Sony Xperia neo L review

The Sony Xperia neo L is trying to break into an already well-populated market of affordable smartphones that give you a loud bang for your buck. It's a hotly contested game, but the neo L doesn't come unprepared. It has Sony's screen and camera know-how behind its back.
The Sony Xperia neo L is the second revision of the neo design. The biggest change is the screen, which grew to 4 inches, and the OS - the L model launches with Android 4.0 ICS out of the box.

Sony Xperia neo L official pictures
There are some other changes visible on the outside - Sony decided to drop the HDMI port, there are now four hardware buttons under the screen and the hardware shutter key is missing, but that's about it.
On the inside, things are more familiar - the Sony Xperia neo L is based on the same platform as quite a few Sony Ericsson phones - the previous two neos, the Xperia arc, mini, ray, PLAY and so on.
In Froyo times these were flagship specs and when Gingerbread came out, they were relocated to midrange territory. Today, they are even lower than that but the neo L has a couple of aces up its sleeve.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE support
• 3G with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• 4" 16M-color capacitive LED-backlit LCD touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels) on Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine
• Android OS v4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
• 1 GHz Scorpion CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, 512 MB RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 chipset
• 5 MP autofocus camera, LED flash, geo-tagging, 3D Sweep Panorama
• 720p video @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound
• Front facing VGA camera, video chat (Google, Skype)
• Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS
• microSD slot (32GB supported, 2GB card included)
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
• Voice dialing
• Adobe Flash 11 support
• Deep Xperia Facebook integration

Main disadvantages

• Display has poor viewing angles
• Very limited video codec support
• No HDMI port as on the older neo models
• No FM radio as on the older neo models
• No hardware camera shutter key as on the older neo models
• Memory card slot under the battery

The lack of a dual-core processor might put some people off, but it's really the HDMI port that we miss. It's a real rarity, especially since manufacturers started using MHL instead, but that requires an adapter and it's usually only the higher-end devices that get it.

Samsung Galaxy S firmware update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

 

Samsung Galaxy S Update | Dream of Android 4.0 Galaxy S

If you are an unfortunate owner of a Samsung Galaxy S mobile then you have probably known that you are not getting the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich update from Samsung. It is because of their complex Touchwiz launcher which runs over the basic Android they are unable to update it.
Samsung Galaxy S Android 4.0 or ICS will be a killer combination!
N.B.: Samsung is giving some ICS smell to the existing Samsung Galaxy S I9000 users. It is not ICS but some functions of ICS in Gingerbread.

According to theverge.com

 “Samsung has just distributed the worst news of this Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade cycle: the popular Galaxy S smartphone that sold 10 million units last year and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab tablet won't be upgraded to Android 4.0. The company's argument is that they lack sufficient RAM and ROM to run the new OS alongside TouchWiz and other "experience-enhancing" software. This will come as a massive blow to the great many users of the Galaxy S, who would have rightly expected the 1GHz Hummingbird processor and accompanying memory to be able to handle ICS — it's the same hardware as you'll find inside the Nexus S, and that phone is receiving Android 4.0 over the air right now.”
c.f. http://www.theverge.com

So, the Galaxy S users are in the dark forever? No, you have a solution in hand for Galaxy S update. The Samsung Galaxy S software update process we are going to discuss is tested with positive results.

Your mobile is an android device and freedom is the main mantra of Android. So, it is very much possible to update Samsung Galaxy S to ICS. Just follow the simple steps and see the magic.

Warnings!

The ICS ROM is Updated for You! With fully working camera and wi-fi tethering support.
Before jumping to the process of upgrading you must consider these words of caution as follows:
1. If you are a novice android user better to seek an expert’s help to do it.
2. This process is not 100% safe and you should proceed in your own risk. But if you do it rightly chances of any harm to your phone is very low. Don’t blame me afterwards.
3. Charge your phone fully before updating. If the battery empties during the process your phone may become dead.
4. Network locked devices are not recommended for this update.

Samsung Galaxy S Ice Cream Sandwich Update

To update your Galaxy S to Icecream Sandwich you need to follow the steps described below:

Stage I

1.Update your Samsung KIES tool to the latest version (of it is not already done.)

