal year.

Of course, keep in mind that this is profit for the entire company, not just their mobile division. Let's not forget that Samsung has their hands in just about every electronics product you can imagine, like HDTVs, appliances and much more. Still, a large part of that massive profit number does come from their mobile sales. According to the same report sales of Samsung mobile handsets (combined smartphones and feature phones) have reached an apex of nearly 500 phones per minute, and sold nearly 65 Million units in Q4.

Analysts are predicting further growth from Samsung next year and anticipate their yearly profit for 2013 will likely hit $35 Billion. With numbers like these, it's no wonder their stock is up by 40% over last year.

Source: BGR

Yesterday, we were privileged to bring you the official announcement from CES that Huawei would be launching the new Ascend D2. We put emphasis on the privilege because we were so pleasantly surprised by this impressive new device. Besides its great main-stream features, it also has several of the most desired secondary features in a smartphone, like a 3000 mAh battery, dust and water resistance and a microSD card slot. The folks at TalkAndroid were on-hand at CES to share a hands-on video of the new superphone, and we have it here to share with you guys above.

Of course, some might compare its looks to the iPhone, but Apple thinks that all phones are similar to their's so why bother even considering that anymore. There's still no word on pricing or availability just yet, but the phone is expected to go on sale in China soon, followed by Japan shortly thereafter. Hopefully, it won't be too long before it comes to the Americas as well. Regardless of whether you like this phone and would like to see it in your home market, it's great to see a company really pushing the envelope and including so many features that people actually want. Sound off what you think of this new phone. Could it be a game-changer?

The Xperia Z is on the left, and the Xperia ZL is on the right. The picture is from Pocket-lint.

Here's another story from last night at CES that we are excited to share with you guys this morning. Sony just launched their newest Android flagship devices, the Xperia Z and the Xperia ZL. Both are 5-inch phablet-style devices. We have a spec round-up for each device and we also found a couple of hands-on videos to share with you guys. Both devices have essentially the same innards, but the Z is designed to be water and dust resistant, while the ZL loses this feature, but has a slightly smaller footprint.

This video is from Phandroid.

Sony Xperia Z:

• 5-inch Full HD 1080 x 1920 Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
• 13MP fast capture camera with Exmor RS for mobile & HDR video
• Dust & water resistant (IP55 & IP57)
• 1.5 GHz asynchronous quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor with 2GB
• Battery STAMINA mode improves standby time by at least four times
• One-touch mirroring
• 4G LTE for superfast entertainment
• Glass-back
• Dust and Water Resistant
• Slightly Larger Design Footprint
• Slightly Thinner than the ZL at 7.9mm
• 2,400mAh battery non-removable battery
• A microSD Card slot

This video is from TalkAndroid.

Sony Xperia ZL:

• 5-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080 Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
• 13MP fast capture camera with Exmor RS for mobile & HDR video
• 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor with 2GB RAM
• Maximized display with the highest ratio of screen to phone size
• Battery STAMINA mode improves Standby time by at least four times
• One-touch mirroring
• 4G LTE for superfast entertainment
• Slightly smaller footprint
• Slightly thicker
• Soft-Rubberized Backing
• 2,400mAh battery non-removable battery
• A microSD Card slot

Here's the first of a few stories from late last night at CES. This one is a follow-up to "wicked's" story from last night. We wanted to share a few more details of the higher-end chip's primary features for all the tech-heads. Qualcomm officially unveiled their new Snapdragon lineup. They are moving away from the "S" series naming convention. Their new chips will be called the Snapdragon 200, 400, 600 & 800. The 200 series will be their budget-friendly chips, and the 400 will be for the moderate crowd. The 600 and 800 are left for the high-end flagship devices. Of course, we are most excited by the upper echelon chips, so here's a breakdown of specs for Qualcomm's newest beastly tech:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800

