Huawei eyes Windows Phone 7 smartphones

Huawei would be the eighth original equipment manufacturer to join the WP7 league, besides HTC, LG, Nokia, Samsung, Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE.

In yet another boost for Windows Phone 7, Chinese smartphone maker Huawei has expressed its interest in the operating system.

"We are in discussions with Microsoft and will probably bring a Windows Phone to market next year," chief strategy and marketing officer of Huawei, Victor Xu was quoted as saying by a UK website.

Hardware buttons missing from next Google phone

The next Google phone is being tested on both CDMA and HSPA+, and it appears to have the front facing camera on the top left.

Google's upcoming Nexus 3 smartphone will have no physical buttons on it and will just have a touchscreen in the front, a technology website has revealed.

The phone will use Android Honeycomb operating system, which is meant for tablet PCs. Honeycomb will enable the phone to work smoothly even without physical buttons.

This plan seems very much in line with Google's vision to combine the tablet and smartphone operating systems in a single device. Users won't need hardware buttons simply because all they need will be available on the screen itself.

LG Optimus 2x finally available in India for INR 27K

LG has finally made dual core Android smartphone Optimus 2x available in India. Online retailer Flipkart is now selling it for INR 26,990, much below the announced recommended price of INR 30,000. It however is shipping it within 6 to 8 days, which is a bit odd considering Flipkart’s record of shipping in three days normally. They might be still waiting for the stock, which would be due in a few days, so this long shipping time.

Anyways, it is certainly good news for everyone waiting for this dual core beast in India. LG Optimus 2x has been getting negative publicity recently due to the rebooting issues on the phone, but LG has confirmed that it is going to release a fix soon for this problem.

LG Optimus 2X: Brawn over brain

Product: LG Optimus 2X

Price: Street price around Rs 27,000 

What's hot: Dual-core Tegra 2 processor, good build quality, HDMI port, very good 4-inch screen, good video playback, fast performance, detailed still photographs 

What's not: Mediocre video capture, Froyo (Android 2.2), GPS glitches 

LG Optimus 3D gets augmented reality browser

The Optimus 3D becomes the first ever 3D smartphone to feature an augmented reality browser.

LG Optimus 3D, which is possibly the first smartphone to have a three dimensional screen, will also have a 3D augmented reality (AR) browser. LG Electronics has announced the inclusion of the AR browser in collaboration with Wikitude, an independent augmented reality browser developer.

With this, LG Optimus 3D became the first smartphone to feature a 3D augmented reality browser.

Augmented Reality (AR) is a real-time technology that overlays detailed information (such as graphics and audio) to the user's surrounding as captured through smartphone cameras and other devices.

The Wikitude 3D browser allows better interaction and engagement with real-time user environments. While 2D AR only displays overlapped objects, 3D AR takes it a step further while showing places, landmarks and objects in three dimensions, making them easier to distinguishable. The browser allows users to discover details about their surroundings and access related Wikipedia articles and Twitter information directly from within the application itself.

LG Optimus Black coming to Europe later June, followed by US, Asia

The LG Optimus Black, the stylishly slim and lightweight Android smartphone featuring the unique NOVA display, will make its international debut in Europe later this month.

Following successful unveilings at the Consumer Electronics Show and the Mobile World Congress, the LG Optimus Black has attracted pre-orders from 56 network carriers in 50 different countries. The phone will be available globally across six continents beginning in Europe before heading to North America and Asia.

“For smartphone users who appreciate both style and substance, the LG Optimus Black offers beauty, performance and mobility in one smart package,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “LG Optimus Black is a significant addition to our global Optimus portfolio and we think it’ll prove to be one of our most popular phones.”

Can ZTE become a Top 5 Smartphone Manufacturer by year end?

That sounds pretty optimistic to me. Being in competition with the likes of HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Sony, LG, and Erricson, I say they have a long hard road ahead of them. Either way, why not shoot for the stars right? They take on this challenge, by showing their first quarter sales being up 51% over this time last year. And i like their new term “smart terminals”. Which would seem to refer to all devices, be it a smartphone, or a tablet. Hit the source for more on the story.