2.Backup all your data before advancing. While backup never use KIES backup tool but use other methods like backing up your Notes in Mail; videos, images and songs in SD card and contacts in outlook etc. Use an app to do better backup of your all files and settings. You may perform a nandroid backup.

3.You need XXJVU firmware in your phone. Check it in your phone by: Settings > About Phone > Firmware Version. If it is not then update it to XXJVU from here.

4. You also to root your device before advancing. If it is not already done you can go here.

5.Enable USB Debugging on your device from: Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging.

6. Download the main package: Android ICS 4.0.3. Then transfer the zip to your Galaxy S mobile’s SD card.

7.Now disconnect the mobile from the PC by detaching the USB cable.

8.Go to the recovery mood by pressing and holding three switches simultaneously: Volume UP + OK + Power.

9.While in recovery mode, select “Wipe data/factory reset”, “Wipe Cache partition” to clear all the cache present in the device.

10.Select “install zip from sd card” > “choose zip from sd card” and then select the zip file which you placed in the phone “ I9000_STOCKPLUS_ICS_RC4_v2.zip ”

11.It will take around 15 – 20 minutes for applying this update. After this, you need to select “++++ Go Back ++++” and then select “reboot system now” to reboot the phone.

12.Repeat is necessary if the updating fails.

Now you have a Android 4.0 Samsung Galaxy S device.

Lava XOLO X900 Preview

 

It’s not always we get to use a smartphone that has an Intel processor inside so when we got the opportunity, we jumped on it. For those who are not aware, the Lava XOLO X900 is the first phone in the world to use an Intel processor and its x86 architecture, and is on sale right now in India. Meanwhile, another version of this phone called the Orange San Diego is now making its way to shops in Europe and this is just the beginning as you’ll be seeing a lot more devices running an Intel processor by the end of this year.

But all that for later. For now, catch us after the break for a quick preview of the world’s first smartphone with Intel inside. 

Design

The design of the Lava XOLO X900 is virtually identical to the Intel FFRD (Form Factor Reference Design) that we first saw back in December 2011. It seemed fine for a reference design but looks quite bland when seen on a retail product. The X900 looks simple to the point of being boring and it won’t be winning any beauty contests. Build quality isn’t particularly impressive either and the all-plastic body tends to creak a bit when held tightly.

Going around the device we see the 4.03-inch display up front with the earpiece, front facing camera and various sensors on top above and the four control keys below. On the right are the volume control keys, microSIM tray, camera shutter button and the right stereo speaker. On the left are a microHDMI port and the left stereo speaker. On top is the power/sleep button with the headphone jack and on the bottom is a microUSB port. On the back are an 8 megapixel sensor with LED flash and a secondary microphone.

You can remove the cover on the back, but there is no reason you would need to. You can access the battery underneath but it is attached using cables instead of contact points so it’s not user replaceable.

The X900 is a long phone and the display is placed near the top so you need to adjust your grip to be able to reach its upper portion comfortably. The power button on top is placed somewhat inconveniently and is hard to use at times. 

Display 

The Lava XOLO X900 uses a 4.03-inch TFT LCD with a resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels and Gorilla Glass coating. Quality-wise, the display is nothing special. The colors are muted, the brightness and contrast are average and the image distorts when seen off angle.

The display refresh rate also doesn’t seem to be very high, which leads to noticeable motion blur in some games. The only redeeming aspect about this display is its resolution, which coupled with the relatively small 4-inch size gives it an impressive 295 PPI pixel density. This makes things look tack sharp, but also very small at times.

The OS doesn’t seem to have been optimized for this pixel density and you’ll notice everything on this phone looks generally smaller than on other phones. On the homescreen, for example, you will see the same number of icons as on other phones but they are all small and spaced out. Things should be looking much better when the Android 4.0 upgrade arrives, as Ice Cream Sandwich has HD as its native resolution. 

Performance

 

The Lava XOLO X900 runs on Intel’s Medfield platform. The SoC on this phone is the Atom Z2460, also known as Penwell. It consists of the single-core 1.6GHz Saltwell CPU and the PowerVR SGX540 GPU, clocked at 400MHz. Then there’s also 1GB of dual-channel LPDDR2 memory and 16GB storage space (non-expandable). The X900 runs on Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread.

HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE review

The DROID Incredible line of smartphones for Verizon Wireless, much like the EVO family offered by Sprint, consists of US-only, carrier exclusive devices made by HTC. The HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is the latest member of the family to come our way and it seems to have ambitions worthy of its rather epic name.

HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE official photos
Unlike its predecessor, which was a minor update over the original, the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is a major leap forwards. The smartphone offers a curious blend of high-end features, packed into an already familiar looking and pocket-friendly package. As a matter of fact, you will have a hard time finding a more powerful Android device with similar dimensions on the US market.
Here goes the two lists, summing up the most important things you need to know about the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE.

Key features

• LTE/EVDO/CDMA network support
• 4 " 16M-color Super LCD capacitive touchscreen of qHD resolution (960 x 540 pixels); Gorilla glass
• Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4.0
• 1.2 GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 chipset
• 1 GB of RAM and 8GB of storage
• microSD card slot
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash; face detection and geotagging
• 1080p and 720p video recording @ 30fps with stereo sound
• 720p front-facing camera for video-chat
• Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS
• NFC connectivity
• Accelerometer, proximity sensor and auto-brightness sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth
• MHL TV-out (requires MHL-to-HDMI adapter)
• Smart dialing, voice dialing
• DivX/XviD video support
• HTC Portable Hotspot
• Beats audio enhancements

Main disadvantages

• Rather thick for a high-end device at 11.7mm
• Verizon's UI customizations are extremely intrusive
• Ageing looks
• No dedicated camera button
• No FM radio

As you probably noticed , the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is anything but short on processing power. Even when underclocked, the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 with its two Krait CPU cores is more than sufficient to easily pull a smartphone through any task you throw at it.
The fairly compact body of the Incredible 4G LTE is likely its most important feature. The device offers a great alternative to those who think that a Galaxy S III or an HTC One X is a bit too much to handle. Also, we had almost forgotten when was the last time we could handle an Android flagship with one hand.The HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE does have its disadvantages but depending on your preferences and usage patterns they might not matter too much to you. The phone's looks are hardly revolutionary, but some might prefer to call the design an HTC classic.

Sony Xperia go review

The Sony Xperia go is not a phone to keep on a short leash. Not your kind of phone either if you'd say no to a dip in the pool because you are expecting an important call. The Sony Xperia go lets you join the fun. The midrange package that Sony just brought to the market aims to offer plenty of bang for your buck - and a bang of a time.

The Sony Xperia go official pictures

The Xperia go is a smartphone that you don't need to constantly look after. The little rugged droid will have you covered in situations very few other phones will put up with, let alone survive. Drop it or sink it, the Xperia go will take it without a flinch. And there's more where that came from. Here's the short version of what the Xperia go is all about.

Key features

• IP67 certified for dust and water resistance, wet-finger tracking
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• 3G with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• 3.5" 16M-color LED-backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen of HVGA resolution (320 x 480 pixels) at around 165 ppi
• Bravia Mobile engine
• Android OS v2.3 Gingerbread
• Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, Mali-400 GPU, NovaThor U8500 chipset
• 512 MB RAM
• 5 MP autofocus camera, single LED flashlight, geotagging, image stabilization, smile detection, touch focus
• 720p video @ 30fps
• Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot functionality and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS, Wisepilot navigation
• microSD slot (32GB supported, 2GB card included)
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor, notification LED
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• TrackID music recognition
• Relevant package of apps
• MicroUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
• Adobe Flash support

Main disadvantages

• No ICS out of the box
• Screen resolution a bit low by today's standards
• No arm case and wrist strap in the bundle (ala the Sony Ericsson Xperia active)- available in the Xperia go "Sports Edition"
• No hardware camera shutter key
• No secondary camera, no video calls
• Loudspeaker has below average performance
• No DivX/XviD video support, 1080p video playback is a no go, too
• No ANT+ support for connection to sports peripherals (unlike the Xperia active)

Now, who said you can only have two out of the three if you're after compact size, rugged build and performance under the same roof. The Sony Xperia go has the brains to go with the toughness and is still compact enough to carry around and slip into any pocket.

To make it even better, Sony has addressed two of the main issues we had with the predecessor - the Xperia active. There's now a capable dual-core chipset under the hood and the screen has grown to the far more usable 3.5". We could have probably used some extra pixels, but the Xperia go sounds like a package that's hard to beat as it is.