• New quad-core Krait 400 CPU, with speeds up to 2.3GHz per core
• Adreno 330 GPU
• 2x32bit LP-DDR3 at 800MHz
• New Hexagon DSP V5 for enhanced low power performance
• New IZat ™ location technology for high performance, highly accurate navigation platform
• Third-gen 4G LTE modem with data rates up to 150Mbps
• Integrated newest generation mobile Wi-Fi connectivity, 802.11ac
• Support higher display resolutions (up to 2560 x 2048 pixels) and Miracast 1080p
• Dual Image Signal Processors (ISP) for Qualcomm Snapdragon Camera with support for computational camera

Qualcomm Snapdragon 600

• New quad-core Krait 300 CPU, with speeds up to 1.9GHz per core
• New speed-enhanced Adreno 320 GPU
• Support for LPDDR3 memory

Supposedly, the 600 series chips will be 40% faster than their previous Snapdragon S4 Pro chips, and the 800 series will be 75% faster. If these figures turn out to be true, then it looks like Qualcomm could have another huge hit on their hands.

Source: Hardwarezone

Paul Jacobs, chief executive of Qualcomm just announced Snapdragon 800 and Snapdragon 600 series during his opening keynote speech at CES 2013.

The Snapdragon 800 is the high end processor that has quad core Krait 400 CPU and Adreno 330 GPU. It would offer speeds of up to 2.3 GHz per core and up to 75 percent better performance than the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processors. It can also play UltraHD or 4K videos and has built in 4G LTE Cat 4 and 802.11ac support.

The Snapdragon 600 series has quad-core Krait 300 CPU running at up to 1.9 GHz and Adreno 320 GPU that offers 40% better performance than the Snapdragon S4 Pro processor. The company has also announced Snapdragon 400 series of processors for mid-range phones and Snapdragon 200 series aimed at entry level smartphones.

Jacobs said the new chips will be able to transfer data at 150 megabits per second, or far faster than the available wireless data networking technologies currently available on smartphones. On top of that, the chips will be able to transfer data using the powerful new computer networking protocol, 802.11ac, which is set to replace 802.11n as the fastest computer networking standard.

Features of new Qualcomm Snapdragon Processors


Snapdragon 800 Processors – quad-core Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, 4G LTE Cat 4 and 802.11ac, UltraHD 4K video support DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus and 7.1 surround sound, Dual Image Signal Processors (ISPs) up to 55MP. aimed at premium smartphones, Smart TVs, digital media adapters and tablets.
Snapdragon 600 Processors – quad-core Krait 300 CPU, Adreno 320 GPU, LPDDR3 RAM, aimed at mid-high tier smartphones and tablets.
Snapdragon 400 Processors - aimed at high volume smartphones and tablets.
Snapdragon 200 Processors – aimed at entry level smartphones.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and the Snapdragon 600 processors are expected to be available in commercial devices by mid-2013.

Source: PCMag

Picture comes from SlashGear

Huawei also shared their other product that we have heard rumors about previously. This one wants to appeal to folks who either have descended from a race of giants, or folks who simply need a tablet that can act as a phone. It's the Ascend Mate, which is the 6.1-inch smartphone/phablet that we marveled from the rumor-mill lat last year. Here's the spec breakdown for this mutant device:

• 6.1-inch 1280 x 720p HD IPS display
• Dimensions of 163.5 mm x 85.7 mm x 9.9 mm (6.5 inches x 3.4 inches x 0.4 inches)
• Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
• Huawei’s own in-house 1.5 GHz quad-core Hi-Silicon K3V2 + Intel XMM6260 processor (Ascend D was K3V1)
• 4050 mAh charge for all day battery life, and 9 days of suggested standby time
• Weights 198g
• 1GB of RAM
• 16GB of internal storage
• 8 megapixel AF camera with full 1080p video and HDR capabilities
• UI overlay called "Emotion UI." 100 online themes, but less is more ideas for the widgets. Also features face-recognition.
• Features stereo recording.
• The batteries charge faster, up to 25% less time compared to Android counterparts.
• Automated Discontinuous Reception (ADRX) which helps achieve a 30% power savings.
• "Magic touch" which allows use of the screen while wearing gloves.

We aren't sure what to make of this one, but we suspect there is a market out there for an "all-in-one" device like this. Share your thoughts.

Source: PhoneArena

Huawei just officially unveiled their next flagship Android device at CES. The Ascend D2 has an impressive array of specs designed to entice consumers to give Huawei a chance in emerging markets. Here's the breakdown:

• 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• 3G Network HSDPA
• 4G Network LTE
• SIM Micro-SIM
• 5.0 inches Capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 1080 x 1920 pixels, 443ppi
• OS Android OS, v4.1 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Chipset Huawei K3V
• CPU Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait
• Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
• Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email
• GPS Yes, with A-GPS support
• Colors White, Black
• GPRS Yes
• EDGE Yes
• Speed HSPA+; LTE
• WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Bluetooth Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
• NFC Yes
• USB Yes, microUSB v2.0
• Camera 13 MP, autofocus, LED flash, Geo-tagging, face detection, Video 1080p@30fps
• 3000 mAh Battery (48 hours of use)
• 116 step manufacturing processed metal frame
• dust and water resistant
• "Super Hands Free," clear two-way talking from as far away as 1.5 meters
• Built tough, supposedly, if it drops on a "rocky road" it will not break this new phone

What do you guys think of this one? It's hard not to be impressed by the features, especially the massive battery. Could this phone tempt you away from the usual horde of devices that give us tunnel-vision? For now they haven't shared pricing or carrier details, but of course, we will keep you guys informed as new info is shared.

Alcatel is hitting CES in full combat mode with their One Touch Scribe X and the One Touch Scribe HD-LTE. The handsets will come packed with high end features which include a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, 5-inch 1080p HD display, 720p HD front camera, 12MP rear shooter and a full set of creative features and accessories
that will enable users to create movies, edit photos and connect wirelessly to their TV’s to extended the device’s entertainment capabilities. The main difference between the two handsets is that the Scribe HD-LTE will feature an LTE radio on-board, while the Scribe X will not. Check out the full presser below:

ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Announces LTE and 1080P Editions to ONE TOUCH Scribe Smartphone Series at 2013 Consumer Electronics Show

Las Vegas, Nevada (Consumer Electronic Show) – January 8, 2013 – TCL
Communication, designer and manufacturer of ALCATEL ONE TOUCH branded mobile
devices, announced today the latest devices in their ONE TOUCH Scribe smartphone
series, the ONE TOUCH Scribe X and the ONE TOUCH Scribe HD-LTE. The devices will be
shown for the first time at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

The ONE TOUCH SCRIBE series was designed to enable people to express themselves
in a new way, offering a perfect balance between slim design, large display, outstanding
performance, and rich user experience.

ONE TOUCH Scribe X

The ONE TOUCH Scribe X provides a truly enhanced user experience with a 5″ full HD
1080p display screen for impressively rich graphics and a 12MP camera for crystal
clear photography. Together with a 720p HD front camera, a 1.4GHz quad-core CPU, the
feature-rich device will come loaded with a full set of creative features and accessories
that will enable users to create movies, edit photos and connect wirelessly to their TV’s
to extended the device’s entertainment capabilities.

ONE TOUCH ScribeHD-LTE

The ONE TOUCH ScribeHD-LTE is perfect for users seeking a faster mobile experience
for both work and play. The device provides high-speed data performance with no
compromise to its stunning and slim form factor. Sacrificing nothing in functionality
and incorporating the breakthrough speeds of an LTE connection, the device offers
a unique combination of creativity and connectivity, allowing users to manage their
multifaceted lives like never before.

For 20 years, the ALCATEL brand has brought global innovation and quality in mobile
telephony to the widest-range of audiences. The ONE TOUCH smartphone product line
leverages on that expertise, bringing unique products, priced to be accessible to all.

“The ALCATEL ONE TOUCH brand prides itself on the commitment to bring consumers
innovation and quality in mobile technology, at a great price,” said Dan Dery,
Chief Marketing Officer. “The ONE TOUCH Scribe series truly showcases this value
proposition offering a very broad selection of options to consumers: 4G, LTE, and a
version with a more advanced feature set. All of which are offered with a full eco-
system of accessories (pens, Wifi Display dongles for wireless connection to TV and a
large catalog of Magic-Flips).”

Via: ... [Read More]

It looks like Andy is making a tasty snack out of Apple, and a major shift has finally occurred. Consumer Reports shared their latest compile data, and the iPhone 5 has fallen behind Android on all US carriers in rankings. As you can see in the snapshot of their recent report pictured below, for AT&T, the iPhone 5 comes in third after the LG Optimus G and the SGS3. The exact same result is true for Sprint as well. On Verizon, the iPhone 5 doesn't even rank in the top 3, and it doesn't rank at all on T-Mobile since they don't sell it yet.

It's interesting (but not surprising) that on Verizon the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX HD and Droid RAZR HD ranked first and second respectively. Overall, the iPhone 5 has sold very well, but it appears that consumers are now starting to become more enamored with the Android tech than Apple's latest offering. It's probably not too surprising since the iPhone 5's hardware and software specs were still a little bit behind it's older Android competition even on the day it launched.

Even though most of us already knew this, it has now become "official" (at least according to mass consumers) that the iPhone is no longer the top-of-the-line smartphone product in the mobile world.

Source: AndroidAuthority

At CES today, a Japanese company called Ubitus just announced that their cloud gaming solution will be joining forces with Google and coming to the Google TV. They plan to bring what they call their "industry leading cloud gaming solution" to the Google TV, and promise a "console and MMO gaming" experience for the device. Just a few of the games on their service are pretty big names, like Resident Evil 5, Lost Planet 2, and Super Street Fighter IV. They didn't specify what international markets the service will be available for, but it is possible it will launch across all possible Google TV areas. We will keep you apprised when we find out more. Here's the full press release with more details,

Ubitus to Launch Cloud Gaming Services on Google TV
Las Vegas, Jan. 7th 2012 ─ Ubitus Inc., the worldwide technology leader in cloud gaming solutions, announced it is bringing console and MMO games to Google TV with low latency mode and broad range of gaming controller devices in the market.
TV is always the center of entertainment at home. As bandwidth quality keeps improving, it is foreseen there are tremendous opportunities to satisfy consumers' demand beyond existing TV/movie streaming services. By deeply optimizing for the Google TV platform to achieve low latency cloud gaming mode, Ubitus can enable OEMs to offer over-the-top (OTT) cloud gaming services to their customers at ease and timely.
Going forward, any Smart TVs and Set-top-boxes running on the combined solution will allow end users to access cloud gaming services with a single click of button. There are multiple benefits to end users:
Instant convenience – Pay for the service, not product: Instant access to rich library of AAA and MMO titles on big TV screens without buying them all at once;
Enjoyment – Game with friends, not computer: connect with friends from multiple locations with different devices to play the same game. This brings far more fun and convenience than previous scenario where all of the players must be using PCs with high CPU & GPU in order to connect to each other and enjoy the same game.
Social sharing – Share your joy, not being alone: instant share your gameplay session with your networks and have fun together.
"Google TV is an ideal platform for cloud gaming and we have tacked the obstacles to achieving low latency streaming game experience with multi gaming controller devices support on Google TV," said Wesley Kuo, CEO of Ubitus. "This brings tremendous benefits to consumers, particularly with the increasing adoption of Smart TVs and new generation of Set-top-boxes in every consumer's home.
" Ubitus will do live demonstrations of its cloud gaming solution on Google TV platform during CES in its private suite at Bellagio Hotel from Jan 8 – 10, 2013.

About Ubitus Inc.
Ubitus Inc., the technology leader in deploying Cloud-enabled rich media services, offers innovative cloud computing solutions for device manufacturers, wired/wireless communication service providers, telecommunication operators and digital content developers. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, the company now has over 180 employees and offices in United States, Japan, Korea and China.

Source: ... [Read More]

If you were curious to see some of the preliminary games that are coming out for Tegra 4 equipped devices, then you will want to check out the video above. NVIDIA shared a demo of MadFinger's Dead Trigger 2, and the visuals are very impressive, especially considering it's a first run game for the hardware. It will be interesting to see what level of graphical detail can be achieved once devs have have had some time to play around with the new hardware and really push its boundaries.